The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1933 THE VICTORIAN

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1933, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1933 THE VICTORIAN

The caption does not refer to the busy Victorian age. of the past, but to victoria School Journal, the third number of volume 1, which has now appeared. The publication is an excellent one, and ranks well compared w.ith publications of a similar character. The form of the journal was well planned by its first editor who nas since, risen to high ranks in New Zealand journalism which has become his profession. The present editor, we should say, gives promise of a useful future in a like field if he is disposed to pursue a profession for which iiis writings, in prose and poetry, and the vision displayed in his articles, show he had no mean?aptitude. But it is not the editor alone who is responsible for the letter-press. There are several other scholars contributing, and the variety of the matter supplied is of wide interest and general premise. Ex-scholars contribute to thenunioer with a couple of articles, and both have achieved high rank in the public life of the Dominion. Victoria School has representatives nowadays In most walks of "life ranging from Parliament and the public service downwards, and' their achievements in the outside world is some tribute to the, old school where.they had choir first grounding i\ the three Rs. This is of the more interest because there is a movement afoot to endeavour to establish next year an Old Boys’ and Old Girls’ Association. This is in keeping with the practice of leading public schools, and looking to the honours' list won by the ex-scholars of Victoria school, there is every occasion to keep the merits and too traditions of the institution well to the fere. The journal before us Is a readable chronicle of school events, supplemented by interesting articles and pleasantly expressed lir.es on events serious and humourous. There is a well written article on gold-min-ing and another or timber, or rather we should say on “The Tragedy of the Freest.” Both deal briefly and suecintly with two subjects of major

jmr*ort?r!pe to "WesCai:!, -o that the art .cics are well placed in 'a school magazine to he read and studied by the future men and women of the province. In the first article, “Tiie Lure of Gold” is aptly described. M'o are told : ‘“After years of comparative quiet there is to-day renewed activity horn of a conviction that gold is still to he won from the soil of Westland, where years ago men laboured, fought, revelled and dared innumerable perils to obtain the coveted nugget.” There is the spirit of the past revived and aroused, 'and hope springs again. The writer on the passing forest-, strikes a different note—but no less true: “Maybe the land is suita-le for pastoral or agricultural pursuits, and then the pioneer erects his rough shanty and a farm is carved out of the former woodlands. But eve n smiling farm land and humming timber mill cannot compensate for the vanished glory of the forest.” Just as the mining article was written by the son of a miner, so the forest lover is a son of the soil, and each has become sensibly imbued with his own surroundings, which is as it should be. The journal concludes very aooropriately with some verses on “Westland.”’ which might, also very appropriately, hn adopted as the Provincial Anthem |for Westland. Altogether 'the publication is most, oreditalPe to the pupils of Victoria High School.