Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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DAYBREAK IN THE FOREST In summer time First streaks of dawn Wake singing birds And fleet-foot fawn; And forests ring With echoing sounds. The mischievous monk ' With all his chatter, Swings, tree to tree, Mid fuss and clatter ; And kangaroo Makes leaps and bounds. The lion comes Out from his den. Beware ! He doesn ' t count ten, He would not wait For any man To pack his bag Or use a fan. Then too the elephant Lets out his trumpet And gallumps Down to the river ' s edge. To take his Morning shower. The crocodile, A lazy brute. Dives down below To change his suit; Then in his best He comes above. With white kid glove And purple flower; To wait his prey Is his intent. Most animals Look forward to A morning dip In water blue, Or brown, whiche ' er The case may be — They do not mind — In creek or sea, At dawn of day In summer time. SARAH SYMONS, Form I 26

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The Branksome Slogan 25 The evenings are long and cool. The sun goes down in a gorgeous farewell, brightening the still water with its glow. The daylight fades and the stars come out. The shores of the lake are dim and shadowy. From far away comes the lonely cry of the whip-poor-will. The frogs begin their gutteral chant. The moon silvers the hushed lake and tips the pines with silver. Not all the days, however, are so perfect. Some mornings are grey and damp. A grey mist hangs over a grey lake. Towards noon the rain begins to fall — -a grey rain. The woods have an earthy smell. The rain drips from the leaves of the maples and oaks. Towards evening the rain stops and the clouds part. The sun bursts forth, making the trees and grass sparkle. The air is clear and fresh after the rain. Storms in Muskoka are frequent. We had a very bad storm last August. In the afternoon the air was sticky and suffocating. The sky was lazy and the lake was still. Towards evening the sky grew black and sheet lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Suddenly a wind sprang up. It rocked the pines and roused the lake. It swept leaves from the maples. The rain came down, harder and harder. Lightning zig-zagged through the clouds. The thunder crashed. Darkness fell ominously. Gradually the rain slackened and stopped. The thunder became muffled. The lightning became less frequent. At intervals the rain would begin, then stop. Gradually the storm passed over and the clouds broke up. The next morning was cool and clear. When I think of Muskoka I can see clear, deep water lying calm beneath a sunny sky; lonely hidden bays lovely in the moonlight; sun-splashed pines swinging in the west wind. All these sights are dear to the heart of anyone who has ever lived there. HELEN Mccormick, Form IV A.

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Eat, Drink and Be Merry For To-Morrow We Diet Every once in a while around ye olde schoole there takes place what might be called a discarding of the superfluous. During this period of ' ' off with the old and on with no new the theme song up and down Branksome halls is ' ' No, No, A Thousand Times No! and everyone ' s aim is to be a mere wisp. In all probability this outburst is prompted by some Romeo mentioning that he Loves you from Coast to Coast. The girls, aroused by this insult to their general outline, decide that something must be done to reduce their individual girths. This is not an idle vow. The process of starvation, com- monly known as diet, begins, accompanied by strenuous and tortuous con- tortions called reducing exercises. Unfortunately, this course is beset with difficulties. They arise some- times in the form of members of the staff who, rather than see you waste away before their very optical membranes, urge you with the greatest emphasis, accompanied by expressions of horror, to indulge in five peas instead of one, or to stretch a point and have a full square inch of potato. As you slyly munch a piece of dry toast, or attempt to slide the dessert to a non-reducer, you are constantly in danger of outside interference. This is very dangerous as it encourages secrecy instead of the frankness and openness usually found around Branksome. It is therefore suggested that reducers be humoured, and if you starve to death you will know better than to do it again. Then, too, Satan, the old rascal, presents himself in the form of delightful concoctions, so many of which exist (sometimes for days) in this fair school — prune whip, mauve fluff, peach or banana surprise, and the like. No matter how much you try to avoid him, he is ever present, giving you playful shoves toward your doom. Other difficulties are those monstrosities (metaphorically speaking) who sit beside you at meals with their ninety pounds and their No matter what I do I just can ' t put on weight, and who make rude remarks like : How do you do it ? I wish I could get fat ! and before your very eyes go about to attain their end by stuffing themselves most shockingly while you must say, I have had sufficient to my suffonsification. It is true that a course in slimming has its compensations. There are always a number of girls who are helpful during this time of hardship; for example, at recess as you sneak out of the office clutching your self-forbidden bun, suddenly, like lightning, it is removed from your eager grasp and you go on your way scarcely knowing that you ever possessed one. We suspect 27