Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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30 THE BRANKSOME SEOGAN results of the sups came out! Everyone looked jolly and happy, and I decided that it might not be so terrible after aP to give up the dear old school-life at Branksome for that at Varsity. (Needless to say, I never have that feeling when I am over at School, or meet any of the Elouse of Lords !) That first afternoon we went to hear the President ' s address at Convocation Hall. Everything was certainly lively there ! A number of us went in together and were carefully — and loudly — counted. Then, just as we got seated, a hapless Freshman elected to sit near the front. Instantly cries of Pass him up sounded, and before our admiring eyes dozens of willing ' hands lifted him. to the skies, then FFt him down again in his new place, right side up with care ! It certainly was a funny sisrht. Every Freshman who came in that way was passed up. The i ery green and fresh ones struggled madly to keep their feet on the floor which, of course, was utterly impossible. Others, after a futile grab at thin air, abandoned themselves to the inevitable. Others, who had been to boarding-school, we decided, went up quite gracefully, one or two even waving to the assembled multi- tude! Between the passings up the different college and year yells were given, and the uproar was delightful, especially when it was accompanied hy numerous groans. When the Faculty came in and seated themselves, there was a breathless ' moment, and I expected God Save the King, but no — Toronto, Toronto, Toronto, Varsity! We ' ll shout and fight for the Blue and White And the honor of U. of T. A riperty, a raperty, a ripertv raperty re, Toronto, Toronto, Toronto Varsity! Just that shout coming in perfect unison from hundreds of strong throats, in that domed building, was about as impressive as anything I ever heard. There were no groans that time, be- cause everyone there felt that it was the best yell of all, the one in which all could join together. When we first started lectures things seemed hopeless. My first notes are utterly ridiculous jumbles of nonsense, but I soon got to know what were important points and to let the others go. It was also dreadfully embarrassing to be stamped and clapped when we came into a lecture, but we soon made a point of going early to some lectures. One thing which amused and mixed us was the seemingly endless number of societies to join, meetings to attend, lists to sign, fees to pay, and— notices to read! Some people say thev can always tell a Freshette because she reads all the notices, bnt

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THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 29 Let ' s look as if we were quite used to it and didn ' t feel a bit nervous, we said. So we tried to adopt an extreme!} non- chalant expression, and marched up to the sacred portals of that most dreaded, and afterwards most loved, of institutions, the University of Toronto. Of course I think the standpoint of any girl who has lived in the city all her life cannot be that of a true Freshette, for she knows so very many of the irls at Varsity, in comparision with a girl who has gone to school in some far-off town all her life. Nevertheless, I am sure my inward feelings were quite ' •fresh and green enough, even if my outward appearance was a little more composed than that of some others. We were very fortunate in having someone to take us round to register and enroll nearly all the time. But, if we were left to our own resources in the halls for more than a minute, we felt like fish out of water. We did feel at home, it is true, in the cloak-room, where only a few months before we had taken last despairing looks into a Latin book or European History, and had gone in to an examination resolved never to forget that 476 was the date of the fall of Rome. Five minutes later we were debat- ing whether it was the Battle of Adrianople or Chalons! The East Hall also had a familiar aspect, and we recognized with delight the dear, beautiful, ugly old Indians, who line its walls. They had certainly been inspiring when we wanted to write ' ' solch un ' ' for ' ' such, a, in a French exam ! Now, however, in that hall beautifully printed signs were tacked up in different places with French, Oerman, La tin, etc., inscribed thereon. And we stood in line and wended our way very slowly up to the Registrar ' s desk to receive the precious little cards which w e must not lose under any consideration. Then we went to the tables under the various signs and the pro- fessors there said: Monday, 2 to 3, room 65; or Tuesday, 9 to 10, room 6; or Friday, 10 to 11, West Hall. We gazed helplessly at one another and said: Yes, Monday, from 6 to 5, room 2 or 3, but Tuesday? The poor man sighed, and repeated it all over again, only to leave us in a worse muddle than before ! At last it was over, and we had leisure to look around. Stately Seniors stalked about in gowns and directed poor, be- wildered Freshies. Here and there a happy group of friends gath- ered, who had not met since the spring — or perhaps since the

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THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 31 I ' m sure we should have missed a great many lectures and meet- ings if we had not carefully scanned the notice board every raorning. It was a dreadful blow when we heard w e had to wear gowns ! It seemed as though we should be most frightfully conspicuous in them. As far as we could see only Seniors wore gowns, but soon the very good Freshies adopted them, and now it is quite a common sight to see three or four gowned females hastening down the corridors with yards of black material flow- ing behind them. It certainly gives them a learned and academic air, and I do not think it will take us long to get used to them. The first year elections caused much excitement. There was a long list of nominations, and we felt very important as we went up to the West Hall to cast our votes. As soon as we got any- where near the door we were met by an army of men, holding out cards on which So and So for President, or So and So for Treasurer, etc., was inscribed. A manly voice said, May I solicit your support as Councillor? We said Certainly, grasped his card, and two seconds later gave the same promise to someone else. Then we went up to a table where two grave-looking indi- viduals sat, one of whom signed and handed out a long list of nominations, and the other looked up our names in a fat book and crossed them off. We tried to retire with our slips and make our little crosses in peace, but about a dozen men crowded around, saying, Vote for So and So as Athletic Director. He ' s the best man in the year! We marvelled at the vast number of best men there were! I might say here that all males are men at Varsity, whether they are boys of sixteen or so, whom you have always considered mere children, or real men somewhere near thirt} It makes no difference, there are no boys at Varsity, and even the girls are spoken of as w omen ! The morning after the elections everyone crowded round the notice board to see the results. There were cries of delight or groans of disgust as the different names were read out. But the year of 1T6 felt itself quite big when it was able to talk of Our Executive. It seemed then, as if we really belonged to things and were just as well organized (in our own opinion at least) as the Sophs, our worst enemies and dearest friends. And we feel we have this advantage over them, that we have a whole year more than they have before us in which to make good. A. E. MARIE PARKES.