Eastern High School of Commerce - Eastern Echo Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 52 text:

Lord T7C'66LllSll1IliI' Twenty EASTERN ECHO

Page 51 text:

The Crown Jewels If the person who said, L'neasy lies the head that wears a crown, were thinking of the British Crown, he spoke a great truth. For the Imperial Crown. originally made for Queen Yictorias corcnation, weighs no less than three and one-half pounds. The chief jewels in it were taken from older crowns and from the Royal collection. The most famous jewel in the Crown is the Great Ruby. Since it was presented to the Black Prince in 1367, it has had an event- ful history. In 1415 it was worn by Henry Y in the coronet which encircled his helmet at the battle of Agincourt. After the battle it was found that a piece had been chipped from it. .VX tremendous blow. aimed at the King. had been turned aside by the ruby. Follow- ing is a list of the jewels in the Imperial Crown: 2,800 diamonds, 377 pearls, 17 sap- phires, ll emeralds and S rubies--a collec- tion which would make anyone forget. Tl10ll shalt not covet. .-Xt the Coronation, Queen Elizabeth will be crowned with the Queen Consort's crown -a golden circlet set with precious stones. The Queen Mothers crown has set in the front of it the famous diamond, The Koh-i- noor, or Mountain of Light. This stone has had a fateful history. Any man, so runs the prophecy, who wears it will be cursed with ill-luck. History records that no less than four Eastern rulers who wore it died a violent death. However, in 1840 the East India Company obtained possession of it and presented it to Queen Victoria, Prior to the actual ceremony of crowning, the Sword of State is girded on the Sove- reign. In the Regalia are three other swords -the sword of Mercy. which is blunt and unpointed: the Sword of Spiritual justice. which is slightly pointed, and the Sword of Temporal justice, which has a keen edge and a sharp point, emblematic of the sharpness and keenness of English justice. just before the King is crowned, his heels are touched with the Golden Spurs, which have no rowels on them. The consecrated oil with which the King is anointed is kept in the Ampulla or Golden EASTERN ECHO by OLIVE KAY, 451 Eagle. This is a vessel of gold in the shape of an eagle with wings out-stretched. The anointing spoon is also of gold, having a finely chased bowl, and in the handle are set four pearls. Four Sceptres will be used in the Corona- tion ceremonyfthe Royal Sceptre, with its cross of gold and jewels, which contains the largest drop-shaped diamond in the world: the Queens Sceptre, with the cross of gold and jewels. which dates back to the corona- tion of james Il, and was made especially for his consort, Mary of Modena: the Scep- tre with the Dove, which is borne in the Sovereigns left hand, and the Queens Scep- tre with the Dove. The emblems of sovereignty of the coun- tries of England. Ireland and Scotland are a pair of gold bracelets, first made for King Charles after the Restoration, .Ind then there are. in addition to all these wonders, the Orb of Gold. with a cross of jewelsg the smaller Orb of gold set with jew- els, which was made for Mary ll: the St. Edwards staff, which is a sceptre of gold. four feet, seven inches high, supposed, at one time, to have contained a portion of the true Cross: and the Queens Ivory Rod, mounted in gold and enamelled. Apart from the actual Regalia, but still a part of the Crown jewels, are several beau- tiful specimens of Royal plate, some of it as old as English Royalty, but some, in com- parison, quite modern-only two, three, or even four hundred years old. The Crown jewels are all kept in the Tow- er of London. heavily guarded. They are cov- ered by only a glass case, but any person who broke the glass would set the alarms all over the Tower ringing madly, Only one attempt to steal these treasures was even partially successful. In the eigh- teenth century, a Colonel Blood did succeed in making off with the jewels, but he was captured and executed. But more important, his loot was recovered, and relnains to-clay the outward sign of the majesty and splen- dor ol the British Crown. 7 Nineteen

Page 53 text:

-i-ite GOVZTDOT-GZDZVGI ' IVe are living in times when every eye is turned upon the central figure of the greatest empire in existence today-the King. In the past year there have been many occurrences which have made the position of King of England an especially outstanding one, In Canada, we turn our eyes instinctively upon the only visible link between us and that great figure-the Governor-General4- the Kings Choice! The position of Governor-General is, with the changing times, increasing in difficulty. There are now so many more demands upon his ability, practical experience and wisdom. Radio, newspapers and the higher education of the common people and their increased knowledge and interest in the affairs of the government and country as a whole, all com- bine to change the position of Governor-Gem eral from a figure-head to that of a very ac- tive and responsible person. Fortunately for Canaria a man who mys- teriously possessed an assemblage of these qualities was found. He is no other than the beloved john Buchan, the admired and re- spected Lord Tweedsmuirf The Eastern High School of Commerce needs no introduction to John Buchan, the author. The English Department has surely exhausted every source of information regard- ing him. A glimpse at our library or at the current book reviews will again tell the story. Indeed his literary fame as a novelist, bio- grapher and essayist has almost obscured his merits as a poet. However, Lord Tweedsmuir is certainly not a bard of inferior quality for at twenty-three he was awarded the Newdi- gate prize for verse. Of his many poems. From the Pentlands, Looking North and South , is regarded as the finest work. The recent announcement of His Excellencys of- fer to establish an annual Tweedsmuir award for the best poem published in the Canadian Poetry Magazine is a notable event in Cana- dian literary development. .Xs a novelist he is probably best known to us. It is rather interesting to know how some of these came to be written. john Bu- chan had long cherished an affection for that elementary type of tale which Ameri- cans call the 'dime novel' and which we know as the 'shocker'. And again in his own words, f'During an illness last winter I ex- hausted my store of those aids to cheerful- EASTERN ECHO - I 1 by RUTH CARLIN, -XG ness and was driven to write one for my- self. That was how The Tlzirty-Nine Sfcpr came into existence. Since then there have been many more, But it is as a biographer that John Buchan will go down in history. He has left us some immortal and unexcelled works in: Sir llliltcz' Scot!! Oliver Cl'0HIIl't'H. .lIoniroxc, and Till' Kings Grace, Gwiijgt' V. In the preface to .lln11froxc, Lord Tweeds- niuir wrote: .lly aim liar flfllll fo prr'.u'1il tl grew! figzzrr in itx tzpprnprialf sctiiug .... I riimmt lznpf' In find -for mv itictmr Illlf- cwzrfzl tIt't'1'pftlIItY', lui! ilzrfv lltI'Z't' not l7l'l'II l't'Ill'lIf'll tuifliozn' an rtiriicri tlffflllpf to discoiw' tlzf' fruflz. These biographies have fulfilled that aim :rod that earnest attempt to discover the truth has 'been appreciated by millions. The fact that. as -lohn Buchan, he turned his mind successfully to practical business as an active partner in the publishing house of Thomas Nelson and Sons, again shows the versatility of our Gtmvernor-General. This should endear him still further to the students of Eastern Commerce for obviously he has covered some, if not all, of the ground that we hope some dzty to be covering in the business world. To enumerate a few of his achievements, Lorfl Tweedsinuir has been to date: novelist, poet, administrator, adviser, publisher, par- liamentarian, lawyer, soldier. lecturer, sports- man, justice of the Peace for the County of Oxfordshire, and Curator of the Oxford t'ni- versity Chest. His accomplishments are seem- ingly endless. 'l'hus it is apparent that no previous Gov- to Canada more ernor-General has brought ability, practical experience and wisdom than exceedingly for- Lord Tweedsmuir. We are tunate in having him. It is to be hoped that he will remain with us just as long as he is willing, and that. as long as he remains, he may be appreciated to the extent that he deserves. As the Coronation draws nearer, may the students of the Eastern High School of Com- merce come to a fuller realization of the im- portance of the time in which they are living and may their reactions be in accordance. Let us rise and offer a toast to the King, and to his Representative in Canada-Lord Tweedsmuir! Twenty-one