December 1911
W.W.H. (in public speaking): “That won’t do, Mr. Howell, you must leave the platform on tiptoe.”
Sid: “What’s that for?”
W.W.H.: “Otherwise you might awaken the audience.”
May 1912
Typewriting
Some people wonder why the system of touch typewriting is being used and why the regents requires thirty-five words per minute… By the old methods the typist would get a few words in his head, look at the keyboard, print the words and then look back at the manuscript… The touch system is said to have been originated by a young man who had 300 letters of a private nature to write for his employer, in a very short time. His eyes became tied in glancing back and forth so he learned the key-board. He tried writing without looking at the keys and found it not only easier but quicker. The international championship in typewriting is held by H. O. Blaisdell of New York. He writes 109 words per minute. It is noticeable that many of those who hold championships use the touch system. A story is told of a young woman at the Pan-American in Buffalo. This operator, a touch writer, wrote from dictation at a very rapid rate, watched the crowds coming in and out, and chewed gum… If you want to increase your salary, all you have to do is to increase your speed.
May 1915
“What’s the matter, little boy?”
“M-maw’s gone and drowned all the kittens.”
“Dear, dear, that’s too bad.”
“Yep, and she p-promised-boo-hoo- that I cud [sic] do it.”
May 1928
Teacher: A biped is anything that goes on two feet. John, you name one?
John: Yes, ma’am, a pair of stockings.
May 1946
What Do We Want In Germany?
Over a year has passed since the surrender of Germany, yet the future of that country is still one of the greatest problems in the world today. At present she is a devastated country, occupied by four different powers… Her people are without jobs, without food, without a sense of unity. They are ready to follow the lead of any party or individual who will give them these things… The future of Germany now depends largely on [the actions of the U.S.]. If from the present state of confusion, frustration, and instability, American democracy can bring the German people prosperity and security, Germany will be a democratic nation. But the Germans will not wait for democracy. They will follow the first government that guarantees them that prosperity and security they are craving for– be it Communism, socialism, or Bolshevism. Now is the time for America to act, not 25 years from now when she’s faced with another Nazi Germany.
Views on the News
by John Schappi
Post-war America must face the problem of racial and religious discrimination which looms as an imposing threat to our hope for real peace on the domestic front. Many Americans seem even more susceptible to prejudices today than before the war. Unless this trend is halted soon, we will again see race riots in Detroit and “zoot suit” fights on the West Coast…
Our nation is at this time swallowing the same sort of propaganda that the German people listened to and believed during the preceding decade… Certainly no child is born disliking Negroes, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, “foreigners,” or any other religious or racial group… The negro child and the white child may be something of a novelty to each other at first, but in their simplicity each accepts the other as an equal being. When is it then that the prejudices begin?
If we could delve far enough back into our memories, we would probably recall a family scene where we first discovered that our elders and “betters” considered that one cultural group was different from– and, therefore, superior to– other groups. Perhaps you were told not to play with a particular child again, or at least not to become too friendly with him, because he was “different”…
If the adults of today (and tomorrow) would keep their prejudices to themselves, if all of us would practice consideration, we would soon have a new generation, free from all hatred for their fellow men. It does not require much imagination to visualize the better community, nation, and world that would be created without the curse of hatred among men.
February 12, 1970
Black Students Want Counselors, Holidays
by Dick Hipolit
Black students… feel that IHS is geared to white students and is not doing enough to help blacks. One demand of IHS blacks is that there be more black teachers and black guidance counselors. They feel that since blacks come from a unique home environment and face different problems than white students, white teachers and counselors cannot understand and help them sufficiently…. There is now only one full-time black teacher at IHS, Mrs. Kennedy in the physical education department… Another idea with broad support among blacks is to have school holidays honoring black individuals… Among the nine holidays which have been suggested to the administration are Martin Luther King’s birthday… [and] similar days honoring Malcolm X…
American Indians Must Become Militant
by Dianna Visek
In our attempts to remedy racial discrimination in America, we have forgotten the people who originally ruled the land… [American Indian] illiteracy and dropout rates are the highest in the nation’s… Indian youths commit three and a half times more suicides than other Americans… Although the modern Indians’ situation is much worse than that of other minority groups, they have not rioted, marched, burned or looted. “Read Power” has made little headway, perhaps due to a traditional attitude of accepting and living in harmony with the environment. It is time, however, that Indians become more militant and demand at least those rights that are usually granted to minority groups. Apparently our society is so structured and inflexible that it cannot recognise and treat social ills unless they are frequently and forcefully proclaimed by the news media. We find it so necessary to be shocked by militant minority tactics that the Indians go unnoticed. Without their recent camp-in of Alcatraz Island, most Americans would have assumed that Indians went out with Sitting bull. Unless American Indians quickly learn and use modern techniques of social warfare, they will find themselves close to extinction and relegated only to history books.
