Niverville High School - High Lights Yearbook (Niverville, Manitoba Canada)

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LITERARY fairly well.” This inspired me to keep on learning, for I felt as though my knowledge in this work was practically nil. The work was more or less the same each day; bringing ice water and juices to the patients, changing flowers, setting trays, shining equipment, cleaning service and treatment rooms, washing and caring for patients, stacking linen, running errands, and numerous other things. The most delightful part of the job was chatting with the patients. Our patients included ministers, teachers, farmers, salesmen, engineers, porters, technicians, miners, carpenter, and others. These patients often showed their appreciation to us by giving little gifts. I had many interesting experiences while at this work, and I highly value the lessons I learned from it. It also presented me with an extensive view as to what the profession of nursing includes, but most of all I value just the experience of this my first job. —Esther Rempel, Gr. XI RAINMAKING Ever since man saw his first cloud and felt the wind and rain, he has wondered at the life-giving flow of water. He has adapted his life to the rain and the clouds, sung songs about them, danced to them and worshipped them. From the time people presented sacrifices to the rain gods, so-called scientists have attempted to make clouds and rain. They have come up with various schemes and devices such as chilling the wind with giant refrigerating coils, bombarding storm clouds with huge field guns, and churning the air with airplane propellers, to make rain. One of the most fantastic events in the United States Army was the bombarding of a storm cloud. The public was convinced that heavy bombardments and loud noises would cause rain. Edward Powers, who had started this idea, petitioned congress to finance the bombardment. Congress refused, but in 1891 public pressure became so great that Congress consented to the petition. The bombardment led by Gen. Robert Dyrenforith was no success. Quack “Weather Wizards” then scourged the country. They would promise to make rain at a specific time for a certain fee. Payments were due when the rains came down. If nature was good enough to cause a downpour, the wizard made off with some easily earned money. If not, he had nothing to lose. One expert rain-maker was promised one thousand dollars for every inch of rain by an agricultural society near Medicine Hat, Alberta. Five inches of rain came down. The rain-maker lost his prestige because the average rainfall was six inches. In 1936, a French inventor suggested a cone-shaped tube which would be placed near the ocean with the wide end towards the clouds. Giant weather-vanes, turned by the ocean breeze, would suck up the moisture-laden air into the cone, there it would cool, condense, and drop as moisture. Another inventor suggested doing this in a similar way by use of canvas, while another suggested building a mountain, but didn’t say where he’d get the earth from. About a decade ago scientists made rain by throwing dry ice at a cloud formed by the moisture in a man’s breath. After that “test tube cloudburst” everybody tried to make rain by throwing dry ice at the clouds. Later scientists found out that silver-iodide particles were just as effective. After billions of silver-iodide particles had been thrown into the air at Rosetown, Saskatchewan, it rained. Whether man caused tire rain or not is not known. Some scientists are positive they will succeed in making rain; others are not at all convinced of this idea. The governments are just as concerned about making rain as the agriculturists. The nation which will be able to control the weather will have a more powerful weapon than the hydrogen bomb. —Jacob Warkentin Page 32

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School Drama “LETS BE CONGENIAL” Again this year our high school put on a play. With much enthusiasm from the participating students, the drama “Let’s Be Congenial,” a three-act comedy was presented on March 3 and 4. It is the story of a young dreamer, Terry Matt¬ ingly, who has devoted his time to play writing. Aunt Hester, who formerly supported the family, decided to discontinue her financial aid, leaving the Mattinglys on loose ends. When Terry, the play writer, sold his first play “Let’s Be Congenial,” the family was once more financially secure. The entire three acts of the play transpire in the living room of the Mattingly home. The cast included Terry Mattingly, the dreamer, (Edwin Podjan) Sadie Mattingly, the mother, (Roselyn Hiebert) George Mattingly, the father (Malcolm Enns) Doug Mattingly, the brother (Johnny Giesbrecht) Ellen Day, Terry’s boyhood sweetheart (Helene Kliever) Millicent Harris, Doug’s fiancee (Rosella Leppky) Aunt Hester Cornish, Mrs. Mattingly’s dead brother’s wife (Irmgard Braun) Sonia Van Vechten, Aunt Hester’s secretary (Madeline Steingart) and Hanorah, the Mattingly maid (Anne Heinrichs). Attending the dress rehearsal on Thursday afternoon were the Blumenhof, Landmark, New Bothwell, Prefontaine, Carmichael, Kingswood, and Aaron schools. The play, directed by Mr. Dyck, proved entertaining to the audience and a source of enjoyment to the performers. —Rosella Leppky. Gr. XI Page 33