Elmira District Secondary School - Oracle Yearbook (Elmira, Ontario Canada)

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Compliments of JUMBO ICE CREAM KITCHENER WHOLESALE RETAIL 361 KING ST. W. FREE DELIVERY DIAL 2-2763 DENTON STUDIOS SUPPLIED ALL PICTURES FOR THIS BOOK Commercial, Portrait and Panoramic Photography KITCHENER, ONT. 163 KING ST. VUEST DIAL 2-1325 - 8-8678 BANKING SERVICE ' I Is an Everyday Necessity SAVINGS ACCOUNTS-For investment or special- purpose funds. CURRENT ACCOUNTS-For Business and for Personal or Household Disbursements. I SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES-For securities and valued papers. MONEY ORDERS, TRAVELLERS' CHEQUES, DRAFTS LOAN.S -Business or Personal C including instalment Loansl ' All Banking Services are Available to you and your active use of them will be welcomed. The BANK of NOVA SCCTIA Established 1832

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fri-IE ORACLE 69 BOTANY Although man has gone into the depths of chemistry, nature has not given him the key to the process of manufacturing starches and sugars from moisture and carbon dioxide. Since nature has retained this secret, man is dependent upon plants for his existence. The great civilizations of the world developed where conditions fav- oured the growth of rice, wheat and corn. Botany progressed slowly be- cause it had to depend upon phy- sics and chemistry for its develop- ment. While studying the struc- ture of roots, stems, leaves and fiowers, we found the microscope and magnifiying lens indispens- able. The High School has provid- ed two Busch microscopes and a set of magnifying lenses for the pupils. There is also a very good set of slides at our disposal. The first attempt to classify plants was made by Theophrastus of 370 to 285 B.C. Since his time thousands of plants have been classified. In our course this year, while studying the classification of plants, we began with a one-celled plant, the Thallophyts. Far up the scale we studied plants with very elaborate fibro-vascular systems by which food could be carried from the roots to the leaves. ' The scientific study of plants effect our modern life greatly. In agriculture, by scientific selection and the crossing of varieties, our grains and other plants have been greatly improved. Though much progress has been made, we must remember that mother nature has retained her truly great secret. ' - ORMA STEVENS, Grade XIII MATHEMATICS Boom! a United States coast battery fires a shell in target prac- tice and scores a bull's-eye fifteen miles out at sea. Construction gets under way on the new Peace bridge spanning the Niagara. Man rides the skies at thirty thousand feet. In short, the seven wonders of the world are sinking into oblivion. This has been made possible by the highly complex science--Mathematics. Whence its origin? Since 2000 B.C. mathematicians have created, developed, and compiled the fac- tors of this science-consisting of four branches: arithmetic, alge- bra, geometry and trigonometry- until today it is one vast compli- cated subject. The more we study mathematics, the more interesting we find it. It provides a solution for our curiosity whether it con- cerns the size of the earth, the distance of the stars or the time of the onset of the seasons. Such a curiosity, accompanied by neces- sity, is responsible for its origin. It was created, it is believed, by ancient priestly calendar makers. But mathematics is not only a factor for the solution of our curi- osities. Its importance in our lives is, perhaps, greater than we rea- lize, for it is the foundation of trade, the essence of exchange, the cornerstone of engineering, and, above all, the basis of educa- tion. Without mathematics none of the exact sciences could exist. Ships, cars, trains and the more modern aeroplane and submarine are brilliant products dependent in every detail on mathematics. Unfortunately, nations in our time have co-ordinated mathema- tics with the development of explosives and have used them

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THE ORACLE 71 with frightful havoc into their own destruction. This, though, is not the fault of the mathematicians or the chemist. It is the product of ruthless dictators foolhardy for fame. Such, however, is eclipsed by the useful ways in which mathematics has been employed. J oHN Momus HOME ECONOMICS The first of the term found our girls busily engaged in the most necessary of domestic achieve- ments-cooking. We shall admit it was not all first-rate, but that is only to be expected as man-y of the girls have not had a great deal of practical experience in cooking in their homes. On the whole, though, the Grade X girls have turned out some very delectable meals. Very likely, most of you have noticed the appetizing aro- mas seeping through the bottom of the Home Economics door on the days when the girls were in the midst of preparing a meal. They have not only showed their aptn-ess in cooking, but also in such lines as laundering, keeping the Home Economics' room clean and tidy, and also sewing. In connection with sewing, the first work attempted this year was in the line of crafts. Hemstitched, linen guest towels were made in very pretty pastel shades. They were cross-stitch, embroidered in contrasting colours, and, when finished, looked very attractive. The next sewing accomplishment was the making of lingerie. It was the daintiest and perhaps the most difficult of all the sewing done so far, this term, as there were many varieties of stitches and seams involved in it. A The Grade X Home Economics girls are also willing Red Cross ff' workers and have completed sol- diers' personal property bags, which were made of either chintz or cretonne. They have now been given the pleasant privilege of making the drapes for the Home Economics Room. This room has not had drapes since the school was built and we are sure they will add even more to its attractiveness. The girls are now in the process of making them, and they are being made in a shade to harmonize with the wall treatments and furnish- ings of the room. They are all hoping the drapes won't take too long as they are planning next on making skirts. After this, the girls are eagerly anticipating such activities as an afternoon tea, a Red Cross Bazaar, and also a mannequin show. CONNIE D1LLoN - THE RE'PORT-CARD EPISODE' 1941 On the night of January twenty Glum faces could be found a-plenty. While Father read, my knees just shook, He passed it to Mother and said, Just look! Then Mother read and said, Why, dear, I thought you were doing better this year. Dad spoke in a voice which made me meek: No more skating three nights a week. Next morning as I came up the walk, I heard an abundance of similar talk, By the time I reached the upper hall, My father and mother were best of all. -ADAM HACKETT