Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 19 text:

EDITORIAL THIS vear. rralaliiar has takt-ii another titep into the lutiire — aiul you have helped her to take that step, lor Trafalgar is as imieh a part of you as you are a part of Trafalgar. Vi hether. through your eftort, that tep has been hold and meritable. or. through Nour huk of eH ' ort. faltering and weak, you alone can answer. As the world travels in an orbit, an orbit eontrolled by wonderful forces, so a great coinitrv, eitv, anil institution ha e their orl)ils, and so ha e Trafalgar and vou. Just as Nour home, interests, and friends are our world, your orbit, so vou are a part of the orbit of Trafalgar, and just as one of these failing you fills ou with untold pain, so your breaking faith with Trafalgar ' s expectations of vou. aflects her mortally. The personalities wliieh constitute a boily of people are inevitably diverse, and thev must be diverse if that group is to have colour, imagination, and a future. Our school is no exception. Trafalgar has its illustrious members — those with outstaiuling talents, abilities, and leadership qualities. But she has also, in common with all other great institutions, her little people , and to be a success she nuist ha%e these little people . Most of us enter into this class. The strength of a avv is estinuited by the quality of the ratings, not by that of a few distinguished officers, and if Trafalgar is to go on as successfully and as profitablv in the future as she has tlone in the past, it is up to us — her ratings — to see that her high standards reign supreme throughout every incident in our lives here at Trafalgar. X e must not allow ourselves to think that because something was yesterday, it will be tomorrow. Too many people have thought that recently, and, as a result, the world is suffering unbelievably. Also we cannot leave the task to our few leaders, for they can achieve nothing alone. They can but show the w ay — it is up to lis to follow that way through to the end. If we are to be true upholders of the standards of Trafalgar, we must realize that each one of us counts vitally. The least of our thoughts and actions can affect our school — it is ours to decide w hether that effect w ill be injurious or beneficial. Ahead of us all lies a precarious future. The path we shall have to take is imcertain and will demand cautious stepping. By applying all of our efforts now to gather together what knowledge we can, we shall find, in the unsure days ahead, that that learning has been transformed into what will give us immeasur- able courage — it will have become the foundation of a physical, moral, and mental strength that will never leave us. We shall realize, when that time comes, the profound truth of the statement — In keeping yourself with labour, y ou are in truth loving life — And to love life is to be intimate with life ' s inmost secret . — Do you think it possible that, in the far-distant future, it may be said that Trafalgar ' s sixtieth anniversary was a milestone in her career — and if so, how many of us will be able to say I was a diamond in her Jubilee ? [HI

Page 18 text:

MISS MacGACHEN It is with great pleasure that we present in our magazine a picture of Miss Freda MacGachen, tvho from 1940 until 1947 taught English to the senior classes at Trafalgar, and was for three years a very capable Honorary Adviser on the Staff of the magazine. At Trafalgar, Miss MacGachen became greatly esteemed by all those with whom she came in contact, and each one of us felt a personal loss in her resignation last June. Although she is no longer on the Staff of Trafalgar, Miss MacGachen nevertheless keeps up her interest in the school. As proof of this, she very kindly consented to judge the senior literary section of this year ' s magazine. The Staff and students of Trafalgar extend their very best wishes to Miss MacGachen for succecs and happiness in the future; and in appreciation for all that she has given us, we offer simply, Thank you . [16]

Page 20 text:

LiTERAR TASSACAGLIA A GREY stone building loomed towards me out of the mist. It was a cathedral, sombre in its dignity and ageless as religion itself. I entered, not by walking through the door, but by drifting past the walls into the dim, candle-lit interior. There were throngs of people about me, some standing, some sitting, some kneeling, and I took my place among them. They were not people of any particular age or walk of life, but an assembly of all the men and women of the past, present and future. On the altar was a gleaming cross, reflecting the glow of myriads of candles; and reaching to the arched roof were stained-glass windows of the richest dyes, which blended into one another. As I knelt, awed by this great beauty, the sound of a trumpet was heard, not coming from any definite direction, but flowing in clear accents from all the corners and alcoves of the immense cathedral. At its call, the multitude knelt and faced the altar, and, as the music rose in volume from the lonely trumpet to all the instruments of the orchestra, the roof parted and angels were seen singing in praise to the Highest. The multitude were no longer individuals, but a body of the pure essence of worship, bowing to the Supreme Being. As the singing swelled, tlie angels parted, giving the multitude a dim view of a throne surrounded with the light of celestial glory, and, as the scene became clearer, the music rose to a final climax in a crescendo of majestic chords. A pause, and the announcer ' s voice broke in, You have just heard Bach ' s ' Passacaglia ' , played by . The picture faded, but I slept with visions of ... storied windows , richly dight, Casting a dim, religious light. Margo Cronyn, Form Arts VI, Gumming House. u A DREAM FULFILLED P - DOWN, up - down — I had learnt to post in rhythm with my horse, and it was a wonderful feeling. I looked around and saw a world that was waking up from the long winter. We were riding through a bridle path on the mountain, and the trees on either side were beginning to bud. Here and there pussy willows were growing. It was a heavenly spring day; the sun actually felt hot and there was not a cloud in the sky. [18]