Waltham High School - Mirror Yearbook (Waltham, MA)

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Histor of the Class of 1905. gr Ls INCF. I have been chosen 'by my classmates to be Historian for the Class of 1905, I EX ,, will try to narrate as briefly as possible the 'history of our four years of school life. Siiflta ' These four years have been very eventful and pleasant to each one of us, and 5 Q we shall remember them in the years to come, as four of the happiest years of our '-l2- ' lives. In September, 1901, we tirst assembled as a Class, in the Old High School, As is natural, we felt our importance in being Freshmen and managed to show those around us what a vigorous class spirit we had. As usual we received a hearty welcome from the upper classes. It was here that we iirst met the Class of 1904, armed with boards and various other things with which to receive us. Very few of us escaped this reception except those who were small enough to get through the crowd, as George. As we entered the Assembly Boom of the Old High School building we were introduced to our teachers with whom we were to associate for the next four years. Here, for the first time we met our Sub-master, Mr. A. X. Burke. After a second look he did not seem so formidable as at lirst. I believe he actually winked his ears at one small girl in the front seat. ive took our seats: and the necessary directions about our reeitations were given by our Principal, Mr. XYillis Eaton, As Freshmen we stood somewhat in awe of Miss Frost, but after coming from one of her recitations having impressed U5 her with our unusual stores of knowledge, we pronounced her 'fall right 5 1 . Our iirst day at school was filled with surprising discoveries both to ourselves and to the teachers. XVe found we were not as brilliant as we had supposed, and the teachers did not seem at all impressed with us nor with our attempts to prove our abilities. At the end of that first day we had behaved more studiously, and studied more, than we ever have since. Nearly two weeks had passed when we began to think about electing our Class ofiieers, so on September 16th we held our iirst class meeting, Mr. Burke presiding as chairman. Miss Irene Bliss was appointed secretary pro tem and the business of the meeting proceeded. George Brennan was chosen presidentg Evelyn Spring, vice presidentg Irene Bliss, secretary, and Edith Smith, treasurer. Leonard Taylor was elected a member of the Athletic Committee. This lirst meeting was soon followed by others and on September 18th we decided to hold a sociable. Next we decided to choose our class colors and pins. iVe held a meeting and a con.mittee of three was chosen to collect samples of pins and plan the colors, to report at the next meeting. In a few days the committee reported and our pin was chosen. The colors which were brought in did not seem to be satisfactory, so a combination of red, black and gold was presented by Edna, who has always had a good eye for colors, and this was accepted. XVe have always had reason to be proud of these colors all through our school career. Un October 12th, we as Freshmen, held our first sociable in the Assembly Room of the Old High School. There were about one hundred and twenty members present, and what was quite unusual, not any of us were troubled with bashfulness. Here we met a second reception from some of the Class of 190-L and some of the members of former classes of the school, who tried, in various ways, to break up our social, none of which were successful. The whole affair was a dis- grace, and as a result our Principal, Mr. Eaton, decreed that there should be no more sociables held that year in the school. 2

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Salutatory. HAROLD I. EATON. '-g1hgilf.IENDS of the Class of 1905: You are assembled here to-night to witness the graduation of the Senior Class of the Waltham High School. To you all, I extend a sincere welcome in behalf of the Class of 1905. We are now about to enter a broader and more difficult life. Some of us Will enter colleges and normal schools, and, after several years of study and preparation, will enter into life's work. We may or may not be fitted for this, but, in any event, we shall be greatly benefited and advanced by the thirteen years spent in the public schools of VValtham. We appreciate your endeavors to supply us with this education, and I think I can safely say, we shall do what is in our power to fulfil the expectations which you may have formed for our future. is Lfzife--. For some of us, these last four years spent in the High School will be the final preparation for our occupations. Such of us, also, appreciate your good-will and unswerving loyalty to our in- terests. You have nobly borne the expense of educating us in order that we may be more fully equipped for our future professions. Friends, the kindly interest which you have shown in us, and which you show to-night by your presence here, will encourage us not a little in the years to come. Your parting good wishes will smooth over many a rough place and leave us richer than ever in courage and strength. In our years of study and pleasure, for We have had much pleasure, we have learned only a part of life's lesson. We have yet to learn the rest, a lesson of far greater value than we can at present realize, a lesson on which our future success depends. We hope to be successful. Some will, without doubt, attain success and prominence. Some will reach the top of the ladder, and become a support to the interests of science and industry, and will fill an important part in the social community. Some will not be so successful and others will attain but a small degree of success. Let us hope that the percentage of the last will be small. But what is necessary to obtain this success? Is it wealth, is it intellect, is it integrity? It may be one of these, it may be all three, but the essential quality has not been named. It is cour- age-courage to strive for the highest, courage to do our utmost, courage to overlook our failures, and courage never to say : 'C I can't. 4' VVhat we do, let us do well is the motto chosen by my fellow graduates. It is a motto which if followed, is almost certain to insure success. But to live up to this motto We must have courage. If we are weak and lacking in those qualities which courage alone can supply, can we hope ever to attain any great degree of success? Success, gained by our own exertions, attained by our own efforts is many times more valuable than success for which We have not been obliged to strive. What is the honor in obtaining a prize which has not been earned ? It is not a prize in reality but a gift for which we have not ourselves to thank. The honor of succeeding consists in the fact that by constant and steady effort, the sought for goal has been reached. This goal for which we are aiming is still far ahead and to gain it we must euter into a competition which is growing stronger every day. But by attending your schools, by completing the courses prescribed there, we have obtained a good start in the race of life. And as there is a saying that a good start is half the race, we may feel assured that if we grasp the future opportunities afforded us, we shall be reasonably sure of not being left behind. But our aim is not to keep from being left behind but to lead. To do this it will be necessary for us to keep up our courage, to exert all our strength, and if we do this, we are sure to be strong at the finish. 1

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