Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 18 text:

Sl-ILWYN HOl'Sl-Q SCHOOL MAGAZINE Svrbunl ores Mr. C, R. JACKSON, MA. Vile were all greatly shocked to hear of the sudden death in january of Mr. C. R. Jackson, formerly assistant headmaster of the school. He served Selwyn House with distinction for a period of twenty-one years, and present students, Old Boys, Staff and parents alike will remember him with affection, and wish to extend to Mrs. jackson and her family the deepest sympathy of us all. No finer tribute could be paid Mr. jackson than that which was penned by one who, like himself, has ever been a lover of Greek and Latin verse. Pro- fessor XY. D. XYoodhead, Hiram Mills Professor of Classics at fXlcGill University. This tribute appeared in the Montreal Daily Star, and with the author's permis- sion we have pleasure in reproducing it in full: His name and his personality must be familiar to many hlontrealersg for he was for over twenty years on the staff of Selwyn House School: and many a lXlcCill student with deficiencies to make up in Latin found in him an enthus- iastic and painstaking tutor. When he first came to Fanada from England iu 1028, he was already frail in health, for he was badly gassed during the first world war: but he settled down to the task of teaching and the constant study of Latin, which meant so much to him. He represented a type of scholarship not so commonly encountered on this continent, for he was brought up in the practice of writing Latin verse: and unlike most such students he kept up his addiction to the end of his life, acquiring great dexterity and a very real mastery of this difficult and unusual medium. To those who loved good boetry he would expatiate with enthusiasm over his delightful and innocent hobby: and now that he has left us, we may recollect with gladness the very real pleasure he derived from this form of com- position. It is to be hoped that some of those admirable versions of his may yet find their way into print. Those who knew him well would agree that the word 'gentle' best de- scribes him. 'lihere was nothing strident about him. His voice was soft and musical, his manners charming: and he endured with patience and fortitude the restraint and inactivity imposed upon him by a serious heart ailment. His boyish enthusiasm, his gentle kindliness, his manly integrity will long be remembered by those who enjoyed the happy privilege of his friendship. l1Sl

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 105111052 remained in London with their people, and by word and example the king encouraged and inspired all to maintain their faith in God and to endure to the end. It was the same spirit that marked his leadership everywhere: with the result that notwithstanding all the upheavals of our time, the disappearance of crowns and thrones, and the conflicts and disorders among the nations, the throne of Britain stands today more securely than ever before. The testing- time through which we have passed has served but to cement and fuse more strongly than ever the links that bind the Commonwealth together and that bind us all in a common allegiance and devotion to the Crown. This is indeed a remarkable spectacle. There is no parallel to it in all history,-a confederacy of self-governing Dominions, really a confederacy of nations, scattered widely over the surface of the earth, made up of people of varied background and temperament and outlook. and yet united in this common allegiance. There is nothing else like it anywhere. There never has been in all history. And this allegiance, as we have noted, is not merely a nominal thing. It is real. It has been tested, tested in the severest possible manner, and it has stood every test magnificently. We know, and the world knows, how genuine and how strong it is. And it moves one to ask for the explanation of it all. What is the secret of it? There is a secret here to be discovered: and that secret lies not in the realm of material things at all, but in the realm of the unseen or spirit- ual realities and values. It is closely akin to the secret of the unity of the ideal home. It partakes of the same quality. And it is a good thing to see in the world. It is one of the bright spots in the dark and sombre international picture that the world presents to us today. XYhat we think about now, however, in this time of national mourning, is what a powerful factor in bringing all this about has been the personality of our late king. Xobly supported by the queen and all the members of his family, he has set an example,-the whole Royal family has set an example to the nation that is altogether admirable and for which we may well give thanks to Almighty God. And we thank Him too for the promise that what has been so conspicuously true in this respect hitherto will be equally true in days to come, under the reign of our young and gracious Queen Elizabeth, who has already given so many proofs of her queenly character and of her whole-hearted dedication of her life to the service of her people. The king is dead. XVe thank God for his life and for the inspiration of the example which he has given to us all, praying also that the same spirit of fidelity and fortitude may be upon her who now takes up the heavy burden of the royal crown, and that God may save and richly bless our gracious queen. l17l

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1951-1952 Mr. B. K. T. HOWIS We were all greatly saddened by the news last summer that Mr. Howis had fallen ill and would not be back with us in Sept- ember. Since his coming to Selwyn House in 1935, Mr. Howis had made a very special niche for himself in the hearts of all whom he taught fyoungsters new to the school and its ways would cluster around him happily and excitedly as he entered into their play, and older boys would seek out his counsel and help to resolve their problems, get fresh encouragement and a friendly pat on the back, and smile at his gentle chafhng. A born school-master. he understood the growing boy and his interests and was completely at home both in the class-room and in the playing held, where he was an outstanding cricketer. 1 On Mr. Jacksons retirement in 19-19. Mr. Howis was appointed Senior Master of the School and hisskilful handling and unobtrusive direction of his administrative duties were keenly appreciated by Headmaster, fellow-colleagues and boys alike. T Mr. B. ii. 'ii HW-is XYe miss him more than we can say and only wish that he might have been able to complete his final year with us-to make a massive total of fifty years of schoolmastering. But it was not to be-and so from our hearts we would pray for steady restoration to good health again and long years of happiness in his well-earned retirement. Miss JEAN MACAVLAY After six years of valuable service to the school and happy association with parents, staff and boys, Miss Macaulay was forced by ill-health to relinq- uish her post in the school ofiice last summer. XYe were all most sorry to see her go and missed her greatly when we came back to school in September. A little presentation was made to Miss Macaulay at the Staff Christmas Dinner, when the best wishes of us all were extended to her for complete recovery by the head- master. X EVN' STAFF XYe were very happy to welcome three new members of the teaching staff in the persons of Mr. E. Geoffrey Davies, B.A., Mr. james E. Iversen, M.A., Mr. XYalter D. Mingie, B.Sc. All three have contributed generously to the hap- piness of our school life this year, and we hope their stay with us will be a long and most congenial one. During Mrs. Tester's emergency absence in England. we were very fortun- ate in securing the services of Miss Isabel Mclldowie, whose line work in the junior School was most highly appreciated by all. Mr. LESTER R. PERKINS XYe were sorry to hear of Mr. Perkins' impending departure from the school. A former principal in the public-school system of the province, Mr. Perkins came to Selwyn House in 19-15 and was instrumental in organizing the gymnastic programme of the school and in supervising all the Scout and Cub l19l