Windsor Locks High School - Herald Yearbook (Windsor Locks, CT)

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. 17 LES ECOLES FIIANCAISES On appelle les ecoles de la France les colleges ou lycees, et ils correspondent a nos high schools ou academies. A ces colleges il y a souvent des eleves tres jeunes, qui seraient dans nos grammar schools. En France il y a des choses dans le systeme de l’education qui sont tres differ- ents de notre systeme americain. Les gar- cous et les filles ne sont pas dans la meme ecole, excepte dans celles des tout petits villages. Les petits enfants vont aux ecoles maternelles. Il y en a trois sortes, les ecoles libres, les ecoles municipales, et les ecoles congreganistes. Quand un enfant a atteint l’age de six ans, il entre dans une ecole primaire. Les enfants des pauvres vont aux ecoles primaires municipales qui sont tout a fait gratuites. Quand les eleves ont fini l’ecole pri¬ maire, ils peuvent aller aux ecoles primaires superieures. Ici on leur donne le diplome appele le brevet elementaire. Puis ils peuvent entrer dans 1’ecole normale, et a l’aide du brevet superieur ils peuvent aller aux ecoles normales superieures, et devenirs des professsures des ecoles normales. Les sujets qu’on etudie sont en gen¬ eral les memes que chez nous. Les eleves choississent entre l’enseignement classique et le moderne. Apres avoir passe le bac- calaureat, les etudiantes entrant dans l’universite. A Paris on va a la Sorbonne ou au College de Franco. Pour les classes ouvrieres il y a des cours municipaux qui sont entierement gratuits. On y apprend les langues vivantes, la botanique, la zoologie, le chant, et une infinite d’autres sujects. Ceux qui ont recu le diplome de ces classes et des classes de premier secours aux blesse ont leur organization sous le nom de “Secouristes Francais.” En geneeral le systeme de Teducation en France est tres different que le systeme americain. Anna Oates, ’19. April 19, the annual Junior Prize Essay Contest took place in the Main room of the High School. There were twelve members of the Junior Class who took part, and each one did so well that the judges, Rev. G. M. Grady, Rev. Carl Smith and Mr. J. D. Out- erson, had more than usual difficulty in deciding who should receive the prizes. They finally came to the conclusion that the first prize of $5 should be awarded to May Nugent, and the second prize of $2.50 to Fred Warns. The Junior Class is to be congratulated upon their fine performance. Helen Shepard, ’20. COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES Salutatory and Essay, “Is It Any V onder? John P. Byrne Chemistry and Its Relation to the Present War, Great Struggles for Democracy, Essay on Class Motto, Presentation of Gift to School, Acceptance, Valedictory and Essay, “The Liberal Education, Henry L. Cutler Aguinaldo C. Migliora Irene Gourley Aguinaldo C. Migliora May Nugent, ’19 Jarvis M. Morse

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16 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. Writers have presented to us thru their works, types of Individuals more or less charac¬ teristic or human nature the world over. Many of these characters are so well known that they have come to be used as descriptive adjectives or as adverbs. If one says, “That fellow Is a Shylock,” his meaning: Is unmistakable. Fol¬ lowing- Is a short story In which the proper adjective Idea has been perhaps overdone, but wlhch should afford an Interesting- study In the Application of past literary types to present THE DESCENT. They appeared on the summit of a steep rocky hill, mounted on donkeys, and sud¬ denly stopped as if they had come to the brink of a precipice. “Oh, what scenery de Venus this is ! exclaimed Count Bassanio Gioto, in an ex¬ alting tone. “For my part, I should make my dwelling place upon this cliff, retire from Antonian existence and spend my re¬ maining years in Gil Bias life.” “What adventure is it now !” exclaimed his wife, Murdstonically. “I thought you were going to Sorrento to find a species of fish to add to the ugliness and extravagance of your conservatory?” “Truly, my dear Dulcenia, but one tires of that.” “And I am tired of you. Why you are called by no name other than Count Gioto, the bug-catcher, and I have even seen a cartoon of you with an insect net in your hand, ready to catch a kangaroo.” “Enough of that my cousins.” inter¬ rupted Alphonse, the Bryanist. “I believe that is Sorrento at the foot of this hill, but how are we going to get there, and what are you going to do, Gioto?” “To be sure it is.” responded Florence, who was one of the train. “All we’ll have to do is descend the pathway yonder. It will be difficult, I must admit, but we have sure footed donkeys and newly shod,” was the Count’s Micawber reply. “But the descent is impossible, see the clay and slime and the rocky path,” warned Alphonse. “I say it is impossible. You’re a fool if you attempt, Gioto ” “Now you stand and parley,” cried the Countess, kn ; tt : ng her daHc brows and cast¬ ing such a look upon them that if Gioto had not been her husband and accu«tomed to those fair glances, he surely would have turned away with the disgust of Clifford Python, for our Count was a man who loved happy, smiling faces, being almost a Falstaf himself. As for Alphonse, neither Dora’s weeping nor Jove’s thunderbolts could penetrate his heart of Pharaoh or his Goliathian carcass. If there is anyone here who wishes to turn back ,” continued the Countess, “let him come, for I shall not go a step farther.” “That is surprising from you. I have always pictured you as a woman of Re- beccian mind and will power,” said her husband, not without disgust. This was one of the few Rowenian spots of the Countess’s character for she was never known to lack the trait of Hardicanute. for that was the essential part of her. she was as hard as Flint. “Well, then we go, since you say it’s all right but if anything happens to me,” she said waving her forefinger at h m, “You’ll regret it, Count Bassanio Gioto.” “We’ll settle it right here Gioto,’ in¬ terrupted Alphonse with Napolianic strat¬ egy- “There are seven of us, you can take care of the ladies. I’ll see to the safety of the rest. Start the march Bassanio and I’ll lead my squad.” Upon that they started down the nar¬ row path. The Count rather than clearing the way served as a blockade, for he was much too stout to get through some of the passages. This aggravated the Countess beyond expression. She dug the spurs, Don Quixote fashion, so deeply into the beast, that the donkey darted past the Count, lost its footing and slipped into the clay bank. The Countess, instead of clinging to the beast and balancing herself, reeled forward, and fell off the donkey’s back. “Help.” she screamed. Oh, what a Saint Antoine clamor arose! The Count, lacking the swiftness of Mercury, however, scrambled off his horse and ran to his wife’s assistance. “Grab hold of my riding whip,” he cried, waving the tip at her; and in the attempt to reach her, he leaned over so far that the ground under him gave way, and he fell sprawling into the wet clay. In the meantime Alfonse, seeing the situation, seeing the situation, said to him¬ self in his Dunsey craftiness, “I’ll escape this, and as a pretext I’ll say I’m going to call the townspeople to their assistance.” With this he quietly left. What followed, we can easily say, were the worst of Xanthippean jibes, but the Count could not take refuge in Rip Van Winkle wanderings and was forced to carry the burden like an Atlas. Nady L. Compaine, ’20.

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18 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. SALUTATORY AND ESSAY. “Is It Any Wonder.” Parents, Teachers, and Friends, in be¬ half of the Class of 1918, I extend to you a most hearty and cordial welcome. Parents, you who have made it possible for us to pursue our education; Teachers, you who have done your utmost that we might gain that education, and so lay a foundation for later success; Members of the Board of Education, you who have been ever ready to furnish us with all the neces¬ sary advice and who have ever been friends and supporters of our school; Friends, you who have shown highest interest in the school and the school work; we greet you all here to-night with the greatest joy. To-night as I look into the faces of the many friends and well-wishers of our grad¬ uating class, my thoughts go back to the beginning of our High School career. It is then that I fully comprehend the meaning of this great gathering of pleasant and fa¬ miliar faces: it is then that my heart goes out in gratitude to those who looked out for our every need during the past four years. Always, we hear a great deal about the hard work which boys and girls do to attain an education, but there is sometimes less said ahout the unselfishness of the parents who often sacrifice a great deal more than we ever know, in order that their children mav have a better chance in the world than they had. So, again, on this our Commencement night, we greet you all, Members of the Board of Education. Parents, Teachers, and Friends, and heartilv welcome vou to these everc ses which will be the last in which we. the Class of 1918 of the Windsor Locks High School, will participate. After watching the great conflict in Europe for nearly three years, we Ameri¬ cans are now, as a Democratic neonle. fighting upon what we know to be the side of freedom and justice. Three years we waited ! Is it any wonder that we delayed so long? Were we afraid to become one of the combatants in this world struggle? Never ! We are Americans. and Americans are not cowards ! We. after living nearly two hun¬ dred years in Freedom, could not realise at this late dav that any nation would he insane enough to trv to establish a world supremacy, we could not believe that such madmen existed anywhere in the world, and is it any wonder that we could not believe it? We had lived under a Democ¬ racy too long to believe ambition for world dominion anything but madness. Could we not see the right and wrong of the war long before Anril. 1917? Of course we could, and we knew without any question upon which side our symnathies were. Perhaps, we thought it would be a shorter war than it has proved to be. because we as a democratic people found it practically impossible to realize the colossal stupidity and obstinacy of the Prussians.—impossible to realize that the Kaiser was actually planning to conquer the entire world as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar. Theo- doric, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon had planned before him. These men dreamed of World Wide Empire, but they failed—failed completely at the last. Will the Prussians fail? That question must yet be answered by the men who are now fighting for us on the battlefields of France, men who are determined that that ouestion shall be answered and answered right. Is it any wonder that America is de¬ termined to answer that question? For is it any wonder that we are what we are,— steady, sturdy, determined that all men shall have their rights? How was this government of our founded? Under what conditions and hardships did early American settlers live that Democracy might have its being? To answer these questions, look at some of the outstanding features of our three hundred years of American life. At Provincetown. where the people of New England first landed, houses were built by later settlers on sand, which was their enemy, never their friend, for it drifted from the shifting hills like snow and more than on e threatened to destroy their homes. Whenever a strong wind came up, it carried the sand with it. sometimes burying houses and frequently causing damage enough to greatly discourage the men and women who so far from home were trying so hard to wrest a living from this new western land. But their determi¬ nation to succeed helped the early settlers to overcome the natural conditions of their situation. Earth was brought in vessels from a distance and laid around the houses and this earth was later cultivated into lawns and gardens. Always the Colonists remembered that thev had left their com¬ fortable homes and the people they loved to settle in a wilderness inhabited by Indians and wild beasts in order that they