Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

Text from Pages 1 - 32 of the 1924 volume:

DIGGOX ' S PK1XTIYG EDITORIAL OUR second number! If the magazine is late we apologize. It is sure to be late, and it is our fault. No one knows the terrible strain undergone by an editor who has never edited; even though he has a large staff of assistants and con- tributors, it only tends to emphasize the tremendous import- ance of the teaching of hand-writing in our schools. The Michaelmas Term ended with the usual Sisters ' Dance — the best yet. The Big School was extremely well decorated, and ' he excellent coloured lighting effects were due to the efforts of Weld i and Crisp i. The Lent Term was a yery busy one and the weather was perfect throughout the entire term. The Bishop confirmed eleven candidates from the School in the church on April 2nd, and at a special meeting of the School it was decided to hold the regular School services every Sunday in the School instead of going through all weathers to the Church and to services usually taken by our own Chaplain. This has led to the beginning of a Chapel Fund, an ambi- tion long held by most of us, and now we hope, in the near future, to have a small but well-equipped Chapel of our own. Subscriptions from Old Boys would show that they still retain some interest in their old School. We have to record our most grateful thanks to Mrs. Fer- guson and to Miss E. Ravenhill for our very beautiful altar cloth. The Concert was a success of no mean order, and once more we have to thank Commander Kingscote for the interest he took in the Physical Training and Boxing, and, indeed, in the entire School. The Pancake Greeze was more energetic than usual, and more amusing. Our Football Team was good, and as an under sixteen team was unbeaten. Cricket is not as good as it should be, yet it was encouraging to note the great improvement through- out the school, helped perhaps, by the addition of two cement nets. The Michaelmas Term opened on September 11th, and Mr. Skrimshire has come in the place of Mr. Davies, who has gone to the States, where we hope he will make his fortune. We have never had a more healthy year, and can only record one boy in the sick-room during the entire year. We have much pleasure in telling any of our old boys, who do not already know, that two old masters, Mr. Towns- end and the Rev. C. K. Warren, have joined the ranks of the benedicts. They both have our very best wishes. While not considering it quite good form to pat our- selves on the back unduly, we feel that a modicum of gratitude should be expressed for the untiring efforts of our Clerk of the Works and his assistant. When the Special Service Squadron arrived, most of the School took the opportunity of going to Victoria and watch- ing the arrival of the fleet and then going over one or more of the ships. We have spent much time and all our spare cash on the new Footer field, and it really begins to look as if it might be in use next year. A lot of good work has been done on the golf course. Two most interesting lectures have been heard, one by the Dean of Columbia, on The Use and Misuse of the Eng- lish Language, and the other by Lt.-Col. Broome, whose delightful talk gave us an intimate knowledge of the entirely wonderful experience of the British Round the World Alight under Major MacLaren. His photographs and map were a source of very great interest. At the end of the Midsummer Term we said au tevoiv to seventeen boys, and in September welcomed twenty-five new boys, which number filled all our vacancies. The Prefects elected to succeed Morres, Neel and Moore were Groves (Head), Halley, Crisp, Roaf i, Roaf ii, and Mus grave. Football Season, 1293-24 The opening of the season from the point of view of results was not quite so happy as it might have been. The team, however, soon settled down to play as a team, and though we did not altogether overcome our weakness in front of goal, the defense improved rapidly. For the second year running we won both the Wilson and Duncan Cups. Four matches were played against the Duncan Men ' s Team, in all of which we were very glad of the help of Mr. Davies at full-back. The growing interest in Soccer in the district is shown by the matches arranged with the Duncan and Cowichan schools. We hope this keenness may result in further games this season. The Fixture Card was: Date Opponents Ground Result October 20, 1923 Collegiate .. Victoria _•__. Drawn 1-1 October 25, 1923 Duncan Men Home ..... Lost 0-1 November 1, 19 23 Duncan Men ..Duncan Lost 1-2 November 10, 1923 Collegiate ___ Home Drawn 0-0 November 17, 1923 St. Michael ' s Home Lost 1-2 November 17, 1923 ... St. Michael ' s 2nd XI— -Home Won 3-0 November 24, 1923 Cranleigh ....Home Won 2-0 December 1. 19 23 (3rd XI) Leinster Home Drawn 1-1 LENT TERM, 19 24 February 1, 1924 Cowichan Cowichan Won 2-0 February 7, 1924 Duncan .... Home Won 4-2 March 8, 1924 St. Michael ' s ...Home . . Won 3-0 March 15, 1924 Collegiate ......Home . ..Won 5-0 March 20, 1924 Duncan .... Duncan Drawn 0-0 March 22, 1924 Duncan Public School Home Drawn 0-0 March 22, 1924 (3rd XI) Cowichan ..Home Lost 0-1 March 29, 1924 Duncan High School .. Home Won 3-1 Denotes Cup Match. ( SCHOOL vs. ST. MICHAEL ' S (Wilson Cup) This, the first match for the Wilson Cup, was played at Shawnigan on March 8th, and resulted in a win for the School by 3 goals to nil. The School kicking was very well controlled, and the St. Michael ' s forwards were never given a chance. Best i mark- ing Symons i, the St. Michael ' s centre-forward, played ex- tremely well throughout the game. Shawnigan: Ferguson, Best ii, Roaf ii; Bastin, Best i, Hodg- son; Cotton, Roaf i, Groves, Schwengers, Macdonald i. St. Michael ' s: Holmes, Symons ii, Dighton, Norris, Rogers, McGregor, Robertson, Gillatt, Symons i, Yorath, Young. SCHOOL vs. COLLEGIATE (Final) Played at Shawnigan on March 15 th, resulting in a win for the School, 5-0.  For the first twenty minutes this was anybody ' s game; at last, however, the School forwards began to press, and two goals were scored in quick succession by Roaf ii and Groves. Collegiate made a determined effort to even the score, but could not defeat the School backs, our forwards scoring two more goals before half time. In the second half Cox, the Collegiate goal-keeper, was given a hard time, the School forwards shooting continuously. His good work saved shot after shot until nearly time, when the School scored their fifth goal. Shawnigan: Ferguson, Best ii, Roaf ii, Bastin, Best i, Cotton, Roaf i, Groves, Schwengers, Macdonald i. Collegiate: Cox, Archbold, Newbury, Marriott, Osborn, Ruttan, Deans ii, Woodley, Mackay, Wright, Phillipps. SCHOOL vs. DUNCAN HIGH SCHOOL (Cup Match) Played at Duncan on March 29th. In the first half things did not look at all well with us; Duncan were the first to score and they maintained their lead until half-time, the School once more showing their terrible weakness in front of goal. In the second half the School team played together better, but it was some time before Neel scored our first goal, to be followed very shortly by a good shot from Best i. Good centres from our outsides went begging time after time, until Groves eventually put one through, bringing our final score to 3-1. Shawnigan: Ferguson, Morres, Best ii, Bastin, Best i, Hodgson, Cotton, Neel, Groves, Schwengers, Edmonds. Duncan: Morris, Young, H. Young, Pitt, Bradshaw, Morin, Dirom, Stacombe, Miller, Dwyer, Robb. Cricket, 1924 The cricket season, although short, may be said to have been very successful, the School winning three out of the four matches. The laying down of two cement pitches for nets was undoubtedly responsible for much added keenness, together with a very noticeable improvement both in batting and bowl- ing; the fielding, however, was poor. SCHOOL vs. THE STAFF Played on May 14th. The boys went in first and suc- ceeded in making 44 runs, Edmonds being the only batsman to reach double figures. The feature of the innings was the smart fielding of Hall at point. The Staff replied with 68 runs, thus winning the match by 24 runs. SCHOOL INNINGS Moore i, c and b Davies Edmonds, c Hall, b Ellissen — _ 12 Morres. st Lonsdale, b Davies 3 Groves, c Hall, b Davies 2 Garrard, st Lonsdale, b Davies 2 Cotton, b Davies Roaf i, c Lonsdale, b Davies .__ 2 Melrose, b Ellissen Roaf ii, b Boniface 9 Halley, not out 4 Hodgson, c Hall, b Ellissen.— 7 Extras 3 THE STAFF R. Hall, c Melrose, b Edmonds 2 Boniface, b Groves M. A. Ellissen, b Morres 31 F. N. Skinner, run out 7 C. W. Lonsdale, run out 1 D. E. Davies, c Garrard, b Groves 20 J. Allison, b Garrard McMillan, st Melrose, b Garrard 2 Rev. E. Willis, not out 3 Hall, run out 1 Tan, b Groves . Extras _. 3 Total 44 Total 68 SCHOOL vs. ST. MICHAEL ' S Played at Oak Bay on May 28tb, the School winning by 58 runs. The School team batted first and started off very badly, everybody appearing to be very nervous. Things looked very black with the side out for 38 runs. However, St. Michael ' s fared no better, being all out for 28. In the second innings we settled down, and thanks to an excellent 5 1 by Edmonds, who hit all round the wicket, we were able to declare with six wickets down for 96, giving St. Michael ' s a sporting chance to win before time. Shawnigan bowlers -proved too strong, and St. Michael ' s were all out for 48. 8 Apart from Edmonds ' innings, a feature of the game was the excellent way in which St. Michael ' s showed us how to play a straight bat. SCHOOL ELEVEN Moore i, b Holms Edmonds, b Holms 9 Morres, b Holmes Neel, b Holms 2 Groves, c Rogers, b Symons Garrard, b Symons 3 Halley, b Holms 10 Melrose, b Holms 4 Cotton, not out 3 Roaf i, b Holms Best i, b Symons Extras 7 b Holms ___ retired b Holms _ b Holms _._ b Holms b Symons . not out did not bat did not bat did not bat did not bat Extras 51 5 12 10 2 1 15 38 ST. MICHAEL ' S (Innings declared) 96 Redpath, st Melrose, b Groves 1 Robertson, b Edmonds Gillatt, b Morres 8 Symons i, b Groves 1 Dighton, b Groves Symons ii, b Edmonds 3 Young, c Neel, b Edmonds Noble ii, b Garrard Holms, b Morres Rogers, c and b Garrard Higgs. not out Extras _.._...__ b Edmonds 6 c Morres, b Edmonds 6 b Garrard b Morres , 6 b Garrard 14 run out run out 2 b Morres 2 b Edmonds not out 4 b Morres 2 Extras 6 Total 28 Totoal 4! SCHOOL vs. ST. MICHAEL ' S Played at Shawnigan on June 14th and resulting in a win for the School by 29 runs. The School batted fisrt and made 53, Halley making a very useful 14, and Edmonds 11. For St. Michael ' s, Holms again bowled well, while the Shawnigan bowlers divided the honours fairly evenly, Ed- monds taking three wickets for three runs. Shawnigan Lake Moore i, hit wkt, b Symons 7 Edmonds, c Symonsii, b Symons 1 1 Morres, b Holms 7 Groves, c Symons ii, b Symons Garrard, b Holms Neel, b Holms 2 Halley, b Dighton 14 Melrose, b Holms 5 Cotton, b Holmes __. 5 Roaf i, b Dighton Best i, not out 1 Extras 1 St. Michael s Noble ii, b Groves Higgs, b Groves Gillatt, c ft b Edmonds 7 Symons i, c Groves, b Morres 7 Robertson c Garrard, b Edmonds Holms, c Groves, b Morres Symons ii, c Melrose, b Morres 3 Dighton, c Neel, b Garrard 4 Rogers, st Melrose, b Garrard __. 2 Young, c Best, b Morres Reid, not out Extras 1 53 24 SCHOOL vs. CAPT. DOUGLAS GROVES ' XI. This match was played on the School grounds on June 18th, and resulted in another win for the School. For the School, Melrose was top scorer with two lucky innings of 15 and 16, compiled, unfortunately, by the aid of certain baseball strokes. We hope to see this player playing cricket next year. It was gratifying to find that five of our opponents were Old Boys. SCHOOL ELEVEN First Innings Moore i, b Scott 4 Edmonds, c Mellin, b Scott 9 Morres, b Scott Neel, c Mellin, b Scott 5 Groves, c Groves, b Scott 4 Garrard, b Groves 1 Halley, run out 1 Melrose, b Warner 15 Cotton, c Warner, b Groves 4 Roaf i, b Groves r 1 Best i, not out Extras 2 Second Innings b Groves b Craig 1 c and b Scott b Scott b Scott 1 b Scott 1 lbw Scott 10 not out 1 6 c Roome, b Groves 1 b Scott 2 b Groves 7 Extras 9 Total 46 Total 49 10 CAPTAIN GROVES - ELEVEN First Innings Second Innings D. Scott, b Groves run out 1 J. Mellin, b Groves 9 c Roaf, b Groves 5 J. Musgrave, b Groves c Roaf. b Morres R. Roome, b Edmonds c Neel, b Garrard 4 E. Musgrave, b Garrard 12 b Edmonds Lee-Warner, not out 1 3 b Edmonds 6 K. Craig, c Morres, b Garrard._._ c Edmonds, b Garrard J. Henslowe, b Morres c and b Garrard 3 Martin, c Garrard, b Morres run out T. Groves, run out 2 b Morres 1 Maj. Williams-Freeman, b Cotton 2 not out 2 Extras 2 Extras Total 40 Total 22 Tenn is Not content with the .two wooden courts available by the kindness of Colonel Eardley-Wilmot, and fired, perhaps, with zeal at the transformation of the golf course, certain mem- bers of the Tennis Club decided to build two earth courts. Urged on by the personal example and physical persuasion of the President, Moore i, the preliminary work was done by the members themselves. A team and help were then hired with the club funds for the scraping and levelling, and by the end of the Summer Term, the courts, though not comparable to Wimbledon, were possible for any one not too exacting in the matter of surface. A ladder tournament was held, but no definite champion was determined. The top four, Morres, Garrard, Moore i and Schwengers, alternated at the head of the list. We were pleased to see that Schwengers was the runner-up in the Vancouver Island Junior Clay Court Championship during the holidays. Golf From a piece of choice slashing has been evolved a very fair golf course. Considering the original state of this part of the School 11 grounds, we may be justly proud of the result, when we realize that all the work has been done entirely by the School. Play was started by a brilliant drive by Dr. Wace on February 1st, friends interested having very kindly presented us with a variety of clubs and balls. Since then each term has seen us returning to School armed with bags full of clubs. By means of club funds, largely swelled by the Keeper of the Privy Purse, three greens were plouged and sown in the Easter holi- days, and every day sees less opportunity for the novice to lose his ball. A tournament is to be held sometime this term. Badminton Last year the club had a very large membership, and the half-holiday badminton was extremely popular. We had one match against the Shawnigan Lake Athletic Association, and had a few good games, but even our best pair, Morres and Garrard, are not yet good enough to tackle such expert veterans as Col. Eardley-Wilmot and Mr. Gooch. This season began with a doubles tournament and much better games were seen. New talent is also appearing. The winners were Best i and A. Crisp. The Pancake Greeze The Pancake Greeze took place in the Big School on Shrove Tuesday, and was won by F. Crisp, who, with Morres, represented the more brainy, and incidentally the more beefy, end of the School. In connection with this, it must be said that the First Form entrants, despite their diminutive sizes and weights, made a very game effort to capture the pancake. The usual prize was presented by the .Headmaster, and the chief cook, Ah Tan, received the customary stipend for his annual service in tossing the pancake in this historic ceremony. 12 Library Notes During the year a new room was added for the exclusive use of the Library. There is now enough space for a reading room — a long-felt necessity. We were getting dreadfully short of room, as we were fortunate enough to be given over a hundred and fifty books during the year. The books are now classified and are divided into five separate sections and the reading room is at the disposal of the whole School, provided only that silence is maintained. The librarians also provide the Illustrated London News, The Sphere, Daily Graphic, Daily Sketch, Punch and The Weekly Times; and it is now decreed by the librarians that no comic papers are allowed in the reading room, as they feel that there is sufficient choice of literature for all or any boys, without his having to absorb the piffle which one so frequently finds in these highly-coloured periodicals. Boxing This year the boxing competitions were held as usual in the Easter Term. A new ring was made, which will be per- manent and was a very decided advantage over anything which we have had before, both as regards surface and light. On the whole the boxing was cleverer and more keenly contested than last year, and once more our most grateful thanks are due to Commander Kingscote. The Good Losers Cup was awarded to A. G. Mac- Donald, a very promising and steady boxer who was beaten in the lightweights by Mcintosh. RESULTS 130 lbs. and over — This was the most keenly fought match this year; Moore i managed to beat Morres on points, but was beaten in the final by Edmonds in a very even fight. The Heavies, 110 to 130, was won by Melrose, a com- parative newcomer, who found his only real opposition in Neel, who fought a plucky but losing fight. 13 The Middle-weights, 95 to 110, was won by Groves, an old-timer and constant winner, who defeated Schwengers in the final. Light-weights, 85 to 95, was won by Roaf i, who scored two knock-outs, and beat Slade in the final. The Feather-weights, up to 85 lbs., afforded a great var- iety of styles and, it is to be hoped, contained some future boxers of merit. Lindsay won in the final against Wace, but his hardest fight was against Cooke in a good fight and a show of very fair boxing. Swimming This year bathing started early in May, and for the rest of the Summer Term we continued to bathe twice a day. At the beginning of the ' term eighteen boys were unable to swim, but at the end only two were still non-swimmers. At the end of the Summer Term there was only one swimming race, but this was an exceptionally good one. It 14 was the opinion of most of the School that either Weld i or Alexander ii would be the winner. The starting point was at the boathouse by the railway station, and the course ran from there to the School boathouse on the opposite side of the lake. There were thirty-eight entrants, two of whom were unable to swim the whole course. Alexander ii won the race by about 30 yards from Weld i, who was followed by Melrose, Best ii and then the also rans . The cup which was awarded to Alexander was very kindly given by Mrs. Crisp. The length cf the course was about three-quarters of a mile, and was covered by the winner in a little over 14 min- utes. Although there was no Diving Competition, there are several boys who are beginning to dive well. If we may say so without hurting anyone ' s feelings, the best is Melrose, whose diving is excellent. The early morning plunge we presume will continue the year round, excepting, perhaps, when the ice is too thick to break. 15 Things We Want to Know WHETHER some members of Form I. could not write a testimonial for motor tires. THE NAME of the bright soul who suggested making bunkers for our golf course. WHETHER we shall not soon have to pull down the School to make room for some more playgrounds, or build on the playground to make room for some more school. WHY Halley couldn ' t open his desk during a certain hour. AND WHETHER it had anything to do with the love of cats shown by another member of the same form. WHETHER anybody has picked up the double lately. AND IF NOT, what has happened to it. WHETHER the translation by a Fifth Form boy of the passage omnes fere hostes terga vettevunt into all the enemy turned their backs to weep does not conjure up sad visions for the next war. AND WHETHER the Germans would have been so considerate of our feelings as to. turn their backs. IF IT IS TRUE that the Chaplain has been seen fishing with a piece of string in his well for pheasants. AND IF SO, what kind of bait he uses. Colonel Broome ' s Lecture The School was honoured on Armistice Day by the pres- ence of Lt.-Col. Broome, who gave an extremely interesting account of the unsuccessful attempt to carry the British flag round the world by air. All who were privileged to hear this epic of peril and ad- venture, told in the most simple and unaffected way by the man who bore the brunt of the long and arduous preparations for the flight, could not fail to be impressed by the sincerity of the speaker ' s underlying motive — an effort for Britain. After all, there is honour in all effort made worthily, and Col. Broome left us in no doubt that Major MacLaren and his two able assistants deserved the success that the fogs 16 of the Northern Pacific and the penuriousness of the McDon- ald Government denied them. Col. Broome showed no rancour at this lack of support and was unstinted in his praise of the Am ericans for their help at a critical time of the flight and for the assistance rendered by the Canadian Government. No spoken word of condemnation could have been more impressive, coupled as it was with a frank recognition of the thoroughness of the American preparations and the efficiency of their flyers. Palmam qui meruit ferat. Col. Broome would be the first to award this palm to his successful rivals, but there is another honour often greater than victory — the honour of fighting a losing game against overwhelming odds known from the first, and faced with unflinching bravery to the last. This is the honour won by Col. Broome and his associ- ates. Letter from Form L We, the members of Form I., respectfully offer to the Editor our sincere congratulations upon the second anniversary of his editorial birthday. It is true that his corporeal person- ality is changed since last year, but his high office still remains. The Editor is dead, long live the Editor! We are ourselves young, and, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, we clap him on the back as high up as we can reach, and acclaim him with words of encouragement in his arduous task. It may be mentioned that we are not without our own troubles, which have come to us in the form of a surfeit of new boys, taxing our assimilative powers to such a degree as to cause a kind of mental and moral indigestion. Our Old Guard, steadied by long discipline, and trained in all the finer points of etiquette of scholastic life, were at first inclined to look askance at this barbaric horde and their untutored ways. Many of the newcomers seemed to think that ink was intended for bathing purposes; that window glass was made especially for the purpose of being broken by hurlin g small boys and other missiles through it; that masters, and even prefects,, were mere mortals, to be approached and addressed with the lack of reverence and the debonair freedom with which the modern youth is accustomed to treat his seniors. 17 However, these delusions are gradually disappearing under the benevolent ministrations of our veterans, and we are more disposed to regard these unsophisticated specimens of primitive man with compassionate toleration when we think of the bene- fits they will derive from sundry rounds with the gloves with some of our past masters in the manly art, and the chastening effects of other forms of more or less moral suasion, which it is the painful duty of our order-loving, older members to dis- pense, and the privilege of new boys to receive. The former altruisically declare that the duty is not painful, the latter asseverate that it is. Perhaps it is a question of the point of view. However this may be, the educative effects are undoubt- edly excellent, and when to these are added the minor results of the form masters ' strenuous efforts to illuminate their mental darkness, even though his success may be more nearly meas- ured by his expectations than by his desires, we begin to see in this primeval protoplasm the potential raw material which may be fashioned into the highly finished product, the polished and accomplished gentlemen whom the presiding genius of the Form above always receives with such hearl-fclt gratitude. FORM I. The Orchestra Someone made a wild suggestion at the beginning of the term, namely, that a School Orchestra should be begun. It was! Miss Lonsdale proceeded with the task of procuring instruments, and is now undertaking the difficult task of bring- ing about the evolution of makers of squeaks and groans into amateur musicians. Although it meant a lot of hard work to orchestrate the different pieces proposed for the concert, Miss Lonsdale has done it, and has added, as recent additions to the orchestra, a flute, oboe and ' cello. Although the inhabitants of the dormitories are kept awake until unholy hours, though the Hill House boys ask rude questions as to whether cats are legitimate game to tor- ture, though the population of Shawnigan toss on sleepless beds, it is all for the best, as will be shown by the concert next year. 18 The School Concert The Annual Concert was held in the Big School on April 2nd. Some two hundred parents and other visitors arrived, and appeared to enjoy the concert and physical drill. The chief feature of the concert was, undoubtedly, the accompany- ing of Weld ii, Garrard and Bishop. We will not write details of the programme, as the following letter sums it up very well: AN OUTSIDER ' S POINT OF VIEW I went there a stranger, unknown to my host and hostess, not knowing even the name of any of the boys. I went ex- pecting to be bored, and remained to be interested and charmed: to find the programme all too short, and to be convinced that Miss Lonsdale, through her musical powers and patience has worked wonders with her material in the very limited time that the school hours allow for practising — ten minutes every morn- ing and half an hour once a week. Knowing how this little time would be over before it had scarcely begun, I can not say too much in praise of the tone, tune and time of the singing of the delightful but far from easy part songs which charmed my ears. It was pleasant, too, to see the keenness of the singers and the accompanists — they wanted to sing and they wanted to play, and, as a doctor friend beside me said, they could not have had a more healthy exercise, good for minds and bodies. The attitude of the boys in the audience added much to my pleasure. It was an example for many a grown-up — no talking or ragging — all interest and silent attention. The Physical Drill turn came in the interval, and while enjoying the excellence of the discipline, one could only mur- mur blessings on the British Navy — may its shadow never grow less, axe or no axe. What more can I say of my pleasure in a delightful after- noon except that I hope to be allowed to enjoy another like it next year. THE PROGRAMME Songs — The Sea King (Barry Cornwall) Stanford Blow Winds (Anon) Stanford 19 Flittermice (Rundall) Stanford Seniors Violin — Minuet Mozart Pastorale Hurlstone Songs — If All the World Were Paper (17th Century) „__Shaw The Owl (Tennyson) Parry The Rats Waif or d Davies Juniors Quartette — The Long Day Closes (Chorley) Sullivan Songs — Dawn Gentle Flower (Barry Cornwall) S. Bennett The Blasksmith Brahms Physical Drill. Song — Up from Somerset (Weatherley) Sanderson Mr. M. A. Ellissen Part Song — Rolling to Rio (Rudyard Kipling) German Solo — Orpheus With His Lute (Shakespeare) Sullivan J . Bishop Violin — Traumerei Schumann Dance Dittersdorf Seniors Songs — The Witches ' Steeds (Ogilvie) Harris A Wonderful Prophecy (18th Century) ... Buck God Save the King The Lost Livy (Below we print a copy of a manuscript recently dis- covered by a well-known professor of French who, we under- stand, is offering a liberal reward for the best translation) : — Dea Mater: — Heri sit an ritu a lina to fori ambacto mi studes. Cine has a vi o linter plaga solas is mus ac ille prone. Bos an misse arno longa mu sic made nt ire leas a lotus ille assis strumoso horride; mysta sed it-ne allec ilium. 20 Buxum mel rosis in a tempora turn an is offendit at pris- tine novelle te. Saucias! Parca offert me some candeat his ex pense. O mi! Hae ad sum jam forte an fatur is his turn. Hicce istic is notabit longa sin si addit lato nite. Boo! Uno Crispe, hacsa fuse pusionis ne an in his loca. O meo! Meo! It is a realtera fore ne ali ad me. Reple sensis scis. Sensum moneto me, i votiva ritu sum. Adeo, no more, SONI. Empire Day, 1924 Empire Dav, 1924, was marked by no flag wagging or vain speechifying on the greatness of that Empire on which the sun never sets, but by an expedition which appeared, per- haps, to some as an attempt to drive to the limits of our own local realm, getting back only when the sun had set on our own particular bit of Empire. In other words, the whole motor fleet was mobilized to convey as many as possible to Parksville. Jupiter Pluvius, though threatening, proved in the end propitious, and without any serious contretemps or excitement, one by one the cars dis- gorged their human contents at the hospitable doors of Island Hall, 70 full miles away from the shades of the prison house, to quote the Sixth Form, so lovingly adapting Wordsworth lines to their own case. The exact number who were lucky enough to get seats, or was it knees, escapes the chronicler. The party arrived, however, in time for those who wished to have a bathe and for some to be out in a sail boat, very kindly lent to us. Lunch followed; excellent, I am sure, as I fail to recollect a single boy grumble; a wonderful tribute to any meal pro- vided by a school authority. After lunch various diversions were indulged in, some slept, some wrestled with carbureters, one sang an Episcopalian song for a non-Episcopalian bet, the result of which was the Studebaker carrying another load to Alberni and back, just to see how far it was! 21 The McLaughlin ' s carbureter, having more spirit, was tested out by a little drive to Qualicum, where it disgorged its load for another bathe, and then a painful seven miles back, during which the carbureter indulged in further vagaries. Supper later, and, after various refusals to speechify by members of the School, about 7.30 a start was made for the return journey. The wild merriment of Nanaimo gave an opportunity for rest and diversion to the drivers, and then on to Chemainus, and even to Duncan, and e ' en to a rendezvous at midnight at the foot of Buena Vista. This last midnight frolic being neatly arranged by the carbureter wrestlers, who had contrived to use too many gal- lons of gas during the day. However, pipes and bottles were produced and fresh spirit infused by one whose spirit never fails; once more aboard, and the remaining few miles are soon covered and so to bed. It was an ambitious programme, but in its achievement, most thoroughly successful and enjoyable, and I am sure all who went would desire to thank heartily, not only the Author- ity whose generous desire to give all concerned a day of pleas- ure worth remembering, originated the scheme and then so 22 ably carried it through, but also to those who lent iheir cars and services as drivers, as well as our hostess of the Island Hall, even if they have to split an infinitive to so do. It is rumoured that Campbell River Falls or Banff may be selected for 1925, but the author would like to suggest Wembley, if it reopens, as being more educative and suitable to the day. Examination Results S. E. Morres took his Senior Matric and successfully entered the R. M. C. in September. Townsend Moore passed into Tacoma University. J. H. B. Watson passed the Junior Matriculation. J. K. Halley, W. G. Roaf, J. L. Roaf and J. D. Ross took the Department Examination and passed into third year High School. R. R. Alexander and R. Hodgson passed into second year. The best marks were obtained by J. L. Roaf (80%) , and Watson (78%). July 2nd came too soon after the Exams for us to feel energetic enough to have a formal Prize Day with all its mul- titude of arrangements and expenses. The Head gave us his usual happy and unvarnished crit- icism for the past year and then gave away the prizes. A notable feature of the Sports was a long-distance swim- ming race across the lake for a cup given to us by Mrs. F. Crisp. PRIZE LIST Form VI. — Watson. Form I. — Deming. Form V. — Roaf ii. French — Watson. Form IV. — Hodgson. Maths — Hodgson. Form III. — Griffith. Music — Malkin. Form II. — Wace. Gen. Progress — Barnard. Reading — Neel. Efficiency — A. Macdonald, Neel, Neel. Photography — Lake i. Natural History Collection— Moore ii. Long Distance Swimming — Alexander ii. Snap Shooting — Roaf i. Dormitory Shield No. 1 — Crisp ii. 23 Our Band (With apologies to the shade of Lord Macauly) The Principal of Shawnigan, By the nine gods he swore That the great house of Lonsdale Should have an orchestrore. By the nine gods he swore it, And named a trysting day, And bade the music stores send forth East and west, and south and north, For instruments to play. Soon sackbut, harp and psaltery, And things of fearful shape, And fiddles of enormous size, With strings on which to scrape; And clarionets and flutes and horns, And anything for sale From which a sound could be produced, Came crowding in the mail. Then up spake our Headmaster, A flautist bold was he: Oh! who will stand on my right hand, And play the bass with me? So then were nights of wailing, As the band got under way, Each striving hard to burst himself Before the concert day. But, lo! the band begins to play; The concert has begun. We cannot, even if we would, Open the doors and run. No sound of joy or sorrow Is heard on either hand; But friends and foes, in dumb surprise, With parted lips and straining eyes, Stand gazing at the band. 24 The audience darted forward, The orchestra fell back; When suddenly beneath their feet, They felt the timbers crack. But with a crash like thunder, Fell every loosened sill; We nearly lost our band that time, But no! they ' re playing still. M. A. E. Answers to Correspondents F.H.T.B.— No, we think you are mistaken. An optimist is not necessarily a man who mends glasses, nor is a pessimist a man who puts on a pair of braces and wears a belt as well. Motorist — We quite agree with your idea, but believe there is no truth in the rumour that 1925 Fords are to be fitted with a device to show which way they are going; still, of course, the Buena Vista is quite a steep hill. Sportsman — We think you must have been attend ng too many baseball matches. A refugee is not a man who keeps order at a football match. Neither, for that matter, is a bliz- zard the inside of a hen, as somebody tried to inform us the other day. T. W. — No; to find the area of a floor, you must do some thing more than add the four walls; besides, what hap- pens if the windows are open? Anyway, you will probably agree with our correspondent, who tells us that a problem is a figure which you do things with, which are absurd and then prove them. Worried — No; Sodom and Gomorrah were not des- troyed by brimstone and treacle; on the contrary we are assured on the best authority that brimstone and treacle, if taken in proper quantities, might have done the citizens of these two cities quite a lot of good. Hunter — No; the shooting season for clarionet and cor- net players has not been declared open yet. We don ' t mind saying that we have laid in a large stock of shells, and believe that good bags will be obtained near the music room shortly after dusk. 25 Student — Surely you are mistaken. We feel that more was known of the prophet Elijah than that he went for a cruise with a widow. Perhaps you are thinking of the prophet Elisha, who, so a correspondent informs us, was in the habit of using a popular make of car because he went up to Heaven on ' high, ' and only a Ford could do that. Fond Parent — Yes; it is quite true that an American science teacher was had up the other day for putting a boy in an electric chair. Of course, these American schools are so well equipped. Old Boys ' Notes F. Gooch is spending his week-ends at Shawnigan again, having gone into business in Victoria. J. Musgrave is back at Quamichan Lake. C. E. Tryon was a welcome visitor during the Summer holidays, and has now returned to Glenalmond, where he is the O. T. C. L. Wollaston is to be congratulated on rowing for his House Second Eight at Monckton Coombe, Bath, England. J. Lander has brought us much credit at Shrewsbury. He hopes to go to Cambridge next year, and meanwhile he stroked the school boat at Henley, beating Jesus College, Cam- bridge, in the finals for the Ladies ' Plate, in what The Field describes as the second most notable feature of the regatta, and to quote homThe Times, Lander stroked with great judgment in all the races. Our hearty congratulations! N. Christison is living at Coldingham, Berwickshire, where he is serving his engineering apprenticeship. A. M. Robertson has entered the firm of Evans, Coleman Evans in Vancouver. R. Eddison is in the Sixth Form at Charterhouse. T. Eddison is a Senior Cadet at the R. N. C, Dartmouth, and helped materially towards the winning of the Good Losers ' Prize in boxing for his year. T. Golby has written a most interesting letter from H. M. S. Velox, in which ship he is doing his R.N.R. course, and 26 says he hopes to be on this coast by the New Year, and is ap- plying for a nomination as Cadet in the R. C. N. His address is Cadboro Bay, B.C. S. Garrard has joined the staff of the Pacific Cable Co. S. E. E. Morres is at the R.M.C., Kingston, and is play- ing left half in their soccer eleven. H. Cotton has gone to Paris and is at school there. T. J. Moore is at Tacoma Uunversity. J. H. B. Watson is taking a course in Accountancy and hopes to go later to the West Indies. J. Mair has left for England for a year, and then hopes to go to Ceylon and learn tea planting. A Message from the Sea A corked bottle was found at Mill Bay during the holi- days. In it was a document,, parts of its undecipherable, pur- porting to come from a boy who had been fortunate to get a passage to San Francisco on one of the ships of the Special Service Squadron that was at Victoria in June. It may not be authentic, but we subjoin parts as likely to interest our nautical readers — Feeling that I may not live to see land again, being now, in spite of ' Mothersill ' , so violently sick, I will try to put on paper, which I will cork up in a bottle, some of my experiences, to fulfil my promise to my Headmaster. I got on board this horrible vessel, so well named the ' Danae, ' at Esquimalt, well armed with candy and other sea- sick remedies . She is called a light cruiser because those on board soon become very light beneath the waist as they cruise around . I felt fine until we left the harbour about 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 5th, but it was rather upsetting having to wait about for the ' Hood, ' still even that now seems to have been a happy time! I have just called the Sergeant-at-Arms to take off my boots and clean them, as I do not wish to die in them dirty. The young officers rather meaningly suggested I should not 27 sleep in a hammock — they knew. I am told that we shall be there on Monday afternoon; is that next year or is it . . . ? I felt better again and tried to take an interest in the reciprocating turbines which fire 30 knots or splices a minute. Also in the anti-aircraft torpedoes fired under water, and in the tiny six-inch firing guns, but in vain . . . They try to take my mind off my trouble and tell me that on Sunday there is a cinematograph service operated by the Captain; and someone tried to teach me how to make 30 knots an hour with ropes. I suppose they pull the ship along, but my brain wanders — I may have got it wrong .... Nearly all over, San Francisco is in sight. Shall I live until we get there? Two American destroyers coming out, probably to prevent any but dead Englishmen from being landed . I can write no more, so will cork up the bottle and throw it into the sea, accompanied, I fear, by something else. (Editorial Note — We fancy the above may be partly fic- titious, for we have received a long account of his voyage from the father of a boy who did go to ' Frisco on the Danae, full of interesting facts and accurate details. We are very grateful for it, but the demands of space and fear of DORA prevent us from printing it here, so we have decided to print the shorter and more vivid bottle document, even if some of its informa- tion is less accurate. We might mention the fact that H.M.S. Danae was provided with better steering gear than that pro- vided by King Acrisius) . 28