Nothing will tell you more about the past of IHS than the archives of The Tattler. Nestled into the back of E wing, in a small but mighty room, are filing cabinets containing bundles and bundles of past Tattler issues. As the Tattler Archivist and history enthusiast, it is my pleasure to bring a new life to the minds and ideas of our former students for you to enjoy!
April 1917
The Sacrifice of Beaucaré
by McA.
Beaucaré was one of those pretty little Belgian villages which used to seem so drowsy and peaceful and picturesque to the traveler as he passed through them. When the Germans first invaded the land the little town passed almost unnoticed and for over two years of the war it stood unharmed with all the outward evidences of peace and plenty. There were never any attacks and not much trouble between the people and the soldiers and they seemed to submit easily to German demands. But this was merely a veneer; underneath the surface was an undercurrent of hatred and rebellion which only needed a little provoking to show itself.
This is past. Today there is not one house standing in the whole village; it is now nothing but a charred heap of ruins over which the weeds and the ivy are already climbing as if to cover its desolation.
It seems hardly possible that this destruction should have taken place in one day, but such is the fact. About three months ago a notice was put up in the little village to the effect that every man who would not work should be deported to Germany. This was caused by the fact that the Belgian workmen who were left at home had, in the main, refused to work in any way that would help Germany in the war. To force them to do this the Germans ordered that every man who refused should be carried off to Germany and imprisoned there.
As the inhabitants of Beaucaré read this paper their faces blanched; it seemed unbelievable and yet must be true. They would make any sacrifice if it would help Belgium, but this was terrible. “God in Heaven,” they cried, “can we leave our wives and little ones to the mercy of these murderers?” The crowd around the notice assumed a threatening look; the men clinched their fists impotently and the women groaned aloud. The soldiers in the military guard took a tighter hold on their rifles for the situation was growing tense. A dull roar broke from the desperate mob, they swayed for a moment toward the soldiers and then fled in every direction as the Germans, at a sharp word of command from their officer, started forward with fixed bayonets.
To the little cottage where he lived with his father and mother and little sister Jean Frèbau hurried as fast as his legs could carry him. Into the house he broke with a frightened cry and finding his father, proceeded to give him the awful news. A hard look came into the father’s eyes and, calling his little family around him he swore a solemn oath to die rather than desert them. Almost the same scene was being enacted all over the whole village. Human patience could stand no more; the inevitable breaking point had arrived.
Meanwhile the soldiers laid their plans for the enforcement of the decree on the following day. Five men were detailed to each house and, if any resistance whatsoever was encountered the house was to be razed and the offenders immediately excited. The temper of the people had been rightly judged from the events of the preceding day.
Early the following morning the Germans started out. Five men surrounded every house before anything else was done. Then, the orders were to call the men to the door and put the question. If they refused they were to be seized and dragged off to the central square of the village. The Germans depended on this simultaneous attack to overcome any resistance.
But here a hitch occurred. The five soldiers who had been detailed to the Frèbau cottage were ignorant brutes with no intelligence whatsoever. They arrived at the house and soon became tired of waiting. “Let’s get the old fool now and see if we can’t be the first at the square. We can have some fun with the old devil and his breed, meanwhile,” said the corporal. With that he went up to the door and pounded on it. It was opened by Jean’s father.
“What do you wish, Messieurs?”he asked.
“We want you, you dog, unless you’ll agree to work after this. What’s your answer?” the soldier replied sneeringly.
“Jamais, never!” answered Frèbau and, quietly closing the door in their faces, he shot the bolt. A roar of rage went up from the five. The largest of them threw himself once, twice, three times against it and with the fourth attempt it fell in. They crowded inside with oaths and imprecations. There stood M. Frèbau and his family. “Kill the old devil!” one of them yelled and lunged quickly forward with his bayonet. The point sank into the father’s breast but at the same moment a knife glittered in his hand and was buried in the soldier’s throat. They fell to the floor together. The rest stood stunned for a moment and then, losing all control over themselves, poured bullets into Frèbau’s helpless body. As the mother sank in a faint to the floor, one of the soldiers aimed his rifle at her. Then— but the rest were better not described.
At the sound of the shots the rest of the villagers became desperate.
They had no way of knowing that they would not meet the same fate and the men, though unarmed, rushed in a frenzy on the soldiers. It was not a fight; it was a slaughter and by night-fall all that was left of the little village of Beaucaré was some dying embers which glowed weirdly in the darkness. Shrieks and groans rose into the night and even the murderers looked askance at each other as they made their camp in the fields.
Beaucaré is dead and gone but its memory will live and be cherished forever in the hearts of the Belgian people. The noble sacrifice of the village has not been without great results. Belgium is inspired by such crimes to an even more steadfast resistance which will in the end be triumphant.
September 2007
The Early Bird Gets the Worm No More
by Jacob Evelyn
“The early bird gets the worm.” “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Recently, it seems that there has been too much emphasis on being early. Harvard University, not generally known as a trend-breaker, is now—you guessed it—breaking this trend by eliminating its early admissions policy.
High-school students have long considered applying early to be the best way of beating the odds, and rightfully so. Statistics from The Insider’s Guide to Colleges, 2007 state that Harvard’s early acceptance rate was 23 percent, while during regular ad-missions, Harvard accepted only 11 percent of its applicants. Those who are now defending early admissions claim that it gives students more of a chance. In a 2006 interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Chris Avery, the Roy E. Larsen Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and co-author of The Early Admissions Game, agreed completely. “If you know exactly where you want to go,” said Avery, “it will help your admissions chances to apply early.” Students also argue that applying early shows how serious a student is about his or her top choice.
However, Harvard assumes that it most likely is a student’s top choice, even without an early indication. Eighty percent of students that are accepted into Harvard attend the school, while its top competitors secure only 65 to 70 percent. In fact, more than 75 percent of all students accepted into both Harvard and one of its top three competitors choose to attend Harvard. John E. Dowling, a member of the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard, said that because of this position and these statistics, “[Harvard] can make decisions other schools can’t make.” However, is Harvard’s decision in the name of educational reform, or just part of the competition between the major universities?
Harvard claims that its reasons for removing early action are quite noble.
Admissions directors believe that elimination of early action will decrease stress for students, who would have otherwise started the application process early. Harvard also believes that by eliminating early action, it will halt the academic self-destruction of students who might slack off after being accepted early. Jack Maguire, the former Dean of Admissions at Boston College, explained to NPR that “Both college and high school faculty are concerned that seniors aren’t working hard enough.”
Indeed, it seems that students who apply early and gain admission to the college of their choice have less reason than their peers to keep up their grades during their final year of high school. However, colleges do not routinely see January grades even for regular applicants, who apply by early January; this means that for both early and regular applicants, the latest grades that a college typically considers are those from the first quarter. And when colleges do see second-quarter grades, early applicants must keep their grades up until mid-December, when they find out if they have been accepted, so there is very little time in which they can slack off while their classmates must continue working hard.
Harvard claims that above all other reasons, it truly aspires to make the admissions process an equal one. Harvard Interim President Derek Bok elaborated, saying, “We hope that doing away with early admission will improve the [admissions] process and make it simpler and fairer.” Bok continued by stating that “early admission programs tend to advantage the advantaged.” According to Bok, students from “more sophisticated backgrounds and affluent high schools” are often the ones to take advantage of early admission programs, thus giving these already advantaged students an edge in the admissions process. Students with fewer resources often do not apply early; in binding early decision programs, students in need of financial aid do not get to compare aid packages, so they usually opt not to take advantage of these programs.
Harvard’s program, however, was non-binding early action, which does not require students to attend the college if they are accepted and does not inherently disadvantage low-income students. Even so, as of this year the program will be eliminated. Harvard argues that even early action harms low-income students who want to apply. William R. Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions at Harvard College, explained, “Only the more sophisticated students and families look behind the label of ‘early admission’ and distinguish early action from binding early decision programs. Thus students from less advantaged backgrounds either fail to take advantage of early admission because they are less well-advised overall, or they consciously avoid our program on the mistaken assumption that they will be unable to compare financial aid packages.” For this reason, Harvard believes removing early admissions is the best move, even though other universities, such as Yale and Stanford, disagree.
Even with all of these arguments, some believe Harvard is just trying to stay one step ahead of other colleges in the race for popularity. There is some fear, particularly among other Ivy League schools, that students accepted into an early action program at another college might still choose to apply to and attend Harvard, despite their supposed preference for the original school. Naturally this is worrisome, especially in conjunction with the fact that statistics already prove Harvard’s overwhelming popularity among students. But even when presented with these accusations, Harvard is not promising to play nice.
Another Harvard committee member, Steven C. Wofsy, said that Harvard will “talk to other schools, but it’s not going to be a negotiation. We’re just going to tell them what we’re doing.” Though it seems unfair for Harvard to be cranking up the pressure on other colleges, students, and even high school guidance counselors, from Harvard’s standpoint the school is doing a good thing. As Wofsy said,
“[Why] would we honor a system that stinks?” In any case, it seems that this year—at least in terms of applying to Harvard—the “worm” is up for grabs.
May 1977
The Tattler Talks to Coach Moran
by Jon Wanderstock
Head lacrosse coach at Cornell since 1969, Richie Moran had led his teams to impressive records year in and year out. His 1971 and 1976 teams were national champions.
Describing himself as a coach, Moran feels he is a teacher, educator, and friend of the players. He leaves his door open, he says, so anyone who has a problem can come in and talk about it. On the field, he is as enthusiastic as his players.
He attributes his success to the combination of student-athletes with marginal to outstanding athletic talents who wanted to excel. In fact, most of his players have played over their potential.
Moran cites the importance of tying the parents into a lacrosse program. For example, the Cornell lacrosse banquets are usually held in early October during a football weekend (instead of in the spring) so the parents will get a good idea of the spirited atmosphere at the university. In addition, Coach Moran throws a party for the parents at his home.
Recruiting is important
Coach Moran stresses that the Cornell lacrosse staff is a two-man outfit. Mike Waldvogel, in charge of the defense, has been with Moran for eight years, and has tremendous knowledge of the game. Moran himself, however, does all of the recruiting, mostly in upstate New York and on Long Island. In addition, the team has players from around eight other states.
When recruiting, Coach Moran has to follow the NCAA guidelines, which allow the prospective candidate only one paid visit to a school.
Besides looking for the best athletes, Moran wants a player who will be able to handle the work load at Cornell.
Freshman eligibility, Moran further feels, has had some adverse effects on the lacrosse program, though on the whole he says it has not been a hindrance. The most important things a freshman player needs to learn are poise, skills, and the ability to relax, he points out.
Coach Moran feels that this year’s team of 39 men has had the most pressure on it of any lacrosse team, for it is constantly being compared to last year’s undefeated laxers. Before the season started, he set his sights on winning the first game, then the Ivy League. Believe it or not repeating as NCAA champs was not his immediate goal.
Looking ahead
Moran feels the game against Princeton is going to be the turning point of the season, since Cornell will be heading into its last week of play, and needs to win its three remaining in order to retain its top ranking.
Thus far in the season, he is most pleased with the development of the younger players (there are a total of 5 seniors, 19 juniors, 11 sophomores and four freshmen on the squad), and he is encouraged by the team’s ability to come back despite adverse conditions.
A look at IHS
Commenting on the high school lacrosse program, Coach Moran said he would like to meet anyone who would be interested in coming up to Cornell. He is delighted with the prospect of having IHS’s Henry Reed on next year’s varsity.
Moran feels that Ithaca High School Coach Mickey Fenzel has an excellent background in lacrosse and is more than adequate for the head coaching position, citing that Fenzel played for him a few years ago. Furthermore, Coach Moran has attended a few of the IHS games and is pleased with the team’s character and ability to win close games.
When asked if he would like to do anything else besides coach lacrosse, he said that he would like the opportunity to “be a priest, do some administrative work, or work in the hotel field. Maybe even run a restaurant.”
When asked about the future of lacrosse as a whole, Coach Moran said he expects box lacrosse to return professionally, but doubts that field lacrosse will ever go big time. He feels it would be inconceivable to set salaries for the players, and notes that today’s stadiums are not really suited to field lacrosse (“seats have to be much closer in order to appreciate the game,” he commented.)
Most people feel that Cornell lacrosse is what it is because of the hard work and dedication of Richie Moran. And as an avid lacrosse booster, I hope that he stays around for a long time, and that people of both Cornell and Ithaca as a whole will support him and the Cornell lacrosse program.
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