Lisgar Collegiate Institute - Vox Lycei Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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32 VQQC LYCEI and economically into the unknown future of a new land, or, for that matter, of any civilized land. The huildings and equipment must he. not second hest, hut the luest. Salaries, to command the highest type of skill, scholarship, ser- vice and of character. have to be keyed up worthy of the honoured place the school has steadily held. and still holds, after nearly ninety years. Ottawa has always had generous School Boards, who face with courage.M unafraid,fthe financial problems,-and they are getting heavy-of a growing and ambitious city whose Motto is 'Advancel Advancel' It is a city on a Hill whose site almost equals that of ancient Athens or Rome. and is perhaps unsur- passed in the political world. Think of it if you can, one hundred years hence and visualize its Parks, Driveways, Public Buildings. Cathedrals, Art Buildings, Archives, Museums, Mint. Chateau Laurier plus others. its new City Hall, its new Supreme Court, its population of three hundred to four hundred thousand. its splendid Schools and Libraries, its seats of learning, its three or four new Collegiate institutes, and of its citizens of that day, and of Parliament Hill with its House of Commons, Eastern and Western Blocks and its Customs and Con- federation Buildings of Gothic Architecture, surrounded by the many Monu- ments of our Canadian Statesmen! There are no times like the old times, They should never be forgot: There is no home like the old home, Keep green the dear old spot: There are no friends like the old friends, May Heaven preserve their lives! Robert Stothers. tWN.B.-The writer of the ahove was, for forty-two years. an honoured memher of the Teaching Staff of the O.C.I.-Editorj 1' I ,I 'ml W 9.4- .ii ,ffl-'X ' 14, ED aff 5 s I X giant. QE?

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VOX LYCEI 31 Cunningham, Dr. john Thorburn. G. B. Greene, H. Robillard. Thomas Birkett, and John I MacCracken, rendered good service in High School education. It is true that in the great summing up of things it is the teacher who makes the school and gives personality to it. It is true of the Public and Separate Schools as well as of the High Schools of Ottawa. She has had teachers of high ideals, scholarship, noble and line exemplary moral character on her staffs, from the first, and I think it is true that no School Board would sanction or encourage any other class of Teacher. The Ottawa Collegiate Insti- tute has noble traditions and ideals. and an enviable record in scholarship and learning, unsurpassed by any other school of its class in Canada. Its students spread its fame long ago in our leading Universities. This is in one sense a splendid heritage, lint it is one which imposes a heavy responsibility on the present statis and the students of this city. It is a high standard to maintain, to advance and to hand to posterity,-this line tradition, this educational pres- tigel From 1843 to 1374 the Board of Trustees carried on the Gramar School in rented Buildings. as if a Grammar School were only a temporary necessity! They then secured a very, very small site at the corner of Lisgar and Canal Streets ,contiguous to Cartier Square at a cost of about 33000. In 1874 the city limits were Lisgar Street,-then called Biddy Sreet. Upon this small site, seemingly considered a long distance then from Xlellington Street, was erected :1 substantial stone School, providing good basement accommodation for both boys and girls separately, and in addition three other Hoors for the school classes. It contained an Olhce, a Library Room and three Class Rooms on the ground tioorg four Class Rooms and a Laboratory on the Frst Floor with a rough, spacious, unfinished Assembly Hall on the top floor. Xlfithout any annex this building was satisfactory for the next eighteen years, when four additional class rooms were added on the South,-Lisgar Street side-making a new front to the Building. To these four rooms, were added later three new rooms on the top floor of the new wing, which had not been completed before on this storey. Still later in 1902 the East XYing was added near to the New Driveway. The huge west XYing was added some years later and contains the fine Assembly Hall still in use. As each of these wings was added the rooms in the old original building were remodelled somewhat to adapt them to tit in with the newg but the old 1874 Building, with its Oriel XYindow and the North XYalls. still re- mains intact and renders as good service as it did when it was alone. It is this Building with its three additional wings which forms the Lisgar Street School of 1950, and it stands in all its ancient glory as the Mother Schoolu of to-day, from which have grown up The Glebe School. The Tech- nical School' and now the new High School of Commerce. The old Mother School has a great hold on the older families of Ottawa. On its historic Roll of Honour are inscribed names of many of the sons and daughters of earlier generations back to the year 1861. older even by thirteen years than this Mother School itself. Its position is being maintained well by the able body of Teachers whose labours in its service, whose varied and unchallenged scholarship and skill, and whose organization to meet the demands of modern civilization, stand high in the judgment of the Education Department. It would be impossible to maintain its standing were- it not backed. up by many of our ablest citizens, who, as Trustees, take pride' in the Institution. It Calls for leadership and vision to lead progressive institutions of learning wisely

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VOX LYCEI 33 I ,-.- T .Iris I ix v , Mx ,t iff? 'Q-I , mf V' S .'- ss :SX ll T JIU I X24 X , ,fs ff f as are K I ' ere ai A 3 iw : I? I fy I X X i t I 'fkx llfxfi I T S If F ., iggffleai My Q gi iii- 'IW 1 f sy ,J 'ff-A 'sg ! A Tl A nag' swafa, T -' -' - I Q' 1 1 I I : Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of educationg in the older, a part of experience. -Baron. lfwtlz a Member of the Staff in Bermuda My soul has long been filled with the wanderlust, and once in a while it peeps out and satisfres itself to the full. For many years have I watched the crowd at Easter time surging to Bermuda-that coral-built isle of the Atlantic -but time would not permit the venture, until Christmas '29 brought with it a few extra holidays and twenty-four hours after arrangements with the C. N. R. were completed, I was on my way. I went by Halifax in order to get the longer Ocean voyage, but many did not enjoy this part as it is the roughest part of the ocean I know of. If one reaches the island after 4 p.m. he remains anchored outside till morning, as the entrance to the harbour is a seven or eight mile winding channel, cut out of the coral reefs which lie beneath the watery surface. Bermuda takes its name from an old Spanish voyageur, -Iuan de Iiermudez. and consists of several hundreds of small islands connected in many cases by bridges. Hamilton is the chief town with a population of two thousand five hundred out of a total population of twenty thousand, one-third of which is white. I arrived on Christmas eve and what a surprise: no shrieking of motor horns: no rattling of tram-cars: just the pitter-pat of the horses' feet as they ambled along from dock to hotel. I have often heard of a green Christmas. but this was my first experience and what a difference! A swim in the morning, tennis in the afternoon. and a dance in the evening. It is like a moving picture without the talkies. In fact the whole life of the Colony to a Northerner. is almost one of monotonous quiet . All travel is done by bicy- cle. carriage, or boat. Little wonder there are no motors. They would scarcely get up speed before they would have to apply the brakes as the group is only twelve miles long and three or four wide. There are many interesting things to see but with only a week one must select. The Aquarium has a magnificent collection of hundreds of fish to be seen at close range. The 'sea gardens' form one of the chief sights where you