Page 56 - 1934

zero, the D eclam atio n C ontest loom ed to offer us new excitem ent. O ur silver-tongued
orator, F ran k Cotter, w h o has startled the w o rld since his crad le days, cam e hom e
the w in n e r w ith his w h o lly d eligh tfu l account of T om S a w y e r’s w h ite w a sh in g activ­
ities. W h o can forget the m em o rab le lan d in g of the steam er 'M isso u ri’’ accom ­
p anied by g en u in e H o llyw o o d sound effects? D w ig h t W a r in g also placed w ith his
vigorous rendition of W illia m Jen n in gs B ryan ’s speech d u rin g the cam p aign of 1896.
D ue credit m ust be given to M yer, N orton, Sm ith, and K elsey for their co m m en d a­
b le perform ances.
For a tim e it seem ed that the snow w o u ld never disap p ear. M ik e and his h elp ­
ers w o u ld just g et the w a lk s cleared w h en the skies w o u ld open up and send us
another b lan k et to assure us that the old-fashioned w in ter w as not a m yth. In these
tryin g hours there w ere nevertheless m an y situations w hich m ad e us forgetful of the
seem in gly in term in ab le w eeks left ahead. W e sh all never forget M r. C o le ’s tiny little
box of electric energy, w hich tw ice a w eek transported us to N e w Y o r k ’s "Colon­
n ad e s” and the infectious rhythm of the Casa L om a O rchestra, in term in g led w ith the
nonsense of Sto o p n agle and Budd. A n d w e w o n d er still about the fate of the poor
C h in am en w h o w ere so m alicio u sly treated in those d ark days fo llo w in g the
C ivil W a r .
B ut w in ter passed at last, as every w in ter has so far. T h e snow drifts d isap ­
peared, the w in d stopped b lo w in g through the w in d o w s, and the elm s once m ore cast
their flickering shadow s on the verdan t law n . Soon w e w ere su n n in g on Senior Cor­
ridor porch, and our eyes w ere all ahead to June. W e returned from the spring
vacation to find all activities blossom ing out for a final p lu n g e before C om m ence­
m ent. H a v in g published our last issue of the Delphian, w e turned the w h o le p ublica­
tion over to the Juniors, the first lig h ten in g of the lo ad that w e cast asid e entirely
today. N o m ore did classes lack zest and spirit; hearts san g w ith the crack of the
horsehide and the quick thud of the tennis b all. A fter supper baseball and tennis
becam e reg u la r pastim es and the irrepressible "n ig g e r-b ab y” once a g a in cropped out
am o n g the low er form ers. F ather and Son D ay cam e and w en t, and w e lau g h ed at
our stiff parents pitted again st our su p p le b all team . T h e B ro w n Interscholastics
passed, and inevitably the glorious Ju n e 7 d rew near.
N o w it is tim e to d raw the curtain on our stage of rem iniscences. W e have
com e at last to the end of our act, and now after tw elve years of w o rk an d fun to­
gether, w e m ust take our final bows and retire. N o lo n ger will b ells aw ak en us from
our dream s; no longer sh all w e try to slip undetected into the d in in g room after
everyone else has sat dow n. W e are through, and now as w e bow out, w e lead for­
w ard and present our successors, the C lass of 1935.
R . L. S.

1’age fijty-two