Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

Page 6 text:

TIIK W. II. S. DKIJATKR practise of reading aloud doubles the powers of oral interpretation. Mr. Tlionias next spoke of the child ' s vocabulary. He said, We are careful to store up pennies for the child ' s bank, but we are careless about his word-hord. The avernoe person has about three thousand words in his vocabulary. Shakespeare, as we know, had fifteen thousand and Milton, eight thousand. The average child at six years of age has something over six hundre 1 words. The vocabulary should increase regularly and rapidly even at mature age, not for the purpose of acquiring big words to use on occasions, but for the pur- pose of using exact words on particular occasions. Mr. Thomas places great stress on sentence structure. Children advance more rapidly if their parents use the best connectives, putting subordinate ideas in subor- dinate tertns. The greatest trouble in oral composition is the frequent use of the conjunction and ' Ihis can be remedied by omitting it in some cases, and by using subordinating connectives in other cases. Again, Mr. ' I ' homas staled that a high plane of thinking brings the language expression to a high plane, also. The second speaker of the afternoon was Mrs. Wallace C. Boyden of Newtonville. Mrs. Hoyden is a mother who has paid a gre;it deal of attention to the education of her children and is therefore well qualified to speak upon the second topic, Problems of the Parent . She said that we must begin early upon the inent;d training of a child and must keep at it. She compared a child ' s mind to a garden. Something must grow in it, and if the best seeds are not planted, ugly weeds will grow there. A child ' s mind should first be influenced by poetry. The study of poetry leaves culture, images and precious thoughts. The reading of poetry should be encouraged, first, because it is the smoothest form of literature; second, it is an invaluable aid to the use of good Knglish ; third, it is a stimulus for the imagination ; and fourth, it appeals to the spiritual nature. Mrs lioyden gave a list of fifty prose works suitable for children to read. She especially emphasized ' Pilgrim ' s Progress and the Bible Stoiies. Children must be read aloud to, says Mrs. Boyden, and story-telling goes hand in hand with reading aloud. Lastly, Professor Win. Allan Neilson, professor of English at Harvard College, discussed the question, What shall our Children Read? He changed the sub- ject somewhat and spoke especially on What our Chil- dren shall not Read. P ' irst, said Professor Neilson, The child must not read the colored supple- ment of the Sunday paper. The jokes are very poor and degrnde the mind. Seccmdly, the child must not read books with constant shocks and surprises. These books deaden his sense of appreciation. What a child reads should be wliat we want him to imitate. He should read for the building of ideals, for the appreciation of sound. for the filling the mind with recollections, and for the gaining of material for imagination. This is the first time that an Knglish conference has been held in connection with a Woman ' s Club; so much interest was shown in the meeting that Mr. Thurber, chairman of the committee, recommended at the regular March meeting of the New England Association of Teachers of P nglisli that an attempt be made to hold such meetings in other parts of New England. Hii.DUR L. Carlson, ' i. Milton ' s Use of Words 1 THINK a good definition for a poet would be: — an artist who uses words instead of paints in the making of his pictures. If this i true, a poet ' s words must be his most important stock in trade. He must choose the proper word for the meter ; he must choose the most pictui ' esque word ; and it must l)e a woid that will make his line musical. In Milton ' s L ' Allegro and II Penseroso , the words have been chosen with such c-ire and discrimina- tion that their study is extremely interesting Picturesque words are found in these two poems in great numbers. Words that add color and beauty to the picture the poet is placing before his readers are found in every line. In L ' Allegro all is bright, shin- ing and JDyous. This is well shown by the following lines : — Sometiinc walkiiiu ' , not nnscon, Hy liedsjerow ehns, on liiilocks mrecn, Rislit ajfahist tlie eastern aie Wiiere the great sun bcijins lii i state liohed in dames find anilier linlit, Tlie clouds ill thousand liveries dijilit. II Penseroso gives the idea of the gray, shadowy light, more suited to study and meditation : — And when the sun begins to tliiisi ' Mis flainiiig Ix ' ains, nio. Goddess l)riiij; To arclu ' d walks of Iwiliiilit rov(!s, And shadows brown, that Sylvan loves. These two (luotalion-; show how important the words expressing color are to the beauty of the poem. On account of Milton ' s love of harmony, musical words are also very frecjuent. In L ' Allegro the liird of happiness is the laik that sings his glad s(nig in the morning. The liird that sings his sweet, sad song in II Penseroso is the nightingale. Another very strik- ing idea in the latter poem shows how bi-autifully the sound of the words may suggest the sense which they convey : — I hear the far-ott ' curfew sound Over some wide- watered sliore, Rwiiiiiiiii; slow with sullen roar.

Page 5 text:

THE W. H. S. DEBATER Musical Stones How many of my readers know that common stones and rocks can peal fortli the most beautiful musical tones? The credit of discovering this fact belongs to Alonzo R. Oilman of South Berwick, Maine. Out of rocks and stones he has made an instrument, know as the Rockophone, capable of producing musical tones. This Rockophone, the only one of its kind in the world, is now at Hampstead, New Hampshire, and it was here that I had the pleasure of seeing it and of hearing several familiar tunes played on it. One day, while Mr. Oilman was in the woods, he picked ui) a stone which had iron in it, and upon hitting it with a steel hammer, he was surprised at the sweet- sounding vibrations. It occurred to him that there might be music as well as sermons in stones and that if several could be found which had variations, a tune could be played. He set, immediately, to work out his idea and in eight months he hitd found eight stones with which he was able to play a ditty. Having found these, he was spurred on to gather more, and so for seventeen long years he collected cart- loads of stones, testing each stone and throwing out those which had no musical sound. All the stones which Mr. Oilman used in making his wonderful Rockophone were found in Maine and New Hampshire in stone-walls, along the roadside or in fields. All stones except marble, slate and granite, in Maine and New Hampshire, contain iron pyrites and it is from this, that the tone comes. From the thin, long stones. the highest pitches are given, and from the tiiick, heavy stones, the deep bass sounds are obtained. He arranged the stones the same as the keys on the piano except that they rest on small rubber tubes which lit into grooves in the steel frames. The rubber is used to help the vibration, for if the stones rested (m a hard surface, such as steel, the sound would be deadened. The stones which make up this instrimnent vary in length from six inches to three feet and weigh from one to fifty pounds. It was after he had arranged the stones in their fi-ames, that he built the case in which they rest. The frame, which is box-shape, is twelve feet in length and tiiree and one-half feet in width. It is of white- wood stained green. People have urged Mr. Oilman to patent his Rocko- phone, but he has refused to do so. Thus the oppor- tunity of making one of these instruments is open to anyone who has the patience and the sensitive ear for music which are required to do the work successfully. Ruth W. Boardman, ' 14. We ouolit to have a fire drill every recess wlien G. B. j oes up in the helfr} ' . The Teaching of English at Home and at School AN English Conference was held by the Kosmos Club on March 6, under the auspices of the New England Association of Teachers of English — Mr. Samuel Thur- ber of Newtonville, chairman of the committee on con- ferences, presided. The theme of the conference, The Teachiig of P ng- lish at Home and at School , was discussed under three topics: first, The Point of View of the Teacher ; second, Problems of the Parent ; and third, What shall our Children Read ? The first topic, The Point of View of the Teacher, was discussed in a very able manner by Mr. Charles Swain Thomas, head of the English department at the Newton High School. Mr. Thomas is also educational editor for Houghton- HtHin, and one of the authors of the Thomas and Howe Rhetoric , used in our High School. Mr. Thomas, who is well acquainted with chil- dren both as a teacher and as a father, told his views based upon his own expeiiences. He considers a child lucky if his parents know what is right in English and have a care that he shall learn what is right. He believes that children should be seen and heard and that mental training while the chihl is young is of more importance than grammatical correctness. The parents who care about the language of a child will also guard the literature which he reads. A child will bi ' influenced for life by the impressions that he receives while young. For instance, if a child reads a great deal about fairies and sprites. Iiis imagination will become keen and active ; if he reads history and patriarchal literature, sternness and severity will become his traits. Mr. Thomas said, Watch the moving-picture shows carefully. If they do good for the child and raise his mental powers, encourage him to go. If they are bad and lower his power of phrasing, keep him away. The same is true of the theatre . One should use his own judgment as to what is beneficial and what is not. Surely, no one can listen to Forbes Robertson without deriving benefit from his clear enunciation. Mr. Thomas believes that what a person thinks has great infiuence upon the physical nature. If a person is careless in thinking, his voice will become displeasing to the ear. He stated the ease of two sisters of his ac- quaintance. While young, their voices were remarkably alike. In the course of time, one of these sisters be- came a rich woman, cultivated and refined. The other was obliged to live in poverty and ignorance. There is now a great contrast in the tones of their voices ; the one, soft and cultured ; the other, disagreeable and nasal. One nnist not be heedless in voice training. The

Page 7 text:

THE W. H. S. DP:BATER Words such as these, suggesting beauty of sound, must, I think, make a deep impression upon even the superficial reader. On the other hand, of course, one might say that Milton uses words with which we are unfamiliar; but let us consider for a moment. Just as there is fashion in dress and manners, so is there fashion in the use of words. One generation may prefer elaborate words of classical origin, another may choose those derived from the Anglo Saxon or Old English. A word may be in common use today, but become obsolete befoi ' e two generations have passed. Naturally, in two and a half centuries very great changes occur in the language, and this is wl»y we find it difficult to read Milton ' s poems with understanding. Persistent study will overcome this difficulty, however, and the pleasure and the cultivation which comes from the study of Milton ' s poetry is worth all the effort that is made. J]thkl J. Mac Master, ' 14. Why I Like French (Beino ' a composite statement of the members oi ' tlie Senior Class on what liie study of French lias meant to tlieni.) IV is my o|)inion that a good knowledge of English, with a general understanding of science, determines an educated person ; but it is impossible for a person to attain any height in either of these studies unless he acquaints himself with other languages, especially those upon which his own is based, and in which some of the greatest scientific acliievements are descrilied.- ' I ' he old Greek and Latin languages are probably the best to develop the P nglish, but those are dead languages, an l are confined almost wholly to ancient histoiy and myth- ology, while the French is the living language of a live people, — a people of great writers and statesmen, who have built up a great republic. The stud} ' of French has helijed me to a better under- standing of English. It has been interesting to com- pare the two languages; to note their differences and similarities ; to mark the fine distinction between words, — and their derivations. It has helped me to think exactly. Translation is necessary to the full un- derstanding of thought, and in translating, it is inevita- ble that the constant searching for the proper word should aid me in enlarging my English vocabulary. Again, one ' s outlook becomes broadened by studying the ways and customs of other lauds, and from the French stories I have read I have a better understanding of the French people. I know more altout their customs and habits than I did before. I can more easily sym- pathize witli their ideas and ideals, and I therefore am more interested in France, and have more affection for that country than any other foreign country except England. I know much more about the city of Paris, which I intend one day to visit, and which next to Rome is the most fascinating of the old cities. Since I began Senior French, I have been led to read in English several histories of the Revolution, most of Victor Hugo ' s works, and those of several other French authors. The history has enabled me to comprehend the real character of the people of France, before and during the great Revolution. It has given me an in- sight into their lives. Hut more important than anything else, is my intro- duction to French literature. I can now read ordinary French with a uniform degree of understanding, and I can make my own observations. I have noted that the peculiarity of every French play and novel that I have read is that there is a hidden moral meaning, either intended toward royalty and nobility, or for the people at large ; I have found that the wit is witly ; that the characters, such as L ' Abb Constantine and Jean Val- jean are strong and vivid. In a word, the books that I have read have given tne a decided appetite for more and my study of French will by no means cease when I leave the high school. Lastly, if one has the opportunity to travel in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium or Russia, he will find a knowledge of written and spoken French very nearly a necessity. And so to be up to the times, one must have some knowledge of French. For these and other reasons I am not sorry that I studied French. P(( i (hi lout! What the High School Has Done For Me 1. The social life of the school has constantly exerted a favorable influence upon me. ' I ' he fiee intei- cliange of ideas and information for mutual benefit has given me an abiding faith in human nature and helped me to understand and appreciate my fellow pupils. 2. Sometimes when talking and arguing with some friend, angry words are ready to leap from my tongue, but the presence of a young lady sitting near has caused me to stifle the angry woids and helped me to control my temper. 3. The free and unhampered intercourse with young men of my own age has helped nie to form more definite ideas and to see clearly reasons for my decisions. The Debating Society is, I think, the greatest aid in this respect. 4. The four years in high school has given me the opportunity for mental development. I once worked in