Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute - Breezes Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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34 D. M. C. I. BREEZES lion innocent men lost their lives; where millions died in the filth and horrors of trench life; where millions met death in a thousand ghastly shapes; the miseries of men scream¬ ing in agony at their wounds, the shell-shocked, the blinded, the dis¬ abled and the maimed? Was not the organization of the League of Na¬ tions of vital importance to prevent any such future struggle? Must we continue to have future wars, or are we going to prevent them ? The war- clouds are again rising as in 1914 and we would not like to see the destruc¬ tion of our civilization which has al¬ most reached the peak of its glory. Must not, fellow countrymen, a strong determination to prevent war be made? and is not the League of Na¬ tions the only means of nations to get together and bury their animosi¬ ties, settle their international dis¬ putes and problems, and unite in the furtherance of peace ? Is it not our duty to give our whole-hearted sup¬ port towards the maintenance of the League of Nations ? Listen to the lament of Viscount Grey, that if there had been a League in 1914 there would have been no war. Is it not that the League does what the gov¬ ernments desire, and that the League can succeed only if it has the right attitude ? This, fellow citizens, de¬ pends on you who elect these govern¬ ments. Is it not true that public opin¬ ion first rallied round the League as the sole hope of a shipwrecked world, and is not public opinion the heart of the whole matter? Does it not behoove you, my Canadians, to do your utmost to assist the League by whatever means possible, and prevent future wars? How many wars could have been prevented or avoided in the past if the quarrelling governments had been persuaded to wait a little while until their differences had been settled by an impartial body, and the whole matter had been given some publicity! Think of the huge debt and the enormous cost involved in the past wars. In round figures the last war cost four hundred billion dollars. To illustrate what this gigantic sum means, Mr. Mulholland recently stat¬ ed, “You could give to every family in Canada, United States, Australia, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany and Rus¬ sia a home costing $2,500, with one thousand dollars’ worth of furniture and five acres of land at a cost of one hundred dollars per acre; and in addition to that you could provide for every city over two thousand in population in all the countries named a library costing five million dollars, a hospital costing five million dollars, and a University costing ten million dollars. Then you would have a sum left for investment in perpetuity at 5 % per annum sufficient to hire one hundred and twenty-five thousand nurses, and one hundred and twenty- five thousand teachers, and still have sufficient money left to purchase and pay for everything of value in France and Belgium!” This enormous sum of money could have been used instead by the countries involved in war for the development of their varied in¬ dustries. Let us prevent future strife and unnecessary wars and let us, by means of the efforts of the League of Nations, have peace. A. H., R. 18. Among those who spent the 24th of May week-end at Selkirk are—Jim Duncan, James Duncan, Jimmy Dun¬ can (Apologies, Jim.) Wanted—A mechanical apparatus to do Geometry propositions and, if necessary, to report at four. Apply to Room 13.

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D. M.C. I. BREEZES 33 be told how to spend our leisure time ? As a people we, like our triends to the south, are largely faddists in rec¬ reation. At first it is the professional, then the amateur, then the ridiculous, goofy golf, table tennis, now yo-yo. Anything for diversion and immedi¬ ate excitement. No blame to us. We need it. Recreation must be pursued somehow and somewhere, so if we cannot drink, cannot smoke, cannot read or play professional, let’s play yo-yo. It is of no use any longer asking whether one leisure or recrea¬ tion is revenue bearing. We don’t want such leisure. We play as ama¬ teurs—for the good of the sport, and our recreation is a diversion of spon¬ taneous expression of natural procliv¬ ities, or animal complexes. Hence, bludgeon the first man who speaks any longer of planning one’s leisure hours, and massacre all who would standardize recreation. It is our own sweet time to do as seemeth us well. E. H., R. 58. THE ADVENT OF MORNING The morning stars are fading fast As o’er the hills, a gleam, at last Of bright sunshine beams forth To brighten Mother Earth. The Watchman high up in his tower Has called the last long nightly hour; The nightingale in rest and ease Slumbers among the trees. The cheery lark has ta’en his flight, And o’er the world the soft, bright light Steals softly, warming all things through And drying up the dew, Until at last all things do rise; Above the dawn, high in the skies The sun in glory doth appear, Glorious, golden, clear. W. S., 58. AN APPEAL FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS Fellow Canadians! Thirteen years have elapsed since mankind witnessed the most dreadful catastrophe in the history of civilization, and almost thirteen years since the formation of that most powerful peace-making ma¬ chine, the “League of Nations.” The most blood-life struggle that tried all nations had ended and resulted in the establishment of an International Peace League. Was that disaster es¬ sential to the European nations of 1914? That disaster where ten mil-

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D. M. C. I. BREEZES 35 French Department LE COIN FRANCAIS C’est la premiere fois qu’apparalt dans notre journal “The Breezes” un coin frangais. D’autres brochures ac- eordent une place au frangais et parce que cela semble etre aussi utile qu’agreable, le staff a decide d’en faire l’essai dans notre journal. Sans doute nous ne nous attendons pas a avoir un succes extraordinaire au debut, mais nous esperons qu’avec le temps le coin frangais aura une reelle attraction pour nos lecteurs. Avant d’aller plus loin, il faut avouer que nous avons fait des emprunts dans deux journaux frangais: “La France” et “La Liberte,” pour nos fantaisies, anecdote, et poesie. A NOS ELEYES: De A. Brou, S.J. (Art et Foi) Lorsque le tableau noir se barbouille de blanc, Qu’un nuage de craie, enveloppe la chaire, Et que vos yeux heants, comme porte cochere, Suivent le flot de grec qui s’en va ruisselant. Vous pensez quelquefois: “Nous ferons maigre chere, Et ce grec tant vonte n’est pas tres regalant!” Mais attendez encore; le vrai travail Et le labeur est dur sur un sol en jachere. ; Laissez, laissez pousser les grains menus et secs, Paradigmes abstraits, mots sanscrits, latins, grecs, Syntaxe etouffant net 1’herbe de fantaisie. Ils eeloront sans bruit les germes enterres, Ils vont faire eclater la glebe, et, vous verrez! Ce que je seme en vous, c’est de la poesie. ANECDOTE: II y a quelque temps, un malfaiteur s’introd.uisit dans la maison d’une vieille dame qui, croyait-il, vivait seule et etait trop impotente pour pouvoir se defendre. II pensait done avoir toute facilite pour cambrioler sa maison; mais voila qu’au moment ou il arrivait, menagant, pres de la vieille dame terrifiee, il entendit dans la piece voisine une voix aigue qui criait. “Servez . . . servez le dejeuner, Alphonsine.” Et une voix plus forte qui repon- dait: “Bien, madame. Tout de suite, ma- dame.” Le voleur s’en fuit aussitot, comme il etait venu. Et savez-vous qui parlait ainsi? Tout simplement le perroquet de la vieille dame, qui avait souvent entendu ces phrases et les repetait volontiers, car il etait gourmand! De “La France.”