University of Western Ontario - Occidentalia Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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30 WESTERN U GAZETTE The Rhyme of the Harrassed Senior It is a harrass ' d Senior, And he stoi)i)eth one of three. By thy lonj ' blaek gown «and puzzled frown, Now wherefore stopp ' st thou me? The College doors are opened wide, I want to join the fun ; The Frosh is there, to shave his hair, Now truly I must run. ' ' He holds him by the button-hole, There was a time, quoth he. Hold off! unh and me, four-eyed mole! Efftsoons his hand dropped he. He holds him with bewildered stare — The Sophomore stands still, And listens like a Freshie there ; The Senior hath his will. The Sophomore, his hair he tore, Indeed he almost swore ; And thus spake on that harrassed man. The dull-eyed Senior. , j When as a Freshie I did take With righteous indignation. That ritual which all do hate, The dread initiation. — But at this place he lost his voice. To whisper he began ; He whisper ' d soft, he whisper ' d long. That dull-eyed harrassed man. He wliisper ' d soft, he whisper ' d long. The S()])h he listened hard, But never a word of that tr()id)led song Did I hear afterward. Until the end. when I did send Despairing beck and cough, (For 1 was waiting for my friend, The all too-patient Sop h). These words I heard, but never car ' d To find out what they meant, For a dull, dull life the Sophomore Has ever after spent : Farewell, farewell! but this I tell To thee, thou Sophomore ! He ])asseth well, who worketh well And o ' er his books doth pore; He passeth last, who worketh least, At all things great and small ; For the dear Prof, who teacheth us, He loves to pluck us all. ? The Senior, v.hose eye is dull. Whose gown with age is tore. Is gone ; and now the Sophomore Turned to the Libr ' y door. He went like one that hath been stianned And is of sense forlorn, A sadder and a wiser man He rose the morrow morn. , — K. M. James. Kathleen Braithwaite. A Countenance in which doth meet. Sweet records, promises as stveet. Although Kathleen is leaving us this year she is not leaving Western. To her belongs the unique position of being the pioneer woman medical stu- dent, and she has still to complete three more years of exacting study before she can add the coveted M. D. to her B. A. Being human, Kay must some- times have had her woes and troubles, but she keeps them to herself and is always happy-faced and jaunty. She does not do things ostentatiously, but carries out everything she unlertakes with a quiet letermination. She is fond of fun and has taken her full share in the social life of the University. Other girls are following Kay in taking up medicine and we are glad of it. They could not have had a better pioneer to lead the way.

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WESTERN U GAZETTE 29 Percy Simpson When Percy entered Western in 1914, he al- ready had back of him a varied experience with men made manifest in a wide sympathy and itnderstand- ing:, felt through all his actions whether in a personal way or an executive capacity and backed by a rare good judgment, sincerity of purpose and a keen wit. As Prefect of the Arts, in this translation period he had a very difficult task which he has handled with firmness and decision. In May, 1916, he went overseas with No. 10 Stationary Hospital, returning with his unit in 1918 to take up his interrupted course. As a student he is thorough and very much at home, bizt not more so than in sports or the dance. After leaving us he will continue his stiidies at Osgoode. Western will miss Percy, but is pleased to send him on to his greater life work where he is bound to fill a very worthy place. Catherine Sabine. Her aim, her smile, her motions told of womanly com- pleteness. We hope that Kitty will not feel insulted in proper college style if we associate her name with brains, for truly she has brains and of a most de- lightful and original kind. Do you remember the Senior skit — the Trial of Professor Shylock v. Senior Antonio? Well, that was Kitty s work. And would that we had more. Her wit is keen, not cruel, and she never aims to hurt. In class she is a rival to be conjured with. True she is always to her trusts, her friends, herself. Few people have her courage to stand fast by what they think, for to Kitty to be con- vinced a thing is right is to act it out. She is Lon- don born and bced aiid entered Western with her class four years ago. Ruth Hicks. There is a soft and pensive grace, A cast of thought upon her face. Ruth is an out-and-out Londoner, as she was born, brought up and received all her education here. Those who know her best are able to fully appreciate the charm of her nature and the unselfishness of her disposition. In her freshmen year, Ruth was one of the main stays of the Basketball team and was active in all University life. It is our misfortune that cir- cum.stances prevented her from continuing this activ- ity in her senior years. Her sunshine expression has brightened the path of many a jaded student and her concise notes have ])roved a boon to many a harrassed history student. We wish her hajipy years and all success. H H mm. .. .. •m ' ' i MlMvimiSmihltmi

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WESTERN U GAZETTE 31 Margaret Gemmel. ' The reason firm, the temperate will. Endurance, foresight, strength and skill- Probably no senior is better known that Peggy. The many executive offices which she has held dur- ing- the course of her three years at Western have brought her into intimate relation with students of different years and varied interests. For two years she W ' as captain of the basketball team and Presi- de)it of the . ' In her first year she was Editor of The Gazette and in the past year as President of the Literary Society has successfully carried out an am- bitious program. Not least among her talents is Peggy ' s dramatic ability. She has twice taken a leading part in the University play and we expect that a further triumph awaits her this year. Peggy has been very popular at Western and the success of her undertakings has been largely due to her per- sonality. She has the quality of inspiring others with her enthusiasm and is a very good speaker. Behind all this lie a great fund of energy, an organ- izing mind and a deep love and loyalty to Western. Although she is leaving us this year, Peggy will con- tinue in University surroundings, for she is engaged to be married to a university professor, and we wish her all possible happiness in the future. m ik. ■■■||B(r ' te ililliMil Helen Baker. ' She l»as active, stirring, all fire, age cannot wither. Nor custom stale, her infinite variety. ' ' It is impossible to think of Helen and not to think of energy, for she has a boundless supply of this and she expends it freely and wholeheartedly on all occasions, whether it be on the basketball floor or an official platform. For three consecutive years she was president of her class and was also one of the most successful presidents the Literary Society has ever had. She has a vigorous and clear-sighted method of attacking problems which, backed by a constant and iinflagging interest have made her a strong support to a variety of organizations. She is a member of the StudentsS Council and was one of the committee of last year who drew up the con- stitution of this body. Her constructive mind is particularly adapted to problems such as this, and few people can more capably determine what are the working principles of an abstract proposition. She speaks easily and well and is very lucid in her presentation. Helen is as wholehearted and en- ergetic in the pursuit of pleasure as of work and her animation and buoyant spirits have added to the life of many social gathering. She has a very true and sincere love of Western and has worked for it loyally and Avithout stint. She is leaving us to con- tinue her academic work at Oxford. Our best wishes go with her.