Hamilton Collegiate Institute - Vox Lycei Yearbook (Hamilton, Ontario Canada)

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RETAHN Herr Collormieill and Neiveill. Expansion M. J. MCG-ARVIN. This royal throne of Kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise: This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of warg This happy breed of men, this little , world, This precious stone set in the silver Sea, YVhieh serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a. moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England. -Richard II. ln the admirable tribute to his country by that staunch old Plantaganet, John of Gaunt, we can detect the influences which were forming the foundation for Eng- land 's future greatness-the forces of sentiment, tradition, and patriotism. iVe catch a glimpse of the Englishman 's pride in 'his own native land, in its unexcelled geographical position. VVe can appreciate those inate characteristics in the English race which have been the fundamental forces in the development of the British Empire. The words which so aptly described mediaeval England were just as applic- able to the early modern age of Elizabeth when they were penned by the Bard of Avon-the period when England was be- ginning to exert an intluence beyond her own island-shores. The discovery of America had been an event of momentous importance to the little 'tsilver-eoasted isle. It placed her in a central world position. By Shal::speare's time the rugged .island gave indications that she was appreciating her new-found import- ance. She was no longer wasting her inan- hood in futile Wars with France. Land battles are transient in nature when com- pared with the far-reaching effect of naval victories. It is improbable that the great dramatist, with all his knowledge of political conditions and almost uncanny prescience, even dimly realized the ultim- ate signilicance of the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English sea-dogs- Drake and Howard. How many recogniz- ed that it was the beginning of the de- cline of Spain's extensive Colonial Em- pire and the entrance of England upon a new epoch of her history. The days of the Mistress of the Sea had arrived. Colonial expansion synchronizes with naval efficiency. As the conquerors of Spain navigated the high seas, English settlements and colonies arose. It is in- teresting to observe that England, just recovering from her greatest civil con- tlict, was still strong enough during the rule of Cromwell to humble her next naval rival, when Blal-:e's ships swept the Dutch sloops from the seas, with the resultant curtailmcnt of Hollandls colon- ial ambitions. Religious conflict results in discontent and restlessness. Hence the excessive emigration during the Puritan upheaval- but England did not altogether lose her progeny. They Went to the various col- onies in America and Still maintained a. close connection with the motherland. The close of the iVar of the Spanish Succession marks a definite settled policy in the trend of British statesmanship. BI2l1'llDUl'Ull,Lfll'S victories were gained on the fields of Europe, but in the adjust- ment at Utrecht in 1713, England inaug- erated an unwritten and an unuttered Monroe Doctrine of her own. She kept aloof from the continent of Europe, but she took the far-distant settlements of Acadia and the Hudson Bay District. In subsequent wars England pursued the same plan of colonial expansion. And yet in 191-L, German historians had the effrontery to declare that the British Em- pire was built up by accident. The close of the .Seven Years' War left England the outstanding colonial power

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1 E1 Cliristmas, 1923 VOX LYCE1 19 Love'S Gift, 115' J. H. M1-1'1'111, is il beautiful 111111111 111111111 W1111111 110 credit to any a11va11111111 11111-1111111111: 0111111 life 111111 th1111g'111'. The S111111' is Ql'il1l'1fl11 1111' 1111'N11 v111'11111 1'11ll11'11ill111111S 211111 k11111v 111111 11111' reaclers W111 fi1111 1111121511111 1111'111111111s 111 1111-1r p1-1'11s111. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. lt XV0ll1Q1 1111 11111111ss111111 111 1'1'1V1'l' 1111- xV11f111' 111-111 111 1-11-11111-1'111111's, 1:11111- tributors and 1111Y1s1-rs 111 St1112l1'2l11' 111'1i111lNV113111l'f1111lx111, s1111-1- 1111' issuing 111 this 1111111111111 1111s s1111w11 1111- 11'1Y2111y 111111 111-V11111111 111 11111 XV111111x s1-1111111 111 1110 1111 old H. C. I. Xv1'I'f' Q'l'il11fj'11l11' 11318 1111-1-11 171111 1'11t1111S1i1S111 111SID12lj'1'11. T111- W1-11 of 111111e1'1111 supp11e11 111111 useful S11Q'1l'1'S11111lS 1i111'1-1-1-11 1111v11 11111111- 111111111 1111ss1l111 the r11a11zz11i1111 111. 1111s, 11111' 1El111111'1' N11111111-1-, To all 1V111I 11911711111 W1- 11-11111-1' 1111' 111E1111iS 1111 11111 1111111111' 211111 S11111'. CHRISTMAS. XVQ will s111111 111' 1,111g'1'11ss1-11 111 111111111151 1'1-s111'1111-s. 111111 1f'111'1s111111s will 111 Cfele-111'111e11 9V01'yXV111'l'1'. 111111-11 S1l1'1'l'l'111111.f y1-111' 111'111g's 118 1I2l1'11l1'l' 1'1'1'1111 11111 Santa Claus of our 1-11111111111111. ,111111111111 211111 s1-11is11. 111 1111- 1-1-1111z11111111 1111 11s c1e1-11111' 111111111i11gg': 111211 21 g'1f1 XV11Y1111111f 1111- 11'1Y1'l'-S 111'1!1'1'111111 111'1'111111'S 1Y1l115v Z1 C10111'11'1f111, 111111 111211 f'111'1s111111s is 1111- 11111111'1-1's111'y 111: 11111 1111'111 1111 1111- 3111-111es1 p111111s11p11111' 11111 YV1'l1'1L1 11218 1-V1-1' 1i1111XY11. 11 S1'1'111S H11'i111Q'1' 111111 Il s11-1-11111111 c1v111z1Q111 XV11l'1f1 W1111111 so Z112l11'P11S1y 1'1x1l'111,111l' 1111' 1111'111 111 1111- 1'111111 111111 so 1-11111 p1e11'11y1,f111111'e1111111-111-11111gs11f1111-l11111w1111s1- 1'1l11'1' 1111-ss11g'1- 11'11s11111111f111v11 21111 1 13621131-. 111 11X11-1111111g1' our N1111'1'1'1' 111-s1 w1s111-s 11111' 21 M1-1'1'y 1f111'is111111s 111 1111 reac1111's of VOX Lyef-1. Illilj' W1- 11111 urge 1'Y1'1'y 11115' 211111 13111 111 S111115' 11111' 111111 Osophy of 11161 f1'1'11111 N11Z211'1x1117'. 11111-1111s1- w1111111 111211 11111111 1s 11111 way 111 111111v111 ual 1l21pp11lE'SS 211161 11111'1'l12l1101'li11 111111111- 111111 gr11111 will. THE EDl'l'11R. .3111 fllivmnriam The sincere sympathy of the Collegiate is ex- tended to the relatives of Stewarton Mcllroy, whose death occurred last February. One of our loyal supporters, a good scholar and promising athlete. da Da1111'11,'s 11111111'111u111111, 1 111-1'1'y 1+'111r111s, is 2111 111'1Q'11l2l1 111151111111 of

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Christmas, 1923 vox LYCEI 21 of the world. Wiolfe 's victory on the Plains of Abraham and Clive's success at Plassey made England supreme in America and India. We must always re- member that Englandls defeat of the French at sea made possible these vic- tories in the far-distant parts of the world. However, there was a check in tl1is steady expansion. In 1783, England ex- perienced her greatest colonial loss when she was forced to acknowledge the in- dependence of the United States of Am- erica. Still, this was not without its beneficial effect. Thereafter, English statesmen exercised the greatest care in legislating for the colonies and soon a policy was adopted of allowing the ute most freedom in the development of rep- resentative and responsible government. During the Napoleonic. tyranny the vic- tories of England over the combined navies of the world. entitled her to the acquisition of new colonies on the world adjustment at Vienna in lSl5. Nelsonk triumph at Trafalgar had left England 's naval supremacy unquestioned, and no nation disputed the right of Englishmen to develop far-distant Australia and the sunny Cape. England had more than re- deemed the loss of her American Colonies. A Greater Britain arose beyond the seas. This little scepter'd islei' of John of Gaunt's time was now the centre of the vvorldls greatest Empire. Witihili our own time we have witnessed the German menace to Britain's naval superiority-but the battle of Jutland sounded the death knell of German naval ambition, and the world later witnessed the most ignominious surrender in naval history, at Scapa Flow, in 1918. As a re- sult of the World Conference at Ver- sailles, in 1919, Britain added to her al- ready extensive Empire, being granted the mandatory power over many of the former German colonies in Africa and the Australasian Islands. Thus, this precious stone set in the silver sea, so suitably exalted by the rugged Gaunt, has developed into the greatest of NVorld-Empires-an Empire which has recently withstood the severest test of the greatest of wars, an Empire which is held together by those strongest of bonds-the bonds of sentiment, love and tradition. Nothing could more tittingly illustrate the vastness, the unity, the solidarity of our Empire, than the gathering of Brit- ish statesmen from all quarters of the world for the great Imperial Conference just held at London. It is with pride that British Colonial statesmen assemble to participate in the innermost councils of the Empire, to discuss questions of common interest, to promote preferential and intercolonial trade, to consider meth' ods of defending the Empire in time of danger. In ancient times, the Roman styled himself a citizen of the world, so highly was majestic Rome appreciate-l, but in our own times, Britain has reached such a pinnacle in unselfishly promoting the best interests of modern civilization, that it should be the proud boast of a Britisher, whether he dwell in the heart of the Empire, in the Antipodes, in Africa, in India, or in our own banner Dominion, Canada, not that 'he is an Eng' lish citizen, nor an Australian, nor a South African, nor an Indian, nor a Can- adian, but that he is a citizen of the British Empire. W'E ARE ONE. Though ages long have passed Since our fathers left their home, Their pilot in the blast, O'er untravelled seas to roam. Yet lives the blood of Britain in our veins! And shall we not proclaim That blood of honest fame VVhieh no tyranny can tame By its chains? While the manners, while the arts, That mould a nation's soul, Still cling around our hearts- Between let oceans roll. Our joint communion breaking with the sung Yet. still from either beach The voice of blood shall reach, More audible than speech, We are One.