PAGE TWO
RUUlIK NEWS
FKI., APRIL 20, 12
Abolish Salutatorian?
Is it fair to abolish the custom of selecting
a valedictorian and a salutatorian to be honored
at the graduation exercises? Recently an article
appeared in the Rogue News concerning the fact
that these two positions should be abolished. While
the editorial stated several good reasons why a
valedictorian and a salutorian should not be chosen,
there are also some reasons for why we should not
abolish this custom.
First of all, if a person has worked hard enough
to maintain better grades than any of his class
mates, he deserves to be recognized and honored.
He has undoubtedly sacrificed some pleasures and
outside activities in order to maintain this average.
The fact that some students take soft courses
with little or no homework should also be taken
into consideration. However, every student must
take some solid courses such as Biology, English,
and American Problems.
Most of the students who are eligible for these
two positions are planning to go to college and will
take the solid courses anyway.
But what about the student with a high average
who fails. to make the grade? This student will
usually recieve a scholarship or some other aid in
order that he may go to college. This aid will be
more valuable to him in the future.
Let's not abolish the positions of valedictorian
and salutorian!
Recovered Alcoholic
Speaks to Students
Alcoholism was the subject of
a lecture presented to some of
the Ashland High students by
Mr. Gordon Raney. Mr. Raney is
a representative of the State
Board of Alcohol Education.
On March 23, Mr. Raney pres
ented his talk to the sophomore
biology classes. The same talk
was given to the American Pro
mlems classes on March 27.
Mr. Raney stated that he felt
he was well-qualified to talk on
the subject of alcoholism because
he had been an alcoholic for
more than twenty years. Rather
that a formal lecture, the stu
dents were invited to ask quest
ions about alcoholism that had
bothered them.
One of the questions asked
was: What makes the screwdriver
such a dangerous drink? (The
screwdriver is a mixture of Vodka
and orange juice.) Mr. Raney ex
planed that the orange juice in
the drink allows you to drink
much more Vodka than you would
drink if you were drinking
straight Vodka or whiskey. By
drinking so much alcohol, the
alcohol content of the blood
raises abruptly in a short time.
Since the blood can only absorb
and hold a small amount of
alcohol, the drinker is pushed
very close to the brink of death
in a short time.
The purpose of Alcoholics
Anonymous was also explained by
Mr. Raney. He told what some of
their jobs and auxilary groups
were. One of these groups was
a group for teen-agers who had
parents who were alcoholics. This
group helps the teen-agers cope
with the problems which they had
with their parents.
As a conclusion, Mr. Raney
told of some of his experiences
as an alcoholic and as a non
alcoholic. One of the most in
teresting facts to the students was
that Mr. Raney has not taken a
drink for more than 15 years.
Shakespeare Lives On
Student Relates
History of Africa
Continued from Page 1
tribes in South Africa and so
the best way in which to tell
the main tribes apart is by looking
at their huts. The Zulu and Swazi
build their beehive shaped huts
mainly of saplings and thatch.
The Basuto build huts with wattle
anddaub walls and a conical
shaped roof. The Xhosa cut sods
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of turf or set up mud walls with
that?hed roofs. The Ndebele build
elaborate lillte clay houses with
colourful patterns covering the
walls.
One cutom generally practised
by all tribes is the rain-making
ceremony. During these cere
monies a green wood fire is
madcto send up cloudy smoke into
the sky. The Chief himself is the
tribal rain-maker, and has his
own particular rain hut behind
the hut of his "great wife." Here
he mixes his rain-medicine
.though he may use the medicine
made by the tribal witch doctor
or send messengers bearing gifts
to obtain "rain essence" from
Mtij.iji. the famous Rain Queen
of the Lobcdu. a tribe living in
the Low Veld in the Northern
Transvaal. Pedi boys and girls.
This rain-medicine is sprinkled
on the cultivated fields in spring.
If no rain falls then the tribes
think that the ancestors who
control the weather are displeased
land a tribal guinea-fowl hunt is
held to please them.
!
SAY IOL" SAW IT IN'
Tin: rogue news
To the people of Ashland,
William Shakespeare, English
poet, dramatist, and actor is not
dead although we celebrate the
398th anniversary of his birth this
month. Shakespeare lives on in
the guise of the Shakespearean
Festival.
Born in 1584 at Warwickshire,
Shakespeare was only 28 years
old when he became recognized
as an actor in London. At the
time, he was married to Anne
Hathaway and had three children,
including a set of twins, Mamnet
and Judith.
After he had been acting for
several years. William Shakes
peare began writing his own
plays. To most people, especially
the younger generation, Romeo
and Juliet is perhaps his best
loved play because it is a romance
and a tragedy as well. Macbeth,
perhaps because of the three
witches appeals even to the
smaller children who cannot und
erstand the real plot of the story.
Hamlet, a tragedy, and a Mid
summer's Night Dream, a comedy,
are also very well-known.
In addition to being known for
his narrative skill, poetry, and
characterization, William Shakes
peare also gained the recognition
of being the only author to
furnish the English language with
more familiar quotations than any
author except the author of the
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King James Bible. "To be or not
to be" and "Things are not what
they seem" are two of his more
famous queotations.
Many scholars have voiced the
belief that Shakespeare borrowed
the plots of some of his plays
from other sources. However. Ben
Jonson, an Englishman of letters
and Shakespeare's closest friend,
would have known if his plays
had not been original and yet
Jonson said of Shakespeare: "a
dramatist who might challenge all
that insolent Greece or Rome had
done."
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