REFLECTIONS

Editorial

"Our true intent is all for your delight." - M.N.D.

After careful consideration we have decided, this time, to deny ourselves the pleasure and privilege of writing an editorial. No doubt some readers will immediately raise their eye-brows and jump to the easy conclusion that we have nothing to say. The truth is that we have too much to say, since the Term just ending has been crowded with interesting events which almost shriek for comment. Editors, however, owe a duty to their contributors as well as to themselves, and our main desire is, and has been always, to encourage contributors as well as to disappoint as few as possible. Therefore, as the number of articles and poems which are really worthy of a place in our Magazine far exceeds the number of pages at our disposal, we have felt compelled to devote every possible page to the efforts of our enthusiastic contributors.

Before our departure, we will pause merely to make one or two essential remarks. We must offer a hearty welcome to the new scholars who joined us in September last; we must offer our congratulations to those students who gained the School Leaving Certificate, and to our Football, Cricket and Net-ball teams, which have been winning fresh laurels in the field of sport; and we must express our appreciation of the honour which our girls brought to the School, when, under Miss Wraith's direction, they were chosen to give a public drill display in the Town Hall.

And now, with sincerest wishes to all for an enjoyable Christmas Holiday, we commend our readers to the excellent pages which follow.

Preliminary Notice.

We are, at the moment, considering a big prize-giving scheme for the best story in each number. Look out for an important announcement in our next issue. Meanwhile, begin work on your stories - NOW.

Recent Academic Successes.

We congratulate the following students who were successful in July last.

University of Cambridge

I - SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE

19 Successes

HONOURS CERTIFICATE (Carrying exemption from London Matriculation).

Frederick Finn*

PASS CERTIFICATES

Ivy Fuller*; Edith Greenwood*; Grace Griffin; Constance Heslop*; Celia Kennedy; May Moody*; Constance Oswin; Basil Blindell*†; Reginald Brett*; Robert Forder; Harry Higgs; Thomas Lee*; Joseph Lloyd; Charles May*; Edward Mitchell; Reginald Stokes; Edward Wischusen*†; Frank Wrighton*.

II - JUNIOR CERTIFICATE

6 Candidates (entered at Parents' requests) - 6 Successes

Harry Thomas* (Distinction in English)
Elsie King*; Vera Thake; Ruby Wiseman; Ralph Chappell*; John Seadon*.

* Additional Pass in Spoken French. *† Exemption from London University Matriculation.

ENGLISH

The following students gained prizes in the annual Essay Competition promoted by the Tottenham Education Committee during Health Week.

Beatrice Ralls; Leslie Lambert

On Dit

"And thereby hangs a tale." - The Taming of the Shrew.

That you'll have a "fed-up" time at Yule time.

That, after the School Concert, many were heard practising the new form of "Yes, Sir."

That the age of miracles is not past, since a certain boy was late because his clock was fast.

That girls step in where schoolboys fear to tread. (On the piano for example).

That everyone is wondering whether the perfectly perfect boy is still perfectly perfect.

That St. Ives is noted for cheese.

That a doctor, having felt his patient's purse, declared there was no hope.

That, "Name of a gun!" it is by no means easy to name a gingerbread doll.

That, at the Old Students Re-union, the "nippies" had as good a time as the nipped.

That, in the "Excuse me" dance, the answer was - an orange!

That it takes more than one inspector to bowl out Bowler - ask Rubens.

That an inclined mirror is one with ink lines drawn across it.

That LXX = Love and Kisses.

That before a singing lesson, one must breathe in slowly and then slowly expire.

That a new and dreadful disease known as Parkeritis which broke out early this Term has been effectively suppressed.

That "Antic sport and blue-nosed pleasure" aptly describes a certain football match against Walthamstow.

That a circle is just a line drawn with nothing in the middle, or a line drawn with a space inside.

That Martin Luther did not die a natural death but was excommunicated by a bull.

That Charles I was going to marry the Infanta of Spain. He went to see her and Shakespeare says he never smiled again!

That the people in Iceland are called Equinoxes.

That a glazier is a man who runs down mountains.

That "Rose émue respondit" means "the pink emu laid another egg."

A History of IVa.

By ELSIE KING (Fourth Year).

The present IVa, like every previous one of our School, has its history. Whether the said history be glorious or otherwise I will leave my readers, to judge for themselves at the end of this miniature "Tout." Of course, my words have not to be digested as those of that infamous historian, so they need not be taken too seriously.

When we, the present Fourth Years, entered the School, we were a motley crew. We tried to appear at ease, although our knees knocked together and our necks ached when we regarded the top form people. We were first of all shepherded into three flocks, A, B and C. I say "flocks" because we must have looked, as we felt, like so many sheep. Then we were initiated into the mysteries of prefects, class lists and conduct sheets, the last of which soon became too familiar for our liking. We were placed in "Houses" which, to our puzzled and innocent minds, had the astonishing names of Mangles, Willies, Robbers and Lemons. When we drilled, we used to regard the horse in the corner as a sort of modern rack, and indeed, after the first week of new drill, we felt as though our poor little limbs had really been stretched and tortured upon it. At first, we girls were terribly frightened of the football and, instead of catching it, we used to dodge it. Perhaps some bold little person might run to meet it with a martyred air, but at the crucial moment her courage would fail, and she would shrink away. If by chance the ball hit her, she thought she was half dead. Of other new and strange subjects which we approached in fear and trembling I will say nothing. It was during our First Year that we saw the play "The Rivals" acted by the old scholars. We enjoyed it very much, and dutifully said "O-o-o-oh" when the hero said "damn."

Our Second Year was very little different from our First, except that we had settled down to Central School life and were resigned to our fate. During this year we first had hints given us of that misty, vague horror known as the Cambridge Examination, but this troubled us little, for -

"Regardless of our doom,
We little victims played";

and play we did, too! It used to be a life of "swishings," lines and full conduct sheets, although by some strange act of Providence, the last-mentioned generally contrived to get lost. During that year also we started Chemistry. How we held our noses when fragrant odours arose from smoking test-tubes held in tongs at arms-length! With what trepidation did we pour a liquid on to a solid, and expect it to blow up, and how disappointed we were when all that happened was - nothing!

In Physics, one of our number told Mr. Bourne that a thermometer was a thing with knobs on, but he would not agree, because (he said) there was only one knob on a thermometer.

At the end of the year, we began to be impressed by the fact that soon we would be Seniors, so we tried to mend our ways a little. In our Third Year, we began to feel more dignified. The boys started to wear "long 'uns," because senior boys would never think of showing their dirty knees and holey socks. We girls were presented with Miss Wraith's Physical Training Trophy, and consequently held our noses so high in the air that the prefect, carrying the trophy in triumph, failed to see the hanging cord, and upset her dignity by tripping over it. In class we were given questions from Junior Cambridge Papers, and thus the terrible exams loomed ominously nearer on the horizon of our lives, especially when six of us gathered sufficient courage to enlist for the "Junior."

When we were called to sign our names, we approached Mr. Pinchbeck's door in fear and trembling. After several times advancing and retreating, we made a bold dash, and faced the enemy, viz., pen and paper. Our names were written with a series of jerks, and once outside again, we walked slowly away with woe-begone faces. Soon afterwards, most of us entered, and passed, the R.S.A. French examination, while five boys won scholarships for the Hornsey School of Art. In July, we "Junior" candidates managed to pass the examination.

Our Fourth Year started with preparations for the School's seventh birthday. The performers practised for all they were worth, and oh! what excruciating sounds were emitted from the Hall in dinner-hours and evenings! However, the doleful moans from budding vocalists, weird noises from the piano, and squeaky scrapings from the violins, developed astonishingly into songs and violin solos. On October 1st, the concert, in our opinion, was given satisfactorily, the sketch and "Tableau of Grimaces," given by the boys, causing even the teachers' faces to expand into smiles of amusement.

On November 4th, we saw "Henry V" at the "Old Vic. "We could not help admiring Henry, or laughing at Fluellen, although the gallery-er-seats (?) were far from soft.

As regards work, it is all "swot," and "Senior Cambridge," all day long. Miss Wilson has started a Society for the Fourth Year, in which we dance or debate on alternate Wednesday evenings. On the first of these we had great fun in treading upon each other's toes, but now I am sure we could all "Charleston" without any trouble - perhaps!

This is our history up to Christmas, 1926, but we still have seven more months of school-life. My wish, in closing, is that, whatever history past IVa's have had, that of future ones will be "better than before."

Our Motto

By LORNA WELLS (Third Year).

When "Refleclions" was first issued,
     Long before our time,
The motto then was not the same
     As now is in my rhyme.

"One farthing ev'ry week," 'twas first,
     But that is now no more.
The modern motto of our Mag
     Is "Better than Before."

And as we rise from Form to Form,
     Our never-ending store
Of contributions to the Mag
     Is "Better than Before."

And so when we have passed and gone,
     As other did of yore,
Our Mag will rise from strength to strength,
     Still "Better than Before."