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

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NOVEMBER 1933 velopment in lenses. Since then Tillyer and Bifocal lenses have been developed. In 1931 the Ful-vue bifocals were placed on the market. These are recognized to be superior to any other on the market today. The American Optical Company spectacles are sold through 30,000 dealers located in all parts of the world. It is a happy coincidence that The Century of Progress in Chicago ' s celebration coincides with the American Op- tical ' s years of growth to success. Gerald McNitt ' 34. HIGH SCHOOL IN 1854 TN THE year 1841 the first high school in - ■ Southbridge was opened. A Mr. Willard taught the school which was located in an upper room of the old Town Hall and it was supported by private contributions. At length, in 1854, the town took over the high school and appropriated two hundred dollars for its upkeep. For many years, a principal and assistant ruled in the two second-story rooms and it is this school which I shall try to describe to you. A small room, furnished with long benches for the students to sit on, a teacher ' s desk, the usual maps and blackboards, was used for recitation purposes. In the larger class- room, each pupil had his own desk facing the teacher ' s platform. At the rear of the room was another raised platform where the pupils stood up to recite. Each of the two rooms was heated very in- adequately by a wood stove. Often the stu- dents were so cold that they would have to ask permission to sit by the stove until they were warm. In the ceiling of the main classroom was a huge ventilator through which it gave mis- chievous boys great pleasure to drop books, apples, and wads of paper. Indeed on one occasion, a pair of human legs was seen to descend and wave wildly in the air until the owner was rescued. One of the most noted graduates of our high school was Ex-President Hyde of Bow- doin College. He is described as being a lively lad and onre was called upon to sit on the teacher ' s platform as punishment for some misdemeanor. I hope it is a pleasant seat, said the teacher. It would be more pleasant, sir, replied Hyde, if I had a cushion. Those students who have trouble reading Latin from a book may thank their lucky stars that they do not have to memorize it. One lady, a member of the class of ' 71, learned her passages so thoroughly that to- day, after sixty years, she can recite them perfectly. Elizabeth Sutci.iffe ' 35. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CENTURY OF PROGRESS T OR many months we had been reading - ■ newspaper items, looking at pictures, hearing conversations, and listening to radio broadcasts about the wonders of the World ' s Fair. None of these, however elaborate, could prepare us for the bombardment of color, light, and architecture which greeted us at the Fair Grounds. The immensity of the enterprise, the un- dertaking of this huge task of building and the carrying out of all the infinite details, the sturdy construction of the windowless build- ings are in themselves things which greatly impress the visitor. It seemed that the Exposition was con- ceived and created to meet all tastes however varied they might be. The theme of the Fair, as you know is Science— its growth and industry beckoning on one side, and, on the other fun and the carnival spirit inviting. Perhaps the building which impressed me most was the famous Hall of Science, housing the exhibits which illustrate things that men are now thinking about in the various branches of learning. In this building of Science every conceivable exhibit could be found under the headings of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Geol-

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EDITORIALS A CENTURY OF PROGRESS HP HE spectacles business in Southbridge was staried by William Beecher, a young jeweler, in 1833. The first spectacles he made were gold and silver rimmed. Mr. Beecher eventually designed machinery to make steel rimmed spectacles, turning out the first of this type made in America. In 1839 he built the first spectacles factory in Southbridge. About 1840 Mr. Beecher sold his spectacles business to Ammidown and Putney and Mr. Beecher remained to teach Mr. Ammidown ' s son the trade. Mr. Putney retired at the end of two years and the firm then became Ammi- down and Son. In 1848 the first gold alloy spectacles were made and were known as the best in the world. One year later Mr. Robert H. Cole joined the Company and the name was changed to Ammidown and Company. Fin- ally, in i860 Mr. W. Beecher and Messrs. R. M. and E. M. Cole purchased the spec- tacles business from Ammidown and Com- pany, changing the name to Beecher and Cole. Mr. Beecher retired after two years and the firm became Robert H. Cole and Company. In the spring of 1864, George W. Wells came to Southbridge to learn the spectacles business. In one year, though not working steadily, he became skilled in the manufac- ture of spectacle rims and lens setting. Leaving this firm, he went to work for E. Edmonds and Sons, another little spectacles shop in Southbridge. But Robert H. Cole and Com- pany asked him to return, offering him three dollars a day to build them new tools and dies which he had thought of. Mr. George W. Wells ' inventive ability caused the business to grow rapidly and in 1869 he was offered the opportunity to pur- chase controling interest in Ammidown and Company, then owners of E. Edmonds and Sons plant. This lead to the consolidation of these two plants as the American Optical Company. The business rapidly outgrew the old plant and construction of a new plant was neces- sary. In 1871 the site for the new plant was purchased, and the new plant was completed the next year. This building, just south of the main entrance of the present plant, was torn down in 1904. The rimless spectacles were first made in 1874, but they were little more than an ex- periment at that time. In 1891 gold-filled spectacles were made to sell for a price much lower than that for which gold alloys sold. At the beginning of the spectacles business all lenses were imported from Europe. In 1883 the American Optical Company began the manufacture of lenses. This branch ad- vanced rapidly and many different styles of lenses were developed. In 1909 a research division was established to aid scientific de-

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4 THE CRIMSON AND GRAY ogy, and Dentistry. Interesting in the science of Medicine was the giant man composed of cellon and built on a human skeleton. He is transparent and, as though you were sud- denly given X-Ray eyes, you may see the in- side of the human body. Small microphones hidden in the ears allow this transparent man to talk. He properly begins the story of the science of medicine in this huge theater of Sciences. Astronomy is nicely taken care of in the Planetarium where a complete story of the heavens, stars and planets is beautifully and colorfully displayed. The huge Havoline thermometer standing in the center of the Grounds, two hun- dred feet high, was most impressive. The numerals were very large and readings could easily be taken from anywhere at the Fair. Notable on the Travel and Transport building was the so-called breathing dome, constructed on the principle of a suspension bridge, rising and sinking, depending on the atmospheric pressure on the roof. This building houses all sorts and means of travel and transportation. The outside exhibits were of an interesting nature consisting of the Royal Scot, one of London ' s fastest trains; a United States Railway Post Office car; cars representing various railroad companies; one of the largest freight trains in the world; and finally the palatial coaches of the Presidential train of the Republic of Mexico. Interesting in the automobile industry were the Chrysler and the General Motors Build- ings. In the latter a complete assembly plant had been built and crowds of people could watch raw materials enter through one door and finished cars come out at the opposite exit. In direct contrast to these buildings of ultra modern construction was the age-old Maya Temple of Nunnery built of brownish colored stone. With its carved figures and designs representing men and animals, one would hardly believe it to be an exact re- production of the beautiful temple in far- off Yucatan. The various Indian tribes with their homes of planks or wigwams and their carved totem poles afford much interest to the curi- ous. Beautiful in structure, its gold-leaf roof shining in the sun, was the Golden Temple of Jehol that takes you back to China in the early Eighteenth Century. Marvelous col- umns of red lacquer support the hundreds of small pieces of carved wood which are joined together without the use of a single nail to form the ceiling. The electrical and radio displays make one stop in amazement at the applications of elec- tricity in power, heat, and light. Exhibits take visitors behind the scenes and show the actual operations for various systems of com- munication. Television, the art of tomor- row, was very cleverly exhibited. One whole section is devoted to exhibits of homes. Each illustrates the use of some premade building material or method of con- struction such as steel, masonite, enamel, and lumber. Most interesting in this group is the House of Tomorrow made circular in form and of glass. All the plumbing pipes, gas, and electricity are built into a central shaft or mast. The outside walls are of glass and of course there are no windows. The walls are equipped with roller curtains to insure privacy. This ultra modern house has an airplane hangar, as well as garage on the ground floor. Those interested in poultry, livestock, flowers, and gardens had wonderful exhibits to view in the Agricultural and Horticul- tural Buildings. In the Dairy Building was located the color organ. The fingering ol the key board of the organ produces vari- ations of beautiful colors. As the music be- comes louder the colors became deeper shades, and then grow dimmer in hue as the music softens. Striking in appearance was the United States Government Building with its gilded dome and three pylons typifying the three branches of our government— legislative, ex- ecutive, and judicial. The parade of states in