October 7, 1927
Page Two
HIGH LIFE
HIGH LIFE
I’liblished F.i-Weekly by the Students of
The Greensboro High School
Greensboro, X. C.
Founded by the Class of ’21
Charter
Member
March
1925
Entered as Second-Class Matter at the
Post Office, Greensboro, X. C.
STAFF
Manafiin!/ IJditor .
Kditor
Business Manuocy
Asst Business -lif/r.
Dick Burroughs
J. D. MeXairy
. ... Ed Davant
. . Jack Kleeineir
Associate Editors
Henry Biggs
Emma Griffin
Carlton lYllder
Louis Brooks
Clyde Xorcom
John M. Brown
Assistant Editors
El vie Hope
Margaret Britton
Irene McFadyen
Margaret Betts
. . . Ed Turner
.4rt Editor
Typists
Virginia Simmons Ruth Stinnett
Reporters
Virginia McKinney
Mary L. Benbow
Frances Cartland
Margaret Kernodle
Helen Miles
Mary H. Robinson
M. Geogheghan
Ernest White
Effie Scales
Eacuity Advisers
Mrs. Alma Garrett Coltrane
Miss Xell Chilton
Miss Mary Harrell
The Purpose of Homespun
Often a progressive institution
fails in its purpose because it is
misunderstood. This seems to be
the case, to some extent at least,
with Homespun, the Greensboro
High School magazine. There is,
the editors believe, a general feel
ing on the part of the student body
that this publication is merely an
organ for the benefit and interest
of the intellectual ‘ diighbrows. ”
Naturally, this idea, fallacious as
it is, causes the advantages of
Homespun as an institution of the
school to be reduced to a minimum.
The purpose of such a-publica
tion is two-fold. First, it strives
to develop, and furnish an ■ outlet
for the talent of the students; and,
second, it seeks to create and foster
greater interest in the literary field.
If the students, who are the source
of the material in Homespun, feel
no increased throb of the creative
joy, then the magazine has failed
in its first purpose. If the interest
of the student body in the literary
things of life is in no degree aug
mented, then in its second purpose
has it also failed.
Nothing can more speedily bring
about the failure of Homespun
til an the circulation of this false
idea that it is a magazine for the
intellectual elite. It is for the en
tire student body, and should be
representative of the talent of the
student body. But this can not be
brought about by the editors. It
is up to the students themselves.
Torchlight’s President
Torchlight ideals of scholarship,
leadership, character, and service
were never better exemplified in a
high school student than in the
present president of the Torchlight
Society. Henry Biggs has come as
nea’r fulfilling these ideals as we
could hope one to at this stage of
development.
Henry is a scholar in the true
sense of the word. He has not al
ways made the honor roll, but his
monthly grades have been well
above the average. He has sought
the truth in all of his studies in
stead of so many memorized facts.
He has been a researcher of great
ability as shown by the fact that
he has written essays which have
won local, state, and national
prizes. Thus his mind is on a level
with that of the best high school
students in the nation.
He has been a leader of the first
rank. Besides being a member of
the Student Council for a year he
has served as president of the De
bating Club, as associate editor of
High Life for three years, and as
assistant editor-in-chief of Home-
spun for two years. He is a leader
in many fields of endeavor.
His sterling qualities of charac
ter have made him loved and re
spected by all his teachers and
classmates. Coupled with his mag
netic personality, his executive
ability has made him capable of
doing many things and exerting
wide influence among his class
mates.
In the field of service no one
could hope to serve his school bet
ter than Henry has. He has been
a member of the Triangular De
bating team for three years. He
was one of the two wdio wun the
Aycock Memorial Cup last year
and brought to G. H. S. the high
est honor attainable in debating.
Possessing these qualities, he is
worthy to be president of the
Torchlight Society, the highest
honor organization of high school
life.
Fire Prevention
In chapter 99, article 1, section
6080 of the North Carolina Con
solidated Statute as amended in
1925, we find the following law:
. . . the superintendent or
principal of every public school in
this State shall conduct at least one
fire drill every month during the
regular school session, such fire
drills to include all children and
teachers and tlie use of all ways of
Our Attitude
Huxley says that he thinks the
most important question to ask a
landlady before renting a room
from her is what is her attitude
toward the universe. We may not
be as particular as this, but wu ad
mit that the most important thing
which determines the success of a
school is the attitude of the stu
dents toward that school and the
activities in which it engages.
For some time many of those in
close touch wuth our school life
have felt that there is something
wrong with our attitude toward
our school, something wrong with
our school loyalty, and something
wrong with our school spirit, if we
may say it. There are not enough
students interested in any of the
activities; there is nothing that re
ceives the wholehearted, sincere
support of the student body; there
is something in the very atmosphere
that is not pleasing or conductive
to a wfliolesome attitude toward
school life.
Let us sight a few instances
illustrating what we mean. The
Student Council attempted to con
duct honor study periods; these
failed because the students who had
signed up to conduct themselves
properly in a room without the
oversight of a teacher were not
willing to co-operate with the stu
dent in charge to preserve order.
(There was an attempt to organize
a cheerio squad with uniforms.
The squad was organized but the
idea of uniforms met with such se
vere opposition that it had to be
aliandoned.) High Life and Home-
spun conducted a subscription cam
paign seeking to secure the support
of at least fifty per cent of the stu
dent body; this failed. A system
of one-way stairs in the new build
ing wms put into effect in the hope
that it would improve traffic con
ditions during the change of
classes; this failed, as the students,
would not observe the regulations.
There is something wrong with
our attitude. It is not as whole
some and co-operative as we might
hope it to be.
CAUTION!
egress
The freshmen can certainly ar
gue, as witnessed by their perform
ance at the last meeting of the
Freshman Debating Club meeting.
Seems as though they would argue
their teachers out of giving them
so much writing to do for talking
on class!
It would appear at first sight that
this would be useless. In fact, it
would be a waste of time in a fire
proof building such as our gram
mar schools, but certainly it would
not be useless in buildings that have
wood floors, wood stairways, and
beaver board walls such as our high
school buildings have. In build
ings like those which we have to
work in, every precaution should
be taken against possible fire and
every means of saving life in case
of fire should be carefully taught to
the pupils.
Five days of the week the par
ents of Greensboro entrust the care
of over nine hundred children to
the officials of our high school. It
is imperative that our officials take
all possible steps to guard the safe
ty and the lives of the children.
The law provides that they shall.
They laugh, tliese classes. They
laugh and continue to laugh. I’ass by
a. senior class room ’most any time and
yon u'ill hear issuing forth from the
interior loud, hollow peids of .joy. They
have cast aside the traditional and
time-honored custom of dignity and
solemnit.y. They don't seeih to mind
nice goose eggs for grades. They laugh.
One teacher told a class that "the loud
laugh is a si.gn of the hollow mind, ’
hut even this they greeted with laugh
ter.
Question them, examine them, search
them and you tind only a wild, surging
desire for laughter. Their motto is:
“I tind an art in laziness and laugh
ter.’’ W'e know not what they know,
these seniors. The.v lau.gh.
The Real Score
Perhaps the most colorful of re
cent high school games . was the
Asheville-Greensboro struggle with
its four thousand or more interested
spectators. There were many deaf
ening cheers and many tense mo
ments. The teams that battled de
served the honor.
The game was hard-fought, end
ing in a scoreless tie. Occasionally
the skilfully running hackfield
would fall into long range punting
duels as the lines hucked and men
broke through to stop the backs in
their tracks. Both teams exhibited
a winning courage and a sense of
fairness unsmothered by a desire
to win at any cost.
No chalked scores spelling defeat
for one and victory for the other
are in existence. There is, how
ever, a permanent score by whose
reading both are victors—sports
manship. There was never a bet
ter spirit, a more sportsmanlike
spirit shown on the field and in the
stands—unless it was Asheville’s
hospitality of last season.
They Avrite, these freshmen. Reams
and reams of oaiier, they write. Each
spare minute, each study period, each
precious, fleetin.g second tinds them
writing. What? Reams and reams of
pa])er. They laugh,too, hut witli a dif
ferent result. The.v laugli and then
they write. Line after line, page after
page, they write. All is the same: “I
must not laugh out in class." This
and other axioms of like nature find
their permanent record from the pens
of freshmen.
All their spare money, all their few
saA'ed pennies go for i)aper to Avrite on
—to Avrite the eternal sayings. Their
motto is: “I Avrite because 1 must.’’
Yet reams and reams they turn off
each day for each teacher. With a
sAvift i)en and a Aveary liand, they
Avrite, these freshmen.
In this season nature is abundant
Avitli arms to Avage miniature battles.
Acorns abound on every side. Gnr
school ground is covered Avith them -
these deadl.v enemies of peace. Each
period tinds regiments of hoys exchang
ing acorns Avith the mightiest bloAvs
the.v are capchle of p:issing them Avith.
Acorns till the air. The peaceful stu
dent is out of date. He has to tight for
existence or for his health and hai»iti-
ness Avhile on the school .ground.
This Ave Avelcome as good training for
the hoys Avho ma.A' he preparing for
athletics. In the acorn fights there are
enough minor casualities to furnish ex-
-citement and make the struggle inter
esting. Each ti.ghter learns to take
AAdiat’s coniiiig to him, laugh and onl.A’
Avish it had been harder. He pursues
his enemy Avith the deadly thrust that
is so necessarv for success in any
game. To get his man is the only
aim.
The battle g(H'S merrily on while A\'e
cover our head, ])rotect our glasses,
and attempt to cross the yard Avith our
bod.y still in one part.
Last si)ring aaw Avere talking to a
coach Avho teaches in a certain hi.gh
s!-hool. During the course of the con
versation something Avas said of books.
W e ventured to ask the coach had he
read a certain book. We receiA’ed
this rei)l.v : "I get so interested in base
ball that 1 forget anything like a book
ever exists."
‘' Race Horse ’ ’ Cook is no novice
in the air, say those who saw his
non-stop seventy-yard punt.
The imgnacious instinct is a very
necessary part to man’s existence. Xo
man has founded a societ.v or built a
civilization or reared a household or
conducted a school Avithout many out
bursts of this spirit of animosity ex
pressed by an exchange of bloAvs. Some
men fight Avith guns, some Avith cheni-
ic*als, others Avith airplanes, and all
Avith the best Aveapons they can lay
their hands on. Xature seems to help
man greatly in his desire to tight. She
Inis made for him great deposits of ni
trates from Avhich explosives can be
made; she has provided everything for
the best and deadliest Aveapon Avhich
man’s brain is able to fashion.
The spirit of the moaern srudent is
one of democrac.v. While he may not
believe that denioci'ac.v is ahvays prac
ticed by the mass of the peo])le. he be
lieves in it himself and does Avhat he
can to practice it. He is certain to
hold firmly to it Avhen doing school
Avork. He is determined to treat all his
studies as equals and all his teachers
as such. He Avould c*onsider it a great
Avrong to do more on one stud,y than
on the other. Here is the spirit of
modern democracy as expressed by
one student. He had been asked by
his teac'her aaJi.a’ he had nor preitared
his lesson and he ansAve'red thus. "I
had so much to do 1 c-ouldu’t do it all.
As I did not AA’anf to slight anyone I
did not do an.vthin.g.’’
‘AYhen a man Avhistles he is happy”
so .goes an old sa.ving. There are many
hapiw people in G. H. 8. You can hear
their merry Avhistle ringing through the
halls all hours of the day. In the early
morning hours, the first to arriA’e are
bristling Avith happiness and they
Avhistle; at the lunch periods they
whistle; and in the halls going to
class'es their AvhisFK'd tunes mingle
with their (diatterin.gs. Everybody
li'^bPy? Yes. if Ave .judge by the
whistling.
'‘Every chapel would be heaven
ly,” some pretty girls said in sub
stance, ‘Gf Mr. Miller sang:.” We
agree. We always enjoy bis music.
/
/
4
tiS?
1#
i#
i'
i«i*