Page 35 - 1923 Hartridge

The History of the Class of ’23
1 he quaint old town made a peaceful picture, snuggled up against the long white heach on one side, and protected by tall over-hanging cliffs on the other. In olden days the Inhabitants of the town had feared the cliffs, but now they realized that the good genie of the town, a wise and
aged old man, was the sole inhabitant of the cliffs.
fvlost of the citizens were interested in shipping and all of them took
especially great pride in seven ships known as the Hartridge Fleet. Now the fleet was the property of the Hartridge School, and it was divided thus:
J he flagship, a stately Spanish galleon of great dignity, belonged to the faculty and was conducted with great ceremony. The chubby little vessel
that rocked ridiculously on every wave was owned by the Kindergarten and the Elementary Department. And each of the other five belonged to its own special class in the Academic. For it was the custom of the school
that each class, upon entering the Academic, was presented with a small vessel of what ever design it chose, and from then on, it was the class
ambition that their ship should excel all the ships of past generations in beauty and influence.
Now for many thousands of years, in the spring time, the good genie of the town had written a history of the Senior Class and its ship, and this is what he wrote for the class of ’23 :
“As you are now drawing near to the end of your Senior year, and are reaching your long-desired goal of graduation, various fortunes loom on the horizon for you. Therefore, before entering upon these new ex­ periences, it is fitting that you should reflect upon the old ones.
“When you were launched into your Sub-freshman year, you were a happy-go-lucky crowd, immensely proud of having obtained this exalted position. You chose as your class ship one whose lines and color were those of a small battleship, for, if you remember, it was a time of great interest in all implements of war. Whether she will prove sea-worthy or not is open to discussion, hut it is to be hoped and expected that she will. You showed good spirit that year, although, unfortunately, there were not enough of you who played basketball to make a team. Nevertheless, you made up for this by your interest in all other school activities, making $63 at your table at the annual school Fair, given for the benefit of Muhlen­ berg Hospital, and exhibiting great enthusiasm at your first Banquet. Oh,
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