Stratford Central Secondary School - Collegian Yearbook (Stratford, Ontario Canada)

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COLLEGIAN, 1937. STRATFORD, ONT. VIMY PILGRIMAGE By Josephine Pinner, 3B. This summer, an event of universal interest took place in Canadian history, when the Legion arranged for the transporting of thous- ands of pilgrims to the battlefields in northern France and Belgium where the Canadian sol- diers played such an important part during the Great War. On July 16, 1936, the Montcalm, the Montrose, the Antonia, and the Ascania sailed at fifteen minute intervals from the port of Montreal, followed by the Duchess of Bed- ford which sailed the next day. Various game tournaments, get together parties, and concerts were held during the voyage to sponsor good fellowship amongst the pilgrims. Disembarking at Le Havre, we boarded trains and went to Ypres, Belgium, in time for a lunch consisting of a cold meat course served with several salads, followed by hot meat and potatoes, with cheese for dessert. After this, we were taken on a bus-tour of various ceme- teries and villages in that area, then, to Arras where we were billeted. This part of the coun- try looks very prosperous and is densely popu- lated. The houses are substantial-looking with gabled, tiled roofs, they are decorated with the brightest shades of orange, green, and blue. Every dwelling, even the poorest farm-house, boasts the traditional hand-made lace curtains. Of course, the main objective of the trip was the unveiling of the monument to fallen Canadians, at Vimy. The monument itself, a huge, white marble structure on Hill 145, com- mands a view of Lens, Mt. St. Eloi, Cambrai, and the surrounding industrial district far across the Douai Plains. The ceremony was very impressive, such dignitaries as King Ed- ward VIII, Prince Arthur of Connaught, Hon. Ernest Lapointe, Hon. Philippe Roy, and the President of France being present. The bril- liant array of French soldiers in their horizon- blue uniforms, Scottish regiments, and the various regimental bands added colour, hun- dreds of French gendarmes preserved order among the pilgrims and the French spectators. King Edward proved again and again his ex- tensive popularity by the cheers which greeted him as he moved freely among the pilgrims. The next phase of the pilgrimage was a tour of France. The French people ' every- where received us cordially, and we were officially welcomed by the French president, Monsieur Lebrun, at a reception held in the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Another Paris banquet was at L'Hotel des Invalides, the home of Page Thirty some of the badly wounded French Great War veterans and their families, here our genial host was Marshal Petain. The tables were arranged in rows under the balconies, in the huge courtyard. Some of the French soldiers lowered ropes from their barracks windows, to which some Canadians securely fastened bottles of champagne, which were speedily drawn up and later the empty bottles were let down. There Was' always plenty of liqueurs served at these banquets because water is not generally pure enough to be used as a beverage in northern France. Vin rouge et vin blanc took the place of water with sauterne, cognac lwhich we put in our coffeeb and brandy served with the dessert course, and champagne for the various toasts. Similar banquets were held in Rouen, Blois and Amboise. However, if you are contemplating a trip to France, I would strongly advise you to take along your own cook. In our Paris hotel, for breakfast we had a large cup of strong black coffee and a six-inch long roll of bread. Butter, sugar, salt, and pepper are considered luxuries, and we were counted lucky at our hotel by fellow-travellers because we could get butter and sugar if we knew enough French to be able to ask for them. It was most amus- ing to hear some tea-grannies indignantly demand their tea, for tea is used as a medicinal tonic in France. After considerable prodding by my mother, I used to hesitatingly stammer the magic words du the s'il vous plait. The enlightened waitress would nod her head, Ah oui, madamoiselleu and then rush out to order some tea. For breakfast in Arras, we had half-cooked eggs and bacon, some rolls, and the usual cup of black coffee, which should be diluted with hot milk. France is a country of castles and churches. The castle which I remember best is the Chateau d'Amboise, ancient home of the Duc d'Orleans. Perched high on a hill, with the houses and the buildings of the town of Am- boise clustering around the base, at first sight it appears to be inaccessible. However, after walking over a mile up a winding, ever-rising road, you come to la chapelle Saint-Hubert, built by Charles VIII, during the XV century. This chapel was the place of worship of sev- eral members of the French royal family, not- ably Mary Queen of Scots and Charles V. The chateau gardens are very beautiful, and in its shady woods, ferns grow luxuriantly. A statue has been erected over the grave of

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STRATFORD, ONT.COLLEGIAN, 1937. the little silvery pool in the valley,-the other mountains rearing their peaks skyward in the distance,-a breath-taking spectacle! After resting a few minutes I began the descent. Spying a tiny lake in a sort of pocket part way down the mountain, I headed off to the left. Descending was much easier than climbing and was enjoyable enough except that I wasn't certain now of my directions. I reached the lake and found a path, but accord- ing to my calculations, it led in the wrong direction. The surrounding woods, however, were thick and uninviting, and would soon be impassible in the growing dusk of the evening. Hesitatingly I took the path, and hurried along with pounding heart. A night in those woods would certainly be far from pleasant. And the people at the cottage-I hadn't seen any animals but I had been told-! With these thoughts racing through my mind I sudden- ly came upon a clearing. Hopefully climbing onto a stump I looked about. There down in the hollow just ahead was our lake! With a genuine sigh of relief I pressed on and soon found myself at the cottage. Oh well! It was all in an afternoon's fun! The fishing trips were hardly as exciting but they did provide a taste of adventure. Early one morning or, as it seemed to me, one night, we set out in the car, for the lake was some distance away, loaded with all the para- phernalia of the fishing art. I have been in a few roller coasters in my time, but cer- tainly no ride could compare to this one. The road had been literally hewn out of the moun- tain side only a few months before, and still followed minutely every hump and hollow, ravine and mound of the rocky land's contour. Despite its discomfort, the ride was a pic- turesque one. On each side of the road the thick underbrush had been untouched by the road-makers and from the car window one could see the same dense virgin forest which must have greeted the astonished eyes of the first explorers of the New World. Vivid orange tree fungi and bright red and blue flowers, peered through the closely set trunks of lofty trees, as if to reprimand our disturb- ing their wild solitude. We fished all day but, I confess, my interest lay with the wooded mountain slopes rather than the finny inhabitants of the lake bottom. My success reflected my interest, for nothing but agile little chub would seize my line. My companions fared better, however, and I had the pleasure of examining the anatomy of sev- eral large trout: my job was cleaning the catch before returning home. It was nevertheless pleasant to sit motionless in one of the tiny row-boats and dreamily watch the mist play about the rolling mountain sides in the dis- tance, or to hear the echoing cry of the birds in the woods, or, stirred into action by a mut- tered Ga'dez, from the other end of the boat, reel feverishly at a twitching line, only to land a tiny chub. On our fishing trips we sometimes came upon an old bewhiskered habitant and his wife, living off by themselves, beside some lonely lake, scraping a meagre subsistence from the soil, augmenting it by renting boats in the fishing season and trapping in the long, cold winter. It seemed a queer lonely life, yet maybe, after all, it was just as good as the vain, feverish rush of the city. Two weeks, fit seemed a monthj of this happy carefree life, and then back home. Two weeks to think and dream about for years. I had seen another bit of Canada: more than that, I had seen, and had come to know, some- thing of the vast country of the French Can- adians, which still preserves the sturdy rustic life of the real founders of Canada. CHASING BEAUTY By Annie Adamson, 3.4. Who may hold the stray sunbeam That casts a magic spell Of enchanting mystery In a flowered dell? Who may have the rivulet That glides by shadowed glade, Etched in beauty's mirror, clear As brightest crystal made ? Who may know the fleecy cloud That drifts across the blue, A little bit of heavenly light Reflected on the dew? Who may catch the southern wind That haunts the stirring flowers And softly blends their sweet perfume Throughout the passing hours? Page Twenty-nine

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COLLEGIAN, 1937. Leonardo da Vinci, famous Italian painter who lived and died at Amboise in 1519. Part of the chateau proper is used as a home for des- cendants of the servants of the royal family who once lived here. In one of the upper storeys is that grim hall of death where many of the Huguenots were condemned to death, after which they were marched outside to the balcony and hanged from its iron railings, several hundred feet above the roofs of the buildings in the lower town. You may enter the moss-covered tower through a tiny door and follow the descending, spiral road to fin- ally arrive at one of the main streets of Am- boise. There are two such towers with interior winding roads. Then there is the famous Peace Palace, at Versailles, with its magnifi- cent fountains and beautiful parks. The long central hall is lined with life-size statues of the famous men and women of France as well as members of the royal family. Upstairs we saw rooms filled with huge oil-paintings, por- traying important military and naval battles. The personal suite of Louis XIV is truly grand. The walls are covered with finely worked tapestries or oil paintings, as are the chairs and stools. The bed in which this monarch slept is very large and has a huge silk-and-gold tapestry canopy and spread. The suite of Marie Antoinette, his ill-fated queen, is even more beautiful. The famous hall of mirrors is the most beautiful of the various ballrooms as its walls are in reality huge mirrors, divided into sections, which can be opened by releas- ing a hidden spring. The crystal chandeliers reflect the sunshine, producing a rainbow effect. This palace also houses the table on which the world-famous Peace Treaty was signed, at the close of the Great War. A trip to France would not be complete without a visit to Rouen, and the ancient site of Joan of Arc's tragic martyrdom. In the market square, where she was put to death, a white marble monument has been erected, showing her, a cross in her hands tied to the stake, with the flames curling up around her. One of the oldest Rouen cathedrals, begun in 1500, is named by its tower-the Butter Tower. It was so named because at that time butter was a luxury and could be purchased only from priests. The church tower was built from the proceeds of the sale of butter. Inside, this church contains the remains of seven English kings, one of them being Rich- ard, Coeur de Lion. Another magnificent church has, in its tower, a huge mellow bell called the Jeanne d'Arc. The front door of STRATFORD, ONT. this church, finished in 1785, is of solid oak carved with millions of tiny heads. During the strife with the Huguenots, they cut the noses off of all these statues, believing that they could thus inflict injury on the persons represented by the figures. It is an old established custom to joke about the tightness of the Scotch people, but certainly the average Frenchman exceeds the Scotch in thriftiness. A French farmer will produce as much on his tiny farm as a Cana- dian would produce on his acres of farm land. They never waste anything which can be used, and, in the former war area, many farmers have used old scraps of sheet metal salvaged from the ruins of billets and also barbed wire used on the battlefields. We found it difficult to follow the French method of telling the time as the clock goes from one to twenty-four o'clock. After twelve noon, the time, instead of being one o'clock, is thirteen o'clock, and so on. The stores are very modern, many of them having variously coloured sheets of cel- lophane inside of the glass window. The French monetary system is easily Lmderstood, but everything is quite expensive. In the large railway stations, in Paris, the incoming and outgoing trains are announced in both French and English, through a loud-speaker, a great aid to travellers. Many of the trains leaving Paris are highly stream-lined, much faster, and much cleaner than our trains. Evidence of general prosperity is apparent both in France and in England, and in spite of the rumors of war that we hear, the people seem to be happy and industrious. TWILIGHT By Doris Lane, CIA. When twilight passes slowly by, And little birds homeward fly, Children tucked in their cosy bed, Soon to them the world is dead. Silently o'er the sleeping earth The large moon crept Lighting the tiny berth Wherein two children slept. Guardian angels o'er them watch Until the morn draws nigh When the sun shall rise and take The moon's place in the sky. Page Thirty-one