An
article from the front page of the Almonte Gazette, September 1932
PUPILS
OF THE LATE DR. P.C. McGREGOR
HONOR
MEMORY OF OLD TEACHER AT
FORMAL
OPENING OF NEW HIGH SCHOOL
Big
Crowd assembles in Gymnasium
to
hear Interesting Program
Opening ceremonies in connection with
Almonte’s new high school were held last Monday night. The spacious gymnasium
was packed to capacity with interested people many of whom had attended the old
school and were somewhat bewildered by the contrast between the past and
present.
As they arrived at the main entrance
visitors were confronted with a fine, modern building blazing with electric
light. They passed down long corridors laid with hardwood floors to a large
gymnasium that had no place in the limited educational program of their day.
It is no exaggeration to say that
former students, as they were conducted through the school, were lost in
admiration. The contrast between the old and the new was sharp indeed. The old
school was about as bad as it could be and the new one is as handsome and well,
equipped as it is possible to make it.
Rows of chairs had been set out in the
gym and here the crowd assembled after going over the place and seeing the
wonderful transformation that had been wrought.
At each end of the long hall were the
frames and baskets for playing an internationally popular game that was invented
by an ex-pupil of the
A
Memorial Entrance
Hugh Martin, chairman of the Board of
Education, presided during the program. He said he considered it an honor to
have headed the Board during the period when the public and high schools of the
town had undergone much needed changes and improvements.
“We have here one of the finest
gymnasiums in
Explaining his last remark the chairman said that it had been hoped to create an entrance that would have served as a memorial to the late Dr. P.C. McGregor who served for so long as principal of the Almonte High School. The main entrance, he stated, was about the only part of the old building that had been preserved unchanged. There had been talk of a fund, to be raised by pupils of Dr. McGregor, for the purpose of a memorial entrance and he assured these ex-students were still of the same mind the Board would be glad to meet their wishes at any time.
Mr. Martin read a telegram from Dr. J.
B. McDougall, a graduate of the
The chairman than called on Rev. Wm.
McDonald of Peterboro, who read an appropriate passage from the Scriptures
followed by the eloquent, dedicatory prayer.
Principal
Speaks
W. J. Saunders, principal of the
school was the first speaker of the evening. He welcomed the large attendance
and saw in it an indication of the interest that was taken by the people of
Almonte in educational matters. It had been hoped, he said, to have the Minister
of Education and Dr. McDougall present for the occasion but neither of them had
been able to come. While this was regrettable it was pleasant to know that a
full list of excellent speakers had been obtained including Dr. McKenzie, Dr.
Bell, Judge Scott, a former president of the Ontario Educational association,
Rev. Mr. McDonald, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Craig, Mayor Comba and others.
Mr. Saunders referred to the fact that
the school had been in use since last December but completing of certain details
of construction had made it necessary to postpone the formal opening for a
considerable time. For the benefit of those who had not had an opportunity of
going through the building before the program began he explained the plan of
construction and other matters pertaining to the interior layout and equipment.
Good
Old Days?
Now and then, said Mr. Saunders, we
hear people say that the old time school, buildings that were good enough for
past generations should be good enough for today.
This was not correct. The old time school building was good enough for
the day it served but times had changed and the system of education, like other
things, had changed with them. All public buildings of today were better than
the public building of years ago and it was wrong to assert that school
buildings should be no exception. There were few parents who would care to see
their children going to schools of the kind they were forced to attend. For
instance in the matters of ventilation and sanitation great improvements had
been made . In this connection the speaker said the ventilating system of the
Almonte school was practically perfect and formed a striking contract to the
primitive means of ventilation employed long ago. The same was true of the
heating system. The whole school was modern in every way and was a credit to the
Board of Education, the architect and the contractors responsible for its
construction.
School
Sports
Turning to the somewhat delicate
question of what part athletics should play in the curriculum of a high school
Mr. Saunders said it was hard to draw a line. The criticism was often heard that
athletics played too important a part. This might be true in some cases but it
was a fact that clear, active minds generally went with healthy, vigorous
bodies. Good, clean sports infused a desirable spirit among the young people
participating in them and it was often the case that the boy or girl who
predominated in the gym or at outside games became a leader in life provided he
or she were endowed with fair class room ability. In this connection he referred
to the encouragement that had been given the school basket ball players by Dr.
Naismith and Dr. W. M. Johnston, both of whom had donated cups for the
contending teams. The football team which was taking physical instruction under
Chief Walsh was coming along better than ever before and at a meeting of the
E.O.S.S.A. at Kingston the Saturday previous two Almonte boys took first in the
junior and senior high jump and incidentally broke the records in each class. At
the close of the meet one of the track officials remarked to Mr. Saunders that
these lads were of Olympic material if they continued to progress.
Speaks
Well of Pupils
The school principal made it quite
clear that while due attention was paid to sports at the Almonte High School
studies were not being neglected. In the last departmental examinations some of
the pupils had done excellently while some had not done as well as could be
desired. With the new building and cheerful, healthful environment it created
Mr. Saunders felt the school had a bright future. He spoke well of the pupils
saying that he had found them, since coming to town, a very gentlemanly and
ladylike body of young people.
In concluding Mr. Saunders paid a
tribute to the late Dr. McGregor recalling that when he attended Queens, Almonte
High School had a wonderful reputation as a result of the good work of this
famous teacher.
Rev.
Mr. McDonald
In introducing Rev. Mr. McDonald of
Peterboro as the next speaker Mr. Martin said the Board had been fortunate in
getting him for the occasion. Mr. McDonald was one of the well known graduates
of the Almonte High School, his name being fourth on the earliest register now
extant. He thanked Mr. McDonald for making such a long journey to be present for
the opening.
Mr. McDonald recalled that it was 40
years the previous Monday since he had enrolled at Almonte High School. He was
born on the 10th line of Ramsay and passed the entrance at the age of 12. After
that he spent several years working on the farm but eventually decided to study
for the ministry. It was a rather embarrassing feeling, he admitted, to return
to school and sit among boys scarcely out of knee pants among whom was the
present Mr. Bell.
Continuing in this reminiscent mood
Mr. McDonald remembered that it was a rather dull morning when he walked along
the railway right-of-way and cut over to the school. He had interviewed Dr.
McGregor previously and did not have to submit to that
formality on the morning in question. Mr. McDonald told of being put into
the second form by the principal and of justifying his instructors good opinion
by passing his examinations at the head of the class. Dr. McGregor, always quick
to pick out the bright pupils, then placed Mr. McDonald in the fourth form from
which he graduated at the end of two years with honors and a scholarship for
Queen’s University.
A
Great Instructor
The Peterboro clergyman extolled the
good qualities of Dr, McGregor and told how thankful he was that his studies inn
the high school and university had been under such able educationists as the
former Almonte teacher and Principal Grant.
Speaking of the pains Dr. McGregor
took with those pupils who were ambitious and showed a desire to get ahead, Mr.
McDonald said the school principal was always on hand at 8 o’clock to give
special assistance when required. He would resume instruction
Death
on Spooning
The speaker said he couldn’t recall
any funny incidents of his school days. He explained he had been so earnest and
so engrossed in his studies from early until late, that he had no time to take
part in or observe the frivolities of school life. Gymnasiums were not thought
of then, Mr. McDonald remarked. The nearest approach to athletics was football
on the commons and physical drill. It was true that the scholars, who laboured
under the concentrated tutelage of Dr. McGregor, sometimes cast sidelong glances
at the young lady pupils but never in the presence of the master because he was
death on anything of that kind around the school. If the young men and young
ladies of Almonte High School, in Dr. McGregor’s day, wished to exchange a
wink or a word Mr. McDonald intimated that they walked discreetly down the
street and passed the time of day behind shade trees whose friendly branches hid
their misdemeanor from the stern eyes of their mentor.
Mr. McDonald concluded with a tribute
to education. He said that nine members of his family, raised on a farm on the
tenth line of Ramsay had the good fortune to attend school and qualify for the
teaching profession. He hoped that all good fortune would continue to smile on
the old school where he had received his start in life and for which he would
always cherish a sincere affection.
Stumbling
Block Removed
Peter McCallum, who was the mayor of
Almonte when the public and high schools were reconstructed and who served for
some time as president of the Lanark County Educational Association, was
introduced by Chairman Martin who paid tribute to the cooperation and assistance
Mr. McCallum had rendered when the Board was conferring with the council
respecting the financing of the two school projects. He referred to Mr. McCallum
as a man who, in his time, had done a great deal to promote the work of
education in Lanark County and thought it was especially fitting that he should
be heard from on such an occasion.
Mr. McCallum said it filled him with
pleasure to think that he, in an indirect way, had done something toward
bringing this about. Mr. McCallum regretted that he had never enjoyed an
opportunity to attend high school although he would have liked to avail himself
of such a privilege. When he came to Almonte, many years ago, he decided to
attend a night school then in existence in which high school work was taught.
The teacher discontinued the enterprise, however, and that was the end of the
matter.
The former mayor declared that Almonte
now had as fine a school building as there was in the district and he felt it
was staffed with five able teachers. He looked for great things from Almonte
High School in the future.
“We expect it - in fact we demand
it. We want to get value for our money,” concluded Mr. McCallum amid laughter
and applause.
Still
on School Board
His Hon. Judge J. H. Scott of Perth,
who was in Almonte for revision of the voters’ list expressed gratification
that an official engagement had harmonized so nicely with the pleasant function
to which the Board of Education had invited him.
The Judge said he had been a school
trustee away back in 1884 in Walkerton and when he received his present
appointment and moved to
Speaking of the gymnasium Judge Scott
said he agreed with what Mr. Martin had said about it’s being as fine a one as
to be found in the district.
“I can heartily subscribe to that
statement,” said His Honor, amid laughter, “because it is an exact duplicate
of the one in Perth Collegiate Institute.”
Judge Scott said Almonte would find
the gym an excellent addition to the school not only because of the opportunity
it gave the pupils for physical training and relaxation but because it served so
admirably as an assembly hall. In Perth Collegiate there was an assembly hall on
the fourth floor and it was so inconvenient that the gym was now being used on
most occasions as a place for gatherings such as the one he was addressing in
Almonte.
In concluding the Judge spoke highly
of the beautiful building that had taken the place of the old one. He agreed
with Mr. Saunders that the schools of years ago would be utterly out of place
today. Education was one of the most important things in life because it
equipped the young people for useful citizenship. Money spent on it was a
wonderful investment and the
dividends returned were rich in proportion.
J.
A. Craig, M. L.A.
J. A. Craig, M.L.A.
for
T.
A. Thompson, M.P.
T. A. Thompson M.P. for Lanark expressed pleasure at being present at the opening of the fine new high school. He said that all members of his family with the exception of himself had attended high school and one sister had served for a few years as principal of the one in Almonte. He had been in somewhat the same plight as Mr. McCallum. He would have liked to have gone to High School but having passed out of public school at the age of 12 and being strong, husky lad his father determined to make him a farmer. His father did not want him to go to high school at all because he feared he might wish to continue like the other members of the family. So he stayed on the land.
In this connection Mr. Thompson paid a
fine tribute to his mother, whom he said, had encouraged him to read good books
and improve his mind in that way. She was an educated woman who appreciated the
advantages of education and she had collected books of the kind that were worth
reading.
Mr. Thompson had long taken a keen
interest in education having served for 30 years as a trustee and secretary of
school section 12 in Ramsay. His own school days were recalled to him in a
pleasant manner, by the sight of his old school master, Malcolm MacFarlane,
sitting in the audience. He was pleased to be able to say that the country
school entrance class he attended sent three members of Parliament , two
clergymen and three doctors out into the world.
Mr. Thompson spoke well of the new
building and was sure the teachers and students would be able to do much better
work in such congenial surroundings than in the old school. High schools filled
a most useful place in the creation of good citizenship. At the same time Mr.
Thompson wanted to say a good word for the lower schools. It was a fact that
only ten per cent of scholars graduated from the High School and 90 per cent
depended on public schools for their education. Furthermore the pupils in these
lower schools were mostly under 12 and their minds were in
the formative stage. While high schools deserved every support possible
he felt it was most important that the tremendous importance of primary schools
should be kept in mind.
The
Changing Order
Dr. J. Mackintosh Bell, a graduate of
the Almonte High School and a pupil of the late Dr. McGregor dealt in an
interesting way with the astonishing change that has taken place in the
educational curricula of high schools and universities in the last half century.
Fifty years ago, he pointed out , a
person who wished to be considered cultured and well educated concentrated on
the classics. This system existed even in his day at high school as any pupil of
the late Dr. McGregor could testify.
But in recent years there had been a
decided change. The sciences and technical subjects had forged to the front and
now occupied a most important place in higher education. No longer was a
person’s claim to learning based solely on a thorough knowledge of the great
Greek and Latin authors. Other studies such as chemistry, biology, and various
branches of mechanics had cast their shadows across the path of the classical
scholar and were demanding and receiving attention.
Dr. Bell spoke of the humanizing
effect exerted on the student by the classics - the study of all that was
beautiful and noble in life. On the other hand the advance of science was an
expression of the stern, practical age. It gave man a chance to mould himself to
his environment or mould the environment to his own desires.
Dr. Bell concluded by relating several
anecdotes about his school days in which Dr. McGregor figured. He paid a high
tribute to his old teacher and pointed out that the primary object of education
should be higher and nobler than the means of grasping the material things of
life. Education was a training designed to prepare men and women for the
multiple obligations of life.
Introducing Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, Dr.
Bell referred to him as one of the most famous of a coterie of celebrated men
that graduated from the
An
Old Fashioned Teacher
Speaking in a humorous vein Dr.
McKenzie thought it was significant of the change in our educational system that
the meeting was being held in a gymnasium.
He recalled the day, many years ago,
when an elder brother led him to the old
“It was much more handsome building
then than now,” said the speaker ironically.
Dr. McKenzie proceeded to describe the
old building not forgetting the belfry, the bell and the bell rope that hung
temptingly in the hall where the boys, in passing, could give it a sly yank just
to see if the bell were working properly.
The teacher of that day, Dr. McKenzie
intimated would be a revelation to the scholars of the generation. He had been a
blacksmith and he carried some of the traits of his former trade into his
adopted calling. Referring to this pedagogue as “Juno” Dr. McKenzie gave the
audience an entertaining and amusing description of his methods of instruction.
It appears that the school master
believed that writing, reading and ‘rithmetic should be taught to the tune of
the hickory stick. He had three methods of correction each advancing in severity
until the superlative degree was reached. The positive degree was a ferule, the
comparative the taws a leather strap cut into tails with the ends scorched to
harden them, and the rawhide - well, it was just a rawhide. The especial virtue
of the last mentioned instrument of torture from Juno’s standpoint - certainly
not from that of the pupil - was that it wound around leaving a wealth both on
the palm and on the back of the hand.
Lapsing into a serious strain Dr.
McKenzie pointed out that schools of the kind he was describing were conducted
in an atmosphere of terror. An attempt was made to drive knowledge into a child
through fear and force. He contrasted that method with the intelligent system
employed in the present day.
“A
Miserable Tool”
Getting back to his old school room
once again the speaker described how the teacher would chalk up a sum in
addition on the black board and ask the pupils to copy it on their slates and
add it correctly. Dr. McKenzie, speaking in his whimsical way, hinted that
mathematics was one of his pet aversions throughout his school days. He recalled
the story of a dean in an
“And I was too,” said Dr. McKenzie amid general laughter and applause.
Recalling his high school days Dr.
McKenzie referred to the enthusiasm displayed by the late Dr. McGregor in
assisting his pupils along the path of learning. This enthusiasm for them to
succeed amounted almost to a ferocity and
sometimes the students did not appreciate it. There were occasions when a chap
kept in a half an hour to grind away at his classics did not feel that this
detention was a beautiful piece of self sacrifice on the part of his teacher.
Looking backward the speaker thought
that in spite of Dr. McGregor’s wonderful love for the classical authors it
was seldom he got his scholars past the mechanical side of the subject. They
often did not see the deep human interest that lay beneath the surface of the
epics they were translating so laboriously.
Interested
in Pupils
Dr. McKenzie explained that P.C.
McGregor’s whole desire was for his students to make a success of their lives
and be a credit to their school and university.
Education, the speaker declared, was
not confined to the class room. In this connection he pointed out that the
gymnasium filled an important place as did all the clean forms of sport. It was
here that healthy bodies were trained and the spirit of observation and
cooperation cultivated to a degree that could not be attained elsewhere.
He felt there was a tendency these
days to get out of direct touch with the worth while things of life and to
accept second hand substitutes. These were agencies that tended toward this
condition such as the moving picture and the radio. He gave an example of a man
who had boasted to him about getting a new radio and spending the evening before
listening to a program. On being questioned the owner of the radio had no clear
idea of what he had been listening to and excused himself by saying he had been
reading a newspaper while the program was proceeding. On being asked what he had
read he could not recall anything definitely because he had been listening to
the radio.
“In other words.” said Dr.
McKenzie, “this man not only wasted an evening but actually injured himself by
dulling his mind and utterly discarding his sense of observation.”
The process of education was not
confined to the class room, the speaker replied. It continued during the many
contacts boys and girls made with the everyday world provided they were
observant enough to profit by what they saw going on about them.
Dr. McKenzie concluded by quoting the
lines which St. Bernard pays such an eloquent tribute to the value of
Observation:- “You will learn more from trees in the woods than from masters -
More from the stones in the running brooks than from books.”
Mayor
Comba Speaks
Mayor Comba said it afforded him a
great deal of pleasure to welcome back to Almonte such distinguished graduates
of the old High School as D. McKenzie and Rev. Mr. McDonald. He felt that the
chapter from the Scriptures that had been read by Mr. McDonald was particularly
appropriate on an occasion of this kind and he hoped it had made as deep an
impression on any of the students present as it had on himself.
His Worship said this was the first
opportunity he had of officially welcoming Dr. McKenzie back to Almonte. For the
benefit of Mr. McDonald he explained that Dr. McKenzie had built a country home
for himself in the
Mr. Comba touched on the history of
the old school. He said it was established in 1875 and contrasted the inadequate
building of that day with the fine new structure that had replaced it. It is
hard, said the speaker, when we look
at this school blazing with electric light to recall a time when there were no
lights in it and when the caretaker had to carry wood to ten box stoves on the
upper floor.
He felt the Board of Education
deserved great credit for taking the long delayed step that had made the new
school possible. He believed the pictures of the present board should be framed
and preserved in the school so that scholars of the future would have an
opportunity of seeing the faces of the men who had made it possible for them to
pursue their studies in such a pleasant environment.
Speaking of the great change that had
taken place in the system of education and in the school itself,
Mr. Comba paid a kindly and graceful tribute to the dean of the Board of
Education, David Williams. This trustee, he pointed out, had served on the Board
for 40 years. He could recall three generations of pupils who had passed through
the school and his mind could reach back into the old days when the facilities
of the building were of the most primitive kind. It must be exceedingly
gratifying to Mr. Williams, the Mayor said, to look about the splendid school of
today and contract it with the long ago.
His Worship spoke highly of the work
of P.C. McGregor declaring that he had sent pupils out into the world who had
won honor for themselves, their teacher and their school.
Mr. Comba concluded with the statement
that money invested in education was never lost. It might mean temporary
sacrifice but those who made it were amply repaid when they saw their loved ones
going out into the world fully equipped with a sound education to give a good
account of themselves in the battle of life.
During the evening the program was
pleasantly varied by several solos rendered by James Ellis and Arthur Robertson
which were much appreciated by the big audience.