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

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22 THE NORTHLAND ECHO car would stop. We would hop in and away we would go to our favourite swimming-hole. One day a shiny new coupe drew up to the curb and an old man stuck his head out of the window and told us to hop in. We didn't wait to be asked a second time. The three of us piled into the seat with him. As soon as we were in the car the man said to us. Aren't you little girls afraid to be riding in a stranger's car? We hadn't thought of being frightened be- fore but he talked with an accent none of us were accustomed to and he watched us so solemnly through thick glasses that we felt tiny shivers darting up and down our backs. He talked to us all the way to the swimming-hole. It was the usual thing. How old were we? What class were we in at school? Could we swim?,' Everyone who picked us up asked those qusetions. But this old man's asking them with his odd accent frightened us. We were greatly relieved when we reached the lake. With a polite thank you we dashed away. It is often said that children are a good judge of older people but we were certainly wrong in this old manis case. The next day he came along again. He stopped and picked us up. He had a cottage near the place where we swam and he never failed to take us swimming whenever he was going to the cottage. There were other people whom we liked at once. There was the jolly American woman who made us sing all the way home and told us to help ourselves to her chocolates. Then there was the minister who made us feel self- conscious by lecturing us on hitchhiking all the way to our destination but when he reached it he told us with a twinkle in his eye he would take us out again the next day at the same time. That summer we had more fun hitchhiking than we did swimming. NOSES BETTY HOLMES IV A Nothing is more interesting than studying people's characters by examining their noses. There are red, white, and black noses, thin pinched noses, turned-up or pug noses, broad flattened noses, sharp pointed noses, hooked thin noses, and short straight noses. These are a few of the clearly defined types. There are many which are half in one class and half in another: thus we reason that the possessor's character is also composed of a mixture of traits. I'm sure everyone is acquainted with at least one red-nosed person. They are fun, aren't they? Of course, we all know that they imbibe too frequently but they are so friendly and jolly. They don't realize when they are trying to be witty that we are laughing at rather than with them. Certainly black noses have their own charac- teristics. Anyone who has ever seen a Negro has surely remarked, Look at his nose! They are so broad and flat and such a shiny black. Ugly as we think these noses are we sometimes almost envy their owners. They have such marvellous singing voices. This is a result of their wide flaring nostrils which allow for such vibration and produce the ringing resonant tones of the Negro spiritualist. Who has not known a vivacious, freckle- nosed youngster. He may be the paper-boy or perhaps one of your favourite cousins. At any rate you can't resist him. His presence livens your outlook and makes you more cheerful. He is so attractive, vagabondish, cheerful, and con- tented. Nothing can ruffle his happy exterior. What of the shapes of noses? VVhat charac- teristics do they imply? Any person is proud to own a Grecian nose. Their pleasure in its straight classical length is justified. You may be sure these people have a firm, steady character. They delight in the arts and all forms of culture yet at the same time they are practical and level-headed. You may not enjoy the companionship of a Roman or eagle-nosed person quite as much as you would that of a Grecian nosed one. You cannot be friendly and intimate with them. They are haughty and proud and quick to put you in your place if they think you are pre- suming on them. Yet in spite of this their feelings are very easily hurt but they never show their emotions. You cannot be sure of them as friends for you never know what they are thinking. Assuredly you do not like the thin pinched nose person. Why, he pinches every penny until it squeaksf' you say. And it is true. Economy carried to the furthest extreme is an inherent part of his make-up. To express it in modern dialect 'he gets in your hair!' Ah! but what of people with turned-up noses? Do you like them? Of course you do. You just can't help it. They are so happy-go- lucky and carefree. They are generally gay, impudent, captivating Irishmen. The owner of the broad, flat nose with flaring nostrils may not impress you so favour- ably. Oh no, it is not always Negroes who have this shape of nose. Many of our own race possess it. They anger you with their desire to lead. If they were capable of leadership it would be a different matter but usually they are stupid and lacking in personality. Once given the opportunity they exhibit their in- nate dominance and cruelty. The owners of the short, straight, patrician noses-well, we are indifferent to these people. There is nothing spectacular about them. Their

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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

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