Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

Page 33 text:

THE ASHBURIAN [31] THE RUSTIC MORALIST By H A. BARENDS HE poets sing of April, and May, raising her sweet-smelling head from her soft, warm pillow, and bathing the tired world with her balmy per- fume of pleasant sunshine and multi-coloured flowers, and so on. But poets or no poets, old Ezra, who all winter has sat creaking his rheumatic limbs by the warm stove in mother Fish ' s kitchen, has actually walked to the village Post Office. This is a sure sign that spring has arrived, and that Ezra ' s bones have lost some of their raspings. In a few short days the younger generation will begin its spring ritual of making love amid the moon-glow and the gentle pulsing of scent-laden breezes which set the heart on fire and make even the ugliest duckling appear a second Venus in the eyes of her rustic companion. Yes, Spring is a wonderful creation, and it certainly does its part in reliev- ing weary people and making them forget their toils and sorrows for a short space, for the few hours they have to remember — and forget.

Page 32 text:

[30] THE ASHBURIAN Impromptu.

Page 34 text:

[32] THE ASHBURIAN BASEBALL VERSUS CRICKET (Or Vice-Versa.) By J. B. KIRKPATRICK WHY is it that people always pick on the poor little game of cricket and insist on comparing it with baseball? Why not be original and start a little argument about Tiddley-Winks, or Forty Winks, I just forget the name of the game, versus Shy Sadie, sevens wild. In both cricket and baseball, if it is necessary to compare them, the players try to hit the ball. Very unsuccessfully in baseball it seems, but at least they try to hit some distance, whereas in cricket one can, with a certain amount of prac- tice, just give it a gentle tap and be sure of a hearty clap from the spectators. To be an umpire in a cricket game it is necessary to be a human semaphore and to be able to wave one ' s arms about after the manner of a skilled contor- tionist. But on the other hand one need never fear being hit on the head by a hot dog that has been soaked in mustard. The English crowd at a cricket game is very nice in this way. for they appreciate the feeling ' s of the umpire. They know he does not want to go home and take a bath to get the mustard off, for he might miss tea or at the very least only get there in time to be given a cold cup and a very dry bath bun. So being ladies and gentlemen they don ' t put any mustard on the hot dog. Of course the American baseball umpire never takes a bath anyway. I have known some to go around for over a year with a bit of dry mustard and a withered hot dog behind the ears. To the Americans cricket is a silly game and not worth playing ; to the English baseball is a stupid game and not worth playing. I am going to leave the Americans playing baseball and the English playing cricket, and I refuse to hinder them in their little games. Personally if I was questioned as to which I thought was the greatest of all games, I should undoubtedly say Blind Man ' s Buff!