Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 22 text:

tree close by. Winter storms and frosts of many years played havoc with those trees, and alas! they are no more. At the foot of the garden were raspberry bushes, and quantities of petunias and geraniums, and there were circular plots on the lawn where pansies and asters grew in profusion. These have been replaced by fine Tennis Courts, and a Skating Rink, which give much pleasure to the girls in Summer and Winter. The house, too, was always full of flowers. The first pupil to enter the School in 1887, writing for the School Magazine, which was started in 1918, said, I shall not forget the quantities of flowers that were in the house; they added something that we were not conscious of, but which remains an impression after many years. In 1902 the new Day School was built, amid much rejoicing, for the old building was overcrowded, and the Class Rooms were needed for other purposes. Many extra rooms, — Staff Rooms, Class Rooms and Cloak-rooms were thus made available, and we were particularly proud of the Assembly Hall, for until that time June Closings and Entertainments had to be held in the Dining Room and Music Room. The Assembly Hall was used for many purposes; girls gathered there for Morning Prayers as they do today. It was also used for Ross Lectures , Gymnastic Classes and Singing Classes. There, too, the girls had their little dances. Fancy Dress Balls and Plays. One large Class Room was retained in the original house, where the resident pupils studied in the evenings, wrote letters, etc. In 1906 a Studio was built, containing two rooms, an upper and a lower Studio, and in 1911 the new Greenhouse was built. In 1913 Miss Fairley retired, after acting as Principal for twenty-six years. Her removal from Montreal to her home in Edinburgh, was a great loss to the community, as well as to the School, for her scholarship and sterling qualities were well known. When she retired, as she refused to accept a personal gift, her old pupils established a Scholarship, which was called The Trafalgar Scholarship , as she did not wish her name to appear; but, after her death February 1st 1932, those at the head of affairs, decided to link her name with that of the School, and now, the Grace Fairley Trafalgar Scholarship is awarded annually to the pupil of Trafalgar, who obtains the highest percentage in the McGill University Matriculation Examinations. Miss Charlotte Hardy, an English lady, became the Principal, and it was during her regime that the new addition to the School House was built. It had been felt for some time that more accommodation was needed, but Miss Fairley felt that it was only right to leave the planning of the extension to the new Principal. This building provided many extra Class Rooms, a Laboratory, and two Studios, — the old Studio having been demolished to make room for the new building. A resident Gymnastic teacher was appointed, and Gymnastic Demonstrations and Basketball Matches have given much pleasure ever since. In 1915 Miss Hardy returned to England to be married. Her suc- cessor was Miss Windsor, who remained for two years, and in 1917 Miss Janet L. Gum- ming, L.L.A., St. Andrew ' s, Scotland, was appointed Principal, and has served the School with conspicuous ability for twenty years. In 1928 the School Library was opened. This was largely due to the initiative of the members of the Matriculation Class, who raised a fund of over $200 to provide books. The result was, that when School re-opened in September, the girls found a very com- [20]

Page 21 text:

property reduced to its present size. In the early days the families in the district, drew their water from a small private reservoir on the Mountain. Drain pipes were not laid on Simpson St. for many years, when solid rock had to be blasted for the purpose. Chalderton Lodge was always a centre for entertaining. In Mr. Mitchell ' s time, a stage was erected in the Library, for private theatricals, and 125 guests sat in the Drawing Room; dancing followed later in the evening. The rooms are large and lofty, and well adapted for entertaining. The entrance hall, staircase and Drawing Rooms are very fine, and the whole house is quaint and attractive. This fine old property was sold to the Trustees by Mr. Mitchell in 1887, for $30,000, and has been the home of the School ever since. Under the wise guidance of Rev. Dr. Barclay, and the able Principalship of Miss Fairley, the School was a success from the first. When it opened, all Class Rooms, Dormi- tories, and Living Rooms were in the original house. In 1890 the new east wing provided an upper and a lower Dormitory, and a Dining Room and Music Room on the ground floor. These two rooms were thrown into one in 1922, making the present large Dining Room, where as many as eighty are often accommodated at the midday meal. At that time there was neither a Gymnasium nor a Studio, but Gymnastics under Miss Barnjum, and Art classes under the direction of Miss Harriette McDonnell, who served the School for twenty years, and is the only living member of the original Staff, were conducted in the large outdoor building which had formerly been used as a Coach House. There was a large platform, with a piano, where girls practised, and .where they often danced, or had Fancy Dress Balls as they called them, on Saturday evenings. To the left of the long passage which led to this hall, was the Conservatory, which supplied flowers for the house and garden. In the early years of the School, girls under fourteen years of age were not admitted, but in 1890 preparatory classes were started for younger children. In this year, also, outside examiners set and marked the final Examination papers in June. This practice continued till the pupils took the McGill Matriculation Examinations in 1909, a step which was followed by the affiliation of the School with McGill, two years later. In 1895 the affairs of the Institute were, by authority of the Supreme Court, placed under the care of Mr. A. F. Riddell, who had been Secretary-Treasurer of the Trust since 1879. He continued to act as Secretary-Treasurer till 1929, and then served as a Governor till his death in 1932. The growth and prosperity of the School are in a great measure due to his faithful service and sound judgment. Mr. Riddell ' s father and Mr. Donald Ross were close friends, and they often discussed with Sir William Dawson, the arrangements for the establishment of this School. My long connection with the School began in 1896, and I often think of the garden as it was then. There were no prepared Tennis Courts, but, on fine days, nets were placed on the upper part of the lawn, and the girls played on two courts, and seemed to enjoy their games, in spite of the sloping ground. There were many lovely trees: — a beautiful elm, on the Redpath St. side, with a rustic seat beneath it; a fine copper beech on the Simpson St. side, and a large walnut tree just opposite the front door, with a catalpa [19]

Page 23 text:

fortable room, with built-in bookshelves easy chairs, and good reading lamps, making a very restful place to consult reference books, as well as to enjoy good reading. Chairmen of the Board of Governors: — Rev. Dr. Jenkins 1883: Rev. Dr. Barclay 1884-1917: Sir William Peterson 1915-1917, (acting for Dr. Barclay) Mr. Sergeant Steams 1917-1918: Rev. Dr. George Duncan 1918-1924: Sir Arthur Currie 1924-1926: Rev. Dr. George Donald since 1926. A special tribute should be paid to the memory of the late Rev. Dr. Barclay, who was Chairman of the Board of Governors for so many years. He served on many other Boards of Education, and was an outstanding figure in the life of Montreal, but Trafalgar was his special charge. He took a keen interest in all the activities of the School, as well as in the educational side of the work, and spared no pains to further its interests, in every possible way. He had a kindly manner and loved young people, and when he left Montreal to return to his home in Scotland, his loss was keenly felt by young and old His name will always be associated with that of the School. Dr. Donald, though a very busy man, gives much of his time to the School. He is always ready to address the girls on all special occasions. His appearance is hailed with joy by the pupils, for they feel that he is genuinely interested in them, and he always ' has an interesting story to point the moral of the lesson he wishes to teach them. Though it is more than half a century since Mr. Donald Ross made provision for the establishment of The Trafalgar Institute , the charm of the old house and garden is still felt: the Conservatory, on which he set his heart, still supplies flowers for the house and the garden, and his plans for the religious education of the pupils are still being carried out. He hoped that a Chapel could be built, containing an organ, where Trafalgar Grandmother and Granddaughter [21]