West Salem High School - Neshonoc Yearbook (West Salem, WI)

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by the wild fancies conceived only in the minds of the Freshmen and the Sophomores, will you devote yourselves to study, duty and your Alma mater?” He spoke, and straightway we were busy in seeking pennants with which to decorate the walls and mixing punch to serve to the assembled multitude. But as the pendulum having swung to one extreme usually returns to the other, so we, the scape goat in our Sophomore year, became the favorite child in our Junior year. But even so our sisters, enraged by what they deemed an unfair treatment were soon whirling at or concerning us many angry words which neither lowered our standings nor wounded our sensitive hearts. At the beginning of our Junior year we were nine strong. But during the course of the year Leveme Smith feeling the responsibility of a large farm resting heavily upon him, withdrew from the class. This left one boy for seven girls. One-seventh of a man's affection we agreed would be worse than none, besides the law in Wisconsin holds bigamy as a crime, and the bib'e regards it as the extremity of evil, in prove whereof I refer you to Isaah IV: I. Therefore we drew lots for the prize and fortune favored one, but alas! for the six disappointed hearts and the six pillows wet with tears that night. Six maidens in time forgot their sorrow and disappointment in search for other prizes. One still smiles at the decree of the fates, but the world sighs as it beholds the one boy and says from a friendly heart: “Alone, alone 1 am never alone In the midst of my feminine sea For teachers, Sophomore, Junior boys Relieve a desirable agony. Recently we received the title of Seniors. As Freshmen we stood in awe of it as something that we might attain, in the dim future years, by persistent effort, a symbol of power and supremacy. As Sophomores we detested it as signifying snobbishness, as Juniors we envied it as an emblem of privilege, but as Seniors we cherish it as a token of respect and devotion. For it is certainly a mark of distinction to be privileged to select the choicest melons on the vine and to have the smaller children take what are left: to be able to breath aloud at times and not have secret sessions in the office in consequence. Then be glad, you Seniors of 1913, for you are entering the best year of all. Although perhaps I have related in the tale more of wars than love and feasts and more contentions than pleasure: as we stand surveying the past I am sure that we can say with sincere hearts, We are glad that we have had these years together. K. G., ’12.

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present were upper classmen occupying any place from the tops of the radiators and tables to seats on the floor. There was no use of expelling them for they were the kind of people who are just as bad outside as they are in, besides, tney were bound to get in anyway. If we had lccked all the doors and windows I believe they would have seeped in thru the walls or Lynn Gullickson and Leila McKee would have appeared thru a hole in the ceiling. We finally gave up. There is an old saying that “while there is life, there is hope,” but sometimes life becomes so miserable that one is willing to quit hoping. In two weeks we held a class party and elected our officers, Gerhart Barrum was the natural choice for President, as the majority of the class were girls and he was the fairtst of the male sex, One small party of conservatives advocated the intellectual Mr, Dahl, famous for his oratory, but the return of the ballot, however, soon declared the popularity of Mr, Barrum, The minority finally submitted and gave William Harry Dahl second place- As soon as possible after the meeting we sailed into the school with our colors flying; which is always a challenge. In five minutes they m'ght have been seen adorning the library C-irta'n, streaming from the Seniors' lapel or drenched in a struggle over the water pail. Such was our Freshmen year, which none of us would grudge his last pound to live over aga;n. We entered the Sophomore class with thirteen members, an ill fated number, which fact Wc.s responsible for any contentions, foreign and c vil, which have worried us since that time. Tliat year we had a principal who expected to rule, and that was right. But the very name Sophomore, as taken from the Greek, means the wise fool, therefore it was natural for us to declare ourselves as rulers, but that was wrong. Two masters cannot live together peacefully for any great period of time, especially if one is a usurper. We were no exception to the rule. During the year each class in turn had held a party, inviting the rest of the school and had sought to entertain them in an agreeable manner; which pleased the ruler. But when it came time for the Sophpmores to entertain they made a league with the Freshmen saying, “We will not do as our elder brothers and sisters have done, behold we will give a ball that shall make the uninvited ones gaze upon us with envy and the invited ones to feel that their best gowns are hardly fitting to grace such an unusual occasion.” Now the principal was much displeased with this saying and straightway he made this speech; “Oh ye elder brothers and sisters of High School who possess a calmer judgment and are not deluded

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SENIOR CLASS POEM And what is so rare as a class like ours ? Seldom, if ever, you find one so knowing. Each has been as the striving flower In the garden of knowledge growing. Whether in sunshine, or whether in rain, We have done our work and reaped the grain. Now is the high-tide of the year, The time when we our books put away, When spring calls us from school so drear To its realms of happiness and cheer. Some rejoice, but others regret That our high school days are over, But may we never deign to forget The happy years we have spent “in clover. To our teachers we owe our gratitude, They who stood by us thru thick and thin. For 'tis clearly shown by their attitude That they are aware of our vigor and vim. Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how; Everything is happy now, Everything is upward striving; Tis easy now for the heart to be free For we have acquired the knowledge key,— Oh, dear followers, it's worth the diving! Fond remembrances our hearts will fill Of the old brick school house on the hill, Of the happy years we have spent together. Never dreaming that so soon we must sever. Farewell, dear school days and classmates kind. May true friendship our hearts ever bind; And may our class and the school ever thrive Though scattered far and wide.