Walkerville Collegiate Institute - Blue and White Yearbook (Windsor, Ontario Canada)

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BLUE AND WHITE to the popular and semi-classical selec¬ tions. For these, too, the Kostelanetz orchestra provides excellent accompani¬ ment. Her rendition of “Slowly” or a Gershwin melody has a charm (juite dif¬ ferent from that of the operatic singers, and is just as capable of transporting us to a world of musical dreams. Now per¬ haps it is the virile tenor of John Charles Thomas beckoning us with a rousing Vagabond Song or wailing a plaintive Negro spiritual. Besides the vocal numbers, there are a few performances by the orchestra itself. In these Andre Kostelanetz and his artists exhibit to the full, the outstanding characteristics of their music—a rich, sweeping Tow of tone and an abundance of creative imagination. There is always one special number on the programme devoted to pure imagination. This may be either a popular hit tune or a classical excerpt, but in either case, the musicians create a magical atmosphere cleverly suited to the title or theme of the song. For instance. “Strange Music” or “I,aura” may be presented with an appealing new touch of the bizarre, while Tchaikowsky’s “Dance of the Flutes” may be treated with added vigour and vivacity. Even the most skeptical of us see the mental pictures suggested by the music. Now the guest artist comes back for one more performance, adding the finale to a very enjoyable half-hour. But it does not seem nearly that long. Surely we have been listening for only ten minutes! Though we hope the music will continue for ever, Alexander Scott is bidding us a pleasant “Good evening.” with a few well-chosen words in favour of Chrysler dealers. Andre Kostelanetz is now off the air. The heavenlv music has ceased, and the singer ' s tones are heard no more. The spirit, however, is still with us, making us feel gay and energetic. The furrowed brows have given way to dimpled smiles and the depressing worries have been replaced by peaceful thoughts. Refreshed and invigorated by the half-hour of sparkling entertainment, we go to work and solve the Math, problems, finish the French exercises, and complete the sup¬ plementary reading. Thus we have proven to us the age-old truth that music hath charms. As one great music lover once said, “The real test of all great art is its power to give pleasure to the largest number of persons capable of appreciating it. for the great¬ est length of time.” Vive le Kostelanetz. MARGARET WEST, 13B Third Prize LIFE’S VICTIM Robert Jones was born on Friday, Sep¬ tember 13 on a spiritless, wintry night. Whether this was an omen of ill luck, or a trick of fate, I do not know. As the story continues, you may determine for yourself. When he was five years old, his mother died of pneumonia, leaving Robert and his drunkard father to the mercies of the world. His father was a good man, but like a narcotic dope fiend, he could not resist the temptation of liquor. He tried to take care of Robert, but his craving for liquor proved to be master over him. Drifting from one job to another, and always being fired because of his passion, he soon became disgusted. So one night, penniless, friendless and unhappy, he took his own life by hanging himself. Thus, at the age of eight, Robert, left without mother or father, was sent to an orphanage. Here, there was no limit to the cruel sufferings that he underwent. The master, as the owner of the orphan¬ age was called, forced Robert, along with the other children, to do the work of a man each day, but he fed them hardly enough to keep them standing up. At the age of fifteen, Robert had gone through more, and knew more about the hard¬ ships of life than most of us do at thirty. One day, when he could no longer stand the torments of his master, he decided Page Thirty-Four

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BLUE AND WHITE pipe. Visibly shaken, Susie turns to the next problem—how to make mice stand still while she weighs them, since they prefer strolling around on the scales and inevitably tumble over the edge. At last she comes back with her jar of mice, little dreaming she is the victim of a ritual endured by every novice in the lab. And so goes the first week of her new life. Weighing mice, washing glassware, holding guinea-pigs for injections, filling racks of test tubes with graduated vol¬ umes of standard solutions—Susie tries her increasingly capable hand at count¬ less new jobs. One unforgettable day she is taught to run the forbidding boiler-like autoclave, or steam sterilizer, and to her horror is left alone with the thing, told to open this valve if the pressure rises too high, close this one if the tempera¬ ture drops, and don’t blow us all up!” By the time that half-hour has crawled past, poor Susie is frantically chewing her nails and muttering. What happens if I forget to turn something?” But she can new sterilize her own equipment, which is a blessing both to her and to the over¬ worked wash-up women.” Finally Susie is given a whole set of tests to run every day. She carefully sets out her shining glass plates each morn¬ ing. prepares new batches of reagents, and follows a definite routine each day so that her test results will be uniform and reliable. Absolute precision becomes automatic: the slightest deviation from the usual pattern, even the tiniest error in measurement makes the whole test meaningless. Of course Susie soon is very efficient and leaves far behind her the stage of forgetting to keep cotton plugs in sterile flasks. Her experiments arc suggested and decided upon bv others, but little Susie has the great satisfaction of knowing that she is the one who transforms their theories into practical fact. She is the research worker’s right hand—the girl behind the experiment. Second Prize MUSIC MILLIONS LOVE When our scholarly brows are furrow¬ ed with the cares of unsolved Math, prob¬ lems, unfinished French exercises, and neglected supplementary reading, we like to kick off our loafers, drop into a com¬ fortable armchair, and just sit back in utter relaxation. Our hand automatically reaches for the dial of the nearby radio, because we want to hear something soothing and interesting. We hurriedly dial past the phoney comedians, the nerve-racking detective mysteries, and the boring news commentators, until a sudden surge of sweet music meets our ears. Ah—at last, the perfect sound for fatigued minds and tense nerves! Let’s listen ! Now a mellow-voiced announcer is in¬ viting us to spend a half-hour with Andre Kostelanetz and his Music Millions Love. This great maestro should keep us well entertained.” we muse, settling ourselves comfortably in the chair, and banishing all worry from our minds. The pro¬ gramme starts off with a dreamy Strauss waltz, which immediately begins the task of lightening our hearts. Before we know it. we are tapping out the lilting rhythm with our foot, and humming along with the orchestra. Our genial announcer next gives us a pleasant introduction to the guest artist of the evening, whether it be Marian Anderson, (tinny Simms, Lily Pons or John Charles Thomas. This introduction stimulates our interest so that we find ourselves eagerly waiting for the num¬ ber to begin. The song is always perfectly suited to the singer’s voice. Marian Anderson, with her vibrant contralto, may sing us a stirring Gypsy Song from Carmen, or Lily I’ons, with her lofty soprano, may t. ' ke our spirits on a soaring trip as she irills through a French aria. If (tinny Fimms is supplying the talent we can count on a lively evening indeed. Her c ' rr. sweet voice is especially adapted Page Thirty-Three DOROTHY WOODS. 13H

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