Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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Tartans are described according to their purpose. Clan tartans are patterns for general use by the clanspeople. When a clan tartan of recent origin is described as Ancient Clan Tartan it is misleading, for the word ancient is merely an indication that the tartan has been woven in lighter shades. Dress tartans were originally worn by the ladies of the Clan who wanted lighter coloured patterns. The majority of them had a white background and were variations of the Clan pattern. Nowadays they are confined to dress occasions. At one time there was a mourning tartan, worn for that purpose, which was generally black and white. Many are now worn as dress tartans. Hunting tartans are worn for sport and outdoor activities. Brown and green are usually the predominant colours. The colours are arranged so that the tartan blended with the surroundings when hidden in the heather. Chief tartans are the personal tartans of the chiefs and should be worn only by the chief and his immediate family. District tartans are probably the oldest of our tartans and from them Clan tartans may have developed. Although many old patterns have been saved, these show only the beauty of the old vegetable dyes and the hand spun weaving of the eighteenth century. Hardly any of them are now recognizable as Clan tartans. The greatest number of our tartans are less than one hundred years old; a fairly large number may be dated to the opening years of the nineteenth century, while a very few are of more ancient date. Marion MacRae, Form Va, Ross House. THE VICTOR ONE DAY I took a ride out on the plains with my horse. All of a sudden far off in the distance I heard the shrill cry of a stallion. I lifted my head and looked up, and there on the cliff were a piebald stallion and a dark bay stallion fighting. They were up on their hind legs and pawing at each other with their hooves, while their large white teeth bit into the other ' s flesh. I watched, horrified, and then it was over. The piebald was dead. The dark bay stood up on the cliff uttering his challenge. His black mane and tail stood out in the sunshine and his bay coat shone. His nostrils seemed to quiver with joy as he looked at his dead opponent. Far down in the green valley, mares and their foals grazed quietly as if they were unaware of their new king. And then as I raised my eyes to look at the stallion again, he reared and galloped off into the distance. Nancy Wood, Form HIb, Ross House. FAT MEN HAVE YOU ever wondered what is so fascinating about fat men? or why they are considered so jolly? They either keep us terribly interested, or revolt us. More often they hold our interest. If someone is speaking of a person we do not know and happens to say that this person is thin, we are unimpressed. [20]

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There was a grinding noise from below, and, taking a firm grip on the bottom of the blackboard. Miss Murray leaned forward cautiously to peer into the gap in the floor. She saw her desk poised precariously on top of one of the second form desks, and noticed with relief that the ink had not spilt. There was another crunching noise, and one of the marble slabs on the stairway upended itself slowly and rolled majestically down the stairs. In the art room, a large display sheet covered with Christmas tree ornaments floated off the wall and wrapped itself around Pam, while the desks started hopping and banging in a most frightening manner. Judy, muttering an excuse to Miss Capel, hurried out to consult Miss Box. This hadn ' t been mentioned to her in today ' s curriculum. Back in the laboratory. Miss Murray decided that it was impossible to teach against such a racket. She put down her chalk and stalked out to find Wilson and tell him about her desk. The sixth form Biology class was delighted, and immediately started to play noughts and crosses. As Miss Murray come out of the lab., she saw a tall, fair-haired girl covered with Christmas tree ornaments disappearing down the stairs. Miss Murray looked at her blankly for a moment, then bounded after her, still bent on finding Wilson and reporting the predicament of her desk. On the ground floor, a strange sight met Miss Murray ' s eyes. There was a large gap in one side of the fifth form classroom. A bull-dozer of cor- responding size was standing in the middle of the room, and on its nose sat Ann Kampouris and her desk. Ann was busy writing history notes, while Mrs. Galambos and the rest of the class looked at her with unfeigned interest. There was another crash, and the whole side of the building crumbled. People were at once running pell-mell all over the place, and Miss Murray sighted a diligent member of Gumming House poking about in the debris for souvenirs such as House pins and crests. Oh good heavens! What is going on? gasped Miss Murray, and she hurried off again in search of Wilson. Something must be done about her desk. Vicky Cumyn, Arts VI, Fairley House. THE TARTAN TARTAN IS a woven material of wool, with different coloured stripes which vary in width. The arrangement of the colours is the same in length and width, and when woven appears to be a number of squares crossed by stripes which intersect each other. By varying the width and number of stripes and changing the colours, different patterns are made. Tartan patterns are called setts . In earlier days the skill of the weaver and the availability of plants likely to supply dyes were the main factors in determining the sett of a tartan. The colours used would be restricted to the plant dyes found within the various districts. Thus it is likely that the people of the different districts were recognized by the colours in their tartans. [19]

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If, however, he should say the subject of the conversation is fat, our ears perk up and our eyes brighten with interest. Tragedy in the life of a thin man draws our sympathy, but it is the misfortune of a fat man that brings a tear to our eye. But, perhaps you will disagree with me, and say that fat men are usually stupid and careless; and didn ' t Shakespeare say, in Love ' s Labour Lost , fat paunches have lean pates ? Now, I can disagree with you. Fat men are extremely smart. That is half the reason why they hold our interest. There is, of course, much proof that they do hold our attention; for what other reason did Shakespeare make Henry V ' s friend, Falstaff, a fat man? Falstaff was important as he represented our human weaknesses, and our attention had to be drawn to him. Also, The Fat Man on the radio shows that not all fat men are stupid, or always jolly and careless. In the first place, the title is enough to make us buy a paper and find out what time the programme comes on. We half expect him to be funny, but he turns out to be a very clever, serious detective. Yet we listen to him, because he is a fat man. Why are fat men better liked? Because they are jolly, you say. But they were jolly before they were fat. A great majority of men are fat because they are happy, have no worries, do not bother about indigestion, and so eat to their heart ' s content. Thin men are thin because they are usually worriers, and unfortunately, pessimists. They think a lot. For again, Shakespeare said through Julius Caesar, Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o ' nights; Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous. Shakespeare was quite right. The world would be a better place if there were more of these contented, fat men than those worried, skinny ones. There are usually three types of fat men — the gourmet, the gourmand, and the type who just grows fat for no particular reason. We are inclined, of course, to favour the gourmet, as we feel he had a purpose in life in being fat. He can tell us which is the best way to have pheasant under glass, or crepes Suzettes, or rattle-snake meat. His profession is eating, it seems, but he prefers quality to quantity. However, he finds that there is so much quality . . . The gourmand does not appeal to us. He, of course, prefers quantity to quality and becomes huge from mere piggishness. Perhaps we feel a little sorry for the man who gets fat for no particular reason. But he is usually full of fun and enjoys life more than any of us. Look at Santa Glaus. Why is he drawn as a fat man? Because he is so jolly, and jolly men are considered fat. Perhaps we say fat men are jolly because, when they laugh, they shake more and create a much greater impression than does a thin man . . . Fat men should really never revolt us, because they are the ones, if they are not too fat, who really enjoy life, and seldom develop ulcers and other nervous conditions. What a fine, contented world it would be if all men were fat! Linda McDougall, Form Vb, Fairley House. [21]