Essex District High School - Argus Yearbook (Essex, Ontario Canada)

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THE ARGUS ANNUAL deplorable, but to change it would quite spoil the effect. “Then why do you sob like that?” I asked. “I’ve gotta,” he wailed. You have to!” I ejaculated. “Well now. that is a bit thick you know, old fellow. Why. bless my soul, what a bally nuisance that must be: and why. may I ask?” I’m destined to go on sobbing for¬ ever. the Thing mourned. Woe is me!” “Who are you? I asked, suddenly remembering that we had not been introduced. I am Professor Obadiah Horatio Q. Withersnall, of the—.” “I know.” it said disconsolately. “Oh you know,” I replied, pondering for a moment as to how he could know, “and who are you? “The ghost of a man. or maybe it ' s a woman, who knows? he said som¬ brely. T don ' t know who it is. No¬ body ever tells me anything. “You do not know of whom you are the ghost? I asked, feeling rather annoyed that I should be uttering so ridiculous a question. The other ghosts tell me that I’m the ghost of a man who had a terrible memory. he explained, “and I’ve in¬ herited it. Me couldn ' t reTnember his name and now I can’t either. I guess he must have been a professor. Pro¬ fessors are quite often absentminded. I’m told.” I ' ll have you know, sir—’’ I began, but interrupted myself. After all. one cannot quarrel with a voice. “Go on.” I added. The other ghosts think it ' s a great joke and they won ' t tell me. he then .-.aid bitterly. He seemed so utterly miserable that I sobbed in sympathy with him. There, there, old chap. I said, “don ' t take it to heart so. After all. what does it matter who your—an¬ cestors are. I dare say that it what you would call them, eh what? 1 re¬ flected for a moment here, racking my brain for a suitable name to apply to the relationship between the living person and his, ghost. ft matters a great deal to me. he mourned. Even a ghost must keep his social prestige, you know. After all. a horse thief’s ghost, for instance. couldn ' t associate with the ghost of Baron Dentinthehead. could he?” “No. 1 dare say not,” I answered, mopping my brow. This conversation was becoming rather difficult and I was hoping for an avenue of escape. Then a most happy thought hit me. Why don’t you read the grave- • toue? I asked, infinitely relieved to be able to help him. That doesn’t seem to do any good, he wept. I always forget again!” At this I raised my hat and proceed¬ ed on my way. After all. a mere pro¬ fessor can be of no assistance under conditions I ' ke that. My tale is over, dear readers. Whe¬ ther you believe it or not is of no con¬ sequence to me. If you have been in¬ terested. be sure to read my next in¬ stallment concerning the Ghost Who Knew All , which tells how the ghost in this story is enlightened as to his identity. —Alice Taylor. III-C MUSIC An Essay Music is a:i expression of the soul. From the earliest times music has ex¬ pressed in mankind that which mere words could not be made to do for him. The understanding of music does not depend on technical knowledge but upon the reaction of the listener. Of course, technical knowledge can aid him to understand more rapidly as it strengthens his memory and enables him to fix impressions my naming them. Primitive conditions were unfavour¬ able to the development of music. They gave the first musical attempt a mysterious power over listener and musician by awakening instincts which are hidden deep in every person. It i ■ hardly surprising that music long re¬ mained so imperfect, as its legendary power was portentous even in the hands of so supremely artistic a rac n as that of classical Greece. What wonder this backwardness might still rouse in us vanishes when we realize the extreme difficulty of the process by which the principle of modern mu¬ sic was established. Archaic music is of two kinds, the unwritten or spontaneous, and the re¬ corded or scientific. The unpremedi¬ tated lyric which we call folk songs

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THE ARGUS ANNUAL Row upon row of books filled this elderly gentleman’s office, yet occupy ing the place of honour, was a group of gilded portraits. All the members of our old staff smiled serenely down from the canvas. The dignity of ex¬ pression. and the excellence of form were carefully wrought by the master artist. Raphael Sadler. A long row of push-buttons on the wall controlled countless contrivances throughout the school. One machine automatically printed seating plans: there was another machine to compare examination papers with a certain standard and mark them in this man¬ ner. A large dial controlled a tele¬ vision set. through which any student in the school could be “bawled out for missing his subway and thereby being late. In one corner was a ma¬ chine in which one could speak and a minute later be presented with a type¬ written sheet of the words just spoken. Again, off through gaily-coloured halls as long as streets, he led me to the auditorium. It was a great am¬ phitheatre. seating thousands, with a stage in the centre for plays, concerts, boxing and wrestling. Here, too, was a screen for moving pictures which were shown every day as a diversion for the students when the work be¬ came boring. On then we went to the dance hall. A beautiful terrazo floor reflected the dim. rose coloured light from myriads of imitation candles set in alcoves in the wall. Gorgeously decorated was the orchestra pit. filled, at the present time, with all instru¬ ments available. Across the block, we entered the newest of the buildings—the gymnas¬ ium and swimming pool. On the ground floor was the pool with its marble floors, its shining diving-tower and huge thermometer registering the temperature of both air and water. Hack in the dim days of 1933. this would have been the ideal place for Fat Neice. In a door at the end. I spied dressing rooms—rooms which spelled comfort. Plush chairs filled the lobby and farther on. row upon row of wire-caged stalls filled the long halls. In each of these was a shower and a spacious locker. F.ach door had a combination lock which kept out all the “borrowers”, “lippery Jake” O’Connor would have been at a loss to apply his talents in such an establishment. Boys of this day could never know what locker room congestion and locker-room “borrowing” can amount to. such as thirty vears back in the dreamy days of 1933. Picking one room as an example of the others. Principal McClelland led me to the spacious well-furnished Fourth Form. I was dazed by the ela¬ borate equipment of the room. Kach desk-set was a marvel of modern en¬ gineering—a mechanical contrivance all in itself. The deep plush seats were swivel chairs fastened to the floor. The desks were marble-topped with an ivory ink-well at the front. On each desk many push-buttons, similar to the principal ' s, controlled numerous indi¬ vidual electrical appliances. One large button controlled the desk of books which slid from beneath the writing desk, and locked automatically when pressure on the button was released. On one side of the desk was a fan which cooled the overworked student during hot and sultry summer days, while on the other was a heater to warm the frozen ears, nose anti body of anyone who rashly ventured forth on cold mornings. Then, too, rising from the front of the desk was a tele¬ vision set. which the student might use at will when the studies of the day became too tedious and called for a diversion. Looking forth from the window, I beheld a cinder track and a huge sta¬ dium. As I was later told, the stadium had been dedicated by that million¬ aire sportsman, and wealthy philan¬ thropist. Earl Schulties. and was con¬ sequently known as Schulties Stadium. Coming towards the building. I notic¬ ed the janitor. Mr. Oliver Wilcox (still riding a horse) came from the city of Woodslee each day to perform the sacred duties, in times past skilfully taken care of by Mr. Garney Johnston. Drifting back to the present through a hazy and indistinct future, one is temped to ask. could such a tale, by any stretch of the imagination, be within the realms of possibility? —Don Richardson, Form IV

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THE A R G U S ANNUAL often shows more real beauty, than the more systematic music. Moreover folk- music and the present music of barbar¬ ous and uncivilized European races furnish a means of studying musical origins. We have no musical records, except a few fragments, older than the Greeks. There is no reason to suppose that music among the oriental mon¬ archies ever progressed much beyond its condition among the barbarous peo¬ ple of the present day. The ( ' .reek musical system wa s the predecessor of that of the Early church and goes down through the days of the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages and Modern Times. Pagan Rome made no contribution to musical progress. All musical inspirations were received from the Etruscans and Greeks. In the early centuries the church was the guiding angel of music. In the hymns and songs of the church, music is carried through the early centuries. Progress continued in Italy and Western Europe with the growth of the ceremonies The CVholic Church did much for music, requiring music in its impres¬ sive rites and chants. The songs were ‘•oread all over Western Europe by Roman Catholic missionaries till about the eleventh century. Musical culture was carried on in the convent. Even in the sixteenth century the church took the lead in musical affairs. The organs added their tones to the voices and even attempted a few modest solos. Another great school of reli¬ gious music was established in Ger¬ many where we find the Lutheran hymn tune or chorale. This form of music spread to England where it was a part of the Anglican church services. But a form of music was needed which would be suitable for the thea¬ tre. social gatherings, and in the home. About 1603 the first opera appeared, which was really the first appeal to musical value alone. During this time instrumental music was gradually in¬ creasing. A change took place at the end of the sixteenth century. Com¬ posers sprang up everywhere. Dance music, the real basis of modern music, was begun. The violin put in its ap¬ pearance now. The seventeenth cen¬ tury is chiefly concerned with the writing of Sonatas. The eighteenth century brings us to the period in which keyed instruments become more or less common. One of the earliest composers still reverenced for his works was Bach, a German who produced varied types of musical compositions. With Bach, let us mention Handel, another German composer, whose musical compositions have come down to us. These com¬ posers are followed by a score of other men whose mere mention brings to our minds many of their well known pieces. Mozart has given much to the musical world. About this same per¬ iod belong Beethoven. Schubert. Schumann. Mendelssohn. Chopin and Litz followed one after the other; mu¬ sicians whose compositions have world-wide fame. Musical culture among the English- speaking nations was never in so vigorous a condition as at the present day. The appreciation of what is best in musical art is extending aiming the masses of the people. It is recognized to be as necessary to education as lan¬ guages or mathematics. This widen¬ ing of musical culture cannot be pre¬ dicted yet. but it is certain the amount of original creation has increased in recent years. —Betty Auld, V Form A STORY OF EARLY CANADA More than a hundred years ago. an old hunter and trapper made his home at the northern end of the Great Lakes. For years he had studied the cunning ways of the beaver, the otter, the mink, and the marten, until he knew just where and how to set his traps for furry creatures. Every year the old hunter. Thomas bv name, carried the skins which he had collected during the winter to the nearest trading post down the lakes. There he sold his load of furs and bought his supplies of powder and lead, and many other things which he needed in his lonely cabin. At one time he bought a pair of skates, which he thought would be useful when the ice was smooth. One very cold, clear day he went to visit some traps which he had set al¬ most twenty miles north of his cabin, lie skated along the shore of .the lake as far as he could, and then took off his skates and put on his snowshoes in