Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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THE ASHBURIAN 9 VALEDICTORY The following is the text of the Valedictory delivered by Edwin Pilgrim, Captain of the School for 1944 - 1945, at the closing cere- monies on the fourteenth of June, 1945 : IRST of all I would like to say how very sorry we, the boys of Ashbury, are that Mr. Archdale is leaving the school this year. For the past nine years under his leadership and guidance the school has progressed in scholastic standing, in numbers and reputation. We bid him a regretful farewell, and we wish him to know that our thoughts will be with him in his new work. We now have with us a new Headmaster, Mr. Ogden Glass, who we have every confidence will help us carry on and reinforce the Ashbury traditions of 'honesty, courage and comradeshipf This year an epoch in the history of the world has closed with the end of Nazi domination in Europe. Ahead is a new era, an era which We can make one of peace and happiness only if we are trained and prepared to Work for it. During the most crucial years of the War we who are leaving Ashbury today were being trained, as it now turns out, to assume our share in the great task of forging the peace. Our education has not been of the class-room alone. We owe to Ashbury far more than mere schooling, we have been given here an understanding of humanity, of people of all types, of different nationalities, different points of view. Abinger and other boys from far-off distant lands have taught us the truth that deep within themselves people are funda- mentally the same, to whatever race or country they belong. The comrade- ship, the team spirit, the friendship we have gained from working and living and playing together-this also was our education. We have learned to do things for ourselves and for others, we have learned to command and obey in dignity and good temper. Our life to come will not be easy. We are going out into the world, some for a While to war against the Japanese, all, we must hope, to war against such foes as greed, corruption, ignorance and poverty of mind and body. Here at Ashbury We have been given the tools to fight these evils. For we have learnt that in the years to come, though troubles and sorrows may press hard upon us, we must ever bear in mind those stirring words of President Roosevelt 1 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'

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THE ASHBURIAN EDITORIAL OR more than five years the German people, self-deluded into the belief that it could rule the world, has made of Europe the living hell of a vast concentration camp. It has in- volved mankind in a struggle which has cost the lives of more than fifty million peoplwas though three hundred cities Ottawa had been totally Another war, directly in- whole of mankind in the the size of wiped out. volving the unspeakable destruction of the atomic bomb, must mean the end of civilization as we know it. We must face this fact, it means that no effort can be too great to make and maintain a lasting peace. It is up to us just as much as to anyone else. You will ask What can we do? We can have no influence whatever in world affairsg we have not even a vote. But it is especially up to us to make ourselves well-informed and sensible citizens, for it was the ignorance of the German people which enabled Hitler to gain power, and, of course, he retained it largely by keeping them ignorant. A recent Gallup Poll in Canada showed that twenty-one per cent of those interviewed were unable to explain what Democracy isg that forty per cent had no idea what Free Enterprise means, and that sixty-two per cent were unable to define Socialism. We, who will be the voters of to- morrow, must .change this state of affairs, so that we may use our vote to the greatest advantage. How, then, can we make ourselves good citizens? First of all, of course, by doing our work at school as well as possible, and by taking interest par- ticularly in history and current affairsg for if we know how the particular system of government being offered us has succeeded before Cthey have all been triedb, we may reasonably expect it to have the same success or failure again. To know what is going on around us in the world is equally im- portant, for even more obvious reasons. Let us, therefore, take hold of our- selves. Let us develop in ourselves that ordinary common sense and ability to think clearly which are the best defence against all manner of future ideologies and war-mongering. The Lord helps those who help themselves 3 and if trust in God, and do our best, we cannot - we must not - fail. WG Father in Heaven, who lovest all, O help Thy children when lhey call, That they may build, from age to age, An undefiled heritage.

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THE ASHBURIAN I The Late LIEUTENANT COLONEL .I W H ROWLEY KILLED IN ACTION MARCH 26th 1945 I