Villa Maria Academy - Trumpet Yearbook (Erie, PA)

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Let it stand ont of doors 'till a soul it receives Froni thc warm, lazy sun, loitering clown thro' green leaves And you'fl find a choice nature, not wholly deserving A nanie neither English nor Yankee-just Irving. A. S., ,34 020030 Spring When the bluebird builds his nest In the budding trees above, The robin sings his best To his inate a song of love. VVhen the earth pours forth its treasures And glance o'er the field's bright green, They arise from their wintry beds And give tidings of glorious Spring. Wheii the earth pours forth its treasures Upon this world of tears, The breezes blow their ineasures And carry away our fears. When the merry brooks are rippling Through meadow, as they sing, Their winding waters giving A song in praise of Spring. When the sun shines down again, TiVith its brightening golden rays, It opens each and every flower And brings back joyous days. The long, cold days have passed, The stoiins and winds no longer jeer, For the very breeze and atinosphere Prove to us that Spring is here! o. ef., 132. 'ri 66 Er

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Washington Irving Wasliringtoii Irving is America's pioneer in the field of general literature. His mother was a gentle English woman, his father a stern Scotch Presbyterian. He was the youngest of eleven children and it is said that he inherited the best traits of each of his parents, although he was very lazy and in many ways resem- bled his later character, Rip Van 'Winkle, in that he never took life seriously or saw the necessity of work. In his outward appearance he was a man of medium height, rather stout of build, with dark gray eyes and delicate eyebrows, a straight handsome nose and shapely head. He was a humorous, modest, genial, sunny man, with a very sensitive nature. He was also very generous as can be seen by the fact that when writing a history of Mexico he learned that the blind Prescott was planning such a work, he courteously abandoned the field and Prescott never knew what a sacrifice Irv- ing made. Among the many of Irving's works are: the Sketch Book, Life of Ylfasli- ington, the Alhambra, the Life of Columbus, and the Knickerbocker's His- tory of New York. 77 I1'Vl11g,S Knickerbocker's History of New York was issued anonymously and was advertised as having proceeded from a small, elderly gentleman in black coat and cocked hat. He received 963,000 for this work. In point of rank the world has long since given Irving an eminent place among men of letters. He entered into the departed glories of the Moors and re- peopled the Alhambra as no other writer has done. He described Westiiiiiistei' Abb-ey with such simplicity and feeling that Charles Kingsley, himself a master of English prose, felt his own pen fall powerless. He loved the ancestral halls, the lanes and hedges of England as few of her native sons. He entered into the life of Abbotsford and made Walter' Scott his friend for life, and yet, all claim the scenes of his greatest works are near at hand and at home. He is to the Cats- kill mountains and the lower Hudson what Scott is to Trossachs, to Edinburgh and Tweed. The Alhambra, Westminster Abbey and Abbotsford might have been described by another, but no other hand but I1'Vl11g,S could have painted Sleepy Hollow. No other eye could have seen Ichabod Crane as he saw him. Irving was born in 1783 and died in 1858. He traveled abroad extensively and wrote many of his works in Europe. One of the finest tributes paid to him is a poem by Howell: To a true poet heart add the fun of Dick Steele, Throw in all of Addison, minus the chill With the whole of that partnership's stock and good will. Mix well, and while stirring hum o'er as a spell, The fine old English gentleman, simmer it well Sweeten just to your private liking--then strain That only the finest and clearest remain, -qi lie-

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After High., School, What? Ol The month o-f J une, will again witness a great a.rmy of boys and girls- young men and women, if you will-the hope of the nation, marching forth from the portals of the high schools of the land, ready to embark on the great ship, OPPORTUNITY, to sail the tempestuous sea of LIFE, and hoping eventually to reachlthe shores of SUCCESS. lfVe seem to takeit quite as a matter of cou1'se that thousands of students should graduate every year. We attend closing exercises, and perhaps we give the graduates a passing thought-but it is only a passing thought. What place in life will these young people find or make for themselves? Do we ever stop to give this a consideration? These boys and girls step forth into a new life, a life entirely different from that which they have been leading. Their ultimate aim is to achieve great- ness-greatness as they see it. They are confronted with serious problems, with great difficulties. Obstacles block every step of thc way. They are sometimes puzzled, often bewildered. How do they stand this test? Are they equipped to meet this crisis? Some turn the odds to their advantage, others fail. The preparation that the high school course furnishes should be, as it were, an armor to help in the battle with the world. Especially is this true of the student who has had the training of a Catholic High School. Here, she has been taught, by precept, and by example, the fundamental principles of right conduct and true morality, which is the foundation stone of education, the first beginning and the last end of success. Here, too, if she has been a thoughtful student, one who has planned her course with a future goal in view, she has the equipment which will enable her, at least, to demand the opportunity to reach that goal. Students today have a wide range of professions from which to choose their life work. The same fields are open to men and Women. ln former days, a woman who achieved any degree of success not only stood out before the eyes of the world but also towered above all other women. There was but one Joan of Arc, one Saint Theresa, one Madame Currie. Today we find women doing many remarkable things. We find them at the head of great business concerns, they are outstanding in the arts, and many have achieved success in the professional life. They are trained to be lawyers, doctors, nurses, artists, and musicians. They are intrusted with great responsibilities and have been successful in every line of work. The new life, to many women, is fascinating. WVe hear a great deal of the joy of pursuing a career. However glowing the future may seem, some young women who have imbibed the great lessons of their Divine Master, to leave all and follow Him, turn aside from these alluring prospects and dedicate their lives 67