No. 10
ST. MARGARET'S COLLEGE MAGAZINE Beati Mundo Corde.
(tbri11trhnrch : PRINTED BY WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED, CASHEL STREET.
1917
OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL JOAN CARRINGTON { RUTH GOOD BRENDA KISSLING
Prefects
LILLA LEACH DOROTHY GRANT GWEN JONES 1 LESLIE· SPEIGHT (
Committee Girls Orderlies :-
ANNIE HUNT BRENDA KISSLING MARY Ross LUCY Hooo
Form VA Form VB Form IV Form IIIA
MARY CHECKLEY l NGAIO GARDINER ANNIE HUNT
House Orderlies Captain of Netball
DOROTHY GRAN'r
JESSIE. BLANCH
Vice-Capt�in of Netball
BRENDA KCSSLING
Captain of Tennis
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JOAN CARRINGTON
Boating
Ga11ies CommitteeSecretary Treasurer
FORM MEMBERS ..
Magazi1ie CommitteeEditor Sub-Editor Treasurer
Form Members
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JOAN CARRINGTO� DOROTHY GRANT B�TTY BUCKLEY r JESSIE BLANCH GWEN DUNNAGE •ELAINE BUCHANAN
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THE STAFF:
MISS SMITH JOAN CARRINGTON BRENDA KISSLING ILLA LEACH
DOROTHY SANDSTON t JESSIE BLANCH ROSIE ATKINSON
CONTENTS Photo Sister Nancy's Letter to the School School Notes The Library The Prize Giving 'l'ennis Notes The Entertainment-Rev llfr Mutter Kindergarten Notes Old Girls' Association Notes Navy League Prize Essay-ilf llaymoud Choses Vues en Passant-Une 1'onrisle "Carry On"-Dorothy Scrndslon A Heroine of France-J1idith llfuthias Hiawatha at St. 1VIat·g;i.ret's-J oan Carrington Sylvia in the Sky-Adclie Knight In the Back-blocks-Gwen Dnnnage 'rhe Kaiser-Dorothy Sandslon Photo Anzac Lectures-Gwen Dnnnage, J nclilh illatJi,ias The Silver Birch-Kathleen Banks Ghost Stories-Rosie Atkinson The Royal l◄,ugitive-LesZ,ie peiyht Geoffrey's Adventmes-llfolly Carrington Fairy Gold-Rosie Atkiuson 'rhe Crystal Ball-Marjorie Hill A Midnight Supper Ode to the Editor .Russian Music-Miss Black ..
PAOE
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�t. �argartf s otnlltgt �aga1int. No. 10.
1917
PRICE 1/-
SISTER NANCY'S LETTER TO THE SCHOOL. My dear St. Margaret's Girls,-
It is a year since I first landed in New Zealand, and I cannot let your MAGAZINE be published without thanking you all for helping to make it a very happy time. You have much cause for thankfulness in your beautiful, sunshiny land, and in yom� pretty, modern, up-to-date building. I am sure that each one of you is proud of your school, and so determined that when your time comes to leave it it will have reached one step nearer perfection than when you were admitted. Not only will its traditions be passed on unimpaired by each of you, but you are now working and persevering to raise those ideals to a higher standard. The courtesy and kindness which you owe to each other will be carried out unselfishly, and some times this will have entailed a real sacrifice of time, pleasure and inclination. Is it not most important to cultivate a kind and cordial manner towards every one 1 The kindest action proffered in a brusque, uncourteous manner often defeats its own end, whereas, a kind word, a little considerate act, towards, shall we say, a new girl, brings great happiness, and often strengthens and cheers. '' Charity begins at home'' is such an old saying, and implies that courteous, gentle manners must be practised by all in their daily life and int�rcourse with others. Consideration and. thoughtfulness for our dear. ones, more especially for those of our home circle, always bring their own reward. Of Courtesy it is much less Than Coura,ge of Heart or Holiness, Yet in my Walks it seems to nie That the Grace of God ·is in Courtesy. On Monks I did in Storrington fall, They took me straight into their Hall ; I saw three Pictures on a wall, And. Courtesy was in them all.
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The first the Annunciation; The second the Visitation, The third the Consolation, Of God that was Our Lady's Son.
The first was of St. Gabriel; On Wings aflame from Heaven he fell; And as he went upon one knee He shone with Heavenly Courtesy Our Lady out of Nazareth rode It was her month of heavy load ; Yet was her face both great and kind, For Courtesy was in Iler Mind. The third, it was our Little Lord, Whom all the Kings in arms adored; He was so small, you could not see His large intent of Courte. y
Our Lord, that was our Lady's Son, Go bless you, People, one by one, My Rhyme is written, my work is done.
Your affectionate Sister in Christ, Nancy C. S. C. SCHOOL NOTES.
Many changes have occurred at St. Margaret's since the last MAGAZINE. Sister Winifred has left us for a short time to seek much-needed rest in England, and Sister Nancy is our Head Mis tress meanwhile. We hope to welcome Sister Winifred back soon, but wish Sister Nancy could remain with us also. Madame Gallais has been at $t. Margaret's for several months, and under her able tuition, we all hope to be fluent conversationalists in French. Mrs. Hannafin has returned, much to the delight of the Sketch Club, and is form mistress of II. A. An extra form has been started, under Sister Janetta and Miss. Tobin, an old girl of St. Margaret's.
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The Literary Club has been revived, and two meetings were held last term. At one, Miss Body talked to us about the great part played by women in National Life, by means of Art, Music,
BT. MARGARET'S COLLEGE MAGAZINE
and Literature. Miss Body tQok as her example Queen Margaret of Scotland, and showed how the social life of Scotland was improved under her influence. Miss Black's lecture on Russian Music was thoroughly en joyed by everyone. The songs by Miss Wauchop to illustrate the lecture were applauded enthusiastically, and we all wish another evening could be arranged. After Easter, the school proposes to have a meeting devoted to tableaux from Tennyson.
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On St. Margaret's Day, this year, the school attended a Choral Celebration of the Holy Communion at St. Luke's Church. Mr Taylor had very kindly taught the girls to sing the Service. Afterwards, Mr Fraer gave us a most interesting lecture on his experiences as Chaplain of the Forces. In the afternoon the school was photographed.
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' On October 25th, an important event in the annals of the school occurred. A dance was given by the present girls to the old girls, and during the evening an Old Girls' Association was forl!,).ed. Several times since, the old girls have entertained the present girls, and the Association is now thoroughly established .
A S,chool Choir has been formed, and weekly singing classes are given by Miss Black.
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This term the boarders entertain the day girls and staff every Monday night. Games, dancing, and music make the evening a pleasant one, and very creditable to the hostesses. On one popular evening, each guest appeared as the title of a well-known oook, to be guessed by the others.
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The Annual Bazaar was held on August 25th, at the Day School. On the evenings of the 25th and 26th, an entertainment was held at St. Michael's Hall. The proceeds were given to the Melanesian Mission. Letters were received from Archdeacon Nield, from which we quote the following remarks:'' I w'as delighted to get your letter and cheque. Of course I knew that you had been having a sale for t�e ·Mission, but I had no idea you would get anything like this. I should have called it good if you had got £30 or £40, but £97 is simply splendid, and I know it must have meant a lot of hard work. Please thank the girls for me very much indeed.''
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ST. MARGARET'S COLLEGE MAGAZINE Receipts.
Bran tub eedlework Lower School Donation Entertainment Produce Flowers Soldiers' stall Sweets Tea
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s. d. Expenditure. 2 1 0 Printing 10 4 3 Chairs, etc. 12 0 0 Hall 1 0 0 Miscellaneous 38 18 4 13 5 0 5 13 11 5 6 3 5 12 0 8 14 9 £102 15
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£ s. d. 1 0 0 2 16 0 1 1 \) 0 18 6
£5 15
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Balance for Melanesian Mission, £97
A Committee has been formed by Si. ter Nancy, to manage everything in connection with Game . Cricket has been started, and, although last term little swimming practice was po., ible, Kathleen Banks won the Silver Medal, and came econd in the Swimming Championship Competitions. We hope to hold the Sports on April 14th, and the girls are busy preparing for the event. A very handsome shield for netball, presented by the Com munity, was won by Form V., in inter-form matches. This shield was given at prayers to the winning form, by Sister Winifred, before leaving for England. Several distinctions were gained by the School during the past year Maureen Raymond passed the Matriculation, and gained the Navy League Cup, presented by Mr J J Dougall, for the Secondary Schools' Essay Competition. Joan Carrington completed her Matriculation, and, in Music, Judith Mathias passed the Intermediate Grade of the Royal Academy, and Gwen Baxter gained the A.'f.C.L. A Confirmation was held at St. Luke's on August 17th. The candidates from St. Margaret's were Annie Hunt, Brenda Kissling, Leslie Speight, Mona Gray, Aileen Whitta, Betty Buckley, Nora Foster, Alice Henderson, and Ethel Gough. Last term we were very sorry to lose Zoe Gray, who has been House Honour girl for three years, Winifred Menzies who gained both the School and House Honour Medal last year, Ethel Bridge and Margaret Ensor, who were Committee girls, Gwen Baxter, Maureen Raymond, 1\'Iarjorie Pritchett, Ethel Plunkett, and Gwen Rawnsley
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The new ,girls this, term are A. Brown, M. Rawnsley, E. Belcher, C. Bethune, S. Rud,dock, I. Reeves, R. Hookham, M. Crawshaw,- C. Stewart, R. Hall, B. Narbey, L. Narbey, R. Redp�th, B. Fraser, l\L Ormerod, J. Dixon, K. Wilson, M. Wait, E. Upham, M. Stevenson, A. Brown, J Bourne:
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During Lent, the girls are subscribing to the Belgian Fund, 'and sewing classes for the Red Cross are being held every week.
LIBRARY. '' Rome was not built in a day;'' neither was a school library. Yet St. Margaret's College Library has been begun upon a solid foundation, and, according to the verdict of Miss Body, it is now the "nucleus of a very good library" Sister Norah helped us to inaugurate an era of reform two years ago. The Community has given many. valuable books, and put a selection of. good fiction upon the shelves of every form. Miss Body, Miss Smith, and Miss Winter have given books from time to time, and several girls have shown their appreciation of the library by giving books to it when they left school. Others have given books while they were still at school. . The present girls, therefore, owe thanks to Mona Blanch, Sylvia Fox, Elsa Hartmont, Iris Atack, and Maureen Raymond, who gave books when they left, and to Ethel Bridge, Leslie Speight, and Lilla Leach, who gave books before they left. It remains to be seen what future generations, who have enjoyed the books are going to do.
THE PRIZE GIVING. ( DoROT.HY SANDSTON, FORM Va.) , The wa:i,- has overshadowed functions of every 4escription, both public and private, at Home and abroad� .and for that uni versal reason, the .prµe-giving .at' St. l}'Iargaret's was ;most quiet, consisting only· of a sp.ort programme of music, sing1.ng,. and recitations. Afterwards, in the _school grounds, 'during t_ea,, ap. exhibition of drill and dancin,g was given. The pro�ramme consisted of English recitations by Joan Carrington, Sheila Tobjn, Rosie . Atkinson, and Irene Punnage ; a violin solo by Judith Mathias, French ·re-citations by ·Gwen Rankin, and Dorothy S�dston ; and a piano s<>lo by Gwen . Baxter ; there . were also two songs by the whole School. .
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This year we were very much honoured by having Lady Liverpool as our guest. After the programme was complete<l, she distributed the certificates, which. stood instead of our usual prizes, the money which usually purchases the latter having been given to the Lady Liverpool .Pund. The presentation, which took the form of a cheque, was made to Her Excellency by Zoe Gray and Joan Carrington. After the yearly report had been read by the Rev 1� N 'l'aylor, the Dean, in the absence of the Bishop, made a speech, thanking Lady Liverpool for her presence among us. Colonel Rhodes also addressed the visitor13 and the girls, his remarks being listened to with much attention. Afterwards there was an exhibition of work which had been done during the year TENNIS.
The tennis season began at the en<l of the third term of last year During the September holidays, the courts were top dressed, and courts 1 and 2 had new nets, one of which was presented by Mr F Morrish. The tennis ladder has now every available place occupied, and the poor unfortunate last, is besieged with challenges from would-be champions. So far, no matches have been played, but last term three were played, two of which were won by St. Margaret's. For the firs• time for two or three years, we again played the West Christ church team, and won fairly easily On October 18th, the team journeyed to Rangiora, where a pleasant day was spent, the teams being evenly matched. The match against the High School was played on our courts, and after a hard struggle we were beaten by 61 games to 59. The old girls' match was to have been played on a Saturday in November, but had to be postponed on account of the wet weather It was ultimately played on Friday, December 8th, the present girls winning by 6 games. Out of last year's team we have lost three girls, Zoe Gray, Betsy Reeves, and Gwen Rawnsley 'l'he following were selected to fill the vacancies :-Gwen Dunnage, Ngaire Hunt, and Gwen Jones. Brooches for tennis were awarded to Brenda Kissling and Jess Blanch. In the open handicap tournament, under the auspices of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association, Jess Blanch won the singles, and Jess Blanch and Brenda Kissling, the doubles.
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AN ACCOU.NT OF THE END 0.F TERM ENTER TAINMENT SENT TO '1'HE PRESS B:V Mr MUTTER.'
The scholars of St. Margaret's, Cranmer Square, celebrated th end of the'term by giving two entertainments in,St. Michael's Ha11, Durham Street, and by holding a s.ale of work and produce in the large hall of their own College. The proceeds in each case wil1 ·be devoted to the Melanesian Mission Furid, which will benefi.t ·to the extent of over £50. On both Wednesday and Thursday the children performed before packed audiences, and their smart and clever acting evoked great applause. "Princess Tiny Tot,'' the opening item, played by the ki'il.dergarten infants, at once put the ·spectators into a good humour, for the· little ones acted as only baby children can, with the absence of self-consciousness, and with that wholehearted abandon always so characteristic of the small child. '' Pride and Prejudice'' w�s the second item, and here the girls . of the upper forms did remarkably clevei: work. Miss Joan Carrington, in the part of the Reverend Mr Collins, was especially amusing, whilst Miss Margaret Ensor, as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, mimicked a dame of days gone by, in excellent manner Miss Gwen Jones, as Elizabeth, also did well, whilst lighter parts were played by the Misses Lilla Leach, Muriel Wallace, Marjorie Pritchett, and Winifred Menzies. The third item was dramatisation of Michael Fairless 's '' Discontented Daffodils.'' This called for an ambitious display of costuuies. A large number of girls were dressed in yellow and :green to imitate the flowers; then there was the King and his Consort in gorgeous apparel, with their three princes in white' satin. The Court Herald, Miss Elaine Buchanan, was dressed in green, with an ostrich plume, whilst other Court atten dants were brilliantly bedecked. Miss Mollie Hunt, as the Fairy Queen, was radiant in the conventional costume, whereas the Cuckoo, played by Miss Joan Jamieson, was a bird of rare plumage and a wonderful tail. The daffodils performed country dances in a pleasing fashion, whilst Court dancers threaded the maze of the stately minuet. Interspersed with the acting, musical items were contribut�d on the piano and violin by the Misses Leach, Judith· Mathias, Rosina Halliday, and Gwen Baxter '' Twelfth Night,'' in five acts, conclwled each night's performance, and the hearty applause as the_ curtain fell was well �erited. �iss Joan Carri�jrton, as Orsino, acted well, and _ _ _ Maureen enunciated her awords with qmte.and a masculme touch.talent. Raymond made capital Olivia, showed decided Miss Leslie Speight impersonated Viola, and acquitted herself most creditably. Mi� Brenda Kissling, as Malvolio, brought down the house. The part of Sebastian was filled by Miss Judith
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Mathias, and her encounter with Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch, proved her no mean exponent of the art of fisticuffs. 'l'he Misses Annie Hun.t and Mona Gray acted as the doughty knights. Miss Jessie Blanch played Feste, and seemed nervous in her vocal part, which would have been well transposed to a lower key, but otherwise her acting was doµe with much confidence. The lighter parts were taken by the Misses Mary Checkley, Gwen Dunnage, Ethel Bridge, and Mu e' l Wallace. A little more movement during the speeches wo I d have improved the work, which had just a tendency towards i t e recitative style. The enunciation was excellent, and reflect u great credit on the teacher of elocution. Altogether the Siste s may well be congratulated on the efficiency and talent their pupils so admirably displayed. FORM I., PREPARATORY AND KINDERGARTEN
We are a very happy family at Cranmer House. We were very sorry to say good-bye to the girls who went up to the big school, but we did not mind being left behind. Although we water our garden a great deal, it is very, very dry Our watering cans are not as useful as the big, grey nimbus clouds. During Lent, we put all our pennies into little boxes. On each box there is a Union Jack to remind us that every penny goes to help our soldiers-and they need all that we bring. We are saving up stamps, which we are going to sell, and then we shall send the money to our Orphan in England. We are learning a play to act before you at the end of the term, and we are looking forward to watching you. ST MARGARET'S COLLEGE OLD GIRLS' ASSOCIATION
Sister Nancy called a meeting of old girls on October 25th, to form an Old Girls' Association. Sister Nancy was in the Chair A Committee was formed, and the following officers eleeted :-President, The Sister in Charge; Vice President, Ngaio Marsh; Secretary, Alison Jennings; Treasurer, Norah Tobin , and a Committee of five, two of whom are to retire annually. A dance and supper were provided by the present girls.
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The first meeting took place in .the Armagh Street House on November 18th, taking the form of a Social Evening. Supper was provided by the Committee. Alison Jennings' resignation was accepted with regret, and Winifred Hobbs was elected in her place. A Dramatic Committe was formed, to arrange plays and dialogues for the Saturday in ·Easter Week. The second meeting, a musical evening, was held on February 20th. The attendan'Ce was good, and an enjoyable evening was spent by a11. It was arranged that the Association should clothe an Orphan from St. Saviour's Home. It is.hoped that full particulars will have been obtained by the next meeting.
A Dramatic Meeting will be hElld on the Saturday in Easter Week, and a Literary Meeting on the third Saturday in July OLD GIRLS' NOTES. Ngaio Marsh has been working hard at the School of Art, and has gained several prizes. Janet Storry is studying for her Domestic Science Diploma.
Chrissie Shaw (nee Grigg) has a son, and is living in Richmond, England. Marie Hutton ( nee Rhodes) has returned from England. Adelaide_ Gorton is engaged to Mr. Harris.
Aileen Aitken ( nee Spooner) is living in the country, and · has a little son. Mona Pyne is nursing at Walton-on-Thames.
Margot Hall is nursing in a Red Cross Hospital in Southamp ton. Friede and Joan Burton are living in London.
Alison Jennings has gone to live in the North Island for some time. Marjorie.Boulton is engaged to Mr. Herbert;
Dorothy Dalgety has . returned from England.
Rose Perry, Winsome Brown, and Hazel Evans are teaching in Creche Kindergartens.
Winifred Hobb�, Dorothy Hunt, and Shelia Ogilvie are working in offices.
Iris Atack, Elsa Hartmont, and Dorothy Cowlishaw are learning typewriting and shorthand.
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MISTRESS'S NOTES.
Miss Hughes is teaching in the Girls' Diocesan High School at Auckland. Miss Eleanor Grace is teaching at Kaiapoi. Miss Wene Grace is teaching at St. Hilda's College. Miss Fleming is teaching at Wellington. Mrs. Coates nee Jacobs is living in Wellington. The Secretary of the '' O.G.A.'' would be grateful fQr news of old girls and mistresses.
CLASS "A' PRIZE ESSAY ·written in School 'l'irne. Time Limit, one Hour THE REASONS FOR BRITAIN'S POLICY IN PROTECTING THE SMALL NATIONS. (Maureen Raymond, Form V., Aged 16. The chief reasons for Britain's policy in protecting _the smaller Nations are two in number. Firstly, the love of liberty and justice inherent in British character, and secondly, the preservation of the balance of power England has always main tained the right of every Nation to manage its own affair:, the right of small nations as well as of great. 'l'be real greatness of a Nation does not depend on its size: each Nation has its National ideal, and its part to play in the history of the world. A Nation is greater than an Empire. Great Empires may be built up from several nations by a few powerful men; their weakness may lie in their very size and the number of people they contain ;-they may fall to pieces and leave little or no mark-but the Nations of which they were composed remain. The religion of Europe comes from a little country; the philos ophy and art of Europe come from a little Nation: the laws of Europe are derived from a little city struggling for existence against great neighbours. England herself had her Golden Age, when she was a little country like Belgium, fighting against an Empire as great and as merciless as Germany So England ha,; always recognised the greatness and the rights of the little Nations: she does not, like Germany, believe that all that is big is great. To each of the Nations within her Empire she has given equal rights, and the power to work out its own future. She does not attempt to crush out National life in India and South Africa as Germany has tried to crush it in Alsace and in Poland.
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Another reason why England supports the ,cause of the little peoples is to preserve the balance of power in Europe, and so prevent any one Nation from becoming so powerful that it might think that by force of arms it could subdue the other Nations, and become . the Dictator of Europe. To this end she has maintained the Buffer States-liolland, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxemberg_:_between the Great Powers. Again and again in the past has Belgium become the '' Cockpit of Europe:'' she has been trampled .beneath the feet of contending armies flung across. her frontiers by the great neighbouring Empires. At last these. countries· clecided to guarantee her neutrality, and so protect her from disaster and desolation in quarrels that were not hers. · By this treaty of neutrality England has always stood, and because of the violation of this treaty, she has entered on the greatest of wars. , A few weeks after the declaration of war the Prime Minister of England declared that Britain was fighting for three great principles-firstly for the sanctity of treaties, and the law of Europe; secondly for the liberties of small nations; and thirdly to prevent any Power from dominating Europe. Austria in fringed the right of a small Nation to be mistress in her own house, by her insolent demands to Serbia in Jµly, 1914. Austria has no more power to upset the Serbian Constitution than she has to upset the British Constitution, but she has always claimed the right to ill-treat any small�r states which have the misfortune 'to lie on her borders. Germany violated the sanctity of treaties · by her demand to Belgium in August, 1914. Henceforth the great Nations must realise that racial frontiers are the only enduring frontiers, and that a large country has no right to cut off pieces of her small neighbours and incorporate them in her own frontier. As the great leader of a small peasant Nation, crushed by a huge and- powerful despotism, wrote · mor!l than eighty years ago, '' To remake the Map of Europe, and to re arrange the peoples in accordance with the special mission assigned to_ each by geographical, ethnical, and historic conditions ... : ..this is the first essential step for all.''• *Ma.zv.ini.
CHOSES VUES EN PASSANT _ Une de$ scenes les plus typiqµes vues en Ori.ent est cela d'un mariage nmsulman �u Caire, en Egypte. Le jeune homme de l'Islam lorsqu'il arrive l'age de s'et.ablir, charge sa mere de lui , trouver femm,.e; . il ,se fie l'appreciation maternelle et accepte sans la voir la "]fiancee" choisie. Les deux epoux ne se voient done que le soir des noces.
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Que de surprises ! Quelquefois, il pent arriver quc la Fiancee, depeinte par la mere comme une merveille de beaute, soit borgne ou bossuc. Je ne parlerai pas ici des mariages de riches Musulmans qni sont un melange de traditions arabes et de mccurs europeennes. Pour voir une fete nuptiale telle qu'elle se pratiquait au temps du Calife Haroun-al-Raschid, il faut aller dans le quartier indigene du '' Vieux Caire.'' Un savetier, faiseur de babouches, et habitant du "Monsky" quartier indigene du Caire, bien corm� des touristes) marie sa fille et, selon l'usage, il a depense toutes ses economies pour cette circonstance. La noce promet d'etre magnifique. Il a fait tendre des toiles rouges et bleues sur un long parcours ou cela constitue, sur la chaussee meme, une salle de reception reservee aux hommes. Des lanternes eclairent la foule des invites. Sur une estrade, des musiciens sont installes, assis en tailleur, jouant de la flute de roseau et du tambourin. Au milieu d'eux, un "chanteur celebre" chante et fait delirer d'enthousiasme cette assistance bruyante et chamarree de couleurs voyantes. A l'autre bout de la salle, sur une autre estrade se tiennent ceux qui chantent le ''Koran.'' Entre les deux estrades, les invites se pressent, ils sont composes de parents, d'amis, de voisins et aussi de passants. Tout le monde est considere comme invite dans une noce arabe: riches et pauvres, amis ou inconnus y sont traites avec une meme courtoisie, cette courtoisie seigneuriale qui fait partie des mamrs de l'Islam. Au milieu de cette foule des serviteurs font circuler profusion des boissons douces, des cigarettes, du cafe. Le pere de la mariee, un bel Egyptien a la face de Ramses, vetu d'une longue robe sombre et d'un turbane blanc re�oit et rend avec dignite les saluts et compliments d'usage. Levons le voile impenetrable aux regards des profanes et entrons dans les appartements du Harem. Au milieu d'une chambre meublee seulement de nattes et de coussins, la mariee est assise. Elle a peut-etre quinze ans. Elle se tient droite et les yeux baisses. Elle porte une robe couleur '' Mechmech,'' abricot des colliers, des bracelets a profusion ; sur sa tete un voile paillete de plusieurs tons. Autour d'elle, les autres femmes au nombre d'une cinquan taine tiennent chacune un cierge allume dont la cire pleure de tous cotes. Une vieille femme enveloppee d 'un voile noir, fait des con torsions pour-amuser tout le Harem. La pauvre petite mariee !
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On l'avait promenee la veille et ce jour la, en voiture fermee, aux stores baisses, travers tout le quartier, et cela sans la faire manger ni boire.· Parmi les femmes bruyantes de la noce la jeune epouse garde les yeux baisses et la bouche close. Modeste et grave, elle attend l'heure ou son mari, qu'elle n'a jamais vu viendra la chercher Quand cette heure arrive, toutes les femmes vont se cacher (ne devant pas etre vues par un homme) La mariee reste seule, dans la meme attitude et le visage voile. Le mari entre, ·souleve le voile et. ..regarde sa femme pour la premiere-fois. Alors elle lui baise la main. Lui, pour montrer tout de suite qu'il sera le maitre, il lui marche sur le pied ( tres legerement, je s1,1ppose .. ...) Au dehors- retentit le joyeux you, you, you, you, d�s femmes. Puis, peu peu, le calme se repand dans le qua'.rtier Les- invites se retirent en commentant la generosites du' savetier Les femmes, chantent les charmes de la nouvelle epouse qui, helas ! dans tres peu d'annees n'aura de ses charmes que le souvenir.
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UNE TOURISTE.
TO HIS MAJESTY'S NAVY " CARRY ON "
(DOROTHY SANDSTON, FORM VA.)
Carry. 7 on, Carry on, though the night is long ·and grim, And the battle fierce and bloody, anti your eyes are growing dim. Let the foemen see your val9ur, and before your anger quail! Carry on, Carry on, though your spirits faint and fail. Carry on, Carry on, for the night is nearly o'er, .And with the first gray dawning, you '11 see the far-off shore; Your foes are nearly vanquished, and the fight is nearly done. Carry on, Carry on, and ea�h man to his gun. Carry on, Carry on, for your freedom and ·your life, Behave like British gentlemen, and heroes, in the strife; God and Right are with you, and are fighting on your side. Carry on, Carry on, for your honour and your pride. Carry on, Carry on, for your _C_ountry and your King, For Freedom, and the glorious name that mighty victories bring, For the memory of your comr.ades, who have fought their fight, and gone, And the glory of your Empire, Carry on, Carry on!
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JUDITH MATHIAS, FORM IV It was late Autumn, and a typical autumn day 'rhe sun was shining brightly overhead, but there was a sharpness in the air proclaiming the approach of winter Anyone looking at the little village of L from a distance, could not have conceived a more peaceful picture than it presented, with its small thatch-roofed cottages clustering together, and the spark ling little river threading its way through the green fields. If one, however, came into close contact with the village, the illusion of its peacefulness would be at once dispelled. For what a confusion prevailed in that small village. 1'he narrow streets were crowded with carts and waggons of all descriptions, loaded with household goods, poultry, and all manner of live stock. ·wild-eyed, terrified women, accompanied by weeping children, rushed about hither and thither The few men that were left were all loading the carts with the strength and celerity wrought of desperation. The reason ?-it was not hard to find. Every now and then from across the fields towards St. Quentin could be heard a dull and ominous boom. Every now and then, above the tall, distant pine-trees, could be seen a burst of fire, followed by a faint crash. Just a few minutes back a messenger had galloped into the village and told the priest to see that the people left the place with all possible d espatch, as, oh! dreaded word ! the "Bosches might be upon it at almost any time. That, then, was the reason of it. A little further up the road, towards St. Quentin, stood the cottage of old Mad ame Ducaine, the one time village school mistress of L............. It was a pretty little cottage covered with roses and Virginia creeper Of course, the roses were not in bloom now, but the leaves of the creeper were of a brilliant orange colour, merging into red . In the little porch of the cottage stood Marie Ducaine, the blue-eyed daughter of Jean Ducaine, the village carpenter, who, not a month ago, had died like a hero, fighting for home and country. Marie, outwardly calm, though her brain was in a tumult, was peeling potatoes. She, too, had heard that dull, ominous boom, and knew the danger that threatened. But Marie had made up her mind to remain here with her grandmother who was very old, more than half paralysed, and could not possibly be moved. She had just finished her peeling, and was going into the cottage, when she saw Valete Marmont, her greate5t girl-friend, at the door "Marie" she cried in astonishment, '' not preparing to go yet? I came to see if I could help yon to get away If you have not a cart Jean Caraist says he will lend you one of his. But hasten, dear Marie, many have already
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left the village, and more are leaving now." "I am not going," said Marie firmly '' But you must go Marie, the Bosches .. , '' "Husp," said Marie hastily, "you will arouse my grandmot}ler who is ill this morning. . On no account must she know of the danger. She ·cannot be moved, it would kill her, and so of course X stay with her. '' ''Very well,'' said Marie, sadly, seeing it was useless to argue with her, '' good-bye Marie, mon amie, I shall never forge1Jyou.'' They kissed each other affectionately, and Valete sorrowfully departed. By the evening all had left L . .. .. with the exception of Marie and her grandmother, (for Marie, despite all entreaties, had insisted on remaining with her). Late that afternoon a small handful of French and British men hurried through the village. Seeing no one about, they were quit� satisfied that all had quitted it: After they had gone, Marie went down the road a little way just to see the last of them. Standing with her face towards the sinking sun, she watched them until she could no longer distinguish t!,nything but a cloud of gust. Then she sorrowfully retraced her steps. She was just going to open the cottage door when her attention was caught by something lying on the road. Picking it up, she discovered it to be a diary, evidently belonging to one of the soldiers who had passed. It was written in English, which she could not understand, but thinking it might contain something important, she put it in the pocket of her dress. Half-an-hour later she crept into bed, half sick with fear and loneliness. Meanwhile the roar of the guns grew louder and more incessant. Marie slept little that night, for every time she dosed. off the boom of the guns would waken her. Towards morning the noise ceased, and a death-like silenc,e replaced it.. Marie rose early, and, peeping cautiously through the window, she was horrified to see a cloud of dust in the distance. "It is the Bosches"-the words framed themselves on her white lips. With a great effort she pulled herself together, and, after going into her grand mother's room to see that all was well with her, she lit the fire and prepared breakfast. She was just carrying it in to her grandmother's room when there came a bang at the door, followed by a succession of violent kicks. .Trembling like a leaf, Marie unlocked the door, and opened it, to encounter the burly form of a German soldier with .two other men close at his heels. They pushed roughly past Marie and walked into the kitchen, the first man throwing himself upon the sofa. "Here," he said to Marie, in tolerably good French, '' bring us some food-the best you have in the house-and if it isn't the best... ,,he made an expressive gesture. Trembling all over Marie t>beyed, and went into the larder in se.arch of food. '' Marie, Marie'' came her grandmother's feeble voice from the bedroom. "Whom have
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we here?'' said the German who was on the couch. Lazily he rose, and was about to enter the room where the call came from, when Marie, like a whirlwind, sprang across the room. 'You'll kill her with shock if you enter,'' she sobbed. The German thrust a huge foot, and poor Marie tripping over it fell head long on the floor In doing so, the diary that she had picked up fell out of her pocket. Half stunned by her fall, Marie did not see the man pick it up and examine it interestedly, till he gave a cry of satisfaction, and bade his comrades come and read lt, as he could not quite make it out. Marie, suddenly realising what he was doing, leapt up, and striking the astonished man a stinging blow in the face, she snatched the diary from him anrl started over to the fireplace. ''You throw that into the fire and I shoot'' yelled the German, mad with pain and fury Marie, not waiting a moment, flung the book into the heart of the flames, and then looked the German full in the face. The next moment a shot rang out, and Marie, with a little cry, fell. Three minutes later she died, but not before she had seen the diary reduced to ashes in the flames.
HIAWATHA AT ST
MARGARET S.
JO.AN C,IBRING'l'ON, FORM VI. Then the little Hiawatha Wished to learn the game of netball, Learn its rules, and all its secrets, How to throw the ball up smartly, How to pass to his companions, -Not to the opposing fo:rwards How to shoot when in the centre. Then Iagoo the great boaster, He the wondrous storyteller, He the traveller and the talker, He the friend of old Nokomis, Said to little Hiawatha, "Go my son unto St. Margaret's, To the playground at St. Margaret's, Where the green potatoes flourish, ;where there's nothing else but asphalt. Go and battle with thy fellows, Go and learn thee to play netball.''
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Forth into the playground proudly, All alone went Hiawatha, And his comrades clustered round him, Saying, as they saw his swagger, '' Do not smite us, Hiawatha.'' Said the Fifth Form girl, the Captain, '' Stand YJ)U there, my Hiawatha, And with: all your might attempt to Stop that ball from coming hither, Throw it hard up to the centre.''
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- Presently did Hiawatha See the netball thrown towards him, Flying through the air towards him, As a hawk swoops through the forest, Swoops. upon a startled tui, And he raised his hands and caught it, Gazed to right and left bewildered, 'Cried· aloud, "Where shall I throw itY" Then the whistle sounded shrilly, And the ball was taken from him. Then the little Hiawatha Kne_w that he had done some evil, And he said unto the Captain, "How has Hiawatha erred T" And the Fifth Form girl, the Captain, Hiawatha made goal thrower, As for back he was .not suited. And when now he saw the netball Coming through the air toward him, Now he caught and held it fin:nly, Threw it in the air above him, Lo ! it hung above the goal post ·For a second hung above it, Then fell cleanly through the goal ring. And his fellows clapped and shouted, Shoute� ''Goal'' in ·merry chorus. Then the little ·Hiawathi Back returned home in triumph, Back to praise the goal he won, and As he went he sung and shouted, "I have_ conquered, oh iny father, I have shot a goal,_my mother." And Iagoo and. Nokomis Hailed his coming with applauses.
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IN
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SKY
ADDIE K TIGHT, FORM IV
Sylvia was a little orphan girl who stayed with two old inn keepers. She was only eight years old, but she helped with the wqrk, and thus paid for her food and bed. One day she ran away into a wood and lay down, where she soon fell a leep. When she awoke it was dusk, and as she looked round he saw a dusl-y fairy walking along the path. The fairy had a black go samer dress on covered with silvery stars, a moon in her hair, and a comet on her wand. "Sylvia," she said, "would you like to come to the ·ky with me 1'' ''Oh! yes,'' answered Sylvia. So Night-for that was the fairy's name-took her hand, and led her to the foot of what looked like a hill of mist, but which she found out was a rainbow Night first gave Sylvia a pretty frock with wings upon it, and then they mounted the rainbow "Before you can reach the Moon, Syl," said Night, "you must cross the Milky Way alone. You will not be afraid, will you 1'' ''Oh, no,'' replied Sylvia, and so when they reached the rainbow-top they flew away "Look, look!" cried Syl, "what a pretty star-and see it has a tail." "Yes, that is a comet," said Night. "Oh! I w'ant to see it,'' Syl exclaimed, as she turned to fly after it. ''Halloa, little comet," she said cheerily, "why do you go so quickly-I can hardly keep up with you 1'' The comet laughed scornfully, ''Why!'' he said, ''because I've got to. I was a servant to the old Man-in-the-Moon, and because I would'nt do as he wanted, he doomed me to rush round like this.'' ''Oh!'' Syl said sym pathetically, but the comet had gone. As she turned, she saw a meteor, and flying up to him, spoke in a friendly fashion, but he replied quite rudely At that moment Night came up. "How dare you insult my visitor, " she said, as she touched him with her wand. Immediately he began to fall, and was picked up next day on Earth-a piece of meteoric iron. 'l'he Milky Way was hard to cross, being just like a maze, but Sylvia contrived to find her way, and at length reached the Moon. When the palace was reached the old Man--in-the-Moou was having his supper with his granddaughter, the Princess Luna, who was also heiress to the kingclom. After Sylvia had had some supper, Luna took her to see the volcanoes near by, and there, sitting on the side of one of them was the old Woman-who-sweeps-the-cobwebs-out-of-the-sky with her broom and basket. Luna also took Syl ·to see the wonderful moon-stone mines near the volcanoes.
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As they neared the edge of the Moon they saw a huge tree the Dreamland Tree-and Poppeia, the Sleep Fairy, lying under it. As they came nearer, she jumped up, and Syl saw that sh� was clad in white with poppies in· her hair and hands. ''Oh, dear! It's time I was shaking some dreams down for the tiny children,'' she said, as she shook the tree, and what looked like a waterfall fell from the tree o_y�r the edge of the Moon. Just then Night called �lvia and Luna to join in some dances at the palace, and at the close of them, Night said that Syl must travel to the Earth, so they started down the Moon's Path which was over the sea-Night walking, and Syl skipping by her side-until Syl's home was reached, where she was very glad to share some of the children's dreams which Poppeia sent to her
IN THE BACK-BLOCKS.
0
A TRUE STORY. (GWEN DUNNAGE, FOBH IV) A friend of mine named Dick Thorpe, had dropped in for tea, and boiled eggs were brought on to the table. ''Oh,'' said he chuckling, ''that reminds me of a funny incident, while my friend Humphries and I wete batching up the rountry Early in the morning we had gone out to grub manuka, which overran our paddock, and had not bothered to clean up our shack, but had just cut ourselves a few sandwiches for lunch, and set off. Towards dinner:time, who should appear but the member for our district and his friend Jones, who was motoring him round the country. What.were we to do? They must stay for lunch, as it was nearly lunch time now. 'Quick,' I whispered to Hum phries, 'You run up to the shack and clean it up a bit, and see what you can find for lunch, perhaps some eggs, as there is_ no .meat in the house.' Off he went, and I started talking to Burke, the member, and Jones and I kept him out there until I thought Humphries would have .things ready Then I . proposed going back for lunch. Good! Humphries had evidently found a nest, for he had boiled nineteen eggs. We were talking, and I was not noticing much, when suddenly I saw Burke and Jones cutting the tops off their eggs, and then throwing the eggs out at the door 'Oh, Oh! I thought, bad eggs.' Aloud I said,'I am afraid your eggs are not good.' 'No, I don't think they are,' he· answered. 'Run out and see if you can find some more, Hum phries,' I said. Soon he came back with- nine. 'I think these
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are all right,' he said. SQ he boiled them, and put them all down in front of me. Now, we were talking politics, and you know how intere. ted you become, you hardly k11ow what you are doing. And without noticing it, I ate all nine eggs myself! Suddenly I noticed Burke spreading his jam ·with a two pronged fork, we having forgotten to �ive him a knife and Jones with a knife with no handle. I apologised as well as I could, but soon had to go out and have a good old laugh behind a tree. Now this is quite true. You can ask Humphrir,;, Bnrke. or ,Tol).es, and they will all say I ate those nine eggs.'' THE KAISER. DOROTHY SANDSTON Who thinks that he is lord of all, That we are at his beck and call, Forgetting pride precedes a fall? The Kaiser
Who '' Hoch der Kaiser'' loudly sings, And war among the nations brings? Who quarrels with his brother kings 1 The Kaiser
Who toasts "der Tao-" with all his might, And urges on his men to fight, Believing Wrono- can conquer Right 1 The Kaiser Who, with a scowl both fierce and dread, "To-night we '11 dine in Paris," said, But dined at home himself, instead. The Kaiser
Who wished the whole world 'neath his sway, And solemn treaties did betray 1 Who '11 kneel and lick the dust some day? The Kaiser
And who at last defeat will see, To St. Helena banished be, And never more again be free 1 The Kaiser
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ANZAC LECTURES. (G. DUNNAGE, J. MATHIAS.)
An interesting lecture on Anzac, -by Sapper Moore-Jones, who was present during the fighting on Gallipoli, was given in February. He also sho�d a number of beautifully drawn sketches, which he used to explain his lecture. These sketches were drawn by himself. Sapper· Moore-Jones commenced by giving a vivid descrip tion of the landing on April 25th, , 1915. It was not the .authorities' intention for them to land at Anzac Bay, but four miles further up the coast, where the Turks were all in readi ness for them, having found out where they were to land.. They had mined all the sea, and put barbed wire under the water, and also had all' their guns there, so had our men attempted to land there it would have ended in disaster. But owing lo the intense darkness of the night they drifted four miles further down the coast. The landing commenced early on the Sunday morning, and the Turks, from their high position on a ridge a little to the north, were able to train all their guns upon our men, sinking many of the boats, and turning others adrift. The lecturer showed several realistic sketches of the almost impregnable heights upon which the Turks were en trenched, and which, upon landing, we immediately stormed. Scaling the heights our men commenced vigorously attacking the enemy, who -were so astonished at this sudden onslaught that they fled from ridge to ridge, pursued by the infantry. But the Turks kept up a deadly fire from !!nipers and machine guns, causing severe losses. Then the Anzacs had to dig them selves in and hold on in spite of heavy shelling. The Turks had the advantage of a higher position, and could overlook -every movement we m11de. So food, water, and ammunition had to be brought up those ridges under fire, -or· by night: Tracks were cut in_the hill sides, and gradually these were made fairly safe. The lecturer showed sketches of the dug -outs occupied by Ge_neral Birdwood and his staff. He described how the Turkish and British trenches were only •a few yards · .apart, in some cases actually touching. Soon after the landing our m_en saw a boat slowly drifting down the coast, and, thinking it might contain some wounded, a party went out to try and save them, ·but they were killed in the attempt. The -following night another party went out to the boat, and upon reaching it found nine wounded men, whom they safely brought back.
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One sketch showed the lair of a Turkish sniper, who had been let down over the cliff to a rock, where he dug himself into the side of the precjpice. Her.e he overlooked our quarters and could snipe at his leisure. He was discovered through someone's noticing the pigeons that he had let loose. So the place was shelled and the man killed. Then some of our men went up and found a great deal of food and ammunition. It was impossible to advance with the forces that we had, so a large number of reinforcements were sent out from Home. These had to be landed without the knowledge of the Turk, so every night the boat used to steal up, land a few thousand, and steal back again. All these men were hidden in underground caves dug by the men already there. Every morning the Turkish aeroplanes swept over our lines, but could see no trace of the doings of the night before. Thus 25,000 men and all their equipment were hidden away The attack was begun in the south, in hopes of the Turk rushing all his reserves there. This is exactly what did happen, and so the combined troops commenced to attack the impregnable heights in the north. They attacked with such dash and determination that some actually reached the main ridge overlooking the Dardanelles, and if the expected support had come from Suvla Bay, Gallipoli would have been ours, but as it was it was lost £or lack of a ton of water The reserves, who were all un seasoned meri, and were to have backed our men up, were unable to, owing to the lack of water, and so enabled the Turkish reserves to get up first, and drive our men back. The men were practically driven mad with thirst, and as soon as the water was landed by the Navy they knocked down the men guarding it and cut the pipes, thus losing the precious water The lecturer did not dwell on the evacuation, but said in his opinion it seemed a mistake to leave the peninsula. THE SILVER BIRCH. (K. BANKS, FORM Illa.
Once, a long time ago, on a sunny hillside facing the sea, a tall Pine tree grew, and beside it grew a little Birch. The Pine was very proud, and very often boasted about what he could do. One day the Pine said to the Birch '' I can roar as loudly as the sea below on a stormy night, and yet I can sing as softly as a mother singing her babe to sleep.'' He quite forgot that, if it was not £or the wind he would not be able to speak much ' less sing or roar
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The next day a huge wind came and tore ·away all the Pine's beautiful dark green branches. . "Ah!" sobbed the Pine·, "I can sing no more. I should not have boasted. I should not have b�sted. '' A gentle breeze came from over the sea and bent the tall stiff Pine trunk towards the little Birch. "Look how tall and straight I am,'' he whispered. And the little Birch nodded. The next day a great wind came and tore the proud Pine out by the roots. But the little Birch stood untouched. A little cloud came out of the sea and :floated slowly up the hill-side. On it came; it wrapped the Birch round, and then passed on; but instead of leaving a short; crooked, brown barked tree behind, it left a tall, graceful thing, with silver bark, and feathery, trailing branches. A tiny breeze came from over the sea!,. and the slender Birch bent and kissed the long trunk of the fallen Pine at her feet.
GHOST STORIES.
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( RosIE ATKINSON, FORM Illa.)
There is hardly a village in England which has not its legends and ghost stories, many of which the inhabitants believe. At night, about Christmas time, when the wind is whistling round the house, and a huge log fire is burning on the hearth, throwing light and shadow on the dark wood-work, the family gather round the fire, roasting chestnuts and telling ghost stories. Sometimes they are of a door which keeps opening and shutting as if by invisible han�; or of a hollow oak in the Manor house garden, in which one of their ancestors is supposed to have died; or of an ancient grandfather clock which strikes thirteen times instead of twelve, when one of the family is about to die. Just then a clock strikes, and they listen, awe-struck, counting the chimes. Then someone tells. of an old highwayman.who was killed near by, and who still haunts the very rooµi. in which they are sitting. .Everybody shivers, and as the firelight flickers in a dark corner, throwing uncanny shadows into it, there can be seen the dusky :figure of the long-dead highwayman, dressed in the· style of the Georges, wearing a dark mask. Tl).e fire dies down, and he can be seen no more, but everybody feels he is still there, looking at them.
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A chestnut bursts out and flies on to the hearth rug. They all start, and somebody else tells another story 'l'his time it is abolLt a prisoner in the time of Henry VIII., who was accused of a fault that had been committed by somebody else, and who was im prisoned in the dungeon of a ruined castle about a mile away He, too, is supposed to haunt the neighbourhood, and at certain times of the year one may hear the clanking of his chain . At that moment a dog barks, and the :fire again lights up the dark corner, showing the :figure of an old man dressed in tattered doublet and hose, with chains hanging from hi hands and feet; but he also vanishes at the will of the fire, and all that is left is the dark room, lit by the flickering light of the dying fire, the chestnuts roasting on the hearth, and the circle of eager faces. looking towards the corner where the old man had been seen. THE ROY AL FUGITIVE. LESLEY SPEIGH'l', FORM Va.
I have a little boat waiting, Down on a sheltered beach, ·waiting for you to sail away Out of the traitor's reach.
Cumberland's soldiers arc coming Over the sea from Mull, But we'll steal away in the silent night, When the tide is at the full.
We will sail away from Scotland, Land of moor and heather, To the land of France so sunny and fair, In our little boat together For there wait loyal Englishmen To place you on the throne, Go with you to your own fair realm, And give you back your own.
Farewell to this lonely island! Yet some wine before we go. I drink the health of Charles our Prince, God guard him from the foe.
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GEOFFREY'S ADVENTURES. (MOLLY CAKRING'rON, ·FoaM Ilb.)
·"Geoffrey," called a sharp voice. "Yes; Aunt," said a small boy poking a dirty face ·out of a hollow tree. "Oh, you dirty, naughty, little boy,'' cried his au'bt, 'you keep me hours ironing your,suits, but I shall have a rest now, for I have decided to send you to a boarding school.'' Geoffrey's eyes filled with tears, he had often been told about it, but to go would be too awful. "You are going to:-morrow," his aunt continued. The next day came, and Geoffrey went. He arrived at school late at night, and went straight to bed., The next morning he came down at a quarter to seven. Breakfast passed all right, but when school began, Mr Fawn, who was his master, said, ''Twice twenty, Geoffrey,'' Geoffrey stood up and answered. "Not you," said Mr Fawn, "You are not Geoffrey." "Yes I am." ''You are Brown.'' "That's not my name. It's my father's name. I won't be called by my wrong name.'' "You will be called Brow:t;1," said the master. ''You are a naughty man,'' cried Geoffrey "Go and stan<'). in the corner." Geoffrey sulked until dinner, then he made up his mind to ru� away As the boys were going out, he slipped out and ran down the lane. Soon he lay down, but he did not-mean to go to sleep, he wanted to rest. Then he remembered that his father and mother were coming home from the country to�day, coming by that very. road. Just then he saw some boys chasing a butter fly. He jumped up in a minute and caught holq of one of the boy's legs. The boy fell to the ground. As Geoffrey sat down, the butterfly came and perched on his shoulder, and he saw that there was a little fairy ·on it. ''I will give you three wif!hes for saving my life,'' said the fairy "May I be a fairy and know the way to fairyland, and father and mother be made rich, and all of us have happiness the rest of our lives,'' said Geoffrey; ''All right,'' said the fairy Geoffrey then found himself quite small and· flying about with wings like rainbows. The other fairy showed him the way to fairyland. Geoffrey flew to the road and saw his parents coming home. He flew to them and told them the. good news. :Mr. Brown wrote to Mr Fawn and said what had become of his pupil. Geoffrey left the school, and they all lived happy ever after..
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FAIRY GOLD. ROSIE A'l'KINSON, FORM Illa.
The fairy queen was giving a ball, And all the flowers were asked to call, It was to begin, When the sun went in, And the moon's soft radiance shone o'er all.
"May we dance in your meadow," the fairies cried, To the farmer grey and old. He answered ''You may If you'11 kindly pay By leaving me some of your fairy gold." And in the morn, where their feet had been, Golden buttercups were to be seen. For a buttercup gold, As I've been told, Is the crown that is worn by a fairy queen. THE CRYSTAL BALL.
(MARJORIE HILL, li'ORM Illa.
There once lived, long ago, two little children called Peter and Elizabeth, who had been left alone in the world to earn their own living. Every day they would go out into the woods to gather sticks. One day when the little orphans were gathering their usual daily wood, and the day seemed hotter than ever, they trudged on and on through the wood, sometimes picking wild berries from the wayside, and drinking from the little babbling brooks which had wormed their way down the high mountains to the fiat ground. "Let us stop for a little while and bathe our feet in this cool brook, and then we shall feel more refreshed,'' suggested Eliza beth to Peter "Yes, perhaps we shall feel better," replied Peter So taking off their much battered sandals, they pnt their feet into the lovely cool water of the brook. '' Is it not love-1-ly, '' drawled Elizabeth as her head rested on a mossy bank which was just by "Y-e-es," drawled Peter, also, "What was that1" In the distance was a silvery, glittering kind of ball floating in the air It came nearer and nearer, and at last alighted on a wild rose which was swaying in the summer breeze.
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What did the children see Y Inside the big ball was fairy who lay on a single rose petal. She seemed to look with sad eyes through the transparent ball at the two children. The big, round ball began to move again, and this time glided to the earth; then, just like a bubble, it disappeared, leaving the little fairy on �er rose petal on the ground. '' I knew it would happen,'' wailed the poor little creature. By this time the children were so dismayed that they had riseri. from where they were sitting. '' I knew· it would happen,'' went on 'the little fairy. '' That wretched dwarf told me so, but the rose would not hold my ,crystal ball." "Can we help you," put in Peter. "Yes, you can if you weave all the spiders' legs in this wood for the little dwarf,'' said the poor, little,' down-hearted fairy. '' My name is Princess Sunset; I paint the sunsets, and my father's name is King Sunbeam, he is the ruler of the Sun. On{r day when I was painting the sunsets with my attendants, a little man came up to me in a' Grystal ball, and asked me for my magic brooch, whick cannot be taken from me till I wish it. I said I would not give it to him, and without another word he put me in his crystal ball and we floated away before my attendants had missed me. When we alighted at his Leaf Palace, he said he would put me in a crystal ball until I would give him my magic brooch, and he also said that if I touched the ground iu my crystal ball it would go away,_and a smaller one would come in its stead. And here I am, waiting for my smaller crystal ball to come now,'' 'finished the Princess Sunset, wailing. "We will help you," said Peter, full of rage at the thought of the dwarf, and at that moment �here came a smaller crystal ball with the dwarf inside it. "Now my pretty Princess Sunset, give me your brooch, and. I will take you back to your father at once,'' exclaimed the dwarf to the Princ(lss, as he stepped out o_f the crystal ball. "No, King Dwarf, I won't,"·said the , little Princess, sternly. ''Well, into the crystal ball you go,' · said the dwarf. In stepped the Princess, waving her hand to the angry children, �ho stood open-n_wuthed looki:qg at the dwarf. Three days and three nights did the children work; weaving the spiders' legs together. When it was finished, ,the crystal ball appeared, and out stepped the Princess, beaming with delight. '' Oh, how good you are ! how sweet ! Now will you come with me to say good-bye to 'the Rainbow, for you have broken the spell, and I can go back to my father and' paint my sunsets. Oh, how sweet and kind of you,'' burst out the excited Princess, and --as she waved her brooch in the air, the chil$lren became
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. maller and smaller 'l'he Princess beckoned for them to step into the crystal ball, which they did. They floated on and on, gliding over beautiful palaces, tall trees, and the big expanse of ocean, until they arrived at the Rainbow "Good-bye, dears, and thank you so much for breaking the spell,'' said the happy little Princess. "Good-bye," said the children as they watched the fairy climb up the Rainbow to the Sun, which coveretl her up, until she was hidden from their sight. ''Oh, how cold it i , thought Peter, before he opened his eyes. "Where am I." Why, he had dreamt it! and now the moon was up and was peeping over the tops of the trees to look at the sleeping, smiling faces of the children as they dreamed peace fully '' Elizabeth, Elizabeth, we are still in the wood,'' cried Peter '' Oh, I had such a lovely dream about a fairy Did yo11 Peter1" "Yes, that was it, and she came in a crystal ball." "Oh ye ," laughed Elizabeth. So both the children made their way back to their cottag�, telling, on the way home, the dream they had dreamt. Next evening, both the children watched the sunset, and it was more beautiful than ever it had been before.
A MIDNIGHT SUPPER. A TRuE STORY (FORM Illa.
A midnight supper is all very well, except when one has brothers to reckon with, especially when those brothers are very mischievous, and suspect even the smallest hints dropped con cerning the supper This particular supper consisted of chocolates and lemonade, and was timed to begin as soou as the coast was clear, and the brothers off to sleep. The girls took it in turns to keep watch, and soon after eleven_ o'clock, all was quiet in the brothers' room. One of the committee agreed to transport the provi ions from the place of hiding to the bed, while another girl tried to open the lemonade bottle. At first, this proved to be a hopeless task, but at length, with the aid of a pair of scissors, a loud fizzing noise was made, and a shower of lemonade descended upon the head of the unfortunate girl who had undertaken to
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open the bottle. This, however, was not the end, as the brothers appeared on the scene, and endeavoured to secure the tuck basket and lemonade. A short struggle followed, wherein the lemon ade bottle was passed from girl to girl, and the tuck basket was pushed under the bed clothes, but it was suddenly found to have vanished in the hasty exit of the brothers. The owners chased the thieves and tried • get back their lost property They were successful, and returned in triumph to their bedroom, where they partook of their food. At last, when they were settled down for the night, an alarum was given, and the brothers were found to have returned on another midnight raid. Wet rags and sponges, and dry pillows flew round us as thickly as bullets on a battlefield ; and, in the midst of the excite ment, the small brother was found to have devoured half a box pf chocolates. j About this time the grown-ups were heard coming up the stairs. A hurried scramble followed, every one trying to g�t into bed, and to look as innocent as possible.
ODE TO THE EDITOR.
My head aches, and I cannot write a line, Nor find two words that rhyme themselves at all, Full oft have I invoked the Muses, nine, But they were deaf and co_ld, nor heard my call. Full oft have I with anguish torn my hair, And, seizing Tennyson, have read amain, Hoping to find some new idea, some thought; But l'.!'.I.Y unwearied care Was useless, simply useless, and my gain Resolved itself to absolutely nought. . ' Oh ! for the inspiration, brilliant, strong, That Shakespeare, happy poet I used to know ! Ah, lucky Will, it di�'t take him long To think of what to write, the words would flow Unwearied, I suppose he wouldn't mind Though ordered off to write, without delay, By such an editor, unbending, stern, Almost I said, unkind. He wouldn't care, because he knew the way To write_ a poem, oh ! that I could learn.
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How can I write 1 I know that I shall fail, Even though I incur thy anger dire. Cah I be Keats, without a nightingale 1 Or Dante, with no Beatrice to inspi1:e? 'Tis sure the poets all knew what to write Before they wrote it. How can I compose A '' One word more,'' when nothing else I've said 1 I'm in a sorry plight. Although I've tried, no inspiration flows. So pray, forgive me, Editor, most dread.
RUSSIAN MUSIC. From the very dawn of their history, the Russians have been a singing people. They worked, they danced, they revelled to the accompaniment of music. At the courts of princes the bard, or singer of heroic songs, was a prominent :figure. At the feasts of warriors or merchants, the lyre player was always present. The jesters jested in song, and in spite of ecclesiastical prohibitions of the so-called devil's music, these songs and melodies were hander.I down from generation to generation. These folk songs take for subject the rites of Nature worship. (The return of the sun after the shortest day, the coming of Spring, and the Summer equinox All the dates of importance in the husLandman 's calendar 'l'hese songs were afterwards adapted to the Christian festivals of Christmas, Whitsuntide, and St. John's Eve. The complex ceremony of a peasant's wedding is still accom panied by endless songs. Lyrics of love, warfare, and death are in abundance too. In Russian folk songs the music and words are hardly separ able, and are so often connected with dancing, that the sound of the tune will set a peasant's feet tripping and his hands clapping. These folk songs are not heard to best advantage when sung by people in evening dress on concert platforms. In this form they will soon die out, and as civilisation spreads they will not be heard in their proper surroundings. To save them from loss to future generations, these old tunes are being taken by Russian composers and used as themes or subjects for sym phonies, sonatas, operas, etc., and thus they will live in higher realms of art. When one gets far away from the Russian railway lines, where the old wooden plough is still used, and where men wear
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curious old hats instead of the Western peaked ones, here, the folk song is in its happiest surroundings. The women harvesting in the fields cheer one anothe,r in n. plaintive melody, treated partly as solo and partly as chorus. Among the fields, in the setting sun, so:itg and scenery make a combination of great beauty. The folk songs are disappearing. The people move about from place to plac·e and buy an accordion if they have the money, instead of their native balalaika. With change of instrument comes change of songs. The town songs find their way to the country and a less number of country songs get to the town. In the towns, after the day's work in the factories is done, the young people can't happily sing of the open air and Nature's broad spaces or of the seasons which do not alter the daily factory work; these people therefore sing songs of their Marnsi.n. going to work, and how she goes to the doctor and he sends her to the hospital, and the nurse is asked to let her friend in, and they come in too late, and find Marnsia in the morgue because 8he poisoned herself for love.-Such dreary songs are now taking the place of the happy out-of-door songs of the old civilisation -because .they appeal more to the people in their present life than songs of exploits on the V olger or harvest songs, etc. Army songs are another type, and keep more of their national element. Gypsy songs are often pure Russian, but others have often come from Western Europe. Political troubles have, in the past, prevented the peasants from forming choirs and developing their music, but now things are changing, and choral societies are becoming popular with the working people. Russian Uhurch music is preserved by the unusual ritual that. prevents much alteration in the music. There is in the Churche:,; a. great tendency to nasal sin�ing, but the Russian services never lack a touching note of ''other-worldliness,'' while at its highe.;t the music stirs one in a most subtle way to a humbling and deeply penitent sense of sin. The greatest of Russian musicians have given much attention to sacred music. Tschaikowsky 's liturgy is sung every year at Whitsuntide in the principal St. Petersburg Church. ART MUSIC. The pioneer of Russian art music was Glinka, who wrote the first Russian opera "A Life for the Tsar." It was popular for a time and then Italian opera took hold of Society iri. St. Peters burg. Glinka was the first Russian to use folk song melodies for his operas. Pushkin, the poet, wrote continually of Russia ap.d Russian folk lore in hopes of forming a school of Russian National Art,.
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Dargomyzhsky, another musician, wrote an opera using a poem of Pushkin's, called '' 'l'he Statue Guest.'' His ideal iu composition was to write music to 1·epresent the true sense of every word of the opera. When studying, he used to bring his own compo itions to his teacher, and his teacher used to give him bad marks for doing this-told him he ought to do nothing Lint exercises. I only wish some of my pupils would do this occasionally I would not give them any bad marks I am sure Early in the 19th century Russian composers banded together and formed what was called the 'Mighty Clique. ' 'l'heir object wa.-; to carry out Glinka's idea of a National School of Music. 'l'he five members of the '' Mighty Clique ' were Balakeref, Renisk Korsakof, Borodin, Moussorgsky, and Cesar Cui. Balakeref was the chief of the five by reason of his great creative power Moussorgsky wrote a very great opera Boris Godonov,'' and looked upon his music as being a help to human intercourse, thus hating the saying '' Art for art's sake.'' Pushkin, the poet, tried to express the national spirit iu poetry, and these tive musicians followed him in trying to express this same national spirit in music. Their method was to study folk song·, and then use them as leading themes in their music. The greatest opponent to this School of Nationalism was Rubenstein, the great Russian pianist. He considered that music should be cosmopolitan, or in other words, that it should represent all natures, and not belong to one country or one people alone. Rubenstein's power in the musical world, as the greatest pianist that has ever lived, was very great. About this time, 1862, be was made 1st Director of the great St. Petersburg Conservatoirc. It was largely due to his efforts that this great music school was established. He founded the Russian Musical Society, which has now branches all over Russia, and this Society has done much to raise the standard of musical taste. He was one of the most popular figures in the Russian capitals. His huge, bulky body, and great Beethoven-like head with its masses of hair, was familiar to all. Rubenstein's piano touch has been talked of as unsurpassed by a.ny other pianist, and his interpretations of great classics were said to be re-creation of the works. Ile composed much music, but he was greater as :t performer than as a composer His great piano concerto was played by a Russian pianist recently I hope some of you went to hear it. Trained in the Conservatoire, under Rubenstein, and thus apart from the '' mighty clique,'' was Tschaikowsky He was made a professor in the Moscow Conservatoire. His first popu lar compo. ition was an opera '' Engen Onegin,'' a setting of Push kin's best known poem.
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'..l'he Czar has called his two daughters Olga and Tatiana after the heroines in the opera, and his example was eagerly followed. Many lines of the poem are household words, and the tunes are hummed by every one in the Russian towns. A sacred oratorio called "Joan of Arc" has a very beautiful solo in it. As a composer of symph�nies, Tschaikowsky is greater still. He wrote six. His life was a very sad one, and he had a profound and certainly saddening sense of the complexity of life, and the inexorable movement of fate. His music expresses so often the beauty of defeat and loss, and the yearning of a soul in its struggle against over-ruling fate. This yearning sadness is mo;:;t beautifully expressed in his sixth and greatest symphony called '' The Pathetic,'' composed just before his death, 1893. Its construction is unusual. The second subject is at a different rate of movement from the first, and the last movement is a slow one, quite contrary to the. usual Sonata form that is used for most symphonies. Glazonnof wrote seven Symphonies.· Liadoff. was professor in St. Petersburg Conservatoire ; both were pupils of Rimsky Korsokof. Stravonisky is a writer of most original Ballet music. Arensky was a follower of Rubenstein, and a professor at Moscow Conservatoire. The most discussed of modern Russian writers is Scriabin, a pupil of the Moscow Conservatoire. He aimed at representing the finest shades of religious and artistic emotion in his music. Art was religion, and religion was something embracing art to Scriabin, and he tried to compose music that would arouse in his hearers an ecstasy to transport them to higher planes of nature. lri "Prometheus," Scriabin has endeavoured to use coloul' to help with the music to arouse these sensations. Every one has been quite mystified on hearing these works, and it remainR for time to show whether this writer is opening up new plans for the future music of the world. Numerous free schools of music are now being established over Russia, and music is thus being brought to a higher standard among the poorer classes. After the war there will very likely be a great revival of the art, for '' Arts flourish in times of peace.'' Great victories will have to be commemorated, ' and the joys of peace and home coming will be mng by the people all over the land. War-stained heroes and their valiant deeds will form themes for poets and musicians. May that time of peace not be far distant for Russia and her A11ie11.
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