Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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The Branksome Slogan 25 It is always amazing to me, to see how many sadists there are gathered right here in the fa- mihar precincts of good old B.H. Their ranks are swelled by nearly all of our illustrious V form on the occasion of their mascot ' s weekly repast. If, by any hapj)y chance, the curiosity of some of you be- loved readers has been aroused, I will take this apportunity to explain. Our mascot is one, Aggie, an alli- gator of no mean repute. Aggie is not beautiful, nor yet is she even attractive. I think I might even go so far as to say (with humblest apologies to Hoyle , her one true love) that Aggie is undeniably ugly, x t best then, our Aggie is not an animal capable of arousing a pas- sionate love in the hearts of an} of us, but, since she represents $2.50 in cold cash, we tolerate her. Not willingly mind you, but we do toler- ate her. Aggie, unfortunately seems to be allergic to raw mince meat (can you blame her?) which should con- stitute the diet of any normal alli- gator worthy of the name, and so about once a week some one must needs trip down-town and return with 10c worth of live minnows to tickle Aggie ' s palate. She is then turned loose in her tub and with a loud cry of Gather round folks the zoology class stands waiting with bated breath while the unsuspecting representa- tives of the fish family are thrown in to meet a somewhat gruesome end. Aggie then swims leisurely around sorting out those of the largest size. The person who originated the saying ' ' here today and gone to lunch probably had just such a sit- uation in mind. Nothing would more aptly describe the little fishes ' disappearance into Aggie ' s cavern- ous mouth. Though we of the Zoo. class do not actually enjoy watch- ing this, the power of this gripping drama seems to hypnotize us and we stand motionless while the min- nows disappear one by one. My only hope is, that the belief in reincarnation is false. (Signed) An unwilling eyewitness, JOYCE BERTRA vI, Form

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24 The Branksome Slogan steaiixing coffee was pouring into my thick china cup. I found a chair and table in a corner where people wouldn ' t be apt to look at my shabby clothes and torn boots — silly for a man like me to have any pride isn ' t it? I felt the hot liquid seeping down my throat and it seemed to bring me new hope, new life with every sip. ' ' Take it slowly there— got to make it last! ' Oh those sandwiches look good, and look at that man at the next table shoveling in those baked beans — I could buy those ! But no, I can ' t, I mustn ' t, why I ' ve got tomorrow to think of — and the day after ! No, I must save my silver nickels. It gave me rather a sense of superiority to sit there, knowing I could buy food, but denying myself, not being weak and giving into my wants like those other people. All too soon my cup was dr} except for the moist sugar at the bottom, and my linger soon removed that ! The friendly warmth and light of this place made me realize how tired I was and how I longed for a home. Now take that man over there — I bet he ' s got a wife and kids, sure he has, look ! He ' s putting some of his sandwich in a napkin to take home to them. Well, I ' d better go, where? Oh, Central Park, I guess! VIRGINIA EDWARDS, Form V S DEEP SEA FISHING This summer I had an interesting experience which few of us from the inland provinces may enjoy. I went deep-sea fishing. We would rise about six o ' clock in the morning and provided that the seas were not too heavy, would set out in our boat for the open sea. It took about three or four hours to find a suitable fishing ground, usually about twenty-five miles from shore, out in the open sea. The bottom would be sounded by drag- ging a line along the floor between one hundred and fift} to three hun- dred feet down. When the spot was found, we would ])Ut on heavy rubber overalls, rubber coats, rubber hats, and coarse gloves, bait our huge hooks with whole herrings, and lower our thick co] ])er lines, dragged down by huge weights, to within six feet of the bottom. As soon as we felt a nibble, we would jerk our line and pull very hard. After the line is about twenty- five feet from the bottom, the fish can no longer be felt until it is almost at the surface of the water. There is no greater pleasure than to see a shining fish come up through the water after a long and tedious pull. The prize catch that we. had this summer was a fifteen pound halibut. This was not because of its size but because it is a fish that many fisher- men have never caught on a line in their lives. Besides this we caught haddock, cod, pollock, and many other varieties. With a catch of about twenty- five or thirty fish, all at least two and a half feet long, we w ould return home tired and hungry at about seven o ' clock. JOY FERGUSON (Form IVA).

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26 The Branksome Slogan Scottish Tradition Never before has Branksome Hall had more cause to be conscious jf her Scottish traditions and to feel justly proud of her heritage than in Ma} ' of this year. It is, of course, the coming of our King and Queen that inspires us to think of these traditions at this time. Queen Elizabeth of England, although born at St. Paul ' s, Waldenbury, her father ' s Hertfordshire seat, spent most of her childhood at Glamis Castle in Scotland. It was in this historic castle that the little princess, Margaret Rose, was born in 1930, to the delight of all Scotland. Glamis has the reputation of being one of the oldest and most romantic castles in Scotland, dating back to the tenth century and con- tains dungeons, secret stairways and haunted chambers. It also boasts many very interesting relics, among which is Bonnie Prince Charlie ' s watch and a bed ' Vhereon Sir Walter Scott lay beneath his tartan seeing ghosts ! Turning to another historical spot, Edinburgh Castle, we recall that, looking down from the ramparts, one sees Princes ' Street and the famous Scott monument dedicated to the memory of Sir Walter Scott. It is Scott ' s writing which has preserved such vivid records of Scottish history and tradition. I wonder how many Branksomites know how Branksome Hall in Scotland was immortalized in Scott ' s great work, ' The Lay of the Last Minstrel ? He tells us how Nine and twenty knights of fame Hung their shields in Branksome Hall , and that the gathering cry of the Scott clan was Mount for Branksome . Branksome lies upon the Teviot River about three miles above Hawick, and was the castle of the Scott family. As we all know, our own Branksome Hall was founded by a cousin of Sir Walter Scott and is, therefore, likewise steeped in these traditions. So that is how our school came to be known as Branksome Hall, and is also the main reason why we persist in preserving our famous clan system and are so proud of our clan standards and wall-boards. Thus, in greeting our King and Queen on Canadian soil, we of Branksome will be proud to feel that link of Scottish tradition with our Queen as well as upholding the British traditions of our beloved King. MARY E. PERCY, Form IV L