“This little book of poetry aims at nothing but to give to its limited number of readers a glimpse of a new phase of the development of the High School students of today.” So begins the preface of A Book of Verse, a collection of poems written by Westinghouse students published in 1920. The book features 92 poems written by 15 poets. Find the book online here.
The poems cover a myriad of themes including the natural world, human emotion, and the first world war. Most of the poets are women, such as Lois Halderman, who penned 40 of the poems. Women’s poetry has historically been seen as a lesser form of literature. The Westinghouse students that contributed to A Book of Verse prove otherwise. The preface reminds readers that the poets whose poems make up the book “felt the call to express their embryo philosophy of life.”
Modernism
The 1910s and 1920s were key decades in the modernist movement. Modernist literature came from a self-conscious break away from traditional ways of writing. Notable American Modernist poets include T.S. Elliot and Walt Mason, whose voice Lois Halderman imitates in a handful of her poems.
The First World War greatly impacted literature; during and after the war, dominant beliefs about society had to be reassessed. Modernist writers strove to express the new sentiments of the era. The students at Westinghouse wrote about the war and their feelings surrounding it. “A million staunch and fighting men, | A million birds and beasts across the sea, | Are side by side upon the battlefield” wrote Lois Halderman in a poem dedicated to America’s allies. Months before the States’ entered the Great War, Ruth McFarland wrote a poem titled “A Prayer From the U.S.A” in which she expresses gratitude for her country being spared from the war. In a poem titled “My Son,” writer Irene Scrine takes on the voice of the American mothers whose sons were sent to fight in Europe.
“Take up this book then at intervals and read it. It is offered in the humble hope that it may be a stimulus to other students, and a source of pride as the first literary triumph of the students of the Westinghouse High School”
Poetry’s Impact
Poetry lets writers express emotion and describe the world in ways no other form of literature can. The students whose work appears in A Book of Verse mastered this art form. Mary Brown, with 20 poems in the book, covered a vast array of topics from the natural world to love to death. She is not the only Westinghouse poet to do so.
The book’s preface explains the students’ intent in publishing their poems. The students as Westinghouse High School felt the need to prove the integrity of youth in the early 20th century. “This book is proof,” the preface reads, “that youth is not all-absorbing, not selfish, that it often touches the infinite more closely than most people suspect.” Every generation of teenagers struggles to prove its worth to the elder generations and A Book of Verse‘s preface expresses the very feeling: “It is the desire of all young people to express themselves in some way…”
Selma Derry, a student with three poems in A Book of Verse, later published some poetry in the March 1925 of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, the oldest monthly journal dedicated to verse in the English-speaking world. Those poems can be found at the Poetry Foundation website.
Elizabeth Carpenter was born in 1919 in Pittsburgh and grew up in Homewood on Murtland Avenue. Ms. Carpenter was homeschooled until the sixth grade. From seventh grade on she would attend Westinghouse High school. She would go on to graduate as a member of the class of 1937. When asked about growing up in her neighborhood Ms. Carpenter recalled “Everybody knew everybody and helped everybody if they needed help.” Ms. Capenter worked as a house cleaner for a neighbor, helping them care for things around their home. Ms. Carpenter had many friends, remarking ” We were all friends. I didn’t have any particular friends, we were all friends, classmates.”
Bulldog Pride
One big takeaway from Ms. Carpenters time at Westinghouse was the immense pride herself and every student felt about the school. Whether it was in regards to the music program, football team or the track team which Ms. Carpenter was a part of herself. There was a lot to be proud of at Westinghouse no matter where you looked. According to Ms. Carpenter a common phrase among the students was “This is the House, and the House won’t lose!”
Stars of the Halls
He had to sit on a telephone book so he could be raised up high enough to play the piano.
James “Honey Boy” Minor on percussion, Joe Westray on electric guitar, Erroll Garner behind piano, and George “Ghost” Howell on bass, on stage of Harlem Casino (detail) ca. 1939–1940, Carnegie Museum of Art, Heinz Family Fund.Photo by Charles “Teenie” Harris, view the rest of his collection by clicking the link here.
While looking back on some of the most notable figures she shared the halls of the House with, one that came to mind was Erroll Garner. While those outside of Westinghouse may just know Erroll for his incredible skills as a Jazz pianist, Ms. Carpenter commented how they used to joke with Erroll about having to to sit on top of a phonebook just to be able to play the piano. Among others were the fantastic Jack Oz and her English teacher Mrs. Paul. Mrs. Paul would write on the board every single day “Procrastination is the thief of time.” and that quote has always stuck with Ms. Carpenter.
Westinghouse Forever
At the end of the day, no matter what you did at Westinghouse and when you did it, there’s always an everlasting feeling of pride you have for just having been through those halls among some of the best musicians and athletes Pittsburgh has ever seen. If you were to ask someone who went to Westinghouse they’d let you know that those halls had some of the best PEOPLE the Homewood community, and city of Pittsburgh, has ever seen as well.
To listen to the full interview with Elizabeth Carpenter, follow the link to the interview here.
