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

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ditoriut (r KlT was Plato who compared the brain to a tablet of wax on which impressions are stamped. It is, of course the impressions we receive while we are young which are most enduring. Our boarding schools in Canada have played an important part in impressing on the minds of several generations of schoolboys ideals which are now our heritage. The tradition is a fine one, worth keeping and guarding as most old- boys of boarding schools acknowledge. Impressed on their minds is the memory of games which helped not only to develop the body but also to create an attitude towards life. On the playing field they learned sports - manship and team-play, the ability to admit defeat graciously and to accept victory modestly. This ideal of self-control, so essential in our daily con- tacts with one another, gained them admiration of friends at school and respect of fellowmen later in life. Important as they are, athletics must take second place to scholarship. There are few real duffers in a classroom and most can make themselves mentally fit. Sincerity of effort builds self-respect and confidence and the more that is done the more one will be capable of doing. The growth of the brain with use is remarkable. The full and proper use of language is an important exercise and much depends on it. The facts related by Homer and Vergil, Cicero and Livy could be obtained from a good translation. But it is the mental exercise which the effort of translating gives that is beneficial to the mind. Then, too, one who does not talk and exchange thought with others, or who neglects good books, will remain undeveloped. A well-developed, well-stored mind is a vital instrument for achieving success in the highest sense of that word. Scholarship has as its ideal a trained, ennobled, courageous mind, not afraid to think for itself, able to distinguish between right and wrong, and capable of great action. Nearly all races have evolved religions that aim at ennobling the mind. They embody conceptions of goodness which reflect the strivings of men to do what is right. The conception that our love of God is best manifested in service to fellowmen has been well expressed in the poem Above Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt: — I pray thee, then, write me as one that loves his fellow men. Being a Christian is a static condition. Acting as a Christian is a moving forward, a strengthening of oneself, and an influencing of others. Con- sciously or unconsciously we influence others and leave an impression on their minds. Were Plato living now he would want an impression to be stamped by a Christian character upon the minds of the members of his ideal state. The imprint of Christianity upon the wax of the mind is necessary so that the educated and strengthened faculties may be used on behalf of what is good.

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School I loles The school year 1954-55 opened in an atmosphere of triumph and tragedy. The visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury on the first day of term was reported in our last issue. The joy of this visit was to be greatly overshadowed by the tragic publicity and misunderstanding that attended the resignation of Mr. Hewitt. After these events the school settled down to an enthusiastic and successful year. Derek Brooks continued as an efficient and popular Head Prefect, and was ably assisted by John Kaye and Peter Nash. Other School Prefects were David Road and Hugh Mowat, later joined in the Summer Term by Tucker Battle. Gerald McGavin finished the year as Head of Grove ' s House; J. V. Stewart as Head of Lake ' s House, and Bob Simson as Head of Ripley ' s House. We were pleased to welcome Mr. Derek Hyde-Lay back to Shawnigan as House Master of Lake ' s and P. T. and Rugger Instructor. Other new staff members we welcomed were Reverend John Maunsell, as School Chaplain; Mr. Higgs as Grove ' s House Master and Art Master. Mr. Wilde, on a year ' s leave of absence from L ' Ecole Superieur at Neuchatel, Switzerland; Mrs. Horton as Head Matron and Miss Davies as Ripley ' s House Matron. The School was again honoured by a visit from the Lieutenant-Governor and Mrs. Wallace at the end of March when the War Memorial Plaque, presented by His Honour, was unveiled and dedicated to the memory of 41 Old Boys who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War 1939-1945. The re-opening of Copeman House, in charge of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, as a Junior House for boys in Grade 6 and below was a major step forward. This represented an increase in enrolment to 128 boys at the beginning of the year, and enabled the three remaining houses to compete on equal terms, after some re-adjustment of personnel, which was accepted with good grace by those who were required to change House loyalty to achieve this objective. The School Concert in mid-November, report of which is made elsewhere in this issue, was perhaps the best attended and most successful on record for the high standard of its performance. Much praise is due to all those who contributed to this success. While the 1st Rugger XV suffered misfortune by several injuries in the early part of the season, its performance achieved a high standard, and along with the 2nd XV and other teams completed one of the best seasons on record. We experienced a mild Winter by Shawnigan standards, and although the Spring weather was late, there was little interference with normal school activities on account of weather throughout the year. The health of the School was good, and no major epidemics clouded the horizon. Special mention should be made of the achievement of the Cadet Corps. The Annual Inspection of R.C.S.C.C. Cougar by Commander R. Phillips, R.C.N. , in May, was once more an outstanding success, and the Corps deserves credit for coming within one point of winning the Cadet Efficiency Trophy among the Pacific Coast Corps. Also, for the first time, the Corps was invited to take part in the Sunset Ceremonies at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria during June when favourable comment was earned in many quarters on their turnout and performance. A number of boys attended the ordination in May of the Rev. C. E. Lonsdale at the Cathedral in Victoria. We were sorry to have to say farewell to Mr. Lonsdale and his family at the end of the term, but our good wishes go with him in the ministerial duties to which he has been called at Armstrong, B.C. We were also sorry to bid farewell to Mr. Wilde, Mr. Higgs, Miss Bartholomew and Miss Davies at the end of the year, and wish them well along the paths which they have chosen. Page Five