Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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LITERARy The Forgotten Kingdom ' HE last rays of the setting sun shone through the stained glass windows of a spacious room and fell directly on a glass case. A girl was examining its contents. At last her searching iingers found a deep green stone. Turning around, she held it up for her friend to examine. The sunbeams seemed to strike the stone, sending out a myriad sparkling diamonds. This gem, said its owner, is one of our most prized possessions. It was found by my brother on an island near Greece. This island is quite small, and is covered with thick vegetation. No one lives there or knows anything about it. Yet my brother found this beautiful gem. Perhaps some rich traveller exploring the island lost the stone out of a ring. No, it had never been in a ring. Many centuries ago it had looked down upon a race of people dwelling on the island. It had glowed upon many generations. To some it seemed cold and cruel, to others warm and bright; but always mysterious and fascinating — for it was one of the eyes of their great god Sirol At the height of its prosperity, the town had been a very beautiful one. The forested Mount Siro, with its lower slopes covered with grape vines and olive trees, served as an excellent back ' ground. In the foreground the bright blue sea curled into white wavelets on the beach. The houses were large and built of white stone. Each house had a spacious lawn, sometimes a fountain, but always flowerbeds. The people were very fond of flowers. The cool, moist woods and shady trees relieved the dazzling white of the streets. Built on the slopes of Mount Siro stood the temple. Its walls were of white marble carved in intricate designs. Its garden was the most beautiful in the town. Fountains threw their sparkling waters into the sunshine; flowers grew in profusion, filling the air with their fragrance. The inside of the temple was even more beautiful. It was dark and hushed. The very silence could be felt. The roof and floor were of mosaic work. Faint tapers flickered in the gloom. At the end of the room, on a black marble throne, sat the god Siro; he was made of pure silver. On his head he wore a cap of jewels; his face was that of a man; his expression was both sinister and fascinating; his thin lips curled in a mocking smile; his eyes glittered; his body was clothed in a garment consisting of precious jewels; in his hands he held a bowl in which incense burned. Thus sat Siro, watching his people from generation to generation. It was the night of a festival. The moon, a silver disc in the sky, accompanied by a host of stars, shone down on the gay scene below. The dark waters lapped gently on the white sand. The sound of laughter and music floated on the breeze. Coloured lights glowed amongst the foliage of the trees. Suddenly great volumes of smoke issued from Mount Siro. Then flames of [ 13 ]

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THE school year has rolled round to a close once more, much to the delight of some and the sincerest regret of others. The expression time flies has often been quoted; but it takes the last year of one ' s school days to make one realise the truth of this saying. The longer one stays at Trafalgar the more fond one becomes of the school and its ways. It has a background built of wonderful traditions standing for all that is fine and true, and many of the noblest Canadian women have been, and are, old girls. Every day the highest standards neces- sary for good community living are held before us, so that the training is educational in more than one way. All these combine to throw down to us who are leaving this year, a very real, sacred challenge, and we are setting out with the determination to play up, play up and play the game even as those who have gone before us have done. Miss NichoU ' s return to England caused us many regrets. She had taught gymnastics for many years, and had become very well liked by all the girls. Her place has been taken by Miss Booth, who is extremely popular with us all, and has been termed a good sport and lots of fun. The school was very proud to have Winnifred Kydd come and speak at the end of April. It is rather awe-inspiring to think that, out of the two women delegates chosen to represent their countries at the World Disarmament Conference held in Geneva, one should be an old Traf girl! Hearty congratulations are due last year ' s graduates for the places they achieved in the Matri- culation Examinations. The list was headed by Barbara Dean, and our next girl was Joan Henry. This class brought real honour to the school and we are justly proud of them all. A remarkably keen spirit has been shown in the sports this year. The basketball team has done particularly well, not having lost a game, and so once again we have won the Inter-School Cup. Hockey and tennis have been renewed with enthusiasm, and the Juniors played a great deal of badminton. Altogether this has been a very successful year, and we, who are leaving, hope it may continue through our Matriculation Exami nations. [ 12 ]

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fire burst forth, leaping madly into the black sky. A convulsion seemed to rack the mountain; the top burst off; and a stream of burning lava hurled itself down the mountain side, sweeping all before it; straight for the temple it rushed. Amidst the thunderous roaring, Siro sat calmly and unmoved. Yet his eyes glowed madly and triumphantly as the temple began to quiver; for Mount Siro had come to claim his namesake! Soon, where once a flourishing town had stood, there was only a field of red hot lava. Many years rolled by. A traveller attracted by the island ventured to explore it. There he found a green stone which blazed at him like an eye. The people of that island had believed that Siro would never die; and perhaps they were right, for the eye of their god still lives and glows in an English mansion! Dorothy Brooks, Form IVa. Richard (Ehgy on the Death of a Favourite Turtle) 0 come, ye muses, haste ye to my aid; For I must write upon the passing of My dear friend, Richard, of the noble heart. Fair to look upon, noble, brave and strong; More daring than Ulysses who took Troy; Thou ' st faced as many dangers in thy time As Theseus and the ten young men in Crete, As Perseus who conquered the Gorgons And saved the fair Andromeda from death. But now thouVt gone, alas, and left My life forever. How can I live without Thee, thou most loving playmate of my youth? We used to sit before the crystal lake And dream of nymphs, of Neptune and the sea. We wandered o ' er the lee and in the wood. And fancied we saw fawn and elf and dryad; Then over hills and vales we rambled on — Ah, then was life the flow V of childhood ' s joys : But now thouVt gone and I am left to mourn. Though mayhap on that dreary night (for so It was for me) thou found ' st a better home. 1 picture thee in sweet Elysian fields; Mid yellow cowslips, ox ' eyed daisies gay, A crown of crimson roses on thy head. And resting on a bank of moss and thyme. If thou art happy Til not wish thee back. For ' tis thy pleasure I would ever seek Because while with me thou wast ever true; Was e ' er a turtle lovelier than you? Nancy Murray, Form Upper V2. [ 14 ]