United Colleges - Vox Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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vox 9 made dear to them by long association, mutual toil and endurance, and mutual enjoyment. They are facing an “Unknown” that will test their courage to the utmost. That this sharp taste of sorrow should be alleviated by our thanks for the service they have rendered to the College, however poorly executed that service may have been, we feel is their due. Vox wishes them godspeed, follows them with friendly solicitude, and bids them keep faith. They leave behind them a record of which they have no cause to feel ashamed. LIGHT IN DARKNESS Stars are of mighty use. The night Is dark, and long; The Rode foul; and where one goes right, Six may go wrong. One twinkling ray Shot o’er some cloud, May clear much way, And guide a crowd. God’s saints are shining lights: who stays Here long must passe O’er dark hills, swift streames, and steep ways Ts smoothe as glasse; But these all night, Like Candles, shed Their beams, and light Us into Bed. They are indeed our Pillar-fires, Seen as we go; They are that Cities shining spires We travell to.

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8 VOX “Felix qui potuit rerum cognosced causas ’ THE GRADUATION NUMBER The acting editor of Vox wishes to apologize for the omission of much important material from this number. With the Editor- in-Chief absent, the staff scattered, and contributors difficult to find, it has been impossible to assemble the necessary articles. The students will, for instance, expect to find the names of members of new executive committees for 1928-’29, the address of the Faculty representative on the occasion of the Grads’ farewell, and some information about Manitoba College and the Theological graduates. Despite strenuous editorial effort these items have not been forthcoming. We regret the incompleteness of the Graduation Number, and beg the indulgence of our readers, under all the circumstances. This issue has been made possible only by the splendid co¬ operation of our publishers, to whom we owe many thanks. THE NEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Vox has pleasure in offering hearty congratulations to all the recipients of academic honors at the recent Convocation, and more especially to its Editor-in-Chief-elect, R. Gerald Riddell. Mr. Riddell has shown himself capable not only of winning academic distinction, but also of taking a full share of the duties of office in various departments of student activity. This is rare among those who win scholarships. One looks in vain, usually, for practical fulfillment of the duties assigned them in enthusiastic moments by the student body. They feel their names to be suf¬ ficient ornament to a committee without the need of sharing the toil and the sacrifice of leisure that is exacted from humbler students. We are glad to say that Mr. Riddell has given himself in all earnestness to the real work of any office with which he has per¬ mitted his name to be associated, including the publication of Vox. We look forward with confidence and interest to a refreshed and rejuvenated Vox under his capable leadership next year, and wish the new Editor great success in all his future career. THE GRADUATING CLASS Already the “cold, cruel world’’ has swallowed up the graduates of ’28. At a village wedding the felicitations of the people often include off-stage criticisms of the bride and groom, as an antidote doubtless for excess of happiness and praise. A graduating class, amid its triumphs can scarcely hope to escape criticism. It is the right moment to administer a corrective to their inflated self-esteem. Nevertheless, it is best on the whole that we send them away with a cheery word of encouragement. They are breaking a hundred ties

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10 V o r y V Hedlletey Addtess By N. B. McLenaghen Presidents Mackay and Riddell, Members of the Faculty, Fellow Students, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is with mixed emotions that I appear before you tonight in the capacity of Valedictorian for the Graduating Class in the Theo¬ logical Department of the United Colleges. For, as I let my thoughts travel back to January, 1924, when, having retired from the prac¬ tice of dentistry, I began a combined course in Arts and Theology, many happy memories flash into consciousness. I remember, for in¬ stance, the many happy hours that we spent, sitting at the feet of our professors as they tried to impart to us some of their wisdom, or, I remember the many happy social events that we enjoyed, in spite of our arduous studies, or I remember the many happy friend¬ ships and associations that have been formed, which have meant so much, and which will continue to exert their influence in years to come. Such memories as these fill my heart with a sense of joy and gratitude. But, when I remember that the time has come when, to a certain extent at least, these old friendships and associations must be broken, when the old familiar halls of learning must be left behind, and when we must go out to make new friends, and to meet new problems, a feeling of sadness comes over me—it is not akin to pain, but resembles sorrow, only as mist resembles rain. So I am torn tonight between these two emotions of joy and sor¬ row. And I feel in speaking thus that I am voicing the sentiments of the other members of the Graduating Class, both in Theology and Deaconess work. And I am sure that we shall always retain a very close connection with our Alma Mater, and feel that she, too, will retain her interest in us, always willing and anxious to help us solve the problems we may meet. On occasions such as this, we naturally find ourselves thinking of the past, and looking into the future—remembering and antici¬ pating. But tonight, as I come on behalf of the Graduating Class, to bid official farewell to the professorial and student body of the United Colleges, it is not my intention to deal with the past. I do not intend to eulogize the professorial staff, either collectively or individually; I do not intend to congratulate the student body on the high intellectual standing it may possess—a whole evening might be spent on either of these subjects—but I prefer, rather, in the few minutes at my disposal, to leave with you some message for the future. And the note I wish to strike is: The Moral Value of a Lofty Purpose. If we are to make the most of our lives, and give our fullest contribution to the world, we must possess and be possessed by a lofty purpose. “He builds too low, who builds beneath the stars.”