Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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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

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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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silly people. And so no doubt it is, but like anything else that is not done , flag- waving can be very pleasant once in a while, and therefore I always reserve a brief moment on Trafalgar Day for becoming very swollen-headed and self-important over the fact that I am a Canadian and thus a member of the British Empire. And so I always think of Trafalgar Day as being divided (like all Gaul) into three parts. Firstly, I wonder what the people of that day said when they heard of the victory; did they say the same sort of thing that we say to-day? I can imagine what the Herries family thought of it; it was for them a battle fought and won by Herries alone, against everything that was not English and Herries. But what did gentle Miss Matty say? And what gem of wisdom dropped from Miss Pole ' s lips upon hearing the news? I often wish that it were possible to transport one ' s self into the past for short periods at a time, to see what it was all really like, and one of the periods I should most like to inves- tigate, personally, was the time when Nelson fought and won the battle of Trafalgar. And then I think of the present — how we still celebrate the victory of observing Trafalgar Day every year; and in particular how British sea men still mourn Nelson ' s death by wearing their black scarves all the time. These thoughts generally lead up to a burst of patriotism, and a determination to this day do m y duty , and every day as well. These high resolves soon pass away, but I always feel better for having thought of them at all. And so Trafalgar Day, while fulfilling its purpose of keeping fresh in our minds the victory off Cape Trafalgar, and the memory of Nelson, who gave his life that day, also inspires us with the decision to maintain and increase the glory which he won for England. Joan Thackray, Form Vb., Ross House. WILL-O ' -THE WISP Will-o ' -the wisp Come out of the fen, And tease no more Bewildered men. Pale, shimm ' ring blue, Quivering, wan, Will-o ' -the wisp Begone, begone. Yet trees do weep, And rain-drops fall; Twilight brings Its purple pall — Yet still he hovers, And still he flies, Will-o ' -the wisp With the taunting eyes. Doreen Harvey, Form VIa., Ross House. TRAFALGAR ECHOES 1944 17