Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 24 text:

to come hack ainJ adiiiil llicy iiiadi; a niiHtakc hccauKc you know vvc.ry one of u» can make mistakes, remember that. Then; are also iIiokc wlio { et shoes that are loo small for them to go around Haying they have small feed, even that is very silly heeause they walk through life leaning on everyone or everylliirig ihey meet, they make everyone around them imhappy. If J were you 1 would buy these oxfords; they are very comfort- able and look neat, with these you may walk on any roa l of life or anything that may be on that road. I am yomig , I said, do you think I want to wear these shoes? Why that is tlie kind I had in school, no, please give me the [)umps, they look so much smarter. The old man looked at me as I gaily walked out, he was sad, yet 1 said to myself: The others sprained their ankles because they did not know how to walk: they were not careful. I am positive I can do better. Renee Bissonnette, Form Vb., Fairley House. THE HYPOCRISY OF HUMAN LIFE Why, I can smile, and murder while I smile; And cry content to that which grieves my he irt. And wet my cheek with artificial tears; And frame my face to all occasions. HUMAN life is indeed full of hypocrises, and I think one of the most frequent is the practice of telling lies. If you went up to someone and told him he was a liar, he would immediately deny it. And yet, I doubt if there are many people in the world today who have not told one lie, however small, during the past week. I am sure most people have heard of the disastrous consequences, in the play NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH of the man ' s promise to tell nothing but the truth for twenty-four hours. Most people have been brought up to be truthful, but there is that horrible moment when your best friend asks what you think of her new hat. You think privately that it is hideous, but say aloud: Isn ' t that sweet! And the colour suits you so well! I think people in the shops are most unfortunate in this way, for by their code, The cu stomer is always right. Pope has written a very apt couplet on one of these social lies: Before her face her handkerchief she spread. To hide the flood of tears she did not shed. As well as social lies, there are written lies, by which I mean advertisements. These can he seen all over, in the daily newspapers, magazines, street cars, and now they are being spoken over the radio. Everyone knows that children do not cry for a certain medicine, and that such-and-such a soap does not make clothes a shade brighter. Yet ihcHc lies are seen everywhere. A type of hypocrisy especiially prominent loday is thai shown by Hitler and his Nazis. One of the excuses given by them when they invaded Poland was that they were [22]

Page 23 text:

laiiks that roll over the biirnino; sands of Africa, who stood their fjround until the last, at Hong Kong; who stand at England ' s side in the dusk of night, piercing the sky with eyes that know no fear, who stand on the decks of destroyers, who daringly raid the cities of Germany; these men of ours are giving all they have, surely it is not much for us to help them by giving so little. By buying victory bonds you ensure the democratic way of life which you want to lead after the war is over. In Canada we are only asked for money. In Germany the people are compelled to give everything that will be of service to their Government. Here we are a democratic people, loyal to the country we serve; there, they are but slaves who move at the will of a dictator whose iron heel is slowly getting weaker. If peace, the hope of the world, is to be accomplished, and happiness to come to us again; if the barbarians that threaten us are to be crushed, then everyone must do his part. You can do your bit by buying victory bonds. I WAS looking in a shop window the other day and saw all the different kinds of shoes, as I went in I was wondering what kind I would take . . . The old shop-keeper came up to me and asked what kind I would like, so I told him I was just out of school and wanted a pair that would do me for a while to wear everywhere. I remembered the nice pair of sandals in the window so I asked him if I could see a pair like those. The old man went away and came back very soon with about ten different kinds of shoes as he showed them to me he said, — Now young lady you are just out of school so it is very important that you get a pair of shoes you like so that you may walk comfortably through the hardships that the road of life brings, you see these shoes, these sandals are very fine but they do not last. Many a girl like you went out into life with them but came back very soon, they were all worn out and old before their time. Now take these Mi he showed me a pair of pumps with high heels. Now these shoes will give you good wear if you walk on flat ground but go down a hill and you may pull off the heel, walk on a rocky soil and you will sprain your ankle. Some people, naturally, are very satisfied with these, so are they with the sandals because they are so used to being hurt that they do not care any more, or at least they pretend they don ' t. There are those who are too proud or rather too stupid Nora Newman, Form Vb., Ross House. J?

Page 25 text:

protecting Poland from Britain. Excuses of this sort have been made by the Germans when they invaded other countries, also. In open joe may prove a curse. But a pretended foe is worse. ' ' Everybody talks nowadays about the beauty of civilization, and the horror of uncivilized days when men tortured their enemies. But are we any better today? Is the bombing of fighting men and civilians alike, and the persecution of the Jews — is this a great improvement on those savage days? It is only ourselves who can answer this question, and tell whether this civilized world is one of our greatest hypocrisies or not. Lois Tyndale, Form Vb., Fairley House. THE FOAL Who capers gaily o ' er the green. With head held high and eyes so keen? The fairest child that Earth has seen — The Foal. Who stands in the shade of tlie great oak tree? With mind alert and heart so free. Who from ungentle words will flee? — The Foal. Ann Taylor, Form Vb., Barclay House. CAESAR RETURNS Scene: The scene is laid by the bank of a stream on a sunny spring afternoon. A middle-aged man of small stature and military bearing is resting beneath a large Weeping Willow. A teen-aged girl with new rubberboots, a fishing-rod and a guilty conscience meanders cautiously along the stream until she suddenly observes the stranger who has been calmly regarding her approach. Girl: (Startled) Oh! — I — (glancing nervously about her) — I was just — Man: (Warmly) Good afternoon! (with enthusiasm) Won ' t you be seated? Girl: (111 at ease) Well, thanks very much, but, I ' ve an appointment with a trout upstream — Man: (Urgently) You must stay! I ' ve a message for you. Girl: (Puzzled and agitated) A message? Man: (Persuasively) Yes, for you. Girl: (With an air of resignation) Oh, all right! (She sits down, placing the pail of worms between them.) I haven ' t much time. [23]