Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute - Acta Nostra Yearbook (Guelph, Ontario Canada)

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XX Towards the close of the lztst war this poem was published hx' her :ind there is im doubt :thout its depth and sincerity :ts well as its craftsxiiaiisliip. God in ll'lz11s1' liand II111 lllfllillltl' T'll'l1ll'j rests, The long-souglzt 111116, H111 l1111'd 1'111'111'1l All goal. Purge. 111' 1111116111 Tl11'1f. 111111' the 1111ti1111'x soul, JH And plant 11611' s1'lllf'5.S111'.xs 11'itl1i11 11111' ' I1ren5ts. U Strike fmnz 11111 s11'11ll5 II11' I-11111116 11'l111111 k11igl1tl11i1111 5 I1'51.t PI'fJ!'lHll7I I1 k11111'11: tl11' 11.15 fit lllll In roll- Sz1'1'llf'11' l11'111l 1111 j11111t' 5l11111l1l1'11t: 111111 tl11' foul llvllllill 5111111 IH11151' r1'11111l1l1's :1'l1il1' 111' pluiis and jesls. If TIIOII lllll gin' 115 1fi1I111'x' 11l11111' 'Tis 1101 Ullflllgll-l'I'l'llfl' 11.1 .muls 111 l1f'111' it. Cl11111'-siglitfzl, I'!lllIl71!', s111gl1'-l11'111'tf'1l lll1'lI Tlml lll the llfflll' tlzix l'llI.Cl' is !II'l'l'fll7'Il7l'll T1 Over tl111 q11i1't d1'1111' ll Il'l,ll'llI Sllllll Ail'f'lll' 11. 'IH God, lli' Tlli' gmre 1l1i,x tl111ll 11111 11111111 11g11i11, t Poets like these lime Louie fmiu Guelph and learned the music of ttuids in the Url- I legiate halls. It is not Il finislied tvoilt either. We can expect that other lniels lun, some with talent and others with tixiiig, will zttld tlistiiietinii to tlit-xuseltes, their tettheis 1111 theii tottti iii the penis to tome. D1-ll' lJIilf.JilIlXG -ls l11'11zi1'11zu111'1l I g11:1' 1111111 fll'l'1lIIlX IXIS 1 11 111111111 II11' l111'1ls 1'11j1l111'1111sx jmu 011' Slll-fillllg x1e1111x sit-1111, 111111 1111 11 111111111 fllfllll 11.s llzm- Q'l'IlC'l'fIlll , , 1 ll .s1l1'1f1'i' 1i'111g.s 111111 111111111 1111 11111 ' l6'lll'l'.X fllfllllflfl will: joy Ill llft My l l:1111:1'. I tit 111 sl111 , lm flu' l11111111l.s 111111 111111 lll'l'1' 111 .tI1'1111IQ. T11 1'l1111l1, 111 A11lll', 111111 y1'I 111 Illlllll 1 -Qfllll 1111 ,s1l1'11t Zl'lllg'.N, T11 l:1111:1' ll11' 103' of 11'1'1fl111g 111111 fu 1 11l1111tq, 1 1l1111t Illflfl lllllflllg' Illr .SIlIIltIA5 1l1111ds, 1l j11ll11z1' 111y llflllfl 1111 fl11'11' ml 111 1l1111'11v Zl'llllf'llf'.SS ll 111'11 ' fflllg' IIlVX'N1'lf 111 1l11'1'1' 111111 fllflllll N .sl11 11111l.t,- ' 1 lllf' 1111' lc11111'l1'1l Ill 1 ll H111 tl11t1 1111 1111'1 s 1111111l. A111111Ax'111o111 !':l U D-ll .M BRONUD ii' 1 i' 1 iullhll M9 --DEVELOPER cntvz' as is? IT BENIN , Ok , YET?i

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40 ' X X 'G . The one Guelph poet who has attained a degree of fame outside Canada is john McCrae. the attthor of 'In Flanders Fields'. YVhile this poem has proved the most popular of his ver- ses he has written others of even greater beauty. He wrote in varied metre but chiefly excelled in the rondeau. A selection of twenty- nine of his best poems was preserved and edited by Sir Andrew McPhail who did much to encourage McCrae in his writing. john Mcflrae was not only a fine! poet brit also a distinguished doctor who lor. many years was on the staff of McGill University. He was born in Guelph on November 30th, 1872, near the Ontario Agricultural College. His father, a successful cattleebreeder and .il man interested in all the finer arts of life. catne originally to the Paisley Block with his brother. The elder McCrae, father of the poet. wrote widely in the agricultural journals and the son catue by his gifts naturally. Col. john McCrae was a gold medallist of McGill bm- versity and had studied abroad before he went to the Boer War. He was the intimate friend of many people in high places and was a gifted story-teller. The Governor-.General appointed him as his honorary physician and they shared each other's company on many hunting trips in Canada's bushland.A Some time before the poet died in France of double pneumonia, he had published his immortal poem in Punch. It was immediately appreciated and it seemed to come at a time when the pttblic longed to see solnething come out of the war which would mean a better world for the surviving heroes. His great poem is so well known that it needs no quotation in Guelph. Perhaps a reference to his EYENTIDE would seem tnore fitting to show his breadth of interests. This poem was written in Dr. H. O. Howitt's resi- dence, where McCrae frequently stayed on his recurring yisits to the place of his birth. He was looking up YVoolwich Street at the close of the day watching the people going home from their shops and offices, The big bay window is still present but the poem will outlive the house. EVENTIDE The day is past and the toilers ceaseg The land grows dim 'nzid the shadows grey, .find hearts are glad, for the dark brings peace At the close of day. Each weary toiler, with lingering pace As he honleward turns, with the long day J done, Looks out to the west, with the light on his face Of the setting sun. Yet some see not twith their sin-dimmed eyesj The promise of rest in the fading lightg But the clouds loom dark in the angry skies At the fall of night. And some see only a golden sky Il'here the elnts their welcoming arms stretch wide, To the falling rooks, as they hovneward fly, .-lt the eventide. It speaks of peace that comes after strife, Of the rest He sends to the hearts He tried, Of the calm that follows the storniiest life- Gocl's Eventidef' Two of Guelplrs most worthy poets were women: Laura Lemon and Anne Sutherland. Laura Lemon grew up in Ashcote, 141 Queen St.. West, where we happen to live at the present time. This Christmas, while my mother was sitting in front of the hearth a card fell out from the mantel and on it was the name Laura Lemon with the date 1875. She was only nine years old at the time and the card was apparently from her father or brother-the writing being dim with soot and age. She was destined to be a poet, song- writer and musician. She composed the music for her own poems and always signed the words with a nom-de-plume. This, she did. because she felt that the public would appreciate a work which had the minds of two people col- laborating, more than a single effort. Many people in Guelph still remember Miss Lemon well although she later moved to England with her family. Her finest song was, of course. My Ain Folk . In discussing her work with Mrs. Norman XVallace. who has a collection of her songs, we found that the Canadian song or lullaby, My Little Papoosef' was also written and composed by her. Sleep, my little Papoose The sun is round and retl And the whip-floor-will in the wood sings forth, Ilhile the birds are going to bed. Thy mocassins with their glowing beads, :Ire hanging 'nvath the tree. .lnll thy father dries the wolf-skins grey For a winfer mat for thee. W Sleep, my little Pajioosef' Anne Sutherland is the best of our Guelph poets still living. She was born in 1900, the daughter of John Sutherland of the Insurance Company. and like the rest of us went to the Gttelph Collegiate Institute. On matriculating she trained as a school teacher and received an appointment at Blair, Ontario. Here she produced some of her best work as a poet of childhood songs. Much of her work is like A. A. Milnes but in one or two of her verses I think she is even better. Her work attracted nide attention and she was invited to work at one of Toronto's radio stations broadcasting for the childrens hour at the time when radio was just beginning to widen its program to take in cultural subjects. She married the Rev. Arnold Brooks and is now living at Grimsby. While her skill as a childrens poet has brought her most of her rewards, it should not be for- gotten that she wrote on varied subjects and deeper moods.

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