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

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A 1' T A S '1'l'Dlf1N T I I' M Page 45 llHll1DllMllllE5llR 9ilIllll5llR1DAlIlD ' l f . ' Ef g gf.-'+f 3B ,,, 5 'LZ 3, A -M' :S - .. . Qi. ws 3 P. K-4- 3 A champion is a successful com' petitor against all rivals. jim Homer is a champion of champions. During his five year membership in the happy family of Vaughan Road pupils he developed and left with the School a spirit which should inspire future memf bers of the family for all time to come, He did not let disappointment conquer him as is well illustrated by an occurr- ence which materially affected him as an athlete. After two years of diligent practice Jim won the Interscholastic championship of Ontario in the Shot Put event. The following summer he inf jured his shoulder playing softball and thus ruined his chance of retaining his title. Undaunted, however, Jim turned his attention to sprinting. After many practice periods he showed that he pos' sessed the qualities of a better than average sprinter. Thus, putting aside his hopes and ambition in an event which he was admirably suited to, he supplant' ed his disappointment with a desire for conquest in another event in which his injury would not handicap him. About this time information was received that a team of twelve schoolboys was to be sent from Canada to Australia to take part in the lnterfEmpire Centennial Celebration. It was a place on this Canadian team upon which Jim focussed his attention and this gave him an extra incentive to work. For some reason or other Jim was entered in two events at the trials in which the Canadian team was chosen, instead of the one he was most suited for, and this necessitated his running in six races at the trials, and that against a head wind. This is a little too much work for one afternoon even for a chamf pion and as a result his performance was affected. However, jim was select' ed as a memeber of the relay team on the Schoolboy Team. This was the culminaf tion of a program of hard conscientious work, selffdenial and courage for our beloved friend. As the time arrived for the Schoolboy Team to make its long journey to Australia ievents happened with such rapidity that .lim found himself aboard a steamship in the Pacific Ocean before he could recount for you his experiences. jim has made it possible, by contri- buting to our magazine the following account of his trip, for us to share with him some very exciting and interesting experiences. For this we are indeed grateful and we sincerely hope Jim's good luck will stay with him for the test of his days. T.E.I.

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Page -L4 AUTA STIIDENTIUM floor, the very picture of anguish. Should he remain silent, or should he confess to his superior? Thus was his dilemma. For many hours Brother Michael waged a battle with his conscience, but in the end, the truth in his spotless nature was victorious. Having settled this dispute within himself he prepared for bed, and not any too soon, for already, fingers of faint, red light were spreading across the heavens. In the dim, gray light of dawn, his fine form could be seen stretched out on his humble pallet, his face white, aristocratic and framed by a ring of curling black hair. Almost ethereal and strangely pure and holy, he appeared, so that if one had been present, he would instantly have been filled with inexplicable joy and admiation. By eight o'clock, the entire living quarters was in a buzz of life. Brother Michael wearily arose, performed his toilet and leaving the chamber, joined a group of monks on their way to prayers. After the last anthem had been sung, he haltingly approached the altar where his arrogant superior was stand- ing, and respectfully kneeling before him, he addressed him thus: Father, I have a sin which I feel I must confess to thee. Wilt thou hear me now? I will hear thee, my son, replied the priest superciliously. I have freely given of the sacred communion to one who perished of hunger and thirst. Thou wouldst dare take such a liberty with the Lord's holy gift? Thou shalt never be forgiven! Down on thy knees and pray that thy foul soul may be saved from perdition! Get thee from this church, sinful one, and do not return until thy soul hast done penance for thy evil deed. In the brisk morning air, the forlorn figure of an outcast, made his weary way up the snowy hillside toward, 'Lwho knows where. if IK li A year had passed over the little church of St. Therese leaving no appref ciable change in it except that the stone walls were, perhaps, more densely garbed in waxy, green ivy and that the little chamber in the back, with a window overlooking the happy valley was occupied by another, much younger than Brother Michael. It was the night before Easter and the parish Priest, stern and haughty, this time trusting no one else, was himself busily preparing the offerings for the sacred Lords Supper. While thus engrossed, a feeble sound reached his ear. He listened more inf tently. He was sure it was a knock, Mentally accusing his imagination of deception, he continued his task. But his attention was again arrested by what appeared to be a tapping on the oaken door. He took a few steps toward the door and opened it. As he did so, some' thing fell with a thud to the flagfstoned floor. Taking a candle from the table, he prepared to more carefully examine the thing which lay lifeless on the floor. Turning the object over with his sandalled foot, he found the features of a man, barely discernible. He held the candle nearer and a drop of hot wax fell upon the mudfencrusted cheek of the helpless man. With difficulty he opened his eyes and then spoke: Give me a drink or I shall die, he panted feverishly. Heedlessly the priest siezed one of the golden goblets from the table, and raising the man's head, bent down and poured the cool beverage down his parched throat. An indescribable look of anguish mixed with bliss crossed his wan face, and with a sigh he uttered a few, scarcely audible words: Even-you-would have-done it, he gasped, and with the utterance of the last word, he breathed his last. Astonished, the Priest, with a damp cloth, wiped the grime from the man's face. He had cause to be astonished, for before him he beheld the worn countenance of the man, he had only a year ago, cast out in disdain. By Mina Paterson, IIIfB

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Page 46 ACTA STUDENTIUM MONG the many new and exciting experiences on board ship, the most memorable was the initiation ceremony. It was to say the least, impressive. Old King Neptune, arrayed in all his regal grandeur was our judge and found us guilty, very guilty of disturbing the peace of the ship. We were sentenced to sit beside the swimming pool. After being forced to submit to an noneftoof -gentle lathering by Neptune's personal barber we were tipped into the pool. Mermaids, with rather more strength than we had supposed the ordinary mermaid to possess, kept us under water for some time. When we finally got out we were accepted as the true and loyal subjects of the great King of the Deep. That evening, Neptune, perhaps dis' satisfied with our vows of fealty sent a Flying Fish to visit us. Imagine our amazement when, as we we ware quietly sitting in our cabins one of these creatures hit the floor. It had flown in through the portfholeg the sea is filled with these small fish which fly close to the water like a flock of birds. Eight days after leaving San Francisco we stopped at Tahiti: I had always been fascinated by stories of the South Sea Islands and the reality at first was disappointing for the town of Papeeti was dull and uninteresting. However, the country fulfilled our best hopes. Tahiti is a French colony and our Vaughan Road French stood us in good stead. Wheii we tried to explain to a native that we wanted a bunch of bananas he got an axe and chopped down the tree. For this service he charged us the sum of fifteen cents and seemed most excited at neceiving so much money. But some of our boys got into real language difficulties and because they misunderstood the terms under which a car was rented them for a trip around the island finally landed in the police station. Their explanation to the police resulted in their release but the boat had to wait for them for five minutes. Our visit to Raratonga was one of the highlights of our trip. Here, through the kindness of the British Commission we visited a native school, went in for a swim, tried out the native canoes fvery awkward and slow but safer than our ownj and to crown all, enjoyed the meals served in native fashion. On a table cloth of wide leaves, were placed vegef tables, fruits, fowl and fish. The native believe in the old adage L'Fingers were made before forksi' and the only assist' ance we had in eating the meal was a spoon made of cocoa-nut shell. Races in the afternoon in which the natives to their surprise discovered that whites could beat them, a drive around the islands and an entertainment by native singers completed a most inter' esting day. I had rather an unfortunate experif ence when, on reaching New Zealand, we crossed the date line thereby losing a day. The last day happened to be my fbirthday. However, on Sunday we celebrated with a big party and all was well! In Melbourne the free and easy life we had been enjoying was changed to