Trafalgar Castle School - Yearbook (Whitby, Ontario Canada)

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vox CO stand it, and felt a sense of rebellion against its implication. Life ! largest life ! is the goal of every- body. It may not be unreasonable to assume that all are seeking it, and im- agine they are finding it. The key will be found in the interpretation we place on life or the point of view from which we regard it. The individual who thinks in terms of his body only, will very nat- urally have one view, and a limited one at that. The man who interprets in terms of mind will find limitations, while the spiritual view is boundless. The apostle James in our text has set us thinking, and Jesus in John twelve, twenty-four, offers the solution. Two principles are involved. We will turn our thought to an investigation of these. 1. The living force in any life reaches its proper value and influence through death and self-denial. A careful and modest estimate justifies the statement that every Christmastide in North Amer- ica we sacrifice one hundred millions of years of evergreen tree-life to gratify our desires and tastes. At first blush we are horrified by the thought, and yet is not that just what they are for? They also thus serve. Every time we take food, we kill to sustain. There is not a particle of food that does not represent death unto life. It is remarkable that we ' ' kill and eat, kill and eat to sustain the body, but the process is inverted in soul de- velopment. In this it is crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. It was thus that Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross despising the shame. The joy set before Him was the joy of serving others —you and me. This is what He meant when in John ' s setting He said, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. By living for others our interests are widened, our desires for life increased, and the results and ends of life enriched. Observe the influence of selfishness in any life as it bears fruit in the latter half of that life. Who does not abhor the home that is wilfully childless and L E G 1 1 , 7 lovingly yearn for that empty ann and heart where the longed for family does not come, or coming has so soon been snatched away. I repeat to you the val- ued testimony of an experienced friend who once said to me, ' ' There is nothing in life calculated to develop the manhood in man and the womanhood in woman like the sacrifices that are demanded by the presence of child life in the home. He was right. The law of the seed is the law of hu- man life. Use your life for present and selfish gratification, and you lose it for- ever. Renounce self, yield yourself to service, spend your life for the common good irrespective of recompense or lack of it, personal pleasure or the absence of it, and although your life may seem to be lost, it is finding its best and highest development and passes into life eter- nal. Your life is a seed now, and it can be- come a developed plant, only by your taking heart to cast it from you and sow it in the fertile soil of other men ' s needs. B} ' this means you set free the vital forces that are in your life. The man who most freely uses his life for others, keeping least to himself and living sole- ly for the common good of mankind has the most enduring influence. He sets in motion forces which propagate fresh re- sults eternally. The only permanent in- vestment possible in life is wha.t we in- vest in the soul life of other people. In relation to others, people are divid- ed into three classes : ( a ) Those who seek — by using others. In this class are grafters, those who steal, slanderers, oppressors, gossipers. Jealousy of others can only lead to ill- treatment. It is easier to weep with those that weep than to rejoice with those that rejoice. If you don ' t believe it, try to be glad with the person who is surpassing you in influence, in society, on exams., etc. (b) Those who seek — without molest- ing others. In this class belong those who go a- way back and sit down and who won ' t play at all if things can ' t go their way. (c) Those who seek — by aiding others.

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6 VOX COLLEGII AVheelbarrow Race. — Florence McGil- livray and iVIargaret BlaisdeU. Three-legged Race — AVinnifi ed Hamb- ly and Irene Carse. Relay Race — Hellen Pulling ' s Team. Junior Race. — Lila AVillinsky. Tng-of-War. — Helen Wai ' d ' s Team. Margaret Blaisdell was the holder of the highest number of points, Marcelle Smith coming second. After the sports a baseball game was played between the Commercial and Col- legiate Department of the College. It was a very exciting game, and gi ew ' es- pecially so towards the end. It closed vrith the final score of 22-12 in favor of the Collegiate Department. At the close cake and lemonade were sold to the hungry and thirsty s]iortsmen by the Seniors and Juniors respectively. ■ This closed the athletic activities for the year, and eveiyone feels that great praise is due the executive of the Ath- letic Association for their enthusiasm and work to make the athletics of the college a success. On Saturday evening the pupils of Miss Gott and Miss Brush gave a con- cert. It was the first public perfonnance of many of the girls, and they did credit to themselves and their teachers. Pro- gramme f ollpws : Kiisseiir Dance of the Wood-Nymphs Irene Carse. WentJierhj - - Danny Boy Jean Gates. GeeJil - - 0 Bird of Heaven Margaret Olmstead. Meyer-Hehmtnd - Arabesque Maud Mitchell. Batli - The Call of the Wood Freda Myles. Dorel - The Garden of Your Heart Aleda Mitchell. Waclis - - Pervenche Lauretta Irwin. Ware, Harriet - Persian , Serenade ' Tis Spring Eleno McLelland. Binet - - Nuit d ' Ete Jean Leckenby. Chaminade - - In Happy Mood Ronald - Love, I Have Won You Dorothy Keough. Sibelius - - Romaaiee Irma Wigle. Elgar - - Pleading Clougli-LeigJiter - Api-il Blossoms Maiy Clark. SUNDAY, JUNE 9th. Sunday is always looked forward to with rare plcavsure by the entire school, as Baccalaureate Day. This year the church was beautifully decorated by the Juniors and Trafalgar Daughtera. The baccalaureate sermon Sunday evening in the Methodist CTiurch was de- livered by Rev. E. W. Halpenny, B.A., B.D., General Field Superintendent of the Intenaational Sunday School Asso- ciation, and was greatly enjoyed. In part it was as follows : Text.— James 4 : 14, What is Your Life ? For ye are a vapor that appear- eth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. St. John 12 : 24, Verily, ver- ily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eter- nal. This twenty-fourth verse of John 12 is a striking utterance of Jesus. It seems to have been occasioned by the approach of the Greeks who desired to see Jesus. ' ' Eusebius narrates that he found in the archives in Edessa a record of a message sent to Jesus by Abgarus, King of Edessa in Mesopotamia. The king had had a long illness. He sent for Jesus, and in his communication inti- mates hearing that they of Jemsalem were not using Him well. Abgarus also offers Him a safe home in Edessa. Such an occurrence is quite within the limit of possibility. To prescribe death as a condition for life does seem to be a strange contra- diction of terms. As a youth I do not recall any text that made such a sad im- pression upon me. I could not under-

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8 VOX COLLEGII In this group are all those splendid souls who may well be represented by such as Florence Nightingale, Frances Willard. and the Seventh Earl of Shaft- esbury ' . 2. The second principle is— Life pro- pagates its own kind. We cannot die as Jesus died, but we must yield our lives as living sacrifices in the interests of men. For how can man die better Than facing fearful odds For the ashes of his fathers And the temple of his gods, or For whethej- on the scaffold Or in the battle ' s van. The fittest place for man to die Is where he dies for man. We cannot live for selfish purposes and then enjoy the common happiness and glory of the race. Self-seeking means self-destroying. Think of the burning, blighting influence of jealousy, envy or hate. God and the world demand our best work, and only what we do with pleasure can be our best. Find your happiness in the happiness of many rather than in the happiness of one, and life becomes simple and inspii ' ing. Every human life is un- der this law. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. This cannot be imderstood or appreciated by the selfish or self-center- ed, nor by any one charged with a sec- ond or third gi ' ade view. The contrast has been tritely set by Florence Earle Coates in a poem called: Poor Love, said Life. ' ' which runs as follows : Poor Love, said Life, thou has nor gold. Nor lands, nor other store I ween ; Thy very shelter from the cold Is oft but lowly built and mean. Nay, though of brushes be my bed, Yet I am rich, ' ' Love said. Persisted Life: Thrice fond art thou To yield the sovereign gifts of earth, The victor ' s sword, the laureled brow, For visioned things of little worth. Love gazed afar, with dream-lit eyes, And answered ' ' Nay, but wise. ' ' Yes, Love, said Life, What can atone For all the travail of the years. The yearnings vain, the vigils lone The pain, the sacrifice, the tears ' ? Soft as the breath breathed from a rose The answer came, Love knows. Life is a mission. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. Sent ? Yes, but not more than you and I are sent, also every one who ' ' willeth to do His vvill. Ask yourself these questions: — Whence came I? What am I? What am I here for Is there any good in me? If there is, have I found it? In wha t way is it functioning? Dear members of the Class of 1918, no class in any year has ever gone out in a time of greater opportunity. There is a place for each one of you. Find it! and say with Van Dyke : ' ' May I but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray. This is my Avoi ' k ! my blessing ! not oiy doom. Of all who live, I am the one by whom This Avoi ' k can best be done. ' ' MONDAY JUNE 10th. ( ' lass Day is always very interesting, and nevei ' more so than this year. A new feature was the introduction of a tree planting ceremony by the .Seniors, a link which will bind the Seniors to the Col- lege for all time. It is hoped that this may prove a precedent for future grad- uating cla.sses. This ceremony was followed by the as- .sembly of the Seniors in the concert hall where the cutting of the dais chjiin, the reading of biographies and prophecies, the valedictory addi ' css and songs and sallies were gi ' catly enjoyed. The President of the class, Muriel Maw, presided and spoke feelingly and appropriately as follows : As President of the Senior Class I would like to say that the association has been a pleasant one. I have felt the support of the Seniors in all the func- tions that we have undertaken, and now, on behalf of the Senior Class, I would like to express our appreciation for the the counsel and support of our Senior