Eveline’s Senior Year: Senior Class Play

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Kathy Morales

I shared a photo of my grandmother Eveline Coates’ high school graduating class in Mystic, Iowa a few weeks (now months!) ago. Along with the photo and her diploma, a couple of other mementos were saved. One is the program for the Junior-Senior Banquet in honor of the graduating Seniors. It was interesting to see how World War I seemed to be the overarching theme of the festivities. I decided to take a deeper look at what her life may have been like during the 1917-1918 school year. There was a lot going on, a war and the beginning of an influenza pandemic to name the two biggies. The list of related posts is getting long, so I’ll link them at the bottom.

The week before commencement was a busy one for Eveline. The Junior-Senior Reception (which I am skipping over for the time-being) was Friday evening, May 10th. Two days after the reception was the Baccalaureate Sermon, followed by the class play on Tuesday, class night on Thursday, and commencement on Friday. Before and during this week, the seniors rehearsed the play and practiced for commencement. I’ll bet there was shopping too – as students planned what to wear to the reception, class night, and for the graduation ceremony. In the class photo, all of the students are wearing caps and gowns, but the girls, especially, might have worn a new dress underneath. And what about final exams? Were the seniors also applying for jobs or college or working to learn a trade? Doing extra chores in the absence of an older brother drafted to military service? As it is today, the end of the school year was a busy time for the graduating seniors of Mystic and for their families.

Mystic High School Graduation Invitation, Class of 1918,
Mystic, Iowa

Performing a class play before graduation is not something that we did when I graduated from high school, nor when my children graduated, but it seems to have been a common practice at the time.

The Senior Class Play was a one-act comedy, “Why Not Jim?” written by Helen F. Bagg. Ms. Bagg seems to have written quite a number of light-hearted plays that were often performed by high school students.

The price of admission was 15 cents and 25 cents. The school principal, Neva Prior went to Centerville to shop the Wednesday before this busy week. Maybe she needed something to wear for commencement, or supplies for one of the events.

Semi Weekly Iowegian, Page 6, Centerville, Iowa
1918 May 9

The play was staged at the Strand Theater in Mystic. I wish I could find an older photo of the outside of the building.

Strand Theater, Mystic, Iowa about 1972, accessed from Facebook

A digital copy of the play Why Not Jim is available from the Internet Archive of the Library of Congress.

We can try to imagine the set on the stage of the Strand Theater.

Probably the Strand Theater, Mystic, Iowa about 1930-1931, accessed from Facebook

The play called for a cast of nine characters.

There were eighteen graduating seniors. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any newspaper accounts or other sources that named who played the characters or how the play was received.

There are three male characters in the play and three boys in Eveline’s graduating class, so I’ll assume each of the male members of the senior class had a part to play. Unfortunately, I have yet to identify anyone in the class photo other than Eveline and Alice Tingle, her future sister-in-law. But I do know their names. The names of the young men are: Art J. McDanolds, David E. Lodwick, and Clarence H. Swanson. But who is who?

And who played the parts of Alec Fraser, a young author married to Edna.
Charles Ramsey, a friend of the family, who is responsible for “Jim.”
and James Barry, friend of Charles, who is willing to do a lot for Vivian?

A description of the costume requirements provides more information about casting the parts.

If I were to take a guess, I’d guess student #1 in the part of Fraser, #2 as Ramsey, and #3 as Barry. But what do I know?

There were only five parts for the fifteen senior girls. Did one of the students fill the role of director or did one of the teachers have that responsibility? There were costumes to prepare, backdrops to paint, doors and windows and a window seat to build, props to gather, tickets and money to handle, the stage to light, make up to apply, and costume changes to help with. It would be fun to know if my grandmother acted in the play or was one of the crew. I would guess she was not an actor, unless that was a side of her personality that I never saw.

If only Eveline lived in Centerville, the county seat, rather than Mystic. The newspaper listed all of the students and the parts they played in the Centerville senior class play and many more details for other senior events as well.

I was unable to find any details about Senior Class night, which occurred the night before commencement. I can only guess that it was a party atmosphere to celebrate their last night together as classmates.

Although I did not match the prompt photo, this is my contribution to Sepia Saturday. Please play along and visit other bloggers who participate: Sepia Saturday.

Eveline’s Senior Year: Baccalaureate

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Kathy Morales

Eveline’s graduation invitation listed a week full of activities prior to graduation.

I’m going to skip the Junior-Senior Reception for now and focus on the Baccalaureate Sermon in this post.

Baccalaureate Sermon, 8:00 P. M. Sunday, May 12, 1918. The sermon was given by Rev. William H. Slack at the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mystic, located next to the high school. Rev. Slack registered for the draft about four months later. His registration provides a description of a thirty-nine-year-old white man of medium height and stocky build, with black hair and blue eyes. The minister was reported to have delivered a “splendid” address to the graduates.

The M. E. Church is the building on the left. (Old high school building)

Semi Weekly Iowegian, page 6, Centerville, Iowa
1918 May 16

Miss Edna Evans was a teacher in the high school, but she had previously been Eveline’s teacher in elementary school. A couple of class photos from Eveline’s collection picture Edna Evans.

Edna Evans, teacher, East Side School, Mystic, IA. undated

Vergyle/Virgle Inskeep, Lola White, and Claudine Cook were graduating seniors. Blanche may have been a sister to Claudine. The songs, Welcome Pretty Primrose and The Last Rose of Summer, may have been chosen in tribute to the class flower – the pink rose. The Library of Congress has a recording of Welcome Pretty Primrose. I couldn’t get the link to embed properly, but if you click on the link, you can sing along while reading the lyrics.

https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-130359/?

The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore, written in 1805. The poem is set to a traditional tune called “The Young Man’s Dream.”

‘Tis the last rose of summer,
    Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
    Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
    No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes
    Or give sigh for sigh!

I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one.
    To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
    Go, sleep thou with them;
Thus kindly I scatter
    Thy leaves o’er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
    Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
    When friendships decay,
And from love’s shining circle
    The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie withered,
    And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
    This bleak world alone?

The male voices who sang The Sailor’s Dream, are not members of the Senior class, so I assume they were Juniors. Unfortunately, I could not find this song in my search.

I enjoy searching for people and music and descriptions that put an event into context and provide a sense of the time and place, and then I wonder some more … How was the church decorated? Were there flowers? Pink and green ribbons attached to pews or chairs? The pulpit draped in class colors? … Graduating seniors dressed in their “Sunday best” and in the company of their parents and siblings… What message might the minister have wanted to convey to these graduating seniors in a time of war? Did Eveline feel a bit melancholy listening to The Last Rose of Summer?

All I can do is imagine.

I wonder if families and friends lined up at the doors of the M. E. Church as they arrived for the Baccalaureate service?

No need for you to stand in line to explore how others have responded to the prompt photo. Just click the link and you will arrive at your destination: Sepia Saturday

Eveline’s Senior Year: Graduation Memorabilia

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Kathy Morales

Today I’ll share a few bits of ephemera that remain from Eveline’s senior year in high school.

A picture of the high school

Eveline’s report card

From her report card, we can glean the following information:

Eveline attended Mystic Public Schools.
She was in Grade 12 during the school year 1917-1918.
No room number was provided, just Room H. S. (High School). Does this mean that all high school students were in the same room? I don’t think so? The high school surely housed a number of classrooms.
The principal of the high school was Nevah O. Prior.
Eveline was absent 7 1/2 days during the fall semester, presumably when she had smallpox, and 2 days during the last period of the spring semester. Eveline’s absences were excused.
Eveline was never tardy for school.
Eveline received high marks for conduct – in the high 90s during the fall and just a little less (95) during the spring.
A grade of 95-100 was Excellent. 85-95 was Good.
Eveline earned grades in the 90s in all of her classes.
She studied American Literature and Physics throughout the year.
She studied American History and Physiology during the fall semester.
During the spring semester, she studied Civics, and Economics.
Both of her parents signed her report card.

Another paper saved is this two-fold invitation from the Junior class. The size is about 5×7 inches. The paper is pink and the ink is green. Decorative notches have been cut into the paper.

On May 10, 1918, a Junior-Senior Reception was held at the Masonic Hall in Mystic. It was the program for the reception that prompted me to begin this series.

I’m not sure what this hand-drawn card is. It is the size of a calling card. Perhaps it marked Eveline’s place at the table for the reception.

Also saved was the graduation invitation, held together with green and pink ribbons. An eagle atop a shield decorated with stars and stripes can be seen through a cut out in the invitation cover. I believe it is hand colored.

The inside provided details of the commencement exercises.

The second page of the graduation invitation lists all of the senior class events leading up to and including commencement.

The last page provides information about the class officers, colors, motto, flower, and a list of the graduates. Tucked inside is a graduation name card for Eveline.

I hope to identify some of the people mentioned in the reception program and Eveline’s class photo. I’m not sure how successful I’ll be. It may be like trying to identify the unknown people in the prompt photo below.

Gather around and bring the dogs while you enjoy posts by others participating in Sepia Saturday.

Abbie and Eveline

Category Archives: Sepia Saturday

Eveline’s Senior Year: Senior Class Play

Eveline’s Senior Year: Baccalaureate

Eveline’s Senior Year: Graduation Memorabilia