Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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enjoys studying and participating in. Ev- ei-yone knows his own tastes. Why, then, is it such a difficult task to choose a life work that will always be a delight, and that will hold untiring interest, instead oi the position he is unqualified for, which is uncongenial to his special tastes? For every career, every successful ca- reer, there must, necessarily, be consider- able drudging, which, though unpleas- ant, is the most valuable experience we can have. But your ordinary boy and girl of today are, in plain words, too lazy to be- come someone worth while. Everywhere about them, they see their fellow-students intent only on pleasure, and so they, too, succumb, and their ambitions gradually, but surely dwindle away, leaving them only a shadow of what they might have been. Occasionally, there are some pupils strong-willed and intelligent enough to distinguish between the things that really count, and those that are the means of kill- ing their ambition. So strong and earnest is the ambition of those few, that they are willing to settle down to serious, hard work and to give up some of those early pleasures, if they interfere with their school work. To them comes success, — success that they surely deserve. They leave far behind, their feliow students, who look with envious eyes at the splendid fu- ture those few have built for themselves. But — we question what right they have to be jealous of the other ' s good luck, as they call it. They had just the same chance if they had been but willing to grasp it. It is not good luck, ' it is merely the strength of mind, a rare quality, it would seem, that some possess, a mind and will strong enough to sacrifice much perhaps, in the beginning, but in the end, the result is worth the sacrifice! Of what value are a few frivolous pleas- ures that we indulge in? Are we really de- living so great a benefit from them that w can afford to let them overshadow our am- bition? Be willing to settle down to a little serious hard work in our youth, even though it may mean sacrificing some of those early pleasures. The trouble is, the pupil of today is inclined to think more of pleasure than of all his studies combined, and the time comes when he wakes with a start, to the realization of his mistake, of the loss of all those valuable years, when he might have trained himself to be some one worth while. We can all be what we want to be, if it ' s within reason, and if we strive hard enough. Go after it! Choose the right job, and don ' t be discouraged by a few hard knocks. M. K., ' 22. EVERY WEEK BETTER SPEECH WEEK Some time ago, a certain high-school in Chicago set aside a week to be observed as Good Speech Week. The object in view was to rid our native language of the grammatical errors that have crept into it. The result was so gratifying that the educational authorities appointed a simi- lar week to be observed nationally, as Better Speech Week. We all know the interest that went towards making this experiment a success, especially in our own school. During that week the English depart- ment of our school devoted its entire time to promote the success of this project. Posters, drawn by members of the student- body, were displayed in conspicuous places throughout the school building. The va- rious teachers of English showed more than usual severity in their criticisms of oral and written compositions. They called special attention to errors in common use among the high-school students, particu- larly emphasizing proper enunciation. The endeavors by no means ended here for several weeks later a play written by one of the faculty, having for its theme Better Speech , was given by the senior class. Unfortunately we are gradually sliding back into the old rut and the deplorable part of it is, that we are making little or no attempt to keep out. The continual use of ungrammatical English will in time be- come habitual, and like most bad habits, will stubbornly refuse correction. The English language is one of the most beau- tiful and expressive languages in the world. But in daily use it has become cor- rupted to such an extent that it is no longer a thing of beauty. We do not have to search very deeply to learn that the reasons for this corrup- tion ai-c to be found in the downright care- »

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SPRING Spring- has come with her gladsome robe of green With her crown of flowers gay; She has come, a wonderful, blithesome queen, - Clothed in her glittering array. She brings with her winged harbingers. Who tell the glad tidings to all; What songs they sing! these messengers As to their m.ates they call. She fills the air with a perfume sweet Of blossoms, apple and cherry; And sends gay-colored butterflies fleet The whole world to make merry. KATHERINE GOODWIN, English IV B and I heard footsteps and people saying, ' Is he alive? ' ' Can we keep him? ' ' Let ' s keep him for a pet. ' ' Is he a kitty? ' ' Tell us. ' Then the man said, ' He is a wood- chuck and quite dead, children, and Jimmie is going to bury him. ' Bury me! I ' m very sure I started then. But Jimmie said, ' I don ' t want to bury him, let Jean do it. ' But Jean also objected, and while they weire debating ' , I openied my eyes and found they were quite a distance from me. So I ran, oh, how I ran from them! I have never seen them since. Grandpa Chuch chuckled at the delight- ed faces of the four Chuck children and prepared to finish his nap. RUTH SMITH. ' 23. GRANDFATHER WOODCHUCK ' S STORY The sun shone brightly on old Mr. Chuck ' s doorstep, almost too brightly for he blinked and blinked and at last dozed Oif into the land of Nod. Not to remain long, however, for his four lively grand- children were visiting him and soon ran to wake him up begging for a story, not a fairy story, but a real true one about himself. At last, after much teasing, he cleared his throat loudly and began: Long, long years ago, my dears, when I was young, I was walking one very fine morning, down the lane to the creek, when suddenly I heard a loud noise, and turning around, I saw a great black monster. I ran for the bushes but not quickly enough, for as I entered them, I felt a sharp sting on the end of my tail. Before I could collect my thoughts, I heard someone coming and I closed my eyes. It was two men and one said very pleasantly, ' Too bad, but I guess we ' ve run over Grandpa Church. ' I felt myself being picked up by the tail and carried somewhere. Then I felt queer as if I were falling down, down, until at last I felt something hard; then I opened my eyes. I found myself in the great, black animal, which I afterwards learned was an automo- bile, being carried swiftly forward. Soon we stopped and I closed my eyes. Again I felt someone pick me up by the tail and again I fell down until I reached the ground THE RIGHT JOB What am I going to be? — That is a question that often forces itself upon me. It is a question that should command the thought and attention of every young stu- dent, in order that he may shape his school life in accordance with his plans of the future; so that he may train himself to be as efficient as possible, to hold a responsi- ble position, and to be of real value to his employer, to himself, and to all the world. Generally, at the age of sixteen, or thereabouts, the pupil has a pretty good estimate of himself, of what studies he is backward in, and those studies easiest for him to grasp and understand. But, on the other hand, it is a deplorable fact that the greater part of the body of students have no real, live interest in their work. They choose, pei ' haps, the position of sten- ographer, or clerk, or one of the many other common occupations, — not because they like the work especially, but because it is the easiest chance that off ' ers itself to them to earn their bread and butter. Oft- en, those same pupils possess a talent which, if cultivated carefully, would make them a success in the world. But they miss their calling; they accept a position in which they do just middling fair woik, when they might have been an excellent worker in some other subject, if they ha i but ti ' ained for it in their youth. I be- lieve that every pupil has a hobby, wheth- er it be music, art, literature, or offire work — that makes no difference, but surely there is something which he enters into with enthusiasm and vigor, that he really 15

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lessness and thoughtlessness on the part of the user. When we have anything to say, we say it without giving thought or time to proper enunciation or grammatical construction. We lop off the ends of our words, use don ' t for does not, and run our words together. (It has become almost a thing of the past to hear a student of the high school pronounce every syllable of a word.) Would we think of insulting the Ameri- can flag? Our flag, the emblem of our country? We certainly would not. Then why insult the language of that flag? Is not that what we do by the use of slang and colloquialisms? If we appreciated this fact, read our English Creed oftener, and tried to live up to it, we should use better English. We should avoid vulgarisms and slang, and speak thoughtfully, painstakingly, and clearly. We should remember that there are such words as Yes, and No, and should take time to enunciate so clearly that there would be no need of an I beg your pardon, what did you say? Then let us resolve to make every week Better Speech Week ; and in this way try to bring our mother tongue back to its original power and beauty. BERTIL A. LYBECK, ' 21. THE DEBATER KNOWS That 1920 is one grand class. That the Senior Basketball team is good. Why Frizzle has returned to the Seniors. That W. H. S. has some actors. That we ' ve got a regular football team. That we have some artist in Buckley. That we got an orchestra that is. The Seniors can run a regular party. EXCHANGES The Debater acknowledges with thanks the following exchanges: Authentic, Stoneham High, Stoneham, Mass. Boston University Beacon, Boston University, Boston, Mass. A very fine paper, well aiTanged, and containing a splendid variety of articles. Tufts Weekly, Tufts College, Medford, Mass. Record, Littleton High, Littleton, N. H. Snappy little book, showing careful prepar- ation. Harvard Alumni Bulletin, published by the Harvard Bulletin, containing a rec- ord of the class of 1920 and its officers, in- teresting to Harvard students. The Argus, Gardner High, Gardner, Mass. An especially good paper. Our only suggestion is the addition of a few class pictures. Published every two months. Monitor, Wellesley High, Wellesley, Mass. A short story number with a clever ' ■Smiles column, and enthusiastic edi- torials. Clarion, Everett High, Everett, Mass. Published weekly. A humorous little pa- per. We think you must have an ambitious stall to publish a copy every week. Lehigh University, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa. A weekly paper, contain- ing interesting accounts of all the activities of the colleges. School Life, Melrose High, Melrose, Mass. We find your magazine interesting and attractive in design. Your interest in athletics is manifested by the amount of space you devote to that subject. We have the promise of several other exchanges including a copy of the Fair- haven High School paper, of which school Mr. George Dickey is principal. EXCHANGE EDITOR. THE DEBATER WANTS TO KNOW Why Marnie goes to Cambridge? What happened to the hockey team? What was the matter with the track team? Where Lally buys his gas? How Dinan got that way? If Garniss ever runs down? Who put the jazz in W. H. S.? MOONLIGHT A whip-poor-will called across the lake. The moon shining down left her silver wake, A canoe glided forth on this path of light, The pines loomed black from the mountain height, As dreaming I stood alone on the shore. ADELAIDE SWFFTSER ' 20. 17