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

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10 THE CRIMSON AND GRAY sake of sport and those who play it should learn the sporting habit of mind. Too numerous are America ' s sports to mention them all here but remember — a real fighter goes back for more and is at all times a good sport. Helen Grant, ' 29 CHICAGO FROM A BUS TOP Always have I desired to see Chicago the city of so wicked a reputation, of bandits, machine guns and gang wars. One would think that such a place would hold little at- traction for us calm New Englanders but perhaps it is the spirit of adventure that crops out in all of us at some time or another that made me so anxious to see the Windy City. At last my wish has come true. But let us start at the beginning with my first clear view of Chicago — from a bus top. We started down through the theatre district past Marshal Field ' s colossal department store. I had heard of this peer of Amer ican stores many times, but never had I imagined it, as it really is, with its strikingly beau- tiful interior architecture that reminds me of pictures of Roman Temples in the Ancient History book. We all gazed back with ad- miration at its mammoth windows like suc- cessive paintings in both brilliant and som- ber colors. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now en- tering the renowned Loop. This is the busi- est place in the world between one and two o ' clock, shouted the guide as loud as he could so as to be heard above the noise on all sides. Curiously we looked around to see innumerable car tracks branching in all directions, elevated trains and myriads of taxi cabs, a seemingly never ending stream of people and even a few horses. Bump! Bump! we continued on, leav- ing behind the roar of the elevated trains, the honking of horns and rumbling of street cars. Pass the vast automobile plants, we finally came to a section which the guide described as The Colored Belt of Chicago. This section is increasing so rapidly that it is giving the white inhabitants grave con- cern. People of this section even now con- trol a portion of the political offices in Chica- go. People of all hues of brown from creamy white to darkest chocolate were everywhere. It seemed as though we went through this section, parts of which were very beautiful, for miles without seeing more than one or two white faces. As the bus stopped at one of the interest- ing streets a crowd of little piccaninnies ran across. As they stared up at us we couldn ' t help but laugh for they looked so adorable with their pigtails standing out around their serious, dark faces. Merrily the bus rattled on past McKinley and Jefferson Parks with their acres of green lawns, flaming flower beds and great tennis courts. Circling back we came into the factory section of the city. Before you on the left is Armour ' s Packing Plant, but the guide really did not need to announce it, for be- fore he did so, handkerchiefs of all colors were pressed tightly to noses of all kinds and shapes. That was one place that I was par- ticularly glad to leave for the odor was cer- tainly distinctive, if odors can be called such, for I shall never forget it. Factories of all kinds, most of them pro- ducing some kind of food, lined our way. It seemed as if every bit of food I had ever heard of was manufactured there. Now folks you are in the section re- nowned for its gang wars. This is the scene of the machine gun perils. The action in the bus was amusing, some shrank back a little, others peered keenly on all sides and one spare, brown man dressed in rumpled, black clothes that enveloped him very ef- fectively sat eating chocolates that oozed out over his brown hands constantly and survey- ing the scene with a detached air. Those that had visualized grotesque cha- racters, crowded streets and shabby, ram- shackled buildings were doomed to disap- pointment for it seemed just an ordinary section of any large city. At this time we were forced to stop for a draw bridge to be opened and closed to allow a flat coal barge to go through. This canal was not more than a few minutes walk from the Loop and commercial boats of all kinds were constantly going up and down. The end of the ride brought us down through Lincoln Park where a bronze statue

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LITERAXUR1 BEGINNING A NEW YEAR In beginning a new year, the entire staff realizes the great responsibility in maintain- ing the high standards set by our predeces- sors, and if we fall short, it will be thru no lack of effort on our part. But in order to succeed, we need the co-operation of everyone. We want, and should have, a very large subscription list — not only from students themselves but also from members of the Alumni. Every member of the student body should subscribe to the school paper, unless he or she has a brother or sister who sub- scribes, and we are certain that each one will do his or her best to help support The Crimson and Gray . We know that every graduate has a sense of loyalty to Mary E. Wells High School, and although our stuff may seem amateurish at times, nevertheless we are sure that it is received in all good faith. As we are, so once were you. To our advertisers we express our appre- ciation for past patronage and solicit con- tinued interest in supplying us with copy . At the same time, we urge our subscribers and their families to give loyal support to our patrons, whenever in need of mer- chandise which they can furnish. One good turn deserves another. H. E. Morehouse, Jr., ' 29 ATHLETIC AMERICA Good sportmanship as denned by Oliver Wendell Holmes: To show well — to crow gently if in luck — to pay up — to shut up if beaten — there are the qualities of a sporting man. Live up to this definition — win if you can but win fairly. To play the game in the spirit of sport and life. Consider baseball, our real American sport, which was started in the New Eng- land States about 1830. It has flourished and is now known as the National Game be- cause of its universal popularity. Football is another extremely old game. In olden times, whole villages and towns were matched against each other, every able person playing, the goals, miles apart. The two best known styles of the game are Rugby and Soccer. No other game can compare with football in developing sportmanship and character. Basketball is our favorite indoor sport and was invented by James Naisinth in 1891. This too, is accepted in foreign lands as well as America, as a most popular game. Hockey is our fastest, and, from the spec- tator ' s point of view, the most exciting sport. Canada has been leading over America in this game but America is advancing in it, and hockey is predominating winter sports. Tennis was played as far back as the twelfth century in the Court of the King of France. Tennis is a game played for the

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY 11 of Abraham Lincoln looks out over the water of Lake Michigan and its long beach. People bathing in the heart of the city? Unheard of! But there they were, great crowds of them covering the beach and the lawns of the park. Now we realized why we had seen so many people in bathing clothes down in the business district going in and out of de- partment stores, on all bus tops and even into the hotels. The municipal beach re- ceives thousands of bathers daily. With a feeling almost akin to pity I looked at the gray, distinctly dirty water and thought of the blue Atlantic with its tang of salt. At this point we stopped to look at the clear cut skyline where the tall hotels, office buildings, and apartment houses were out- lined exquisitely. Now that my desire has been gratified I have changed my impression of Chicago for it seemed no more wicked than most of our other large cities and I feel rather disap- pointed for I secretly longed to see some show of the notorious gun wars. Kathleen Burns, ' 30 THE SHORTAGE OF LUMBER IN THE UNITED STATES The United States as a nation is suffering from the great lumber shortage. Due to the lack of protection we are feeling the need of lumber. The people have not taken care of the trees and so they see what the result is from their carelessness. The government has taken upon itself to start protecting the trees. In most of the states the government now has forest re- servations, where trees are planted and taken care of. There are lookout stations which are situated on a high altitude where men watch day and night to see if any fires are destroying the trees. If they do locate a fire they take all possible means of preventing its spreading and stopping it. You can travel along any highway in the west as well as in the east and see the bar- ren track of land that has been deprived of its beauty. Usually the cause of trees being burned is the work of some careless person who happened to throw the stub of his ciga- rette on some dry leaves or who left a camp- fire burning. Disease destroys thousands of acres of forests. An example of this is the insect which breeds on the gooseberry and current bush and is attracted to the roots of the firs and destroys the trees completely. Another cause is the waste of lumber in the cutting and preparing it for market. The people need the lumber so badly that they cut the young trees which are not fully grown. If the trees were left to mature they would produce twice as much as when young. The decrease of the forest is the cause of so many floods in the United States. The trees bind the soil together and hold the moisture in the earth thus preventing the rise of water into a flood. The shortage of lumber has raised the cost about two thirds of the original price. None realize the shortage so much as the furniture and box manufacturers. They have to import much lumber to satisfy their needs and as a result of this, prices have to be raised. Some people do not realize the value of the trees beside the commercial use. The trees not only beautify a place but also puri- fy the air. As a whole the people are recognizing the fact and are doing what is in their power to better the conditions of the forests. Gertrude Schwartzberg, ' 31 AMBITION Clang ! Clang ! Whiz-z-z ! Down the streets tore the huge red monster. Steam spouting from its nose, and its huge silver mouth jubilant in noise, proclaimed the message — Fire! To Jim Brown, sitting at the window of Station 8 watching the truck from No. 7 go thundering by, every one of the well- known sounds sent a thrill of expectation through his young body. Never yet had the young man rescued a human life, for in his eight months of service he had been con- fined solely to the extinquishing of the fires. Suppose a general alarm is sounded, said the boy to Old Joe, the gray haired veteran. Don ' t be looking for trouble lad, you ' ll be having your name printed for bravery soon enough, was the answer. To the older men Jim ' s somewhat eager