Oakwood Collegiate Institute - Oracle Yearbook (Toronto Ontario, Canada)

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THE OAKWOOD ORACLE Zbnnietnurk in Babes Scene-Elysian Fields, Hades. Dramatis Personae: Virgil and Caesar doing their homework, which is to translate Latin into linglish prose. Virgil: I'mbulus usores laniboni sorstin. tThis is conversational Latin but the writer can't keep it up very intelligentlyj. Castor and Pollux, what a language this Eng- lish is! Such awful words they have and no cases practically. But since those English have overrun Hades Latin is becoming old- iashioned. Caesar: What gets my unicorn is to have those barbarians lord it oyer us. It's enough to get old Demosthenes going on another set of Philippics. Well, these things having been pointed out above, let's :Tet down to business. This prose looks p1'etty stiff. Do you think old Cicero will catch on if we work together? Virgil: Oh, I don't think so. Weil change the odd word, here and there. But for goodness sake let's get to work. Look at all the time we've wasted and I promised to have a game of knuckle-bones with Mark Antony. Let's see the prose. Caesar: Here it is treadingb- Wellingtonus ilhim dux Britan- iiorum, post bellam Hispaniae. This first sentence isn't too bad. I think l can translate it right off. You have the grammar and dictionary, haven't you 7 I have the tablets and a stylus. Well, here goes lwritingj - Wellingtonus leader llritons. Virgil: That'stnot it: there's no 4-nrling on Wellingtonus, it's just Wellington. Caesar: Oh, yes: and there's a funny little mark to show Britons is geiiitive. lIriton's, isn't it? How do you translate post bellum His- paniae 'Z llflflf' h'l'fjllfl'f'Il Virgil: Let's see. Bellum is war, and post is after or afterwards. They like complicated words so let's use afterwards: wards probably strengthens after anyway. Os- tracize it all, they don't give proper names here. I think Hispania is Spania or something like that. So far we've got: Wellington, leader Britons' tdoes the comma at the top of Britons go before or after the s '?J Caesar: It's plural when it comes after, I think. Virgil: Wellington leader Britons afterwards war Spania's. Caesar: You can change the words around a bit, can't you '? It would make it more vivid. Let's put afterwards Spania's war. I'm sure you can. Virgil: That makes Britons' and Spania's very near together. Let's change Britons' instead. Caesar: That will be-Welling- ton Britons' leader afterwards war Spania's. Yes, that doesn't sound so monotonous. . Virgil: I suppose we'd better put the main verb next. They always put it in a weird place where there is no emphasis. Let's see, it's advenit. Caesar: Advenit - tliere's an English ve1'b like that. I saw it the other day. Let's use it instead of looking everything up. What was it now? Oh, yes-adventure. Virgil: It's past time. They add a d for past time, don't they? twritingy Afterwards war Spania's adventured. Caesar: Isn't this a bore '? Virgil: Let's finish this clause. We have to make about four sen- tences out of one of ours anyway. Let's stop at the end of this. l haven't time for any more at pre- sent. This makes me quite thirsty. Have you a goblet of nectar handy by any chance '?

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abashed, she prattled on: You would never guess those were dad's shoes Alfred's got on, would you, Annabelle? My, Alfred, you look funny, all red like that. At the table, prospects of ice cream made her pensive for a few moments, but she rallied to the cause with: Do you always make your little finger do that when you're drinking, Annabelle? Fa- ther sought to change the subject and put his pretty visitor at ease by remarking that he did not be- lieve in ceremony. He said he al- ways ate honey with his peas. He'd done it all his life. It didn't taste so awfully good but it kept them on his knife. This did not receive the expected applause. Annabelle, not being a hardened campaigner, did not know that inviolable rule which states that young people must laugh heartily at all jokes cracked by THE OAKWOOD ORACLE older people. Alfred, beneath a red exterior, was calling down the w1'ath of heaven on this family which had blighted his career. Eva was too busy devouring her ice- cream. Oh, my sainted aunt! there she was licking her dish! Who's kicking me '? Papa, make Alfred stop. He's kicking me. Why were little sisters? Would this meal never end. Alone with Annabelle in the par- lour afterward the air was cleared somewhat. As mother was putting Eva to bed and Alfred was helping Anna- belle to put on her goloshes a little voice floated down from above: Isn't Annabelle pretty, mother '? Hasn't she got pretty curls? Isn't she the cute little dear, murmured Annabelle as they went out. R.P. firm Examinations Fair children, my readers, this is to make announcement of the latest innovation, in High Schools at least, that of periodic examina- tions of our most valuable property, our bodies, our persons. When we left Public School and came here we often wondered why we were never given the 'tonce over as was formerly the case and told to stick our tongues out, say goo and de- clare whether we had any spots on our feet. Then there was the den- tist too, who used to hand you a plan of the interior of your mouth with certain hieroglyphics describ- ed thereon and intellible only to fellow members of the profession. Will these be restored again in the school time-table? It is also vaguely hinted that a training will be given in how we should sit in school. That means that we will not be able to put our feet under the desk across the aisle, sit sideways in our seats or other- wise make ourselves at home. Un- fortunately they tell us that it will take some time to go into effect so that those of the upper forms will have missed four or five, and, for some, six years of the doctor's care. Why was this relief from disease not given us long ago? Think of the terrible things that might have happened to us with- out a doctor to tell us about it! Think yet again of what we may have at the present moment. Why even the employees of most large ofices have at least an annual in- spection! Wherefore this neglect? But now at last we can be healthy and if you see a short stubby little man or a tall fat man, or an ordi- nary medium-sized man walking about the halls of Oakwood with the look of a hunter, have a care, for he is the official disease de- tcctor. Page SCl'C'Ilff'l'l1

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Caesar: By Pollux, you can wait a while, can't you 'F We should do a little more. What's the English for facio '? Virgil: Do or make. That's past time too, isn't it? You add ed if the e isn't already there, d0n't you 'F That would be doed. It doesnt look quite right, but let's leave it, anyway. Caesar: l've worked out the next part . Wellington Britons' leader afterwards war Spania's to Gaul adventured and supplements hav- ing been missed, battle there doed. My vocabulary is increasing, isn't THE OAKWOOD ORACLE supplementum or auxilium, and missed from mitto. Virgil: I'm sure we should put in an article some place. You know they always use something like that. The isn't it? I suppose it can go in before battle Caesar: All right iwritingl. Been niissed and the battle there doed. What comes next? Virgil: By Hercules, I haven't time for any more now. That's pretty good for one sentence. We can do the rest another cycle. Vale Caesar. itr? I rememlier supplements from -Adapted. Qlihening Across the twlight sky D r ' The stars have trailed their light Like little fairy Chariots Hastening on their flight. And every place where they have stopped A star gleams forth its light, llecause the fairy charioteers 1 Were hastening through the night. H. S. K., VB. K, if Q4 f 7 t Hier-1 LIGHTS' ' ,V 5 1 0, ci f W f' fi XT f -ef Q?-5 Of? ' SEAGER W . X Lf 'XQJJQFQQSQQ 12405 Wim .1 tt1iTQ'fi9f' GRAHAM V pgfxcoqif Ml ' 21 ' cunrmulrj 1 l N ,Q HYK' L-:Fm-46-aw , wus gglfi-' CHANT r-nf-s ' 'fi aurtsn 5 A7 -2 2' ' WOQD fuunmnilinumrunning 4 ' ' ' comme A -Q ,ufxnwwf , ,, .iq N fa L-mx 5' 11 I 'J 5: . A 1' ij' ' --f Mi s ' is ff NN f'1uLQOoN EY QUAE E5T? M'vEJgsrbRo.c-if 'Q I :Mike 1 ' LONG FENNER Page Ni11c'fc'c'u