A YEAR IN GRADES VII AND VIII
FROM THE TIME THE SCHOOL-BELL, AFTER A SILENCE OF TWO MONTHS, PEALS FORTH A SUMMONS TO ALL CHILDREN TO RETURN TO SCHOOL AND CLASSES,UNTIL THE TERM ENDS THE NEXT JUNE, NEITHER THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR NOR THE ERRANT SCHOOL BOY IS BUSIER THAN THE STUDENTS IN GRADES VII AND VIII.
WE GET JUST AS BIG A KICK OUT OF RETURNING TO ROOM IV, OR OF BEING PROMOTED TO ROOM IVy AS THE PRIMARY PUP'LS TIMIDLY ENTERING ROOM I FOR THEIR FIRST ENROLLMENT. THAT FIRST DAY! DOESN'T IT MEAN A NEW SEAT? AND HOW EVERY BOY SCRAMBLES FOR THE BACK SEAT! AND HOW WE ENJOY SEEING OUR TARDY SCHOOL MATES SHUFFLING UP TO THE FRONT SEATS! WHAT A LAUGH! OH,OH, DID I SAY 'LAUGH'? -- IF I DID I SPOKE TOO SOON FOR AFTER THE TEACHER HAD WELCOMED US AND HOPED WE WILL ENJOY THE COMING YEAR AS MUCH AS WE HAD ENJOYED OUR HOLIDAYS?? ------ PROCEEDS TO REARRANGE THE SEATING AND ALL TOO OFTEN THE BOY WHO SUCCESSFULLY CAPTURED THE BACK SEAT FINDS HIMSELF UP FRONT. OH, WELL, WHAT'S A SEAT ANYWAY? THEY ARE ALL HARD ENOUGH.
THE FIRST DAY'S SESSION IS SHORT AND WE ARE DISMISSED IN ORDER THAT WE MAY RAID THE BOOK-STORES DOWN TOWN FOR OUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES.AND IT IS A RAID! WITH TOO OFTEN THE FELLOWS BRINGING UP THE REAR GOING BOOKLESS. THE SECOND DAY AT SCHOOL WE GET DOWN TO WORK AND THINK EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE LOVELY. BUT UP POPS THE SCHOOL FAIR. ONLY TWO OR THREE DAYS TO PUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES TO THE EXHIBITS, OR TO COLLECT LEAVES, BUGS, AND WHAT NOT, OR GET THAT PET SHINED UP, OR THOSE PIES AND CAKES BAKED. BUT SOON THE DAY IS UPON US AND HOW WE HATE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER DINNER. HOWEVER THE ATTENDANCE HAS TO BE MARKED AND WE HAVE TO GET LINED UP TO MARCH TO THE FAIR BEHIND THE PIPERS BAND FROM ------,OR THE
KILTIE BAND FROM ------ DID I SAY WE HATED TO RETURN TO SCHOOL? SAY---WHEN THAT BAND PLAYS "THE ROAD TO THE ISLES", ,NOW THAT'S SOMETHING,FROM THE BIG "KIDS" IN GRADE VIII DOWN TO THE LITTLE FIVE YEAR OLDS MARCHING TO THEIR FIRST FAIR, WHY---OUR HEADS GO UP, OUR ARMS SWING, AND OUR FEET MOVE (ALL OUT OF TIME OF COURSE) AND AWAY WE GO TO OUR FAIR----THE BEST COMMUNITY FAIR IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. DOWN THE MAIN STREET WE MARCH WHERE EVERYONE WHO IS NOT MARCHING WISH THEY WERE, AND HANG FROM THE WINDOWS OR DRAPE THEMSELVES OVER THE VERANDAHS TO WATCH "THE SCHOOL" MARCH PAST, WE LEAVE THE MAIN STREET TO TURN DOWN THE ROAD TO THE FAIR GROUNDS---- THE FAIR GROUNDS---THE BAND MARCHES THROUGH THE GATES AND WE FOLLOW---THROUGH THE GATES----AND THEN WE ARE ON OUR OWN TO RAID THE "PALACE" TO SEE WHO WON WHAT PRIZES AND THEN AWAY TO THE STOCK BARNS, THE HDRSE RACES, THE SPORTS, ETC, AND THE MIDWAY TO SPEND THE HOARDED DIMES AND NICKELS AND WISH WE HAD BEEN MORE FRUGAL DURING THE YEAR. WHAT AN EVENT THE FAIR PROVES TO BE! THERE NEVER WAS SUCH A FAIR,
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UP BRIGHT AND EARLY AND AWAY TO SCHOOL THE NEXT WAY TO DISCUSS THE FAIR, TO DAYDREAM IN OUR SEATS UNTIL WE ARE RUDELY AROUSED BY THE TEACHER WHO THINKS WE SHOULD BE WORKING. AW, HECK, WASN'T IT A GOOD FAIR AND ISN'T IT WORTH A LITTLE THOUGHT? BUT THE TEACHER DOESN'T THINK IT SO IMPORTANT AS READIN' WRITIN', AND 'RITHMETIC.
WE JUST GET SETTLED DOWN AFTER THE FAIR WHEN THE SPEAKING CONTESTS ARE ON. THIS YEAR THERE WERE MANY CONTESTANTS, ---- MARY JO SPONG, CATHERINE CAMPBELL, LOIS LINSTEAD, MURIEL HAGEDORN, SYLVIA GRANT, DIANE MCKENZIE, PETER DIPPLE, WAYNE CAMPBELL, DAN GREGG, AND DONALD HAGEDORN. A CONCERT WAS HELD IN THE TOWN HALL AND EACH SPEAKER SAID HIS MEMORIZED SPEECH AND THEN GAVE AN IMPROMPTU ADDRESS ON A PICTURE HE WAS SHOWN, FIRST PRIZE WENT TO PETER DIPPEL WHO COMPETED AT THE BRUCE COUNTY CONTEST AND WON AND THEN ENTERED THE INTER COUNTY CONTEST AT GUELPH WHERE HE WAS AWARDED SECOND PLACE.
SURELY NOW WE CAN SETTLE DOWN TO ROUT!)NE SCHOOL WORK BUT NO---- WHAT'S THIS I HEAR? A CHRISTMAS
CONCERT ------ HURRAH ! AND RIGHT AWAY WE BEGIN TO PLAN AND TO PRACTISE SONGS, RECITATIONS, DIALOGUES, PLAYS, FANCY COSTUME DRILLS, FOLK DANCES, AND THE LAST FEW YEARS THE BOYS IN OUR ROOM HAVE PUT 0N A MINSTREL SHOW. MAYBE IT WAS GOOD, MAYBE IT WASN'T.BUT WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? WE GOT A GREAT KICK OUT OF HAVING OUR FACES BLACKENED AND OF BEING ON THE PLATFORM IN DISGUISE. THIS YEAR WE DIDN'T WANT A MINSTREL SHOW SO WE PUT ON A NEGRO PLAY, DID WE HAVE FUN PRACTISINGFOR IT? AND DID TEACHER GET FEW HEADACHES? BUT WE RANG THE OLD COW BELL, CROWED LIKE.ROOSTERS, AND SANG OUR SONGS AND TOLD OUR JOKES WITH REAL GUSTO AND WENT HOME SURE THAT OUR NUMBER WAS THE BEST ON THE PROGRAMME. DAN GREGG, TEN YEARS OF AGE, WAS OUR CHAIRMAN AND WAS HE GOOD! HE COULD TELL A FEW GOOD STORIES, TOO.
(Click here to see a Playbill for a typical Minstrel Show in Paisley) 
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THE NEXT WEEK WE HAD A CHRISTMAS PARTY AT SCHOOL -- WITH A REAL TREE, PRESENTS, AND SEVERAL SANTAS TO DISTRIBUTE THEM, AND THEN AWAY FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.
JANUARY BROUGHT US BACK TO SCHOOL AND DOWN TO REAL BUSINESS FOR THREE OR FOUR MONTHS WITH NEVER A BREAK EXCEPT FOR A VALENTINE PARTY WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS INCLUDING A VALENTINE POST-OFFICE FOR EXCHANGE OF VALENTINES. BUT THAT TOOK ONLY PART OF AN AFTERNOON AND THEN BACK TO WORK,
LESSONS ARE THE ORDER OF THE DAY WITH THE ODD RED CROSS MEETING, PICTURE SHOW OR INSPECTOR'S VISIT TO ADD SPICE TO THE ROUTINE OF WORK. OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR RECESSES AND D0 WE EVER HAVE FUN? --SWINGS, TEETER-TOTTERS, SKIPPING ROPES, GAMES OF BASKETBALL, RUGBY, SOCCER,OUR OWN GAME OF "YARDS", AND SOFT BALL WHICH WE LIKE BEST OF ALL WHEN WE PLAY "SCRUB", AND EVERY FELLOW HAS A CHANCE TO PITCH, CATCH, STRIKE,OR PLAY FIRST BASE, SHORT STOP, FIELDER, FIRST, SECOND, OR THIRD, ALL IN THE ONE INNING. FUN? WHY OF COURSE IT IS.
IN THE SPRING WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TWO SPORTS DAYS. ONE IN PAISLEY FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTRICT SCHOOLS AND ONE IN WALKERTON WHERE ALL THE DISTRICT WINNERS WILL COMPETE.
AND BY THE WAY I HEAR THERE IS GOING TO BE A MUSIC FESTIVAL IN MAY,T00, DEAR, DEAR, DID I SAY "MAY"? ARE WE THAT NEAR TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR? !S IT POSSIBLE? WELL, GOOD LUCK TO EVERY GIRL AND BOY IN THE SCHOOL. MAY YOU BE PROMOTED AT LEAST ONE GRADE AND TWO OR THREE IF POSSIBLE.AND WHAT OF THE TEACHERS? OH, YES, I KNOW --- A WISH THAT ALL THEIR PUPILS PASS AND--AND--AND--THAT THEY HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY,
AND NOW TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN PAISLEY WHO HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HAVE THIS "YEAR BOOK", A REALLY GOOD VOTE OF THANKS, IT WAS MIGHTY FINE OF YOU AND WE DO APPRECIATE IT, THANKS A LOT.
GRADES VII AND VIII
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