Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

Page 12 text:

Brentwood College Magazine The Bygadsbys, a laughable take-off on life in the Indian Service, was done in a very finished style both as to costuming and artistry, by the repre- sentatives of Grade XII ; while the Prefects trial scene, in which they subtly disposed of Christopher Columbus and Guy Fawkes, provoked sustained applause. After the interval, a surprise number listed as Christmas bells, elicited much favourable comment. From behind the drawn curtain issued forth the air, and accompanying harmonies, of four well-known carols executed most cleverly on hand bells. We felt a little regretful that these capable bell- ringers should choose to keep their identity hidden ; however, we realized that the effect of the carols might have been lost if we had been able to see the bodily contortions, not to speak of the facial expressions, of the modest participants. The singing of the group of songs by the choir revealed a splendid spirit of co-operation. The attack was sure and the tonal effects quite pleasing. The assurance with which the group sang London Town and Come to the Fair clearly showed that everyone was thoroughly enjoying the effort. In contrasting mood, they rendered the plaintive negro spiritual Goin ' Home with care, and thought to time and colouring. The last item on the programme, under the heading of Christmas carols was entirely misleading. As in the past, we were quite prepared to assist the choir in singing the old favourites ; however, the scene which the curtain rose upon removed all desire for participation — the atmosphere had swiftly chang- ed. No longer were we assembled in a school gymnasium enjoying a twenti- eth century Christmas entertainment; instead, we had been cleverly trans- ported into the England of Wycliffe ' s time. Eight monks, singing 14th century Latin carols were seen slowly wending their way towards a series of steps that flanked the base of a closed cathedral door. As the final strains of the Ad Cantum were dispelled, we became aware of the Adeste Fideles being sung ever so faintly, by an invisible choir. Slowly the double doors of the Cathedral opened from the inside, and a surpliced choir of boys emerged from within, to take up their places on the stone steps which led up to the door. The grouping of the singing monks and choir-boys, in their contrasting habits, was such as to direct our attention to within the edifice where, in beautiful simplicity, a gold cross on a white altar could be seen in the background. As the final Venite Adoremus found its way from the scene we felt that here, for a brief time, we had recaptured the true spiritual significance of the Christmas message. Page Ten

Page 11 text:

Brentwood College Magazine III. Ol ' Man River. Danny Boy. Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes. Twenty-Third Psalm. The singer also obliged with the Albert Hay setting to the Lord ' s Prayer which had been much appreciated when he sang it in the Chapel on the Sunday before his recital. To the sustained applause which followed, he sang Old Mother Hubbard, a song written in the Handel style, Water Boy, and Now I Have Sung My Songs. On Sunday, May 29, over two hundred guests attended an organ recital held in the school Chapel. Mr. Edward Parsons was at the newly installed Hammond Electric Organ ; Miss Parsons, soprano, and Mr. D. Wickett, tenor, sang a group of songs. The recital was preceded by a shortened form of Evensong, which was conducted by Rev. A. G. E. Hendy. Members of the school, together with guests, filled the Chapel almost to capacity. PROGRAMME Organ — Prelude and Fugue in E Minor Bach Choral Prelude Bach Soprano — I Know That My Redeemer Liveth..... Handel Organ — Second Andantino in D Flat Lemare Tenor — If With All Your Heart Mendelssohn Organ — Procession du St. Sacrament Chauvet Soprano — O Lord Most Holy Franck Organ — Meditation Klein Tenor — Sound an Alarm Handel Organ — Larghetto S. S. Wesley Grand Chorus in G Minor Guilmant After the recital a reception tea was held in the library, presided over by the Headmaster and Mrs. Ellis. THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT THE entertainment this year was infinitely better than any effort of recent years, largely due to the fact that each grade in the school was repre- sented on the programme. This resulted in more than half of the boys in the school taking part. The performance opened with a lavishly staged and costumed travesty on the Pyramus Thisbe scene from Midsummer Night ' s Dream hilarious- ly enacted by the members of Grade X. The modern Babes in the Wood — a cleverly executed piece of pantomime done by Grade IX. — was enthusiastic- ally received. Grade XI was represented by a black-face artist who told us of the wretchedness of being born a twin. Page Nine

Page 13 text:

Brentwood College Magazine HE object of this trip was to obtain as much general geography of the main section of Vancouver Island as possible, and to have a good time along with it. When travelling by bicycle one sees at least three times as much as travelling in a motor car. Our equipment consisted of two English bicycles, fitted with gears, a small tent, sleeping bags, extra clothing and a number of small essentials, excluding food except butter, salt, pepper, and the like. By this we carried as little weight as possible. As it was our packs weighed 40 pounds each. We started on Friday, July 2nd, 1937. Our destination this day was Parksville, 100 miles distant, and although one of us felt a little backache at first, it gradually wore off. It was quite hard going the whole day and when we reached Parksville, having bought our supplies for the next three meals we felt worn out and ready for a good sleep. The next day we set out for Courtenay. To our disgust we struck a heavy shower of rain that morning. However it cleared up in the afternoon. Of course we had to make time, to arrive in Courtenay early enough to buy supplies for Sunday and Monday morning. W e camped on a tiny creek just outside Comox. The next day we went to the Elk Hotel to see Mr. Osier who invited us to stay to lunch and at length for the night. After lunch we went out to see H.M.C.S. Fraser. That night we had an immense dinner and then retired. We had had a wonderful rest and so we were quite ready for our next ride back to Parksville the following day. As we left the Hotel we got a fine view of Comox Glacier, which looked perfect on such a wonderful day. Past Royston the roads were rather poor but that did not seem to slow us up and we arrived at Parksville in mid-afternoon. We set out for Alberni the next day. Cameron Lake, which we passed on the way, is very dreary with high mountains on all sides. We passed on through Cathedral Grove, and the gravel roads were quite decent. Going up the Alberni hill we got a ride from a passing truck. Mount Arrowsmith was right beside us all the way up and it still had snow on its peak. We came down into Alberni at a terrific speed and after visiting Port Alberni we landed up at Sproat Lake. Here we got the keys to the house of a very kind relative. The day had been pretty hard so we turned in soon. The following day we made friends with our next door neighbors. Wo obtained a boat and set out to explore the lake. It is a marvellous place so we spent the next week having a wonderful time here. We lived in absolute luxury and did just as we liked. There was a store not far away so it wasn ' t much trouble to get our food. Page Eleven