Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 24 text:

who were in each one. Immediately afterwards the first House meetings were held, and then the Houses were firmly established. Riddell House meets in Miss Cumming ' s and Miss Bryan ' s sitting-room in the House. We are grateful to them for allowing us to use it. We have a meeting whenever there is something to communicate to the girls, such as competitions. These have been most interesting. One was a Spelling Bee which Barclay House won. There were five on each team. The Third Formers proved that they were the best spellers in the School! Then we had a General Knowledge Test with twenty-five very interesting questions. The results of this we have not yet heard. Where usually in tests in class, girls have only been able to compare answers afterwards with their class-mates, in this test, one could hear older girls and younger girls through the school talking about the same test. Earlier in the season the Inter-House Basketball matches were played. We came second, beating Ross and Barclay Houses, and losing to Fairley. The Gym. Competition and Inter-House Tennis Matches are still in store but we are starting to practice already. On Field Day, there is to be a game for the Houses which promises to be great fun ! In the first adding up of points, Riddell House stood third with seventy-nine points. We thank Miss Cam, our House Mistress, for her interest and help. She made out a list, after the first adding up of points, who had lost points, and those who had neither gained nor lost, which was interesting to see. Purple is our colour; and the motto which we chose Facta non Verba — Deeds, not Words. Janet Slack, Marjorie Robinson, Heads of the House. [22]

Page 23 text:

ROSS HOUSE Suaviter in more, fortiter in re We of Ross House are proud of our name, for it was Mr. Donald Ross who founded Trafalgar School for Girls. He had planned to found a school named Ross Institute in memory of his mother, but on purchasing a site for the school and finding that it was known as the Trafalgar property he decided that the name of his future school should be Trafalgar Institute . The aim of Mr. Ross was the education of young women of the middle and higher ranks of society with special emphasis on religious and moral training as part of the curriculum or, as he said, to qualify young persons for discharging in the best manner such duties as ordinarily devolve upon the female sex . Each and every member of Ross House has entered into this working group whole- heartedly and has tried to be worthy of the name which our House bears. We all feel that we are most fortunate in having Miss Bedford- J ones, who is a Trafalgar Old Girl, as our House Mistress. The House has found her an invaluable aid, and we are glad of this opportunity to thank her for her great help. At the last reckoning of marks, our House was fortunate in having the highest average. Marks were gained by our members for many different achievements and good general work. Some of our girls won gym awards, some gave in needlework for the mission in the West, some made outstanding posters, and some were members of the different teams. During the Lent term, we had inter-House basketball matches. Ross House came third in the series. This inter-House rivalry stimulates great interest, and we look for- ward to success in the Debates, General Knowledge Tests, Spelling Bees and other friendly contests now in contemplation. We believe that the instit ution of the four Houses marks an advance in the life and work of the School and hope that, in future years, our successors, as wearers of the yellow badge of Ross House, will justify the high hopes we have for the steady progress of our House and the maintenance of its position. WiLMA Howard, Mary MacKay, Heads of the House. RIDDELL HOUSE Facta, non Verha We of Riddell House are very proud of our name, because it came from the first Secretary of the School — Mr. Alexander F. Riddell. Mr. Riddell held this position for forty- two years from the founding of the School in 1887, and he always fulfilled hi? duties faithfully. He was a close friend of the founder, Mr. Donald Ross. We hope that we will always be worthy of his name. The House System was a new idea this year, and we feel that it has provided more interests in the School. There was great excitement on the day in February when Miss Gumming announced the names of the Houses, and then read out the names of the girls [21]

Page 25 text:

OPPORTUNITY Johnny, spell opportunity. Opportunity, o-p-p ... and this word in his son ' s spelling, sent his mind back to a conversation over which he had been brooding. Smith, we, the Citizens Committee, want you to head a survey, to see what oppor- tunities we can offer the slum boys of this city, opportunities to live a good, wholesome, clean life. Afterwards Johnston had said, You owe it to us, and to yourself; besides, it will pay your debt to the Padre. He had promised to give his answer in a week. Johnston had laughed, Duty calls, you know , and left him. That lane, that was what had come to his mind, when they had asked him. That dirty, garbage-laden, rat-infested lane! His childhood playground, it had been. He remembered the day Tony had come and told him about a swell place to play. The Y he said it was. Just then Big Bill had come, and he said it was a sissy place. When Bill came along, Tony had run away. Then he. Smith, had gone home, and his mother had said something about the Y too. He had laughed her down and said he had better things to do. Better! That was a laugh! He remembered now how the corners of her mouth drew down, how she threw up her grey head. He ' d gone out that night. He met Tony — he almost went with him to the Y but Bill came along and yelled to him, and Tony ran away again. He crossed the lane and Bill outlined the plan. It sounded good. When they got there. Bill pushed in a window. The others went in and hauled out the till. They heard a noise and crept away. Behind a shanty they broke open the till. There were only a few cents in it. They all cursed, so did he. Then Bill handed out the cash, just a few cents each. He felt badly about taking it, but after a few nights, he did not care. One night the cops chased them. They caught a few of the gang, but neither Bill nor him. One night they tried a house. They woke the baby. That time they all were caught. How scared he had been on his way to court. His Mother was there; he hardly recognized her, she looked so broken. When he saw her, the Judge was speaking to her after the sentence had been passed. [23]