Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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We were very grateful to Mr. Patterson for a talk that was not only instructive, but the most interesting that we had heard for a long time. — o The Fall of the Bastille By David S. NichoU The streets were quiet, The sky was clear. And then came a sound, A sound came near. A babble of voices, A rushing of feet, And a ruthless army Surged up the street. An army of ruffians Then came into sight. With all kinds of weapons, Prepared for a fight With the tyrants who ' d taken Their possessions away, This was their reckoning — This was the day! And yells of defiance Arosfe from the crowd. And the gendarmes who saw them Could not but be cowed. They wanted the King, And they wanted the Queen. Such a terrible sight Was ne ' er before seen. And before all those people The grim Bastille loomed, A yell of mock laughter came When their gun boomed. 14

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sets on the British Empire, and it might equally be said that wherever in the British Empire a man set foot he was free, and might expect to receive fair play. Not only was the Empire great, but also it had char- acter, so that they felt proud to belong to it; but let them beware of becoming boastful and conceited in their patriot- ism. Finally, everyone, small or big, young or old, had the opportunity to make his contribution. Their great men of the past had shown that they were disciplined and capable of self-sacrifice; it was up to them to show that they had that same capacity. They could show it in loyalty to their school, to their masters, to their side; they could practise self-dis- cipline, and try to play the game. To them, the young Britons of today, the Empire was entrusted: let them rise to show themselves worthy of the trust. Following the addresses the boys sang a verse of the National Anthem, and cheers were accorded to the speakers. o Visit of Mr. Patterson In the middle of February we enjoyed a most interest- ing talk by Mr. Patterson, H.M. Commissioner of Prisons. He started by saying that he would have liked to write up two sentences for all to see: first, If you are downhearted, remember Drummond, and, secondly. Noblesse oblige. Drummond had been weak and a chronic invalid as a boy, and, when the Great War came, he was rejected by the fighting services, but later his opportunity came and he fin- ally won the Victoria Cross for a courageous performance at Zeebrugge. Mr. Patterson then gave us from his own ex- perience several examples of consideration for others at the expense of one ' s own convenience. He pointed out that these two ideas of consideration for others and that you never can tell how a man will develop, even in the face of almost insuperable handicaps, had effected a great reform in the attitude of the community to its crim- inals, and that nowadays many a man who had spent years in gaol had found the opportunity to change his ways and lead a decent and useful life. 13

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And then there were turned The wheels of Fate, As that mass of humanity Rushed straight at the, gate. There were cries of horror As the gate burst in twain; There were cries for quarter But they were in vain. Pistol shot and swords clashed, Cries and shrieks sounded loud, As the guards of the Bastille, Went down ' fore that crowd. The prison doors clanged open, The prisoners poured out. All under that tri-colour flag, Acclaimed the Bastille rout, And on that seething aVmy marched. Fought through those horrid days, And far above that roar of strife. Rose high the Marseillaise. o My Exciting Adventure In this story I shall endeavour to tell you of one of my most exciting adventures in the back-woods of Canada. We started out from C . at about six o ' clock in the morning and trekked all day to the westward. We pitched camp that night about thirty miles from the city. Early the next morn- ing my two companions went off into the undergrowth to study the trees and vegetation thereabouts, as they were both interested in botany. I was left alone to clean up the camp, and, as I went about this task, I heard a grunt, and looking up I beheld three huge bears advancing slowly to- wards me. I was at first rather frightened, but I almost immediately recovered my composure and looked about for some weapons. My .410 calibre rifle lay several yards away end one of the beasts was almost upon me, so, snatching up 15