Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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FOR THF SCHOOL YF.-XR 1938 -1939 adays one can go the theatre or sit and listen to the radio: hut there were few theatres, no cinemas, and no radio in the old days. Today people can actually see what is being donef by television if and hear it at the same time I How dreary it must have been without entertainment of this kind. I like living in other places, but Canada seems to be away from any danger. Australia is liable to be attacked by Japan, and liiurope is the scene of war. If knew what was coming in the future, I might like to live then rather than now. But who can tell F c. A. Q. is., Form J.. Zin imaginary trip tu Jfrante Once a rich uncle left me a large sum of money, so I decided to go to France. When I was ready to go I thought it would be good for my education ifI drove down to New York. That is a very small part of the l'nited States, of course, but even if it did not improve my education it would be good fun. The mountains are very beautiful to drive through, be- cause a State park is kept there, where the animals are so tame that they will sometimes run across the road in front of cars. IYhen I arrived in New York I had a look at the shops, though of course I could not see much, as I only had a short time before sailing, and drove along the River Side drive. I was to sail on the Normandie, first class. The crossing wasn't rough, though I did miss two meals. It was sunny most of the time, and I got some good pictures of the boat and the people who like me were travelling first class. At last we reached port, and I took the train for Paris. The First thing I did was to find a hotel where there were nice clean rooms and good meals. When I settled down I began to sight-see. I went first to the Louvre, a place I enjoyed very much. I then de- cided it would be nice ifI could tell all my friends at home that I had gone sailing in the sewers of Paris, and though I was not greatly attracted by the idea, I went. I have never enjoyed myself less: the paddler smelt of garlic, it was dark and damp, and I invariably hit my head on the roof. I got out as quickly as I could, and spent the next day at home. Afterwards I went to look at other museums until I had recovered my spirits sullliciently to go underground again. Then I went into the vaults of Paris. I went to see the famous Maginot line, and on my return visited a cave in the centre of France. Of course I had to have a guide to shew me the right passages to take and the interesting sights to see. When I got back to Paris I bought many souvenirs to take back to my friends and family. I then went over to England to see Madame Tussaud's XYax Works. Then I set sail on the Queen Elizabeth, travelling tourist class, because I had I1Ot so much money now. YYhen I reached home I had a wonderful time telling everyone what I had done and bought in Paris. C. Nl., lform 2. ll7l

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SliI.WYX HOl'5li SCHOOI. Nl.-XGAZIYP We piled them against the house, and with the aid ol' gas curtains inside, when they are rinished they make a bomb-prool'. gas-proof shelter, complete with lavatory, kitchen, and space for at least sixty people. 'l'he sand bags are piled 20 feet high and 4 feet thick across the windows. .-Xs that part of the house is mostly windows, there is a pile about 8 feet wide, then a 3 foot gap where the bricks are, then another 8 foot pile. We have put in about ollfl bags today, but have got about another llllll to put in. They arc filled with earth and are very heavy. lfverybody is having the time of their lives building them, but their motives cast a sinister shadow over the proceedings. i Nobody talks about war much, though everybody is thinking about it, and the general feeling is rather serious but quite unscared. No one seems at all frightened by the imminence ol' war. liven after Chamberlain's speech about an hour ago, in which he said he could do nothing more for peace, nobody seemed worried. A lot of boys are going home, and in the event of war the school will disperse. il' in VORIN iyoinz No wonder the price of-iute, from which sandbags are made, has increased of late, a good thing for India! However, thanks to blr. Chamherlairfs modernized version ol the old Latin tag si vis pacem, para umbrellum --V the crisis has, at the time of printing, been averted. Mein gampfn seems to have won out - so far Yi The :lBerinh uf iiaisturp in which ii tnuulb like tu libs In thinking it over, ol' all periods of history, l would like to live in the present: and what is more, I would like to live here in Canada. Today there is more justice -e much more e than in the olden days. In those days only the rich could bring a case to court, the poor being always neglected. Now it is a quite ditlierent. The poor have a chalice to have -iustice done them. In the lfeudal system days the serlis were accounted as specks of dust. People nowadays would call that dreadful. Comfort in the days gone by was hardly to be compared with what it is now. The houses were barren and cold, and even damp, warmed only by one or two tires. Now nearly every house has a furnace and suthcient lights to keep the house snug and cheerful. 'liransportation today is wonderful compared with long ago. Nlotor cars yxeren't invented until the early 'Slls, and the trains did not come . A V - into use until the late ,Os. Aeroplanes were the last to come into being IUUR being the First time a piloted plane stayed in the air for one minute. Now, transportation is an extremely important factor. Boats in those days took perhaps months to cross the .-Xtlantic, while today the Queen Mary does it in three and a hall' days l Cars are very important in big towns, especial- ly for business men. .-X person's lilie often depends on one: because if a very sick patient were taken to a hospital in a horse conveyance going five miles an hour, he would stand little chalice ol' recovery. Trains are also important blocks of transportation. One would have great trouble taking supplies three or four thousand miles without a train l Une gets sulfcient education in a school ol' today. lt is only recently that the lower classes, or poor, have been able to obtain a certain amount ol' education. The rich always seemed to get the best of everything. To enjoy life, there must be entertainment. Now- l16l

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SIQIAYYN HOCSI-1 SCHOOL MAG.-XZINIH The Qaelic in Qfape Breton On the Island of Cape Breton there are many people of Highland Scottish descent. You can easily tell this from the names of the people, there is every kind of Nlac , and mf ny other Scottish names. It is only natural that they should carry on the language of their forefathers, the Gaelic. Gaelic is used in Churches, in songs, and in conversation in some very out of the way places on the island. There is a story of a man walking along a street in Inverness, C.B., who asked two men a question, and they didn't answer. He thereupon asked another person what was ailing them, and learnt that they could speak only Gaelic ' This shews how much it is still used. I think personally that the people in Cape Breton are more Scottish than the people in Scotland l A very curious fact is that there are negroes in the middle of the island speaking Gaelic. This is how it happened. The revolt in the .american Colonies made the Empire I.oyalists come up to Canada, and these negroes were among them. They settled down, and naturally learned the Gaelic because most of the people were Scotch. They have adopted Scotch names, such as George Maxwell. One Sunday I walked up the valley to the Church about two and a half miles away. This valley was called Skye Glen. I came to the Church where buggies and cars were waiting outside. Then I walked in and sat in a pew. .-Xfter the service in English, three men went up to lead the singing in front of the pulpit. The people's faces changed completely, and they began to sing. Une old lady in front of me was literally crooning, It is said that you can express some things better in Gaelic than in Iinglish, notably actions of the soul and mind. When I left the Church I saw gravestones with Scottish place names on them telling where the person had come from f mostly from islands ot? the west coast of Scot- land. Here is an example: John McDonald. Born -Ian. 27th, 1925, in Islay, Scotland. Ded at the age of 57 on June Sth, 1833, at Skye Glen, C.B. Then I went home to where I was staying, thinking what an interesting subject the Gaelic in Cape Breton is. C. S., Form 4. The jfnrthtnming Visit of the Bing ann Qeuzzn tn Qllanaha Every Canadian citizen was overjoyed to hear of the forthcoming visit of the King and Queen of the British Fmpire to Canada. They are sailing on the H. M. S. Repulse, which is now in process of being fitted as comfortably as possible for their Nlajesties. This is the first time in the history of our country that a reigning monarch of Britain has visited her shores. Iilaborate preparations are being made everywhere to give them a hearty reception and to enable as many people as possible to see them. Farly in the month of May they are due to arrive in Quebec city, where they will be greeted by the Governor-General and the Prime Minister ofCanada and other Govern- ment ofticials. They will be taken on a tour of this old historic city. After a brief visit there, they will travel on a specially prepared train right across Canada. llgl