Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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ilri! ii. PU5LISH60 5y THE STUOeNTS OF THe WAK6FI6L0 HIGH SCHOOL : : VOL. 8 VVAKKFIKLD, MA.SS., JUNK, 1915 X(.. -2 AN E V IGRANT ' S DEPARTURE I T was about four o ' clock in the afternoon when we reached Queenstown, and after a light luncheon at the hotel, I took a walk around the town. I visited the famous cathedral on the hill and then sought the seashore. Here I remained for almost an hour, watching the tide as it crept slowly up on the sands. I finally returned to the hotel and retired early as the landlady informed her guests that emigrants usually left for the tender early. The bed in which I slept was none too comfortable, and as my mind was excited with the prospects of the voyage, it was long past midnight ere I fell asleep. I was awakened suddenly by loud knocking on the door. The gray light of dawn stole through the cur- tained windows, and in a moment I realized that the Jay of departure had arrived. After dressing hurriedly, I ate a light breakfast and started for the wharf. Here was the usual hurry and bustle, hand shaking and fare- wells, tears and laughter. Two small steamers lay ready to take the passengers to the liner, which lay far out near the entrance to the harbor. It was a beautiful morning; the sunlight si)arkled on the waters and a light morning breeze blew in from the broad ocean. I stood in the bow of the tender, watching with interest the various sights of the harbor. Suddenly the tender changed its course and before me, as if it had sprung up from the depths, lay the Arabic at anchor. We passed close by it and beheld the Republic anchored half a mile away. As we drew near the gigantic liner, I beheld a num- ber of fruit venders circling about the ship in row boats. One can imagine my amazement, however, when I saw a large basket lowered by a rope from the deck of the liner and an intrepid old woman, loaded with fruit, get in to be hoisted aboard. The change from the tender to the liner was (juickly made, each passenger being separately examined by the ship doctor, who glanced at the interior of the eyelids of each emigrant. This being over, each person was assigned a bunk, and final preparations for departure were made by the crew. 1 was just about to start on a trip of exploration when I realized the vessel was in motion. Coming on deck, I saw we were already near the outskirts of the harbor. I remained on deck all the afternoon, watching the seagulls that screamed about the stern of the ship. We were now running along the south shore of Ireland and I feasted my eyes for the first time on the marvellous scenery of the Kerry shore. In the west the sun was sinking low and the first faint fiush of scarlet deepened into the purple of the evening sky. Far away lay the Kerry hills, fading into the deep shades of night, while across the silent sea the scented evening breezes wafted the sound of the breakers whose lingering echo was our last farewell. JkKUV J. lUcKLKV. THe WOODS DURING A STOR M Tin Ell E is nothing, to my mind, that can com- l»are with the solemn grandeur of the (ireat Woods during a storm. Once when I was tramping in the Maine Woods, I suddenly became aware of an oi)pressive stillness, brokcTi only by the twittering of some fright- ened bird. Upon glancing up, I noticed a great bank of clouds, shutting off the light of the sun, which was even then sinking in the west. Hastily looking for shelter, I found a sort of cave in a hillside. After seating myself therein, I awaited the war of the ele- ments. On came the clouds, ])iling themselves one upon the other in a wild confusion. It seemed as though they were in a hurry to work their destruction upon the

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PRINCIPAL CHARLES IT. HOWE

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PACK KorU TIIK W. 11. S. DEIJATEIJ uiioffeiulinji ' earth. Now ami tlieu I beard the nun- l)liiij - of thiuuler whieli I, heiiit - in a laneiful mood, called the nuiibliiiK- of the chariot wheels of the Storiii Kiiifj. The sky became completely euvehtped and a Stytjiau darkness covered all mortal thin rs. Suddenly, with a roar like the report of a (Jerman sieue gun, the storm burst in all its fury. Flashes of lightuiuff split the heavens from horizon to horizon. Back and forth across the sky, the li htuin - i)layed, the Hashes following: each other in such rapid succession that I could see the havoc that the storm played. The mighty trees, kings of their kind, swayed like reeds in the mighty blast. Now and then, with a rip- ping crack the top of some lofty tree would break off under the terriiic strain. The rain fell in torrents, or rather in bucketfuls. The hillside was a raging river. The air was so charged with electricity that one could almost taste it. After a time the lightning ceased and the thunder died away in the distance with only an occasional sharp crash as though the iStorin King was just re- minding the earth that he was not through with it even then. The ilarkness continued however. The wind still roared and the rain fell as before. It seemed more mysterious than ever for I could not see what was taking place. I felt as must a certain (rreek hero have felt when he hunted the monster in the labyrinth. Soon the wind and rain subsided a bit and the sky be- came a dull leaden gray. Then I could see what havoc the storm had wrought. The trees lay in long windrows, as if some mighty reaper had gone along with his scythe and mown them down. The bushes and grass were flattened to the earth like wet sheets. Here and there a little bird fluttered with a broken wing. Never in ray life, be- fore or since, have I seen so much damage done in so short a time. Then as if to make amends for the violence disjilayed, the sun broke through the clouds and turned this scene of devastation into a sparkling, crystal palace. Its light, the sun ' s rays, was reflected from a thousand diamond points on every tree, rock, and bush. The birds began to sing their evening songs of j, raise to the now silent universe. All the world seemed to re- joice in the beauty of things. As suddenly as it had broken through the clouds, the sun dipped to rest, leaving me with the chirping crick- ets to reflect on the works of the Almighty. Zw i( ' Ki ' :i;, ' ] ; ' ). FOOD ADULTERATION CAREFUL attention should be given to the pure food problem ; but the majority of people 2 give it little thought, ordering their groceries from their dealers without specifying pure l r()ilucts. Poisons, such as many coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, sulphurous acid, arsenic, lead, and many others are present in food products, although usually in minute quantities. Continual consumjition of these poisons is likely to be followed with injurious results. Protec- tion against this accumulative process may be obtained by using products which have been found to be pure rather than by trusting to the label. It is wise in buying drugs to read carefully all labels. For instance, headache preparations containing acetauilid, antipyrine or phenacetin are dangerous drugs and have an injurious effect on the heart. Baking powders which contain alum form aluminum hydroxide. This unites with the hydrochloric acid of the stomach, forming aluminum chloride, thus hinder- ing digestion. A safe baking jjowder is one which contains cream of tartar or calcium phosphate. The presence of poisonous substances in foods is sometimes accidental but more often is due to the desire to deceive. Oftentimes the manufacturer uses pure food materials, but in the course of the manufac- ture contamination takes place. Aqueous liquids fre- quently act upon the glass container and cause reac- tions with the alkali of the dissolved glass, producing precipitates and seriously altered flavors. Compounds containing lead and zinc are frequently used in rubber goods which come in contact with food products and, in the event of such foods being slightly acid, contami- nation with lead and zinc is the result. ' I ' he imitation flavors employed by manufacturers save them money on account of iheir penetrating character. A drop or two in a large amount of li(|uid is all that is needed to inoduce a taste which, if natu- rally proilucted, in the same amount of licpiid, would recpiire a large amount of much more ex ' iiensive flavor- ing. This explains why methyl salicylate is used in- stead of wintergreen flavoring. Various compounds of ethers are used to produce other imitation flavors such as cherry, banana, peach, and plum. The Board of Health of the town of Westfleld, Mass., have made a careful investigation of food adul- terations and have i)ublished a list of the most impor- tant ])ure foods on the market. I ' his list can be ob- tained by semling 10 cents to the Westfleld Board of Health. This book will protect anyone from consum- ing im]iure foods. EUNKST E. F. Ii;i!A KS.