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

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- .-- artery-aeirifir VWNV- 57 1-ff. as 1 4 12? 1 -K K V X I H f R 5. , -. .fwaqi is 5 f 1 inning 1 IIIINUUE 1 I , f sr .fi . T2 - 3 'Tit' 1- fc .IWY 7274 ,I fi, if if '1 YE kai -f 'f-A Q f ei N Qsbi5 -,ails-lllllll l Mm ,5 ,ff 'pix' x 17 ,, ff IX!! YQJQQTT,-27. .- i . XTX 2 : ff? . :EZ , ff K T Editors: Graeme Cameron and Rowland Hill Tl-IE DAVID DUNLOP OBSERVATOBY HIS year Canada again stepped into the scientific limelight by constructing an observatory which houses the largest telescope in the British Empire and the second largest in the world. This is the Dunlap Observatory. situated about twelve miles north of Toronto and half a mile east of Yonge Street on a height eight hundred feet above sea level. The David Dunlap Observatory was the gift of Mrs. J. D. Dunlap to the University of Toronto as a memorial to her husband. The late Mr. Dunlap and his wife were both very interested in astronomy and it was because of this interest and through the suggestion of Dr. Chant of the University of Toronto that Mrs. Dunlap so generously made this contribution. The Dunlap Observatory, which was for- mally opened on May 31, 1935, consists of two buildings: a steel structure which houses the big reflecting telescope with its seventy-fours inch mirror, and an administration building. The circular steel building was the most difficult to construct. To avoid heated air currents which would interfere with the obser- vations, the circular drum and the hemispherical dome have double walls. Air is permitted to enter the building by an open space at the base and circulates to the top, leaving through baffle plated openings at the top of the dome. At night the building is thrown open and the temperature within quickly assumes the out- side tempe1'ature. Even in cold Weather the structure cannot be heated because of the hot- air currents, and the observers have to Wrap up warmly. The dome rests on rollers on a circular Page Thirty-eight track and may be rotated so that an opening may be made to face any part of the sky. Thus an extremely wide radius of action is given to the telescope. The huge reflecting telescope, which the building contains, consists of a mirror and a heavy supporting framework which directs it toward the sky. This mir1'or is 74 inches in diameter, 12 inches thick and 5,000 pounds in weight. Because of the rotation of the earth, the mirror is continuously moved by mechanism to keep the desired object in focus. Great accuracy was required in the construction of the great mirror and it has been determined by measurements and by photographs that in no place is its surface at fault more than one- millionth of an inch. The Administration Building is a short dis- tance from the dome. It supplies the Observa- tory with a suitable office for the study of the results obtained by the immense telescope. In this building there are also a library and an auxiliary telescope with a 19-inch mirror. Before the Observatory will be really pre- pared to do any valuable astronomical work, it will have to accumulate a basis of photo- graphical knowledge of the universe. This can only be obtained after several years of diligent labor. Practically all the work done will be carried on by means of these photographs and, therefore, great. care must be exercised in securing them. As soon as these fundamentals are taken care of, the David Dunlap Observa- tory will undoubtedly take a leading part in the eternal strife for more universal knowledge and will attain a foremost position among the observatories of the world. -Graeme Cameron, IV C. T H E i O R A C OL E

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FHM Year IVE years ago we were on the top of the world! No greater success could be oursg our dreams had come true! At last we had arrived at the goal toward which we had been striving for years and years-we were now about to enter First Year at South. Can you imagine anything mo1'e thrilling than that! How proudly we accompanied our parents to interview Mr. Graham. He talked mysteriously of Latin, Algebra and Botany. unknown subjects we were about to study. We had heard our big sisters and brothers talking of rugby and basketball games. They we1'e cer- tainly proud of the fact that they went to South. Now we were as good as they were, for we had reached the age of discretion and could enjoy all the privileges and delights of high school life. For the first few days, it is true, we felt a little awed by the huge buildings, the learned looking teachers and the great number of strange faces we saw around us. This feeling soon wore off, however, as we became familiar with our classmates and our teachers. There was. of course, the great ordeal of initiation yet to be experienced, but even the thought of that could not scare us. In fact I think most of us rather looked forward to it, for, after all, wear- ing a bow in your hair and putting your middy on backwards is not so very terrible. As the year went by we found our high expectations more than satisfied tespecially in the way of homeworkb. In some Way or another we acquired the idea that our year was by far the most important class in the school-at least I'm sure we did. for every first year since has had that idea and we were no better. The pros- pects of second year did not invite us particu- larly and we would have remained in first year tif all our classmates had stayed with us, of courseb. This year we are once more setting out for a different institution with a few of the same feelings, perhaps, but a little sobered by five years of high school. There was no principal here to discuss our courses with us beforehand, unless we asked for him especially. No mysterious hints of un- known subjects were heard until a few days after applications were put ing then we received permits to register with a list of the subjects to be taken. There, for the first time we saw such names as psychology, economics, and I, at SOUTH C. I. least, began to wonder whether my feeble brain could take in such subjects. After this came the ordeal of registration. No timetable was neatly Iilled out and handed to us: oh no. the only timetable we did receive was a list of sub- jects and the time at which they were to be taught, from which we proceeded to make out our own schedules. After a strenuous morning spent at this occupation came the most heart- breaking tor rather pocketbook-breakingj part of all-the payment of fees. Now that we have really started it is not so bad. The subjects are quite diflicult but will probably become easier. We do. of course. see professors in their long black gowns, but we get used to even that. How we will feel about University four years from now may be an entirely different question. but just now we think it's lots of fun and lots of work. -J. B. Youre Lucky! 'M going to quit school and get a job. This time-worn phrase is taken up year after year by many a dejected soul who, if he carries out his threat, invariably pays for it in the not too distant future. Why should he be dejected? Who wouldn't be with examination results hitting a new low? But remember, you get other chances in school and. with perseverance. can win out in the end. In the business world second chances are few and far between. If the reader's mind has been harbouring such thoughts he should banish them forever. Should he leave school. all too late he will wonder why he didn't spend that year or two on education, especially when time means as little as it does when one is young. Jobs are scarce-good jobs are scarcer, but it is not impossible to get one-even a good one -if you have the ability. ambition and the education that is demanded. Of course we need experience: but who are the people who advance into the better positions ? They are the people who have behind them experience plus a good education. Take the advice of one who of necessity had to leave school to seek employment. Go on as far as it is possible. Remember education counts now and will count more and more in the days to come. Go on and win! -Neil Patten. Page Thirty-seven

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Tl-IE MCDDERN MARVEL 'JTSTANDING developments which have been taking place in the field of metal- lurgy rank copper as one of the most important metals of the decade. When one thinks of the variety of new uses for this metal, one must be impressed by the great volume of research that was necessary to find out what copper can con- tribute to the Power Age. Copper has long been used as an imp1'over of steel wherever maximum strength is required and corrosion resisting qualities essential. Although it strengthens steel, copper does not increase the carbon content. but leaves the alloy free for welding purposes. Beryllium-copper is another alloy. and it is used in diverse ways, such as the making of tools with hard, sharp edges. A cold chisel tipped with beryllium-copper will cut a rolled steel bar with ease. Hammers of this metal will forge iron with the greatest facility. In addition, its great resistance to fatigue makes it especially suitable for the manufacture of springs. But to find out all the really significant uses for which copper is being prepared. one must visit the mill. There, copper-chromium, copper- manganese, copper-molydenum, and copper bearing steels are being investigated in the research department in the hope of making some new startling discovery. Most copper developments in the practical stage are a direct contribution to the consumer, In particular, building materials of copper and its alloys are being substituted for steel. It is now possible for a man to have a home of steel rust-proofed by copper, with a copper roof on which is a patina of age-old green put on in a few weeks. In the kitchen, the copper plumb- ing and stove will probably outlast the owner. If his house is an old one. he may redecorate it with transparent colored shingles of copper. Then, if he wishes to commute to the city, copper-lead bearings in his car will allow him to travel fast with little fear of a burn-out. This increase in the employment and the uses of copper may be traced to the genii of modern applied research. Its resistance to corrosion combined with the qualities of strength and hardness resulting in its alloys make copper a formidable opponent in the con- tinual challenge of industrial progress. -Gordon Jeffery, IV C. S O U T H C . I. ,f -'1' ' , - .. nb IN BIRD LUKE HE colorful little songsters flitting among our trees are a constant source of interest -so the second form zoologists of last year thought. Under the able leadership of Mr. Calvert numerous students answered the call of the wild, and shattered the silence of the woodland with their heavy footsteps and harsh whispers Rising with the sun, they armed themselves with field glasses and notebooks and, pushing into the wilderness, took up the search with zest. A Hash of crimson-a delighted whisper -and pencils scratched the words 'tScarlet Tanager ! The call of tee-cher, tee-cher. sent them stumbling on to find a rarer specimen- the sombre little oven-bird. After filling pages with hastily scribbled words the tired students followed their guide lwho did not seem at all fatigued! to the car. Resting in its modern cushioned seats-so dif- ferent from the grassy knolls of the woods- the bedraggled bird-lovers were borne swiftly homeward to be received by parents, groaning over torn apparel and unsightly shoes. How- ever, the pupils did not see their parents' point of view and greatly appreciated Mr. Calvert's kindness. -Two Bird Enthusiasts. ARE AIR-RAIDS A MENACE? RITERS and speakers have terrified the people by lurid descriptions of the death, destruction and chaos that an aerial attack on a citv would produce. As for me, I do not lselieve that an attack on a prepared city could be successfully carried out. The following is my theory concerning an attempted raid: A squadron of huge bombers takes to the air for an attack on an important city. Above and behind it, for protection, cruise two or three squadrons of attack-planes. As the armada nears its objective, ground-detectors pick up the sound of their motors and a warning is flashed to the endangered city. Immediately, fast intercepters roar into the sky to meet the oncoming enemy. These planes Page Thirty-nine