Towson University - Tower Echoes Yearbook (Towson, MD)

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' Martha' s Vineyard 1 1 l I I i r I i Q IANE E. 1osL1N D I D Y O U ever think of a vacation in the midst of the sea? That is what the Indians called Martha's Vineyard - 'tNoepe, meaning In the Midst of the Sea. It was named Vineland by the intrepid Norsemen when they landed in the year 1000 A. D., because of its luxuriant foliage, and finally Martha's Vineyard by Gosnold of England in honor of his mother. The largest island in the group. about six miles off the coast of Cape Cod, is twenty miles long and nine miles wide, but it is so hilly, its shoreline is so indented, and its roads are so numerous that it seems much larger. As many as fifty thousand people come to its shores for the summer months to enjoy the salt bathing, the fish food, and the beautiful breakers from the open sea. Pleasure boats dock at the three ports several times a day, and the many iishing smacks attract much atten- tion. Yawls, ketches, and motor boats are much in evi- dence, and at the time of the regatta at Edgartown this summer the sailboats dotted the skyline like huge white butterfiies in a blue sky. The first house and fort in New England were built on the island in 1602. Governor Mayhew of Massachu- setts received the right of ownership from the English Crown and sent his son. who was an Oxford graduate, to occupy it. The son befriended the Indians there and established a school for them in 1651, the first ever to be provided for Indians. Their first teacher. Peter Fol- ger, grandfather of Benjamin Franklin. found them very quick to learn. Mayhew compelled all his com- pany to purchase their lands from the Indians and many of the records are written in the Indian as well as the English language. The pioneers built saw mills, erected houses with large chimneys, catwalks, and fine doorways. and planted pear and cherry trees. In the meantime, Mayhew learned the Indian language and would spend half the night telling the Indians and children Bible stories. By 1700 dip candles were used and molds were made there. After that sperm candles, followed by sperm oil lamps, were used for lighting the homes. From 1820 for forty years Edgartown was one of the great whaling ports of the world, at one time owning nineteen vessels. The women sailed on the long sea voyages, and there are still those who can tell of their experiences with pi- 'rateS. In ISS-f a whale was caught that yielded 168 barrels of oil. A candle-making firm was organized in the town, lOCTOBER - isw which for years supplied the United States Government with oil and candles. The Indians were wonderful fisher- men - one man could go out in a small boat and cap- ture seven or eight whales a month. The fishermen have for a long time supplied sword- fish, herring, bluefish and shell fish to the great markets. Martha's Vineyard is famous for its lobster stews and lobster sandwiches. In 1773 an English transport of eighty-two sails made a raid upon the island, carrying away swine, cattle. oxen, and ten thousand sheep. During the Civil XVar. two hundred and forty soldiers and sailors gave their lives for their country. Long before 1651 there was a school for the English children. Every town with fifty families was required by law to establish a public school. For years there was a moving school that stayed from two to five months in a place. A child could attend for the whole year if he could manage to follow it. Latin was studied at the age of seven. Many famous people have loved the island - Alex- ander Graham Bell, Daniel XVebster, Madam Nordica. but none more than Emily Post and Katherine Cornell. who own fine homes on the island. TEARS LEON L. L12i1Nr:R Cover your face and glut the tears that drain From deep inside those sensitive young eyes. Stifie the wounded tones, the broken sighs, And end the shedding of this liquid pain. Such pure wild sadness is a useless spout Of feeling: passion, in a wasted form: An aimless fit. a vicious, raging storm Knocking against the world and soon blown out. Go put a finger to the lips of tears. In the eternal mnteness of your soul There will be time enough: long, endless years For crying. and the tears will fall and roll Deep. deep inside of you. roll down the face And fall. seas that go rushing into space. 11

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califblllia. AS I sAw rr State Teachers College Monday night Dear Luise, Yes, I'll tell you before you ask me. California was wonderful! Treasure Island was stupendous! And the most beautiful things I saw were sunsets on the prairie and on the desert. They were absolutely gorgeous! Now that I have staved off your most natural curi- osity, I can really let myself go, and tell you all about it. You know, of course, that I went with my uncle, aunt, and cousin Herb, who is just a year older than I. You can imagine that he made things quite lively for me. More of that, tho', some other time. But. really, the most spectacular event of all was the anmial Fiesta held at Santa Barbara, California, to com- memorate the building of the VV est. 'LAre we still in the present time, or are we back in the old Spanish Mis- sion age? we asked ourselves early one morning. People of all ages, dressed in vivid Spanish costumes. walked sedately to High Mass at the lovely old Church. Later in the day we saw the same dark-skinned men and women - padres, noblemen, explorers, cowboys. No cars were in this parade, but some of the most mag- nificent horses I have ever seen. Can you picture a shiny, ebony horse, decked out in a gleaming. diamond- studdcd silver saddle, prancing along beside a cream- colored horse with an identical Sl0,000 saddle? It's really a beauty treasure. Guitars strumming and accordions playing led us, that night, to the Courthouse, where accomplished chil- dren, men, and women sang the old Spanish songs. and executed the intricate dances with superb skill. Hand- some Mexiean families performed on the streets. VVan- dering around in this town of Spanish architecture. we, too, danced to our heart's content on some of the streets roped off for that purpose. XV e were much chagrined when we found that the lone car in the midst of a crowd of merry youths and maidens on such a street was our own. Many other wonderful things did I see. Luise, but you must come down and visit me to hear about them. Imag- ine trying to describe the Boulder Dam, Zion National Park, or Grand Canyon in a letter! Come soon and we'll compare notes on our two f'XVorld Fairs. Sincerely, MARY. The Best Trip Ever CATHERINE PAULA 5:30 A. M. - No, I wasn't dreaming - those strains of hffaryland, llffy Nlaryland were coming from right un- der the window of the Queen lNfIary, in other words, the girls' dorm, suddenly they stopped, someone began to pound on the wall. and then there was a shout. Come on, Paula, get those big feet on the floor. So began my first day at the Audubon Nature Camp. Br-r-r-r . . . was this Iune or November? Early morn- ings in Maine are cold, but a nice hot breakfast was all that was needed to start one off on a busy day. At 7:15 A. M. assembly we received our program for the day. YVe were divided into thrcc groups. according to our major: marine life. insects, or plant life. I was an Insect Everyone took birds and nature activities as minors. 10 Every day there were new and difierent things to do, new fields to explore, new plants to find and new birds to see. How you were envied if your group happened to be the one to go on a boat trip Iusually an all-day onej to one of the many little islands in the ocean along the Maine coast on which were found hundreds of birds, nesting. On one island we found herring gulls, and com-- mon and arctic terns. and corinorants. On others, pe- trels. great blue hcrons and osprey. Each bird has its own peculiar habitat. How thrilling it was to walk about, great precaution being taken not to step on the nu- merous young hiding in the thick grass, and to see hun- dreds of nests, to hold in ouc's hand a cormorant's egg and see a little one come out IContinued on page SOI T O WE R LI G H 'I I 'I ,I 4 'I . i. II II I I I I I I I I I I 4 I I I I I I I I 1 I I I I I I is I I Ii YI I I :yi OI

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Vagabonding by Bike GORDON V. SHULES NO MO RE teaching at camp! Our bicycles were packed with blankets. clothing. pots and pans. At ten o'clock. just ten minutes before we were to leave, Charles received a telegram offering him a job in Quebec. That's how I came to take a 700-mile bicycle trip alone. XV ith perfect weather, I made good time. My first night was spent in a field belonging to two spinsters who had quite a time trying to decide if it would be proper for me to stay. Their final aflirmative decision resulted in a splendid crop of aches and stiffness the next morn- ing. Cutler. Maine. a small fishing village, was the next pause. Near this place I stopped at a farmers house to ask permission to sleep in the barn. He referred me to the second selectman, who in turn referred me to the Hrst selectman. Now we were getting somewhere! This man, a Mr. XVallace. not only gave me a room with a real bed. but also insisted that I share his supper and breakfast. Eastport, Maine, was next, that being the eastern- most city in the United States. A ferry took me to un- spoiled, beautiful Deer Island. The people here have what is known as local time, which is regulated by the flow and ebb of a thirty-foot tide. The night was spent in a boathouse. A dip in the ocean next morning turned out to be much colder than I had expected. Later that day I visited St. Iohn's N. B.. and saw the famous reversing falls. Always game for a new experience. I applied at the jail for a cell in which to sleep. The police chief gave me one look. I don't think you'll like itfi was all he said. I was locked in a cell with French-Canadians for prison-mates. About midnight one of the men had an attack of delirium tremens, and stopped screaming only when a bucket of water was thrown on him. I loaded grain on an ex-rum runner in exchange for a passage across the Bay of Fundy. Great piles of pulp- wood were awaiting export to Germany at XVadesport, where we docked in Nova Scotia. At Annapolis Royal stands Fort Anne. settled by the French in I6l0. Here an old gentleman invited me to join him in a beer, It wasn't until the next day that I learned he meant soft-drink! My ride up the drought-stricken Annapolis Valley was uneventful. Hospitality here was extraordinary. Halifax was full of soldiers. and many of the bridges, due to war conditions abroad which were reflected here, were controlled. Such were some of the high spots of my trip that made me realize that Halliburton really had some- thing when he took up the career of a professional vag- abond. I Shall Teach HENRY ASTRIN A FEXV months before the completion of the recent school term, I was asked by a fraternity brother to work for him during the summer in XVashington. It must be said here that my position was obtained not because I was a A'brother to my employer, but because I had proved my worth as a salesman some time previously. Starting work immediately after graduation exercises. I realized I knew little of business life. This did not last long. however. In a few weeks a complete metamorpho- sis had taken place. I was no longer a kid wanting a lot of knowledge for my future life as a teacherg instead I was a cocksure salesman. bickering and fighting with 12 other salesmen and polishing my yet ragged technique on my poor prospects. I was no longer interested in be- coming a bespectacled young man teaching a lot of little brats. Certainly. I was an ignorant youngster! I was wilc with ambition! I was almost mad about the idea that z' good salesman can make more money in one week thar. a good teacher can make in a month! XVith these ideaz' my brain was tortured for weeks and weeks without Ulf contiding in anyone. when suddenly. a new experience challenged me. It was August. I was in the City of Brotherly Love' with my local fraters and others from different parts o TOWER LIGH'