Winchester School - Oui Dire Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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our-DIRE I7 the death of jo, the crossing sweeper, cry and cry hard. Your eyes may smart, and your nose may be red afterwards, but you will feel better in the end, and the real world will seem brighter in comparison. To illustrate the humorous side of Dickens Dr. Burton read two selections, one from David Copperfield, the other from the Christmas Carol. The first told of how little David ran away to Dover to seek his only aunt, Miss Betsy Trotwood, a Spinster of spinsters, and how she received him. Hungry and footsore, sunburned and covered with dust, David appeared in her garden and revealed his identity, thereupon causing the old lady to fall over backwards very suddenly. .-Xfter she had recovered herself and said Mercy on us a great many times and had made many hor- rified remarks over his very soiled appear- ance and his mistake over being a mere boy instead of Miss Betsy Trotwood Copperhcld, jr., she led him into the neat little parlor of the spick and span house. But in one short t ?l essay it is impossible to tell of how David was dosed with salad dressing and anchovy sauce and how the donkeys had to be shooed off the grass plot in front of the house. Let it suffice that Mr. Dick was called into consultation, and that very wisely Mr. Dick suggested a bath. We draw the curtain there, as did Dr. liurton. The scene changes, and we, in company with Old Scrooge, are transported to llob L'rachit's home for a Christmas diimer. The whole fame ily is there, and all very busy, Mrs. Craehit engaged in basting the goose and in testing the pudding, and the younger Crachits of all ages engaged in setting the table, controlling their appetites and generally getting underfoot. Tiny Tim is here too. with his pitiful little crutch and his cheerily pitiful little smile. Ah! Dinner is served, The goose is brought in and is eaten, we might say devoured, until there is absolutely nothing left but the bones, and I have no doubt they are well polished off. .Xhl again. The blazing, steaming pudding, with a sprig of holy in the top, is borne aloft, leav- ing a trail of blue tire behind! XYell, it is too delicious to imagine. XYith such a pleasant taste in our mouth, or rather in our imagination, Dr. llurton brought his lecture to a close. The spell was broken, the enchantment ended. Dr. llurton earnest- ly entreated us that very night to go to the book ease, and start one uf Dickens' novels, ff we did this we would be sure to finish it, and would be amply repaid. l did. Did you? M. ri. n. 15. 'l M s s .I sa--. as - X XQZTTQQQ Q ivxw -i LUN i M - ... A 2522 f' 'SN5 ' -1-ff' T- -X ' ' in f,l?h+'ic . ,f 5 - -112.5 Y-Q v V f e Q. fb .QIil - .rsfag-1:-,,,. 7 ' '-'

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16 OUT-DIRE novels in the world those of Dickens stand out preeminent in interest and humanness. l'rimarilv Dickens was a reformer. England was certaiiilv in need of reform, and Dickens ,lpnlt 1,1.vvy giftt-1' ldow at the evils of his day. ln tllix'C1' Twist, what a wretched life the poor panptrs led. under the rule of the cruel Mig llnnilde, who would force the children into anv tradt to get rid of them, and who :txt-tl -fatter while the paupers waxed thin- ner, ln Ulilcak llutlxfn llickens ridiculed the tedious lawsuits in the tiourt of Liltancery, and stitral other liooks, so vividly portrayed the l,,,1-11,1-4 ttf the delitors' prison, that he may al- lllllst he considered the lirst champion for l'ris- on Reform. llc do get rather a cheerful pic- ture of the life which Xlr. Xlicawher lcd in prison, hut then anything connected with Mr. Klicawher ix cheerful, from his walking stick. swaggeriiig with two tassels. to the little din- ner parties with which he would entertain lit- tle David, when pecuniary hopes were high,- or when they had pawned the silver spoons. Yet in t'l.ittle llorritu the scene is gloomy enough. and Dickens knew whereof he wrote, for we know that he himself was far too fa- itiiliar with the interior of a prison. The sys- icxn of education received its share of censure, in that most interesting of hooks, Nicholas ,fi'l-.leliyf lJotheltoy's llall, where they cer- jf Jn! tht- lioys-a new thought to me, T 1 1: fd ','i. aj- pronounced it l7rlf!If7tJVX .V llall- -: f-- It fiery vivid picture of the very hungry lioy-. making a very nieagre meal, one .f.f--pofnititl apiece td hrimstone and IHO- f ft wi'y economical way of disposing of apprtitt s for hreakfast, Tyrannical '- had his own method of education, i -ttfllig' tltt' Ltctilllt to tllc XX'o1'tl, OF, to ti-Qplitit, of spelling winder and then and wt' must admit that this meth- , lift fl rc-nlts, 'I'o illustrate how ridicu- '- 'fi' 3'-twin of teaching was in those days, fi lZ'trion gave the spelling lesson, memor- :. f in more senses than one, whcrc Sissv vlujie, xmitlt great rapidity, interpreted a horse fi- xinnnal. tjnadruped, used for hauling or draw irtg liurdens. Although Dickens was a i't-lorttn-1, il is im posstlile to keep that lacl in nnnd Itergtnsl there are so many other l':ts.t'itt.ttiotiw in his lnnwksr lllt'l't' Lll't' llli t'lliIIJlt ll'lH' jnrlll.lNi'ml with that most individual ltwllt In .il l.,,,,,,,,-I liven if you havcn't read .int ol I n. l,, ,, ,' l,,,,,j,., you are actjnatntcd with wont- ol ln, .l,,,,,,,- ttts. Klanvx ltavt lnionls I.nn..l,, ,,,,ll,I,jl,,,,, in the English language. Pickwickia11,'f fOr instance. As in cartoons, some predominant feature is so depicted that in a pair of glasses and a smile we recognize our friend Teddy Roosevelt, so in Dickens' caricatures-for we shall call them that-the prevailing peculiari- ties, the small touches that reveal the whole, are so vividly portrayed, that once we become acquainted with one of Dickens' characters, we will never forget him-or her, as the case may lie. In illustration of this suggestive pow- er. take Tilly Slowlaoy thy rights it ought to to he Slowgirlj, standing with mouth and eyes agape, and garments also agape, showing some llannel vestment of singular structure and glimpses in the hack of a pair of stays, in color dead green, Cant you just picture her bringing the precious hahy's head in contact with deal doors, dressers, stair rails or hed- posts. Dickens has created hundreds, yea thousands ll'm not dead certain as to the ex- act numhern, of characters, and each as differ- ent and distinct as Tilly. Minor characters are as well drawn as major ones. and some- times ltetter. In David Coppertieldf' when David has wandered into town he meets a cab- man. XYe never hear of that cabman again. Yet we know that he was kind and sorry for little David and he directed him to Miss Betsy 'l'rotwood's house and gave him a penny, As for Dickens' humor-well his characters and his humor and the funny things his people do and say are so mixed together that it keeps you laughing all the time-unless von are crying. Y For not all of Dickens is funny. There is pathos and deep feeling shown in some scene or other in almost everyone of his books. fLet us except l'ickwick l'apers, it is just plain nonsensel Could anything he much saclder than the death of l'anl Domhey, or that of little Nell? Some say Dickens' sentimentalitv is overdrawn. Well what if it is? That it makes one cry. Well, what if it does? The Anglo- Saxon race is one which prides itself on its stern sell-control. Sell-control is a good thing, llltt who wants to he so self-contained. so un- accnstonietl to ever shedding' a tear, that when sonn-tltilng really sad happens his weeping or- gans w tll he out of coinntission, and he will not he :ddr lo cry ?, Think of not heing' able to cry al tour own ntother's funeral! Dr. Burton said that in his classes he considered one require- ment ol' living reallv well educated the ahilitv to laugh or to cry at the right time. Don't be .tlraidl When you come to a sad place, like S

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18 OUT-DIRE THE BLIND BOY. XX'hat are the visions of the sight? Uh, tell this poor blind boy! I cannot see the sun or light, Hr things which you enjoy. You think I am not satisned, llecause I cannot see: llut l've a sense of touching, Xkhich is so good to ine. 'l'hev say the trees are tall and green, 'llhe grass is soft and low? lint I ean't see a single tlnng, llecause trod made me so. Uh, bark! I hear the whippoorwill, Ile sings in meadows lowi I cannot reach his feathery breast, lint I love his notes you know. I hear the humming' of the bee Xkhieh buzzes round the roseg I smell the vining eglantine, Into whose depths it goes. I hear the flowing uf the brook, I feel the cooling tlrop. Xkhich to my heart brings a desire, 'l'hat I could my eyes unlock. Some day when I shall leave this land For that of Une above, My vision will return to me Iiecause uf llis great love. 12. it. s., wg. CLASS PROPHECY. Une day a few weeks after the commence- ment ol -lnne the ninth, nineteen hundred and fifteen, l was wandering lonelv as a cloud along a deserted countrv road, overhung by tall trees which nearly hid the skv from mv view. M - -- w Alo tht ltlt. velvety green meadows, trim with daisies pied, sloped to a 'Rliinpletl brook. lo the right a grove iinpassable for binsh s under ' . , , hellered many featherv creatures whose songs lloated out to 1110 gtg l 511-011k-I1 'It A ll te! tug. I, wondering what the next ten or tif- N I i year: tx iuld bring to mv classmates, sud- denly noticed a large, thick, black lt , 'ather-bound book lying on the road before me. 4 Jn engines it . - ' . ,S my cr ll 1 ' 'Vrsity was aroused to know what was in this volume and from whence it had come. So I picked it up and, opening at the Hy leaf, read these words, I, San Verite, a wizard and soothsayer, unknown to you, but nevertheless ix orld-famous and knowing you all intimately, dedicate this book to the Senior Class of 1915 of the XYinchester School. This was rather surprising, but undeniably interesting, so I sat down on the grass be- side the road and proceeded to read farther. 'IX few days ago, in the manner known only to the chosen members of the High Qccult, I beheld while in a trance, the members of your class within the next fourteen or sixteen years. .X great change had taken place. The Gods were not meagre when they dealt out the tal- ents to vou: for art, music, literature, politics, science, I and many other branches of the world's work, have been benefited by your con- tributions. You have occupied many high po- sitions and executed your duties very well, fully carrying out your school motto, 'Candide Xlodo, Ifortiter Ref Now, having compli- mented you enough to soothe any rufded feel- ings, let me proceed to relate the visions of my trance. I turned the page. First, an attractive dining room, Hooded by a bright wintry sun, passed before me, in the center of which was a table surrounded by seven or eight children whose faces rivaled the sun's in brightness and happiness. .-X wom- an, seated at the head of the table, was heard expostulating, 'Childrenl Children! Mary Anne, john, lflizabeth, George, I'Ienrv it i' s . D . nearly a quarter after eight. I'Iurry to get your wraps lon or you will surely be late. No, George, you cannot have another watiie, three are more than enough for any little boy. Now lly and run all the way or you will not keep up mother's reputation for being at school at least twenty-live minutes before it openedf .Xh, girls, you well remember Matilda, for this motlier was she, and none other, seated at her table in the Seniors corner busily pursuing the Goddess of Learning before some of you had yet even greeted Aurora. I passed to one of the busiest streets of busy New York. XYhat was that huge building on my left? At risk of life and limb I crossed and read over the door 'The Love School of Illocntionf Upon entering I found myself in a very large auditorium, at least eighty feet long by forty feet wide. I heard very distinct- ly some words spoken by a person at the farthest end of the hall. She was going through a very affecting scene of a new play for the benefit of a large company of young, but agpir-