Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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FOR THE SCHOOL YF.-XR 1934-1935 Skiing Skiing is a comparatively young sport, and it is still developing at a rapid rate. :Xt the end of the War the devotees of the sport increased greatly in numbers, and the pastime gained many more enthusiasts. The greatest development of skiing took place a few years ago. This was because there was plenty of interest in racing. At these races, people of all kinds of styles and standards were observed to be able to ski in any condition of snow and on any gradient. A good skier on a fast, steep, long run will have a good elastic running position, so as to ride any kind of bumps. He or she ought to be able to turn, whenever necessary, and also be able thoroughly to master the poles. Fvery year there are many races for the ski-racing nations which compete. They are often run across country, and in Switzerland the down-hill racing is very fast and difiicult. To acquire the technique of good skiing requires many hours of practice, and calls for rigid training. There are many turns. For deep snow there is the Telemark, and in a crusty snow the Christiana and the .iump turn. Many of the mails in lfurope and on this side are carried by skiers from point to point, and over long distances the mail is relayed. The ski has been used recently for military purposes in Sweden, and it has also been the mode of travel for years in the Northern part of Furope. Skis are often made ofash, hickory, maple, and birch. There are two or three types of skis, the racing, the plain wide travelling ski, and a jumping ski. The racing ski is very narrow, and is I'lOt good in heavy snow, because it sinks. The skis for heavy snow are wide ones and do not sink as much as the racing ones. The jumping ski is quite wide and is very heavy. It usually has three grooves down the centre instead of the ordinary one. For the bottom of skis when a person is travelling up a long steep gradual slope there is a seal skin which enables the person to climb straight up instead of going up side- ways. Dilgferent kinds of wax are used for varying snow conditions, and in racing especially, a great deal depends on the selection of the proper wax. A ski is very useful and faster than a snowshoe in the open, but in a thickly wooded stretch the snowshoe is much more con- venient and easier to manteuvre. YYhen falling is inevitable an experienced skier will not tighten his muscles, but he will relax, so as to avoid injury. I.H.M., fForm 5-:X l. Ziaumanum est errata CA few howlers , or boners , taken at random from our Christmas examina- tions, and exercise books, will doubtless appeal to parents. Here are some typical selections, which we leave intact.J The suppression of the Monasteries. .. Henry Sth thought these were much too rich, so he di.vpzu'.fed them. llll

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SliI.WYN HOl'SF SCHOOL NI.-XGAZINF Eiffitilis Besrensus Qhsrno l.ast night I proposed to I.uella. Ardently and passionately in language that would have turned Shakespeare and Gray green with envy, I told her of my passion for her. But the dear girl would have none of me, and as a gentle hint not to press my suit further, she had Jenkins forcibly eject me from the house at the point of his number eleven boot. When I woke up ten minutes later, after a refreshing nap in the gutter, I painfully got to my feet, collected my loose change and my thoughts, and expressively muttered that most expressive of words, Curses . After thus giving vent to my feelings, I proceeded along the street and decided there was nothing left for me to do but to commit suicide. I-low, though ? That was the question. I remembered that my brother had a cap pistol, but as my aim is bad I decided not to end my life with firearms, besides, I had forgotten to apply to Chief I.alonde for a pistol licence. I thought of throwing myself off the new bridge, but as I can't swim a stroke, I discarded this idea as too dangerous. Next on the suicidal programme came poison, but not being able to distinguish between red ink and castor oil, I finally gave up this notion too. Then a brain wave struck me. I would freeze myself to death I Wonderful idea, I told myself. :Ks a matter of fact it was the first brain wave that had come my way in years: they just don't seem to take to me. .-Xfter linding that the fi-igidaire was too small to admit my slightly capacious person, I betook myself with nothing but my toothbrush and underwear to the top of the Mountain, where, after much physical exertion, I succeeded in digging myself into the snow. As it was twenty below zero, I soon realized that I should have brought my big sweater with me, and after the temperature had fallen another twenty degrees I decided to go home and get my fur coat, but found I couldn't budge out of my snow hole. When it had reached five thousand below zero iso it seemed to mel, I began to think of roaring lires, and almost wished I was the devil's chief stoker. Then, by sheer will power, I tried to imagine that I was in the Iiimpire State building, and that it was a mass of flame from top to bottom. This proving no good, I tried to picture myself in the most embarrassing situations I could think of, and succeeded in getting hot about the neck, but even that did not greatly aid the rest of my anatomy. I looked at my lingers, they were as purple as an undertaker's best blinds, and as swollen as the Mississippi at Hood tide. With a sigh I closed my eyes and wished I had some cards to play Patience to while away the time. By a frightful lack of foresight, for which I heartily cursed myself in the best of language, I had even omitted to bring my dice with me. Then my mind went numb, even number than usual, and after halt' an hour my soul parted company with my body, and went down to pay a visit to its friend, Mephisto. In the morning they found me, a stark, stirf corpse, with only an under-shirt and toothbrush as covering ..,.. S.I..L., 10.8.1 l 201

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SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE ITIOSCY. Henry 8th had a fierce temper, and cut off his wives' heads: in fact he was a mar- Henry -lth's first wif was Mary de Bohunk. Empson and Dudley squeezed much money from the people for Henry VII: they were lawyers. struck ated. Deus afflavit, et dissipati sunt . These famous words, found on the medal by Queen Elizabeth after the Armada, mean: God blew, and they became dissip- Stanley met Livingstone in Africa, and when they met both raised their hats to each other and said, Dr. Livingstone, I presume PM ce que Perkin Warble was the first singer of English blank verse. Kopjes are South African Cycle Cops. Form E.: YYool comes from the back of a Woolf. The Eskimos live by hinting. From an Essay on Hobbies : My favourite hubby is collecting stamps, Ah, well, boys will be boys! Qline ruse Iinguistique Yoici une petite histoire qui nous vient en droite ligne de Paris et qui vous montrera vous pouvez faire pour peu que vous parliez francais et que vous ayez ff du toupet D: Je me suis amuse enormement des manceuvres d'un ami anglais, qui se trouve ici en ce moment essayant de se perfectionner dans la langue francaise. Il lui faut venir souvent 5 la ville lumiere, et il a la manie de se croire Parisien, bien qu'un simple coup d'o:il decele ses origines. Il est capable d'apprecier la qualite francaise de la hlague, et il s'amuse de temps en temps at s'y exercer. Hier au soir il se trouve aborde sur le Boulevard des Italiens par un de ces individusA beaucoup moins nombreux qu'autrefois- dont c'est le metier de faire visiter ce qu'ils qualifient de llCl'1OS6S interessantes D 51 Paris. lvould you like me to show you round Paris, sir F demande cet individu 51 mon ami. 41 Pardon,D repond Vanglais, ct je n'y suis pas, monsieurg je ne comprends pas l'anglais. je suis norvegien f alors, parlons la langue norvegienne. D 11 Mais, mon Dieu I D s'ecrie lll1OlHlHC, tout-a-fait ebahi , ff vous parlez francais, monsieur.D 11 Naturellement D, repond le xisiteur, if-ie suis une personne civilisee. C'est dommage, monsieur, que vous ne parliez pas francais aussi. D ct Mais je suis francais l D proteste le 14 guide D. fr ll est permis de parler francais en France, n'est-ce pas P D dit mon ami, en me racontant cette histoire. if Moi, je refuse de parler anglais ici. On peut faire cela en Angleterre. Il faut un effort constant pour eviter de parler anglais at Paris. Alors, quand on me parle en anglais ici, je declare: lf Je suis norvegien! D. Heu- reusement je n'ai jamais rencontre un interlocuteur qui sut le norvegien ! D Maintenant, mes amis, vous savez ce qu'il vous reste faire quand votre inter- locuteur refusera de se laisser impressionner par votre francais et insistera pour vous re- ondre en anglais. Demandez-lui de vous warler norvegien russe olonais serbe ou p 5 ,, Y V Y valaque 1 l 221