North Bay Collegiate Institute and Vocational School - Northland Echo Yearbook (North Bay, Ontario Canada)

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20 THE NORTHLAND ECHO CHRISTMAS EVE IN EAST END LONDON It was Christmas eve in London, but such a different London all scarred and torn by the German air-raiders, who come each night, in moonlight or darkness. The guns roar and the bombs fall but all this cannot dampen the spirit of the British people. In the east end of London in a small tene- mant house live the Miller family, Mother, Dad, Maggie, and George. The house is all in dark- ness but as we enter the front door merry laughter reaches our ears. The family is en- gaged in decorating a small scrawny tree set in one corner of the dimly lighted room. Suddenly Maggie very seriously turns to her Mother saying, Oh Mom what if those nasty Germans keep St. Nick from visiting us to-night? Tosh my child the R.A.F. will clear the way for him to-nightf, I'll say they will, says George indignantly as he hangs his stocking upon the mantel. At that moment the wailing cry of a siren is heard throughout the district giving its old familiar warning. Come children, says Mr. Miller very calmly. We'll finish this later on. Tearfully Maggie and George follow their parents to the shelter at the end of the block where people from the neighbouring houses gather. Pity they couldn't leave a body alone one nightf, says a fat man waddling down the steps with his load of blankets. Cheer up Buddy, replies another. By this time next year we'll have ,em wiped right off the mapf, In the centre of the low room is a small charcoal stove which provides heat for the shelter. Around this are bunks and benches, and the Miller family take their accustomed places. George hauls out a grimy comic strip and begins to read aloud to Maggie. Most of the women are knitting while the men discuss af- fairs of the war. The children can't seem to settle down as they wonder if Santa Claus will pay them a visit. A white-haired old lady says. Come everyone, sing Christmas carols while I prepare a pot 0' tea. This suggestion is accepted by everyone and soon the shelter is filled with the familiar strains of Silent Night. There goes the all clear, calls the A.R.P. warden. ' Mr. Miller rises saying, I'll toddle on ahead, F lossieg you bring the children. His voice sounds happy but his heart is heavy as he wonders if his house is the target to-night. No, there it stands unharmed. When the children burst in the door, they are over- joyed to find their stockings bulging with candy, fruit and nuts. Hoorah, St. Nick fooled Hitler's airmen. He must have magic reindeerf, says George. The parents smile happily at one another above the heads of their children. GWEN DARLING IN DEFENCE OF LAZINESS FRED WEST FoRM IVA I have finally taken on myself the duty of writing in defence of laziness and then I expect to relax and with my views in the hands of the world to spend the rest of my life being lazy. Yes, I am going to write a long, long story in its defence although to tell the truth I feel too lazy to defend it. No doubt you have sat in the woods on a Sunday and listened to the birds chirping and the leaves rustling. If so you understand how I feel, as though I were a part of all that, the rustling leaves, the swaying trees, the slow drowsy sun creeping across a feather bed sky, the slow drowsy, slow drowsy, drowsy Cyawnj ZZZZZZ. Ouch, darn that bee. Oh yes, my story. I must have dozed off. I was talking about the sun, was I not? and how I resembled it drifting across the sky. Now if you have my point of view I will give you some facts. Why do people hurry all the time? The business men are always hurrying to eat break- fast and catch the bus and consequently most of them die of acute indigestion. I want to ask you another question and please answer it truthfully. Have you ever seen an unhappy lazy person? Undoubtedly the answer is no, but you will find many unhappy hard-working people. Lazy people have very pleasant natures. They never want to argue and are usually very generous. They never have rings under their eyes from lack of sleep. If all people were lazy there wouldn't be any wars because no- body would want to fight. The trouble with some people is they have never really been lazy and don't know how it feels or I am sure they would never work again. Of course some have taken vacations but al- though their bodies rested, their minds were always busy figuring out how they could make more money. There will always be however, a majority of people who were just born to work and who like it. They will keep business and war going. But as for lazy people they should just leave us alone and then everyone would be happy.

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THE NORTHLAND ECHO I9 doubtedly Tchaikowsky had made an impres- sion that would remain. An account of what some call a romance, and what others refer to, simply as an intimate friendship, now consumed part of Tchaikow- sky's time. Although Nadedja Von Meck, a rich, cultured widow, never once spoke to Tchaikowsky, and saw him only once as a spec- tator at one of his concerts, she came to be an admirer of his works and persuaded him to ac- cept, as an act of friendship, an allowance of 52400.00 a year so that he might devote all his time to composition. She even allowed him the use of her usually unoccupied villa. So regular was their correspondence, that these records now serve as a biography of Tchaikowsky's life. During Tchaikowsky's period of friendship with Madam Von Meck, his life was relatively happy. He was then freer than he had ever been to travel and compose. In March, 1884 he was received and honoured by the Tsar on the completion of his Fiftieth Composition. Four years later he was granted a pension of 51500. a year for life. In 1891, on a tour of America, he conducted concerts in New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Tchaikowsky finished his Sixth Symphony, called the Pathetique, shortly before he died on November 6, 1893. Many believe that this was intended to be a farewell to life. An attack of cholera, caused by infected water, killed him in three days. Many of his melodies, if not his symphonies are familiar to the average radio listener. Those who are familiar with the Waltz of the Flowers, or the Third Movement of the Fifth Symphony know that they are waltzes which equal any- thing from the pen of Strauss. The main themes of his justly famous Romeo and Juliet Overture , of the Fifth Symphony and of An- dante Cantabile are well known as the popular selections, Our Love,'7 Moon Love and the Isle of Mayf, ANSCHLUSS . . . Have you ever been in the woods at night, listening, while a dog howled far away, to the sound of a branch cracking somewhere in the pitch blackness around you? just think what those sounds might have meant to you if they could have been the deep bay of a blood-hound and the heavy step of an S.S. Man. Then you will have some idea of my feelings as I stood in the darkness one night trying to find my way to the frontier from Austria-now a province of the Greater Reichn. In front of me, some- where, was Switzerland, the symbol of freedom and light: behind me might have been an S.S. man, machine pistol in hand, and a blood- hound . . . But I reached the frontier unharmed. Unharmed, I say, but there are things engraved in my memory which I can never forget. Six months had passed since Austria had been peaceably occupied by the Germany Army: six months of terror and everlasting fright for those of my race regardless of their political beliefs, their educational attainments or their value to the world. There was no pos- sible legal way of escape from this living night- mare. We had to steal away if we intended to leave the country. Austrian passports were de- clared valueless without certain stamps and sig- natures which might take months to get-if they could be obtained at all. Press reports about the conditions do not even approximate the actual facts. Cold blooded murder is a daily fact in the country which Germany chose to liberate . Money, position, ideas, home, all lose their old values. One doesn't care any more. To save oneis life is the only thought. Even the living envy the dead in a country once reputed to hold the happiest of peoples. Body and mind are tortured in ways of which it is impossible to give account. No one should be surprised if hundreds, thou- sands flock to the frontier and possible freedom. Some make it safelyg others fail . . . Believe me, I was happy to make good my escape from a country that has become a prison to many: happy to be able to come to a coun- try, a city, a school where-at least-there is sanity and decency. Here in North Bay I have found almost everyone helpful and understand- ing. To adjust oneself to new customs and new ways of thinking is very hard. The great- est help can come only from those with whom one lives and works and laughs. I hope that all of those who have shown kindness towards me, will have the opportunity of preserving these qualities all their lives: kindness, con- sideration, understanding. I know what these can mean because I have seen with my own eyes the worst that human cruelty can do. Let no one take the things you have away from you. Remember that what happened over there must not happen anywhere, ever again. Liao. LAZAROWITSCH. 5 1 Q ' :is p l j mlm' D , ll ' ' 5 : 5 .dj LLL : .1 2235

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THE NORTHLAND ECHO 21 Maybe my point would be better illustrated if I referred to the animal, cats for instance. They never work, sleep whenever they feel like it, go where they please, and are most contented when they have a soft shady spot to lie in. VVhy can't everyone be as careful as the cat? By lazy people I do not refer to loafers who never work, but to people who do not go out of their way to do it and who sleep whenever possible. Now that I have finished my task I think I'll go to sleep. I'm exhausted. Good-night. ZZZZZZ. HITCHHIKING BY A HITCHHIKER- MALE J. RosBoRoUGH A cheerful How far are you going?-Well, Jump in, is not always the prelude to a long, comfortable ride in a new Dodge. Indeed, it is often difficult to find a car-driver who will pick up a hiker at all, cheerfully or otherwise. To be a hitchhiker, one must be a hustler. Finding one's self a convenient post at the side of a busy highway, beneath a tree that cares- singly shields him from a hot sun, will not as- sure a hiker success. I have always thought, that to refuse a ride is to invite bad luck, while to stand in one place is nothing short of shift- lessness. Although many think there is nothing to the art, I am convinced that all the luck or disappointment encountered by a hiker can be traced to some definite cause. Above all, a hiker must have his face clean and hair combed. Educated men, or at least friends of humanity, do not judge a man by his clothing, for while his pants may be ragged and his shoes hardly capable of bearing that name, yet in his face they may read his record. I-Iikers should always remember that their prospective chauffeur has only a moment in which to judge whether they are fit company or not. During the instant when a driver observes the hiker's face, the lat- ter should be sure that it discloses no sign of anxiety or envy. The rascal who waves his hand furiously and curses just as furiously when the car has passed, is the most undesirable of com- panions. If engaged in conversation, he is found to be just as unreasonable. Don't be afraid of spending a night on the road. It does no harm. Even a drizzling cold rain has certain aspects of beauty. It is a sad fact, however, that he who can appreciate the intrinsic value of such weather is usually an accomplished hitchhiker. On the other hand, if a hiker does fear the possibility of being left between towns--and I would sooner be left there than in a place where desirable sleeping- quarters are beyond my pocket-book, - he should not try persistently to get a ride. About one hour before the sun sets, a hiker should consider his surroundings. After locating a place to spend the night, he may return to the roadside and solicit a ride until dark. While hikers nearly always blame their misfortunes on bad luck, they should bear in mind that the fox condemns the trap rather than himself. To study fellow hikers is not the only in- teresting pastime in which a hiker may indulge. Few realize how many different personalities there are, until they meet people on the road. Very pleasant conversations can arise between hitchhikers and their benefactors. There is almost a 5096 chance of this occuring, for one who will share his car with another is generally the sociable type. If, therefore, the hiker is intelligent, there is little reason why a bright conversation should not ensue. The hiker must not, however, insist that his benefactor is wrong. It is always easy to judge whether a conversationalist agrees or not. The rest does not matter. I have ridden with a business executive who declared regretfully that Canada would never develop unless Hitler sent an envoy to show us how. I talked with farmers who simply had to confess t.hat they could not understand why I would not work on their farms from dawn until dusk for 510.00 or per- haps S15.00 a month, plus board and lodging. Among the best friends of hitchhikers are the travelling salesmen, who seldom refuse to pick up anyone, because they have learned the value of fellowship. There are rare occasions when a lady will allow her husband to give a ride. Under the circumstances the ladies probably feel it is a splendid opportunity to im- press their husbands with female defenceless- ness. I say this because I have frequently known two women to share their car with a hiker. So, dear reader, if you are young in mind and, have a yeaming for adventure, but lack the material benefits, try taking to the road, thumbs up . HITCHHIKING-THE DISTAFF SIDE EILEEN GALL When you are ten or eleven you haven't money to take you swimming every day. In our case it wouldn't have done any good if we had had it because there were no bus or street- car lines running to the place we went swim- ming. Because we were too young to drive a car ourselves, we had to depend on some kind stranger to give us a lift. Besides these reasons, my friends and I found it fun to hitchhike. I suppose we looked rather odd, three little girls standing on the highway with our thumbs out. Maybe that is why we had no difficulty in obtaining rides. People are kind to children we found, for we never had to stand on the highway for more than half an hour before a