zi’ve been a long-time enjoyer of history, and working in the archives lets me see anew the storied halls of IHS straight from the students who have come before us. They allow us to experience the world as they did, through their minds and ideas that survive long after they have graduated. Please, above all else, enjoy!
Note: All excerpts presented here are pieces of history, and should be treated as such. Opinions expressed do not represent the views of the current Tattler Editorial Board.
May 1968
King’s Work Must Continue
The greatest tragedy of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is that his goal of full equality for all citizens is still merely a goal. In a country which prides itself on having a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”, a shamefully large segment of our population could not, until recently, so much as register to vote in several states by reason of race alone. In a country which prides itself on loving law and order, [African-Americans] in this decade who sought to secure their legal rights have had their homes and churches bombed, their families harassed, their lives taken. In a country which prides itself on sincerity, citizens have elected a president who ten years ago stated “I am not now and never have been an advocate of civil rights. I I don’t think I ever will be”, while now considering himself a champion of civil rights. In a country which prides itself on considering all men equal, residents of an all-white suburb of Chicago threw rocks at persons peacefully marching in support of the right of [African-Americans] to live in that community. In a land of “equal opportunity”, proponents of civil rights found it necessary to stage a mammoth “March on Washington”, to pressure Congress to outlaw discrimination in employment and public accommodations. In a land of democracy, large numbers of [African-Americans] have been so frustrated in urban centers as to destroy their own neighborhoods. The reaction of many whites to these riots is to blame only the perpetrators. But until the white race in America will accept the responsibility of three and a half centuries of neglect of the [African-American], and unite to eradicate racism and all its effects, America will know no racial peace and no internal stability. There could be no finer tribute to the memory of Dr. King than to dedicate ourselves to the enormous task that faces us.
—B.M.
A Talk With Mrs. Parker
By MEG ARCHIBALD
Following is a personal interview with Mrs. Aethnea Parker, IHS French teacher.
Q: Where were you born?
A: In San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.
Q: Is it always called both Trinidad and Tobago?
A: Yes, both islands are under the same government.
Q: Is the country independent?
A: Yes, since 1962, before that we were British.
Q: Did you live there throughout your childhood?
A: Yes, on one island or the other.
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: I went to a private school run by Catholic Sisters. Then you had to pay tuition, but when we were 11, we took an exam covering many subjects. If you did well, you received a scholarship to pay for the remaining seven years.
Q: Did you win a scholarship?
A: Yes.
Q: How did the length of your school day compare with ours?
A: We began at 8:15. From 12 to 1 we had an hour for lunch, and then went back until 2:45.
Q: How old were you when you finished your secondary education?
A: 18. I had to remain in school an extra year because I did well on my final exams. Often if you received good marks on the exams, the school made you stay another year so you could take them again; this added to the good name of the school.
Q: The school was able to make you stay?
A: Yes, then the teachers had the most authority over your education while your parents were generally content to leave things to the teachers. So if the teachers wanted you to remain another year, you stayed.
Q: And you took the same courses over again?
A: Yes, the only difference was in the literature course where I read different books. It was a wasted year. But, that has changed some now.
Q: Where did you attend college?
A: I went to attend St. Andrew’s University on the east coast of Scotland and London University Institute of Education in London, England.
Q: What degrees did you earn?
A: At St. Andrew’s I got my Master’s degree in French and Spanish, and in London a Post Graduate Certificate of Education.
Q: Did you attend college on a scholarship?
A: No, my parents financed that. Up to recently our government wasn’t able to provide many scholarships. They offer more now with the stipulation that the holders of scholarships return home to serve for 5 or 6 years.
Q: Where have you travelled?
A: During vacations from college, I stayed mainly in Spain because I like Spain very much, but I also visited France, Germany, Denmark, Holland, and the British Isles.
Q: What does your husband do?
A: He’s working on his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Cornell.
Q: Was he also born in Trinidad?
A: Yes, in Tobago.
Q: How long have you been in the U.S.?
A: I have been here since September. My husband since 1959.
Q: So you have lived only in Ithaca?
A: Yes, but for short periods of time, I’ve visited New York City and Washington, D.C.
Q: How long have you been teaching French?
A: I taught both French and Spanish for one year in Bermuda and two years in Tobago.
Q: Which one is your favorite language?
A: Well, I always liked Spanish better but since I have been teaching French I find that I like it more and more.
Q: Since you’ve been in this country, what are your general impressions of America?
A: Well, I never really wanted to come.
Q: Why not?
A: I have been trying to figure that out. Perhaps it’s because I never met many nice Americans. In Trinidad and Tobago the Americans were mainly servicemen stationed there since the war, who kept much to themselves on the Base. Maybe it was also because of the stories one heard about discrimination in this country. Personally, I have had no unpleasantness, but the atmosphere is so tense and discouraging. In Trinidad we have many races and racism is a question but not a major problem. In the 1930’s we had some racial disturbances and conditions have improved considerably since then.
Q: What is your opinion of the quality of American Education?
A: From what I have seen here in Ithaca, it seems good. The teachers are very capable and willing to do a lot for their students. I also think that the vocational education program is excellent, because it makes provision for others than the college-bound students.
Q: What do you think of American students?
A: Students here are so crazy about grades. Good marks are fine incentive and you should try to earn them, by all means, but don’t lose sight of learning for knowledge’s sake. It’s not the kid’s fault; it’s a product of the society.
Q: In your opinion, is life in the U.S. too fast and pressured?
A: Yes, at home life is much more relaxed and spontaneous. You take life as it happens rather than always working to make it happen.
Q: How long will you be staying in Ithaca?
A: Definitely for another year.
Q: Then where will you go?
A: My husband will have to do his national service, so I don’t know where we’ll be sent. I hope eventually to go back home.
June 1899
The Wreckers
Forth from the harbor calm and still,
Around the rocky head,
Straight on her course to the open sea,
A yankee skipper sped.
The breakers roared on the rocky shore
The sea was lashed in foam;
And the roaring of the angry wind
That night to shriek had grown.
The sailors prayed for the break of day
Or a welcome beacon light
To speed them over the maddened sea
And terrors of the night.
But soon far off on the rugged shore
There flickered and burned a sign;
Loud was the cry, “—a sheltered bay
For rest from the seething brine.”
Her helm was turned, the ship sped on,
The mariner’s hopes were high;
When loud and clear the night watch called—
“Forward the breakers lie.”
But all too late this warning came,
The timbers creak and groan;
And rushing on the awful rocks
She foundered far from home.
Next morn that mighty storm had ceased,
The billows moaned and sobbed,
And homeward the villains stole their way,
From the vessel wrecked and robbed.
But long in their hearts this deed remained,
They burned the beacon light,
And buried ‘neath the angry sea
Their victims of the night.
[—]“Dacotah.”
[—]“Dacotah.”
May 1920
The Return of Ulysses to Ithaca
At last Neptune was kind and the divine Ulysses sailed up the mighty Cayuga to return to his beloved Ithaca. He, with his men, landed on the Canal bank and disembarked almost directly opposite the Lehigh Valley palace. Strains of wild music grated harshly on the ears of the men as they hesitated in uncertainty. Finally Ulysses’ old Pal, Min, sometimes known as Pallas Minerva,
spoke to him in the form of a small street urchin and told him to leave his men near the ship and go into the city alone.
Heading the advice of his guide, Ulysses left his men and stepped into the road only to be directly in the path of a hideous creature which was moving towards him as on wings. Suddenly a terrible braying sounded from the beast and it came snorting within two feet of him, then lurched to one side and passed.
What trick of the gods was this? Surely he had thought to rest in peace if he were allowed to reach home.
Hoping to escape any other shock that might occur he started running south toward the State highway. As he turned around the corner, he collided with a human form on a frame work of some kind of metal that kept turning and turning always in the same direction. The mane was going thru very peculiar motions and the much enduring divine Ulysses thinking he was in trouble turned to offer help. The man had disappeared from view.
The face of Ulysses was now a conflict between astonishment, fear, and bewilderment. He wanted to hide but could not find no place to go.
He walked further and further. The people seemed to be coming from every direction. Then a clanking as of war arms sounded and the divine Ulysses [seemed] to be more at home. A chariot on wheels rolled by, but strange to say it moved with a fixed path. It squeaked and squeaked along and stopped every now and then with a jerk. Ulysses thought that perhaps the idea had originated from a small animal he had once heard Mentor call the snail. It certainly resembled the locomotion if not color.
From all parts of the near[-]by city great torches flared in the same instant and Ulysses, the son of Laertes, who had not yet arrived at the spectacle stage, was blinded for a short while. The divine Ulysses was certainly enduring much.
By now he had reached the Hardest Palace of the city which was currently occupied by a Tree-man and his King. From the front of this palace the advantage of the main highway could be seen to some extent. The snorting beasts were still about, but greatly multiplied, and now two great glaring eyes showed in the head of the creatures. Great squirming snakes coiled up and down poles and other objects at different intervals. These evidently represented the different palaces, because no two were alike.
The dress of the people was most peculiar. He could not tell men from women. One person that appeared to be a man dropped something just as he reached Ulysses. He put his hand into his pocket and behold, when he took it out a bright light streamed from his hand. He stooped, picked up the object, put his hand back into his pocket and walked on. Wonder of wonders; would they ever cease?
In a daze the much planning Ulysses continued. When he finally reached a door of a small palace his only idea was to go in. He entered the vestibule and opened the door. The room seemed filled with people intent on one thing. He looked. From the opposite sides of a room two men came clashing together. They twisted and turned and fought. The struggle became more heated and one man, the smaller, sank to the floor under the pressure of his opponent’s grasp which was closing around his neck. The people sat back in their seats and calmly looked on. Ulysses could not understand. As the strain became too great he ran down the isle, sprang on the platform and assailed with his fists—the curtain. Cries from all parts of the house went up.
“Put him out!”
“He’s an escaped lunatic!”
“The country rube!”
All this babble was in an unknown tongue to Ulysses. With much noise and gesticulating he was firmly shown the door.
In anguish, with his hand to his head he staggered a few yards more. Stumbling over a stone step he fell against a door. Later when it began to rain, he opened the door and ventured in. Nothing jumped out at him or made hideous noises. All was quiet. He slowly mounted some stairs and looked around. All was quiet and cool. Up another flight of stairs he went until he found himself in a corridor, brightly lighted, from which doors opened into spacious rooms. He entered and looked around. Oh! joy of joys, a familiar sight at last[.] The walls were covered with Euclid, sometimes called Geometry. Thru problem after problem he went in rapture, heedless of other surroundings. Having finished all the work on the walls besides some of his own construction, he walked to another room. There Latin met his delighted eye. Was anything ever so wonderful after a terrible nightmare? It is sufficient to say that there in the famous halls of learning, Ulysses the sacker of cities found sweet content and refuge from the surrounding world.
L.G.N. ’23.