Westport High School - Herald Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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16 THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. The old Crier was never large enough for anything but to tantalize us. If we printed the news, there was never any room for anything else. If we printed a story, someone would feel hurt that his pet stunt did not get the write-up that it deserved. We were glad when we found it possible to print a four column paper instead of a three, and at the same time to make the columns longer. The first ten issues of the Crier contained a good, substantial increase of space over those of last year, while the last five issues were just two and a half times the size of last year. True, considerable space was taken up by the advertising, yet the net increase in reading matter was large. C This will give you some idea of the ex- tra amount of material you received for your fifty cents. It will also give you some idea of the extra amount of work done by the staff. We did not mind the extra work, for we were glad of the chance to give you something more en- joyable to read. The thing that made this possible, and the thing that made it possible for us to put out a Herald without any advertis- ing, was the advertisements that we car- ried in the Crier. Seventy-four of the Kansas City merchants carried advertise- ments this year. We owe them a debt of gratitude and our patronage. We also owe our thanks to Robert Malcolmson and Conrad Eckert for their good work as solicitors. Many of the merchants have signified their intentions of adver- tising again next year, but next year will be the crucial test, as the merchants will not advertise unless they got returns this year. We think we have given you the best Crier you have ever had, and we hope you think the same about it. The Crier may be of a different shape next year, but if you will support it with- your subscrip- tions and your patronage of the advertis- ers, we can assure you that it will not be decreased in size. Many students have contributed stories, poems, jokes, and other material to the Crier. We wish to thank you for all of it Our Boys in the Service Was it not inspiring to see our service flag unfurled in assembly? Did it not fire yourrpatriotism to the highest pitch and remind you of your duty to your country to see that flag containing over two hundred stars, each one representing a Westporter who is in training or who is already fighting at the side of our Al- lies for the common cause of Freedom and Democracy? Westport can hold up her head in pride to know that she is so Worthily repre- sented on the battle field by these noble sons. Many of them are already in offi- cers' positions. Their education and train- ing will certainly make them efficient leaders. We expect to hear great things from them in the next few months. We should be glad that we have this opportunity to strike a blow for Liberty and Freedom. It is up to us to realize our sense of duty and then to do our ut- most in aiding this great cause. When we gaze' upon our service flag and see what a great number of old Westporters are fighting our fight, does it not behoove us who are here at home to strive to the utmost to aid Uncle Sam? Probably it is not best for those who are in high school now to join the Army or the Navy, but it is up to us, besides entering to the fullest extent in all Liberty Loans and food-saving campaigns, to prepare our- selves with the utmost diligence for the rebuilding of Democracy 'and Right when the war Shall end. The Crier has, during the year, pub- lished short personal notes about our fel-

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Wa uniiomim TFIZE llln Ill GREETINGS! Well, it is over! With a sigh of relief and a sigh of regret we join the other classes that have passed through West- port's halls to the world beyond. The high school career of the Class of '18 is over. We have worked hard for West- port, and we are not at all ashamed of what we have accomplished. We have done well in athletics and well in debat- ing. We are proud of our boys, and our girls have made us famous. During the last year we have seen a wartime Westport. Our service flag bears witness to the more than two hundred graduates and students who have an- swered the call to the colors. Many of our boys have seen service in the Nation- al Guards. We have answered the calls for subscriptions to the Liberty Loans, the Y. M. C. A. War Fund, the Red Cross, and Thrift Stamps. Our Senior play has been a War Pageant, written by a Senior. We have done without announcements, and our girls have gone to the graduation platform without bouquets. Last, but not least, among our achieve- ments is our Herald. For several years the Herald has been gradually changing. The character of the material is some- what different from what it used to be. This is largely due to the fact that the Crier has taken over much of the Held that formerly had to be taken care of by the Herald. Stories, news articles, long accounts of athletic events, the stunts of the societies and clubs, and many other things have appeared in the Crier from time to time. These have no place in this Herald except as they recall to our minds certain memories, or as they are necessary to mirror truly the year's do- ings. You want to glance through the book, see the faces of your old friends, and have recalled to you all of those who have made history for Westport this year, but you do not want to read all about it again in detail. We are glad that we can give you a year book this year that is free from advertising. This is, another thing for which the Crier is to be thanked. We trust that you will like the change. The Juniors and Sophomores have helped us right loyally in the preparation of this copy of the Herald. We thank them. We are proud of the year book of the Class of '18, and we hope that you may preserve it to remember the many pleasant happenings of the past year. The Crier Before we pass to the various activi- ties of the year, we feel that we must say something about the 1917-1918 Crier.

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THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. 17 lows in the Army and Navy concerning whom information could be secured. In another place in the Herald will be found a complete list of those in the service. We are indeed proud of such a list. Westport will ever hold the names of these wo1'thy sons of hers among her choicest memories. May the succeeding classes do their duty to their country as readily as these have answered the call. War Work We are proud of our boys who are at the front, and if they knew what we have been doing here, they would probably ap- plaud our efforts. There are not so very many things that boys and girls in high school can do, but the variety of things that we have done is surprising, never- theless. It seems as though everyone is doing something. If there are any slack- ers among us, we are not aware of the fact. ' . The demands for money have been va- rious-Liberty Bonds, Thrift Stamps, Y. M. C. A. War Fund, Junior Red Cross, Belgian Relief, and other lesser enter- prises. We have not stopped there, how- ever, as 'is witnessed by the great num- ber of books, magazines, field glasses, and records collected, the hospital supplies made, the many sweaters, socks, wrist- lets and other things knitted and made, and the large number of Liberty Bonds sold. We are glad of this opportunity to be of service. For a more detailed account of what Westport has done during the year, see the News department. Military Training After looking over the records of the military training and the spirit shown by the cadets during the last two years we can truly say that we are proud of this Westport organization. The work and the drill have always been good, but it is the spirit of the men and the spirit of the company behind the drill that have pushed it above the standard. It is always the spirit of an organization that determines its making or breaking, and it is con- cerning this spirit that we desire to com- ment. ' Next to the spirit of discipline-the power which is by far the most essential to military work--the spirit of cleanli- ness stands first. Cleanliness of mind and body is necessary, but cleanliness in uni- form is also necessary. Owing to their interdependence, it is the boy with the clean face, polished shoes, and combed hair who has the clean and polished mind. One of the first things that is instilled into the mind of every cadet is to do everything his best. Everything from the most insignificant movement to the most complicated maneuver, is carried out with the same care and thoroughness. And last, but by far the most admired, is the spirit of iight-the spirit of strug- gling to the end, whether that end be a defeat or a victory. It requires good training to take a defeat and come up again, undefeated in spirit, but it takes even. more training to take a victory without suffering the disease usually at- tending a triumph. The spirit of the cadets is indeed the personification of the spirit of chivalry, courtesy, discipline, obedience, and trust- worthiness. Red Cross The Red Cross work at Westport has had an additional incentive this year. The fact that the United States is actively en- gaged in the war, together with the very large number of Westport boys already in the service, has made it impossible to