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A sign of the times -- in 1899 In the Sports section of Thursday's Mail Tribune, there is a photo of the 1899 Ashland football team at practice. About 10 yards behind the football players is a man standing with a hat on his head and a large sign hanging from his shoulders which reads, "H.S.L.S. Not For School But For Life." Do you have any idea what this sign means? -- Robert J., Ashland We do, Robert, but this information didn't emerge from the depths of history easily. Our thanks to Ashland librarian Bill Ashworth, who searched through volumes about Ashland High School history until he found a reference to the High School Literary Society in the school's first annual, published in 1911. The society, founded in 1891, was devoted to "the improvement of the mind by participation in literary exercises; the expression of thoughts with ease, power, strength and precision in debate; and a thorough acquaintance with the rules and usages of deliberative bodies. Its motto was "Not for school but for life," and all students were members, according to the annual. The man holding the sign in the century-old picture is identified in Southern Oregon Historical Society archives as Leon Patrick, a team "banner carrier." A banner carrier may have been "like what evolved into a cheerleader," said Bill Alley, archivist/historian for the historical society. Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA