Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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doors have landscapes painted upon them. It took about a week to unload the coal, with the cranes working day and night. Every particle of coal was handled like so much gold. When this task was finished, we turned about and sailed out of this harbor. After a day ' s sail southward, we came to a river about the width of the Mississippi River. We sailed up the river until we came to Santos. At this port we were greeted with a salute from an old Spanish fort, which still watches over the harbor. We dipped our flag as we passed in recognition of this courtesy. In this port, green coffee in two-hundred pound bags was put in the hold of the ship. Each bag was carried from the little wag- on that brought it to the dock, upon the head of a strong man, who gets about five cents a bag for his work. Santos coffee goes to all parts of the world. There are no great manufacturing plants in Santos. Manufactured articles are im- porter from other countries. American products are among the leading imports, but there is still a chance to enlarge very greatly our trade with South America. It took a week to load the coffee. Then we weighed anchor and sailed down the river and out into the open sea. We sailed directly north, following the coastline. We paased Kingston, Jamaica, and Cuba, stopping at Barbadoes for a day to take on supplies. After about- four days ' sailing from this island, we passed up the crooked Mis- sissippi River as far as New Orleans, un- loading our cargo safe and sound after a two-months ' cruise from the good old U. S. A. EDWIN M. WINSLOW, ' 20. SPRING Spring with warmth and cheer is here; Birds are trilling, Brooks are singing. All has fled that ' s dark and drear. Skies are blue and bright with light; Breezes blowing. Flowers growing. And their beauty greets our sight. Nature fills our lives with pleasure; Ever new Pure and true, And our hearts respond in measure. MARGARET ROWLAND. THE INITIATION INTO THE SOCIETY OF FATHER NEPTUNE I chanced to meet, one evening, a man who had served two enlistments in the United States Navy, who told me one of his many experiences while in the navy, his initiation into The Society of Father Neptune, a sacred and important society among .sailors. The only qualification necessary is to cross the equator. The sailor, whom we shall call John Brown, was on the U. S. S. Birmingham at ' the time of his initiation. When the ship left port, all material and regalia were bought for the holiday festivities, which took place on the ship. The men who had been initiated into the society took charge of the ship. The band played. Flags were flying. At eight o ' clock in the morn- ing, the recruits were scouted up and made (ready for their initiation. One of the sailors dressed as Father Neptune, was master of ceremonies. The rest of the initiators were dressed as South Sea Island maidens. Among them were a barber, a doctor, and some policemen. The barber shaved the new members with a wooden razor and lather composed of soot, scraped from the inside of the smokestack and the waste oil from the en- gines. This mixture was bound to stick and if v ater was applied, it hardened. Dur- ing the process of shaving, the barber asked his victim if the razor pulled? If the man opened his mouth, one of the at- tendants put a pill down his throat. This pill was made of wet dough, saturated with castor oil and pepper. If the man failed to answer, he was flogged by the police- men. When the shaving was finished, the barber put his foot on a lever and the back of the chair fell back. This caused the sailor to drop into a tub of water. The victim was grabbed and doused by the attendants. The evaders of the initiation were found in the coal bunkers and the rites of the initiation operation were administered with great severity. The officers were not immune from this initiation. If an officer were disliked, he was sure to get his share. After all had been initiated, there was a gay time re- moving the lather from the face, neck, and ears. Hot water and clean waste were the only remedy, but all traces of the lather disappeared in a week or so. After being 12

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A TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA • ' All hands on deck and haul in the lines. This was the first order I heard and this was followed by, See that the ship ' s gear is well lashed down and every- thinsy movable on deck is put below in its proper place. These strange orders were like Greek to me when I first heard them on board the U. S. S. Larenberg. We set sail from Newport News, Va., on a Friday at seven o ' clock in the morning. With our cargo of soft coal safely stowed away in the holds, we steamed slowly down Hampton Roads, passing the fleet that was forming for summer practice, and out into the open sea. The sea-watches were soon made up, and it waj my duty to get up at four in the morning, to stand at the bow until six o ' clock. Then I helped to wash down the decks until eight o ' clock, when breakfast was served. After breakfast I was at lei- sure until twelve noon. From twelve until four in the afternoon, I was on duty, doing Vi ' hatever task was set for me. Then I was through for the day. Saturday clouds began to gather in the sky and the Old Salts shook their heads, but said nothing. By nightfall the storm be- gan to rage with great fury. The wa es rose mountains high, sweeping across the decks and washing overboard everything not securely fastened. Then came the rain, which fell in torrents. Thunder crashed and vivid lightning played about the wireless, shooting little sparks into the darkness. The ship plunged forward but made little progress during the turmoil that lasted for three days and three nights. By the morning of the fourth day, the storm had subsided. The sun broke through the clouds and I never saw a more beauti- ful rainbow than that which flashed across the sky, after my first storm at sea. At neon we were all back at our regular places at the chow-table. ' ' We had sailed for about two weeks with- out any mishaps, when one day, without the least warning, our rudder chain broke with a loud report. This caused us to stop for the first time. It took only a few hours to repair the damage, and soon we were on our way again. We were now nearing the equator and the heat became intense. As we crossed the equator, Father Neptune came aboard and initiated all new recruits into the so- ciety of the Sons of Neptune. This caused much amusement among the old tars who had crossed the line many times before. During- all this time, we had seen no land and very few ships. Those that were sight- ed were hardly visible on the horizon. We had been sailing for about twenty-five days, vvhen we sighted the top of a mountain. My heart jumped with joy to think that we were at last nearing land. That night Cape Fieio light flashed across our path, and soon I could see the dark outline of the mainland of Brazil. We circled to get our bearings, and the engines were stopped for a second time, just outside of one of the most beautiful harbors in the world, Rio de Janeiro. Dawn was just breaking as we sailed into the harbor, to wait for the custom of- ficials to examine the crew and to attend tc- the ship ' s business. We remained at the mouth of the harbor until late in the after- noon, when we sailed into the bay, passing beautiful green trees that flanked both banks. Our docking berth was at A and here we put in alongside. This dock must be from three to five miles long. It is made of stone, with large English cranes that set about thirty feet apart, towering above the steel warehouses that set back from the docks. The whole is inclosed by a high fence. Tliat night we had shore liberty with or- ders to be at our posts at six in the morn- ing. I had the idea that this city would be inhabited by a Jieople that were little better than savages. You can imagine my surprise on finding Rio de Janeiro a civil- ized city as large as New York, with auto- mobiles, electric lights, and electric cars which bore the trade mark of Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company on the seats. The people were very polite here and as we stepped on an open car with our blouse sleeves rolled up, the conductor, un- able to speak English, in pantomime told us to roll them down or get off. Rio de Janeiro is well policed by men who have been in jail, but who have been reclaimed by strict discipline. A police- man ' s outfit consists of a helmet, a suit of brown clothes and a short sabre, when he is on foot, and a long flat sword when on horseback. The houses are built of brick and stone. Some are very old and covered with climb- ing vines. The panels of many of the 11

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thus initiated, the sailors were regarded as full fledged and at the next initiation they administered the same treatment to the new recruits. THOMAS LALLY, ' 20. CHILD LIFE IN COLONIAL DAYS We, children of today, probably think that the childhood of our ancestors, the Pilgrims, was not all happiness. Although they did not have so many toys as we have, and were not allowed so many privileges, they were, no doubt, as happy as we. They were governed very strictly and were often whipped. No doubt they often deserved the severe punishments which they re- ceived, for they were probably not always obedient. Two of the Pilgrim children were born on the way to America on the Mayflower. Their names were Oceanus and Peri- grine. These names seem odd to us, but the names given to all the children in those days were very odd. Names of deep reli- gious meaning were most desired. The most common names were Deliverance, Temperance, Silence, Believe, Faith, Tremble, Preserved, and names of other virtues. If the names were strange, the christen- ings were stranger. All the children had to be christened within a few days of their birth. Imagine a January baby carried through the cold streets to the meeting house, which, in those days, was not heated. Sometimes even the water had frozen in the christening bowl. All this helped to make the children tough, and the toughening process contin- ued through childhood. As soon as chil- dren were two or three years old, their feet were dipped daily into a tub of freez- ing water. Many parents believed that the children should wear shoes so thin that the water could leak in. The children had very few schooldays at first. There were no school houses built till after the Colonists had built their homes. The boys learned to read and write at home. The girls were taught by their mothers to sew and spin. Finally, the colony of Massachusetts compelled all towns of fifty families or more to have a schoolhouse. The boys were obliged to go to school, but nothing was said about the girls. The schools opened at seven o ' clock in the summer and eight o ' clock in the win- ter. The teachers were mostly men, al- though the smaller children went to schools called Dame Schools, which were taught by women. The discipline in these Dame Schools, as in all others, was very strict. If a child v. ' as idle, the teacher rapped his head se- verely with a heavy thimble, always worn on the forefinger. Lying was punished by putting hot mustard on the offender ' s tongue. Whispering meant to be gagged with a small piece of wood. A stupid child was set upon a Dunce Stool. If any child was guilty of so terrible an of- fense as stealing, his fingers were burned with a red-hot coal. Good pupils were awarded red, pink, or blue bows, according to their rank in their class. These bows were worn on the shoulder. The naughti- est pupil had a black bow given him. The dress of the girls was very odd. They wore stiff homespun petticoats and bodices, with white kerchiefs at their necks, and white cuffs on their sleeves. They also wore demure, little white caps. The boys wore knee breeches and heavy coats with large pockets. Many well-to-do boys wore ruffles at their necks and wrists. In the Pilgrim families, everyone was ex- pected to work. At an early age, the boys and girls were expected to do their share of work at home and on the farm, and each boy had his work assigned to him as soon as he was old enough. A boy was thought very idle, who, at the age of twelve years, could not do as much work as his father. The mother spun the wool and flax to make clothes for the family. The father was a farmer, carpenter, tan- ner, shoemaker, or blacksmith. Sunday was a trying day for the children in the colonies. No person was allowed on the street except to go to or to come from church. The churches were generally lit- tle shanties, where the people sat three or four hours, listening to long sermons. If anyone went to sleep the tithing man rapped him on the head with a stick, or tickled him under the nose with a feather. After the .services, the people went home. On the way, I imagine some of the children slipped away to slide and play in the snow. If they were caught, they were severely punished. Not many games were allowed to 13