Ruperts Land Girls School - Eagle Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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Ruperfs Land College Magazine a great big garden, the sight of which made us feel very bitter towards the Germans after the terrible destruction of the war area. After a delightful week spent with Mr. and Mrs. Waugh we returned to Paris, where we spent another week. Then we returned to London via Calais and Dover on July 14th. I VVINONA MILTON, Matric. I. .........,..... NOVA SCOTIA The early history of the Province of Nova Scotia has been well written by eminent writers and is, no doubt, fairly well known to all Canadians. There is, however, just one little feature about this history that many forget, and that is the fact that, with one exception, Nova Scotia can boast of the oldest settlement in North America. The little town of Anna- polis Royal was founded by a Frenchman in 1604 and called Port Royal. Tradition has it that a small settlement was made in Cape Breton as early as 1541, but this may not be authentic. The struggles between the French and the English for possession of what is now Nova Scotia, from the year 1604 until it was finally captured by Col. Francis Nicholson for the English in 1710-the concession being later confirmed by the Treaty 'of Utrecht-makes some of the most interesting read- ing in Canadian literature. Some of the remains of the old forts, that figured so conspicuously in this history, still exist today, and are visited yearly by thousands of interested tour- ists. Port Royal remained the seat of government until 1749, when Halifax was founded, a civil government being estab- lished in that port by Col. Edward Cornwallis. The expulsion of the Acadians in 1755 by the English, on account of their refusal to take the oath of allegiance to the then English King, is possibly the best known fact of the history of the Province. This story will, no doubt, out- last that of any that has for its theme an historical event on account of the way in which Longfellow has set it down in his poem Evangeline In fact today the Province, or at least a section of it, is better known to our neighbors across the line as The Land of Evangeline than The Province of Nova Scotia. Few people who visit the Province miss seeing this famous section, and indeed few are disappointed. Although Longfellow had never personally seen the country of which he wrote, he was given such an accurate and detailed picture of it that his story remains today one of the most meticulous des- criptions of any land or people. Although Nova Scotia is small as compared to any of the large Western Provinces, it contains within its boundaries pos- 25

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Ruperfs Land College Magazine Fete de St. Jean, which was of a very pretentious order, and a great crowd had gathered to watch it. It had been the first of its kind since the war, and the evidence of sorrow was shown everywhere by the crepe veils worn by the women and the black frocks of the children. . We motored back to Lille going by Ypres Cwhich is one mass of ruins owing to the many battles fought therej, Mt. Kemmel, Bailleul-the lace centre of Flanders-and Armen- tieres. i Arriving back at Lille we took the train to Arras. All along the railroad the destruction and desolation are indescrib- able. Arras had suffered terribly, there was only one hotel and we were glad we had secured our accommodations before- hand. The French are famous for their comfortable beds,'so that bare floors and curtainless windows did not trouble us, for we knew that what we had was luxurious, considering the con- dition of the country. ' We motored all day on June 28th, which was my sixteenth birthday, in the direction of Vimy Ridge and Lens. The destruction along this line was terrible and all the wells had been poisoned, so that not even a glass of water could be indulged in with safety. I can assure you that Winnipeg water would have tasted good that day. ' We visited Bois Carres cemetery, which is not far from Arras, where a Winnipeg boy whom we knew very well was buried, and we had the opportunity of planting some flowers on his grave. With Arras as our headquarters, we spent three days motoring around the surrounding districts, where we saw much that was interesting and also much that was trying and depressing. We proceeded to Albert, motoring along the Somme, where may places are marked only by mine craters. On the way we saw a big dugout, which was from eighty to one hun- dred feet below the ground. It housed over three thousand soldiersand their equipment. It was lit by electricity and also had telephones. I am sure the soldiers must have thought it a palace, but we were glad to get out of it. .At Albert we stopped at a Y.M.C.A. Hostel and had a re- freshing lemonade, which was the first we had tasted since leaving America. We motored on to Amiens, where we spent the night. In the morning we left for Paris and spent one day there. We took the train for Saar Valley, which is a ten-hour run from Paris, arriving in Saarbrucken on the evening of July lst, where we spent a few days with ex-Mayor Waugh and his family. The comparison between the desolation of France and the beautiful growth of Germany is striking. Germany is like 24

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Ruperfs Land College Magazine sibly more wealth than any of the larger ones, and certainly a greater variation in the pursuits of its inhabitants to gain a livelihood. It is very much easier to mention what is not done than what is done. Certain sections of the country are ex- tremely wealthy in almost all minerals of commercial use, and the coal areas in both the Peninsula and the Island of Cape Breton have as yet barely been touched. Two large steel plants have their home in the Province, as well as many smaller foundries and factories turning out practically every- thing that is required for business or the home. As to topography, the country is for the most part un- dulating and broken in the eastern end, where are found the mines and manufacturies. In the western half are found the beautiful and fertile valleys where the famous Nova Scotian apples are grown. While the scenery can hardly be termed grand, yet there are some spots that will compare very favorably in rugged beauty with any country in the world, and in the western sec- tion, when the various fruit orchards are in blossom, it is doubtful if its peaceful rural beauty could be surpassed. The people are practically all descendants of the English, Scotch, Irish, French and German settlers, and, as for all time practically no other language than English has been taught in the schools, it would be hard to find any adult in the country who does not speak English, or one who cannot read and write it. The Nova Scotian is very properly proud .of the edu- cational system in the Province. In addition to the ordinary public school, each county has an Academy, where students are prepared for the University. There are also a number of splendid private schools and seminaries located throughout the Province. While the Universities, of which there are four- Dalhousie, Acadia, Kings, and St. Francis Xavier-cannot boast of the equipment of the larger Canadian and American Universities, they afford an opportunity to obtain higher edu- cation at a low cost. As this paper is written by a Nova Scotian, it does not seem proper to draw attention to its men and women who have figured so prominently in the affairs of Canada. It is, how- ever, a well-known fact that this Province has produced more than a fair share of statesmen and lawmakers. This may be attributed broadly to two things-the class of people who first settled the country, who were the best of their respective nationalities, and to the educational system. The very charac- ter of the country demands work from him who will succeed, and this, perhaps, has much to do with the character of its inhabitants. Spend your next summer holidays in Nova Scotia and see 26