December 1927 School Magazine

Brisbanle Girts' Gl18!11Ulta'l' Scho<»l 1\lagaz.ine.

Brisbane Gids' Granuw-u· School Magazine.

THE VALl.'E OF A LIBRARY. The value of a library, ;t place of peace for study a.nd reflec- t ion, was early gras-ped by the great minds of the ancients, for collections of documents. soine nearly as old as civilization itself , are known to have existed among the early Assyrians , Egyptians , Grecia.ns , and later Romans . The building in whic~ these collections were housed followed the same general plan , consisting of a reading-room and more or less complete bookstore. The former was either rectangular .or semi-circular in shape . and was ornamented with busts and life- sized images of celebrated writers. The founders aimed at food fo r the mind amid comfortal>le surroundings, and the many books were carefully classified, the book-presses numbered to facilitate reference to the catalogue, and the seats were easily movable. The servants of ages long past , in blazing the trail of lmowledge and its deeper sister, 'Visdom, divined the benefits to study and though-t accruing from a well-stoclced library for the development of Knowledge into ·wisdom, and it would indeed be a pricele.:;s boon to every school and college, to follow the wise example of t hose grand old thinkers, and found a library, however small in the beginnr'ilg, "Du petit on vient au grand." is a true saying. Knowledge is power and. the fountain of wisdom flows through books. In absorbing the though-ts of others, one attains knowledge , but often riches in knowledge mean•s poverty in wisdom, for wisdom has its source in reflective study of the great problems of life . One should read for knowledge , but. study deeply for wisdon-i, and yet how impossible this is , however many books one possesses , if there bei no quiet spot for reflection . Thus we see how essential t.o one's intellectual development is access to a library. "Here, where the wotld is quiet" the student is admitted to the shrine, whence in meditative thought, he may ascend to that 1·ealm, where knowledge comes and wisdom lingers . HELEN MUNRO, V.

on a :vacant allotment next to their own home. The branches of this bush concealed the trap-dOOlj from .prying eyes. "Why, we are home punctually, after an;' said Betty: "the tril> t hrough the pas·sage did not take long. Now we can see what this box contains." The family eagerly gathered round whilst t he lock was broken, but the contents far exceeded all expectations, f or, when the lid was thrown back it disclosed jewels. The ~ews of the find was immediately communicated to the police, who identi- fied them as those stolen. in a robbery, which had taken place a few months before. The burglars had been captured, but they had previously managed to hide their loot. The girls received a handsome reward, which the owner had offered for the recovery of his lost property. Weary. but well satisfied, after their exciting and profitable rlay, th ey retired early for a good night's rest. ALMA HARTSHORN, Lower II I B.

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JM.RKXE88. The sun has long gone clown, The night is coming fast ; All are retiring to their rest , The hours of clay have passed. Dark, ghostly shadows fiit around, A stillness fills the air; 'Tis only broken by a bird , Or dingo in its lair. The owl steals round about for prey, And flies from tree to tree ; The mopoke sings a mournful song , As if life held no glee. The bushlark, too, trills out his song ·which makes dull hours seem fair ; His notes fall sweetly on the ear And seem to banish care. And all the time the sounds of bird~ Re-echo call on call Till daylight comes, when they ·are quiet. And sleep till next nightfall.

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SCHOOL'S OUT. Slowly the hands crept round to four, And children streamed through th~ open door, Walking lightly o;er stony roads , Little caring about their loads. Laughter rings in the gentle breeze , Birds are singing in the trees. All bound along with a hearty sh:out, "School's out ! School's out!"

BERYL NOAD, L III . D.

R.B., L III A .