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THE
BOARDERS
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No. 9
,COLLEGE ST. MARGARET'S
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MAGAZINE ,Beati Mimdo Corde.
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PRINTED BY WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED, CASHEL STREET .
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1916
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OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL
ZOE GRAY
(House)
{ JOAN CARRINGTON
Prefects
RUTH
Committee 'Girls
Goon
WINIFRED
MENZIES
JMARGARET
ENSOR
(ETHEL
BRIDGE
Orderlies :-
Form IVA
ANNIE HUNT
Form IIIA
JESSIE
Form IIIB
MONICA HAMILTON
•House Orderly (Senior) .
ETHEL
Captain of Hockey Team
MARGARET
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Basket-Ball Team
BRIDGE
ENSOR
DOJ,LY GRANT
CONTENTS . PAGE
Officers of the School
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The School Report for 1916
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The Prize-giving
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School Notes
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Boarders' Notes
305
Lower Division Notes
306
Kindergarten
307
J',;otes
The Form Plays
307
Swimming Notes
308
Miss Dorothea Spinney
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Mr Coleman s Lecture
310
Miss Russell s Visit
810 CONTRIBUTIOKS.
Letters from Canon Burton
311
Letter from F Burton
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Letters from D Sandston
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The First Day of Term
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Norfolk Island
320
An Unpleasant Occurrence
323
Lyndyn"
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No. 9.
1916.
PRICE 1/-
Report of St. Margaret's College, 1916, (This Report was to have been read at the Prize-giving. only have •been given from Miss Body's report.)
Extracts
The work at St. Margaret's this year has been carried on quietly and steadily, and . there is little of importance on which to report. , Our numbers, as usual, have risen, There are now 140 pupils on the roll and· our boarding accommodation has been taxed to the uttermost. Some day we hope it will be possible to build a ,boarding house, fitted with all requirements, and one worthy of the Church in Canterbury, but at present we see little hope of this. An adapted building, alter and add to it as one will, cannot be altogether satisfactory. At best it is but a poor substitute for the ideal boarding home for girls. Owing to being away from Christchurch, his Lordship the Bishop was unable to examine the Divinity this year, and he kindly said it was a disappointment to him not to be able to do so. This duty was therefore undertaken for us by the Rev. F N. Taylor, who reports upon the work as follows:"I examined the whole school in Divinity, and have much pleasure in reporting that there was in every case evidence of careful work, and a proper atmosphere of reverence towards tli.e subject.''
After eighte~n 11'.).0nths' use the building in Cranmer Square has proved to be all we had hoped, and we are able to teach amid such surroundings as must conduce to the health and better education of the pupils committed to our char~. We still need the large hall and gymnasium included in the original plans, but which, owing to lack of funds, had to be omitted. Increasing numbers means more class rooms. Were we able to build the hall we should have the number of clW!srooms we require. The school has quite lately had the privilege of being inapectedby Miss Body-privilege we say, for to welcome one so well known in the educational world as Miss Body, is not likely to
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happen again, and we fully realise how much her words shou ld wei~h " ·ith us. For a ,Yeek St. Margaret's ·was under inspection . Of her visit i\Iiss Body says:" During the week beginning November 2nd, 1915, at the 1·equest of the Sister Superior, I paid a professional visit to St . Margaret's College. During this visit I had the opportunity of inspecting the entire working of the School, and of not only watching, but of sharing and taking part in its general life, duties, and interests. I visited all the Forms, heard the members of the staff teach in their various classes, had informal talks with the pupils, and many interesting and most helpful conversations with the different mistresses, saw a good many of the books, and took several classes. I was thus enabled to form a very fair estimate of the l}ims attempted, the methods followed, and the success achieved, in the work of the School.'' '' The genera l impression made upon my mind by my visits to St . :Margnret 's Coll ege was, on the whole, a happy and hopeful one. The School is weighted with considerable difficulties, but it shows in many respects a fine spirit, gives evidence of hopeful promise, and should have in it the makings of a really good school, worthy in time of the cause it represents.'' " Buildings .-'l'he School is pleasantly, hea lthily, and conveniently situated. The buildings have been specially planned and erected, and are, in the main, excellently adapted for their pmpose. The class-rooms are really delightful, large, airy, sunny, pleasant rooms, in which it must be a delight to · either teach or learn. They are well furnished with single Jesks, and are very prettily and tastefully decorated." '' Curriculum .-Turning to the wo rk, there are many h opeful and encouraging features . The curriculum is, on the whole, well-planned, and the text-books judiciously chosen and intelligently used." '' Work.-I spent many hours in the class-rooms, watching the children at work, hearing the different mistres es teach, and taking occasiona l classes, and was much pleased with the genera l standard of inte ll ectual interest and intelligence shown by the chi ldren. 'l'here is really excellent stuff and capital material in the Schoo l. Many individual girls, and certain Forms i!l general, are doing really keen, sound, and promising work . During many of the lessons, there was an atmosphere of real mental activity, and the answering and co-operation of the pupils generally, was ready, sensib le, and to the point. In the Lower and Middle Forms, a very good foundation is being made for the requirements of the higher classes, while the elder girls seemed to be doing good and careful wor k along the lines of preparation for matriculation requirements. I was glad to see also, t hat, over and beyond this examination work, time is found to give these gir ls a wider training in Divinity, Literature, and other subjects which have an illuminating, broadening, and cultivating effect on the mind. In this respect, the influence of the small, but admirably selected and well-managed little school library will have increasingly valuable results; it is a noticeably good feature in the School organization, and one not so common as it should be in our Gir ls' Schoo ls. '' "Class-singing and Drill are efficiently taught by visiting masters . I saw some good, smart work done in the drill classes; I did not recognise the system emp loyed, but it was evident ly founded on the excellent Ling methods, and was well carried out. There is great need of more gymnastic apparatus.''
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'' ·:MethodS.-'l'he teaching methods , employed were often very good, and in some eases first-hand acquaintance with 9:nd real appreciation of enlightened and up-to-da~ii .Educational theory and practice was evinced. In my private report I am making a few suggestions afilto how the work in the · different subjects may be still further improved, and brought further into line •with modern lights and methods, and they will, I know, . teeeive the careful attention of the · Principal and her Staff.'-' .
' ' Finally, my earnest hope is that the good promise one sees and feels in the Sohool may be abundantly .and iner_easingly fulfilled, and that, by God's ~lessing, it may be cnablea to achieve .more and more successfully the high aims with which it has been founded .. · The Cause it represents, the Cause of Christian training, Church Teaching, and complete eduea- . tion (for no system of education is complete which has no direct appeal to the .highest human faeulties-th<1se of the Spirit) is a truly magnificent on_e, and one trusts that all members and friends ·of the School will work together loyally, generously', and devotodly, to ensure the success. It _'has been a great pleasure and privilege ' to · be allowed .to come into touch with its work, and I shall always take a warm interest in its progress and welfare. ' ' (Signed) AGNES BODY.
The Anpual Examina.tiQll Fas. con9ucted by the Head Mistress and Staff. Prizes are awarded, according to our usual custom, not only to those at tl;te.heaq of tlJ,e,lists, .~ut to all who obtained the required percentage. · We also have the pleasure of recording successes of three St. Margaret's girls in two external examinations. Lilla Leach has won the Bishop's Prize for Divinity, offered to the Diocese, in the Senior Division; Mavis ·saunders, the same prize offered in the Junior Division. Maureen Raymond obtained second prize in the Nayy League E~y Competition in ·the Senior Division; Lilla Leach being seco~d in the _Junior ·Division. In our games we have been equally successful Duri.ng the early part of the year a Schools Tennis Tournament was held. Zoe Gray was c~ampion in the Singles, Una Freeth being second. In the Doubles we obtained second place. The distress caused by the war called forth the sympathy of our warm-hearted pupils. A fund was started for the relief of the Belgians, and weekly donations still continue, ·though not such a large amount is now received as earlier during the war. A concert was given ~y the boarders to the' day-girls, in aid of the Red Cross. The preparations and carrying out of all arrangements was left entirely to the girls, and it says much for their zeal that sum of £9 2s. was the result. We have had this year the gre~t joy of a visit from Bishop Sedgewick,who was so interested in St. Margaret's "'.hen he was Vicar of St. Luke's. He had not forgotten his promise that when he 'Visitedthe School as a Bishop he would ask for a half-holiday. and this was duly granted.
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Archdeacon Neild also came one morning, and gave us an address on Melanesia. In the pla ce of a girl-s cholar we now pay for the upkeep of a bed in the Welchman Hospital. 'rhroughout the year the School ·has enjoyed the privilege of weekly visits from the Rev F N Ta ylor , Canon Burton, and the Rev H. Shore to take classes in Divinity We are most grateful for their help. With much r egret we hav e had to say farewell to Canon Burton, who has left as chaplain to the hospital ship MarMna. He has promised not to forget us , and we shall look forward to his letters telling us of his work among the sick and wounded. Thus the work of St. Margaret's has gone on quietly and well, and though the last term has been rather broken on account of illness , yet we feel that the year has been one of most satisfactory prugress. We would , in conclusion, thank the members of the Staff for their loyal co-operation and help throughout the year
The Prize-giving. G Du 'NAGE. Owing to a slight outbreak of scarlet fever in the school. the prize-giving was not held at the end of last year Instead it was held at the beginning of the first term of the new year and as such a lon g time had passed since the examinations, it was thought better not to ask the parents and friends. So on March 1st, a crowd of happy-faced girl s arrived at the school, waiting for the Bishop to give away the many beautiful prizes. It was so nice having the Bishop, amongst us again. The Rev F ~ Ta ylor was also present. After the prize-giving the Bishop made a short speech, and the happy afternoon ended. The prize list was as follows :Form Lower Fifth.-M ona Blanch, Form, Mathematics , French, Latin; Joan Carrington, Form, English, French, Greek; Sylvia Fox, Form, Cooking, Dressmaking, Drawing; Sheila Ogilvie, English; Elsa Hartmont, War Diary; Gwen Baxter, Music. Form Upper Fourth. -Iris Atack, Porm, Needlework; Gwen Jones, F'orm, English, Mathematics, Fr ench, Latin; fabel Hall, Form, War Diary; Maureen Raymond, English; Lilla Leach, English; Ruth Good, General Knowl edge, War Diary; Berthe Scott, Cooking; Dolly Grant, Cooking. Form Upp er Fourth Domestic-Winifr ed :Menzies, Form, English, Mathematics; Ethel Bridge, History and Literature; Audrey CoganEnglish, ,var Diary; Lena Graham, Cooking; Lily Fleming, Dressmaking, Special prize for never being off the House Honour Roll; Rosina Halliday, Dressmaking; Grace Gardiner Drawing.
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Form Lower Fourth.-Mavis Saunders, English, French, and Latin, Mathematics; Leslie Speight, English, Form, General Knowledge, Drawing; Annie Hunt, ·English, War Diary; Bella Head, Form, French and Latin, Needlework; Ethel Gough, Form, Needlework, Drawing; Brenda Kissling, General Knowledge, War Diary; Nora Foster, General Knowledge, War Diary; Mona Gray, War Diary; Clarice .Hill, Music. · Form Lower Third.-Lau~a Saunders, Form, English, French, and Latin, Mathematics; Irene Dunnage, Form, English, Drawing; Gwen Dunnage, Form, English; Jean Leach, Form, G;eneral Knowledge; Adela Knight, English, Arithmetic, General Knowledge; Jessie Blanch, Engfish, Mathematics; Judith Mathias, English; Jill Bishop, :F'rench and Latin; Ethel Plunket, Needlework; Rosamond Peter, War Diary Large, Arithmetic, Naturti Study and Form Second Remove.-Myrtle Drawing, Needlework, War Diary; Lucy Hogg, English, Nature Study, French; Monica Hamilton, English, Nature Study; Rosie Atkinson, English, Drawing; Joan Jamieson, Nature Study; Marjorie Hill, Drawing; Catherine Thomas, Arithmetic; Barbara Gould, Arithmetic; Elaine Buchanan, Needlework; Enid Pritchett, Drawing; Joyce Francis--Form Prize; Gwen Francis, Form Prize. Forms Lower Second and Upper Ftrst--Eiley Jerman, English, Form, Arithmetic, Brushwork, Nature ·Study; Irene Graham, English, Form, Arithmetic; · Molly Stevenson, Drawing, Brushwork; Freda Cooper, English; French; Gwynneth Boulton, Arithmetic, Drawing; Nellie Moir, Nature Study, French; Joyce Seth-Smith, Drawing, Brushwork; Lois Bassett, Reading, Dictation, Spelling; Mary Gow, General Improvement. Form Lower Ftrst.-Mary Cowlishaw, Spelling, Brushwork, Drawing; Alma Elson, Drawing, Brushwork, Sewing; Gwen Whiteman, Arithmetic, Reading, and Geography; Vera Fox, Sewing, Reading, Spelling, Composition; Cieely Christian, Geography, and Writing; Audrie Whiteman, Brushwork and Drawing; Jean Lee, Drawing, Spelling, Writing; Kath· leen Belmore, Reading and Poetry; Thelma Kibblewhite, Writing. Preparatoey.-Lorna Broadway, Arithmetic and Writing; Mollie Garrington, Arithmetic, Drawing, Brushwork; Ina McIntosh, Arithmetic and Writing; Thelma Fenton, Arithmetic; ·Madge Williams, Reading, Arithmetic, Brushwork; Gwen Ayers, Reading, Spelling, Poetry; Margaret Parker, Nature Study; Connie Andrews, Reading and Spelling.
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Kindergarten.-Ruth Taylor, Reading; Joan Luxton, Writing; Rema Fraer, Arithmetic ,; Barbara Bloxam, Writing; Phyllis Co_oper, Writing; David Taylor, Writing; Roger Taylor, Originality Divinity Prize&-Bpecial prize for Church History (presented by Canon Burton), Joan Carrington; Form 5 Gold Cross, Mona Blanch; Form 4a, Lilla Leach; Form 4a D, Winifred Menzies; ]'orm 4b, Annie Hunt; Form 3b, Gwen Dunnage, Lorna Saunders, Adela Knight; Second Remove, Monica Hamilton (Silver Cross), Sheila Tobin; 2b, Meranea Trent; 1, Gwen Whiteman, Kathleen Helmore; Preparatory, Madge Ruth Taylor, Williams, Lorna Broadway, Gwen Aye,rs; Kindergarten, Barbara Bloxam. Attendance Meda.ls (never absent never late).-One Year, Mona Blanch, Joan Carrington, Vera Papperill, Lena Graham, Clarice Hill, Bella Head, Ethel Gough, Molly ;Hunt, Elizabeth Kermo'de, Enid Pritchett, Molly Stevenson, Eiley Jerman, Irene Graham, Lois Bassett, Jean Lee; Two Years, Iris Atack, Gwen Jones, Mabel Hall, Marjorie Pritchett; Three Years--Mavis Saunders, Esther Batchelor, Lorna Saunder■; Five Years, Muriel Wallace.
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Med al for Gymnastic s (presented by Mr . 'rankard).-Dolly Grant. Med als for Drill, Upper School. -Iris Atack , Gwen Dunnage. Med als for Drill , Lower School -Betsv Reeves. • Tennis Brooch -Zoe Gray School Honour Med al-Iris Atack. Hou se Honour Medal -Zoe Gray
School Notes. Circumstances have delayed the publication of the MAGAZINE. Hence some of the events happened "long ago."
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Owing to illness it was decided to close the School at the end of last year a few days earlier than intended, and this meant giving up all thought of a prize-giving. One afternoon at the beginning of the new year the Bishop came and gave away the prizes . Only the staff and girls were present, the distribution had been so long deferred that it seemed better to have only the School present. The new girls this year are :-lst 'l'erm-A. Henderson, 1\1. Gardner, Ng . Gardiner, J Hamilton, D Kearne, 1\1. Taylor, M. Checkley, D Checkley W Rosendale, 1\1. Goodsir, M. Hogg , M. Rankin, G Rankin, D. Quill, M . Grant. H . Andrews, H. Grant, R. Graham, E. Tipping , D Loe, R. Hough, R. Labatt, A . Gray, lI. Gray 2nd Term-Q. Keay, D Stone, J Gillantlers, M. Shore, S. Shore, E. Peile, E. Firth, 1\I. Walker, R. Ta lbot, G Sorensen, J Sorensen, V Thomas, J Thomas, M. Teschemaker Forms I., Preparatory, and Kindergarten were moved over to the Cranmer Square House at the beginning of the year, where they have the two front rooms. In the fine weather they can generally be seen in the garden or on the verandah, and look fascinating little people carrying their chairs a.bout with them. About the middle of the first term two Sisters arrived from England, one to stay at St. Margaret's, the other remaining a fortnight and then going on to St. Hilda 's, Dunedin. Before leaving for Dunedin Sister Nancy suggested that each form in the school shou ld be prepared to act something in connect ion with the work being done in the form at the end of the term; that the best items shou ld be repeated on the last day of the term at m.ark reading, at which parents could be present. Sister promised to return to see the resu lt.
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For six weeks all worked ha.rd, and some very good work ·was produced. Indeed it might have been the result of six months' preparation rather than six weeks.
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At final Mark Reading brooches were presented to Mona Blanch, for tennis; M. Ensor, for boating; and J. Blanch, for swimming. · '
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During the holidays some very necessary improvements were made to the School, viz., large fixed black}:>oardsto all the walls, the ends of some being ruled for graphs; platforms below being made to open .so th_at maps might be kept in the box thus formed, and mistresses' desks and chairs for ' each form room. · All these are a vast improvement, •and help to give a very scholastic •look ' · to the class-rooms.
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Several additions have been made in the School. The picture of "The Great Sacrifice" has been hung in the hall. It is surrounded by the flags of the Allies, while below are · the photographs of girls' · brothers who are fighting; in the centre of which hangs the '' Memorial for the War'' we say daily the names of brothers who are serving their country. These occupy the end of the Hall we face for prayers each morning. May the sight inspire us to do our part in the tremendous struggle in which we are engaged, and remember that it ought to mean "sacrifice!> to us at home as well as to those with the colours. You who read this ask yourself, '' What is it costing me 1'' •
A '' Melanesian Corner'? has been started. At present it consists of a large shelf with a few curios, below the shelf photographs of Bishop Selwyn, Bishop Patteson, and · the Southern Cross, with the Intercession which are sent every month. The Rev A. Neild has promised to send us some more things from Auckland.
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A sale of work is to be held -at the end of August for the Mission, which needs all the support we can give it. There is one more addition to the School Hall, viz., -a large notice board on which are placed each week pictures, photographs, etc., of interest. At present each member of the staff is responsible weekly for the pictures, and puts up something connect.ed wiUi the work being taken by her in the School. Next term it is hoped that the Forms will do this. One ·Form might keep entirely to historical subjects, another geographical, another literary, etc., and in this way many very interesting and instructive lessons should be obtained.
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During Holy Week the usua l Divinity lessons were altered. All were given in Form IIIb. 6 ( the room which has been arranged for a lantern with the microscope. The alteration was most successful, the picture helping the girls to realize what happened so long ago, more vividly than words only could express. As one litt le one said , '' I should like to sit here and look at the pictures all day '' A School choir has been started to lead at prayers, and two violins also support the singing. Intercessions for the War have been substituted once a week for the ordinary Opening Prayers . If an~, "0 ld Girls" have fathers or brothers fighting, and wish them to be remembered at St. Margaret's would they please send th e names to the Sister in Charge. J Carrington, R. Good, and W lenzies have been appointed Prefects, and 1\1.Ensor and E. Bridge are Committee girls . The Rev C. Perry, the Vicar of St. Michael's, most kindl.v comes once a week to take a Divinity cla s, the subject being th e Apostles' Creed. At "exeat" most of the rooms in the boarding house were put to different purposes. The girls' sitting room is now the dining room, the former dining room is the Sisters' community room, the Sisters' community room has become the infirmary the mistresses' sitting room is the seniors' room, the preparation room is the juniors' sitting room , the office is the mi tr esses ' sitting room. Nurse Gray, who came to our assistance some time ago when we bad an outbreak of measles, is now our House Mistress, so we are.prepared for any amount of illness. Woe betide the girl who sneezes!
* An inter-form net ball match is being played, and a shield has been offered, to be held yearly by the winning team . All th e Forms are keen to win, especially IIIb. When they ,rnre to pla:v IV a. there seemed so little chance of their winning that, in a rash moment Sister promised to take them to tea at Broadway's if they were victorious . And they were! hence to Broadway's they " ·ent, and did justice to a plentiful supply of cakes and tea .
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Boarders' Notes. (W MENZIES, E. BRIDGE.) '' Exeat'' was just over, and the Christmas holidays were drawing near, when one of the girls developed. scarlet fever. We had been sent out for a walk while the unfortunate member was sent off to Bottle Lake, so we knew nothing o{ it until that evening. Her two room-mates were banished upstairs, and we saw nothiIJ.g of them for another week, except through the window The rest of the boarders were kept away from School, and spent most of their time playing cricket in the Gardens. The next week saw us back at School, and it was not until after Miss Cox's break-up, and nearly the end of the term that the second case occurred. .Another four days' quarantine, a critical moment when twenty-four anxious boarders went before the doctor to be examined, and all having passed, School broke up three days earlier. The beginning of this year found a good many changes. Instead of mistresses to take us for walks and picnics on Saturdays we have a matron and two new Sisters. We found several new boarders, Alice Henderson, Ngaio Gardiner, Maggie Gardner, Dorothy Kearne, Joan Hamilton, Marie Taylor, and Mary and Doris Checkley The wee~ after term began we had the Prize-giving in the Drill Hall at the Day , School. This day-had been postponed from the term before on account of scarlet fever. Besides the usual -prizes to be given away there was a tennis brooch, which a boarder was fortunate enough to secure. We had great fun surf-bathing at New Brighton, where we went for most of our Saturday picnics. Some more adventurous spirits hired surf boards for a. small sum of money from the pier. One Wednesday afternoon, as a special treat, we were allowed to go to the pictures to see the '' Sinking of the Emden. '' Sister Nari.cy came out f~om England about a month before the end of the term. She suggested that each Form should get up a play to be acted in front of the whole School, and at the end of the term ' the best ones to be picked out and acted again in front of the parents. The plays chosen were '' David Copperfield,'' by VI. and Va. ; scene from ''Winter's Tale,'' by Vb; scene from "Midsummer's Tale," by Illa.; scene from King John, by !Va.; scene from "Midsummer Night's Dream" by Ila. ; "Ivanhoe," by IIIb. ; ''Hiawatha,'' by I. and Kindergarten. That afternoon we went home-for the holidays. The only new boarder this term is Queenie Keay, who has joined · the noisy junior party
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We have had a new excitement lately Every Form is playing another at net ball, and Sister has promised the winners a shielcl for their class-room. There are several matches to be p layed off before it will be ulttmately decided . This year we formed a boarders' hockey team, but as yet no matches have been played. Saturday, July 8th, was the anniversary of the death of Sister Geraldine, one of the two Sisters who first came to New Zealand to open St. Ililda 's, Dunedin. The old St. Ililda 's girls arranged a service at St. l\Iichael's, at which most of us were present. A great many of the old girls came here to breakfast afterwards. These notes would be incomp lete if we did not mention the approach of Exeat, to which everyone i looking forward.
Lower Division Notes. A . COUIUGE. There are onlv three of u, this term, as Leah Davison has been made a junior Last holidays Leah caught scarlet fever, and has not returned yet. La. t year G\\'en Ayers left, then our number "·as four Thi year we welcomed a new girl, Joan Hamilton. Last term l\Iargaret Parker fell down and hurt her knee. She went home , oou after that and has not come back vet. When we came back last term our room had been papered ~nd painted \\·ith pretty pink paint. The paper is very pretty It has little pink roses on it. Our play-house dO\rn in the garden had to be destrored because the roots of the trees went into the next-door neighbour's garden, and they could not grow anything . So the old man asked Sister if they could be taken away Sister said ''yes,'' so they were cut down. In the evening the big girls go over to the big school for preparation, but we stay and do ours in the office. After tea we go into the sitting-room and play games, while the big girls occupy the office. We hardly ever go out with Sister Amy on Saturdays now, we nearly always go with the big girls. On Sunday nig-hts " ·e are allowed to stay up late until the girls come home from church, then we have supper with them, and go to bed. Ven' often in the evcni ng we pla? a game of cards called ''Families,'' which Nurse Gray very kind l~- gave us, and ,rn all enjoy it very much . One day after school Nurse Gray came and took us for a party at New Brighton in a lovely big dark green car WJ1en ·we got there we had tea, with crackers and fun . · then we played all orts of games .
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the School at the end of the term. It took a great deal of troubl e before they were ready to be acted in public, but even tually they were performed on the day before we broke up, and, on the whole, the performance went off very well. Th e first audience consisted of the Sisters, the staff, and the School; then Sister Nancy chose the five plays which she considered best to be acted before the parents on the following day Others were afterwards added, and, interspersed with musical items. The ente rtainm ent took the whole morning. The piece chosen as best by Sister was the "Midsummer Night's Dream," of the Upper Third. It was both amusing and pretty, J essy Blanch being especia lly good as Bottom . The Upper Second, who did the same piece , were very su ccessfu l also, and though they did not act as well as the older Th e Kindergarten acted girls, the ensemble was prettier ''Hiawatha'' very prettily, in most effective and realistic costumes. The Sixth Form chose a scene from '' David Copperfield .'' Th ey looked their parts exactly, and acted very well, much better the second time they did it. The Sixth were, of course, the best actresses . Th ere was little to choose between them , and they had the advantage of having made the most original choice. '' The Winter's Tale" was chosen by the Fifth, which, besides being well staged, was a very suitabl e piece for acting , with a striking denouement. Lilla Leach was, perhaps, the best, and Gwen Jones made a very good herald. The two remaining plays were '' King John'' and ''Ivanhoe.'' The former was short, and the dresses were some of the best, but the plot was not so new or so interesting as some of the others. The latter was both exciting and amusing. Isaac, Ivanhoe, Rebecca, the Grand Templar , Brian de Bois, Guilbert, and the minor characters, all were almost equally good and very interesting. Considering the short ness of the time for preparation, it was a very creditable performance, and we can only hope that the visitors were as well entertained as we were.
Swimming Notes. JESSIE
BLANCH.
A life-savin g class was formed on our r eturn from the summer holida ?s, and regular meetings were held twice a week, on Tu esdays and Fridays. One excellent result of the class is a lar ge increase in the , numb er of gir ls who are able to dive, the hi ghest 1,-liverbeing Aileen Whitta, and the most stylish Margaret Ensor The examinati on was held towards the end of the term, and all the competitors passed except two.
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The list of certificates was as follows :-Margaret Ensor, J. Carrington, J. Blanch, K. Banks, Aileen Whitta, G. Rawnsley, J. Francis. · Margaret Ensor, Ail~en Whitta, and Sheila and Edith Ogilvie also received medallions. Sister Winifred kindly offer~ to present a brooch to the best all-round swimmer and diver. The test for this prize was held on the last .Friday of the term, and there was very keen competition, there being only .half a point between the winner and the second girl
Dorothea Spinney. (L. SPEIGHT AND A. HUNT.) By t~e courtesy of the authorities of Canterbury College, Miss Spinney · was allowed to use School Hall for the purpose of giving a series of recitals of Greek plays, which gave us an opportunity of hearing the wonderful works of ·Euripides and Sophocles. The plays included the '' Iphigenia in Tauris, '' '·' The Bacchae, '' '' Hippolytus, '' '' Antigope,'' and '' The Trojan Women.'' The back of the stage was covered with black drapery, which, together with two large candles, made a good background for a Grecian figure, as the Greek scenery is always of the simplest kind. Miss Spinney came on to the stage in a Grecian dress coloured according to the nature of the play. With her wonderful power of modulating her voice, Miss SpinneY, was able to act these pi11ysunaided, but this in no wise decreased th .e value of the recitals, as the Greeks generally had one actor for several parts. Two actors and a chorus of Grecian maidens formed the sole characters of the old plays. Miss Spinney acted with great skill, the graceful movements of the chorus, as well as the part of t)le hero. Miss Spinney 's recital of '' Trojan Women'' was most realistic, and the scene where she acted the ;part of nurse was most effectively rendered, and reduced the audience to tears . By Miss Gibson's invitation she gave several recitals at the Girls' High School, some of which we were allowed to attend . Miss Spinney also gave "Poses from Greek Vases, " in which she put herself in the attitude of the figures painted on the vases. This was accompanied by soft music. T-he students of Canterbury College presented her with a laurel wreath, in gratitude for her kindness towards them. She left us all hoping for a return visit.
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Mr. Coleman's Lecture. ALICE HE DERSON About the middle of last term 1\'.fr Coleman gave a very interesting lecture on ·what he had seen at the Front in France and Belgium. He had been in a motor transport, in which there had been twelve cars, and had driven the officers to and from the .front lines. To make the lecture more interesting he showed a few very good slides of some famous buildings in France and Belgium. amongst which were some of Rheims Cathedra l, showing what a beautiful b11ilding it m1s. On the walls inside were some ver_v beautiful pictures, wh~ch began to peel off after the Cathedral was shelled . 1\Ir Coleman praised the Tommies highly ; they are snch cheerful fellows. One day a batLalion came into the town where he ,ras, and they were so weary and footsore that they fell down on top of each other Th ey had to "'0 on, as they were needed in the next village. Some of the Tommies ,rant ed to give up and stay behind , but ·when Captain Bridge and his orderly began beating a drum and blowing a tin whistle to the tune of the "British Grenadiers'' they all started up and followed him, and became quite cheerful again. "\;v'henCaptain Brid 0 ·e wanted to go back to the town, the Tommies would not let him. 'l'hey said they would not budge an inch without him, as he had brought them so far So he had to keep on beating the drum, and the orderly blew the whistle until they reached their destination. fr Coleman said it was lucky for Bridge that the drum and the whistle did not break. He also told some other amusing tales, which would take too long to tell, and concluded by "'iving a ver.r good account of the work and scenery in the war zone.
Miss Russell's Visit. Ln.,L.1. LE .I.CH.
India, to most people, is just a beautiful dream of sp lendour and magnificence . By means of books, those ·who are not for. tunate enough to visit this country form rosy.hued visions of native bazaars, and immensely wealthy rajahs; but when Miss Russell, a missionary from Bombay, came to tell us about her work the glorious dream faded away, and in its place we formed a very modified and rather saddened aspect of life in India. 1\Iiss Russell, teaching in the Queen 1\Iary High School for Girls, has had an ample opportunity for seeing the lif e which is led by the girls and women of this land. She pointed out the good which
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the · coming of Europeans has . caused in the directjon · of the emaneipation of women. Instead of alw;ays•living in the-Zenanas, the . women's . quarters, . their inhabitants are in i:nany cases allowed to riqe i'n .the streets, but always with their faces :veiled by beautiful , saris, which are a striking feature of the native !Iress. A. few $eCts of Indians ,are still . very .strict about such matters, and when'.their: children ., whom they •allow to be taught by English missionari~, return from school, tb.ey:are compell~d to change their garmen~ ; for .fear of.-defiling their parents. the Zenanas, a.lid try to tea.eh the European women often :VL\'lit ,. heathen about Christianity. It . is .very often in this . way t~at seeds are soWQwhich fi.nq.llyresult •.in the ~conversion of whole families. · •. . . .. · . . · Miss Russell gave a-ve;ry ~using descr,iption of the curioeity of .th.e.women over the clothes and possessions of the missionaries. When the n~tives call .they are quite content to sit by the hour gloating · over . a •partic-µiarly dainty o:r brigh,t dress. ,When the host8a$ thinks h-er visitors have stayed long enough she shows them . the door, and then it . is that the affection of the Indian women asserts itself: -They always beg the missionaries to come and see them again soon, b_utthis is hardly pa&sible, 118the),'e are only a fe.w white a great many Zenanas to visit in Bom):>ay,1:1,nd women to do it. Before the close of the lecture Miss Russell told us about the ·custom of the Si;khs·upon the entry of a new member into the sect. These native soldiers are trained to the life from their birth, in much the same way as the Cos.sacksare brought up, thus making them strong and hardy for the strenuous life before · them. At the end of this very interesting lecture . three cheers were given for Miss Russell, who visited ·us a second time a few weeks afterwards.
Letters from Canon Burton.
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Christmas Day, , . At Sea. Dear Sister,-T~ is a line for y.ou and for my· dear girls when you meet them again, just to ·show that I have not forgotten you or them. It is a strange experience to 1;1pendChristmas at sea -not too,nice. I began at 7.30 with a Celebration-about forty communicants, and now it is nearly Evensong, 4 p:m., ·with you 10 p.m., all your Christmas is over. We are in' sight of land, and shall .be at rest in Colombo in a few hours, when we shall coal and live ashore for a. night or two. I know you will be glad· to hear 'Ye have a .daily Eucharist at'.7.30 a.m., and always some of the b~ys and nursing sisters attend. I should think this is the only
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ship of her sort with a daily Celebration, but it is a joy to me and to others . A Sister Morley, who was matron of the Ashburton Hospital, is my Sacristaness, if there is such a word; she brings my vestments and prepares the altar of our dear Lord, and then He comes to bless and help us, and it is all wonderful. I often wish I was standing before the altar in my dear church, and I can in fancy see you all again; just the few, but the stedfast few Tell my girls I am sorry I could not teach them all that the Prayer Book teaches about the Feast of Joy I had no time, and less ability, but I did so enjoy them, and I prayed I might be allowed to help if but only one, to love our dear Lord in His holy Church; to make religion something more than a mere negation or a sentimental superstition. I wonder if they will remember me? Please say I should love to hear from any of them, and if they ever want spiritual help and care to write to me I will do my best to answer them. I wond er if my wife left money for my prizes ? I was so busy gett in" off I forgot it, only I know she knew about it, and she forg ets very little. If by any chance you did not get the money do please buy what you like and send me the account. Address, Chaplain Lieut.-Col. Canon Burton, Io. 2 Hospital Ship, s.s. Mararna, General Post Office, Wellington. I am writing against tim e-t he post closes at once, so you must forgive a short note. May God help you, Yours most in cerely, H. D BURTON 'l'.S.S. Marama, May 18th , 1916, Somewhere in the Mediterranean . l[y dear Winifr ed and Brenda, and all the other girls in the School whom I know and who, know me, your letter gave me great pleasure. I only got it two days ago, when we arrived in this port, after a beautiful voyage from dear old England. Now we may go anywhere at any time, but we none of us know where and interim we hav e to sit still in great heat, among a multitude of flies, whose persistent attention is most uncomfortable. I got left at home when we first arrived in England, and had to go into hospital for an operation. I am safely over that, and rejoined about a month ago, and find myself once more in Egypt; that ancient land . Nothing changes here, you see the people using the same agricultural implements as they did in the days of l\'1.oses , and doubtless long before his day Cairo which I visited when first we came here, is really desperat~ly interesting. The old part of the town is as it was probably when Our Lady, St. Joseph, and the dear Lord fled into Egypt. They how you the well she sat by, doubting where to go in the strange
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land, and it is sti.ll called QY her name. The colour of all the Eastern cities is most striking. Here where we are, the streets are narrow, the buildings very high; the narrowness of the streets makes them look higher than they really are. These streets are a seething mass of humanity in rags-but such rags," every colour from bright vermilion to dirty drab, and every · one is dirty, and the smell would take: the pen of a Coleridge to attempt a description. He immort~lized Cologne, but Cologne is attar of roses compared with this city Every sort of race is here-you meet tall white-clothed Arabs from the desert, and spotlessly clean ; tall, with faces a dark olive, and eyes which look out and beyond as though they saw the past and were living in it. Splendid specimens of manhood these. They walk with impressive dignity as men accustomed to great spaces and long distances. Their camels walk like them, sure, as dignified and supercilious as they are. Then every race of Egyptian, high and low birth, crowd and jostle over one another; and through them all the white faces of the Master races, dominating everything, and doing ,it apparently without effort and very very quietly, as though born to dominate and rule. Soldiers of the lring, from , all partl'I of the great Empire, everywhere. I wish you could see it, only the Bedouin seems a thing apart, also strong, also a dominating race, only of the past, knowing it . and expressing it in his strange dark thoughtful eyes. Then in the harbour where we lie it is the same. Huge ships, transports, men-of-w~r, hospital ships, and every imaginable vessel commanding everywhere. The great Empire again, and the old old ships with their picturesque lateen sails--as old as Hiram, in and out among the new powers. I wonder if we shall ever be as they are-only of the past. I think it depends on us who are living now-we have to stand the test. Love of ease and love of pleasure, and then the great call, and our one last great chance. You who are so young, you will see some of the answers if you live long lives, and you can do your part to make life better and stronger than it has been in the land where you live. But there that sounds to me very like preaching, or teaching, which is the same- thing, and for that I did not put pen to paper. I miss you all, far more than you miss me. I was happy teaching and seeing you all. I suppose if I were to com~ back I should find the newly-made Sixth the magnificent two, outside the pale of my influence. You must all of you stop getting infectious ills-measles, then whooping cough, then fever. I am ashamed of you, but you will reform I am sure. That life-saving is good. I shall feel safer .to think that if ever I come back and fall into the river some of 'you girls will be able to pull me out.
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But the tennis, well all I can say is, measles and the like are bad for tennis and that ilk I am glad to hear that Sister Winifred is to have some help. I wonder who is coming1 P lease remember me to Sister I hope by now you have had your Sunday School prizes . I love -to think of you worshipping in my old church, though I confess to sorrow when I think I shall never work there again, sorrow which grows as the weeks pass away Well, thank you so much . I do hope you will be able to read mine half as easily as I read yours, but I very gravely doubt it. However, it brings you all my love-you always have my prayers . Yours very sincerely, H. D BURTON
Letter from Friede Burton. 5 Green Street, Park Lane, London, W Dear Sister,-vVe have arrived safely in England at last, after a very exciting· voyage. It is so lovely being here again, and it is so strange being so close to the war You have no idea what England is like. London is full of troops, all lights out at night, and Zeppelins expected every night. There was a big raid at Burton about three nights ago. My uncle was down there . In London every one is told to have a warm coat or something thick to put on by their bed side, as you may have to get out at any minute . Last night Joan and I and a friend ,vent down to London Bridge to see the searchlights. They are really a wonderful sight, they almost look as if they were alive-great bars of light sweeping over the slry, and as the whole of London is in darkness the effect is beautiful, but I shouldn't like to have to walk about the streets at night, I should be much too afraid of being run over I must tell you a little about our voyage. ,Ve had such a lovely time. It was dreadfully hot from Fremantle to Colombo, but we had a great time, and although it was almost too hot to move, we worked hard at sports . On the Wednesday before we arrived. at Colombo we had a lovely fancy dress dance, and the prizes for the sports were given away by the captain. I got a prize for the potato race, and for the pipe lighting· race, and taking the largest bite out of an apple. I nearly broke my jaw doing it, but I won. We arrived at Colombo at about eight o'clock at night, and went ashore till about twelve. Oh! it is the most lovely place. I should just love to live there. We had part of the next day on
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shore, and , sailed at about four in the afternoon. Our next stop was Suez, and there we had a great surprise. I was down in the cabin when Joan rushed in with the news that Daddy was on board. We-never expected him, and we had a great meeting; it was too lovely. He was looking awfully well. He had to leave us quite, soon, though, and take the traln to Port Said to catch his boat. The next day quite ea.rly.we went into the canal. It was a wonderful sight all the way along. There are hundreds of troops all the way along, many Australians, and New Zealanders. You could see the trenches all the way along, and the guns, in fact it looked like war. They said they were expecting the Turks any day. That night we arrived ·at Port Said. It was full of warships, mostly French ones. It didn't look ·a very clean city, but I rather liked it. We coaled there that night. We were told before that to see the natives coaling at Port Said by night was one of the wonders of the world, and I really think it is. The natives are the most weird creatures, and all the time they are coaling they scream and quarrel. It is a strange sight. We left Port Said at about twelve the next' day, and went out into the danger zone. Some of the people on board were dreadfully afraid all the time, but I found it hard to realize that we might have to die any moment. A ship passed us one day at about mid-day, and an hour or two afterwards we heard her SOS call-(save our souls). S~e was caught by a submarine. We simply had to fly. It is dreadful to think that we had to leave her, but passenger ships are not allowed to go, only warships. We heard afterwards all her crew were saved, I'm glad to say We zig-zagged nearly all the. time. It makes such a 'Strange motion, and is very slow going, 'and dreadfully bad for the engin~, but we got along all right. We had it very very rough in the Gulf of .Lyons, the ship seemed to stand ·on her head. That wa,s.really one of the worst days, for if we had been struck we could have had no chance, as no lifeboat could have lived in such a sea. I forgot to say that we took a gun on at Port Said. ·•we fired two shots from her at a barrel for practice ; the shot went about six yards the other side of the barrel. It was interesting to watch. We saw a submarine just before we arrived at Messina, but it was a British one, which was a good thing. We were not allowed to land in Naples, which was a shame. · The great.est danger' we were in was the night before we arrived at Plymouth; our captain was in a great fright. We had · to change our course three times; three submarines were out after , us, but we are safely here, and it is lovely to be in England again. Next week I'm going down to Sealand to -nurse the wounded. My eldest sister has a nursing ho:i;nequire close to Dover. I must
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stop now as this must catch the mail. I do hope you are well. I shall write again soon, and tell you all about my work at Sealand. With best love, FRIEDE.
Letters from Dorothy Sandston. C o High Commissioner for New Zealand, 13 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S.W., 30/9/15. Dear Sister Winifred,--! think it is quite true what Daddy says about people not being able to escape from my clutches when it comes to letter-writing. He says that I am the most ardent letter writer he ever knew I wonder if that is true. We are staying at Netley, Hampshire. Daddy got a commission in the R.A.lVLC., and is stationed at the Royal Victoria Hospital here, which is the lar gest military one in Britain. We have rooms just a minute from the hospital gates, and Daddy li ves with us. Our landlady is quite a character and persists in addressing Daddy as Colonel. We have been about seeing some of the sights, and have come It is called St. across a church just after our own hearts. Michael's, too, and is like our own St. Michael's , save that they have incense. This church is in Southampton, only a few minutes from Netley and was built by Henry II. It is a lovely old building. There is a glorious abbey here, built in 1237 by the Cistercian monks, and demolished by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 or thereabouts , so now it is in ruins. As you go in the door there is a large placard which catches the eye, on which is painted , '' Approach with reverence, there are those within whose dwelling place is Heaven . '' The abbey was also a monastery, of course, and you can see the Abbot's Palace a little distance from the main abbey There are lovely cloisters, covered with ivy and one can easilv imagine the monks walking up and down in twos, reading their breviaries. The abbey itself is the ruin of a magnificent church. The right transept is in perfect condition, but the left is quite gone. 'I'he nave is roofless, but I often think that the blue sky makes a roof more beautiful than any ever built by man. The bases of the pillars are sti ll there, and the framework of a magnificent east window The littl e niche in the wall which served for a credencetable can still be seen, and the carving is magnificent .
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The top flat of the building is, of course, quite demolished, except for the walls and the windows. Thia top flat consisted of dormitories, mainly, I think. · An old church, called St. Mary's, the Hound Parish Church, can be viewed from the outside. The door is locked, which seems very strange to me ; the least I can say is that the Hound Parish Church ·in no way inclines to ritualism, as we have discovered. One interesting thing is that the vicar is Mr. Chevalier, brother • of Albert Chevalier, the coster-comedian, whose picture I remember seeing on some old songs at home. Daddy is going to get a motor car, so we shall be able to go about the country. Our new house is going to be started soon, I think, and will be ready for us to go into, if we are spared to come home. I really ~t home-sick sometimes, especially if there are ·no letters by the mail, which frequently there are not. However, we are glad that father is able to do his part, and to help the wounded. It is a very sad sight to see them. The Aquitana and the Ashinas came loaded up with them yesterday Mother and father unite with me in sending all good wishes ' to you, dear Sister, and for the welfare of St. Margaret's, of which I hope to again become a pupil if I am spared to come back. Believe me, yours very affectionately, DOROTHY SANDSTO;N .• Elmdon Lodge, A venue Road, Leamington, Warwickshire, February 17th, 1916. Dear Sister,-! have just received your MAGAZINE, thank you so much ; I liked it immensely and thought it very good. But. dear Sister, in my first letter it said that ~aunt had .a black "brother"-the word meant is "butler." ever, mea culpa, -or rather- my bad writing. Mother says tha 1t serves me right for writing so badly, so I am trying to amend my ways. Joan Carrington 's poem was very, very good. Daddy was hugely delighted with it, and laughed most heartily over it. My letters were mostly severely criticised, as you may imagine. We have left Netley for good and all, and are at present at Leamington Spa. Daddy is going up to London on Monday, and is probably going into residence at Guy's Hospital. We shall stay here a month, and after that, if we are spared, we shall go up to Harrow. After that to Bournemouth, Scotland, then to the United States of America, and after that, if we are still all well, home again, and we shall be glad-and sorry. Britain just now is very sad, and will be for many days. When we were in
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Birmingham to-day we saw a New Zealand er, and, oh, how our heart,;; warmed at the sight of him-it was a breath of home to us, :and Birmingham is not a prepossessing place. vVe had a letter the other day .from Canon Burton . He is in London, and Daddy is going to see him . Do you know St. Stephen's, Gloucester Road 1 The vicar, Lord Victor Seymour was very nice to Daddy when he was first in London. He was a fe llow curate of Canon Burton's. We sha ll be going to Stratford-on-Avon soon. It is just a little way from here, and will be very interesting. We must find a fine day, however, of which there seems to be a scarcity Mother and Daddy send their kind regards. I am, your most affectionate pupil, DOROTHY L. SANDSTON London, N W., C o High Commissioner for N .Z., 13 Victoria Street, London, S.W April 26th, 1916. Dear Sister Winifred,-You see I am writing again very soon after my last letter , but to-day we went to the Sisters, to see them. We found the Reverend Mother at Kilburn, and she was very sweet to us, and showed us all over the home; we were very fascinated by it, and the sweet little children -they are all so happy We saw them having their baths, and mother was quite amused by the gravity with which they folded their garments, and laid them on the top of each other The chape l is beautiful. Indeed it is more lik e a church. How beautiful the paintings are by the sister of eighty-five-they are really marvellous. The church embroid ery was simply marvellous. I do think it is so wonderful. Th ere was one girl there who was deaf anrl lam e, and she was making the most marvellous lace, on a pillow, with pins, and spools . Also, the picture of the Bishop of London, all sewn with silk. The children were so sweet and confiding. One came up to mother and said, "I'm better; look, I'm better," showing her neck. Mother was very amused, and answered, '' Oh, I am glad to hear that; I don't know what was wrong, but I'm very glad, all the same." We saw Sister Verity, and she said that they lon ged for you back. I said, '' Ah, yes, but we don't want her to go back.'' She sent her very best love. I gave your message to the Reverend Mother-that you sent your love, and she asked me to give you hers. She said that Sister Kathleen was away on her holiday
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Mother was much dmpressed -by the , happy .and homelike look of the children. They ran to us and to Mother at once, and one · held up a dilapidated a:ninµll, which might have been a cow, . and might have been a pig, but which I was informed was . a horse, for me to kiss, which I dutifully did. They were very interested in our muffs, and orl~ wanted to know if they ~ere cats or dogs, and was very interested when told that they were foxes. One took hold of mother's hand and said "Come and look at mv house," to which we were duly escorted. There was a very fierc'e doggy animal, resembling a cross between a tiger and a zebra which we were told triumphantly was called "Cresar." ' ' 'Ye enjoyed looking over the Home very ·much, and came away feeling so glad we had seen it. The children wer·e so sweet, and so happy and well cared for. We sail soon for the United States, where if we are spared to reach there, we hope to stay some months. We thought of you all on Good Friday, at the three hours, and also at Easter ; indeed, I did think of you. With v~ry kind regards from mother and daddy, I am, your most affect1onate pupil, DOROTHY ·L. SANDSTON. '
S.S. Nieuw . Amsterdam, .. May 22nd, 1916. Dear Sister Winifr ~d,-I suppose ·you will be· surprised hear that we are on our way to New. York, and safely out of the danger zone. If we are spa,red we shall be in New York the day after to-morrow ' ·. · ' As you see, we are travelling on a Du.tch liner, which calls at Falmouth, and which we like very mueh. She is very large and beautiful, nearly 18,000 tons, and everything that could be desired. In fact, &he is a :floating palace, and we should like to travel in her, even if there were no war. · Of course, it has -been: ·very rough, and I have suffered horribly from mal-de-mer, as I. am a wretched sailor. We do not really know our plans, ·as it fs not 'safe' to ·make them these days. We had rather a fright in the danger zone. It was very foggy and the boat was going very slowly and sounding the fog horn every three minutes, when we saw a stick sticking right out of the water, and of course every one thought it a periscope, and was duly alarmed. However r it did us no harm,, This is a very cosmopolitan boat. There are Dutch, mostly, on .it, and Americans, French, Belgian, Mexican, and British, so there are a variety of languages. . With love from mother, believe me, Your affectionate pupil, · DOROTHY SANDSTON.
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The First Day of Term. FORMS IV AND V At the commencement of the term, When we sweet girls did here return , There was something in the atmosphere Which bred in us an unknown fear
"\¥hen in the hall we were assembled. 'Tis true we all stood up and trembled; As Sister came inside the door We felt like falling through the floor With a stern voice did Sister say '' You girls have finished now with play, The Staff and Sisters we have thought, To do your lessons as you ought. You must away with useless pleasure, And banish all your hours of leisure , By giving tests which make you learn Better than you did last term.'' And Ruth, and Joan, and Winifred, Could give us prefect's marks, they said, To keep us good and orderly, If otherwise we wished to be. And thus by all these rules were taught To act as ladies really ought; And now St. Margaret's, as you see, Are as good as any school could be.
Norfolk Island. (W
CuLLWICK.
Norfolk Island is a small island which lies to the east of Australia, in the Pacific Ocean. The convicts were the first settlers after the island had been discovered. They built a huge stone prison, the remains of which are still to be seen. It takes the ships that come to Norfolk Island about a week from Sydney, allowing a day for them to stop at Lord Howe Island, but it really depends upon the weather 'l'here is a long stone pier for passengers to land on, but the ship does not come right up to the pier as it is too rocky and too
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.shailow, _so it anchors some distance away Then you finish the rest of the · journey in a rowing boat, which is very pleasant in a calm sea. There are several places where ships are able to anchor, · but sometimes it is too rough for passengers to land anywhere, so that they have to pass on to the other islands, which is very" , disappointing to the people on the shore, after waiting -for the mails for a month or two. There , is a cable · station on the islai:l.d; a little · while ago the Germans cut th·e cable but left the island alone, as it would not hav:.e been · of much use to them. Everyone naturally got · an awful s~re, as well' they might. There is a beautiful chapel in the Mission, which was built in _ memory of Bishop Patteson; who was killed -by the natives long ago. The Mission has her own boat, which is the Southern Cross. After sailing round · the islands it traYels to Auckland and :Sydney. It also brings up some boys and girls to the Melanesian Mission to be educated. • They are also t.aught farming, and know how to play cricket and football, which they are very fond of. Some ·of them are very handsom~, p.nd liave thick curly hair that grows like a bush on · the top of their heads. If ·they were to put on a hat, it ~ould be on top of their hair instead of the :head. Neither boys nor girls. wear shoes or hats, as the climate is very hot. Sometimes one sees a boy with an old straw hat on, . just having a bit of fun. The married natives live in little cottages . of t1'eir own under · -what is called '' The Pines,'' ·as there are pine trees surrounding the place .. Going by, one generally hears squeal~ng babies,. who are horribly deafening. . . Each lady in the Mission has a house with .a certain number ,of girls whom she trains. They have to .help with the house work, which they soon · get to like, and also the gardening, of which they are very fond. Every afternoon the girls go for a walk with their mistress to the bush, where they have to bring back light firewood. They tie it up into bundles; which they carry on th~ir backs or their :heads. On Saturday, of course, they have a holiday, on which they are allowed to cook their own dinners, which they enjoy very much. The boys generally go out fishing, and come back laden with fish, Which they give away. Sometimes to girls are allowed to go, too, if a mistress is able to take them, for they are not allowed to go by themselves. When the boys see the Southern Cross coming in on the horizon, no matter how early it is, they ring a big bell arid shout at the top of _their voices, which are very loud. The reason they do this is to show their joy at :Seeing their, ship, as they call it. For it brings them letters and ])resents from their parents, such as bread fruit, cocoanuts, and
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other different native foods that cannot be grown at Norfolk Island. Mota is the language that is spoken in the Mission. It is very easily picked up after hear~ng it for a few weeks. It would be very strange for visitors to go to a Mission service, as it is all spoken in Mota . When the natives want to have a dance they light a big bonfire, paint themselves up, put on dancing clothes, and put feathers in their hair If they happen to be short of them they chase the roosters that they see about and pull out their feathers, until the poor things have no tail feathers left. The boys are very good swimmers, as they are practically brought up to it. As soon as they are able to walk their parents throw them into the sea, and leave them to get out as best they can. Beautiful mats and baskets, and different kinds of things which the natives make by hand come from Florida and the Solomon Islands, and other different islands . When the boys sweep the Mission roads they tie branches together and use them instead of a broom. There is a beautiful avenue of pines, with two hundred on each side, on the island, which is commonly called '' The Mission Avenue," as it goes right through the l\fission. The Norfolk pines are unlike any other; they grow a tremendous height with enormous trunks, and with pine needles that are very pretty There is a mountain which is called Mount Pit . It was once volcanic, but it is now extinct. The huge boulders that were blown up rolled for miles down into what are now people's paddocks, and are still to be seen . If one were to dig a deep hole in the top, it would suddenly become hollow You are able to see 'rhe all over the island, which is magnificent on a fine day mountain is covered with beautiful bush, except the top, which is quite bare. There are all kinds of berries which one can eat. The bushes are thick with beautiful native trees and lovely vines creeping up the trees . The most striking things are lovely great palms, and fir trees that grow to a great height. The ferns , are simply glorious, as they grow here and there in the cracks of the huge boulders. 'rhe birds also attract one's attention. Parrots . are common birds on the island. They make a tremendous noise when they see you. 'l'he boys sometimes catch them and take them back to train them. There are other pretty birds, too, especially the native birds. One need not be afraid of starving in the bushes, for one comes across the places where there are passion fruit creeping up the trees and along the ground, and the berries would serve as food, too.
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Once every year people go . to an island two miles away, which is called Phillip Island, for 11eagulls' eggs. T~ soil of this island is red, and covered with pine trees. There are a few rabbits, too, but as soon 88 they see anyone coming they rush back to their holes before one has time to see them. The eggs they get ot? this island are exactly the same as a hen's egg only they are covered with black spots. They are delicious to eat when cooked properly Riding, fishing, and bathing are the sports people delight in. There are glorious places for bathing, and on a hot fine day the aea is just like glass in the bays. Of course there are no such thing 88 motors. If a horse were to see· a bicycle it would shy and try to bolt. 'l'ropical fruit grows very well, especially oranges and bananas. People say_tha.t Norfolk Island oranges are the best one can ge,t. PBBSionfruit, guavas, and loquats grow wild all over tlie place. Instead of 'having· orchards for their fruit, people have valleys, which are lovely and cool in summer. Yams and kumeras are grown in the mission. Kumeras a.re commonly called sweet pqta.too;;;that is the native name for them. In the Islands the yams grow as tall as a. six-foot man. They are cooked just like potatoes, and when ·cooked nicely are beautiful to eat. There are one or two stores on the -island from which you can get small things such as butter and eggs, but you have to order from Sydney to last a month. · Norfolk Island is a lovely place for a holiday, b~t when one has been there for a few months one begins to grow tired of it, and wish to see a bit more of the world.
An Unpleasant Occurrence at a Picnic. . (BONNIE
.. YOUNG.)
A picnic party had been talked about for a long time, and at last had come a fine day . . A roomy hamper was packed with good things to eat, the thought of which made everyone's mouth water. A waggonette was hired to convey the party to the chosen woods, and, on the journey the impatience of the younger members was remarkable ; no doubt they were thinking about .the hamper. On the arrival at the woods a ·cool spot was chosen for luncheon. A white cloth was laid on the grass, and then, almost hidden by the eatables. Some of the party planned to do a little exploring, _ while the rest remained behind to boil the water, which seemed to take an unusually long time. When at last it began to steam the absent ones were n~where within earshot, so the others left their post of duty and went off in search. On
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the lunchward way a noise which came apparently from their destination , made everyone start and look at each other They hurried forward, and then saw standing on the white cloth a great Jersey cow ! Everybody gasped in unison. One of the great hoofs was resting in a glass dish of calves'-foot jelly; soft drinks were wending their way among pie ces of broken glass; while, reposing in a large bowl of strawberries and cream was a cold chicken! Perhaps you can imagine the groans that arose from the entire hungry company and with what vicious thumps and words , the cow was driven away Luckily there was a little food left in the basket for afternoon tea , and it was a very solemn and sad party that sat down to eat it.
" Lyndyn, the City of the Lake." BELLA
HE.\D.
Early history tells us that London was probably a larg e swamp, and the few huts were the beginnino· of the world's most famous, and largest city of to-day '' Lyndyn , the City of the Lake , '' ·was the name given to the little town, built by the wild men whom the Romans found there. It was situated on rising ground, above a tidal estuar.v and the surroundings were mostly swamps, with undulating hills , cut through at intervals by rivers and streamlets running into the Tham es, th e great waterway to the sea. The names of the hills are historical. To the north are Hampstead Heath and Highgate, and between those 11ills and the Thames is Notting Hill. The innumerable streams running through small valleys to the Thames also leave their marks to-day in the names of ·wellknown London places . W estbourne Park and W estbourne Grove get their names from a stream of that nam e running between Notting Hill and Tyburn Hill. Oxford Circus stands upon a small hill situated in Central London , and along its eastern side ran the river Fleet, from whi ch Fl eet Street, the centre of the newspaper world, takes its nam e. Crossing the Fleet we come to Ludgate Hill, upon whi ch St. Paul's Cathedral stands . Lastly, we come to Cornhill, whi ch was probably the site of the first British Settlement, and it is from this hill that the inhabitants obtained their best view of the Thames. Between Ludgate Hill and Cornhill runs the Wall Brook, which washed the base of the camp on Cornhill. The Holebourne ran into Fleet River and up its tidal €st uary ships used to sail as far as Oldbourne Bridge . An
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historian says, '' In times past the course of water running at London under Oldbourne Bridge and Fleet Bridge, into the Thames, had been of such breadth and depth that ten or twelve ships' navies at once, with merchandise were wont to go to the aforc,eaidBridge of Fleet, and some of them to Oldbourne Bridp.'' It is not certain whether Holborn, as we know it now, deri'V81 ita name from the Holebourne or from another stream calledthe Oldbourne. Belides the streams and hills, springs and wells have left their mark on the names of London, as well as the rivers that have been mentioned. The rivers are still in existence, but their COU1'188have been altered by the drainage system of London. Of London we have a ,picture of what the city was in 1190, 111described by an historian of that age, and we can compare it wit.h the world's great city of to-day. Fitzstephen says, '' There is about London on the north side excellent suburban springs, with sweet, wholesome, and clear water, that flows rippling over the bright stones; among which Holy Well, ,Clerkenwell, and Saint Clement's are held to be of most note.''
PRIXTEJ) WHITCO:\tBE.
A~n
CllRTSTCRl
HY TO'.'JBS HCH,
LIMTTEH,