Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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THE V. 11. S. DKr.ATKR a factory for a sliort time. 1 found that I had to koop hustling from six in the morning until six at night for fear of losing my job. The work was of such a nature that it soon became practically mechanical, requiring no thought. The speed at which I was compelled to work kept nie from thinking of anything save getting (juicker motions out of my arms. My work in school is rapid l)ut it has recjuired thought, •which has resulted in the development of my mind. This oi)portunity has been of priceless value to me. J. AV. Lkacii, ' 14 What Wakefield Boys and Girls Need 1. A new high school building. 2. A high school hall for assemblies. 3. An up- to date laboratory. 4. An historical room. .0. A library building. G. A reference library. 7. A well-appointed reading-room. 8. An athletic field and playground. ' J. More sympathy and support on the part of the townspeople. 10. A greater appreciation on the part of the pupils for their present advantages. 11. Grammar sciiool clubs. 12. A better example than that found on some of our street-corners. 13. A more practial course in manual training. 14. Better manual training (juarters and tools. 15. School spirit. Harold VV. ( li.muv, ' 14 Al umni Notes | lAX Eaton, ' 07, returned on May la, on the - ' -Lusitania from a three months ' trip in Europe in the interests of the ' ' Hoot and Shoe Recorder, a well-known trade journal. Mr. Eaton visited many shoe centers in England and Germany and did some business in Paris. Under-graduates now in High School niiglit ask Mr. Eaton if it isn ' t a good idea to get one ' s lessons in French and (iei ' man as well as possible. One may have unexpected use foi ' a knowledge of foreign touiiues. Miss Lee Morrill. ' 10, is teaching a iifth-grade school in Hopkinton, Mass. Miss Ruth Hickey, ' 10, having had nearly two years ' experii ' nce in schools in Rhode Island, has received her election in Wakefield and is teaching in the Woodville school. The marriage of Laura Weblier, ' 06, and .7. Fred Remmel occurred on Saturday, April 18. Mr. and Mrs. Remmel have made their home in Waltham. To Mr. and Mrs. William Grace (nee Blanche Van Nostrand) on May 11, a son. Mis. L. Wallace Sweetser and Mrs. Emily Freeman Howes, 1900, are the Wakefield membei-sof the Commit- tee appointed to raise funds for the new Wellesley buildinjis. The class of ' 16 at Wellesley, of which Miss Katherine Whitten, W. H. S. ' 12, is a member, raised 85,000 for the Wellesley fund. Mrs. C. E. Montague (Edith Marshall) has entered upon her second year as President of the Kosmos Club. The class of ' 99 has met with a great loss in the death last February of Airs. Blanche Tompson Watkins. Miss Lsabel Flint spent the winter and early spring in Nebraska and California. G. Arthur Packard, ' 86, and Mrs. Packard are in Wakefield again after a three years ' residence in Montana. Samuel Abbott is now the literary editor of the Boston Post and has a most interesting page of book reviews in the Saturday edition. High School students should l)e interested in the Paul Revere bell, now hanging in the High School belfrey, and in its projx ' r preservation. To Mr. Harold Collins, ' 07. and Mrs. Collins, in Fel)inary, a daughter, Eleanoi ' Frances, their second child. In 11 s()i)li()ni()rc examination tin ' (niostion was asknl wliv tin- followiiiii ' liiu ' s were i-spccially elfoctive — I iieard tlie lance ' s sliivcrinsi ' crash. And slu ' iclv, and slioii), and battle cry. ' i ' lic answer: ' I ' lic lines arc cll ' cctivc liccaiisc they show illiteracy.

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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

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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