Trinity College School - Record Yearbook (Port Hope, Ontario Canada)

Page 27 text:

TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD 5 Sunday, October 2nd., 1938. Peace Slmday During the past two weeks we have lived through a series of the most momentous days in the history of the world, days fraught with developments which at one time seemed destined to mean the end of European civilization as we have known it. Five great nations were on the brink of war, feverish- ly preparing to resort to the lawlessness of the jungle with all the diabolical weapons of butchery at their command. The last lingering hope seemed to have gone with the broadcast words of the Prime Minister of Great Britain, an old man worn out with his responsibility and efforts for peace, rebelling to the core of his soul at the thought of such madness, such senseless slaughter, yet seemingly at the end of his path, with no way to turn but to war. Our lives and the lives of millions of other young men were hanging in the balance, and the scales seemed weight- ed against them. Were we to live and love life revelling in the glories of the autumn countryside, or were we to be thrown into a horrible welter of mutilation and destruc- tion, knowing that the wastage of life and property would solve nothing, that the end would be as bad as the beginning? Our fate seemed to be decided, and the ordinary affairs of life became petty and trivialg the world we had known seemed to be rapidly approaching its end. And then the miracle,-for it was a miracle, they are not confined to the New Testament-a scene of utter desolation and misery became suddenly a scene of thanks- giving and unrestrained joy, Rachel weeping for her children, became Simeon blessing God and saying Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy wordg for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten us, and the glory of thy people.

Page 26 text:

4 TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD On Sunday, October 9th., Father Loosemore of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, Bracebridge, preached the sermon in the Chapel. He spoke on the value of gratitude, telling of a typical Thanksgiving service in Rome about 100 A.D., when the Christians were being persecuted. He told of how they gathered annually in an underground cemetery outside Rome. They were, he said, for the most part slaves and hadn't much to offer, but nevertheless, they brought small loaves of bread and bottles of wine and gave thanks over them. Father Loosemore is an old friend of the School and his sermon was very much appreciated by all. Sunday, October 16th. The Chaplain preached, taking as his text the words from St. Matthew's Gospel, XXII, 31 to 40. The self-love suggested by the words Love thy neighbour as thyself cannot be selfishness, he explained, but rather that self-love which we know as self-respect, the mark of a true Christian gentleman. The Choir The number of members in the Choir has decreased considerably since last year, but should be larger in a few weeks. There are many new choristers, and under the able direction of Mr. Cohu, who believes the material excellent, the singing should be better than ever. i

Page 28 text:

6 TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD Never before had there been such an amazingly sud-- den and unexpected delivery from what appeared to be the certainty of utter desolation. How was this miracle performed? Of course we do not know all the practical details, and there was a certain letter sent from this side of the ocean to the leader of the Italian nation, about which we should like to know more. But we do know this,-there was a thought and there was a man. The thought was more widespread and more intense than many governments believed possible. It was a thought based on the anguish of twenty years ago, a thought rooted in and growing from our Memorial Cross and thousands of others like it, from the Tombs of the Un- known Soldiers. It was a thought, held by millions, that war was the very work of the devil, bringing nothing but death and misery to countless millions and solving nothing. Did the eight million men who died in the last great struggle, most of them in the spring of their life, some of them boys of thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen at the out- break of war, sitting in this very room, did these millions give their lives in vain? Was it possible that another generation was to be called upon to suffer even more tortures and more anguish than their fathers and mothers? No, No, No, if there was a God in heaven surely this thing could not be. That was the thought, held by more people than ever before, and offered in prayer all over the world. People of all classes, of all nations, prayed for peace with all their hearts and souls, and the prayer was answered. And there was an instrument to carry out this thought, a man. As he described himself, a man of peace to the bottom of his soulg also a man of true humility, of inex- haustible patience, a man of unswerving faith, of stead- fastness of purpose, a man devoted to the good of his fellow men, a man devoted to his God.