Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School - Specula Galtonia Yearbook (Galt, Ontario Canada)

Page 91 text:

if . 1 ' t 55' :, f Spfvvnf-t GA,-t.QN'A 2 Tensile Testing Machine Received by School NEW piece of apparatus has been donated to the school to further the study of Mechanics among our budding engineers. There are only two such machines in Western Ontario, the other being at- the University of Toronto. In this machine between the two large jaws a piece of steel is gripped and by a sysutem of gears and levers a leverage of 350 to 1 is obtained and the steel is grad- ually pulled apart and broken. The force that is required is measured on the scale beam by a sliding weight, and the machine will stand and pull 20,000 lbs. or will break a piece of steel M in diameter. During the war the Goldie-McCulloch Co. used this machine very extensively for testing the strengith of steel used in the making of shells and ammunition mater- ial. We are very fortunate in being the recipients of this rare piece of apparatus, and here we wish to oHer our thanks to the Goldie-McCulloch Co., who have once again shown their interest in our school. A picture of this machine may be seen on fthe group of School Views. it-S Literary Society Meetings HE Literary Society has been very active during the past year in prepar- ing novel and' interesting programmes for the pupils' entertainment. The pupi's themselves responded nobly to the urgent and often pitifully frantic appeals of the officers for co-operation, and the display of talent-if such it can be termed. The latest venture, advocated by this estimable society, is a public speaking contest-of Gourse 'they don't biuy the prizes, but . . . It's not so naive and guile- less as it sounds either. Only boys posses- sing the power of thinking quickly, and expressing their ideas adequately, are eligible and ithere must be at least twelve of these. Naturally, that is only a minor detail! The subjects will be distributed to the contestants at the meeting at which they are lto speak, which should make matters more or less exciting-at least for the audience. The first Literary meeting was a revela- tion-all except two of the officers turned out- to be boys-well really! But rthey did deliver such convincing speeches, depre- ciating their virtues, and exaggerating their unworthiness, etc., etc., that we were moved by their touching humility. Me- thinks ltheir demeanour belies such words -notice the smug complacence of the pictured Literary Society. To keep the officers, who had not already thanked their supporters, in a pleasing state of nerves, this programme was filled with instrumental renditions, and a beautifully performed Oriental dance. We personally think the less said about the second meeting the better, but un- congenial tasks have a habit of demanding 51 attention. You have guessed it! The programme dealt with the Collegiate De- partment's play. In the manner of the usual dyspeptic reviewer we continue: The plot of the play, entitled Three Pills in a Bottle, centered about the rather drab existence of a little sick boy- and in depicting this part, there was great scope for pathos, sincerity, and the touch- ing, trusting element ever present in the very young or weak. His mother, a poor destitute widow, was obliged to go out by the day, leaving the small child to his own vagaries of imagination. The friends he has made in his loneliness, each appear on the stage and talk to him in the person of a wealthy business man on 'his way to the great metropolis which is his worldg a sunny, optimistic scissors grind- er, and a slatternly good-natured washer- woman. As each exits, professing himself too busy to play, his own spirit enters after him to entertain the amazed child. Of course the spirit depicts the innermost hopes and aspirations of his master, which lends a mystic and supernatural air to the whole play. Tragedy is introduced when each of the three spirits develop certain indispositions which one of the three pills will cure. The little child possesses only these three pills, which he has been told will restore him to health and strength, and, hard as it is for him to sacrifice such a hope, he nevertheless gives them away-gives away the prod- uct of many weeks' heart-breaking labour, and privation on the part of his brave mother. Yet, at the end, the miserly busi- ness man, seeing the widow's dire distress,

Page 90 text:

fe f in 4 ,. 2 AWA TusN Lf A PARATUS 50

Page 92 text:

'fa f' --4' s 2- . 5PE?U'-A buys the much needed medical attention necessary for the boy. An allegory such as this might not appeal to the average student body, which seeks to be amused rather than elevated, but on the whole it was very well re- ceived, due, in part, to the excellent di- rection by Mr. Hale, and the splendid co- operation of the cast. Descending from the sublime to the ridiculous, at the next meeting we wit- nessed one of those jolly old spelling matches-you know, the sort that used to inspire us to nights of frenzied study in public school days, so very long ago? Those who proved adepit in this particular type of sport-or what have you-were chosen from each form, and all gathered on the stage of the Assembly Hall, when the great event had finally arrived. Mr. McKee bombarded the eager war- riors with words both obsolete and ob- stinate, whic'h gradually put to flight all but lthe victor, who stood bloody but un- bowed -a first former as you have prob- ably surmised. :lf Plf ,lf The Green Diamond, a clever and thrilling play written by Mr. Elton. of the Technical Department, and direcited by Mr. Stewart, was the second play pre- sented under the auspices of the Literary Society. To say that lthis play met with instant success from its enthusiastic au- dience, is putting it mildly-in fact, if we may presume, we think that Mr. Elton has out-Edgared good old Edgar Wallace 'himself. This story which progresses swiftly from one dramatic episode to another, takes place in a long-deserted Manor on the sea-coast of England. It is concerned with the finding of a ll in P' E . - ' ' I' 1 C+ A '-T9 N ' c -5 hidden diamond taken from the eye of a Chinese idol, consequently it inflicted a deadly curse on those possessing it other than the legitimate owners, the Chinese. Into the room are brought, in order, a wicked, degenerate villain of a sea-captain with all the earmarks of his calling, in- cluding a wooden leg and an iron ho-ok, the young gentleman of noble blood upon whose family the curse has fastened, and his fiancee, a Chinaman who has been sent by his master to secure the jewel, and of course, the inevitable detecitive from Scotland Yard. All are seeking the fatal diamond which, for t-hree genera- tions, has caused death to all males, be- fore their thirtieth birthday, of this par- ticular English family. Murders have been committed and vengeance wrought, and there is no hope of peace and safety until the ill-omened stone is finally re- turned to China! The stage setting and eerie lighting eiect during this play, the introduction of sudden noises and difficult situations, all added to the mysterious atmosphere of the drama unfolded before our fascin- ated eyes to the accompaniment of those hairbreadth escapes as the panel above the fire-place slowly swung open to reveal a sinister black claw stretching towards the hero, who, in spite of urgent and frant.ic appeal, flung from .the hysterical audience, remained so unaware of danger. And when that weird black bat fioated through the room, our hearts stopped beating. But, of course, the villain was captured by the wily detective, the dia- mond magnanimously presented to the Chinese representative, and the young Englishman and his beloved are permitted to live happily ever after, having no fear of the horrible fate which had threatened them. numb 'Q alll! lim :Willis f ff Q c is mug, A llllllllllllllllllblalll 'H-'Lil i K,,,,,.-- -5-6 ,ill . , 9 1 ,...- sr ' I i I J , Q.l.fl ' f7'frgI.:sf2?,f M., li if f:i.5,:1gl-up ,X - QQQNY - . , N ' x wi, 1 iff. L HJ lx. -,i VN, Y-1 f-'71 A5 . ,: , ir., f,,Ny,.ni'.,xi.- J.:-5+ E nf, - fnnuf - - n -l 'YNX, , , 7 - -. -iv. ' , .1-ffl Y Y ...-2 ' 7 , 2- -f f' fi'2 :., -54 j , : c c f c- v 'f - L I A - C ' T 9-inf Vx-K' .1 1 gl.. 52