Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-20

(.or,, ,-1 80 VI LIZ. W. j. thompson,
Sony q, Amt 1t grand and glori-
Gus feeling to feel that Won are a
lnemper OF the Cony Alumni" aptly
oppressed the feelings of every alum
ae and aIumnus Of the school, who
au the good fortune to be able to be
piesent. With places laid for Alb
a,umni, 1t was found necessary to
place about so members of the class
VI "a which after this evening will
VIC numbered among the alumni, in
one OF the class rooms adjoining the
assembly hall.
The expectations of the committee
Al charge OF this reunion and banquet
were Tar exceeded, both by the at
tendance and by the smooth manner
IN which the entire program was car
REQ out as well as the wonderful
spirit OF loyalty to the school which
was manifest throughout the eve
ming.
An especially delightful feature Of
the evening was the presence OF DR.
w. ). Thompson of the class OF 1871,
and OF Miss Alice Reynolds. who as
d teacner for 81 years at Cony High
school has been Instrumental In
forming the ideals of many men and
women who have made their mark In
TINS world. In the roll call Of classes
and DIR. Thompson were given rous-
ing ovations and slater in the eve
ning they were again accorded these
demonstrations of love and respect
Dy the alumni of Cony High school.
MISS Reynolds received beautiful
bouquet of roses from the alumni,
which was presented in a very grace
rul manner by Burleigh Martin. the
postmaster of the evening. In a
voice filled with emotion she thanked
her former students for their kind
thoughts and for the gift and de-
clared that she was very glad that
she had thus been given an oppor-
tunity to express to the many alumni
| of Cony High school. and especially
to those who had attended her
classes in that 81 years. her welcome
| and loving greetings. Miss Reynolds
said in closing that she found great
delight in following the careers of
her very large family"
John Clair Minot, '92, literary edi-
tor OF the Boston Herald, was the
speaker of the evening. In his OPEN
ing remarks he declared that when
he had received the invitation to
speak he at once responded by regis
tered letter. accepting the invitation.
This, he said, was done so that the
acceptance might be received before
the invitation committee had decided
| to change it's mind.
He said that in an entirely detach-
ed way he could go back to the time
when as a lad he trudged the hills
between Belgrade and Augusta, that
he might attend Cony High school.
The speaker declared that he could
tell particularly of the four years be-
tween 1888 and 1892, and that like
all alumni he felt that the four years
that he attended school was the most
noteworthy era in the history Of Cony
High. He told OF the local men now
prominent who had attended the
school at that time, and among those
on the list were RALPH Leighton, the
present register of probate, John
Arnold. the Augusta Postmaster, and
Harry Pierce, to whose store you
10 to buy the Boston Herald, and
other things OF greater price and less
value"
Mr.. Minot told of the various ac-
tivities Of the school. which were In
stituted in that period and have sur
vived for over 80 years. ChizZle
WizZle fair was one of these. 1t was
started in 1891 and was held at
Meonian hall. He was member OF
the first Chizzle Wizzle fair board,
and he recalled with smile that
rumors became circulated that In the
play which was given as a part or
the fair, 1t was the duty of one OF the
bows to kiss the heroine. These
rumors finally reached the ear of one
of the members of the faculty and as
n result several teachers attended
rehearsal, prepared to censor the
show if necessary He drew laugh
when he expressed the hope that the
OF ho TODAY
are as carefully chaperoned as that.
Other things that were started at
that time were the present Cony
school veil, the selection of the Cony
colors, the inauguration OF track attn
letics and the starting of football as
an interscholastio sport in Maine.
Cony High school was the first school
In the State to have football team
and the first year they were obiised
to play Bowdoin and Colby colleges
as there were no other scnoolpoy
teams. They played Bowdo'n nrst
and were beaten by score OF 80 to
o. The sting of this defeat was later
wiped out when they won from Colby
by a score Of II to O. The Cony as
sembly, as 1t was then called. was
the first attempt at a student gov
eminent in the State. 1t has now
taken the form OF the student coun-
ell which supervises many OF the
student activities.
The speaker recalled that there had
been Cony alumni banquets in those
days contrary to the general BELIEF
that the one held Thursday evening
was the first ever held. He said that
while a studnt at Cony High school
he also worked for the Kennebec
Journal an that one of his assign
ments was to walk almost to Vassal-
boro, as those were the days before
automobiles were known, to get
poem that was TO be read at one of
these banquets. Two years later he
remembered that Orville Baker was
the principal speaker at Cony re-
union.
From "reminiscences he turned to
+ha kind of education offered by the
schools today and expressed his sor-
row that 40 much stress Is laid upon
the more practical studies to the ex-
cIusion of the classics. He stated his
belief that happy medium would be
found in q few years, and that more
attention would be paid to the finer
things Of life. ~.
pleasure at being able to attend
reunion and banquet OF such proper.
tions and spirit and declared tna' ~
was his hope that the banquets OF
future years might assume even
greater proportions.
DR.. w. j. Thompson In q very
short speech caused the alumni to
burst into laughter several times. he
EXPRESSED his doubt as to the legality
Of his presence at this banquet. as
~ gradua ted from the Augusta High
school when 1t was situated IN .ne
smith School building. and Tor thaI
reason he felt that he was not an
! S..s"., of Conv high. He also told