Monday, September 12, 2005

Remember my dumbness

Yesterday, while at a flea market, I found a little book of autographs. It belonged to a Lucille Winifred Corson, and contains notes from her friends and commrades in high school. She was in the Everett, WA, class of 1930, I think.

In contrast to the half-witted nonsense scrawled in the high school yearbooks of the present (unless I am mistaken and things have improved dramatically since 1995), this little book is full of charming little poems. There are a few "roses are red..." lines, but most look to be either original, or passages that have fallen out of common use.

Here is one I particularly like:
"Isn't it strange that princes and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings
And common folks like you and me
Are builders for Eternity?

To each is given a set of tools
A shapeless mass and a book of rules
And each must make ere life has flown
A stumbling block or a stepping stone."
- Annabelle Giloery February 18, 1926

Another of my favorite entries:
"Dear Lucille -
Just remember me is all I ask.
Your friend,
Della Eisenman
Remember my dumbness" May 18, 1928

I hope that if Lucille is still alive, she remembers fondly Della's dumbness.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's the best flea market find EVER!

Erin said...

why is it that when you go to the market, you find FANTASTIC things like that, and when i go to the market, i find STAR WARS BEER STEINS???

Annigan said...

It's because I was trying on silly hats in a suitcase of old stuff while H looked at pipes when I came across it. See - our boys just drag us to the relics of different eras. Don't worry, I'm sure you're on the cusp of some totally rad leg warmers. ;)

Anonymous said...

Ooooh, I am totally going to have to sign something-

Sincerely,
Sarah
Remember my dumbness

What a fantastic find!

-Sarah
http://www.slaphog.com/sarahblog/