Puck

MARCH 14, 1925

Tab le of
content s
Page 3. Spectacle Spectators by Noah
Remmert
Page 4. Old Gold Cigarettes by Noah
Remmert
Page 5. 1920's America - A Dry Wasteland
by Evan Plunkett
Page 6. T he Prohibition Puzzler by Evan
Plunkett
Page 7. T he Harlem Renaissance by T ristan
Wilson
Page 8. Cotton Club by T ristan Wilson
Page 9. Halloween Horror by Gabriela Vah
Page 10. F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great
Midlife- Autobiography by Gabriela Vah

Page 11. Works Cited

SPECTACLE SPECTATORS
By: Noah Remmert

It's quite a spectacle, the modern sports event,

Babe Ruth is not the picturesque image of what you would

especially a Yankees game in the heart of NYC. As I arrived to

expect a professional athlete to look like. The man walks

the game early on a warm July afternoon, around an hour

around with a cigar in his mouth constantly, drinks beer and

before most fans arrived, I saw something I didn't quite

whiskey like it's water, and has a respectable mass hanging

anticipate. The stock market closed and in a flash, the temple

from his midection, but nonetheless, he is considered one of

that is Yankee Stadium slowly began to buzz with energy.

the best players in the game of baseball (Digital History), and

Hundreds and Hundreds of Men just coming off of work flock

the fans could not love him more. Now, baseball is not the only

to the bleachers with sons in tow, all dreaming of the home

sports gaining spectators these days.

town Yanks bringing home the win. More and more fans
entered the stadium and I, having never been to such a thing,
was astounded to the grandeur of the event. You could
practically feel the energy of the place on the ends of the hairs
on your body. Then, this crescendo reached a climax to the
ends of which I have never experienced. George "Babe" Ruth
took the field. This guy got a round of applause louder than
any I could imagine, and I mean this in all honesty, the people
here in Yankee Stadium erupted with approval of their hero.
And yes, he is a hero here. Whether you are reading this article
in California, Texas, or Timbuktu, I don't think its really
possible to understand unless you are a Yankee fan here in
New York City. You may be thinking about the Babe as some
towering young man that could compete in the olympics, but

"Hundreds and hundreds of men...flock

to the bleachers with sons in tow..."
Harold "Red" Grange has been bringing lots of popularity to
the newly formed National Football League. All of these sports
gaining popularity is mainly due to the newly formed laws that
have not only shortened the average workday, but many
workers are now receiving two days a week off of work for
leisure and social life. Baseball is the thing filling the stands of
stadiums and filling the airwaves of the over 13,000 radios
owned by citizens in the US.(Covil) So, thank a local labor
union, and grab some Yankees tickets because this is an event
you will want to experience.

Babe Ru th

Joe DiMaggio

Lou Gehrig

Th ese Yan k ee
star s ch oose
"Ol d Gol d"
Ciggar ettes!
By: Noah Remmert

1920 'S AMERICA

A DRY WASTELAND

By Evan Plunkett

An America without alcohol is not an America at

all. In an era of internal improvement the prohibition
movement is completely out of line. We are supposed to
be making progress, but instead we are taking steps
back from our pre-established freedoms. Just as the
great Patrick Henry said, ?Give me liberty or give me
death.? I say give me booze or give me death. The
American people are being denied of their freedom to
drink, the most important of all freedoms given to
citizens of the United States. The 18th amendment is
quite possibly the worst change to the constitution ever.
These efforts to reform the country should be focused
elsewhere. I personally recommend an issue that does
not upset so many Americans in the process.
The passage of the 18th Amendment is against
the freedoms of man. Why should Americans live in fear
of the law when they want a little alcohol to ease their
minds from the rough life of factory work? Why should
Americans be denied a little whisky when the want to
celebrate there accomplishments? It just doesn?t make
sense. As our history has shown us, when we, the
American people, are denied of our rights we rebel.
Prohibition has only led to an increase in crime and
chaos in the country. The government is ignorant if they
think that prohibiting alcohol consumption will stop
people from drinking. All the amendment accomplished

was increase the demand for alcohol which ?opened up

a new illegal market for the gangster to develop and
monopolize? (umich 1). This amendment has only
aggravated the population. Efforts to improve the
country through prohibition have ultimately failed and
reformers should look elsewhere if they plan on making
a real improvement to America.
Prohibition has only angered the American
population. I see more and more people everyday trying
to find loopholes around the law. People going into
another state just to get a swig of rum. ?Four and twenty
Yankees, feeling very dry, Went across the border to get
a drink of rye. When the rye was opened, the Yanks
began to sing, "God bless America, but God save the
King!" (Bousfield 41). Some American would even go so
far as to get some from Britain, our colonial enemy. I am
calling all Americans to stop this madness and parch our
country?s thirst for something we never needed to lose
in the first place. End the dry movement, usher back the
wet. I need it, you need it, and the whole stars and
stripes need it. Oh say can you see the sweet sweet
whisky! Down with the 18th and on with our freedoms!

By Evan Plunkett

THE HARLEM

The Har lem Renaissance is a

m ovem ent t hat b eg an t o show in
t he ear ly 1920 s. To m any it is
b ecom ing know n as t he "New Neg ro
Movem ent ", nam ed after t he
ant holog y by Alain Locke. This
Movem ent also includes t he new
Afr ican-Am er ican cult ural
exp ressions across t he ur b an areas
in t he Nor t heast and Mid west United
States affected by t he Great
Mig rat ion, of w hich Har lem w as t he
lar g est . Thoug h it is centered in t he
Har lem neig hb or hood of t he
b oroug h of Manhattan in New Yor k
Cit y, m any francop hone b lack
w r iter s from Afr ican and Car ib b ean
colonies w ho live in Par is are b eing
influenced by t he Har lem
Renaissance.

RENAISSANCE

A new w ay of playing t he piano called t he

Har lem Str ide st yle is b eing created d ur ing t he
Har lem Renaissance, and is b lur r ing t he lines
b et ween t he p oor b lacks and socially elite b lacks.
The trad it ional jazz b and is com p osed p r im ar ily of
b rass instr um ent s and is considered a sym b ol of
t he sout h, b ut t he piano w as considered an
instr um ent of t he wealt hy. W it h t his instr um ental
m od ificat ion t o t he exist ing g enre, t he wealt hy
b lacks now have m ore access t o jazz m usic. It s
p op ular it y soon sp read t hroug hout t he countr y and
w as conseq uent ly at an all-t im e hig h. Innovat ion
and liveliness were im p or tant character ist ics of
per for m er s in t he b eg inning s of jazz. J azz
m usicians such as Fat s Waller, Duke Elling t on, J elly
Roll Mor t on, and W illie "The Lion" Sm it h are ver y
talented and com pet it ive, and are considered t o
have laid t he found at ion for fut ure m usicians of
t heir g enre.
Dur ing t his Har lem Renaissance, Black
Am er ica?s clot hing scene is taking a d ram at ic t ur n
from t he p r im and p roper. Many young w om en are
p refer r ing extrem e ver sions of cur rent w hite
fashions - from shor t skir t s and silk st ocking s t o
d rop -w aisted d resses and cloche hat s. The
extraord inar ily successful b lack d ancer Josep hine
Baker, is a m a jor fashion trend setter for b lack and
w hite w om en alike. Men w ore loose suit s t hat
rep resent a st yle know n as t he "Zoot ," w hich
consist s of wide-leg g ed , hig h-w aisted , peg -t op
trouser s, and a long coat wit h p ad ded shoulder s
and wide lapels. Men also wear wide-b r im m ed
hat s, colored socks, w hite g loves, and
velvet -collared Chester field coat s.

Cotton Club

Halloween
Hor ror
by Gabriela Vah

Mr. Harry Houdini has died

on Sunday, October 31,
1926. His enigmatic demise
was have been delivered by
McGill student J. Gordon
Whitehead with Houdini?s
consent, rupturing his
appendix. He refrained
from undergoing surgery in
order to deliver his last
magic show, with a fever of
104 degrees. Afterwards, he
was hospitalized at Detroit
Grace Central Hospital in
Michigan. Houdini was 52
years old.

THE FINAL SHOW

On March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary, Houdini was born. He
soon moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, and grew up an aspiring
magician fascinated and delighted by all things magical. In
1894, Houdini became a professional magician, and his
preferred magic acts soon became acts of escape from
precarious situations before vaudeville audiences. He would
marry another performer in 1893, by the name of Wilhelmina
Beatrice Rahner, soon to be better known as Beatrice "Bess"
Houdini and joined his act as his assistant. He will be
remembered always as the president of the Society of American
Magicians, the first man to fly a plane in Australia, and the
greatest vaudeville performer of our time.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great

Midlife-Autobiography
A new book has been published to the
American public, ?This Side of Paradise? by F.
Scott Fitzgerald. This novel has already begun
being mass produced and sold, especially to
young readers.
The story focuses upon the illusion of
happiness as an attachment to wealth and
later the disillusionment faced by the main
character, Amory Blaine. His experiences set
him apart from the typical college prep school
student as he loses all his entrusted money
due to, poor investments made by his family.
Tragically, both his mother and his father die.
His great love, Rosalind Connage, breaks off
her engagement with him, causing him to
undergo a three week drinking spree. This
excessive drinking was only stopped by the
onset of Prohibition. Soon after, the story ends
with the infamous line: "I know myself, but
that is all", which reflects his
acknowledgement of his youthful ignorance
and his regret. This relates to Fitzgerald as his
relationship with Zelda Sayre had been

difficult from the start. His engagement was

called off in June of 1919 due to his unstable
source of income. After the publication of
?This Side of Paradise?, however, Fitzgerald?s
efforts to win her attention had won, and they
were married on April 3, 1920, soon after.
Additionally, his college life was similarly
idealized. He similarly was often slothful in his
school work and dropped many classes, but
would remember his experiences fondly.
All in all, ?This Side of Paradise? integrates
Fitzgerald?s dismaying experiences as a
struggling author to his character in new ways
that reflected his life-long loyalty to Princeton.
Older audiences were appalled at the lack of
morals displayed in the novel from the
flappers, jazz culture and openness over the
subject of sexuality. Parents especially
questioned the sexuality of their children and
generally strongly disapproved. But in the
youthful public, this book has since publication
flourished and has come to define the new age
of disillusionment and cultural reform.

Works Cited
1. Bousfield, Arthur. Royal Observations. Toronto: Dundurn Press Ltd.
1991. Print.
2. Covil, Eric C. "Radio and Its Impact on the Sports World, by Eric C. Covil." American
Sportscasters Online. American Sportscasters Association, n.d. Web. 13 Mar.
2015.
3. "Harlem Renaissance." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
4. Mintz, S., & McNeil, S. "The Formation of Modern American Mass Culture". Digital
History. Electronic. 3/ 14/ 15

5.

"The Harlem Renaissance." PBS. PBS, Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

6. University of Michigan. ?Organized Crime ? How It Was Changed by Prohibition.?

Umich.edu. Electronic. N.d. Mar 14. 2015
7. ?A Fitzgerald Chronology?. University Libraries. Electronic. Mar13. 2015.
8. Blackwell, John. ?1920: Fitzgerald's Own 'Paradise'? Capital Century. Electronic. Mar
13. 2015.
9. Harry Houdini. (2015). The Biography.com, Electronic. Mar 13, 2015.