Waltham High School - Mirror Yearbook (Waltham, MA)

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Z i THE GATE RUTH MooRE Along the road of life I strolled One day when all was fair, And far ahead I saw a gate Tall and stately there. And, as I neared the portal strong, I saw a lock of gold. The bars were silver, fair and fine, But strength was there untold. Now, as I looked upon this gate, Upon my ear came loud The tattoo of the horses' hoofsg Tlze dust stirred in a cloud. A coach of beauty neared the place, The coach of wealth and glare, The occupant, Sir Richman, Announced by trumpets' blare. And as the fine-clad gentleman Alighted from within, He swaggered to the lovely gate, His entrance sought to win. But as this greedy man of wealth just touched the lock of gold, It turned to lead, the bars to steel, The gems to iron cold. I-Ie struggled with the stubborn lock, And then it moved at last. The gate swung out just wide enough To let the man crowd past. But! What was this? He could not see! The fog was thick and chill. The path was rocky, deep with mud, The trees were bare and still. He faltered, stumbled blindly on, Through mists of sin and greed, Great cliffs of cold and crumbling rock His journey did impede. But as in fog and barren waste His Hgure once was lost. I thought, this man's great earthly gains, How much they really cost. When fill at last should be serene And the way should gleam with light Instead of fog and rocky cliffs How sad this rich man's plight. Then, as I pondered on the thought, A step upon the road Brought to my sight an aged man. Upon his back a load That could be labeled Worldly Cares. But something as he neared Called on me then to look at him. 'Neath shaggy brown appeared A pair of soft, blue, kindly eyes. Good eyes! They had not seen defeat. Although the road was rough and long He had not faltering feet. As then he touched the nearby gate, A wonder to behold! His load had vanished in the air, He did not seem so old. And as the gate swung open wide, His face he lifted high. His wrinkled hands reached forward As he breathed a welcome sigh. Beyond the gate a garden fair Stretched out along the way. A place of beauty unsurpassed Unseen for many a day. The grass lay green upon the lea, The trees were leaved and cool. For this man, lo, an Eden there He found beside the pool - Such contrasts find we in this life: Some go the way alone, Blinded to the better things That make life good, and moan Because at last their happiness Of lasting peace is gone. They never see the beauties Of the trees, the birds, the dawn. For them there is but fog ahead. just rocks and fog, and mire, Because upon this earth they have A greedy, vain desire. The poor, old man with worldly cares Had found his Eden - Why? Because of little kindnesses He did as he passed by. To fellowmen along the way I-Ie gave the best he could. Kindness, acts of service, And a soul of simple good.

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THE MIRROR, 1938 CHARLES W. GOODRICH, Headmaster

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THE MIRRGR, 1938 History of Class of 1938 ln this Class History I wish it were in my power to do somewhat as the composer Haydn did when he composed his surprise symphony. Knowing that some people are apt to fall asleep in the course of a concert, he put together his surprise symphony, in the middle of which there occurred a loud crash, destined to startle the most drowsy to attention. Recognizing the somnolent effects of a class history, I would that I could in- scrt something of the same type in my discourse. Because of the construction of new wings on our temple of learning, our entrance to high school was delayed until October. In spite of our eagerness to launch upon a new career, I am afraid that the delay did not cause any heartache among the members of our class. Fascinating in- deed is the entrance into a new life, and such was our entrance into high school. New faces, new teachers, and new methods were all regarded with an ill-concealed wonder. Afternoon sessions were none too enjoyable, but with December came the return to the one-session plan and again the necessity of early rising. On our return. to school, we found that a large, new modern lunch- room had been installed. For a nominal sum each day, the drudgery of carrying a lunch to school could be avoided. But the advent of a lunchroom brought about new dangers. Woe betide the unlucky person who happened to be going in the wrong direction when the lunch bell rang. The horde of hungry students poured from the various classrooms, and it was every man for himself as the ravenous crowd milled foward their favorite tables. Continuous practice, l'owcver, skilled one in the nnesse of ducking and dodging till a favorable position in the line was obtained. 'Twas at this stage of the game that we en-- countered the need for leaders if we were to be an up-and-coming class, and as a result we elect- cd Robert Nims, President, Ray Adams, Vice- Presidentg Donald Harvey, Secretary-Treasurer, and, in view of future pecuniary resources, se- lected William Rudin as our Auditor. Fortified now by guidance, we set about making plans for our Sophomore Hop. Under the direction of a very capable committee, plans were made, and a prom- incnt local orchestra engaged. Arrangements were smoothly carried through, and the dance was a complete success right down to the last piece of cake and the last plate of ice cream. Everyone en joyed himself to the full, and, believe it or not, we were able to record the affair in black ink. While it is true that our entrance into high school did not send Coach Jack Leary into any sort of ecstasies, it is equally true that some of our boys did show promise as future athletes. We were well represented among the candidates for the various athletic teams. Being an unusually bright and intelligent group fThank you, thank youj, we entered wholeheart- edly into the literary and scholarly side of school life and contributed a few gems to the school mag, pardon me, school magazine. Full of school spirlt, however, we declined offers from Hearst and other publications and threw ourselves into the job of making Waltham High a bigger, bet- ter, and finer school. The truth will out, and it must be admitted that the advent of spring' brought a strange sluggishness into the blood of some of our dreamier members, while also bring- ing slight censure from our teachers who, it is said, know what is best for us. Time passed liowcvcr, and june brought a well-earned and ap- prccated vacation, when we bade adieu for the time being to all things suggestive of school life. Time: Early fall, and destiny's tot, the Class of 58 , embarked on its junior Year. Well- rested after a summer of pleasure and loafing fthe two words are synonymous in my vocabu- laryj, we threw ourselves with eagerness into the task at hand. My, my, how we had grown, and this was evidenced by our contributions to the gladiators of the gridiron, Waltham's invincible talmostj football team. Taking stock, we found that one or two of our members had