Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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an address by the headmaster given at Chapel, April 27, I957 S0 shall I observe thy lan' continually For ever and ever, And I will walk at liberty. - Psalm CXIX OW MANY OF THE GOOD THINGS OF LIFE we value most when they are taken from us - good health, good friends, good opportunities - and we are faced with illness, loneliness, frustration. Of all that man holds dear, his liberty, when he has it he takes most for granted, - when in bondage he cherishes it beyond all else! Down through the ages the story of man has been his struggle for liberty - the writer of these lines of scripture was of a race kept in slavery. In later times you have read in history of England, of France, of Italy, of the American colonies, of India, of those peoples who have not rested under domina- tion and oppression. And to-day you are familiar with events in Hungary, in Poland, in Cyprus, in Algeria, with the upsurge throughout Asia and Africa, events sometimes tragic, as in Hungary, sometimes misguided, as in Cyprus, sometimes constructive as in the new state of Ghana - but all stemming from that stirring in man's soul to be free, And you and I, where do we stand in this turmoil? NVe live in the free world, free to elect the kind of government we wish, free to express our thoughts, political or religious as we wish, free from economic want, from poverty, from hunger, free in all these ways. But free from fear? - far from it. For of course we don't live in a free world as long as there exists a danger of atomic warg as long as the nations of the world refuse to forego acts of physical aggression and submit themselves to the rule of world government. Liberty, as the psalmist says, may not exist except within an understanding of law. Our present leaders are struggling towards this concept against great odds. If our race continues, it will be the lot of your generation to carry into reality liberty within law among nations. If that be your role, let us examine your understanding of freedom. Wlien you were very young it probably meant freedom to do just as you pleased, freedom to have your own way no matter what the cost, and some children grow up into adolescence and adulthood with this same concept, slow to learn that individual freedom stops where it infringes on the freedom of another individual or of the group. Good sense, good judgment tell you where your personal freedom ends, for you grow older you learn to respect the rights of oth-ers. It is here that law and religion meet - our faith making us feel that we should do unto others as we would that they do unto us, and our law command- ing us to respect the rights of the group. Twenty-011 e

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chapel at Pickering HEN A STUDENT ENTERS PICKERING College at the beginning of the year he has made an agreement to attend the weekly Pickering Chapel Service. This is one of the few compulsory duties a Pickering student takes on when he becomes one of our student body. And if he has not played, studied or slept too hard during the free Sunday afternoon, and is able to stay awake and alert, he may learn of some philosophies, and some experience which mafy be of use to him if he can re-tain them later on. Because Pickering was founded and is supported by a religious group, the Society of Friends, Chapel is a very integral part of Pickering and is as old as the school itself. Customs have grown, and are accepted now, in our Pickering Chapel, because of the part which Chapel plays in our lives here. One of these customs is our new boys' Chapel, which takes place two or three weeks after the opening of school. During this Chapel all the new members of the school rise and take the Oath of the Athenian Youth-you might call it our school promise. After this service the new boys sign the student roll book, and meet the members of our school committee, from this time on they are no longer new boys . Another of these services is our Christmas Candlelight Service. This service attracts many visitors, and is one of the highlights of our Chapel year. The music this year was supplied by Mr. Digby Peers and his firth house choir, Mrs. Beer, and the College Glee Club. Talks are given in Chapel by the Headmaster, and by members of the staff. These speakers can be very helpful, for in living with us they know our short- comings and our needs. Speakers, however, are not always from the staff. It is customary for two chapels a. y-ear to be taken by our student committee. The committee members conduct and speak in the services. Other speakers have included such well known and distinguished men as Dr. Karl Bernhardt, Professor of Psychology at U. of T., Mr. David Lawley, very active worker wi-th 'the blliind, Sir Robert Watson-NVatt, iinvenitor of Radar, 'Cecil Evans, a prominent member in the Society of Friends, Mr. E. R. Mather tan old boyj personnel manager Falcoirbridge Mines, and Mr. B. A. NV. Jackson, an old boy, and former member of the staff, Professor at McMaster University. During Brotherhood Week our Chapel guests were Mr. Ghadiali from India, Mr. Ellis of Jamaica., Mr. Gabriel Pal from Hungary, and Mr. Ray Kurkjian of Lebanon. NVe had this year, several reading services. There are no speakers in these services. Some members of the student body are asked to read paragraphs and rs f om significant sayings and writings by promrinent. thinkers. ve.es r ,O . .ig Many thanks to Mr. Peers and his excellent. Firth House Choir for supplying the music in our Chapel Services. - PETER NEWBERY

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Now, the happiest groups, the most civilized communities are tho-se which are inspired by faith or by an understanding of law, rather than by fear of the law and its consequences. Such a communiity We fwant at Pickering. Here the wise 'an-d mature student does his best, not because he fears a compulsory study, or restriction of privilege, but because he wants the freedom and self-respect that come from doing his best. They say that primitive ma'n's tirst step towards civilization came when the tribe sat down in a circle and allowed one man to speak at one time. Freedom to learn in a classroom means therefore a respect for rule, which means in turn, of course, a respect for the rights of others to learn under proper conditions. Most of you observe this kind of respect: those of you who donlt are quite liter- ally uncivilized savages. The same thoughts may be turned towards other aspects of our life together. You have the right to proper conditions for evening study, you have the right to expect that the rules of a game in which you are playing are observed by all, you have the right to the peace and quiet of your own room without dis- turbance. Those who do not respect these rights of yours and mine, destroy our freedom and theirs, but, thank tlod, this group is always a small minority, whose members tor the most part learn to understand freedom. And when they learn, they realize that liberty, tar from meaning that they can do any- thing they want, means liberty within the understanding of law. ln other words, freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin, indispensable to one another, forever bound itogether, if one is destroyed, lbotlh are destroyed. But, remember, if you can understand this problem, through love of freedom rather than through fear ot law, you will be able to hold your head high as a free man. Your heritage, from your country and from your school is freedom - not license, is responsibility - not irresponsibility. Therefore, face your responsi- bilities and you will find your freedom. Then only will you walk at liberty. 7'1renty-f11'0