Worcester High School of Commerce - Caduceus Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

Page 27 text:

High School of Commerce answered by weilding a sword of indomitable will power against the barrier that suppressed them. He severed their bonds, snapped the manacles that chained them to the earth and opened to them the path to success, which resulted in the birth, development and final recognition of the American Federation of Labor. What is labor? Who is the wage earner, for whom so noble a life has been given ?, ls it those men, who because of necessity toil, with no moral goal in mind? Those who nurse only petty grievances against fate and government? Those whose least desire is to contribute to the wealth and power of his country? May God Forbidl Turn to the great cities whose growth has been one of the striking characteristics of the past sixty years. In those cities, marvelous structures seem to stretch upward almost touching the cloudland, expressing the infinite ambition of man. Structures overwhelming, well- nigh unbelievable in conception and execution, reaching upward twenty, thirty years more than fifty stories and downward into the depths of the earth. Or turn to the mighty, yet exquisitely delicate structures spanning rivers and chasms, that the forces of civilization may conquer every barrier-the bridges-the great engineering achievements in the heart of civilization. Watch one of these constructions in the process of erection, the iron skeleton as it rises skyward, the frame about which building materials are to be gathered and fashioned. As the girders and separate pieces are lifted into position, watch the workers moving along narrow places, boldly poised on perilous heights, securing bolts and rivets. Watch the human worker as he stands on an iron skeleton of a building, thirty stories up from the earth's security, and lifts his head upward. There is nothing between him and the vast, bare expanse of the heavens, as he looks out upon the city, the handiwork of his craft and his fellow-workmen, and down, down into the narrow passageway below. There tiny speck-like men scurry to and fro, like ants, occupied with little plans and business. Then ponder well, what manner of man is this builder of our modern civilization. These are the men Gompers strove to bring into recognition, these workers who are the founders of government, builders of nations, with whom rests the march of civilization and progress of National Strength and Power. May the name and spirit of this noble statesman long dwell in our minds. Let us look to him as the father of American Labor, and remember him as a stalwart champion of American Ideals, and, above all, a valiant defender of his Country's Rights. l23l

Page 26 text:

lass Qbratiun, 192541 THE GREAT AMERICAN Joseph Dumas ERHAPS no name, will ever stand out so impressively l in the history of organized labor as that of Samuel Gompers. It is with a deep sense of my own limited powers, that I endeavor to eulogize his most laudable achievements. His life was an eventful one, composed of one good deed after another. All that is just, all that is virtuous, all that is sublime, he strove, for righteousness sake, to accomplish. There is nothing in Gompers' birth, education, or cir- cumstances, as far as these are known, calculated to arrest the attention or impress the imagination. His coming in this country, was as that of many, un- heralded and unproclaimed, whose calling is to shape the f l destinies of men. He came to America a poor, little immigrant boy, but with the foresight and keen perception of one destined to do so, he won his way into the heart of labor and public sentiment. When organized labor made its first advent into the affairs of industry, it found conditions in a most deplorable state. VVomen and children, deprived of the sunshine and happiness of life were toiling long dreary days in the mills and factories. Man, whose labor was regarded as a commodity, was struggling for very existence. The oppressive heel of autocracy crushed the holiness of homes and left misery and suffering in its wake. Picture to yourself a large city, the metropolis of today. ln its great canyons, we see the young and innocent, whirled along in the merciless throng. We see, in its slums, the growing generation bred in dark, squalid tenements, where young minds are warped and bent, innocents pitifully stunted, and where they are exposed to crime and avaricious vice. Here was the life's blood of America, the flower of American Alemocracy, slowly being crushed into obscurity! Here was tempting food for the germ of Bolshevism and radicalism! Here was the awful ulcer in the side of America Alemocracyl But was it destined to corrupt the nation, was it destined to drag down to ruin so young and promising a people? ln their dire necessity there was a dumb pleading, an earnest supplication, which Gompers, great humanitarian that he was, discerned. He heard their prayers, and l22l

Page 28 text:

lass rupbztp, 192521 By BIQRTHA ANNE SHERIDAN LAVERTY had already made three attempts to write the prophecy of the class of '25-A. Those of you who know me very well, know that l'm just one of the 25-Als and that our greatest tendency points to-I won't say towards laziness, but just procrastination. l was just about to make a fourth attempt when the evening paper arrived. Again the neglected prophecy was thrown aside. I read and re-read the three-weeks-old news of Worcester and XVorcester countyg then as a last resort I began to scan the advertising section. Oh! an idea at last. A fortune teller! I hastily glanced up and down the page, when suddenly a very odd name attracted my attention. I read the advertisement and was satisfied. I immediately put on my hat and coat, and like the girl in the fairy book went out to seek my fortune. Realizing that I was soon to learn of the fate of the Class of '25-A, including myself, l eagerly and curiously started on my errand. I soon reached my destination. I rang the bell and boldly walked up a Hight of crooked stairs. The odd-named woman, who, by the way was most unusual looking, let me in, and in a very queer way began to show me the doings of the Class of '25-A just fifteen years from the present time. It was now evening and the lights of Main Street were shining in full glory. Perched high above the other signs was a brilliant display of electric lights formed into a design with the words, lt Pays To Advertisefl A voice behind me said, Looking for a falling star, Bert? It was John lVIurphy, who had settled here, and with lVIorris Lowe as a partner, and was selling an automobile of his own make. John had one of his own machines with him. It looked like a first'class steam roller, but went only a third as fast. I asked John what the sign signified. He said, Hop in, and l'll take you over to the 'VVorcester Advertising Co'. I took one look at the apology for a car and decided to walk. lNIorris directed me to the office and soon I gained an audience with the president of the concern, Dave IVIyers. Scarcely had I entered, when Dave began to recite snappy poems and told me how to get rich quick thru advertising. If I wanted a million, etc. I just had to register with him. Elsie Lane then walked in. She had received a degree from every noted college and every letter of the alphabet hitched to her name. Elsie had just finished writing a book, a treatise on the best method of disposing of stray cats. I then left the office, and while descending the stairs whom should I see but Nlildred Johnson and Lynnea I-Ioakanson going into an office. I rushed in after I24I