BLACK MASS
2015


GOING DOWN THE BYWAYS OF OLD BOSTON.

HERE' A WHOPPER.


JOHN FIZTGERALD, JFK'S GRANDFATHER WAS A NEWSPAPER BOY.

HE THEN ATTENDED A PRESTIGIOUS LATIN SCHOOL, WHILE LEADING

TOURS OF BOSTON.



'FITZGERALD PASSED THE LATIN SCHOOL'S FINAL EXAMINATION.

A COPY OF THE EXAM REMAINS IN THE FILES. IT OPENS WITH

LATIN, CALLING UPON THE STUDENTS TO TRANSLATE CICERO AND

VIRGIL AT SIGHT AND TO EXPLAIN THE SYNTAX OF HONORE, SALUTIS

AND A DOZEN OTHER WORDS. IN THE SECTION ON HISTORY THE

STUDENTS ARE ASKED FIRST TO DESCRIBE THE FORMS OF

GOVERNMENT AND THE CLASSES INTO WHICH THE PEOPLE WERE

DIVIDED IN GREECE IN THE HEROIC AGE AND THEN TO EXPLAIN

THE CAUSES OF THE PELOPONESSIAN WARS AND THE TERMS OF

SURRENDER AND FINALLY TO EVALUATE CAESAR'S CAMPAIGNS IN

GAUL. IN THE FIELD OF ENGLISH THE STUDENTS ARE CALLED

UPON TO WRITE AN ACCOUNT OF MARK ANTONY IN SHAKESPEARE'S

FORUM SCENE AND TO RENDER MACAULEY'S ESTIMATE OF MILTON

AS A POET. THERE FOLLOWS A LONG SERIES OF COMPLEX PROBLEMS

IN GEOMETRY AND ALGEBRA AND A LONG SECTION ON PHYSICS

WHICH CALLS FOR AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION

AND REPULSION BETWEEN CURRENTS OF ELECTRICITY AND

FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THE LAWS OF MANOTTE AND THE LINES

OF FRANHAUFER'


CHRIST