Wells High School - Crimson and Gray Yearbook (Southbridge, MA)

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WYsteS LITERATURE THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING Outside, the afternoon was stormy. The rain was beating steadily against the win- dow panes and everything was dark and dreary. But inside the fraternity house all was different; a bright fire crackled merrily in the huge fireplace, around which were seated a few college men. Well, one of them was saying today ' s the sixteenth of November; that means Thanksgiving recess is coming soon. What are you planning to do besides eating the usual amount of turkey and cranberry- sauce? Tom Harlow, seated nearest the fire, an- swered first. I had to spend last Thanksgiving in camp, and although we had a mighty fine dinner, it wasn ' t much like the ones we have at home. So I don ' t mind telling you frank- ly that I intend to spend the holiday this year, by thoroughly enjoying myself, — din- ner at noon, football game in the afternoon, and a dance at night. Sounds good to me! What have the rest of you planned? Theater for mine, said Ed Haynes. And a girl. But I haven ' t decided which girl to take. Just think, he continued, half to him- self, a year ago I was on the Italian Front, wondering, probably, if I would ever have an A. B. degree of my own! And I ' ll have it next June ! Don ' t be too sure, cautioned Jim Ward. The girl question seems to be a pretty seri- ous one in your case, and I think you ' re de- voting too much time to the so-calied ' fairer sex. ' But if they were as fair as they are reputed to be, they ' d ignore you so that you would have no alternative but study. Of course, girls are the correct things to have once in a while. For instance, I ' m going to have Thanksgiving dinner with one and we ' re going to ride afterwards. And for another instance, h-oke in a new voice, belonging to Bob Graham, in England there ' s a girl with whom I spent last Thanksgiving when I was on shore leave, and she ' s the prettiest instance I know of. Her family celebrated Thanksgiving just for me, too. I ' m going to stay at home, this hol- iday. Wild horses couldn ' t drag me from the family. But, Jack, turning to the first speaker who had remained quiet since his question, what are you going to do ? Jack Browning looked rather serious as he answered. One of my A. E. F. buddies is in the Hospital and I ' m going to spend at least part of the day with him. If he is well enough, I ' d like to take him for a short ride. Good night, everybody, and he left the room. The first afternoon of their return after the holiday, the same fellows were sitting around the same fire-place. Again Jack started the conversation. Well, he began politely. I hope your plans all worked out satisfactorily. You may have had great times, but you didn ' t feel any more repaid than I in the end, I ' m sure. I didn ' t realize that anyone could be so grateful until I took that buddie of mine to ride. Which girl did you finally take, Ed? Ed beamed. A new one! he said. This statement was met with a groan from Jim. Tell us about her, Ed, he begged, and get it over with. And incidentally, what show did you take her to, ' Look Who ' s Here, ' or ' Somebody ' s Sweetheart ' ? Neither, answered Ed, becoming serious. I went to church. You see, my pal ' went West. ' So I spent Thanksgiving with his mother. How was the football game, Tom ?

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY (o do, anyhow? Probably some one will say we swiped this from an exchange. Well, we did! This is a good time for resolutions for the school year. Make them and keep them. Re- member that well begun is half done. Don ' t go around looking for trouble. Trouble has your address and will look you up without any invitation. We wish to thank Mrs. Mary E. Wells for her kindness to The Crimson and Gray, and to the Athletic Association. School spirit in our High School may be compared to a flivver. A long time is re- quired to get both started, and then neither keeps going very long. We can not expect to have good teams unless we support them. Buy a season ticket for basketball. Then you will not only get out of the long line waiting to buy tickets before every game, but you help the Athletic Association. Our faculty should set us a good example in this respect. It is just as bad (from a pupil ' s point of view) for a teacher not to go to a basketball game, as it is for a pupil to go to a class with unprepared lessons. James Ryan, ' 23. THE SOUTHBRIDGE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL Textile Courses for Day and Evening Students to Start Monday, January 5th, 1920 With the re-opening of school on January fifth the Vocational School will offer courses in textile training to all interested in the industry. In order that everyone may have a chance to enter this course, classes are to be held daring the day and evening. The day course as outlined at present, is to cover a period of two years, and is open to all students between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five. The school is to operate on a part time basis, the students working one week in the mill and the other in school. During the school week the students will have the benefit of carrying on extension work in a room especially fitted for experi- mental textile work, under power, at the Hamilton Woolen Company. The academic side of the education, for the present, is to be carried on in the Town Hall. The evening course is open to all male students over sixteen years of age, who are actively engaged in the textile industry dur- ing the day. This course is to be held at the Hamilton Woolen Company, where two rooms have been offered for this purpose. Both courses otter unusual opportunities for advancement, and Mr. Forbes, director of the school, who has organized the courses, urges the town boys to take advantage of them. Mr. Branch, a graduate of the Lowell Textile School, who has been an instructor in that institution for the past two years, is to have charge of the new courses. Much of the success of organizing the plan is due to the efforts and courtesy of Mr. E. Benjamin Armstrong of the Hamilton Wool- en Company, where the students will be given all their practical experience. His interest and the co-operation of the mill ovei seers have made the course possible. On January fifth, Mr. Armstrong is to speak at the Town Hall on the The Present and Future of Textile Industry, at eight o ' clock. Mr. Forbes urges all boys desirous of taking the textile course, and all parents interested in the future of their boys to hear Mr. Armstrong, for he will tell them things of practical interest to their welfare. SCHOOL NOTES A High School Girls ' Glee Club was or- ganized October 3, 1919. The following of- ficers were elected: Elizabeth Earls, presi- dent; Helen Sheehan, secretary and treas urer; Frances Troy, librarian. The members are as follows: Aline Benoit, Emma Bous- quet, Mary Cheney, Isabel Corey, Margaret Connelly, Dorothy Dartt, Louise Durgin, Theresa de Sloover, Eleanor Edwards, Theck- la Fitzgerald, Constance Grant, Dorothy Hall, Marjorie Harris, Buth Jar ret, Gladys Kelley, Elizabeth Morse, Linnea Norman, Edith Olin, Beatrice Page, Irene Peabody, Irene Proulx, Helen Sheehan, Loretta Supre- nant, Dorothy Smith, Marion Walsh, Blanch Weatherhead, Dorothy White, Frances No- lan, Grace Mack, Irene Houde, Alice Wixted, Almeda Walker, Ruth Mansfield, Frances Troy, Louise Rowley, Lucille Williams, Vera Chamberlaine, Pauline Currin, Evelyn Poe- ten, Lillian Brodeur, Catherine O ' Keefe, Mil- dred Apte, Louise Clemence. The Athletic Association dance held in Edwards Hall October 17, was a success both socially and financially. The matrons were Mrs. Mansfield, Mrs. Ryan and Mrs. Morse. The hall was very artistically decora ted wit h red and gray crepe paper and red alder ber-

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY ' ' Didn ' t go, replied Tom. Saw a couple of twelve year old kids on the street. They looked half starved, so I gave ' em a feed, and took ' em to the movies. Did you enjoy the family party, Bob? Bob smiled. I didn ' t stay at home, even for dinner. You see, on my way home, in the station, I ran across Jim Brown, a fellow who used to be on the same ship with me. He ' s sort of alone in the world, and he couldn ' t seem to get work anywhere. Mighty bright chap, too! I knew of a Mr. Boberts, a friend of my father ' s, who would surely have a position for him, but Mr. Boberts was going on a Western trip the day after Thanksgiving. So Jim and I had to go to his home. He lives in Dover, New Hamp- shire, and it was a horrid trip ; took all day, but we got the job, so I was glad I went. Jim Ward suddenly spoke. If you think I ' m going to listen without saying a word, you ' re mistaken. I enjoyed my day, as well. A woman who lives not far from us, is wholly alone. When I went by her house on my way to dinner, she was trying to chop some wood. I chopped for about an hour and after dinner I went back and piled the wood up for her. She was very grateful, as you can imagine. Jack Browning ' s face glowed. Fellows, he said, you ' re great to do all those things. Now, I think you ' ll all agree with me that the true spirit of Thanksgiving is to give other people who are less fortunate than our- selves something to be thankful for. Anyone who doesn ' t agree, say so. And the room was absolutely silent. Isabel Corey, ' 20. BOBBY ' S THANKSGIVING (A Kindergarten Story) It was a cold, raw, winter day. The wind howled furiously, and the snow that had com- menced falling in the morning was now com- ing down in a white blanket, covering everything. In fact, a. genuine New England snow storm was raging, and little Bobby, who had come out to the farm to spend his Thanksgiving recess with his grandmother, began to feel more and more restless as he realized that the snow would make it impos- sible for him to go out of the house for sev- eral days. The snow was so deep he could not even go to the barn, a short distance from the house, to see Mrs. Tabby and her family of five little kittens. Bobby was (lis consolate. Even grandmother had no time for him — grandmother who could tell the most wonderful stories. Why, Bobby never tired of listening to them ! But now she was very busy cooking, preparing the Thank? giving dinner to which Bobby always looked forward with so much pleasure. So he was obliged to entertain himself the greater part of the afternoon. And surely entertainment was not lacking in the old farmhouse! Grandmother brought out all the old toys that had helped to while away the childhood hours of Bobby ' s father. But after a time even these consolations brought no joy to Bobby. He began to feel homesick and went again and again to the window to see if it had not stopped snowing. But no. Bobby felt a big lump come up in his throat. He gulped it down as best he could, for he was such a big boy he did not want anyone to see that he even felt like crying. When he turned from the window, there was grandmother sitting in her big wing chair just waiting for Bobby to come into her lap. It did seem so good to cuddle down ! And before Bobby realized she had started to tell him a really true story about herself : One day, many years ago, began grand- mother, when I was a little girl, mother and father were suddenly called to a nearby town because of the severe illness of a very dear friend of mother ' s. As I was the older of the two children, the duty fell upon me to keep house and take care of my baby sis- ter. Mother and father assured me that they woidd be back before evening, so there was no cause to feel any alarm. All went nicely during the afternoon. Baby was contented, and the time flew faster than I had expected. When dusk began to gather, I gave baby her supper and put her to bed. Then I went to read in the great living room until the return of my parents.. I became so intensely inter- ested in my book — it was Scott ' s ' Ivanhoe, ' I remember distinctly — that I knew nothing of what was taking place around me, until I suddenly realized that I smelled smoke. In a moment I was on my feet. I discovered that a fire had started in the large built-in wood box near the stove. The box was already burning and made quite a headway. I grabbed two pails and started for the pump, fortunately not far from the house. Back and forth I went for hours, so it seemed to me. The pails were heavy, though I cared not for that. I was thinking of little Betsey and the house. But at last the fire was entirely out, and after cleaning up the debris, I went back once more to wait. Jingle, jingle! What was that? It cer- tainly sounded like sleigh bells, and surely they were coming nearer and nearer. Yes,