Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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EDITORIAL. At this time last year we suggested that it would be a good thing if members of the school could b© articulate (a bont their own aativities, that others could only be interested in us, if we were sufficiently interes ' ted in ourselves to tell them all about us. Our voice is still raised in the same complaint, buU:, at least, the wilderness is not q uite so barren this year as it has been. We have, (after much persuasion, obtained two articles by boys in the school about their own acltivities. H. R. Outerbridge has written on the Sailors ' Home; he is on the committee which is in charge of our concerns in that quarter, so that he should know some- thing about it. And A. C. H. Halleitt has written about the gramo- phone concerts in the lunch-hour. This was a more spontianeous contribution than the other, and, as Hallett is himself the moving spirilt of the whole show, it is exactly the sort of thing that we want. The truth of our contention that interest in our own activi- ties arouses interest in others i£ admirably borne ou!t by the Governor ' s gift of books to the Library. His Excellency was im- pressed by the Librarian ' s knowledge of his job, by the fact that he knew what booksi were popular and what were the gaps that needed filling. When, however, we began this article, we had already des- paired of persuading either of the Librarians to venture into print on the subject of their charge. We ' are now glad to be able to say that, as usual, pessimism was a mistake, and to the two articles mentioned above a third must be ' added, an article on the Library by a Librarian. There is finally one other contribution iby a member of the school. It must be classed in a differenlt category from the others. The author is a very junior member of the school, and, so far as we know, the appear ' ance of his composition in the Year Book will be his first intimation that publication wast even being con- sidered. But, in spite of the fact tliat it was composed a a punish- ment, in spite of the fact, that the author has had little success in the pursuit of the virtue that he professes to praise, yet there is ap- parent a simple directness of vision that approximates to genius. So far, we have studiously avoided any reference to the change in the situation of the world since our last issue. This is deliberate. In a quiet w ' ay we have been doing our very little bit to help. For the rest, the best thing that we can do is not to be a nuisance to those wlio have other jobs, in other words, to carry on as nearly in a normal w ay as is possible in the circumstances.

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WARTIME POLICY. It ia very hard in these times to write in a few words- of the policy of this school in wartime. First of all, it may well be summed up by writing that our endeavour is to maintain not to innovate. That is to say that the real problem which confronts me is to maintain, as far as possible, some at any rate of the essential efficiency which has been built up during the years of peace. Some loss, of course, there must be; but my endeavour is to keep it to a minimum in the interests of the boys. Secondly, my duly is clearly to see that certain aspects of these times are presented to the senior boys without overempha- sis; the junior jboys are not, for the most part, to be disturbed if it can possibly be avoided. Thirdly, it is up to the school to play its part in the common effort. Early in the war I decided that this could best be done by concentrating the energies of the school and some voluntary con- tributions to the assistance of the Sailors Home and in the enter- tainment of Naval Ratings. Without these men Bermuda could not maintain herself; so it seemed to me fitting that this sthould he our main affiliation. In a minor way also the boys have been given a chance to play their part, as, for example, in the collec- tion of silver-paper and tin-foil and in the collecting of clothing for the use of refugees. Of one thing at any rate parents. Old Boys and present boys may be well assmred, and that is, that everything possible will be done to keep the Saltus Grammar School in as good a condition a;? possible, with a view to fui ' ther progress when normal times shall have returned. Disappointment that this year should not he able to show the very considerable developments in the school which were under consideration is natural. But the morale of the school and the support of its friends has so far been well maintained; if this continues, perhaps we shall all be the more mature and able to make more rapid and wiser plans for the future of the s ' chool when the time comes. OLD BOYS SERVING. Many of our Old Boys both of the recent past and other times are now serving with His Majesty ' s Forces both here and abroad. They and their parents may be sure that o ' ur most anxious good wishes go to them and that they are constantly in our thoughts at the S. G. S. REEB.

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5 SCHOOL NOTES. Early this year His Excellency the Governor-in-Council appointed the Headmaster to be an associate member of the Cadet Committee. We offer our congraltulations. It S ' hould prove of great assistance to the committee to have the advice of someone who is well acquainted not only with the military part of the organisation but also with the scholastic issues. In September we lost the services of Mr. D. C. A. Goolden and Mr. E. R. Ilott. Mr. Goolden joined the Navy, and in these days when we are warned that any careless word that we utter may cause the loss of livesi, it is as well, perhaps, to say nothing about his activities. Suf- fice it to say that he is missed here. Mr. Ilott was in England when war broke out, and found himself unable to return here. News of him 1 as been very scanty since then, and, at the moment, we have not the least idea what he is doing. This term, particularly he is being missed for his interest in the school ' s cricket. To fill one of the gaps thus created Miss Steacey returned tn the fold. We welcomed her back, but it was not to be for long, and now we have to offer her our felicitations ' on the occasion of her marriage to Lieut. M. P. Pollock, R.N. The ceremony took place in England last month. We have now with us Miss Edith Smith and Mrs. Howard Trott, Jr. We extend a very hearty welcome to them, and express the hope that to their feminine eyes our masculine establishment has not seem- ed too utterly uncivilised during the last few months ' . Next, our congratulations are offered to Mr. and Mrs . R. E. Frewen on the birth of a son. This is an important occasion; not only are we looking forward to the day when the name Frewen appears on the First Form list, but never before, we believe, has the happy event occurred in the family of an assistant master actually on the staff of the school at the time. We also congratulate Mrs. Booker on her appointment as Hon. Secretary of the Committee of the Empire Fete for War Charities re- cently held at Government House. The job involved a great amount of work iand the show was thoroughly successful both financially and otherwisie. Mrs. Booker is Vice-chairman of the Ladies ' Hospitality Organisation, which entertains naval ratings at the Recreation Rooms In the Bermudiana Hotel.