St Margarets Academy - Dayseye Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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 7)ay ve • guarded in London until the coming of William the Conqueror. During these sad years. Margaret watched over the younger children with the mature wisdom and tenderness that often comes to an elder sister when called upon to fill the place of father and mother. When the Conqueror came, he treated the royal orphans with affectionate tenderness. But when Norman rule became intolerable, the Saxon nobles began to speak of Edgar. Margaret's brother, as their lawful sovereign. Fearing a perilous struggle, the guardian of the children secretly set out with them for the Conti nent. to find refuge again in the Court of St. Margaret's Chapel, Buda, in Hungary. But a contrary wind Edinburgh Castle drove the vessel from its course, and landed it on the shores of Scotland, where Malcolm Canmorc. son and successor of Duncan, welcomed them with respect and tenderness. Margaret was now a very attractive young woman, possessed of unusual personal beauty, winsome personality, great brilliancy of intellect, and a depth of thoughtfulness and piety much beyond her years. In her earlier exile at the court of King Stephen in Buda. she not only enjoyed an atmosphere of refinement and sanctity, but was trained in all the royal culture which united the civilization of the East and West. Margaret was young when she became the bride of the widowed Malcolm, who was much her senior. Once raised to the throne of Scotland, she felt herself called by God to devote her energies to the wild, turbulent, but generous clans who called her queen. Malcolm, son and successor of the murdered Duncan, came to the Scottish throne after the death of Macbeth at Dunsinane. Though of noble birth, he received little culture in the protracted exile and perpetual warfare of the rude, unsettled Highlanders. Nurtured in strife, he delighted in battle, as docs the sea lion among the stormy billows. But his better nature idolized the angel of peace and refinement that Providence sent to his court, so that in the presence of his youthful bride, he was calm, gentle, and reverent. Her influence on his untamed passions led him 15

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 c7%e jOc yrsve 1 %y Saint Margaret Queen of Scotland t T IS the privilege of our Class to be the first to dedicate a page of the Daycsye to our royal Patroness. Saint Margaret. Although nine centuries have passed since our sainted Queen graced the throne, her name still lives in the hearts and on the lips of her beloved Scots. When Margaret was born in Hungary in the middle of the eleventh century, the usurper Macbeth still sat on the throne of the gracious Duncan. Stormy times were those, when many nobles were in exile. Margaret's father. Edward Atheling. and her future husband. Malcolm Canmore. being among them. Edward Atheling was a lineal descendent of Alfred the Great, and a nephew of Edward the Confessor. His wife Agatha. Margaret's mother, was the daughter of Henry III of Germany. Margaret came of a race of saints and kings, and was richly endowed with the noble attributes characteristic of both. Unfortunately, we have few details of Margaret's early life. But we may judge the sweetness of the bud from the rich beauty and fragrance of the flower. When but a girl of fourteen, both of her parents died, leaving her to care for a younger brother and sister. The three royal children were then jealously 14

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to co-operate with her in her charities, and to aid her plans for the improvement of Court and Church and State. Margaret often assembled t h e courtiers around her. and explained to them the beautiful lessons of the gospel, while Malcolm acted as server and interpreter. Dunicrlinr Abb,,, -K,»I, bv s, Hcr watchful interest in all the affairs of her people did much to mitigate the Border wars.' the favorite theme of Scottish bards. As a mother. Margaret was a perfect model. She not only provided the most learned and most virtuous instructors for her six sons and two daughters, but she personally supervised the course of training. To no one did she entrust the sacred duty of forming the character of her children. As a result, their names are revered on history's pages, and one of them, like his mother, found a place on God’s altar. Saint David is Scotland's model king and patron saint. In Saint Margaret we see demonstrated the influence of a virtuous woman over the untamed passions of man. The untutored Malcolm learned to venerate his saintly wife, and to find his greatest joy in co-operating with her in deeds of love and mercy. This brief sketch has not space to silhouette the sufferings of Margaret. But any who read hcr life will be convinced that she did not have a path of roses from the throne to the grave. She could never have attained such moral grandeur without passing through the ennobling crucible of suffering and self denial. Like a graceful cedar she stands, towering on some Alpine height, unbowed and unscathed by the storm. In Margaret is exemplified the secret of woman's greatness and uplifting influence. Let woman put love and sympathy into her looks, words and deeds, and she can rule the universe. The halo of hcr smile, the light of her eye. the warmth of hcr love break down all barriers. Nothing can crush the noble soul of the valiant woman. Poverty brings out her latent energy: lack of sympathy from friends turns her heart to God: 16