Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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20 THE DEBATER HOBBIES EARLY every pupil of this high school has a hobby. A hobby is the name applied to that which takes up a person ' s attention aside from regular life work; for example, my hobby is running. I am will- ing to train faithfully for weeks in order to be given the pleasure of burning up the cinder path, running neck to neck, with some other schoolboy, in sterling competi- tion. There are two kinds of hobbies, the good and the bad. Athletics is a source from which each and every boy in our school may draw a good hobby. In spite of this fact, we find a number of boys in our school who do nothing more strenuous than dancing, pool-playing, gambling, and so on. These are bad hobbies because the boys derive nothing really beneficial from them. A good hobby, on the contrary, gives a youth health and character. A boy without a good hobby is a drone. He is not an addition to any community. On the contrary, he is a hindrance. The sole ambition of these drones is to warm the benches of a high school, wear a flashy necktie, and possess a box of cigarettes. If we can only make these drones acquire a good hobby, we can make useful citizens of them. Therefore, see to it when the next call is issued for candidates, that you report and also urge your backward neighbor to do the same. In so doing, you may be making a man of him. Who knows? A PLEA lURING the last few years a new sport has been introduced into Wakefield High School; namely. Track Athletics. Since the advent of this branch of sport, many athletes of prominence have been developed in our school. I dare say that there are few high or preparatory schools that can boast of a pair of runners such as Goodwin and Duggan. These two have been the mainstay of the W. H. S. track team for the last two years. Since they are going to graduate in June, a great problem confronts Coach Farrell, for he must develop a pair of runners that can step into their shoes. For this reason, every boy in our school should feel it his duty to come out for the track team this spring, and help relieve the situation. If any feel that they are not especially fleet of foot, let them try the field events, such as pole-vaulting, jumping, or putting the shot, for the e require nothing but practice. I am sure that if every boy will come out for some branch of track athletics. Coach Farrell will be able to build up a track team for 1917 which will uphold the reputation made by the team of the preceding year. T. G. DIGNAN ' 17. BASEBALL lANDIDATES for the baseball team reported for practice April 5th. Although little interest was mani- fested the first few days, consid- able interest was shown after the second call was issued. The team is fortunate in having such an experienced coach as Bob Lane. With this position well filled, and with several veterans back in the line-up, Wakefield is bound to be represented by a fast team this spring. The veterans available are Huestis, Dig- nan, Kalahar, Barrett, Donovan, Reid, Branch, and Sullivan. This year the school has a good opportunity to win the league championship. The students should realize this and show it by encouraging the team. E. J. SULLIVAN ' 16. It ' s hard to go to school at all, From warm September in the fall Through all the winter ' s cold and snow Until the birds above us fly. And the sun is far north in the sky. But when vacation time arrives, We ' re only told to our surprise. That we have four more weeks to go, Because the scarlet fever scare Gave us three days we were not there! MILDRED MUNN ' 16

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THE DEBATER 19 NOTES Seniors 17, Sophomores 10. Feb. 4 — Wakefield at Brookline. Brookline 34, Wakefield 25. Feb. 9 — Maiden at Wakefield. Feb. 12 — Wakefield at High School of Commerce, Boston. H. S. of Commerce 36%, Wakefield 22%. Feb. 26 — B. A. A. Interscholastic. Wakefield sixth. The team was composed of Goodwin (Capt.), Moncrief (Manager), Duggan, Reid, Taggart, Dignan, Brown, C. Burke, W. Burke, Ford, Huestis, Batten, W. Mon- crief and Drugan. GEORGE R GOODWIN ' 16. HOCKEY JHE hockey team played only three games, this season, on account of the weather. No games were won, due principally to the strength of the other teams, and the lack of practice of our team. The first game was played at Melrose, the score being Melrose 2, Wakefield 0. The second game was played at home and we were defeated by the Huntington School of Boston, 2 to 1, although our team played a better game than at Melrose. The next game was at Andover Academy. The home team played a hard, clean game, but were defeated by the heavier boys, 4 to 3. After the game, the boys had a dip in the swimming-pool. Those who made the team were Malcolm Eaton (r) (Captain), Frank Reid (1 w), Roger Clemons (p), Frank Avery (c p), Charles Kirk (c), Joseph Kirk (f), Warren Branch (r w), John Kalaher (substitute). WALTER WINSHIP ' 16, Manager. TENNIS W ' AKEFIELD High School seems to be shining in everything it under- takes. Watch the tennis team! Although we may not produce any champions this year as the track team has done, we expect to make a good showing because the team will be made up of veterans. Mr. Miller has very kindly given us the privilege of using his court. There will probably be a tournament held in the early spring in order to pick the team. Paul K. Guillow, Roger Clemons, Howard B. White, Malcolm C. Eaton, and Willis R. White, are the most promising of the can- didates for the 1916 tennis team. WILLIS R. WHITE ' 17.

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THE DEBATER 21 IN FLOWERED SILK HAVE rer.Uy come on an er- rand, said Mrs. Cobb. Jessie Stubbs caught her lireath. She had begun to be- lieve that her neighbor had ac- tually come to call. It seemed, however, she had been mistaken. You know, went on Mrs. Cobb, that we ' re getting up our play, ' The New Min- ister, ' and tomorrow night is dress re- hearsal. I can ' t find a thing that is suitable to wear. The costumes are all going to be old-fashioned, and I hate to have anything made up on purpose. I thought maybe you ' d have something that would answer, Mrs. Stubbs. Jessie Stubbs sat very quietly consider- ing. Yes, I have something, she said at last, slowly. There! cried Mrs. Cobb. I knew you would. Do get it and let me see. Jessie Stubbs went into her bedroom. She paused before the quaint high bureau and opened a drawer. A scent of dry helio- trope came out. She lifted a sheet of tissue paper and took out a flowered silk dress made with a tight, plain waist and a full skirt. She laid the dress down tenderly, and going to the closet, brought forth a huge hat box, from which she drew a Shaker bonnet, and returned to the sitting-room. Mrs. Cobb gave a cry of joy. Lovely! The very things I wanted! she cried. I ' ll take ' em right home and try ' em on, Mrs. Stubbs. After she had gone Jessie Stubbs sat down in her chair and studied the stripes in the rag carpet. I ' m a fool, she said to herself, I ' d no business to let that woman have my things. But I had a longing to have ' em seen to let folks here know I once used to wear silk if I now go in calico. All day long, Jessie Stubbs wove rags of silk, cotton, or woolen into carpets, rugs, and curtains for the townspeople. Some- times she earned as much as a dollar a day. This kept her in food and paid the rent of the remote, tumbled-down old house. She had lived for the first fifteen years of her life in Westmore. When her husband died and his people had manifested only too clearly that they had regarded her as an in- cumbrance, she had come back to West- more and talien up carpet weaving. Nobody remembered her. She was as much a stranger as if she had never lived in the place and she thought it well. From first to last her life had been a failure. At seventeen she had married for fancy, and until she was middle-aged she had struggled to live at peace with her tyran- nical husband and his domineering relatives. When the church which she attended had first begun to talk about producing a play, The New Minister, she had felt a curious longing to be included in the cast. She, who was never seen save in faded black and white calico or a shabby black serge, wished foolishly to blossom forth in flowered silk one time more in her life. But the opportunity had not been given her. And now she had handed the flowered silk out to Mrs. Cobb. There was some satisfaction in the thought that the beauti- ful dress would be admired and cause won- der among th ose who had not dreamed she owned such array. There was fear also that it be carelessly used. She was busily weaving next morning when there came a knock at the door. She opened it and looked into the face of a small girl, who was laden with a large par- cel. Mama sent your dress back, she said. She ' s sick and can ' t wear it. She ' s got the grippe. She said for you to wear it and go in her place, ' cause — ' cause — ' cause it ' ll break things up if you don ' t. And in there, she pointed to the parcel, is some- thing you ' re to learn. That ' s all. With trembling fingers, Jessie undid the parcel and shook out the delicate, shimmer- ing folds. From them fell a paper. It contained the little speech she was to learn. My land, my land! she thought, and her heart fluttered. I wonder if I can do it. I wonder if I know enough. Now that the opportunity had come she feared to grasp it. But when Mrs. Grant, whom Mrs. Cobb had sent, came to help her dress and tell her what she must do and guide her to the rehearsal, she began to believe that she would have a vei y good time indeed. She seemed to be back again in her happy, carefree young girlhood, the idol of her parents and the life of her circle. A smile came to her lips, her heart lightened. Every movement showed her happiness. Those who beheld her could scarcely be-