London South Collegiate Institute - Oracle Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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THE BLANKET OF THE DARK By John Buchan. To say that a book is by John Buchan is to give it a passport to any company, and The Blanket of the Dark is no exception. Buchan's beautiful prose, his easy, swift-moving style, make his char- acters living, interesting people. He has that rare gift of story telling that makes romance real, yet awakes in us a wistful longing for something more than the commonplaces of life afford. The story is fascinating. It is set in England, in the Severn region, during the reign of Henry VIII. Peter Stafford, Earl of Buckingham and Bohun, is the hero. His was the magic name to which the whole west of England rose against Wales. Henry was busy with revolts in the north, Peter's forces were prepared to march. But a tremendous fall of snow, a thaw and then rain made the rivers impassable and prevented the intended mobilization. Unexpectedly, the king came to nearby Woodstock for the hunting, and Peter, with a small party, set out to capture him. In his eagerness for the hunt, the king became separated from his party, and, attempting to cross a river, was caught when the dam broke. Peter, alone, and in darkness, rescued him. From there events move swiftly and fatefully. Henry did not die, nor did Peter,-but, I am sure you want to find out for yourself. --JEAN PHILIPS, V A. P14 :lf if UMUTINY ON THE BOUNTYH This book contains the adventures of Roger Byam, who was midshipman on H, M. S. Bounty, sailing in 1787 from England for the Island of Tahiti. In turn he was a chieftain on Tahiti, a mutineer condemned to death, and a sea captain under Nelson. James N. Hall and Charles Nordoff, the authors, who have lived in Tahiti, have access to the Admiralty Office and thus provide a very colorful background for this story. In my opinion this book, for those interested in exciting biographies, is well worth the reading. -GEO. W. GRAHAM, III D. Irwfr Q9 P' SOUTH C. I. TNS s 7 I Fe. 1 H. 532.-N ' .6533 e 43 li 1 1.53 All - 51561-T2-1 3 page sixty-one

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mx , l Q-if J CDKS EE 5-idffov-M TWENTY YEARS A-GROWING Hy .llCl2lI'l'CC O'SuIIz'z'a1z. Off the southwestern point of Ireland lie the Blasket Islands, the home of per- haps one hundred and fifty Irish peasants, who live by fishing. One of their youths has written this autobiography, which is typical of the life of many, many Irish people, for his friends on the Blasket. Did you ever hear how the life of man is divided? Twenty years a-growing, twenty years in blossom, twenty years a- stooping. and twenty years declining. Look now, I have sayings you never heard. In this typical sentence from Twenty Years A-Growing, we may taste of the unique poetry and beauty of its style. Like a breath of the dawn across the sun- rippled waters of the sound, and the heather-hills of the island, comes this work. full of the charm of dances in the moonlight, the excitement of the Ventry races. the gaiety of Hallowe'en celebra- tions, and the love of a wake. Just the story of the everyday life of the people, turf-gathering among the hills, the small boy's dis'ike of school, his excitement over a first fishing expedition and finally his venture, as a man, out into the world, make of it an intensely human book. The public will enjoy the book, not only for the author's simple and sincerely beautiful treatment of his subject, but also for the glimpse he gives us of the lives and char- acters of a people of whom we have hitherto known very little. -M. KIRK, V B. page sixty . KIRK, VB. THE BOOK OF NATURAL WONDERS By Ellison Hawks. Readers interested in the natural activi ties of our planet, in past and present volume exceedingly valuable. It contains a variety of subjects ages, will find this namely: How the World May End Moving Mountains, Wonders of the Rocks, The Causes of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, and the mystery of Disap pearing Islands. All of these are ex plained in a manner readily understood by the reader. The book is profusely illustrated. In the topic, Wonders of the Rocks, an amazing account is given of the approximate age of the earth. This is calculated from the thickness of certain rocks found in the earth's crust, and from certain mineral activities. I am sure everyone would find this book most engaging. -CHARLIE HOARE, IIE. ' Pk PF KAH By Stefcmssonf and I1 wz'fn.. If you like a story of adventure, excite ment and action, you will like Kath Kahn is a story of the frozen north, of polar bears, and icebergs. Kah, who is an Eskimo, seems to be a real live boy. He has many exciting adventures and, like most boys, he is sometimes frightened. A white man chances to discover the camp Where Kah lives. He maks a friend of Kah and teaches him many interesting things about civilization. The author has good material and certainly knows what to do with it. --GERTRUDE BUGLER, II THE ORACLE

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A.. - - Editors: STEXVART CALVERT AND WILLIAM JARMAIN . ANlATEiUlR RADIO By W. A. NORFOLK, Arts '36, University of Western Ontario Amateur Radio! There is romance in the words. They speak of adventure, of conquest, of forging into new fields, and experiencing new thrills. To-day there are thousands upon thousands of young men, yes, and even girls, who are finding a thrilling, enjoyable and profitable hobby in the pursuits of amateur radio. When I say profitable, I am not thinking so much of profit in the mercenary sense, but of everlasting educational and instructive profit. When asked my opinion on the best extra-curricula activities for a high school student whose interests lie in science, I would say unhesitatingly, Get into radio l There is not a field of our everyday life in which radio and radio principles do not play a vital part. Years ago, when a high school student developed a passion for science, he played in his spare time with spark machines, leyden jars and gold-leaf electroscopes. Nowadays he plays with vacuum tubes, condensers and coils. But, you ask, how can I become a radio amateur? There are three what might be cal.ed first steps. Learn the elementary prin- ciples of radio communication by recourse to a good book on the subject. The most valuable and comprehensive book of such a kind is The Radio Amateur's Hand- book, published by the Amateur Radio Relay League and available at Gurd's, Ltd., Dundas Street. The price is one dollar. page sixly-two Having mastered the fundamentals, the next thing to do is to build a short wave receiver. The beginner's first receiver need not cost over ten dollars, including tubes, batteries, and phones. With such a set, having only two tubes, good reception may be had from all over the continent. As the amateur gains experience, he may wish to construct a more powerful one. This one also has two tubes, but is elec- trically operated throughout. Both the above sets are described in detail in the aforementioned Handbook, with full illus- trations and constructive advice. The author has just completed a receiver of the type last mentioned, and has had very fine reception from South America, England, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Its total cost was not over twenty-five dollars. To enjoy more thoroughly the possession and operation of a short wave receiver, one should learn the International Morse code. Full instructions and helpful advice for learning the code are also contained in the Handbook. Once it has been mastered, the amateur will be able to receive messages from all over the world. What a thrill to sit in your own home and listen to com- munications from amateurs in India, Africa and other out of the way places of the world, to hear despatches from Byrd's Antarctic expedition, and movie companies on location in different corners of the world! These are only a few of the thrills experienced by a short wave listener. Then, too, in times of distress caused by floods, earthquakes and disease, sometimes, when all other means of communication were down, radio amateurs have stepped proudly into the breach and have, at times, been instrumental in saving hundreds of THE ORACLE