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

Page 18 text:

THE OAKWOOD ORACLE Zlaabe we been tan Brospernus? As new schools are set up, and old ones increase in size, there is arising with swelling magnitude a spirit of antagonism toward Oakwood. This is a hard statement to make, but it is a true one. For many years we have levelled in an unbroken string of championships, our organ- izations have hummed with activity, and a zealous spirit permeated the school. But perhaps in the midst of our conquests, we have neglected the fostering of goodwill between collegiates, and if we have done so, we have neglected a duty, and an opportunity. Our rivals are noting with unconcealed satisfaction the dwindling of our championships, the weakening of our school spirit, the slow throttling of our societies. And they have a real ground for it! We must admit, unwilling as we may be, that we have won only one inter- collegiate title this year, for which all schools were in competition, and that such a record is not in keeping with that of former years. The Senior Literary Society has peacefully passed away, perhaps of old ageg the once-attempted Boys' Club died in its infancy. Our athletic prowess is apparently wasting away fno, not galloping consumptionlj Only the Junior Lit. and that splendid body, the Girls' Club, continue to uphold the honour and fame of Oakwood. The question is, what are we going to do about it? The answer is apparent. We must build up new, healthy organizations with pep and power. This we are doing: the Dramatic Group and the Glee Club are making a courageous stand in founding such strong societies. We must strengthen the pioneers that remain. We must build up, encourage, and support all our teams in championship quests. Above all we must pull ourselves up from the lethargy which appears to be upon us: we must realize that Oakwood must lead, not follow. Our watchword and our motto fto sum up my whole meaningb must be Oakwood, wake up! Qllhertising There are youths in this school who spend their afternoons and Saturdays tramping and riding about the city searching for advertising for your O1'acle. They will walk, wait or argue for ads. One of these lads was compelled to make six trips to the office of a down-town theatre before he got what he wanted. Another went to the office of one our advertisers, and was told to wait until a certain man returned. He had to pay night-fare on the street car. At least two trips are necessary before you can get some writing on the dots. Then your troubles begin. You chase around to some other printer for the advertiser's t'cuts, promise to have them back soon, an utter impossibility, and get killed when you bring him his copy of the Oracle. His advertisement is in the wrong place, a word has been mis- placed, anything and everything to harass you. But that is only one side. Advertisers are continually telling the staff of the Oracle that ads, in our paper give highly satisfactory re- sults. You can make it easier for these self-sacrificing boys who do so much for the Oracle, by patronizing our advertisers. Let it not be said of the athletic executive. They take our advertising but they will not buy our sweat-shirts. Show to the goods of these men the interest they show in our magazine. Page Nim

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Che GAKVVCDDD . oRACLE - A 1-' A . i --V-e , gf E i. V 3-Hai 'xg A, is f A f fi, L, . sg ' e new fe-e N -fw- ,f UE N ii-ie X EDI I CRIAL EJ! '- X f QE s 'fi xx ' ' :' I-ff? ? 'fX Ir' ' -fi ., . .,-e A,,' Y i- e: S-I t U 4 D-5: Regt-.Q.-3g.:,a.-,.4-gy A Q.. T Spring Qlllraning Commotiou! Upheaval! Revolution! Tumult! lndescribable con- lusionf Hopeless disorder! Curtains down: Rugs up. Pictures down. Ladders up. Brushes here. Brooms there. Pails there. Soap llG1'6. Nothing where it should be, everything where it shouldn't. Thats spring Cleaning! What an uncomfortable, agitating period it is while it lastsg but afterwards-what pleasure, what glistening cleanliness. Inevitable as spring itself, spring cleaning time comes, holds its soapy, watery sway, and goes again-doing immeasurable good. At this time old, unwanted things are shown the door, and, perhaps, new bright ones are brought in. More modern methods take the place of the older ones. llut surely the house is not the only thing that should be spring leaned? The old ideas, the old customs and notions need to be turned fut and turned over, the worthless thrown to the discard and the worth while brought up to date. lbo any of us need spring cleaning? Do we need, now, to foreswear all those very happy but rather aimless months and copy up missed notes and get 1'eady generally for those ldes of June, hovering before us, threatening, mocking inevitable? Butfstop-perhaps it would be bet- ter ii' we left this part of the matter to the searchings oi' our own con- science and say no more about it. We might mention, though. that the cleaning up is bound to be very uncomfortable, rather disconcerting, and needs immense courage. Ol' course, our teachers at Oakwood do not need much spring clean- ing. 'l'hey're at it continually. Isn't Mr. Dunkley always mixing up a little of the modern jazz with the old musty classic-and Mr. Robb, the amusiiig with the serious, with his delightful little jokes that often li1't llr from the despairs of Algebra and Trig. And don't we love Mr. llaniia ln brighten our classes with interesting little events that are go- ing on under our very noses-to make our history live-in other words lo spring' clean it. 01' course we need dusting, scrubbing, polishing-everyone does- f'.-f-rj.' thing does. llut-Oh, bother,-all this is moralizing. l'd better yijw and beat those rugs! Pffgf- lfiglif

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THE OAKWOOD ORACLE Qutographs . Sandpaper it off I How often have we heard that command in the last few weeks? Are our desks, our books, and our P.T. shoes not cov- ered with these dreadful autographs? Do not Mr. Jackson and another very well-known teacher make our lives hideous nightmares becaus of them 'T Surely it is no crime to inscribe our names thus indelibly on the tops of those desks from which we rise, sometimes in fear and tremb- ling-sometimes to hurl missiles at a studious one who appears too intent on absorbing the knowledge from his text books. May not our auto- graphus. so skilfully written, prove an inspiration to students yet to come. 1 p ,O e Lives of great men all remind us, We can make our lives sublime And departing, leave behind us Footprints in the sands of time. Although at the moment, few of us contemplate leaving footprints in the sands of time for the encouragement and inspiration of posterity, still we do enjoy and benefit by our school associations. The unselfish manner in which our instructors perform their often difficult duties, should inspire us to greater efforts to carve our names, not merely upon our desks, but rather upon the scroll that at the end of our school days will mark the success which we have attained. The memory of the years spent at Oakwood will ever be refreshed by the sight of the names of our school mates so artistically UD in- scribed on the pages of the Oracle. Some of them may attain positions of great responsibility in life, thereby not only bringing credit to them- selves, but reflecting honour upon the school of which we are so justly pi-our. School Svpiriteggain! Much has been said in our halls during the year now closing con- cerning school spirit, how it was becoming a thing of the past and how the lack of it was slowly but surely undoing all the good work of those who went before. This rumour is enough to stop anyone's clock- sufficient cause for fear-and incentive enough to make the slowest of us quicken our pace, But is our school spirit dead ? lixactly six years ago, in the Spring edition of our Oracle, someone wrote an inspiring and awful editorial on this same subject. He de- clared that school spirit was, at that time, at its lowest ebb and pointed out the merits of the school when he first entered it. From his point oi' view Oakwood was doomed to become but a name in a very few years. bo you see, even in that period, the same old battle was being waged, and yet we have managed to keep on our feet and gain the envy ui' all. It is an established fact that there is always someone possessed with the idea that our patriotism is not as it used to beg perhaps that will always be the case. Ol' course there may be grounds for some of it. Our teams are so used to walking away with all honours, that when they do manage to suffer defeat, everyone becomes a pessimist. Page Ten