Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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26 SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE which would please all except 'lla belle province . If Quebec became independent it would not survive a year-economically it would be ruined and its only means of restoring itself would be to become part of the United States. If terrorism became the main tool of the radical separatists, Quebec may find itself involved in a civil war, the results of which would not be pleasing to imagine. If tension continues in Montreal, there may be no World's Fair or lto please Mayor Drapeaul EXPO 671 and if Canada failed to have the world's fair, public opinion would not be on the side of the French Canadians and their 'lstate . But this is just speculation on my party I do not know what will happen, but I hope that Quebec will prove itself worthy of the trust put in it by the Fathers of Confederation and will not secede. Whatever the future may be, I hope it will be for the good of Canada and the separatists will never be completely umaitres chez nous . Michael Dorland NOTE: This was one of the essays for which first prize was awarded in the Meighen Essay competition. Unfortunately space does not permit including the essay of G. Norsworthy. Jug Travels 4,000 Miles via Gulf Stream Vacationing Selwyn House boys began an interesting and unusual correspondence with a Spanish farmer! Lyle McCoy and Michael McHugh sealed a letter containing their home addresses in a gallon iug and dropped it into the Gulf Stream off Miami Beach. The boys' via nsea mail adventure of 25th July 1962 became an unthought of reality on 25th August 1963, when a letter postmarked in Spain arrived at the house of a very surprised Lyle McCoy. The mystery was pieced together when Dr. Carlos Blanco Aquinaga, professor of Spanish at Hopkins University, translated it. Dr. Blanco noted with the translation that the writer was probably an older person and could well be a farmer. From the translation he discovered that the letter had entered through the Port of Cedeira located between Capes Prior and Estaca de Bares. After its difficult entry into the port the bottle's final destination became a field where it was found by a fourteen year old who gave it to Manuel Rodriguez Garcia. The bottle had in it three messages fthe third being from Kenneth Locklin, 14, of Baltimore, Md.J from which only the address was legible. The messages were wet because of the vapour in the receptacle. Also it had on the cover approximately one kilogram of barnacles. Mr. Garcia then con- cludes Ul have no more information to send you and l would be grateful if you answer me and tell me on what date it was thrown into the sea. The boys have since written to Senor Garcia explaining their part in the episode. We all sincerely wish that this unusual turn of events will inspire a regular correspon- dence and whole heartedly commend the boys on their sense of adventure. Rodney D. Devitt The DeviI's Ring One afternoon a young American doctor, by the name of John Pratt, dropped in at a public auction which was being held in Wilhelmstrasse. Seeing nothing of any real value, he made up his mind to leave right away, but suddenly his eye was caught by a curiously ornamented ring which came under the hammer. He found

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR i963-1964 25 ists represented the radical opinion of that province. Bourassa was entirely opposed to Canada's participation in the First World War, saying it was imperialistic. The issue reached such a point that an election was called and Laurier was defeated. The results of this issue led to misunderstanding and distrust between French and English Canadians. This may have been a first crack appearing in the structure of Confederation. Quebec remained quiet during the twenties and thirties, contributing nothing and causing no trouble. When the Second World War began, Quebec sent its men to Europe along with the rest of the Canadian troops. French and English once again fought side by side in defence of this nation. Some controversy arose during the war over the Dieppe Raid-when five thousand men, mostly French Canadians from the Fusiliers Mont Royal were sent to test the defences of the Wehrmacht in northern France. The result was the slaughter of three thousand men lprimarily French Canadiansj. Quebec's next contribution to Confederation was Louis Saint Laurent, who was Prime Minister of Canada from T948-56. Under the able leadership of St-Laurent, Canada grew in the eyes of the world and began to take its place as one of the more important powers. It was now playing a valuable role in the affairs of the world. ln Canada, under St-Laurent, there was no trouble or dissidence from any of the provinces, and Confederation seemed to be working properly. Thus, wealth and prosperity from the north and a new name in world-wide politics were the results of St-Laurent's leadership. The three great men I have written about have all done much for the cause of Confederation in Canada and they have all been from the province of Quebec, but there have been many more men from Quebec who have also contributed to Con- federation-only they have tried to destroy it. A good example of this type is the late regretted Maurice Duplessis, who as dictator of Quebec for some twenty years, retarded the advance of his province by thirty years. He as well completely corrupted the provincial government and left a large debt to be paid by his successor, when he died in 1956. Although Duplessis did not wish to withdraw from Confedera- tion, he did as much damage by keeping back his province, and trying to run it as if it were his own. The trouble and commotion in Quebec today may be a direct result of Duplessis' oppression while he and the Union Nationale were in power. Quebec's next memorable contribution was in 'l96'l and came in the form of a civil servant by the name of Marcel Chaput. His resignation from the civil service caused quite a stir in Quebec, and shortly afterwards Dr. Chaput published his book, l'Pourquoi ie suis Separatiste in which he gives his reasons for wanting Quebec to be a free state on its own apart from the rest of Canada. He followed this up by creating the 'illassemblement pour l'lndependance Nationale fR.l.N.l. This idea of separatism remained non-violent for a while, consisting only of demonstrations and speeches-until the spring of 1963, when an elderly man and an army sergeant-maior fell victims of terrorist bombs. The old man, Wilfrid O'Neil was killed, and the sergeant-major, Sgt.-Mai. Leia was maimed for life, courtesy of the terrorist Front de Liberation Quebequoise lF.L.Q.l. What looked like the beginning of a patriot revolution soon petered out because the 'lQuebequois either did not know or did not care what was behind the terrorist ideas. lt is early in T964 and with the recent raid on a Montreal armoury, the situation in Quebec is tense, but no one knows how it will all end. Many things may happen before 1967 and l wish to speculate upon the major events which could take place in these three years:- The rest of Canada lexcept in Quebec where the English have all been learning French and trying to speak in French. It is amazing what a few bombs can doll is tired of hearing all this talk about bilingualism and Quebec-this and Quebec-cela, in my opinion, if Quebec is not careful it may be ousted from Confederation-a solution

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR I963-1964 27 himself bidding heatedly for it, in competition with an old and tired looking priest who was very much upset. The priest shook his head helplessly and seemingly in sorrow when Dr. Pratt bid 30 mill. Mark. The doctor slipped the ring onto his finger and started towards home which was only a few blocks away. Unusual things began to happen immediately. First a pair of bandits who were being chased by the police, catapulted into his arms, and strangely unafraid Dr. Pratt seized and disarmed them and turned them over to the authorities, who commended him for his courageous action. Then, when he arrived at his home he read in the newspapers of the arrival in Berlin of the head of a famous American research institute. Dr. Pratt, formerly so lacking initiative, called the great specialist, and talked his way into a job at five times the salary he had ever envisioned in even his wildest dreams. Next, he persuaded his grouchy land- lord and real miser with whom he had never been on good terms, to completely redecorate his apartment and to send painters up the very next day. The landlord even promised to pay for everything. '!Suddenly I feel that I have everybody in my power , murmured the doctor somewhat surprised. During the next few days more strange things kept happening to make lite more easy for the doctor. On the third day there came a knock at the front door, and Dr. Pratt discovered that his visitor was the selfsame priest who had bid against him for the old ring. '!Doctor began the priest, I have got a small business matter I would like to talk over with you. May I please come in? Dr. Pratt showed him into the living room and beckoned him to sit down and explain what all this commotion was about. You see , the old priest said, I have simply got to have that ring and destroy it, therefore I am here to offer you any price for it-at the auction I couldn't meet your bid of 30 mill. Mark, but now I am prepared to give you a lOO mill. for it! I don't quite follow , said Dr. Pratt, 'I mean, why do you insist on destroying that ring? 'ilt's a long story , replied the priest looking gravely out of the window into the November afternoon. i'This ring is a terrible force of evil. It must be destroyed before it does further iniury to the human race. Dating back it originally belonged to Judas Iscariot, then somehow Emperor Nero got his hands on it, and centuries later Genghis Khan and Napoleon I became owners of it. The last man to wear it was the Kaiser. It gives everybody who possesses it the ability to make people do his bidding. t'Now I understand why all these things have happened to me , said the doctor a little stunned after having been told the incredible history of the Devil's Ring . You will find it on the dresser in my bedroom. Take it and get rid of it . Seconds later the priest rushed out of the bedroom white as a sheet in the face and stammered: It is gone. It has been stolen! They searched high and low for it, but it was nowhere to be found. Finally Dr. Pratt summoned the foreman of the workers who had been in the flat that day and explained that the ring had disappeared. Ach , he exclaimed, lt eez dat schweinhund den ich troo of den job dis morning! Er war worfless from dem day er started too work fur mich! l'It is a matter of life and death that I get the ring back at once , cried Dr. Pratt. What was your workman's name and address? ulch niemals got seine Adresse , said the foreman, but ich remember dass er hat einen queer sort of Namen. I don't tink er war Deutsch. Ach ia, hier es ist, mein Herr-Adolf Schicklgruber! tAdoIf Hitlerl. The ring was never recovered. P. V. Scheel