London Normal School - Spectrum Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

Page 27 text:

16 Right dress J Fists start to tap shoulders gently at the ladies end of the line and slowly gain in volume and strength until they reach a climax at Lawrie, our key nan. He bends and sways like the sturdy oak in the grip of a hurricane but he holds his position, Attention A deep and awful silence. Right Turnl Sone turn right, some turn left, and the rest stand still. With sone confusion the line faces a correct position. Forward March J The line starts off like a Ford on a cold morning, but the natural rythn of a Nornal student soon exerts its influence. Oh 5 Oh I here comes the first turn. Listen to the squeal of tortured rubber as those running shoes try to negotiate the turn. Counting in FIVES , begin One, two, three, four, five, six, seven— HALT ! Miss Prendergast guietly asks what comes after five when a class is numbering in fives. This leads to a heated argument on whether it should be 8 or 9 so Miss Prendergast explains the intricate business. Marching begins again. Up the floor in fives J Five studentn bunch up on one side of the room and creep up -the floor as if they were stalking a critic teacher. At last they drag themselves into formation one by one and exercises commence. Miss Prendergast puts forth her best efforts but after three Grade One exercises there are so many casualties that she deems it best to halt proceedings and change to a new dance. Boys all get a partner! When the rush is over the boys pick themselves off the floor to find that they each secured a partner. The first part of the dance is a waltz so all the boys skip . The second part is a polka so the boys keep right on skipping,. When the last part is a slide step and the boys keep right on skipping it finally dawns on everyone that the gentlemen have learned to skip and they want to shew off. An addition to the dance ' is a awing your partner . One well known lad does a jitter- bug step- Another tries to imitate a pin-wheel and a third discovers that his feet are trying to dance with each other Then, like Madame Guillotine, the bell goes cutting through these carefree activities. Immediately you hear cries of Crutches over here I or Stretcher needed i Thus, after an exhilerating J ( minutes the First Formers stagger, hobble, or are carried out to rest up for their next P. T. class two days hence. An awesome silence once more reigns supreme in this room of lost glory. Yet wait! Here comes another form. Oh, no J Let us retreat from this gory battle- field. I cannot stand to watch the complete demoralization of another form. R. C. Lougheed