North Toronto Collegiate Institute - Howler Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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Pllfln' Ijiglzlcciz THE HOIVLER1934 ir VALEDICTORY af Our Graduates of 1933 Bid Au Revoir to' North Toronto Through Their Representative, James A'Court. X ss James A'Court OLONICI. XYOUD, Honourable Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: As this is probably our last formal visit to the school, I should like to take this oppor- tunity of thanking all of those who have helped us in any way during our school career. One. of course, to whom we owe a great deal, is Colonel NVood. In the lower forms he is regarded with a good deal of awe. Then amongithe higher students, some begin to get a little critical, saying among themselves what they would have done on certain occasions, had they been in his place. However, I am sure that a little thought will convince you all that anything Colonel Wood does is for the benefit of the student body as a whole, and the school itself. The teaching staff particu- larly deserve credit, for theirs is a hard task, and much of their work is unappreciated by the students. As soon as you leave the school, however, and no longer- have the same teach- ers to rely on, you will realize what a great help they have been, and the debt you owe them. Dictating notes and assigning a fixed amount of work each night tend to cause the student to lose any initiative he or she might possess. Of course these things are necessary, for otherwise some students would never do any work, but to the student who takes his or her work seriously, and especially to those who intend going on to university. it is absolutely vital to learn to work alone, only going to the teacher for help when a special difhculty is met. At this point I should like to congratu- late, on behalf of last year's class, North To- ronto's Senior football team on winning the city championship. It is an achievement worthy of merit, and, we hope, only the forerunner of other similar successes. XYith regard to games, they are an essential part of everyone's life. They really serve two purposes. First of all. they are a source of healthy recreation, and for this reason alone everyone should partake in them. But games also have another just as important function, that of character building, and the best game for this purpose is the team game. XYhere a group is playing together, a spirit of co-operation is developed which is invaluable, because it remains after the game is over, and is then applicable to other things. Those who offer lack of ability as a reason for non-participation in games, I would urge to remember that it is not necessary to excel in sports in order to be a good sport, and in the eyes of everyone of intelligence, the good sport is preferable. Thus I would say that everyone, from the first former up, ought, if physically able, to take part in some form of sport. This mention of the first former recalls a point of psychological ,value, the attitude of the first former to the fifth. If you people in fifth form will just go back four or five years, you will be surprised to discover how your attitude toward the fifth former has changed. Now, to you, they are common-place, Ordinary people, no better in any way than

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THE HOIVLER, 1934 Page Seventeen 0 THE EDITORS' CQNVENTION 0 Where criticisms-constructive and otherwise-were gathered by your delegates. Ik lk Dk Dk D15Lrii:.x1'iss-Mai'ioii Greenshields, .lohanne Klein, liliner Doan, Arthur Dunbar. PF Pls PK Pls EN KICLOCK on the morning of Fri- day, November Nth, marked the occa- sion of the opening of the eighth annual High School lfditors' Convention, sponsored by Sigma Phi, the lYomen's Honourary and Professional journalistic Fraternity of the University of Toronto. As the opening hour approached, representatives of high schools all over Ontario gathered in the rotunda of Convocation Hall in the Cniversity of To- ronto, and after enrolment took their places for the opening. The delegatesgfour of them from North Torontogwere welcomed by Miss Helen Mc- Kee, President of Sigma Phi. The freedom of the Cniversity buildings and grounds was extended by the President, Dr. H. gl. Cody. Mr. Dunlop, of the Department of University Extension, humourously outlined the purpose of the Convention. He explained this to be mainly an effort toward the betterment of the quality of high school magazines, through the medium of discussion of the various problems encountered by the students in the publica- tion of their journals. There followed an interesting discussion of Modern Advertising. by Mr. Elton Johnston, of the Clarke E. Locke Advertising Agency. The Convention then broke up into groups, under the leadership of experienced men. Each group discussed some one phase of magazine edition, the rudi- ments, essentials, and problems of each. This concluded a busy morning, and the gathering adjourned for luncheon. Two o'clock saw us again gathered in Con- vocation Hall, where Professor Louis A. Mac- Kay, of University College, lectured on Short Story VVriting. Mr. Lou Marsh, of Pick and Shovel fame, gave, in his inimitable man- ner, a half-hour talk on Sports VVriting. We then dispersed for a little educational diver- sion, and were given our choice of being con- ducted through one of three large Toronto printing establishments. The North Toronto delegzxtrs chose to view the inner workings of the MacLean Publishing Company. Soon after six, with the roar of machinery still in our ears. we arrived in the lounge of l'aton's College Street Store for the big ban- quet. lt consisted of literally everything from soup to nuts, including turkey with the ap- proprizrte trimmings. After the dinner were tendercd the usual toasts, among them, Cnr Guests, ably responded to by our esteemed editor, Marion tireenshields. Later, the prizes for the best magazine cover design, short story and magazine make-up were presented. XVhile the Ilo-ruin' failed to qualify, it received hon- ourable mention from Mr. Augustus Bridle, of the llaily Star. whose criticism of the school magazines was generally favourable. This concluded a highly enjoyable evening. The next morning, we assembled once again in Convocation llall, despite all the Santa Claus l'arade could do to keep us away. Mr. Stuart Thompson, of Brigden's Limited, gave a lengthy discussion on Magazine Make-up, followed by a short talk on Feature XVriting hy Miss Mona Clarke, the editor of Gossip. Reports on the group discussions of the pre- ceding morning, succeeded a talk by Mr. Napier Moore, of MacLean's, on Magazine liditing. Mr. Charles Goldhammer gave an illustrated lecture on Magazine Art, the last of the series of discussions. Dr. J. H. Alt- house, Headmaster of the University Schools, tendered the closing address, which ofhcially ended the Convention for 1933. Though the Convention was over, we saw Tony Sarg's Marionettes at the Eaton Auditorium to round out the afternoon. XVe wish to convey our thanks to Sigma Phi for an intensely interesting, instructive and enjoyable session, and hope that all their suc- ceeding efforts will be crowned with equal success.

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THE HOH'l-liR,1934 yourself, many of them worse. But in lirst form, fifth formers are regarded as almost unapproachable, and certainly to be respected. This change is natural, but the attitude of the first fonner is an extremely strong argument in favour of the prefect system, instituted in this school by Colonel XVood. A few in the upper forms are not inclined to take it seri- ously, but a little broadmindedness and co- operation from them would do a great deal towards its success. A very important part of school life is that play ed by the various clubs and societies. Not only do these promote interest in, and extend the knowledge of the arts to which they devote themselves, but once again that spirit of co- operation and sometimes of healthy rivalry is developed. This value is apparent when one considers that, except in a few cases, one's progress is inseparable from social environ- ment, and to succeed in anything, one simply must be socially related to others. Perhaps the greatest thing for which we have to thank our high school is the fact that we have, in part at least, received an educa- tion. VVhat do we mean by that? There is an idea very prevalent among certain people, usually of an over-practical turn of mind, that most of the subjects taught in high school are of little use to the student in later life. What's the use of Latin? And if Latin is going to be of some use to a man, certainly mathematics will not help him, in any way, and so on. Now all this is extremely narrow- minded. The purpose of a secondary educa- tion is not merely to amass knowledge, but to learn how to think, how to meet and solve for oneself, problems that will later arise. lf a man cannot think for himself, he will always be dependent on someone else-and certainly no one will deny that the original thinker enjoys greater freedom and scope for advance- ment than the mere imitator Therefore when you are inclined to consider your studies dull, remember that in making you exercise your brain, they are rendering you a service of the greatest value As we look back over the last few years, at North Toronto, it is with a feeling of justi- fiable pride that we recall its growth during Page Nineteen our stay here. .Xll the improvementsfan extra storey, new cafeteria, new gymnasium, playing field and track, and an enlarged enrolment- reflect its rise to the position of one of the largest and hest collegiates in the city. This increase in size. moreover, has been accom- plished by an increase in the quality of the school. As examples of this, we have the fine showing of our track team last year in the Canadian meet, the winning of the city cham- pionship by the football team this year, the increased number of scholarships won by the school in the past tive years, the winning of the Star Shield for the best high school maga- zine in Ontario by the Howler in 1931, and many other achievements. Since we cannot live in the past, though we may think fondly of it at times, the important thing is the innuence of past deeds on the future of the school. A standard is set and as each year goes by, that standard is raised. And now, in conclusion, I should like to repeat, as a little incentive perhaps, four lines from XVordsworth's Ode to Duty. These lines may be adopted for our purpose as ex- plaining the struggle undergone at school, and the lesson learned there-learned, but not fully realized till after graduation. The poet makes this confession to Duty: .4 And oft, when in my heart was heard Thy timely mandate, I deferred The task, in smoother walks to stray, But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may. ff :if 4: Ik Uncle, are you really a cannibal? VVhat makes you think that ? XVell, mother says you're always living on somebo ly. Pk as :sf Pk Phonetic Love O.M.L.E. what X.T.C. I always feel when U.I.C. I used to rave of L.N.'s eyes, For K.T. I gave countless sighs. For L.C. too, and L.N.R. I was a keen competitor. But they're a non-N.T.T. For U.X.L. them all, U.C.