Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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down their backs, with big splashy bows, as has been the custom in bygone years. It was hardly a week later before the pret- ty, little Juniors wore their hair down, too. The little mocking birds! (No hard feelings, Juniors!) Take notice, hereafter, if you doubt my words, and you will see for yourself how one will mock another. Moral : Never start anything that you don ' t want every girl in the school to follow! — Lillian V. Lofstrom, ' 19. THE TRAVELS OF A CHRISTMAS GIFT One day in the late fall, a young lady sat in her room sewing on a small silk bag which she intended to send to a friend for Christmas. A few days before the twenty- fifth, she wrapped the bag up to send away. Inside the bag, there was a tiny, flat pocket in which she placed a note wishing her friend a Merry Christmas. When the friend received the package, she thought, The bag is vei-y pretty, but it is just what I wanted to give to my cous- in. So she sent it off to her cousin. The cousin used the bag two or three times and laid it away, (as many Christmas presents are). The next Christmas she de- cided that there was not much use in keep- ing something she was sure she would nev- er use again, and besides it just suit- ed a friend who had recently been mar- ried. The bride gave it to a friend who gave it to someone else; until in the course of time, the bag came back to the maker. The lady thought it looked rather famil- iar and when she found the note (for no one else had found it) , she knew it was the same bag that she had made several years before. I am sure I do not know what she did with it, for my story ends here. Perhaps she gave it away again. — Helen Goodale, ' 21. AMBITION Ambition is abstract. It is a feeling throbbing within a person to reach a goal ; that goal is undoubtedly a noble station in life. It is a power that may result in good or evil, a mighty power when curbed, but when unrestrained often results in evil. Every man can possess it, but every man does not. However, it is an es- sential weapon in the acquisition of the world of honor, respect, and noble position, but it is a keen weapon that often plagues the wielder. Ambition leads too many to employing a bad means for a good end. It -stirs too many by its enticing allurements, which finally accomplish destruction and grief. Its force is mighty, but its restrain- crs are few. That is the abstract nature of ambition. Every man must first have ambition be- fore he can raise his hand to the accomplish- ment of a task, whether the task be great, or small; noble or wicked. It furnishes men in practical life with inspiration to accomplish something honorable. It pro- vides the weak with the inclination to per- petuate evil. Therefore its scope is broad. It reaches the humble and the haughty. It inspires rich and poor alike. Therefore, let us con clude that ambition is a universal gift to all peoples, but though it is com- mon, its nature depends on the personal use it receives. The man and woman who possesses this and wishes to make good in the world must go and work for it; this word work does not necessarily mean hard labor, but a strife for the goal one wishes to reach. One cannot sit down and have it come to him, but he must fight difficulties great or small, and overcome them. No man has ever reached the stage of glory unless he used his ambition correct- ly. Look back, for a moment, and take into consideration Columbus, Washington and Lincoln. Columbus never would have discovered America if he had not been am- bitious; Benjamin Franklin would not have discovered electricity if he had not gone out and flown his kite. Ambition, in another way, is a mirror in which one may see himself at the goal he is trying to reach. The Kaiser was ambitious or he never would have attempted the great crusade of trying to rule the world. His ambition brought destruction to the whole German nation. It was that brand of ambition that leads to a bad end. He could picture him- self on a throne made of the wealth of his lands, and being worshipped as a god; he could see his empire stretching from England to the farthest corner of Russia, down to the toe of Italy. He could see Uncle Sam as his butler, supplying him 14

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coveted and is only glad he is there be- cause he won ' t have to go through it all again. Finally, it is his grand finale in which he can do naught but play his part and thank heaven and his lucky stars when its over. His motto is: Give me liberty or give me death! And She! How we picture the Senior girl at the height of her glory! She has got got there and fully recognizes her posi- tion. She is so grown up that she enters a second childhood and walks into school on an appointed day, blissfully unconscious of her appearance, flaunting the prodigious Freshman bow. In fact she returns to her Freshman days in spirit as well as in looks. Sometimes she becomes a football fan or a baseball fanatic, to the sorrow of those who have her welfare at heart. She loves to fancy herself playing the role of hero- ine as she is daily acquiring knowledge of the mighty passions of the human heart. She sees herself in the vistas of the future as an accomplished college girl — but dares look no farther. Somehow, the centre of all her interest, — all her dream of dreams — the goal of all her ardent longings, — seems to be waiting for her when she passes the por- tals of the High, forever. She knows not what this dream may be(?) and merely waits for the inevitable. She looks upon the four years just past, and wearily sighs what might have been. But when she comes to leave it all behind, she knows she ' ll miss it, even with the lure of the world beckoning her on, and later, — all she remembers is a blur of colors, a glow of brilliant lights, a group of white clad fig- ures facing their manly classmates, and then a final farewell as she closely holds her diploma — the proof of her work in the little school world, — and her password on to the next. —I. M. L. ' 19... FACT AND FANCY ly grew clearer. Oh! it was a delicate be- ing from the moon, with a luminous star shining on her forehead. Silently she beck- oned me to follow, and the journey began. We climbed down the rough cliffs, down and down we went, until the water ' s edge was reached. There floated a large shell with a rosy dream for a sail, and we were soon crouched in it. As there was a stiff breeze, it sailed swiftly along, rocking and tossing in the golden channel. After some time, we reached the place where the path led up- wards. Then we started up for the wind filled the sail and lifted the boat. On and on we sped, high above the clouds, through the vast spaces of the night, pass- ing many curious sights. Now we were within a few feet of a brilliant star, now the milky way opened before us, and again a troop of fairy creatures shedding a gold- en light, approached to escort us into the presence of the great queen. We were almost there, in a moment more we should be kneeling before her, — when crash! we were falling, falling, falling, splash! into the water. How cold it was! Suddenly I awoke, the cold water trickling down my face, and Mary Ann ' s cross tones ringing in my ears. It was 7.30 and school began at 8, so thus ended my trip to the moon. — D. H. P. ' 19. It was a scene from fairyland; this im- mensity veiled with silver and gold. The twinkling stars, high above that vast, quiv- ering something of shimmering silver, al- ways beckoned, trying to entice fancy to roam along that path of pure gold, which, starting at the base of the stern cliffs, led straight to the palace where rules the queen of night. An indistinct form rose nearby and slow- 13 UNIFORMITY OF A SCHOOLGIRL Have you ever stopped to think how the word uniformity may be applied to a school girl? Take, for instance, the sub- ject of dress. If one girl starts the fad of wearing a certain colored sweater or dress, you will soon see more than one like it. No matter how red her hair, or how sallow her complexion, she is sure to put on that color whether it agrees with her or not. Not long ago, short skirts came in style. Didn ' t everyone adopt that fad, although some were tall and slight, and others short and dumpy? Satin stripes running hori- zontally, were a craze, not long ago, and even the large people wore them, although they resembled an accordion. Have you ever heard the slang express- ion: I ' ll say so? Of course you have! One person started it and so it went over the school like a flash. One day the Seniors wore their hair

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with food and rations, and paying tribute to his nation. The Kaiser had been in this long sleep during four years, and when he awoke and found that his ambition should be made of sterner stuff, he threw up his hands and turned his empire over to the Allies. Let us conclude that ambition cannot be used as a toy to be played with, but must be used as a tool to further the welfare of man- kind. — Francis Maguire, ' 19. THE BLACK CAT THE LANGUAGE OF THE TWO AMERICAS I wonder if, when we are speaking this language which we use now in America, we realize that there have been twelve hundred languages spoken in the two Americas. This number setnio very largj to us when we think of the few that are taken up in the schools. The many tribes in these two countries have changed their vocabularies, but the identical method of putting words together has survived without any change. One striking characteristic is the frequency of long words, which is illustrated by the Az- tec word, used for letter postage — amat- locuilolitquit catlaxtlahuilli , the literal meaning of which is, the payment received for carrying a paper on which something is written. By comparing and classifying, this great number of languages has been put together in a few great groups: the Tumeh group covers the northern part of the Rocky Mountains; the Aztec group has its seat in Central America and in Central Mexico; the Maya group has its seat in Central America and Yucatan; the Appalachian tribes include all those with whom the Eng- lish and French first came in contact from the Atlantic to the basin of the Mississippi, and also the tribes of the northern part of South America; and finally the Amazonian tribes occupy a large part of South Ameri- ca. So when you have one of those lessons in English grammar which seems to be so difficult, just think what it might be if those numerous languages hadn ' t been grouped together; then you will realize that the lesson isn ' t half so bad and can be done very easily with only a little good concen- tration and thought. — Margaret Anderson, ' 19. She was small and haggard looking. Her countenance revealed jealousy, wickedness, and ruthlessness. She possessed weird ways and owned a small garden patch upon which she fared. It was a question wheth- er she was half-witted, or whether she had a sound mind. She doubted everybody, and judged them most foully. The neighbors frowned, and looked upon her with suspi- cion and awe. Black Cat, as the neighbors called her, lived with a girl whom she had lured from her former home. This small girl was called Owlet. The old witch educated her in the rudest way, teaching her to deceive, lie, and abuse the surrounding inhabitants. The two gardened all day, and roamed about the country during moonlight nights, listening to the fro gs, owls, and plaintive cries of distressed birds. The old witch was dreaded by all in the village. She and Owlet would meander, toward dusk, along dusty roads, scaring children to such a degree that they ' d flee, dropping their parcels or whatever they were carrying. This was one way in which she managed to live. Often times she ' d procure a gun, put on a slouch hat, and would, with wizzled face, scare berry-pick- ers, who with great terror and shrill cries ran like idiots through the dense forest, leaving berries, pails, or clothing for Black Cat. She chuckled to herself, gathered them up and waited for her next attack. It was no wonder that she was feared. Peo- ple would run past dark places on the road while the howls of the wind added to their terror. When they heard a snake gliding through the dry leaves or were startled by a toad, they ' d let out smothered shrieks. If Black Cat were in the bushes, she ' d stick out her head, moan sorrowfully, and she de- lighted in watching her victims hurry on. One of her most evil doings occurred on a dreary night while rain was falling heavi- ly. Previous to the storm the crows trav- elled in flocks, swine squealed, frogs croaked, and winds moaned. The person whom she intended to in- trude upon this night was a kindhearted Irish lady, who lived beside her. Black Cat ' s purpose was to get, with the aid of Owlet, the woman ' s treasures. She made plans with the girl and finally set out across the open space between the two houses. The Irish lady feared staying alone that 15