Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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THE W. II. S. I)KI5ATKR Fort Independence C ITUATED on Castle Island in Boston Harbor is an old fort known as Fort Independence. It is a mas- sive structure built of heavy blocks of stone piled high with earth. At a distance it resembles a hnge bank of earth, but as one goes nearer, it appears more like the ruins of an old castle. In the thick walls are rows of narrow windows, a few of vvhich are covered by a heavy screen. All of the windows have one very noticable characteristic : the stone frame in which they are set, slants obliquely into the fort, making- the window appear wider inside than outside. In front of the building are a number of heavy can- non, which face the entrance to the harbor; some of them weigh as much as nine thousand pounds. In case of need, these would soon prove to a foreign intruder, that the old structure is neither earth pile nor castle, but in very truth a fort. Edith Whittle The Haverhill High School THE new high school in Haverhill is situated in Sum- mer street, on the corner of Main street near the cen- ter of tlie city. Main street rises giadually and the build- ing is plainly seen as one comes up the hill. In the front of it, near the main entrance, is a bronze statue of ' -Tiie Thinker , by Rodin, that was presented to the higli school. The building is very large, having three stories and a basement. It is constructed of a dull yellow rough brick, and is trimmed with a rough white brick. The grounds about it are not very large, but it is not necessary liecause the building has a num))or of rooms especially reserved for the use of the pupils at recess and after school. There is a large hall at the top of the building where the pupils assemble each moiniiig for the opening exer- cises. This hall is also used for the graduation exer- cises. In the basement is a large, well-eouipped gymnasium. The floor is of hard wood, and is well polished go that llie pupils may hold dancing parties, and may dance in the noon-hour, lii another part of the haseuient is the lunch room. This has a long counter at one end where the food is given out. All around the room are small tables where the pupils may eat lunches Besides the pupils lunch-room, there is a restaurant run by the high school, where dinners are served to outsiders. As we wandered through this beautiful building, so comi)lete in every respect, we could not hel]) wondering how long it would be before Wakelield would decide? upon the location of her much needed new high school building. Kuril E. Hii.i.sGuovK, II Encu.isii O OUR EASTER OFFERING Wf fi ' lve this money with liearts full of love, To our dear, loving Saviour wiio came from above. He came to earth from Heaven so brjulit, To teacli one and all to live and do riglit. He was perfect and holy, as we ought to be, He died on the cross to save you and me — And now he has risen this beautiful day, And rolled the stone from the grave away. We pray this happy Easter-tide That Christ wdl help us and be at our side. And trust tliat this gift of love that we bring. Will make glad hearts and help others to sing. Srsu : M. Knui.u.i., ' 17. THE ARTIST An artist sat in an attic room His money and food were gone, For no one would buy his pictui-e, And his heart was sad and forloin. At last, when cold and silent. In tlie damp earth he was laid, A rich man saw his picture, . nd a million he (piickly paid. And now in a l)ig nnisenin The artist ' s picture is found; But liow will the poor fellow know it, Wiicn lies six feet deep in the ground V Fhank Gi.vnn, 17. FAREWELL Goodbye, goodl)ye. Dear Waketleld High, It ' s time f(n ' me to go; I have delayed. Four years Tve stayed, Enongli for you, I know. Yon don ' t belit ' ve It ' s hard to leave ' ? You nmst be joking, thongli. It ' s hard, don ' t fear, To leave yon here. Hut really. I must go; I ' m glad I came. May come again, I ' ll miss yon, don ' l you see ' lint now, goodbye. Dear Wakefield High, You ' ve done a lot for me. IM.MaiAiiKr O ' C ' oNNoi:. It.

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THE W. II. S. DEP.A ' PER LITTLE JOURNEYS A Trip to a Lighthouse VY HP]N I was visitiug in Canada last summer, I liad an invitation one eveuintf to visit one of the liKbtljouses on tbe shore of the Richelieu Kiver. The lighthouse keeper and I set out in his launch from tbe tell bridg-e, which connects Noyan and Lacolle. Tbe water was very smooth and men were fishing ' in boats among- the rushes, in the light of the setting sun. The whole scene would have made an interesting- study for a painter. In tbe distance could be seen the clear outline of the ligbtliouse, and a tall slender la(bier, tai)ering at tbe top, which serves the purpose of stairs and leads uji to tlie lo()r. It seemed but a sliort time before we arrived at tbe lighthouse. From the outside one gets the imi)ression of a medium sized, pyramid 8ha])ed bouse, with a large wiu(b) v on each side. Inside are three large lami)S with reflectors that throw tbe light on tbe river so that cai)tain8 of tbe steamers may know bow near tlie rocks tbey are. At one side is a very rickety chair, or better, a itart of one, wbich looks as if it miglit have been used liy tbe Hritisb troops. Tbe windows and tbe floor, such as it is, are always kept clean, . fter tbe lamjjS were lighted, we returned to (tur lauiicli and went on up tbe river in tbe cool of tbe summer evening ' . I ' earle IJogers, ' 1(5. A Day ' s Work in Nova Scotia Tn the fall of 1904, my mother and I boarded tbe steamer bound for Nova iScotia. We arrived at Yarmouth. INlonday morning- about seven o ' clock. The place in wbicli I was to reside was called ( uinan. It was a country phice, and at first I thought I should ilis- like it exceedingly, but after a few mouths, I found it to be a most interesting little town. Tbe boys and girls spoke French and such a jabber- ing as there was whenever they met- One day I was inviteil to the home of a girl aquaintance. It happened that on that ijarticular day they were having a carding circle; by this I mean they were all busy at spinning-, and this particular thing interested me more than any- thing else I saw in Nova Scotia. First I saw the men shear the sheep with larg-e scissors. After this was done, tbe wool was taken and carded into rolls. The method of carding is very rapid, a new contrivance having made the work easier than the old way. You would perhaps like to know something- about the cards. They are made of white wood, and are almost flat. On tbe top of the cards are wires; one of the cards has its points going- up, while tbe other has its points going- down. In this way, tbe wool, when laid in tbe cards is pulled together until it is ready to be made into rolls. When the roll is made, the cards are inverted and rolled close to each other with tbe yarn in between them. After tbe rolls are ready, tbe wool is carded and then it is ready to be spun into yarn. Now comes the si)iuuing- wheel. IIow often 1 have sat and watched the women spin; you hear the drowsy murmur of the wheel, as it buzzes round and round. The top of the wheel is attaclied to a sort of spool which holds the yarn. As the woman turns tbe wheel, she takes the rolls between her fingers and walks back- ward a little and then the yarn winds up on the spool- When she is tbrough si)inning-, she jilaces the wool on tbe distaff . Tben tlie knitting begins, stockings, mittens, are quickly knitteil for winter. IIow comfort- able it feels to bave a warm pair of mittens to wear! I think it so, don ' t youy Lena Muse, ' 17 The Little Brown House It was an old, old bouse, dark and small. Some people said it was haunted and it was not bard to make oneself believe it. From tbe front it looked scjuare, but an addition of one small room in the back formed an ell. Tbe door opened, in the centre of tbe bouse, oft the ground by one step, into a room wbicdi served in its day, as a diiiiiig-room and living- room. Tile outside of tbe bouse was dark and gloomy, tbe window panes broken, and blinds torn. There was not much left of what was once a chimney. Tbe low roof coming down almost to the windows, gave the appear- ance of a small dirty boy hiding- under a cap much too large for him. That was what one saw when looking at the liouse. But that was not all. One could not look at tbe house without deligliting in the garden in which this little old brown house was so peacefully settled. And such a garden! Roses and pblox, sweet VV illiam and holly- hocks, marigold, fox glove, lady ' s sliiqiers, and ever- lastings, all growing in profusion. Tbe climbing roses bad made their way to tbe roof and were growing along the edge, entirely transform- ing- the old, old, brown bouse. Ida Walsh

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THE W. H. S. DEBATER THE SPECTATOR Advice to the Grammar School Pupil YOU, the pupils of the eighth grade, who are about to enter High School, do not get the idea into your heads that it ' s going to be all fun, for it is not. Going into high school means that you will have to sacrifice much. You will have to put your studies first and sacrifice many an evening ' s pleasure in order to get your lessons done and done well. On entering High School, you will be surprised for a while that the studies are so easy; but don ' t think they are always to be thus. You will find out that they gradually increase in difficulty until it takes about all your spare time to learn one lesson perfectly. Because your lessons are easy at first, you will be tempted to spend a large part of your time in fooling. Do not do this. If you learn your lessons properly you will have no time to waste in this way. If you do not learn your lessons from day to day, you will come to realize more and more as the year goes on what a fool you have been to allow your work to get behind. You will wish more than once, just as I have done, that you had gone ahead with your studies and kept after them. Then at the end ot the year, instead of having to worry about getting your points, you will be rolling smoothly along the road which runs to the second year of High School. Once started and started well you will enjoy High School. The sacrifices will seem small and you will be more and more thankful that you did not wait un- til the studies began to grow hard before beginning to work at them. Daviij Pekkins, ' 17 To the Pupils in the Eighth Grade BEP ' ORE you enter High School, make up your mind that you are going to study and not to fool as a good many pupils do. Some pupils fool their first year and say to themselves Oh! I will get by all right! Don ' t you be one of these. When their senior year comes these pupils will have to worry and study very hard. When you enter High School, bear in mind all through the year the thought If 1 am going to grad- uate in four years, I must work. Study all of your lessons, English in particular. In English you must read a number of books, not Wild West stories that boys are likely to read while in grammar school, but classical books. Above all, keep still when a teacher is talking. If you don ' t you will see yourself marching to the office in pretty quick time. Then when June comes, you will be glad that you had taken the advice of a freshman who has studied- Don ' t take any notice of graduates, if they tell you how much fun they had while in High School. Just study and nothing else. Cmarlks F. Burke, ' 17 The Spectator Discusses Modern Dancing ONE of the most discussed subjects of the pres- ent day is modern dancing. Not only is it discussed in the schools and churches, but also at home and abroad. Some one may ask, Why do we dance? We answer, Because the world always has. Our forefathers danced, why should not we? Even Hercules would have been no match for the task of making the world stop dancing. Very often we are wrongly criticised by persons who do not dance or do not care to. Is it not unjust to judge a dance by the way one ' s neighbor dances.? What is more graceful and beautiful than the Castle Walk or the One-step when they are properly executed. ' ' How many persons have really seen these dances done properly . ' ' Not many, I venture to say. Are we likely to see correct dancing in a cheap dance-hall.? Do we learn from frequenters of such places the proper way to do these dances ? Modern dances have unjustly received great denunciation, yet I believe no more so than did the Waltz and the Two-step when they first appeared It is not a poor form of recreation ! We love music. What was music composed for if it was not to accompany singing and dancing.? Can we resist dancing when the strains of Too Much Mustard set the blood racing through our veins .? Many say it is bad for the health. Is there any sport more inviting, more entertaining than dancing.? Does it not limber up muscles ; does it not give gayety to the spirit, oxygen to the blood, and last of all refresh- ment to the mind .? Criticism should not fall on the dance, be it the Tango or the Turkey Trot , but on the manner of the dancer. Dancing depends largely on a per- son ' s frame of mind. Nine times out of ten one who is naturally inclined to harbor evil thoughts will show this in his dancing, whether it be modern or not, just as he displays it in his daily life. Therefore we may readily compare dancing with styles. Would we be satisfied to use the same pat- tern for every gown .? I think not. New dances are taken up just as new styles are ; from a desire for change. I believe, as a result of experience and of close ob- servation that dancing, when properly indulged in, is a most desirable and invigorating past-time. Hazel Barstow, ' 15