Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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TOO LATE! This incident, which I am about to relate, occurred at the outbreak of the Spanish-Ameri- can War, while the Thirty-Second Michigan and Sixty-Ninth New York Infantries were awaiting transportation to Cuba. They were encamped near Tampa, Florida. My father was with the Michigan Regiment. It was one of those unbearably hot days» which my father and all the northern men dread- ed. Mists rose from the rain-sodden ground as a blazing Florida sun beat down on the miserable camps. The soldiers, who had just finished a noon meal of doubtful, not to say antique, beef, lay in hammocks slung between trees, the grounds being covered with water and altogether too wet for army cots. Some one suggested swimming. It was well known that sharks were numerous just off shore, and that several men had had narrow escapes, but the soldiers were willing to try anything as a relief from the exceptional heat, and soon twenty or thirty men, my father among them, were ready. Everything went well for a time; the men delighted in the change from the oppressive heat on land to the cool water of the bay. Suddenly a cry was heard from watchers on the beach. The swimmers scattered quickly to the beach, most of them having been half expectant of the warning. Two men, good swimmers, were quite a dis- tance out. They turned and swam with great speed, seeming to leap from swell to swell as they drew nearer, but too late. As they raced on, always drawing closer to the anxious watchers there was a loud cry, a splash, and a red swirl on the surface of the water. Both men were gone! It is needless to say that no soldier swam at that beach again. LAWRENCE MARTIN, ' 24. A TOAST A greeting from us — the cla.ss of today To those below and above us. To those who care and those who don ' t, But mostly to those who love us, A wish sincere for all su(H;ess, And joys a plenty be, A greeting, tluni, from all of us. From the class of twenty-three. RUTH B. MURKLAND, ' 23. THE SPECTATOR DISCUSSES THE ATTI- TUDE OF THE MODERN YOUNG PEOPLE TOWARDS THEIR ELDERS A few months ago I received a letter from a friend of mine — by name, Jane Craig — in- viting me to spend a week at her home. Hav- ing had a very pleasant visit with her previously, I accepted the invitation. During my visit, I noticed particularly the respect which Jane showed, not only to her parents, but also to all older people with whom she came in contact. I found a marked contrast between Jane and Alice, a girl whom I met during my visit. She was a frivolous, irresponsible girl, caring not what people thought of her as long as she had a good time. She did not heed the advice of her parents, thinking them far too old fashioned and unsophisticated for the modern times. Respect and thoughtfulness towards older people should be inculcated in a child when young, for disrespect depreciates one ' s character and often tends to selfishness and ill-temper, growing, sometimes, into an almost incurable habit. While walking down town one morning with Jane, she told me of a woman who had been an invalid all her fife. It seems that my friend called upon this woman every day, which kindness, undoubtedly brought a great deal of pleasure into the invalid ' s dreary and uneventful life. A great many people, and especially young people, think only of themselves, forgetting that one of the greatest things in life is to bring happiness to someone else. Mrs. Craig spends the greater part of her time with Jane, and is interested in all she does, giving her advice, and having frequent heart to heart talks with her. Jane, likewise, has the utmost respect and love for her mother, and I have never known her to jiractice any form of deceit upon her. The attitude of a great many girls towards their mothers is very deplorable. They have not the confidence in them that they should. This attitude not only breeds deceit in the girls them.selves, but often influences their friends in .the same direct ion. However, I do not believe there would be so much of this disrespect and deceit if girls and boys could be shown how they appear to otlier people when they are disrespectful and deceitful to their elders. O wad some pow ' r the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us. It wad frae monie a blunder free us And foolish notion; MARY GOODALE, ' 23. 12

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The next day, when I awoke, I expected to hear the two Httle sparrows ' morning greeting. They seemed to be missing, but on looking out of the window I saw that I was misfaken, for there they were, not singing this time, but each had a twig in his bill, and I could see they had chosen the lilac tree in which to build their nest. Every day the little sparrows were busy, bringing straw, moss, mud, wool, and feathers, and soon their little home was built and ready to live in. Then came the gray speckled eggs on which the mother bird sat, while her mate sang, as he had done before, his morning song. Then, after a long wait of probably three weeks, came the little baby sparrows, who were not long in fattening and growing on the rich food which the mother and father birds provided. Then, when their family was reared and had flown to seek a home of their own, the mother and father sparrow did not forget to sit on the branch in the same old tree and sing, what might have been, a prayer to the Heavenly Father, the maker and doer of all things. REUBEN POTTLE, ' 23. A NEW ENGLAND STREAM There is no feature in New England scenery more beautiful than the streamlet which makes every hillside and valley bright with its sunny sparkle and liquid murmur. Trace it from its source, where it comes bubbling from the very bowels of the earth be- tween two large boulders, which have sheltered it for countless ages, to the place where it widens to meet the onrush of a mighty river. In summer it winds its way from rocky hillside to green and grassy meadow lands and from the open country to the shelter of the majestic pines of the forest. Its banks are lined with beautif ul flowers, shrubs, trees, and bright colored butterflies and birds flit in and out among the thick and luxuriant foliage. In its bosom the trout, perch, and pickerel flash in and out among the rocks and weeds in search of the bright colored flies that come to rest on its surface. In winter it is quite a different scene. The birds and flowers have disappeared. The trees have lost their luxuriant foliage, instead there are bare and snow covered branches. The little brook is covered with a coating of ice and snow, but it bubbles bravely on, await- ing the sunshine and warmth of spring to remove its icy covering. GEORGE W. RUSSELL, ' 21. INTELLIGENT LISTENERS ' One of the greatest needs of the musical world today, is intelligent listeners. It is sad, but the truth, that the majority of people who attend the great concerts of today, are bored, yes truly bored. There are countless reasons why one goes to a concert, even though he does not love music. But, you wonder why one who loves music would be bored bj ' it. The greatest reason is, that they are not intelligent listeners. In order to become intelligent listeners there are two things we must have; first, a knowledge of the lives of the greatest com- posers; second, not only the history of the times in which these composers lived, but all the his- tory, since the great development of music. For not only has the history of their own ages, but also the history of past ages affected the woiks of compo.sers. Let us consider one of our greatest composers, Chopin. Knowing the conditions under which he lived, and the age in which he lived, Hubbard says of Chopin: — The delicate nuances of Chopin ' s music have never been equalled by another composer; every note is cryptic, every sound, a symbol. And yet it is dance music, too, but still it tells its story of baffled hope and stifled desires — the tragedy of Poland in sweet sounds. Almost everyone is acquainted with the facts in the life of Marie Antoinette. Madame Edith Noyes-Greene, an American com- poser of the present day, always felt a pang of pity, when she thought of the sad plight of that ill-fated queen. This feeling caused her to write a piece for the piano, violin, cello, and harp, called Versailles. This portrays Marie Antoinette playing the harp, and sing- ing in the garden at Versailles. If one would get the most out of the best music, he should know the conditions under which it was written; then one can live the joys and pains of the composer, by hearing that music well interpreted. So, music lovers of today, let us be intelligent listeners. GRETA M. PALMER, ' 22. Here ' s to the Freshmen, good little things, Here ' s to the Sophomores, wise as kings, ??? Here ' s to the Juniors, nothing extra on books. Here ' s to the Seniors, who pass on their looks. ??? ARLENE GARDNER, ' 22. 11

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THE SPECTATOR DISCUSSES THE MOVIES As I was yesterday riding in the electric car I became aware of two young ladies who sat across the aisle from mc, talking about the movies. Indeed, their tones were so loud and shrill that you could hear them talking all over the car. They were gaudily dressed, and from what I heard of their conversation I judged they spent every night in the week at the movies. The conversation that I heard went some- thing like this: Isn ' t she too sweet for words? Wasn ' t that dress she wore swell? Isn ' t he a darling in that picture? I wouldn ' t have missed that for woxlds. My ride consumed an hour and I listened to their opinions of actors and actresses. Judg- ing from this conversation I am inclined to think that the movies are carried too far. I was talking with Sir Roger about the matter and he gave me the following account; His nephew, having seen a picture in which a small boy performed some remarkable feats with matches, decided to try them himself, but in doing so he set fire to the carpet in his mother ' s parlor. I have heard of several other instances con- cerning the wrong ideas children get from the movies, and while I think that moving pic- tures could be a great aid educationally, if used in the right way, I am afraid that if they continue as they are now, they will become a curse instead of a blessing to humanity. D. YOUNG, ' 23. THE SPECTATOR DISCUSSES ARMAMENT One of the worst faults of the twentieth century is the waste of money and men on the armies and navies of the world. Many nations have bought large battleships, cannon, stacks of guns and ammunition, paid large sums of money for them and they have all been destroyed in fighting. By going to war many countries think they will be able to capture the commerce of the world. Practically in every war that is fought, the main purpose is to get commercial trade from every corner of the globe. For instance, take Germany in the World War. Before she began she was a great com- mercial center, she was fast becoming greater through her industrial power, and imdoubtedly would have become one of the greatest, if not the greatest trading centre of the world; but because she had a war lord and a few military generals, she thought she would get trade by fighting, but look what she hiis come to. She has practically, for the time being, lost all her trade with her conquerors. In a word, countries have spent billions and billions of dollars on equipment for the army and navy and all that they have to show for it is death and destruction. I think that if countries would go ahead and be content to either rise or fall in power by the law of economics, it would be much more honorable than taking to war. PAUL F. CLARKE, ' 23. WITH APOLOGIES TO JAPANESE SAND MAN Here ' s the Wakefield Debater. Sneaking in with the Spring. Just the same old Debater, But quite a lot more within. It will give you much pleasure While you ' re reading it through. And you ' ll get inspiration Just to start life anew. You will not be much older When the end you come to. But you ' ll be a lot wiser And the te -chers will too. Here ' s the Wakefield Debater, Trading stories for cash. Just the same old Debater But with not so much trash. Respectfully submitted by The B. H. ' s . WHO ' S WHO IN THE CLASSES Senior President Francis Bowman Vice-President Olive Cartland Secretary Ruth Brooks Treasurer Arthur MoncriefT Junior President George Hall Vice-President Selena Kalaher Secretary Margaret Bucknam Treasurer Robert Batten Sophomore President John Donovan Vice-President Gayle Sanders Secretary Hazel White Treasurer Josephine Butlcj. 13