Charlotte High School - Delphian Yearbook (Charlotte, MI)

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DELPHIAN, ' FIFTEEN man attached, and feel for a couple of hours like a pampered mem- ber of the British aristocracy, or if you are beset by the American love of haste you may reach the summit by the much shorter and less idyllic route — the elevator. From Prospect Point you look dov n seven hundred and fifty feet upon the city and the harbor. On a clear day the hills of Vermont are visible. We leave Montreal in the early evening and proceed eastward through the level and peaceful country now gloritied by the rose- ate colors of the setting sun, reminding one of the land of Evan- geline. If the traveler is not held up in a river mist he reaches Quebec in time for breakfast, if he is so detained he reaches it a little late for dinner, as we do. However, as we drive up the narrow, hilly, cobbled streets to our hotel we feel fully compensated for any delay for, although Que- bec has many features of a modern city, yet the atmosphere of the old French regime still clings about it like the odor of lavender in old lace. Quebec, the Gibraltar of the New World. and the only walled city on this continent, has an unsurpassed location overlooking the St. Lawrence. It consists of an Upper and Lower Town with a grade of about two hundred feet between. Crowning the heights of the LTpper Town stands the magnificent Canadian Pacific Hotel, Chateau Fron- tenac, built in the semblance of a medieval castle and fitting into the .surroundings like a solitaire in a perfect setting. Before the Chateau runs the wonderful promenade, fourteen hundred feet long, known as the Duft ' erin Terrace, which is ter- minated at its eastern end by the beautiful statue of Samuel De Champlain. He stands there with his mantle over his arm and his plumed hat in his hand, saluting, like the true cavalier that he M as, the Canadian soil. As we sit upon the Dufferin Terrace after nightfall, with Lower Town and the river beneath us. the lights t-wnnkle in the town of Levis opposite, the Quebec-Levis ferry boat, far below us, crawls like a huge glow worm back and forth. The gay crowds pass by in a never ending procession, and the strains of music from the Chateau orchestra float to our ears. Back of the Chateau looms up the Citadel, or fortress, with its frowning guns, garrisoned by a contingent of Canadian soldiery. The churches of Quebec, though not magnificent, like those of Montreal, are equally interesting. There is the English cathedral, with its exquisite chancel window, one of the finest pieces of stained glass on this continent ; the church of Notre Dame de Vic- tores, built in 1682, the Franciscan church, and many others. The Franciscan church has in connection a bazaar for the sale of the art and needle work done by the deft fingers of the sisters of the

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DELPHIAN, ' FIFTEEN policemen ' s helmets. Even the oatmeal with which we are familiar becomes porridge after it crosses the line. Toronto is a beautiful and busy city, with a water frontage on Lake Ontario. It has many beautiful parks and splendid public buildings, and the fine spirit of its people is well symbolized by the motto which hangs in the office of one of its principal hotels — Life is never so short but that there is always time for courtesy. We l)oard the steamer at six o ' clock for the trip across Lake Ontario and awake the following morning to find ourselves at Kingston, the West Point of Canada, and thence pass out into the waters of the majestic St. Lawrence, named by Jacques Cartier in honor of his patron saint. Soon the tirst of The Thousand Islands, with their charming summer homes, begin to appear and pass in rapid succession until nearly noon, when we change our steamer for one built to run the rapids, which break the smoothness of the river ' s course to Montrea l. Shooting the rapids is no doubt a di!ficult feat of navigation for the ship ' s pilot, but iov her passen- gers it is no such thrilling and terrifying experience as we had expected to encounter. The rapids seem much like the white caps on the lakes: but in the last, or Lachine Rapids, the dangerous rocks are more visible; however, these are soon passed and we glide under the arches of the majestic Victoria bridge, into the harbor of ilontreal. Montreal is more foreign than Toronto because of its larger French population, and it is rich in memories of the olden days when the banner of the Fleur de Lis floated over New France. Yet it is a British city also, and its splendid public buildings, especially its banks, look as solid and enduring as the British empire. Montreal has been called the City of Churches. and contains, some tine specimens of ecclesiastical architecture, among the best being Christ church. Episcopal. St. James. Roman Catholic, biiilt after St. Peter ' s, and Notre Dame, also Roman Catholic, a copy of the famous Notre Dame in Paris. We experience a real thrill when we enter the portals of Notre Dame and stand within its magnifi- cent interior, with a seating capacity of ten thousand, and Ave are impelled to even bow our heads in the spirit of reverence which great churches have inspired in the souls of men throughout the ages. Back of the city lies Mount Royal, from which Cartier viewed the country when he gave the settlement its name. This elevation is now a beautiful mountain park with a winding drive of nine miles to its summit. For the sum of one dollar you may traverse this path in one of the supremely comfortable victorias, with coach- — 11 —

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DELPHIAN, ' FIFTEEN order, and the younger sisters themselves in their garb of white wool, hood of white satin, and ivory urucifix, are fit subjects for the artistic brush. The city fairly reeks with historic associations. AVe drive out to the Plains of Abraham, where the great battle was fought ])e- tween ilontcalm and Wolfe for the possession of a continent. We see the old house where Alontcalm had his headquarters and the liouse which was the residence of the Duke of Kent, Qiieen Vic- toria ' s father, during his sojourn in Canada. Nor is our own his- tory forgotten, for we are shown the spot where Montgomery fell and the house to which the wounded Benedict Arnold was taken after the ill fated American attack upon Quebec in 1775. There are numy (juaint old houses and narrow streets to claim our attention. We ma,y drive about in t)ne of the vehicles of the olden days, the Caleehe, which is a two wheeled affair painted areen. with white wheels, having a seat for the driver in front and is reported to have a motion resembling that of a roller coaster. The gateways, also, which open out of the city walls, are interest- ing, especially the l)eautiful St. Louis gate, erected by Lord Duf- ferin in 1873. All pul lie signs in Quebec are written both in English and French, and we find that many of the people of the Province of Quebec speak no English at all. The ragged urchins who call the papers on the Terrace pronounce the French nasals with a facility that excites our admiration and envy, and even the Spearmint signs advise us in French to Chew it after every meal in the same old way as they did at home. Time forbids to tell of the charms of a trip to lontmorency Falls or to the village and chur(di of St. Ann de Beaupre, where many miraculous cures are performed every year and where we see a sight unique in America, the Scala Sancta or Sacred Stairs. These devout pilgrims ascend on their knees telling their beads on every step, in remembrance of the fact that Christ ascended the steps before Pilate. Quebec is the termination of our journey and our story, and we return home feeling that Not any view that nature present ' s for the human contemplation and admiration can surpass the match- less beauty, the scene from Old Quebec. Lillian E. Howard. AMATEUR PICTURE FRAMING What in the world is the matter with you. Brown? asked Smith, as they stood waiting for a car. Brown had five or six fingers fantas- tically enveloped in rags, and wore an expression of deepest despond- ency. Matter! growled the victim. Don ' t you see these fingers? How — 13 —