Stratford Normal School - Classic Yearbook (Stratford, Ontario Canada)

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The Classic June, 1911 A TYPICAL DAY AT THE NORMAL SCHOOL. LEAR and bright the moon shone over the city, the floor of heaven was all brilliancy with its millions o ftwinkling starsg not a breath of air disturbed the stillness. A peaceful Sabbath was having a peaceful close. I stood at my open window and gazed long at the scene. Suddenly in contrast to this peaceful scene there loomed up before me another, in which there were class-rooms, teachers and students, and suggesting at every point hurry and worry. My heart sank as I thought of it, but was it something in that quiet scene before me that stirred my better feelings and whispered to me, try, try again? Perhaps there was- At any rate ere my tired eyelids closed in slumber I had resolved to follow the motto, Play up, play up, and play the game. I had formed all sorts of beautiful resolutions, in fact I had reached the point where I was courageous enough to decide to brave the cold gray shadows of a November morning and actually rise at six o'clock, and with this happy thought in mind and anticipating all the pleasure I would have in feeling that I had a whole two hours in- stead of three seconds in which to hunt up the score of articles such as lesson slips, lesson plans, arithmetic exercises, etc, that were sure to have mysteriously disappeared in the night, I fell into a peaceful slumber. But, alas! it was not six o'clock that the chimes were so merrily ringing as I opened my eyes to greet another day, but precisely fif- teen minutes to eight. I shall spare you the scene of those next few minutes, suffice to say that I was like the pig that Dr. Silcox told us about, I was going so fast you couldn't count me. At last I was ready and seated at breakfast. But, oh, how I did envy that l-lest animal, the cow, that can bolt her food and chew it afterwards. I smiled as I thought of Gladstonels advice to chew thirty-two times for each mouthful you take. Of course, that is all right for Normal School masters, who are men of leisure, but for the student it is chew once for each thirty-two mouthfuls. Breakfast over, I made another desperate attempt to cram into 1.043 seconds half an hour's work, but in some mysterious way it was accomplished. Under one arm were Bagley, Langdon, Smith, public school readers, McMurry and half a dozen exercise books! under the other was a huge bundle made up of a precious collection of mounting paper and leaves, seeds and bottles. In one pocket was to be found a number of papers such as mathematical exercises, summary of chapter VII. in McMurry, report of music lesson and lesson plan. while in the other was a mixture of pens, pencils, erasers, penlinives, locker keys, college mission money and Literary Society fees. Nevertheless I was soon whirling rapidly towards the Normal School. Yes, I had climbed the last flight of stairs to the cloak room and deposited wraps, rubbers, etc. The last bell had sounded but 12

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The Classic June, 191 1 memorate the accession of George I., and the birthday of Princess Augusta. Dr. Arne composed an opera entitled Alfred, and in the advertisement it is announced that Alfred will conclude with a favorable ode in honor of Great Britain, beginning: 'AWhen Britain first at heavens command - The words were written by Thompson, who collaborated with Dr. Arne in work of this kind. Southey said: This will be the political hymn of Britain as long as she maintains her political power. 1Vagner, the great German composer, said: The first eight notes of the tune sum up the whole British character. He composed an overture on the tune. Dr. Arne, son of an upholsterer, was born in London, 1710. He was educated at Eton- His father intended him for the profession of the law, but his love of music predominated, and his father per- mitted him to follow the bent of his inclination. Dr. Arne was a great and prolific composer, opera after opera did he compose. His songs include Shakespeare's Blow, Blow Thou XYinter Vi'ind, also Shakespeare's XYhere the Bee Sucks, both beautiful settings. ' The writer in Groves Dictionary of Music says: This song will continue to be heard as long as love of country animates the breasts of Englishmen. Dr. Arne died 1778. Rule Britannia 1740. Dr. Arne 1710-1778. The next song I wish to refer to is Hearts of Oak. This has been a national and a very popular song ever since it was published, and is very popular still. The words were written by David Garrick, 1717-1779, actor and dramatist, and, as you will know, they appear in the third book of our Ontario readers. The music was composed by Dr. Boyce, 1710-1770, a very distinguished organist and composer. The song was first sung in 1759, and at once became immensely popu- lar. British feeling was strong in that yea1', for a French invasion was threatened, and the British admirals were keeping the foe at bay. Dr. Boyce, born 1710, was the son of a cabinet maker. He be- came a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, and afterwards was made organist and composer to the Chapel Royal. Some of his Hne anthems are still, and will long continue to be in use in choirs and places where they sing, He died in 1779, and was buried in the vault under the centre of the dome of St. Pauls Cathedral. Hearts of Oak, 1759. Dr. Boyce, 1710-1779. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time: And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow: a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. 11

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7 The Classic June, 1911 already I was on my way to the assembly hall, and a bold little run at the very last pinch put me into my native spot. Then the lessons of the day commenced, but it is needless to describe to you the whirl and maze of that morning's proceedings. Iireathlessly I had rushed up two flights of stairs to room No. 5, only to find that like Pat, when I got there I wasn't there at all. I had run the risk of getting heart disease in my endeavor to reach locker number so and so, of the cloak room two floors below in order to get my history notebook in which to copy the notes, and found on my return that it was going to be literature that morning, and my book was resting peacefully in that self same locker. I had tried to look calm and serene when I heard the teacher say You had better read that up tonight, it is only a few lines, regardless of the fact that I had already forty pages in Mcltlurry, thirty in Bagley, twenty in Langdon and an equal amount in XYhite or Smith or some other heathenish name, on that same night. I did not even look surprised when I heard the remark: Of course, you are not very busy yet, but after a while we shall get down to hard work. I suppose that it was a case when the stimuli of the nerve endings were so numerous that they failed to make any impression. Nor did my heart sink as I wrote page after page, although the teacher had said, I shall give you only a few notes on this. But finally the last bell sounded and another morning's work was over, over did I say? Ah, no, for just as I was hurrying along a certain little wire basket at a certain door reminded me very forcibly of a certain fact, namely, that a certain lesson plan in a certain book upstairs in a certain locker should have been at a certain school at a certain hour. Then a certain student felt a cer- tain stimuli of the nerve endings, and you know the rest. In about three more minutes I was standing in fear and trembling before Dr. Silcox, saying all the things that I had never intended to and not saying a single thing I had intended to, while Dr. Silcox, like the good shepherd of old, left the ninety and nine good things I had done and sought out the one. But let me pass on. Outdoors the rain was now falling. However, regardless of the fact that my umbrella was safely at home, I sallied forth endeavoring to believe with Mr. Emery that walking is good for you. As the bells chimed out again the hour of one I retraced my steps to the Normal to sing Doll, ray, me, soh, as melodiously as possible. At 2.05 o'clock I started to walk for the Central school. Of course, this time I had no need to hurry, having a full ten minutes to get there. Of the lesson and its results I shall say not a word, but of this you may be sure, that it was a wonderful lesson in every sense of the Word, and then as the last lesson was really over- A poor little tramp of a student one day, Low spirited, weary and sad, From a big red brick building went slowly away Viiith feelings both wicked and mad. Shi- had been criticised cruelly and sore But her motto was still Excelsior. 13