St Johns High School - Torch Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

Page 89 text:

DANCE MACABRE A piercing shriek, a gripping fear, The footfalls of death’s angels near. The cymbals clash amid the horns. Cruel angels laugh with bitter scorn. The Dance Macabre! My life is lost! And down to certain hell is tossed. The devil builds his mighty fire, The sins of man heap fuel on higher. My thread of life runs out, is done. And with hope lost, no more the sun And happy joys my life can save; Instead the deep, dark, choking grave. The crashing of the gates of hell, The ringing of life5s final bell. I hear them pounding at my mind; My body gone, my eyes are blind. The horror of the lonely tomb— Down, down, down, to final doom. Norman Cantor, XI-37. ★ ARE YOU BUILDING OR REMODELLING YOUR HOME? Before you make your final plans call at our HOME PLANNING BUREAU Get useful tips on Modern Kitchens, Interior Decorat¬ ing, what is now in lighting. POWER BUILDING SHOWROOMS Winnipeg Electric Company Compliments of . D. COHN SONS LIMITED Fur Dressers and Dyers ★ Phone 22 686 560 McDermot Ave. Compliments of .. . SERVICE FUR CO. 202 Birks Bldg. Phone 97 940 Compliments of . . . GRAND MOTOR SERVICE LIMITED ★ “Day and Night Service” ★ 1003 Main St. Phone 57 266 Page Eighty-five

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FAILURE POETRY TO A GREATER GLORY . . . ’Neath my window the city rushes on, And humanity surges forward through the night In life’s mad symphony. The neon signs, flickering in the streets below, Shine the city’s dirty face on this Saturday eve, And hurl eerie light into this darkened room. My soul is filled with the hatred and sorrow Of a bitter era. I long for the happy youth which war’s scourge Tore from my heart, as it did from thousands throughout the land . . . And yes, great multitudes cheered us, Famous leaders acclaimed us, And even autocratic generals joined the mighty chorus To praise us—war’s wounded soldiers. The confetti, the ribbon, the cheers were ours In that great hour of victory. But also the shrapnel, the bullets, the bombs That fill our bodies . . . And now swept away is the confetti, dusty the ribbon And silent the crowd? But the missing arms and legs, blood from our bodies. Still cover the battlefields from Anzio to Ar¬ dennes . . . Around me, in this bleak hospital room lie my wounded comrades; Their staring, yet unseeing eyes tell the story That is imprinted on our minds That beach, that hill, that forest, Where Nazi bullets ripped through our bodies! Sometimes, when night’s solitude gropes into our wards, I hear the sobs of men, crying like children, As they see once more the gory battlefields, And their comrades fallen at their side . . . The night is gone; the dawn breaks forth And glides over the sleeping world, ’Neath my window, on the streets below, The city is silent—the roaring Saturday night Has flown, and leaves instead the peaceful solitude of a Sunday morn . . . And will these tired, embittered soldiers Also find peace for their souls, after breathing battle smoke? O, God, grant that they may—for their’s is the battle of mankind itself Out across this blessed land, yes, round the mighty earth, Man fights to conquer darkest night, And bring on humanity’s rebirth . . . The church bells ring, calling the multitudes to prayer, And as they send out their peaceful knell Let them call us to a greater glory, Not to deeper hell . . . Norman Cantor, XI-37. The coward in the conflict Gives up at first defeat. If once repulsed, his courage Lies shattered at his feet. The brave heart wins the battle. Because through thick and thin He’ll not give up as conquered— He fights and fights to win. Then, why become disheartened, Because at first you fail; If you keep on trying At last you will prevail. Be stubborn against failure, Try, try, and try again For those who keep on trying Will failure never ken. Roy Lev, XI-39 EMPTY DESKS The school was bare ’Cause halls were free Of rushing students It dawned on me. They’d filled the hall, The stair, the room, All the days before The end of June. The stairs, I think, Were lonesome for The milling students. The slamming door. The halls were dark, The lights were out. No one to need them. No one about. Perhaps the teacher. During the day, Thought of the classes He’d held at bay. The field was bare, No boisterous shouts, It wished to ask for Their whereabouts. We wish them all A better life, In a finer world, That’s free from strife. Yngve Magnuson, X-18. Page Eighty-four

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TRU-TONE PHOTO All Types oj Photographic Work done. ALL WORK GUARANTEED Compliments of . . . Harold ' s Kosher Delicatessen 330 Aberdeen Ave. Winnipeg, Man. Phone 56 232 956 Main St. Phone 57 404 “The Home of Better Shoes Compliments of .. . MODERN SHOE STORE LIMITED D. SMITH SONS King and Jarvis Streets 602 Selkirk Ave. Winnipeg, Man. Phone: Office 55 833 Schwartz Iron and Metal Co. Ltd. Compliments of .. . OLYMPIC SPORTSWEAR Subsidiary of Royal Garment Mfg. Co. 299 JARVIS STREET WINNIPEG Then there’s the African who was a social failure because he couldn’t get ahead. Yuk, yuk. She was the optician’s daughter; two glances and she made a spectacle of herself. Little Willie hung his sister, She was dead before we missed her, Willie’s always up to tricks, Ain’t he cute, he’s only six. The church choir was practising a new anthem. “Now, don’t forget,” cautioned the choirmaster, “the tenors will sing alone till we come ‘To the gates of hell,’ then you all come in.” Congratulations and Best Wishes to 1945 Graduates SINCLAIR S DRUG STORE DISPENSING CHEMIST Compliments of . . . J. TEMPLE TAILOR AND FURRIER Cor. Inkster and Main Phone 56 055 WINNIPEG Phone 41 267 Established 1914 (Next to College Theatre) Compliments of . . . Compliments of . . . BLACKHURST BROS. TADMAN HARDWARE JEWELLERS CO. LTD. Main St. at Inkster Phone 55 648 866 Main St. Phone 51 167 Page Eighty-six