1915 SMC Yearbook

Page 1



No. 7

COLLEGE ST. MARGARET'S MAGAZINE

Beati Mimdo Corde.

00

..

<!l,IJrisfc(JurclJ :

PRINTED

BY WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED, 1915

CASHEL STREET.



OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL

Prefect

ZOE

Committee Girls

GRAY

1

ELSA HIRSCHBURG SYLVIA Fox IRIS ATACK

Orderlies ·-

Form V

ELSA

HIRSCHBURG

Form IVA

IRIS

ATACK

Form IV A Domestic

GRACE

Form IVB

BRENDA

Form III

NANCY

MORRISH

House Orderly

GRACE

GARDINER

Captain of Hockey Team

LENA

GRAHAM

Basket-Ball Team

IRIS

ATACK

Tenn1·s Team

ZOE

GRAY

" "

GARDlNER KISSLING

,JI


CONTENTS PAGE

Officers of the School

241

The Prize Giving

243

S9hool Notes

245

The School Bazaar

249

The Library

250

Boarders' ·N otec;

250.

Tennis Notes

252

Boating Notes

253

Swimming

254

The Domestic Side of School Life

254

Lower .School Notes

255

Old Girls' Notes

256 CONTRIBUTIONS

Turkey in Europe

257 ·25s

A School Chanty

'260

The Colonies and the Great War

261

Pro Patria

261

The West Coast Mines

262

The Maoris

263

Episode

264

Hobart


No. 7

1915

PRICE

1/

The Prize Giving. LILLA

LEACH.

On _account of the war, _the enter~ainment which is generally given by S. Margaret's pupils at .the Prizegiving was ~ot .held, so for the purpose of presenting the prizes, we met at '' Te Whare," He,reford Street, on the afternoon of -December 16th. We ,,·ere all verv excited, as schoolgirls are on such great c,ccasions, and nothing else had been talked about but . the 'Break-up ," after the examinations were over Early in the afternoon the pupiJ.s were in their places, with joyful anticipation written on their faces, for our girls, even if some of them do not win prizes themselves, find great pleasure in ·clapping the happy winners of honours. · The Bishop, after making his customary speech, in which he spoke of the great war, presented the prizes to the lucky girls, and then the Report was read by the Reverend F N Taylor, of St. Luke's. Although we did not know it at the time , it was the last occasion in connection with the school that our dear Sister Annie would appear She left in the holidays for Australia, where she is living now Of course the great event of the school life was that of the Opening of the New School in Cranmer Square, which was of course spoken of in the Report, and when the happy afternoon was over, we left school with the happy holidays before us anrl pleasant greetings and good wishes echoing in our ears. 1'he following is the list of prizewinners:P reparatory.-Madge Williams, Reading and Spelling; Thelma Kibblewhite, Writing and Brushwork; Vera Fox , .Arithmetic and Reading; Lorna Broadway, Reading and Spelling; Alma Elson, Arith• metic and Spelling; Cicely Christian, .Arithmetic and Reading . Seth -Smith, Divinity, Brushwork and Dra,wing; Form 1.-Joyce .A.my Courage, Divinity, Rea.ding and Composition; Lois Bassett, Reading and Writing; Molly Stevenson, Reading and Sewing; Brenda Bannehr,


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··RT: , M.<IBGARE'I''S 0OLLEGE · MAGAZINE

1:-heB; ~·ans-was ·published in thti ·daily Press, · a notice was put up in school•~ggestirig that any who were willing should contribute weekly paft n-6£ their pocket-money,-not just · one generous eft'ort-but a weekly ~ystematic giving. Such a response was ·the result. Practically every ·girl who has :pocket:money put her name down for a quarter of the sum she receives w~ekly, some giving even more, and those who have not pocket-money weekly, give when they can. At the end of the first four weeks, we were able to forward £6 19s. 3d . . to the Secretary in Christchurch, and a similar sum will b·e ·sent · every four we~ks, though the actual amount will vary slightly Of course this is a special effort, but why is it so difficult at other times to collect for the Melanesian Mission Y Snrely after the War we shall have learnt so well the blessing and joy of givin_g, that it will be easy to· support two or three children instead of one.

. •

The Annual Bazaar was as much a success as usual. Every one ,worked diligently, and the funds were devoted to the Widows and Orphans of those fallen in the War A special appeal was mad ·e for plain clothing which could be devoted, if not sold, to the same purpos ·e ; and a large box containing about £11 worth of clothing was forwarded -to England . The Prize-giving at the end of the year, was a very .quiet .affair. It seemed ootter that no entertainment should be connected with it on account of the distress in the world caused by the ,War. The School Honour Medal was won by Doris Hill, the House Honour Medal by Zoe Gray . .

FIRST TE~M, 1915. . The new year saw a change among the Sisters. Sister Annie left during the holidays for Sydney, Sister Henrietta £or Melbourne. Sister Nora came to St. Margaret's for a few weeks, and Sister Amy Constanc ·e arrived to take charge of the Kindergarten.

The new term also saw the advent of several new boarders, viz., G. Baxter, P Watson, L. Fleming, M. Gray, A. Whitta, R. Halliday, I. McIntosh. We must not omit . two other new boarders, 'ripperary a dog, and a ca:t. The life of -the former hung, as the saying is, on a thread, for several days after his arrival, and loving hands administered large doses of medicine ;


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but he needed the tender care of the Dogs' Home to, literally, put him on his feet again, and now he is becoming a fine healthy dog, and will be the future guardian of the Cranmer Square house . The cat has a more romantic history Miss Smith discovered a small weeping urchin, on the banks of the River Avon, trying to drown two large sized kittens . Of course she barl to enquire into the matter, and the poor little fellow, with many tears, related how he had been sent by his mother to drown the kittens, for his father had recently died, and there was now not sufficient food for the cats at home. He had walkerl a long way from home, and was trying to do as he had been told, but he loved his "pussy" Needless to say Miss Smith's heart melted at the sad story, and rescuing one cat, she gave the little boy some money for the keep of the second, until better days should dawn, for she did not dare to face the Sisters with the plea that two cats might be admitted. At first the cat and dog had to live apart, but now they are great friends, and play together all day long in the Cranmer garden. The new day-girls are-M. Blanch, M. Stewart, R. Peter, J Blanch, E . Bridge, M. Large, E. Jerman, M. Trent, P Ryan, H-. Graham, K. Helmore, J Lee, M. Cowlishaw, M. Parker , E . .Armstrong, T Trent, R. Fraer, R. Gilchrist. S. Fox and M. Hill have returned after having been absent some time . We have now 127 girls on the Roll. On Quinquagesima Sunday a Flower Service was held at St . Michael's Church. The boarders were anxious to do what they could to help the sick and suffering in the Hospital and, collecting among themselves, brought the Sisters a sum of money to be spent on fruit, plants, etc. Sunday afternoon, all, bearing baskets of fruit, had the privilege of taking their offerings to the Chancel steps, where they were received by the Vicar, to be taken later to the Hospital.

Canon Burton now takes a weekly Church History lesson in Forms Vb . and IVa., the members of which forms are learning that St. Augustine did not bring Christianity to Britain. Perhaps in time they may also grasp the fact, that the Church of England did not begin at the Reformation . The


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Rev. F. N Taylor is taking lessons on the Acts in the same Form, and-, the Rev. ·H. Shore is continuing his - interesting course on the people of the New Testament in Form IVb . r -~

.•

We hoped that a _class for Home •N'ursing would be begun this term, but · it could not be arranged. Next term, how.ever~ it is to start; and the girls are studying the subject until then, from the St : John Ambulance book preparatory to the lectures next term. All over sixteen will take the Examination ,, so · must w~rkhard to pass.

Dressmaking is now included in the school curriculum, also Cooking, .but there is no need to say more here, as notes of these appear elsewhere .

Sports have occupied a prominent place this year. A full account of the various games will be found further on in this MAGAZINE.

·•

• Week the school attended During Holy

the Bishop's · services at the Cathedral. Exeat took place at Easter, Monday and · Tuesday be.ing holidays.

, Eight new members have been admitted to the - Guild. '!'hey are S. Harrison, M. Wilde, W. Menzies, M. Ensor, D.$andstein, J. Carrington, M. Blanch, W. Hobbs. At the closing Service this term I. Atack, D. Grant, A .. Whitta, ·E. Jer~an, ~a· 1\1.'Cooper (F Cooper's sister)" are to be B~ptised. De _t us pray ea,rnestly · that they may indeed continue Christ's faithful 1soldiers and servants unto their' iives' end. ' '

all


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MAGAZINE

The School Bazaar. DOLLIE

GRANT AND BERTHE

SCOTT

'rhe annual School Bazaar was held, after many postponings, on Saturday, December 12th. O"ving to the war the proceeds were devoted to the fund :for the poor of Britain and Belgium. Each of the Stalls represented one of the Allies; the most attractive being the Sweet Stall, which was decorated with red, black and gold, the Belgian colours. The Produce Stall made a surprising amount and looked very festive with its bunches of turnips and onions . One of its numberless attractions was a large iced cake, the weight _of w_hich had to be guessed by the many people who came .forward as competitors. The Tea Rooms were largely patronised in the middle of the afternoon. The Japanese waitresses waited on the people with a promptitude that did them credit, and so added greatly to the success of the afternoon. One of the most charming of the stalls was that of the Lower School, which showed that many busy little fingers had been at work in order to make their Bazaar as successful as any of the preceding ones. There were various minor stalls, such as the Tie and Postcard and the Flower Stall; the latter looked very attractive with its cloak of flowers and ferns. We wish to thank the Old Girls for the interest and ableassistance they took in the Bazaar The total amount taken was £73, and was sent to the Belgian Consul. The tired and happy workers did not wend their way home until nearly six o'clock, but then with the thought that they · had once more made their Bazaar a huge success . Fancy Stall and Bran Tub Lower School Old Girla' Produce Tea Sweets Flowers Tie P ·ost-cards Parcels Received from Various Stalls Collected 2nd Term 1914

£ s. d. 11 16 10½ 11 9 8 9 4 6 9 3 10½ 9 5 11

5 10 0 3 14 5 3 0 3 i 17 01 7 9½ 1 0 2 6 13 0

73

3

6


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MARGARET 's COLLEGE

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The · Library. The' new books are a joy Some fifty volumes of Lit _erature , a sufficient number of the best Historical Authorities for this year's Matriculation Period, and many interesting story.books for the Armagh Street shelves have been purchased. The Fiction has been appreciated by many of the Day Girls, who are now allowed to share it with the Boarders. Interest has certainly been stimulated, therefore, by the visible growth in value of the library, and all the girls who helped to improve it by subscribing before they quite realised the good of it, may be justly proud of their work. Yet there were only · a publicspirited few compared with the whole school . It was possible, however, to buy the new books early in the term owing to the kindness of Mrs . Bridge, for whose donation of a guinea many thanks are due , and of the sisters who kindly advanced most of the subscription money It is hoped that all the girls in the Upper School will value the .library sufficiently to ask their parents to allow the subscription (2/ ) to remain on their bills each term, or-pay it themselves to the librarian . Much remairis still to be done, though a real advance has been made this term. A.M.W

E. BRIDGE AND w MENZIES. As boarders we always find the ummer terms the most interesting as we are able to spend more of our · time . out of doors . The most exciting item -of last term was the School Picnic. Five drags conveyed Sisters, mistresses and girls to Kairaki Beach . It was a slightly hilarious party that ·arrived back at school at seven p .m . .At Exeat three of the boarders were unfortunate enough to develop whooping cough, and were banished to ystair rooms for the rest of the term . According to reports which passed through the window, it seemed as if these three were having a: jolly time. After the break-up, which was held at '' .Te Whare, '' some of the girls were able to go home that night, _while the rest of the boarders returned to .school, and tumbled into bed with the vain hope of getting to sleep and hastening the morning.


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The new girls this term are G B~xter, P Watson, L . Fleming, R. Halliday, G. Rawnsley, M. Gray, A. Whitta, and I. McIntosh . Thesr,, with the old boarders, make our number 24 This year Zoe Gray has been made Prefect, and so well does she carry out her duties that even the wild band of juniors are now under control. Since the beginning of Term we have been for many delightful picnics, the favourite place being New Brighton, where we are able to surf bathe and indulge in . ice creams. The other morning while in bed we heard a great crash, and looking out of the windows, we discovered that a large branch of one of our pear trees had been broken off by the . wind. The pears this year seem to be more numerous than ever On our arrival back at school we found, much to our regret, that Sister Annie had left owing to the climate of New Zealand, which did riot suit her health, and had gone to Sydney, where she is now Sister Nora was with us for a few weeks , but is now at S. Hilda's , so- we only have Sister Winifred, and Sister Amy Constance, who teaches sundry small infants in the new Kind ~rgarten. One evening durin g the first week in the term we all went upstairs to be weighed and measured; everyone had increased in ·weight during the holidays. When one of the new girls stepped to the measuring pole, we had to strain our necks and stand on tiptoe to see the l'ength of her The next thing to look forward to after Exeat is a Birthday Party given by the Sisters, for all who have had birthdays since Christmas. It was with great regret we heard of Miss Candy's departure ., but we all wish Miss Hall success at S.M.C. at the same time sympathising with her, in having to look after the _ unruly spirits of '' II . Remove.'' Lately everyone has been seized with the zeal for knitting scarves for our soldiers, and during ~very spare minute the click of knitting needles is to be heard.


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Tennis Notes.

z. GRAY" Great interest has been taken this term in te.nnis, . as owing to the arrival of new girls who can play a fair game, we have a team of eight and are now able to pl~y matches with ot~er schools. There is a decided improvement in the style of aff the players, and steady practice should do much good. In the Lower School a wonderful development has taken . place, and the tiniest of tots are seen day by day playing' with .Miss Hunt, who kindly instructs them on the game. In the future S. Margaret's ought to have a scratch team, as~ these c~ildren are so keen about the gaine and have made _a: great improvement. The first match which took place · was p_layed ag_ainst the '' Old Girls.'' After a most enjoyable game we were beaten by 56 games to 38, but as the majority of the team have only begun to play and the girls had never played in a match before, we consid .ered that we did very welL The most exciting event this season has been the Public School ·Tournament, which was played at the Linwood Courts on two successive Saturdays. ',Che following girls ~ntered :K. Freeth, R. Good, S. Fox, M: Blanch, M. Wylde, L. Fleming, B. Kissling, S. Ogilvie, M. Lockhead, and Z. Gray All played very well on those days, and · did not · mind whetJier they · won or lost. M. Blanch and L. Fleming fought their way in the doubles to the fourth round, and then withdrew -in favour of the College first couple. The College claimed the singles, Z. Gray being the winner, and in the double finals K. · Freeth and Z. Gray lost to the Girls' High School after a good game by 9 games to 7 We were challenged by the Rangiora High School to play at Rangiora on Saturday, March 27th . We gladly accepted the challenge and on that day journeyed forth by the 8.45 train. It was a glorious day for playing and most of the players played , a ·~ood ·game, the result being Rangiora :winning by one game. · ·riie-s~ason ended with two victories for the College. The first was a victory over .the Christchurch Girls' High School by five games. The match 'was ·a delightful one, and the gam·es were evenly contested. The second was on the occasion of a visit from Rangiora High School, which we greatly · enjoyed. The match was a very close one, and the result was a success for the College by four games. A committee of girls worke<l well and enthusiastically to prepare a sumptuous lunch for the teams, which was much appreciated.


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CRITICISM OF TENNIS TEAM. Z. Gray.-Chiefly notable for remarkable strength in backhand drive. Her game is steady, strong, and has excellent style. Her championship was well deserved. K. Freeth.-A strong and steady player whose play on the We prophesy a back line has caused much admiration. brilliant future for her in this game R. Good is at present very uneven in play but her best style is good, and she has played splendidly in matches . S. Fox has improYed lately Her balls need more strength and speerl. M. Blanch, who has come from Melbourne, is a very dogged player of much promise. L. Fleming is a left-handed player, who is very puzzling to her opponents, but is too slow M. Wylde.-A promising, but erratic player, who has excellent style . B. Kissling.-She has played well, but will improve with age and experience. ,

Boating Notes. RUTH

GOOD.

Th e last term of last year a Boating Club was formed, the members going ont on the River Avon every Tuesrlay afternoon, after school. Only those who could swim were vllowed to join this Club, as it was thought unsafe. A few of the girls could row before the Boating Club was formed, thus they were able to take out boats and teach the other members who could not row; Dorothy Cowlishaw and Madge Lochhead being the first girls to obtain their half r.aptaincies. but others soon followed their good examp le. Before a half captaincy can be gained, the competitors must be able to row well enough to teach the beginners. They must also know how to turn and hold up the boat. A fu~l captaincy is much harder to obtain, and is only won by th e very best rowers, who must be able to manage a boat alone, lVIadge Lochhead being the onlY girl so far who has the privilege of calling herself a "Captain," but it is to be hoped that many more will have the same privilege. The beginning of this Club is due to Miss Winter , to whom we owe our greatest thanks.


254

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Swimm-Ing. MARGARET • ENSOR.

One of the greatest summer joys is that of bathing. The boarders sport amongst the waves on Saturdays when the weather and circumstances permit, and they are very loath to emerge when beckoned at by a mistress from the shore. Every Friday nearly the whole of the Upper School appear -at the Tepid Baths, the Lower- School going- on Tuesday We are the proud owners of many good swimmers such, for -<!xample, as Dorothy Cowlishaw and Dolly Grant, who at the end of last season swam two miles. Also sev~ral girls swam one mile each. Now nearly every girl can swim, and the few who cannot ,must live in terror when they see the champions advancing upon them, with determination written on every feature. Also ther~ i,ire a few people who gambol about gently at the shallow · end, trying to turn sumersaults, and nearly upsetting the insignificant individuai ·s who are unable to swim. A ball is sometimes procurable at the baths, and with this great fun is obtained, especially when new and inexperienced swimmers try and sit upon it. Then in some mysterious way the ball slips away from under them, and they appear after a few seconds puffing and blowing like so many grampuses. Everyone is sorry when the cold weather arrives and no more swimming is allowed till the next summer.

,_. The Domestic Side of School Life. It is only when we think of the school of yesterday, with the wearisome tasks and monotonous routine, that we can appreciate to t.he utmost the privileges of the school of to-day, esp.e<Jiallythe new departure: the domestic side of school work and life. Fqr this year, .Cooking .and Dressmaking are included in our .pr9gramme ! We privileged girls ( over 16 years of age) once a, week confront our respective boards, and get to work . Of course we always know what we are going to cook, for a demonstration day precedes our practice. The clatter and chatter, and scurrying of many feet, the occasional click of the .oven -·door, and the .:beat --of the eg-g_,b~ters,a .re ··only a few let factors that tell that the work is going well. Then-but


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us draw a veil over the misfortunes of some poor unliappy domestic, and hush the wail that tells of the missing ingredients in some little doomed pie. The next day the cookery room is converted into a dressmaking establishment, and the cooks themselves change into busy <lressmakers. In turn we sit down at the machine. Of course if we had two machines-but that is dreaming, or, rather, looking too far into the future. At present we are making blouses in linen and crepe. We all enjoy dressmaking, and hope to make a number of useful articles. Yet there is much to learn, and much to understand; and we are not unconscious of the fact that this domestic training _is going to make fine, sensible and useful women of us, if we but do our best.

Lower School Notes. J

JAMIESON

AND J

PYNE.

We were very sory to lose ~fiss Hunt, when she took over Miss Candy's form this term, but we all welcome Miss Rall. We are upstairs this year, and it is much nicer than downstairs. Our classr0om is beautifully sunny . We hav e filled a card with Excellent Stamps already this year Miss Hunt has been very kind in playing tennis with the Lower School, and showing us how to play Miss Baker has changed rooms with Miss Duncan. We have a Kin<lergarten at school this year, though there nre only a few little girls at present. They have a specia l Sister, Sister Amy Constance. They have dear little tables and chairs. We had a Bazaar last term, and it was a great success. The Lower School Stall looked very nice, and Miss Duncan painted a pictur<' for it. It hung over the top of the stall. We do not go to swimming now because it is too cold. but we have tennis and games instead. We have only one Prefect now, and we are all very fond of her We nad a very pleasant picnic, and went to Kairaki Beach. We had to be at school at 9.30 a.m., when the five drags were waiting for us. We took our own lunch, and had it on the beach. When it was time to go home we got flax and bulrushes, and decorated the drags. We were all very tired when we got home. Two unfortunate boarders had to stay at school.


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Old Girls' Notes. The '' Old Girls'' of S. Margaret's seem, since the last yea~ or two, to .have scattered to the four corners of the earth. S. Margaret's would be very pleased if they would write ~_ome of their experiences and forward them to school. · A rumour is being circulated that Rona Allen of Dunedin is going to Rome to study kindergarten method under Madame 'Montressori. If this be true, we wish her every success. Zena ·Hasle _tt expects to be very busy for the next three years. She is studying for her Mus. Bae. under Dr Bradshaw B. Pinckney, Claire Mason, Janet Storry, Winsome Brown, Jessie Hill, Winifred Hobbs, Gladys Andrew, Nora Tobin,. Sylvia W estenra and Dorothy Dalgety are taking lessons in dressmaking. Janet and Sylvia are also very busy with cooking and ,Janet hopes to sit for the South Kensington examination in May Winifred Hobbs and Dorothy Rennie, of Invercargill, are taking lessons in shorthand. Edith Goo<lall · has for some time past been in the Sanitorium, Otaki, as a nurse. She expects soon to be at Timaru. S. Margaret's may be proud of May :{lercus as an '' Old Girl.'' She has greatly distinguished herself by taking severa_l prizes at the Literary Competitions held in Christchurch not long ago. The judge ·spoke very highly of her work. Rose Withers has passed her "C" examination at Canterbury College. Beatrice Withell is taking lessons in wood-carving and singing. '' Old Girls'' were ve:i;-yglad to welcome Eileen Coleman', an old school favourite back to Christchurch for a sliort stay at Christmas. She could have stayed longer with us. We all s~nd our best wishes to Gwen Williams, of Clyde Road, on her engag!lIJrent to Mr. Harry Taylor, of Christchurch. . The engagement is announced of Chrissie Grigg, of Long.beach; to Captain Shaw, ··A.D.C., now servlng with the Expetlitionary Force in Egypt. Also of Maire Rhodes; Fendalton, to Captain Hutton, -.A.:D.C., now serving in Egypt. Mr. Novello-Smith has several "Old Girls" under him for voice production and singing. Among these are Sylvia W estenra, Alison Jennings, Zena Haslett, and Mona Pyne. Hazel Evans is taking lessons from Miss Millicent Jennings.


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Mary Ruddock and Frances Bridge write that they are spending all their spare time at tennis tournament~, etc . Frances often has to drive miles to play, but to her, it only serves to make the game more enjoyable. ; Ngaio Marsh, Mona Pyne and Maire Rhodes are having shooting lessons at a miniature rifle range on Cashmere Hills .. Mona and Maire have also passed their "First Aid" exam. and expect soon to start a class in Home Nursmg. Two or three girls are taking lessons in French conversa- · tion this year They are lVL Pyne, l\L Rhodes and M. Curlett. The last named is also having French and German lectures atCanterbury College. Friede Burton has gone for a long holiday to her sister, ' Mrs. Mortimer, in Dunedin. Two very interesting tennis matches were played by the': "Old Girls" this term . The first was "Old Girls" v. Present. . Some very striking games were watched, particularly on the part of some of the younger . girls representing the School,' who got in some wonderful shots . The '' Old Girls'' were: represented by Isabel Pinckney captain), Marjorie Curlett, Alison Jennings, Irene Smith, Dorothy :Oalgety, Mona Pyne, Winsome Evans, Gladys Andrews and Sylvia Westenra. The school team, except the few best, were all fairly new players, ' but did well for their side. The second match was "Old Girls" v. Staff-six players , on_ each side . The contesting teams had a strenuous fight, but enjoyed it to the full. '' Old Girls'' came out to the good b:); several games. We hope that a match will soon be arranged between Old S. Hilda 's and Old S. Margaret's girls. This should prove o very equal contest-so practise up S. Margaret's; be ready for the fray!

Hobart. SHEILA

OGILVIE. '

Hobart is a very pretty town, beautifully situated on the. River Derwent, below Mt. Wellington. It is enclosed · by wooded hills and mountains on all sides, which add greatly to to its beauty It is the capital and also the chief port of Tasm.anii; and has a fine deep harbour which enables all the largest ,vessels to sail right up the River and anchor at the wharves. Large vessels very frequently make Hobart a port of call on their


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way to England, especially in the apple season, whe:ri they ship a large cargo oUruit1for the English markets. · One of the chief industires of Hobart is orcharding. In almost every surrounding district, ·too, fruit-growing is carried on, and hop-growing also is a very important industry. Not enly are the hops used by the local brewers, but also exported to the other Australian states. Mt. Wellington, over 4000 ft. high, is covered with snow very often in the winter. It is very thickly wooded, but fires have from time to time spoilt much of the beautiful bush. In the summer, when mountain-climbing, one has to keep a look out for snakes, which are very numerous. The three species of Tasmanian snakes--the Tiger, the Copper Head, and the ,vhip snake, are all very poisonous. In the spring the bush is full of wild flowers, amongst them many species of ground orchids, while the blooms of the wattle tree are distinguished l,y their sweet scent and bright colour. There are two kinds of wattle, the black and the silver wattle, which yield a bark used for tanning purposes. That of the black wattle being the better is exported. Across from Hobart on the left bank of the River, which is about 2-½iniles wide, are many pretty seaside places, and continuously .all day ferry boats cross backwards and forwards, carrying passengers or cargo. The climate of Hobart is equable, and in the summer it is a notable tourist resort, many people coming over from ~he mainland to escape the heat.

Turkey In Europe. MAUREEN

RAYMOND.

In the fifteenth century the Turks first came into Europe, and after conquering Thrace obtained possession of the important city of Constantinople, which, on account of its geographical position, has been wanted by a good many nations from Turkey tb Russia. The fall of Constantin9ple resulted in the bringing . of classical learning into W este:rn Europe, where Latin and Greek literature had .been more or less suppressed by the Church. The Byzantine scholars who rled before the Turks brought . their Greek manuscripts with them to Rome and Florence, and so caused the Renaissance. The Ottoman races, fired with religious enthusiasm, swept across south-eastern Europe .; they conquered a large part of Russia and Austria-Hungary, and finally marched on Vienna.


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.As the capital was totally unprepared and unfortified, the Anstrian Emperor Iieopold removed his court into the country, where he calmly sat down and waited the issue. Deserted by their own ruler, the Viennese turned to the King of -Pol~nd, Sobieski. Sobieski was of a· crusading frame of -mind, and eagerly seized the opportunity to rescue Christendom from the Turks; he appointed . Count Stahremburg as Governor of Vienna and began to raise an army He was joined .by several .foreign princes and their troops, among others the future George I. of England. Meanwhile the Turkish forces had encamped before Vienna. They were led by the Grand Vizier, who brought his private flower-gardens and menagerie with him and prepared to enjoy himself without the slightest doubt that Vienna would be easily taken by his enormous armies. At last, when the starving Viennese were in despair, Sobieski arrived. On September 11th the Polish army occupied the heights of Kahlenburg, and prepared for the attack. The Turkish Vizier started the day in the usual way by massacring thirty thousand prisoners, and then advanced on the Poles, who charged down the mountain slopes and completely overwhelmed their enemies. Europe was saved, and Sobieski entered Vienna, surrounded by the enthusiastic citizens. As for the Emperor, he received Sobiesli:i in the way emperors usually did when other people, having fought their battles for them, threatened to become more powerful than themselves: and after foltowing the retreating Turks through October, Sobieski returned to Poland. After this the Turks remained in the Balkan Peninsula, but they remained a powerful nation for another 150 years. Russia, Austria, and Prussia alternately sided with and opposed them. · Then, when George IV was on the throne of England, the Greeks and Servians revolted. They aroused much sympathy in Europe .and many English volunteers joined them, but at first it seemed as if they had no chance at all. The Turks began by besieging Mesolonghi, which held out till the Turkish fleet surrounded her harbour and so cut off supplies. Then the inhabitants made a last attack on their besiegers, and the entire population perished in the endeavour to cut their way through the Turkish lines. After this, England joined Greece, and her fleet, together with a few l!'rench and Russian ships, shattered the Turkish fleet at Navarino in 1827 Greece was declared independent six years later During the remainder of the century the Balkan states went on fighting Turkey, and were sometimes defeated, but generally successful. Most of the European Powers wished


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to get Turkey out of Europe, but they feared to let a strong :nation get possession of Constantinople, and they did not want to make Russia too powerful by the destruction of Turkey and the union of the Slav States. For this cause England and France joined Turkey in the Crimean War, and for this cause 'Germany · and Austria supported the Turks against their surrounding opponents. The Turkish Empire was not completely ,crushed till the Balkan races jioned against her in 1913, and then th .e quarrels of -the allied sta ,tes left the driving of Turkey out of Europe to be accomplish 'ed by Britain in the present War

A School Song. I. ' To the swel\,ing .ranks behind us, T.o the hundreds still before, To the long .Jines now about us, That the whole w,orld may not doubt us, Lift the sonk St. ·M'argaret 's, Twenty score anµ more. Stand we to-gether, Marching afar,

One' Voice St. Margaret's, pkeer then, St. Margaret's, Hip, hip, Hurrah/

II. By the Sign wherewith we've signed us , By the Sign we au ·must bear, 's bound us, By the Sisterhood th1;1.t To a half the world around us, Sing it well St. Margaret's , Sister schools may hear. Stand we together etc.

III. That our strength may grow in hundreds, That our faith be gay and strong, That our ranks · may follow after, With a lift of song and laughter, Swing it up St. Margaret's, Half a league along. Stand we together, etc.


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The Colonies and the Great War. DOROTHY

SANDSTEIN.

The colonies and territories of Britain are doing their share in the conquering of Germany, Austria, and their "disreputable ally,'' Turkey From the vast territories of India, from the deserts and cities of Australia, and South Africa, to the grassy slopes of the Canterbury Plains, and the great prairies of Canada, which :make up the ·British Empire, there is a great and mutual loyalty-"united, loyal, free." Apart from anything else,in their own interests, the Colonies must help to subdue the eiiemy New ' Zealand would most probably become an Austrian Colony in the event of defeat, and Australia would be handed over to the Germans. Better far that every man in the Empire should die than that. German rule is bad enough for the German. For the Briton, born and bred in freedom, it would b.e worse than deitth. Bu_t this is not the first and greate~t impulse that provokes the Australian, the South African, the Canadian, the New Zealander, the Sikh, and Gburka, to enlist under the Flag. The great wave of loyalty has swept over India for her KingEmperor, and over the rich and vast dominions across the sea, for the little group of islands, where lies the seat of the world's mjghtiest Empire. Germany had hoped that Britain's danger would prove her dominion's opportunity, but Germany was vastly wrong, and has realized, too late, her mistake. One does not marvel so much at the deep loyalty of the white man, but when the Hindu lays down his life for a country and a King whom he has never seen, it is a heart-stirring thing, and proves Britain a mighty Empire, and whether she is to remain so, lies in her own hands, in her own keeping, in her strength t,o ·fight to the death for herself, and her good and honourable Allies.

Pro Patria. ANONYMOUS.

To the corners of the world, For the cause of Liberty, A ringing cry-to win or dieSounds over land and sea, That the mighty fame of Britain's name, May all unspotted be.


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And shall we not resp~nd To the little nation's cry, The thund 'ring beat of -many feet To the question make reply '"To the bugle-call, we have answered, au....:... To conquer or to die.''

The· West Coast Mines. MARION WYLPI!].

The West Coast of the South Island, has some of the riches _t .min~s in New Zealand. The chief are gold an4 coal. The gold is obtained mostly from Ross, Reefton and Blackwater. The gold from Ross is alluvial gold, and is found in the rivers· where it is washed up , and the digger rinses iJ and · looks for the bright ,specks. At Kumara, there are big sluicing claims, where the gold is washed away from the banks of earth, and again in many of the rivers, there are dredges, which plough up the bottom of the rivers , and the sediment is put through different processes, and leaves the pure ·gold. Another · kind of gold is quartz. The _Blackwater and Reefton . reefs are noted for _the quartz gold. The quartz is a hard grey rock, and the gold is seen in .different .places in the rock. This qmirt~ rock is found. underground, and 'shafts have to .be sunk to get the gold. Iri Reefton, they have got' down as far as 2,000 feet deep. When the quartz is dug out, it ill taken to the batteries where it is stamped, and the .' ·. The gold batteries are very interesting gold ground 011-t things, and ' the way the gold is extracted froJll the hard roek . is very wonderful. The coal mines are much bjgger tha,n · the gold ?D-ines,the chief ones are at Blackball, and the State Mines at Point Eliza,beth. At the State Mines, great numbers of men go down to the pit of the mines daily, and one sees them going down with their small lamps a.light, which are fastened to their caps. The men generally go down for many hours at _a time . The coal is dug out by the men with picks, and sent up to the top by trucks. It is very dark and damp down in the pits, and there is always the danger of fire, and the water rising. The engines have to be kept going , no matter what happens, and they pump the water out and keep it down. When the coal . is sent up in small trucks, it is tipped into screens, and after being screened, it is taken to the binns, where it is shipped away to the railway, to be sent to all parts of the world. The engine-room connected with coal mines, is very interesting to see. The huge boilers

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with their roaring fires, seem almost too hot for the men tostand and stoke them. It is said that at the State mines they have enough coal _there for many, _many years . When one goes down a mine, one sees the black pit, with lights darting round, which are from the men's lamps, and hears the clang of the pick against the coal. There are three mines within a short distance of each other at Point Elizabeth, and all the time they are building more.

The Maoris. RANGI

FRAER ,

In the old days before the Europeans came and set their bad examples , the . Maoris of the South Island were very hardworking and happy They lived in a great Kaianga called '' Kaiapohia, '' and . fished and hunted, and grew kumare -for their living . They wore a dress of their own, which was quite warm and comfortable . Round their waist hung a pui -pui, made of dressed flax, over their shoulders was a kakahu or shawl, woven from scraped flax . On their feet, they wore flax shoes, called '' pararai,'' and when fully dressed, a band round. the head, called "copari," which was generally decorated with feathers. There was very little difference between the dress of the men and the women. D-µring the summer months, all worked hard collecting firewood to last them through the winter, attending to their kumare patches , and hunting wild fow 1, and fishing for eels, all of which they prepared and dressed for the winter The houses or whares, •were very open in those days, and therefore very healthy , and there was very little disease among them. Any visitor coming to see the Kaiapoi Pah, would be very much disappointed, as they would see nothing but European cottages, and Maoris dressed just like any European. However, there is a great deal more difference than there seems to be. A lot of old customs are still kept up, which would be a great deal better dropped, such as tangis, huis, and marais. A tangi is just like an Irish wake. A hui is a meeting of a great number of people to talk about something that affects the whole tribe, and all live and sleep together in the big hall, which is very unhealthy A marai is a meeting of a hapu or part 'of a tribe . The Maoris were not used to windows in the old times , so when they first got European houses, they did not understand that they should keep the windows open , and so th ere was a gr eat deal of consumption amongst them. Now aU that is altered , .and they have become much more health y through the training. Europeans often say that Maoris are lazy but to show that is not


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true, all the residents of the district for miles around try to get one of our men to do theil' shearing and other work, as they say that he is the best worker they have ever had. This man is also a devout churchman, and sooner · than miss his Christma.~ Communion, has been known to cycle about seventy miles during the night to be present at the early celebration.

Episode. NGAIO MARSH AN ;EX-GffiL,

We suffered once. Our sons were given to pain And laughed and called it joy. A-scorching sword Made sacrifice before the Church again Save that it was her ·own sons 1 blood that scored The Altar place, and made much witness there. In those days when we raised the cup anew • It flowed in secret, and we scar~e might dare To give its laughter to the aching few, ·· Or pitifully clothe the passing saint With its fair · radiance. . . So before the dawn, When the whole earth hung still and grey and faint, We left the city silent and forlorn .An.Ii ,found each other · in a dusky field Where the wet st1,1bblebrushed against our feet, And dropping cries from birds, half-wakened, · healed Our scarred souls with P.llreness lone and sweet. There, whitely in the grey, the Altar gleamed, And the pale faces and the paler hands . That strained up through the dusk, and ever seemed To grow and _grow and merge in glimmering bands As the night paled and faint the day was born . So-cleansed with peace and mirthful purity , We made our great oblation at the dawn, And all around the flowers brushed the tree, White as the Altar , crowding bright and clear, Stiff-stalked and wet, alert and faintly sweet, They pushed their faces t_hat they might be near Where the priest laid his hands-they hid his feet. Then as the morning grew the Presence .came, And wondering happily we felt its strength, Quite flooded with a joy that has Iio name. Some wept, some knelt, and ·gloried till at length All had received-save one-:-to whom the priest


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Bearing the cup leant d<;>wnamid the flowers. For this dark-headed 'lioy, the Holy Feast Came for the first time with bewildering powers; He put up slender' trembling . hands and took Down to his lips the Wine that is the Blood, And with its rush of life grew faint, and shook, And seemed to lose himself amid the flood That rushed through soul and veins: the Chalice swayed And brushed against the flowers at his head, And spilt Its sacred scarlet all unstayed Into their cups, and -filled their white with red. They pale-faced, staring eyed, all pressed Forward amid the blossoms where we knelt, With a sharp gasp, the stooping priest let rest A steady hand upon the boy, and felt Him quiver at the touch , and still we all, Priest, child, and people, stared upon the place That yet glqwed where the Chalice had let fall Its -stream of life upon the flowers' face. And as we watched (most wonderful it seemed) The laughing petals shook and sprang apart, And all the red turned holy white and gleamed, And starlike, shimmering , it seemed to start Up from the other flowers-more pure, more blest , Ten thousand times as fair-it seemed to sing And almost shout aloud its happiness, And all its fragranc e to the morning fling. It touched the boy's dark face w4ich he had leant In sudden exaltation. The Priest saw, Laughed as the Angels do and turned and went Back to the Altar and began to pour A _Gloria in Excelsis glad and high. Birds sang and day came marching down the sky

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