Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 25 text:

THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 23 classes sent me $27.17, which reached Mnkti safely and has been ack- nowledged. Would not the other classes like to follow their example? The enclosed will tell you something of the wonderful native Christian woman whose whole life has been devoted to the orphans and child- widows of India, to whom our gifts are sent. The teachers of the various classes would be pleased to read the story to you, and an Easter offefing of thankfulness to our Loi ' d for all His death and resui ' re ' tion means to us, would encoui ' age Ramabai, and would be well pleasing to our Father in heaven. It was a great pleasure to receive at Xmas from several former Bi ' anksome girls and some of my fi-iends, gifts of money for Rama- bai; they knew that would give me much moi e pleasure than any- thing personal. Oh, that Branksome wei-e represented in India by doctoi ' s, nurses, teachers, and evangelists, chosen and called by CJod for this work from among the Alumnae! MARGARET T. SCOTT. MEMBERS OF THE STAFF, PAST AND PRESENT Miss Scott went out last June to spend the winter in Vancouver. She sometimes sees there Miss Minty, Miss Miller and Miss Ramsay, who were at Branksome in Bloor Street days. Miss Ramsay is teach- ing in Vancouvei ' . On June 12th, a fai ' ewell luncheon was given in lionor of Miss Gfardiner, Miss Shand, and Mademoiselle Chaubert. The luncheon for fourteen was prepared and served by Myrtle Evans and Helen Ross, two of the Domestic Science Graduating Class. On Wednesday, June 25th, at Old St. Andrew ' s Church, Toi ' onto, the marriage took place of Miss Jessie Starr, a former member of the staff, to Mr. Russell Norman McCormick, of Ottawa. Miss Gardiner went home to Scotland last summer ' , and is living in Edinburgh with her father. Mademoiselle Chaubert went back to her own school, Les Fou- geres, in Lausanne, Switzerland, last July. The school, which was closed during the war, reopened last fall. AVe were glad to welcome back to Branksome, on January 30th, Miss Nora Mackay. We were only sorry that her time in Toronto was so short, and so very much filled that we had to content ourselves with two or three flying visits. Miss Read spent the Easter holidays in Bermuda. Miss Shand spent Easter in Toronto. Her many Branksome Hall friends were delighted to see her again. One of the pleasantest in.ci- dents of her visit was the children ' s party given by Miss Tyrrell, for Juniors whom Miss Shand had known at the School.

Page 24 text:

22 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN A MESSAGE FROM VANCOUVER Miss Cole has suggested that I send a message through the ' Branksome Slogan to ' ' our girls, past and present. As I raise my eyes from the pages, I see in the distance the mountains that shut in Burrard Inlet — Vancouver Harbor — to the north, with many snowclad summits rising in lofty and solitary grand- eur away behind, and the strange rock formations tliat seem like two couchant lions, side by side, overlooking and guarding the li arbor, and I feel inclined to tell you something of tlie natural beauties of Vancouver and vicinity; but you will see these for yourselves when you visit British Columbia, and this will be more satisfactory than any word-picture. So I shall tell you about something you cannot see for yourselves, but which will, I hope, make more impression upon your heart and mind than the most lovely natural sceneiy in the world. Your little sisters in India, for God ' ' made of one blood all na- tions — and remember, India is part of the British Empire, and they are thus bound to us by another tie — these little sisters are in great need of the assistance that you, out of your abundance, can give them. Multitudes of them are orphans or child-widows in conse- quence of famine, plague, desertion, or the heathen laws and super- stitions of Hinduism. In great mercy, God has raised up some who, for love of our Lord Jesus Christ and love of the little ones, give their lives to caring for them, gathering them into homes, feeding and clothing, teaching and training them, so that they become good and useful women. You and I cannot do this, but it is our privilege to assist and to make this blessed work possible, by sending them part of our tithe; this is our opportunity. In India at present, the missions are all bearing the extra burden of a very heavy rate of ex- change, so that our gifts should be much increased. A quotation from Manoramabai ' s January letter will give a clear idea of the situation in India. She says, We have not been sorry to say good-bye to the old year for it has been perhaps the hardest we have known; the high prices, the tremendous loss of money in the exchange, and the starv- ing, hungry people all round us have been hard to bear; but it seems as though in these last days, God is testing His people, and we know He is working out something beyond description both in our earthly lives, and in the life that is to come. Looking back, we can say His grace has been sufficient, and His hand has brought us through. We had no presents of any kind to give to our girls this Xmas, but I think they were just quietly thankful and grateful that they had at least no lack of food, and all seemed very happy on Xmas Day. The outside people came as usual and we had very little for them; just some parched rice and dried dates, but they were grateful and seemed to understand that we would have given them more if we could. It was good to see how they now understand why we rejoice at Cliristmas time, and to realize that they now know Christian hymns, which once they would not have listened to. T am lhankful to have been able to send Ramabai three drafts since last September, totalling £22, and have now almost enough for another draft. Just before Xmas Miss Robinson ' s and Miss Reynar ' s

Page 26 text:

24 THE liliANKSOME SLOGAN 1919 SUMMER CLOSING Tlie sixteenth animal summer closing of the school was held on Monday, June 23rd, in the Rosedale Presbyterian Cliurch. Tlie pro- gi ' amme consisted of choruses by the school, a solo by Dorothy Young, prayers by the Rev. Dr. Neil and Captain Paulin, and addresses by Di;. Bruce McDonald and Brigadier-General Gunn. The following prizes were awarded: — Junior School Primary — General Proficiency, Aileen Stairs; Second General Pi ' ohciency, Lois Plant; Neatness, Theodora Mickle. Form 1. Junior — GJeneral Proficiency and Neatness, Margaret AVitheis; Neatness, Sally Baker; Poetry Prize, Margaret Withers. Form II. Junior — General Proficiency, Georgina Tliorburn ; Second General Proficiency and Neatness, Violet Muloc] ; Improvement in Wi ' iting, Sylvia Cayley. Form III. Junior — General Proficiency and Neatness, Margai ' et Donald and Madeleine Mara ; Improvement in Writing, Catherine Morden; Drawing Prize, Margaret Donald. Form IV. Junior — General Proficiency and Neatness, Dillwyn Warren; Second General Proficiency, Helen Chitty; Drawing, Emily Tliorbuiii ; Nature Study, Betty Francis ; Improvement in Writing, Kathleen Coots. Intermediate — General Proficiency, Elinor Bone ; Neatness, Lenore Gooderham; French, Elinor Bone; English, Margaret Wilson. Senior School Foi ' m I. Senior — General Proficiency, Goldie MacLauchlan and Madeleine De Blois; Neatness, Kathleen Lewis. Form II. Senior— General Proficiency, Elizabeth Scott and Phyllis West; Neatness, Helen AVright. Form III. Senior — General Proficiency, Marjorie Bone; Neatness, Helen Rutherford. Form IV. Special, Senior — English Prize, Isabel Read; Improve- ment in Neatness, Helen Ross. Form IV. Senior — Neatness, Marion Kirkpatrick. Form V. — English Prize, Myrtle Evans. Current Events: — Form I.- — Madeleine De Blois. Form 11. — Jean Ganong, Florence Thompson. History of Art Prizes: — Form III. — Italian and Flemish Schools, Isobel Watt; Honorable Mention, Marjorie Bone, Helen Rutherford. Form IV. Special— P ' rench and English Schools — Dorothy Young. Honorable Mention, Isabel Read, Helen Ross, Margaret Mclnnes. House Prizes : — Scripture — Edith Burchell, Isabel Read, Dorothy Young, Mar- garet Maclean. Scripture (French liouse) — Sybil Croll, Eileen Odevaine, Houston Scott. House Neatness — 1st, Muriel Shewan; 2nd, Madeleine De Blois; 3rd, Helen (Jhitty. French House Neatness — Lesley Bryant, (yourtesy Prize — Margaret Mclnnes.