ST.

MARGARET'S COLLEGE MAGAZINE

SONNET ON A TRAGEDY AT BUKAREST.

The evening shadows fall athwart the church, The gentle murmur swells, then dies away

The golden ev 'ning sun doth gild a birch, And sparkle on the waters of the bay.

Then in the tranquil little church is seen A crimson flame, which higher leaps anon; The old priest stands behind the chancel screen And 'midst that dreadful crowd reads calmly on.

The human mass doth fight for life so dear,

"Each one must save himself," goes forth the cry. In vain their pastor reads, they will not hear, Because the choking smoke is drawing nigh.

And in that furnace still they saw him stand, Performing faithfully his Lord's command.

Audrey Sedgley.

THE POTTERY WORXS.

One Thursday we went to the Pottery Works. When we arrived the man showed us all round. First we saw two kinds of clay. The clay is put into big machines that take all the nasty bits out. Then it is put in a pit where the sun takes the water out; in winter they have machines to take it out becaUBe the sun is not strong enough. 'l'hen there are lumps of clay in a corner. ext we came to another man making things out of clay. He made a hat and an egg-cup and a bowl with fancy edges and a vase and a jug. '!'hen they are put outside to dry. When they are dry they are put in a kiln to be heated; they stay in the kiln for two days and take three days to cool. Then they are all shiny and the design shows through. The man showed us a peep-hole in the kiln.

At the back we saw all the things made out of clay when they were dry. There were jugs, and flower-pots, and electric cases, and bread-bins, and vases, and bowls with fancy edges, and some salt-cellars. The vases are blue or green or brown. The jugs are pink at the top and white at the bottom before they are heated. When they are heated they are dark brown at the top and light brown at the bottom. The flower pots

ST. MARGARET )S COLLEGE MAGAZINE

are dark orange. The bread-bins are big and have big tops. Theones we saw were dark orange like the flower pots. We saw some men painting things orange with a very big tub fullof paint. We saw a kiln full of thino-s that had not been heated. When they are going to be heated th y have to put a brick wallover the oven door. They put o-lass over someof the things and when they areheated they are hina.

JaneCollier.-Age9.

THE JOLLY JOY FISH.

Once a Jolly Joy Fish was sittingon the and, There came a funny lobster walkin on his bands. "Good gracious!" said the Joy Fish, "What makes you walk like that 1"

"Itis quite all right, Iam only looking at my hat."

ElvaCumming-Age 11.

WITH BYRD AT THE SOUTH POLE.

Although the Polar exp ditions of cott and Amundsen were perhap greater acbi v m nt than that of Rear-Admiral Byrd, the many thou and oC hil:lr n who have seen the wonderful film taken by Paramount. am raman who accompanied Byrd on hi· flight ov r th pole, will probably tell their grandchildren tb thrillin, st t·y of Richard Byrd's expedition rather than the <rr at r and more tragic stories of Aroundenand cott.

roone who aw the film,"\¥"itb B rdat the outh Pole," could po· ibly forget thevivid s n of i e andhurricane; in fact the cold icy wind could aim t b £ It a.- the orche tra cleve:rly ·upplied the ound ff t . Tl1 imtre0nable RoBarrier tood out a strikio0 picture a ain t the background of dull grey sky anddeep 0reen.ea. 'rhere,on that mountain oficethemenof thisexpedition had to wave farewell to their barque, The City of New York, for no ship could possibly go throughtheimpa sable Ro s-Barrier.

Before the camp lmown a. Little America wa completed, a truesouthernhunicanearoe,a iftodriveback any whodared to intrude upon the my terious region of the South Pole.

During the period of nine months' darkness, great preparations were made for the coming three months of sun, in which the South Pole would see an aeroplane for the first time, and in which time DI'. Gould would make his surveying trips round about the mountains which Byrd had previously discovered. Then at last, when the sun peeped over the horizon, Dr. Gould and the dog teams tarted on the geological expedition, and with the intention of erecting supply depots along the route which Byrd would take in bis historic polar flight. Then, over vast stretches of snow and ice the "Floyd Bennett" flew, skimming the treacherous Queen Maude mountains, which would have caused great disaster to the 'plane and its brave crew had it not been for Byrd's rare alacracy in navigation, so on and on they flew until the compas showed they had flown six miles over the Pole. Byrd wanted to fly thirty miles further, but, for the ake of bis companion , he flew back home to Little America, after completing a flio-ht of six miles over the pole.

Back in Little America every ear was strained listenino--in for news of the ''Floyd Bennett,'' and great was the joy and excitement when the news came throurrh that Byrd and his men were on their homeward journey after accompli hing their great feat.

Soon after the return of Byrd a sail was sighted on the horizon. It was The City of Wew York returning to take Byrd and bis men back to civili ation. For the next few days the little camp was a scene of great bustle, for everything had to be made ready for departure as quickly as po sible so the ship could get away before the barrier clo ed for another winter.

What great joy mu t have b en felt aboard The City of New York, as she drew alongside the Dunedin wharf, with all the expedition just as brave and lusty as they were when they started.

But for one thing happine would have reigned supreme, on that sturdy little barque, for py, the dog team-leader, had been left behind, lying in his icy tomb alone in that dreary desert of the south.

Tui Thomas.

RATA HOUSE NOTES.

"Come, cheer up my freinds, 'tis to glory we steer, To add something more to this happy year, To honour we call you, not pre you like slaves, For who are so free a the Rata House Maidst''

(Apologies to Garrick.)