Woodbury High School - Warrior Yearbook (Woodbury, CT)

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Page Nineteen resented as winter. When Proserpina came up again it was springtime. Many such interesting stories are connected with every day incidents. State mottoes are usually in Latin. The United States motto, “E pluribus unum,” meaning one composed of many, and the Connecticut nn tto, “Qui transtulit, sustinet,” he who transplanted, sustains, are used very ofen. When we travel in a strange graveyard we notice Latin inscriptions. In memoriam is very common and such expressions as “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country, are used occasionally. Secondly, we wish to point out the fact that Latin is commonly spoken in school. Some people who go to school, boast that they are not taking Latin, but whatever the subject which they are taking may be, Latin is bound to be encountered. Let us study physiology for a moment. Did you know that there are more than 200 bones in your body, every one of which has a Greek or Latin name? Did you know that in science you are known as homo sapiens? Did you know that you are the possessor of eight bicuspids? Did you know' that without the orbicularis oculi you could not go to sleep at night? Or if you wish to study Physics you will find Latin a great help in learning and remembering terms. For example, heat conduction, from Latin conduco, to lead, means transference of heat from molecule to molecule. Aqueous, from Latin aqua, means pertaining to water. Capillary tube, from Latin capillus, meaning hair, means a tube resembling a hair. A calorie from Latin calor, meaning heat, is a heat unit. In zoology, as in Latin, we find that a horse is equas, a cat, felis; a dog, canis; and a rabbit, lepus. In Chemistry it is much easier to remember the symbols for different chemical elements, if we know the Latin names. Tin has Sn for a symbol, its Latin name is stannum. Mercury has Hg from Latin hydrargyrus, a kind of quicksilver. Au means gold in chemistry, which is taken from the Latin aurum. In botany Latin helps us to remember the parts of flowers. Stamen comes from the Latin word stamena, which means thread. Sepal comes from sepalum, leaf and petals from petalum, petal. Pansy comes from pensare, to ponder, and it is often used as a symbol of thought. In English w’hen one reads Milton's poems or Shakespeare's dramas, frequent references are made to mythology. Have you ever had to spell the word separate, or the word aeroplane, in a spelling match? If you happened to know' Latin the words didn't bother because separate comes from separatus and aeroplane from aer. In the professions Latin is essential. In law such terms as alibi, meaning presence elsewhere, mal fides, bad faith, and pro tempore, for the time being, are Latin expressions, and can be much more easily remembered, if the lawyer has a knowledge of Latin. In the study of medicine, stimulant comes from stimulo, to arouse or incite; fever comes from Latin febris, fever; inflammation comes from inflammare, to set on fire. The musician learns the meanings of many Latin words. Did you ever notice an f on a page of music? That f means firm and loud and comes from Latin, fortis. Dulce, meaning soft and smooth is taken from Latin dulcis. The minister encounters hymns with Latin names, phrases from the Bible in Latin, and, if he is a Catholic minister, carries out his services in the Latin tongue. This list might be prolonged indefinitely. Latin is commonly objected to because it is called a “dead language. It is said that no one speaks it now. Latin is spoken extensively even at present. Catholics repeat prayers and hymns in Latin. Lately a broadcasting station has been opened in the Vatican at Rome. This promises an extended use of Latin as a spoken language. Latin is not a “dead language; it has only changed its name. “Popular Latin has never ceased to exist. It is the language of France, Spain, Italy, Roumania, and all the Roman countries of today. Its history has been unbroken from the founding of Rome to the present time. says Professor Frank Frost Abbott. Latin isn't generally spoken in the form used by the Romans of Caesar’s day. But does anyone speak the English as it was used in the time of King Alfred? If you read the Lord's prayer in the English of that day you could only understand six words. We do not speak the English of Chaucer's time either. And yet English today is not called a “dead language. We only say that it has changed greatly since the days of King Alfred and Chaucer. In the same way Latin has changed since the days of Caesar, but in its modern form (now called Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Roumanian—the latter a direct survival of the language of the Roman legions quartered in that country—)it is still 90 per cent Latin. The Latin language when spoken is beautiful and dignified. Listen to the Lord's Prayer in Latin. Pater noster, qui es in caelo, sanctificetur nomen tuum, adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra; panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittimus de-bitoribus nobis; et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Ita fecit. In conclusion, Latin myths surround common objects with beauty. Do we ever stop to think, when we are looking at the stars, of the story connected with the big and little dipper? Jupiter fell in love with a beautiful maiden, Callisto. But Juno, Jupiter's wife, wras jealous and to stop this affair, she changed Callisto into a bear, and she was driven into the woods and deprived of her home. Jupiter vainly looked for this maiden, and after a long search, he discovered her and her little bear son. In pity for their sufferings, Jupiter put them both in the sky, where they are known as the Great and Little Bear or the Big and Little Dipper. Barbara Isham. ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ •

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Page Eighteen ❖ ❖ •: • ❖ ❖ ❖ i ❖ • • • ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ • • ❖ • ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ - ❖ ❖ • §» ❖ ❖ • ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ in his pocket. He invested this in a piece of prune pie, which turned out to be a bogus—it had nothing in it but pits of prunes. What did this poor young immigrant bring to this country? Apparently nothing, but as he says, he brought “a knowledge of and a profound respect and admiration for the best traditions of his race,” and this he feels was his key to success. Pupin started his career in America by working in a boiler factory. From the boiler factory he entered a cracker factory and during this time he roomed with a scholar named Bilharz. Pupin entered Nassau Hall as a night student and was taught Latin and Greek by this friend, Bilharz. After he had finished at Nassau Hall he continued his studies, both at home and abroad. He first entered Columbia, then later he attended Cambridge University in England, and finished his studies at Berlin University. He is now professor of science at Columbia University. Although he writes a great deal he still has time to continue the deep study of electricity. Every chance he could get he experimented with simple objects, and in 1892 by the simple observation of bagpipe tuning he invented “electrical tuning.” At that time all mechanical difficulties had been overcome in the telephone but still it was found that when the wires were carried beyond a certain point, the sound became very indistinct. A scientific problem which no one could solve stood in the way of using telephones over long distances. For awhile this prevented any progress, but before long Professor Pupin heard of it and solved the problem. By experimenting with the problem of propagating electrical motion from one end of a long conducting wire to the other, Pupin invented coils for conducting electricity along wires. This invention was patented and is used by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, thus solving the problem and saving a great deal of money in transmitting sound over long distances. A foreign-born citizen of the United States has many occasions to sing praises of the virtues of his country which a native-born citizen has not. Such occasions arise whenever the foreign-born citizen revisits his native land and hears what his own people think of America, with opinions based upon European prejudice, and born of ignorance. Professor Pupin says that America is a wonderful country, full of wonderful opportunities, a country of wonderful men, and a country of idealism and not materialism. “American materialism is an invention of ill-informed Europe,” says Pupin, “but the European who has lived in the United States and has had the good fortune to catch the spirit of America, revolts when he hears this phrase, and he rightly should.” On the other hand Americans are too quick to criticize immigrants and not quick enough to praise them. Pupin deserves much greater praise than he has ever received, for without him the progress of the telephone would have been slowed up for several years. Furthermore in Pupin, America has one of the most successful scientists, (particularly along the line of electricity), and teachers of this age. He should be considered as one of Franklin’s greatest followers. America cannot claim him entirely but she should always pay him due honor for he has added much to her credit, in the line of scientific experimentation making some European countries respect American scientists more than they have respected them in the past. Dorothy A. Morgan. ♦♦♦♦ LATIN IS A LIVING LANGUAGE Barbara Isham. In order to prove this statement I must show that Latin is now living. When a thing is living it continues to exist. Surely, Latin continues to exist for we speak it every day. Every time you call the doctor you are speaking Latin because doctor is a word that hasn’t been changed since the Roman times. Every time you say you are superior to your next door neighbor your sentence is partly Latin because superior is another Latin word. Every time you refer to a cantata in which you are singing, you speak Latin because cantata is an old Latin word. Every time you see an animal you are seeing a Latin object because the word animal was handed down directly from the Romans. Every time you look at the pendulum of a clock, you are looking at an object with a Latin name for pendulum is a Latin word. Many other common words which we use every day are derived from Latin and in order to understand them better, Latin is necessary. For example, manicure comes from manus, meaning hand, and curare, meaning to care for, hence it means, a person who takes care of people’s hands. Tent comes from tendere, meaning to stretch, and it is a shelter made of some strong material which is stretched over poles. Fine comes from finis, meaning end, and it means a sum of money which is paid in order to put an end to a transaction. Secretary comes from secretarius, which means a keeper of secreta or secrets. These words are so familiar that people don’t stop to think of their origin. When you were elected Ceres of your Grange did you know what the title meant? Ceres was goddess of agriculture and mother of Proserpina. Proserpina was carried to the underworld and only came up at the command of Jupiter. Ceres grieved so when her daughter was in the underworld that all things died. This time was rep- i

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Page Twenty ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ f i | Class; 20aj peedjes | PRESIDENT S WELCOME Robert A. Brinley. Ladies and Gentlemen; friends of the class of 31: I, as President of this class, wish to welcome you to these our Class Day exercises. We hope that when you leave us tonight you will have enjoyed a pleasant evening, which will remain as a fond memory of this class of 31. CLASS SONG (Tune—The Loreley) Mary Mirfield—Estella Dickinson. 1 Throughout four years we’ve been striving, To reach a higher goal With books and compositions, Which tried our very soul. Our teachers’ kindness and patience Have guided us on our way, For surely without their helping hands, We ne’er would have seen this day. 2 Oh tell me why this rejoicing? What gladdens everyone? ’Tis the Seniors in their glory, The class of 31. Their faces will grow dimmer Across the fleeting years, But echoes of Woodbury High School Will still ring in their ears. CLASS POEM Elizabeth Partridge. Has anyone read the Book of Life, Who can tell from beginning to end, Of the ways of the world—the good and the bad Of the fates of his fellow men? CLASS WILL Dorothy Parkin—Amy Poulin. Know All Men by these Presents; That we, the Class of 1931, of Woodbury High School of the Town of Woodbury in the County of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, being of sound and disposing minds and memories, do make, publish and declare the following to be our last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by us made: To Raynall Coley we leave a Post Office so that he may pass notes to Maude Eyre in French class without danger of interception. To Robert Abbott, an application to join the navy and see the world. To Robert Fray we leave a leather-bound book entitled “I.” To Lester Norton we leave all of Buddy Davis’ toys. To Robert Smith a report card which requires only a typewritten signature, to save him the bother of imitating his father’s writing. To Russell Coburn and David Appleton a pamphlet, “How Minister’s Sons Should Act.” To Bruce Crighton we leave a chair in the front of the room so that his ambitions as a comedian may be realized. To Austen Bennett a new Ford car so that he won’t lose weight walking home from baseball practice. We live as tho’ in a story Characters in the plot of life, Puppets upon a strenuous stage To win or to lose in the strife. From the days of earliest childhood, And e’en thru the days in this class. We have been loved, guided, cherished. Protected from the ways of the mass. But tonight when we pass through these portals We must part from our friends who are true, Who’ve prepared us to march ever onward Into a day that is new. Two trails lead to the sunset Two trails to that distant range; One leads o’er a path that is sunlit The other—a way that is strange. When we come to life’s last chapter, When the pages of life are but few, May we know that success means character, That to our dear friends we’ve been true. To Rabert Fumire, an automatic reducing machine. To Oscar Johnson, Burritt Curtiss’ surplus knowledge on “How to run a farm.” To Robert Smith, Charles Westerlund, and Rabert Fumire a special permit to stop at Kimball’s corner and smoke cigarettes coming to and going from school. To Henry Canfield, we leave Charlotte Cro-fut’s desk in the Senior Room so that he may communicate with Irene before class. Burritt Curtiss leaves to Sidney Platt the care of that certain Junior girl. To Charles Westerlund we leave a new voice so that he can whisper without talking out loud. To Judson Darrow, Buddy Davis’ sense of humor.