Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1942- 1943 THE SPEED OF ANIMALS F the fastest animal, the fastest fish, the fastest insect, and the fastest bird had a hun- dred yard's race, which do you think would win F As most people know, the bird would win by a very large margin. The type of bird that has a very fast rate of speed is the bird of prey. It earns its food in a peculiar manner. It climbs high into the sky, and when it sees a likely meal flying below, it power-dives on the bird and knocks the life out of it with one of its talons. It is during this tremendous stoop or power-dive that the bird of prey proves that it is the fastest thing alive. ' The speediest bird of prey is the peregrine falcon. Here is an experience of a pilot who was flying a small pursuit plane in America. This pilot noticed a Hight of ducks far below and ahead of him. Thinking that he could have some practice at diving at a moving object, he opened the throttle and hurtled down after the ducks. Just then he saw a peregrine falcon shoot past his plane. The falcon most probably thought that the plane was after the ducks and it determined to get there first. It did, and knocked one of the ducks lifeless to the ground. The pilot said that his air-speed needle read 175 m. p. h. as the bird passed his plane, and insisted that it was travelling two feet to his one. The winner of the second prize would be the animal. The fastest animal in the world is the cheetah, which the Rajahs of India use for racing the antelope across the plains and then killing it. One was once clocked at 70 m. p. h. This animal has very long legs and its whole body is built for speed. Coming in third place would be the fish. The fastest type known is the sailiish, a species of swordfish. One, when caught, took out a deep-sea lisherman's line at the rate of a hundred yards in three seconds, which works out to over 60 m. p. h. The insect, the loser, is not far behind the sailfish. The speediest of all insects is the dragon-fly, the fastest type being found in Australia. A man once held a stop watch on one that was patrolling up and down a mountain stream. He said that the dragon-fly had Hown at some 55 m. p. h. But we do not all get a chance to see these animals in action. If you have ever been in the north woods at night you may have seen an owl, a bird that can Hy at 40 m. p. h. in the dark. This shows the remarkable speed of some animals, very different from the speed of a sprinting human. G. T., Form 4. THE BIG INDIAN NCE upon a time there was a big Indian. He had a big black bear. He had a big brown deer. He had a big white rabbit. He had a big brown dog. He had a belt of white Wampum. He had a belt of pink Wampum. He had a belt of purple wamw pum. He had a big tan wigwam. He had a big name, Nuka-ib-kada-va . He had a big l19l

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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

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SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE kind heart and a pair of black eyes. His friendly animals loved him. He loved his friendly animals too. One day a strange Chief and his tribe came to Nuka's wood. They wanted to hunt Nuka's animals. Nuka went to the Chief and said, Do not come to my woods. You would hunt my animals and make them into stew. So please go away with your tribe, and I will give you my white Wampum belt. The strange Chief went away, and Nuka and his friendly animals lived happily ever after. .-X. B., Form B. DEATH AWAITS lfith a deep and resounding elitk The key of death turns in the loek, Seem: to open the gate to hell :Ind sound: the pri.foner'.f death knell. The noite of thejailerlr marehingfeet Seefnx like the ever approaehing beat Of Satan'J .reheming .vfacengers Coming to earth af dark avengers. The ltlaek hart and wmjul -walls Remind him of the eojinlv pulls, .ind he can see .ftanding alone The .rite of hiffuture tombstone. Growling thunder adds to hi: woe .JJ it heat: a rumbling erescendo. Lightning-Haxhef now are lashing Him, like a whip in a thrashing. .igain he heart the znarehingfeet, Soon .vomhre death he will meet, For mortalitri-'.r mate: hit soul await .11 death is hixfrighyhtlfate. Ilfith wristx, neek and ankles hare He if plated in the eleetrie-chair, Then metal rlaznp: are put on the .rpotx But the prisoner has lost his thoughts. The .vkin sizzles, theflesh flashes, .is the executioner daxhex The li:-elv le:-er down and .fhootf Boltx .vlifing through to the root.f. Nou' through the glowing .vhrouds of death Come: the hot .fear of Satan'.r hreath, Drawing another evil .rpirit .lwa-v to hixflaming pit. A. T. Form 6. l20l