Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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FOR THE SCHOOL YF.-XR 1942- 1943 was now on the same side as Pitt. I agreed with both of them but I felt that more should be done about the Reform movement. During the course of our conversation we discussed the possibilities of invasion, but we all felt that the Royal Navy could ably repulse any attack. Mr. Wordsworth then offered me a drinkg I thanked him but told him I had to be going. He replied that he would take me out to see his garden and show me the supersilium, as it was not far from the path. Mr. Coleridge stayed behind and took his drink although he had not been offered one, but he seemed to be a great friend of Mr. W'ordsworth's how- ever, for the latter took no notice. The garden was beautiful, and not only was it obvious that my host was proud of it, but also fond of it. ' As I lifted my eyes and prepared to depart I saw across the road beyond Grasmere Lake, Silver Howe, and to the right and farther away, The Lion and The Lamb, rising up out of the midst of the valleys and lakes. :X little down to the left of Grasmere Lake lay Rydal YVater rich in a blaze of golden daffodils. Now I knew why Mr. Wordsworth chose to live in Grasmere. So with that memorable picture of beauty still in my mind as it is to this day, I walked down the path leading from Dove Cottage, shook hands with Mr. YVordsworth and thanked him for his kind hospitality. Ir had indeed been a pleasant visit and I accepted with great pleasure his kind invitation to come and visit him again when- ever I could. J. M. H., Form 6. THE SEASONS lfinffr is 1116 lime of snow, Ski-ing dawn lhe hills I go. I play hockey on the iff, ind, when I Jfore, il'J vein' nite! Sprizzgkr the lime' Qf .lprif ,rh0wc'r.v, Bringx aff 50775 of Ioz'fIvfI0wfr.r. On llze znomzfzzin I play rrirkef, If'.v lucky Q' I Iii! flze wirkel I I11 .vzmzzizer I0 llzf' bezzrlz I go, I learn fo paddle and to row. I swim and dive into the sea, lfhiflz if zz for offzm for me I .Jufzwzn is lhe LBJ! of aff, For when the leaziey begin 10 faff, I hurry our of 711-V.f7'07lf door, Back to Sflwyzz Home owe more ! D. .-X. H., Form A. ll7l

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SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE MY VISIT TO MR. WORDSWORTI-I AT HIS HOME IN GR.-XSMERE IN THE YE.-XR 180-I I-IRI'1I'i quick knocks, ten seconds, and then the door was opened by an elderly kind-looking woman whom I judged to be the maid. I entered Dove Cottage , the home of Wiilliam Vkordsworth, gave my name, and asked if it would be possible to see the poet. I wondered whether he was out, but I was told that he was in the library and would be pleased to see me. I entered a little nervously and shook hands after introducing myself. Also in the room was his sister Dorothy, and I felt lucky to find them at home. The conversation was about the weather to begin with, and then Mr. Wordsworth asked me how I liked the lakes and the valleys, the dadodils and other Howers of his beloved Lake District. I replied that it was heaven compared with the smoke and dust of London, whereupon he asked how I had made my journey from the city. I related to him how I had travelled over rough, bumpy roads by stage and occasionally on horseback, periodically taking a short rest while passing through such towns as Oxford, Shrewsbury and Manchester until I finally alighted at the Swan I-'otel, situated at the foot of Dunsmail Raise. I had been slightly stage-sick during my trip because of the bad roads and I was very glad to arrive at my destination. Both Mr. Wordsworth and his sister seemed interested in what I had to say and from then on conversation Howed more freely. It was interesting to hear Mr. Wordsworth talk of places which he had mentioned in his poems, and after speaking with him for a time it was obvious to me how much he loved nature, and how much more it meant to him than to most of the other people of our time. And 'tis my faith that every Hower Enjoys the air it breathes. From these lines written by him we see that Wiordsworth loved nature to the extent that he believed that nature lived as one of us. .-Xfter a time the conversation naturally turned to poetry and I asked Mr. Words- worth if he had written anything lately. I-fe told me that he and Mr. Coleridge had pub- lished a book called the Lyrical Ballads together, but that it had not been much of a suc- cess. I'le confided to me that he believed Coleridge's poem, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, had spoiled the book, but just at that moment a rather pale, thin man entered the room g it was Mr. Coleridge. There was a silence. Finally Mr. Wordsworth introduced me. Mr. Coleridge seemed a trifie surprised to find Mr. Wordsworth at home, the latter explaining that he had been out canvassing for Lord Lonsdale, but had come in just half an hour ago. I realised now what a close call I had had in finding Mr. Vlordsworth at home. We talked for a time on different subjects, Mr. Coleridge, his paleness, thinness, his rough black hair and his poor teeth forgotten now, did most of the talking, in fact prac- tically all of it. The conversation turned to the war, and I asked the two men, Dorothy Wordsworth having left the room, what they thought of it. Mr. Wordsworth, whom I knew to have once sided with the Revolutionists, seemed to have changed his views and ll6l

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SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE NIY OPINION OF NIR. CI-IL'RCI-IILL ANY people have said that Mr. Churchill is Fngland's greatest leader. In a way I think this is true, and he certainly ranks high among Britain's greatest heroes. It seems strange that when Fngland is in trouble there is usually someone to lead her out of it, and this war has been no exception. I.ong before this war, when the Germans were beginning to prepare and Hitler had just come to power, many men in England and in other countries were content to watch all these preparations by the Germans and do nothing about it. It was here that Churchill began to show some of his wisdom. I-Ie warned the people of Fngland that the Germans would try to rule the world, but no one listened to him. In May, I9-IO, lYinston Churchill became Prime Minister of Great Britain, and after the fall of France he stood supreme. When Britain stood alone and had no one to help her fight Germany, he showed the spirit of which British men are made when he said, Wie will never give in to slavery and Hitlerism. Many people ask, Ylihat makes Mr. Churchill so popular F I think that Mr. Churchill is a versatile genius who is a soldier, sailor, practical bricklayer, adventurer, author, states- man, painter, and one of the best orators in history. His ability to turn his fancy to any one of these qualifications makes him popular with all classes of men. His bulldog will to stick to his ideals makes him a really great leader. D. C., Form 3. MY LIFE AS A POTATO was a potato. My name was Peter, and I lived at Seedy Farm. I lived there with my brothers, sisters, mother and father. I had seven eyes and had grown to be about three inches long. I was the type that lived in the ground, until the farmer pulled me out. I went to a school which was called Iinderground School. This school was very nice but we did not learn 2 -l- 2 and all that stuff. We learned how to jump out of pots when people were cooking us. I must say that I thought that I would have a much better chance ifl were a Jumping Bean. :Ks summer went by, the farmer came every day to take some of us away. One day he took me out of the ground and gave me to his wife. She then put me in a bowl and started to hit me with a big wooden club. Good-bye readers. I cannot say anything more as I am being mashed to pieces. E. N., Form l. l13l