Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 29 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A HOUSE GIRL In glancing through a copy of last year ' s Slogan, we notice an article in which the many virtues of that body known as ' the day girls are extolled, and the thought strikes us, But what of the boarders? Surely they are worthy of mention! Of course, they are! So, although those who know us might say the fact of our importance goes without saying, for the benefit of those who are more ignorant of our doings, I shall endeavor to relate the varied and thrilling events in a day from the life of a boarder. I suppose one would say that the day begins with the ringing of that instrument of torture known as the rising bell — although, apart from its ringing, nothing else seems to happen. Silence settles over the house once more — to be rudely disturbed when the warning bell goes some time later. Well, then something does happen — a mad rush for clothes, soap and water, and then the stairs ! No — not for breakfast, for, being energetic people, the boarders must first indulge in exercise and fresh air. This is obtained in the form of the morning run, whch is not always as popular as one might suppose. However, all things have an end — even the morning run ! After breakfast comes an interval, during which our house- keeping ability is displayed — rooms are tidied (maybe!) and beds are made. Then comes school — but why think of it? Everyone knows how enthralled one is with following the thrilling experiences of Caesar, A C or how absorbing a task it is to prove — = — . Four hours of such B D delightful pastime and school is ended for another day, while we are the richer for a few more facts concerning such things as the Punic Wars and the Ablative Absolute, or by a few more returns. However, after lunch, the w orld seems a brighter place to live in, and this fact is intensified in the minds of those who are lucky enougfh to get mail, while those who aren ' t, console themselves. Pollyanna- like by saying: Oh, well there ' s another mail to-night! A long, long afternoon — which can be spent in various ways that one may or may not like. Of course, there is always the walk — there is sure to be ! This may be avoided in several ways — sometimes by getting a return, by playing tennis (if you are lucky enough to get a court in time), or by going to Yonge Street (if you happen to be a Senior or Prefect). So the afternoon passes — for some there are the pleasures of Yonge Street; for others, the pleasure of waiting for t he study bell to ring, which it does at four-thirty. Then in study everyone seems to believe in the truth of the state- ment, a little learning is a dangerous thing — for some try to grasp huge quantities of knowledge, while others seem to think it is easier to avoid both. the learning and the danger!

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28 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN bearable trials they had undergone, and although it was seven hours until the last man relieved his thirst, not a man pushed ahead, but each waited his turn. At last, the Crusaders were camped outside the Holy City, and preparing for the siege. Wanting some eggs for breakfast, the officers sent out the battalion cook to forage in a nearby village on the left. Strolling innocently to the right, he came at dawn on what seemed a very thriving village with tall minarets and domes outlined against the morning sky. Looking along the white road running be- fore him, he saw throngs of people standing at the city gates to wel- come him. On his entering, the people stopped shouting, and a black gent in a white nightshirt offered him a bunch of keys, which he un- wittingly refused and returned to report at Brigade Headquarters. Without waiting for the end of his story, the Brigade-General ordered his horse and his aide, and galloped away to accept the sur- render of Jerusalem. After the usual formalities, the Brigadier- General got on his horse, and galloped away to report to the Divi- sional Headquarters. However, this ceremony was deserving of a Divisional-General ' s dignity, and he accordingly drove off in a shining Rolls-Royce with a shining staff to receive the keys (which in the meantime had been returned). The Mayor, perplexed, made another presentation, and the General a speech, while the people cheered louder than ever, and driving home, he reported to the Commander- in-Chief ' s Headquarters. The reply came back that Lord Allenby himself would receive the city, and further preparations were made for the surrender of Jerusalem. In two days. General Allenby rode up to the Holy City, and dismounting at the gates, walked through the narrow Oriental streets. The Mayor, still more perplexed, again went through the presentation. Lord Allenby made a gracious reply, and the people cheered wildly. The keys of the Holy City were re- ceived in those hands most worthy of them. Unhappily, the strain was too much for the Mayor, who broke down under the stress and died of influenza two weeks later. But one of the most interesting facts involved in the capture is the fulfilment of a three-century-old Arabic prophecy, worded : W hen the waters of the River Nile pour into Palestine, the Prophet from the West shall drive the Turk from Jerusalem. Allenby was called the Prophet by his native troops, and w as not the waters from the Nile pumped to Jerusalem? And so ended the last crusade and only the first and the last had proved successful, and now peace and freedom reign in the Holy Land for the first time in 500 years, concluded Major Gilbert. Having been an actor before the war, he was able to impersonate vividly a blustering colonel or terrified recruit, and he rendered to perfection the dialect of the cockney cook who first brought back the amazing talk of surrender. Dramatic, interesting and amusing, Major Gilbert brought home to us the undauntable spirit and loyalty of the soldiers of the British Empire ; the magnetic personality and ability of General Sir Edward Allenby, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty ' s Forces in Palestine. KATHLEEN WILSON, Form V.

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30 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN Dinner is always an interesting event in a boarder ' s day, and speculation as to the menu is a favorite pastime en route to the dining-room ; how ever, even if there isn ' t ice cream for dessert every night, there is sure to be mail afterwards — for some people! Another brief — all too brief — respite, then a bell informs us that the big event of the evening is about to take place, and everyone rushes downstairs to engage in same. Oh, study, of course ! Nothing could take the place of study, and without it, our lives would be empty — of trouble ! Study speaks for itself, even if we can ' t speak in it, so why dwell on it? However, eight o ' clock finally comes, and with it — relief ! For, study over, we can now spend the rest of the evening in the pleasant occupation of talking, or of reading — or even of eating, if w e haven ' t already consumed all our edible possessions. Nine-thirty comes all too soon, and darkness and quiet actually reign once more in Branksome ; and as we drift to realms of slumber, the thought comes to us that it certainly is a fortunate thing to be a boarder at Branksome — even if one has to study occasionally! MURIEL MUNN. Form V. SHALL IT BE THUS? The crossword puzzle — how innocent it sounds ! But what will it to do the world if its popularity continues to increase with such vast strides as it has in the past year? Even description or definition fails to give one the full significance of it. As a result of the great vogue of the crossword puzzle, it would be w-ell if we looked into the future, say a century from now, to see what the world will be like, if this ever-increasing vogue is not completely checked before it becomes a menace. Therefore, let us view the lives of the people living one hundred years from now, and see to what extent they have been influenced by the crossword puzzle. We all know how interested the children of our day have become in crossword puzzles, and so we should not be surprised to find the children of 2025 being taught in school by the means of the puzzle. Their history will, of course, be very different from that which we groaned over in our youth. To them William the Conqueror will not be noted for his conquest of England, but as a definition for Normandy, his birthplace. Cleopatra will no longer be known for her famous wooing of Anthony and Caesar, but as a definition for the Asp, which, no doubt, will read in a manner somewhat like this — A three-letter word, the means by which Cleopatra ended her life ! The definition for cherry tree will, of course, include the celebrated name of George Washington. How ever, that he figured in the American Revolution will hold no interest for the child of the twenty- first century. Literature, too, will be changed. Instead of Pilgrim ' s Pro- gress, the dictionary will become the most widely read book in the world. And, as a result of this, the signs along the highways