London Normal School - Spectrum Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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At this point, we were bombarded by a most excited butler who said, all in a breath, ' Scuse me, ma ' am, but it ' s the turriblest thing — the cook ' s GEOGHEGAN on a DILL pickle!!! The young lady looked up and calmly said, She ' ll be all right. Pound her on the back and tell her that dill pickles are not good for the GALL. He disappeared like a flash. He is so eccentric, she smiled. He always says things so quaintly. For instance, he says CONNEL for ' kernel, ' and HAUSER for ' How ' s her ' . I could not help but smile over the funny situation. Oh, SHAW, she exclaimed, you must be famished. She rang a bell and suddenly a maid appeared with tea and dainty cakes. I guessed that the girl was strikingly efficient as well as beautiful. Later my friend explained that she had been a BOOKER in the office of WARD ten in a hospital and had fallen in love with the floor WALKER in Simpson ' s. He was a villain and the girl ' s pride prevented her from returning to the profession. Do you take LEMON? she asked. As we enjoyed our tea, I learned that her favourite singer was GRACEY Fields and her favourite song was The CAMPBELLS are Comin ' . Her favourite novel was the Christmas CARROLL. I remembered that I had an appointment for 6:00 o ' clock. I told her that I must be leaving. WOOD you mind MAILING this letter? she asked as I was going. I reluctantly took my leave. When I went for my car, it had been moved. Just then the butler appeared. ' Scuse me, ma ' am, but I moved your car. I knew when I saw you PARKIN it there that I should have told you. There ' s a big BUL- LOCH who gets loose from the next farm. He sure can tear things apart. He made an awful mess of our garden HARROW the other day. I thanked him solemnly and drove away. It takes all kinds of people and places to make a world, I reflected. JOYCE SHAW. WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM CHILDREN We, as teachers-to-be, are faced with the problem to form characters, develop right attitudes and skills in our pupils. Now, there is something we can learn from them. We should observe children quietly, with the respect we would give to any other teacher, to learn how children are born armed against trouble and prepared for happiness. , Consider the fact that children are little things taking orders, accepting punishment for any disobediences, and going through routines they usually regard as nonsense. Yet they hold fast to their individuality. Children have so much that they can enjoy in the world about them that they can accept without too much protest what is demanded. We complain of lack of money, lack of time, and lack of freedom. Children have less time, no money, and are virtually prisoners; yet, their every moment is alive with the joy of living. Our great adult fault is to think only of results, instead of enjoying the process by which they are attained. But children forget the result in their love of the process. For example, young Henry Ford, in his little machine shop, may have dreamed of wealth, but most of the time he was just a man tinkering with nuts, bolts, and transmissions, and having a wonderful time doing it. Watch a child with a crayon in his fists. He starts in bearing down firmly and moves along without hesitancy. We may ask, What is it going to be? What is the difference? the youngster might reply. Page Twenty-nine

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WHAT ' S IN A NAME? Driving with my FORD car through a beautiful WOODS full of stately OAKES and some species of BRUSH, I came to a strange place full of strange people who did strange things. I drove BYGROVE after grove, over the BROWNLEE, until I arrived at a secluded GLENN where stood the dearest old house I ever saw. Indeed, it looked like a fire HAZZARD, but its very doors seemed to welcome me as I drew near. I knocked on the door. The BUTLER opened it, bowed, and beckoned me in. He was a SWEETMAN, clad in a dark suit, but it was covered with a white substance. I saw that he was very embarrassed. Then he said, ' Scuse me, ma ' am, but I was HOLDEN the bag while the cook was SIFTON the flour and er-a-er, we had an accident. I smiled understandingly and asked for the mistress. He led me into the living room. She ANDERSON are away playin ' GOUGH, he explained. But she ' ll be back here directly. He quickly disap- peared, leaving me to amuse myself. I began looking about and found that the inside was just as inter- esting as the outside. Choice paintings hung on the walls. Above the mantel, where a WILCOX clock ticked away the minutes, hung an expensive mirror which, I am sure, came from HOBBS in London. On the table was a box of Laura SECORD chocolates and a grey PARKER pen. A big THOMAS cat basked before the fireplace. Suddenly the door opened and a charming DOEY-eyed young lady entered. She was wearing a WHITE sport dress and shoes, with GILLIES ties. I knew at once that she was the young woman whom I had been sent to interview. HOWE do you do? she greeted. I told her the purpose of my visit and she graciously consented to give me her time. I am of WELCH descent, she began. My father was a FISHER off the coast of Wales. We spent a great deal of time on the Isle of WIGHT, where my uncle lived. He was a TAYLOR and could tell the loveliest yarns, about the SEITZ of Canada, starry KNIGHTS on the banks of the THOMPSON river, and the wild Indians. My parents died when I was quite YOUNG. Then I came to Canada with my FOSTER parents. Pardon me, I interrupted, but is it WRIGHT that your great uncle fought in the Battle of SERADOKA, in the American Revo- lution? My uncle fought in the Battle of Saratoga, she answered with a twinkle, while I blushed at my ignorance. What are your hobbies? I asked. Just now, she continued, I am keenly interested in the BOYES Scouts. Also I collect rare articles, such as you see in this chest. She opened it and I saw the most amazing collection of unknown articles. She picked up a large, rusted key and said, This is a POPKEY which was used for opening pirate chests by Sir Francis Drake. She fondled a queer little china animal with great large eyes and tiny slender legs. This is a CONEYBEARE, a miniature of one of the prehistoric animals. She showed me the print of a puzzling picture. This is the HILDEBRAND, she explained. My friend, who owns a ranch in Arizona, brands all his cattle with it. Last of all, there was a multi- colored India rubber ball called a TIDBALL, which was supposed to be a charm carried by a snake-charmer in India. Page Twenty-eight

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He is having fun. He simply likes seeing the colour grow upon the paper before him. Life compels us as adults to think of, and work for a purpose; but unless we enjoy the process while striving for that purpose, we have lost something invaluable. That is what we can learn from children. Every job has its details and they change from day to day. We have only to notice them as a child does and we will find our work less hum- drum. This is precisely the point of view. Everything can be an adventure if we make the effort to see it that way. We have only to acquire childhood ' s knack of using all the senses, of never permitting yesterday ' s trouble or tomorrow ' s threats to cloud the swelling beauty of today. This is shown when Thomas Gray describes children in On a Distant Prospect of Eton College — Alas! Regardless of their doom, The little victims play; No sense have they of ills to come, Nor care beyond today. JEAN FEWINGS ON THE CHOICE OF FRIENDS Few things in life are more important than beinq able to make the right friends. I suppose that most of us, if we could choose the gifts which the fairies would place in our cradles, would find even in the short- est list, a place for the gift of being able to make friends and to cultivate friendship. It is an old truth that a man is known by the company he keeps. Perhaps we wonder why that is, but it is true that a man is very largely made in character and position and social standing by his friends. Some people feel they cannot make the friends whom they would like for lack of money or expensive clothes. But is it not true that the most influential friendships of life, the friendships which are most worth-while are those which are independent of clothes and circum- stances? The friendship which has no better foundation than the attrac- tions of a piquant face or the beauty of a pretty frock is not likely to possess many enduring qualities. As a matter of fact, most of the friendships of life are made outside your homes, and mostly in your leisure hours. Most friendships begin in a common interest. Your roads must meet and cross, but you would never have given each other a second thought if it had not been for the fact that a few moments ' conversation revealed that you were both inter- ested in the same sport, or that your habits of life were practically the same. It may have been something as frail as gossamer, but it served as a link, and much intercourse and a sharing of the common interest made the gossamer band as strong as hoops of steel. If you would make friends with great minds you must develop your own mind to appreciate their advances. Shakespeare will sit beside your fire and yet he will have no message for you unless you bring the offer- ing of a common interest and prepare your mind. It is an old saying The re is no place at the feast for the man who will not put on a wedding garment. For truly, there is no real enjoyment except that which is shared; there is no secret which is worth keeping if we cannot whisper it to a friend. The true flavour of the wine of life is missed by those who feast alone. And, most assuredly, we would not stop with one friendship, but we should endeavour to have the whole world full of friends. GORDON B. GRACEY, Form I. Page Thirty