Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 31 text:

FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1961-1962 29 A DAY IN THE FOREST At prime, the sun's arrival is announced by the dim gray light in the east which dispels the stars from the heavens. On the sun's first appearance, it casts its warm rays on the cold gray wilderness. All at once the sleepy forest comes to life, the birds singing in the trees. Suddenly the cry of a crow comes to our ears, contrasting sharply with the pleasant song of the other birds. Meanwhile, chipmunks and squirrels scamper hastily about gathering nuts. The lovely scene is broken by a fox stalking prey for breakfast, then successfully returning to his den. At the other end of the forest, a deer satisfies its thirst at a sparkling brook. As the day grows older, the sun attains the summit of its arc, casting more direct rays on the earth. As the afternoon grows old, the sun is well on its descent to the west and the woods quieten down. At sunset, the sun resembles red hot coal straight from the Ere, and the whole horizon of mountains seems to be ablaze. Then, slowly, the sun hides behind the mountains, leaving the earth pleasantly warm. The stars and moon come out to light up the night, and Mother Nature goes to sleep after a hard day's work. She leaves only the howling wolves and the hooting owl on guard during the night. Can we also go to sleep feeling that we have accomplished something during the day like the sun? Gerald Smith, Form IV. SHIPS ARE FASCINATING Ships are really fascinating, when you stop to think of their origin and the way they have changed and developed over the centuries. The first boat was most likely merely a floating log, that someone discovered could hold up a man in the water. Later, it was discovered that a better boat could be made by hollowing out the upper side of the log, and thus the first dug-out was invented. The ancient Britons gathered small branches and wove them into round baskets large enough to hold a man. Then they covered the bottom and sides with animal skins and this they called a coracle. North American Indians built canoes with light wooden frames covered with birch bark. Canoes are still popular, but are now covered with canvas instead of bark. ln the far North, Eskimos made kayaks out of driftwood frames, covered with animal skins, with a small hole in the top for one man to sit in. The paddle had a blade at each end. These are still in use today. Eskimos also built larger sea-going skin boats called umiaks, to hold about eight men, for hunting seals and whales. Ancient boatmen felt the great power of the wind. They found it difficult to paddle against it, but easy when the wind was at their backs. By standing up and holding their cloaks wide to catch the wind, they could make their boats move without paddling. Thus they discovered the sail boat. Egyptians built sailing ships two thousand years before Christ.

Page 30 text:

23 SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE WHY AM I ODD? I am a seven-year old girl, and I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Our house is not very large, it has only three rooms and a bathroom. No one in the city will go near me, or else they yell, or throw sticks, or hit me. Why do they do these things? I think it is because my skin is brown lat least, my mother told me thatl, but this is not a good enough reason. My mother also told me that further north, where there are not so many negroes, nobody yells at them, and they do not have to sit at the back of the bus. Some people do not like me because I live in a dirty house and do not go to school some days. I can't help it, for since my father cannot get a job we have a small house, and some days it is dangerous for me to go to school, and there are no children in the classroom when I am in school, so that I am all alone. 1 I have one girl friend, She does not want to let people notice that she likes me- maybe because they will get mad at her, too. She says her parents have told her not to play with ch'ldren like me. Still, I do not understand why people do these things. Sometimes I wish that I had not been born, or that my mother had white skin, and I had a nice, big, clean house. Why cannot people with brown skins do bad things to people with white skins? I would not take advantage of this, as they do with me. I am not ugly, and I do not talk differently from my classmates. I have iust as much right to everything as they have, but they go to more places, see more movies, and get more allowance, than I do. So why am I treated this way? Why am I odd? Stuart Cryer, Form IV. THE BEAUTY OF THE CAT The cat is a very beautiful and extraordinary animal. It looks very sleek when standing erect. It is fast and sure footed. A cat has the beauty of a soft white cloud on a gentle breeze. The cat is graceful and full of poise. It has very sharp claws and soft padded feet. The cat's long tail is cocked in a perky way as it struts along. Cats like to be patted, stroked softly, and caressed. Did you ever notice how a cat licks its fur? I find that cats keep themselves clean this way. Cats are playful and make cute pets, but if you annoy them, they will scratch you. The cat's eyes are a beautiful green. Nature allows the cat to see in the dark. Their eyes shine very brightly, and look like two fireflies. I think that a cat is a wonderful animal and I would like very much to get one very soon. Michael Darling, Form IA.

Page 32 text:

30 SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE The Phoenicians learned about ships from the Egyptian traders, and then began building ships of their own, that could hold great cargoes. To protect their trading ships from the pirates, they built long, narrow fighting ships with two rows of oars and a sail. Still later, the Greeks built war galleys with three banks of oars and a sail and had a long piece of metal which stuck out in front, which they used for ramming enemy ships. The Romans also made war galleys and had slaves chained to the rowing benches, to do the rowing. A drummer beat out the stroke, so they could all pull the oars at the same time. In the ninth and tenth centuries, Viking ships appeared, which were long and narrow with a single mast, but were pointed at each end, so they could go in either direction. Because the steering oar was commonly used on the right side of a ship, that side became known as the steerboard or starboard. Later, the fixed rudder was invented and placed at the back of the ship, to overcome the fact that the steering oar might become useless, if the ship leaned over in rough seas. During the fifteenth century, Prince Henry of Portugal made many improvements in ships. One was the three-masted ship, which was able to make more use of the wind. By the sixteenth century, Spanish galleons with high stems had their masts rigged with very large sails. They had guns for protection and bigger holds to carry treasure back from the Caribbean. By fifteen hundred, cannon were used on fighting ships and port-holes were invented. By the eighteenth century, ships were stronger and narrower and did not have high sterns. These were known as frigates. By eighteen hundred and nineteen, paddle steamers had been invented, but the first of these used both sail and steam: later they were able to use steam alone. In eighteen hundred and thirty-six, the screw propellor was developed. lt was one of the most important events in the history of ships. Ships later became made of iron and steel and gun turrets were invented, to allow guns to turn and fire in any direction. A big advance in shipping came when the turbine engine was invented. Even to-day turbine engines are used in warships and passenger liners, but they use fuel oil instead of coal. There are many other ships which are fascinating, especially the atomic submarine, the Nautilus. This submarine can travel around the world, without once coming to the surface. Atomic fuel marks the beginning of a new era in world shipping. Robert Monteith, Form IV.