Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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REMEMBRANCE DAY, 1943 (Prize Poem) What are they thinking now in Flander ' s Fields, As overhead the droning bombers fly? Sons of our land, whose blood the poppies dyed, Who answered to that other battle cry. Can they forgive us, when they gave their lives To make the world a safe and better place? With all the world in this chaotic state Would we be glad to meet them face to face? A war to end all wars, was what they said, And marched away to fight, their heads held high. A war to end all wars, and mockery laughs, For now it is their sons who fight and die! The Marne, Ypres, Verdun, They shall not pass, And gallant blood watered the fair green fields. It sank below the soil, and ' tis not strange That scarlet are the poppies Flanders yields. Today are newer crosses, newer graves, Yet with each man who fought in years long past We will keep faith ; and raise our prayer that soon They ' ll sleep in peace and quietude at last. Marylyn Rutley, Form Vb. Barclay House. TRAFALGAR ECHOES 1944 15

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In spite of the fine work done l y the school ' s various teams, lra( . wot not particularly outstanding in the field of sport, but our congratulations go to Joan Macklaicr who won both junior races at tin; Ski-Meet in St. Sauveur. The Gymna-ti Demonstration, due to the expert instruction and tireless efforts of Miss Box, v ;j- i great success. Our annual Christmas carol singing, ably conducted by Miss Strawbridge and Mr. Chadwick, was made very colourful by the presence of a most effective winter scene backdrop, painted by the extra art class under the admirable supervision of Miss Jaques. The girls looked extremely attractive in their white dresses, and seemed to enjo themselves throughout the performance. It is with great appreciation that the members of the Sixth Form express their gratitude to the Old Girls for the dance given them in January. This was the second such event held in the school and was most successful. To various of our Old Girls, we wish to tender hearty congratulations. Mary Mitham, Harriet Anderson, and Pamela Irwin won first, second, and third places in the McGill Matriculation examinations for Quebec schools last year, and are continuing their excellent work at McGill. We speak with pride, too, of th e Wurlele twins and Margaret and Dorothy Burden, who were among those chosen to represent Canada in the women ' s skiing events at Lake Placid. The outstanding efforts of all these girls, form a shining example to their successors. In conclusion, we wish to express hearty thanks to Miss Bedford-Jones and Miss MacGachen, whose long hours of work have been responsible for the publication of this magazine. Indeed, speaking for those of us who are leaving the school, our gratitude to all our teachers for their help and understanding throughout this year, is boundless. We go forth from the school comforted, recalling Kipling ' s words, And their work continueth, Broad and deep continueth, Great beyond their knowing. MAGAZINE STAFF Honorary Adviser ......... Miss Bedford- J ones Editor Ann Taylor Sub-Editor Helen Hoult Secretary-Treasurer . . . ... . . . . Marilyn Richardso: Sports Editor Barbara Ross Art Editor Camilla Harvey House Representative Mary Munroe n TRAFALGAR ECHOES 1944

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SOME PASSING THOUGHTS UPON TRAFALGAR DAY IN the month of Novemher, 1805, England firKt heard of the victory won bv Nelson against the French off ' Cape Trafalgar. King George HI, old, sick, and luibeloved of his subjects, heard it; and the Prince Regent, middle-aged, and tin- leader of fashion- able London society, heard it. William Pitt, Prime Minister of England, heard it, and no doubt he rejoiced; Napoleon likewise heard it, and there is a great deal of doubt as to whether he rejoiced. Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was a sensitive, peculiar boy of thirteen, and suffering at school because of it, heard the news; and George Gordon, Lord Byron, spending quantities of money on himself at Cambridge, and neglecting the poor Muses altogether, heard it. All the poets, industriously composing their verses, up in the Lake District of Cumberland heard it; and so did the members of the various Methodist societies all over England, and they probably thanked God that England had been granted such a great victory. And lastly, all the elegant ladies, and the poor but ever genteel ladies, and the farmers ' wives, and all the other women of England heard it; as did their husbands — the lords of England, the farmers, and especially the new class of wealthy manufacturers, who had recently discovered to their delight that women and children could work twenty-four hours a day, without many of them dying, or becoming excessively deformed . To-day all the men and women of England who rejoiced on that day, one hundred and thirty-eight years ago, are dead and forgotten; except for the few that in some way or another caught the fancy of the world and will never be forgotten. Shelley and Byron are still remembered, as well as all the Lake poets, and Methodism we still have with us. George III and the Prince Regent are still remembered, although not perhaps particularly revered. William Pitt is remembered as being one of our greatest Prime Ministers. And the battle of Trafalgar, as well as he who fought it are remembered, and will be remembered, as long as England remains true to what is glorious and honourable and good in the great saga of her past history, and does not forget these things in the fateful hours of the time that is now, and the time that shall be then. There is nothing ha lf so beneficial to a country as a long and excellent tradition, provided that it is not carried to the excess of ancestor worship. It is a truly fine thing to be able to look back with a feeling of almost personal pride to a great victory like that of Trafalgar, and to others like Blenheim and Waterloo; but what is not truly fine is to allow one ' s thoughts to remain there. It is the present that is important; the battles we fight and win to-day form the glorious tradition of to-morrow, and we must see that it is glorious; we must look to it that Trafalgar is equalled, even bettered in our own day, so that the people of a century hence will look back with pride, and not with shame at the people of to-day. A day set aside for thinking on these things is very valuable. It makes people proud and patriotic, and a nation composed of such men and women can never be mastered, f lag-waving is an empty useless thing, which does not inspire people to a love of country, but only leads ihem lo believe that patriotism is a silly thing, indulged in by If. tkai al ;ai echoes 1944