Vaughan Road Academy - Acta Studentium Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 49 text:

45 ,KJJ4 T f' rz,, PT uf! ly! gg5?iQl ikig Q Q s,gg35a Eggtiii v. . 3-5 .QSAQSQ u,.A1g , ig. , I 5 -,425 RICULATION AT M RM FO RD I TH elow: B ON I CULAT I ATR M RM FO URTH FO Above

Page 48 text:

Page 34 ACTA STUDENTIUM CllfHll1iBAflE36llfA3W lllDllRlllZlIE2- llEQafQ.fFAflt . . . llhlllllllgllffpllllllllllf MUSIES F I told you that Barnum's Circus had permanently situated itself at the corner of Bloor St. and Queen's Park Ave., fa southerly continuation of Avenue Rdj, and was charging no ad' mission, my reputation as a liar would be permanently established. In spite of this, I say that The Greatest Show on Earth is waiting for you at that spot, and under that condition. It may be that you think I have got one arm out of my straightfjacket, to write this: well, Barnum may have ex' aggerated, but if you doubt my state' ments, all I ask is that you test their validity, by seeing for yourself. You will find that if you walk at a steady gait, and give only the most offhand glance to each piece in this breathftaking display, it will take you more than an afternoon to pass everything. Every exhibit is unique, the most perfect of its kind, and arranged so that the visitor may see everything to the best advantage. The building which houses this display is itself a handsome example of the way our architects can give all the dignity of a Roman Forum to an exterior, and strike the alert modern note in an inf terior. Messrs. Chapman and Oxley have combined the pleasing features of a past and present generation, and at the same time have erected a lasting monument to their skill. You will be pleased with the ultra' modern, yet comfortable waiting rooms and lobbies, in black and aluminium. You will ga:e in admiration, at the mosaic art in the ceiling of the main entrance hall. Your attention will be caught by the shiny hardwood floors, and marble staircases. The clean, airy rooms with a double height, full length windows, and Venetian blinds will comf plete youi' satisfaction. In an attempt to sum up my appreciation of this temple to the past, my own words fail me, so I refer y-ou to one who signs himself 'Sinaiticius', fsee 'Construction' Novemf ber 19321-L'Both the conception and the result are fine evidences of the high quality of present day artistic endea- vourf' Polite, alert guards will help you through the maze of rooms, each so much alike, and yet so different in content. Drinking fountains, writing tables, a tea' room that caters to every whim, and an elevator, which was built with a regard for one's nerves, are a few of the many conveniences. There is a clock of une usual design in the main entrance hall, but I stump you to find it. Look closely, and when you give up, ask an attendant to kick you. Now let's get down to cases, or rather to what is in them. I entertain no hopes of being able to point out to you any' thing but the smallest fraction of the innumerable pieces of practical work' manship, fine art, and surprising oddities. I have spent about five afternoons in the museum during the last three months, but I must admit that I cannot remember even an average of one display for each room. I beg your pardon for being un' able to keep any order from here on, what impresses me most I shall pass on to you, hoping that you may supplement the information that my scant survey may give. In the centre section of the are the guns: big guns, little guns, short guns. Some you in the palm of your hand, main floor guns, long could hold while you could not make your fingers meet around the stock of others. Do you remember 'those attachments, your mother used to put on her sewing machine. when she wanted to do some fancy stiches? The manufacturers of the machines must have got the idea from the crazy locks on these guns. With the guns are the axes, maces, shields, swords, spears and other instruf

Page 50 text:

Page 36 ACTA STUDIGNTIUM ments of butchery. The swords include everything, from slim, fencing foils to giant twofhand brutes. QYou will also see a onefandfafhalf hand swordj. The mace of office that the Americans tool: from York in 1813, and just returned last year, has a case to itself, so you can hardly help seeing it. If you will continue down past the world's best stamp collection, you will come across two of the most complete, trim, trueftoflife models of sailing ships, that you can ever hope to see. From now on I cannot give you the location of anything, except in relation to something else, because I am lost after I lose sight of the front doors. There is a model of the town of Niagara Falls, and the countryside, inf cluding the falls. Examine it intently, and you will even find an k'Exhibition Flyer in miniature. You can better appreciate, what Tarzan had to put up with after your visit to the :oology wings, Always come for you are straight up to the animals, liable to startle something into moving if you come up behind it. I have seen some fairly saucy ground- hogs, but that fat brown imp in the Canadian animals division, will return your closest scrutiny. I guess he knows the g'ass is protecting him. Did you ever see the Zebra yet, that would stand still while you counted his stripes? Well I didg there are fiftyftwo from front to back, and the average of horizontal stripes to each leg, is twenty seven If you refuse to believe this, go and take your own recount. Have you ever stumbled on two shaggy, snarling timber wolves about to fight over a piece of some torn, bleeding animal? You will, somewhere among these animals. Take a good look, but in your own interests stand back. I suppose you do not need to be told how scarce carrier pigeons areg there are still a few left around the forks of the Credit Riverg you'll see them. Then turn to your right, and see the reasons these birds are no more. Now step across the width of the room, and '2ldI'l'1-ll.146 those black bears, foraging around in northern Ontario, on a mid-summer's afternoon. Notice the leaves of the foliage, in particular, they are not genuine of course, or they would be all brown by this time. If you want to know just how much care and work it took to produce each one of those leaves, take a half turn to the left, and study the seventeen steps, in the mould' ing of plants in wax. Do you think that you could get a thrill, from putting your hand in a shark's mouth, or from fondling a deadly snake, without getting hurt? I am sure the curator of the museum would arrange it-if you tell him who you are. Have you ever seen the saw of a saxvfish, or a sword fish's sword, they are awaiting your comments along with, giant turtles, Canadian birds in natural setting, and six hundred and fifty differ- ent species, of foreign birds, with every combination of colour, and feather arrangement, you could' dream about. You really should take a look, at the group of Albino animals, that is, any creature which is white, or in othei' words lacks colour pigment. Among them is a white beaver, with a pink tail and pink eyesg in fact, they all have pink eyes. The card' in this display told ni: that the eyes were not pink, but that because of lack of colour in the eyeball, the red of the blood could be seen though it. Perhaps you have heard a rumour to the effect that the Yankees are addict' ed to boasing. I used to think that they were following this habit, when they stamped such a big representation of their buffalo, on the reverse side of their big nickels. I know now, that after seeing the Canadian buffalo, they were stung to the quick and in order to hide their shame at the comparison, they ref sorted to exaggeration. You will agree with me after you see it, that we could not place the smallest effigy of the Canadian buffalo, even on the new silver dollar. Are you interested in entomo'ogy? How would you like to see a beetle, that could take your finger off, and think nothing of it: or a butterfly in blue and