The Pembroke Bullfrog, Issue 3, 1958

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THE

PEMBROKE BULLFROG being the periodical of THE J.C.R., PEMBROKE COLLEGE, OXFORD

HILARY TERM, 1958 Editor; A. A. N. Cruttenden.

Sub-Editors; G. D. M. Leslie, M. Simpson, E. D. Jacobs.

B. Nolan.

Business Manager; D. 7. D. Mcphail.

Magazine Secretary; D. Sparrow.

t4BULLFROG" is now in its third year of publication and it is inevitable that some sort of tradition must begin to attach itself to the magazine. Criticisms were forthcoming in its first year which declared that it had been devoted too much to the activities of one particular 'see; that it had been generally too particular and too frivolous. Last year's editor noted this and stated his intention of including articles of more general interest. With this in mind he made no excuses for including three points of view on the Hydrogen Bomb. But once again there were criticisms; this time that the magazine had gone to the other extreme and become too serious, too general or too political.

From these ideas and criticisms it becomes obvious that the worth of a magazine depends not only on the standard of the individual articles, but even more so upon what might be called the balance of power in the magazine. So we have tried as far as possible to bear in mind all sections of the College, be they Societies, Clubs, `sets', or just simply individuals. So, too, we have tried as far as possible to make the magazine a balance of the general and the particular. We may truthfully say that we have at least tried to attain these ideals, even if in practice we have fallen far short of them.

Photographs have once again had to be excluded from the magazine, on account of the expense of reproducing them. This year we have indeed considered the question of finances very carefully, since we think that if a magazine is to have any likelihood of

Continuing, it must be put on a. sound financial basis. To this end, we have tried very hard to balance our accounts. Whether we have succeeded, we cannot as yet say.

With regard to the general plan of "Bullfrog", we thought that that employed in last year's magazine was both interesting and economical. We have, therefore, continued on much the same lines. Several articles have now become regular features. Those on passed and present members of the College will always be of interest. What used to be the "Pembroke Profile" has now become the 'Pembroke Heritage' since we deemed such an important contribution worthy of a new title. We hope that the article on the Art Collection will offer some guidance to members of the J.C.R. when they wish to adorn their rooms, be it attractively or repulsively. The article on the proposed expansion of Pembroke, promised last year, has been duly provided. Here also we would like to offer our apologies to any people who wrote articles which space did not allow us to publish.

To those freshmen reading the magazine for the first time, we wish an enjoyable stay at Oxford, and we hope that they will not be loath to write articles and indeed to take on the task of producing the magazine next year. To those leaving us at the end of the year we wish health and success in their new careers and we hope they will purchase a copy of "Bullfrog" in future years.

In conclusion, we would like to re-iterate what we said before —that we have tried to produce a balanced magazine. If, however, you still feel that the scales have been weighted more heavily on one side, we ask you to bear with us, since our intentions were A.A.N. C. good.

THOSE PRESENT HANGED DAYS ! Running water in the old quad and beer running in the Beer Cellar. This year has seen these two old promises surprisingly realised. Some of us seem more addicted to one than the other—Brian Le Geyt, for example, whose harmonious voice is almost always to be heard in the Cellar before hall, and the younger Stanford, who is shaping well to the prodigious family standards.

Last summer brought yet another distinction to the College— we had no firsts in Schools. Those who have suffered in more popular schools (poker) are said to be thinking of running a tote

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on this year's starters to recoup. As an indication of form should this materialise, we draw your attention to the enthusiastic bridgeplaying of Peter Letts, John Otway, Tim Warriner, and Geoff Finden, who on their free evenings may be found in company with any or all of Peter Turner, Roy Vernon, Alan Grant, and Norman Swift leaning on any bar between Boar's Hill and Studeley Priory.

Turning to more energetic sports, we congratulate John 'Metcalfe, who ran all over the world for England, John Winch and Rex van Rossun who ran for the University against Cambridge.

David Prichard got a trial cap; Roy Vernon captained the Oxford ski team at Zurs and skiied for England at St. Moritz. The football team won the first division and Geoff Taylor, Chris Beswick, Dick Hayes, Peter Toomey and Brian Le Geyt played for the Centaurs.

Julian Crispin, too, was in sporting mood on November 5th when he tried to dislodge a policeman's helinet. Failure cost him a night in a cell and a sizeable fine. Roy Vernon, who had been regarded from the start as his close accomplice, miraculously escaped with an apology from the police. Stalwarts of the Christian Fellowship, including Ted Barnes, Geoff Crookes and Bill Brockie, also paid a visit to a penal establishment, though theirs, so they say, was for worthier reasons. It is to be hoped that the regular inmates suffer no permanent setbacks as a result.

We offer our sincere congratulations to George Hoskin, Don Taylor, Brian. Le Geyt, Robbie Smit and Lawrie Shaw on their becoming engaged. Also to March Austin, who is twenty-one in March.

Rudolph D'Mello was at the centre of the Union brouhaha in the Michaelmas Term and narrowly missed being elected President. We are looking forward to an exciting exposé from him some day—"The Truth about the Union—or, D'Mello rehabilitated".

Among other elections we notice that: — P. R. Glazebrook is President of the Society of Bibliophiles.

R. N. Pittman is Master of the Society of Change Ringers.

Stanley Todd is Chairman of "Crime—A Challenge".

J. H. Lyon is Vice-President of "Cosmos", The University U.N. Association.

G. Taylor is President of the Italian Club and T. J. Fox of the Spanish Society.

Peter Ledger is President of the John Bunyan Society.

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A. J. Dorey is Secretary of the New Graduate and M. G. Taylor of the Heraldry Societies.

B. J. Dendle is President of the Philatelic Society.

R. van Smith is President of the South African Association.

In the sporting world, Bob White-Cooper has been captain of the University Rifle Club and Alan Grant vice-captain.

D. J. Shorey is President of the Swimming Club, R. G. Jenkins is Assistant Secretary of the Lawn-Tennis Club, and Peter Kidner is Treasurer to the Company of Archers.

It has been a good year theatrically. Don Taylor produced Tennessee Williams' "Summer and Smoke" for E.T.C., in which enterprise he was ably assisted by Bill Hamer, George Rigg, Geoff Lewis, Dennis Meakin, Alan Burge and Mike Simpson.

Mike is at present busily rehearsing for his part as Gloucester in "King Lear". John Ratte dashed off a one-act play for O.U.D.S. Cuppers and Brendan Nolan in the first week of term learnt his part of Clarion in 'Calderon's "Life is a Dream".

In the intellectual world, we congratulate David Speller on winning the University Theodore Williams Scholarship in Pathology and Peter Glazebrook on his Proxime Accessit in the Winter Williams Law Scholarship.

E. J.

THOSE PASSED OES the presidency of the JCR ensure success in the great out-side? David Arnold is finding teaching the Fourth Form at Clifton considerably more strenuous than presiding over JCR meetings. Perhaps these training sessions should be "toughened up" for the benefit of future schoolmasters. Gospatrick Home and John Warburton are both equipped with bowler hats, umbrellas, and expense accounts; for a publishing firm and an advertising agency respectively. Alec Gordon is reputed to have been seen drinking Randolph Churchill's whisky.

Our information did not, however, come from Randolph Churchill, to whom Alec is Secretary.

Brian Sparrow is in the Foreign Service in Belgrade and we hear rumours of an impending marriage; while another oarsman, Paul Hindle, visiting Oxford in his "vehicle" had a memorable journey. We understand that apart from the usual brushes with dogs, cats, and sundry pedestrians, he excelled himself this time by refrigerating Mrs. Hindle. Roy Chivers is grinning his way through Northern Aluminium. His "pairing" now is less energetic

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than that with Paul this time last year. Keith Fell, having seen and worked with the "left wing" at close quarters (official) is now an ardent supporter of the Tories (unofficial). John Clogg is working for an expanding engineering firm in London while John Samuel who also "went down" last year is working with "Shell" and claims he now knows London as well as anyone can.

Peter Cox who is teaching at Reigate Grammar School, "alma mater" of Bob Blow and Ron Limbrick, tells us he is to be married in March.

Among those included in the New Year's Honours this January was G. G. Drewe, who was here in 1922, and went into the Indian Civil Service. He was awarded the C.B.E. J. 0. Gilbert, who left Pembroke in 1926 and who went out to Sarawak with Rajah Brooke, was given the C.M.G. News about past members of the College is unfortunately so very limited, but we do extend our best wishes to all of them, B.N. whether mentioned here or not.

Presidential Prattle

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ECENTLY a visitor to the College enquired what, if anything, of significance had happened during my term of office. Without hesitation I pointed to the Beer Cellar, in my opinion our most prized acquisition. Not that I personally had much hand in bringing this creature into being. We must thank the College authorities, and in particular the Bursar, for having the Cellar built in conjunction with other structural alterations to the College. Already its amenities are rapidly expanding 7

—lunches for those living out, Flowers' "Keg", now a dart-board and shove-halfpenny, and I learn from the Beer Cellar member that designs have been submitted for murals. Here the younger freshman can learn to drink a pint of beer, or two, before venturing out to try his newly-acquired skill in an Oxford pub. He may even learn a few tricks from the old lags whose features are becoming each evening more like permanent fixtures in the Cellar.

And as a means of entertainment, an answer is provided for the long felt need of somewhere to take a guest for that pre-hall ccnoggin".

Looking back on the year, one thing will continue to be a source of amazement to me. How, after a glass of indifferent beer, a man will freely cast his vote at a JCR meeting in support of the most extravagant committee proposals. But I am not one to complain at the confidence placed in the committee which has enabled us to purchase such things as a croquet set, new curtains (how difficult it is to please everyone! ), additional strip-lighting to exhibit works of the art collection to better effect, and a coffeetable (even if it only on approval). While in their cups, members have voted in "The Daily Sketch", a journal which by general acclaim is now considered better value than "Esquire". Mention must here be made of the work of the Committee on American Literature, the latest report stating that things were getting "too hot", and that such literature would appear subject to the activities of the FBI. I have thoroughly enjoyed running the JCR meetings. The chair is to be recommended as a finishing school in man-management, and I hope will have cured me from making the occasional "faux pas", which in a public meeting in after-life, would perhaps not be greeted with the same hilarious applause.

D. L. PRICHARD.

An American looking at an American looking at Oxford NGLISHMEN must be rather bored by now with impressions of the British people written by Americans who for some reason imagine that their impressions will actually interest someone. Rather than presenting one more article like that, I would like to take a look at the American himself—at me and my countrymen, over 250 of them, in Oxford.

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First, why do Americans come here, a question Englishmen must have asked in differing moods for some time. In his last year at university an American student will undoubtedly be tired and annoyed with his daily reading assignments, weekly tenminute quizzes, and hour tests; it is difficult to avoid these at any American university, including even the most creditable ones like Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, or Cornell. The legendary academic freedom of Oxford seems most pleasant under these circumstances.

As a student he may be planning on going into graduate work anyway, and may have a specific project to study here—one that perhaps can be done better here than anyplace else. More American students, however, want to come to Oxford for other reasons: the Grand Tour abroad is still recognized as a part of an education, an Oxford or Cambridge degree—whatever class— still looks impressive on a job application form (even better when coupled with Yale or Princeton), but most important—let's face it—a year or two of study abroad is an eminently justifiable way of postponing the inevitable decision and plunge into one's life work. I have noticed that this desire is not exclusively American.

So the American student decides he has always been an Anglophile and starts looking toward Oxford or Cambridge. Most people find that a scholarship is good to have, if for no other reason than the better chance of being accepted by a college.

Much of his last year will be spent completing application forms of uncomfortable length and impertinent curiosity, battling with selection committees which are determined to discover the real workings of his mind in spite of his efforts to conceal such shocking revelations under carefully considered statements of direction and singleness of purpose.

Having been awarded his place in a college, he is comfortably situated for the next two years, with no impending decisions; furthermore he has gained the reputation at his university of being bright and "on the way to the top". Now that the glory is achieved, his attitude toward Oxford changes; he begins to look upon it, not with a scholar's awe, but with a desire to know what makes all those people over there so un-American. From contemplating the cosmic significance of the ancient university he will become more interested in the details of the life looming ahead of him.

He will possibly come over on the same boat with other Oxfordbound Americans. He will read, with everyone else, either Brideshead Revisited or Zuleika Dobson. Most important he gen,9

erally gets acquainted with the other Americans, and they all piously resolve not to see too much of each other in Oxford, since after all, they have not travelled 2000 miles to revel in the civilized company of fellow-Americans—they are to mix with the indigenous population and observe all their native customs.

The American, before leaving for Oxford, will have memorized several lessons: 1. Don't under any circumstances criticize the Queen. But be well prepared with scandalous stories about George III. 2. Don't speak in a loud voice, or laugh, or blow your nose.

3. Don't use the word "gotten"—Englishmen are still touchy about keeping their dialect separate from the English spoken elsewhere in the world.

4. Never, never speak to anyone until he has spoken to you.

5. But, never act aloof or unfriendly—remember you are America's unofficial ambassadors of good will.

Numbers four and five present an interesting dilemma, especially in the first week. If he takes the advice to heart, the American will sit in silence throughout his first meal until someone asks him to pass the salt, whereupon he will shoot out his hand with a cheery and shattering "HI—I'm Joe Doakes from Detroit in the good ol' U.S.A. Who are you?" After the less-than-successful results of this performance he will complain to one of his countrymen, sought out in desperation, "These dadgummed English are snobs—won't even be civil when you talk to them."

Sometimes the student will decide, as I did, to follow item number four, and let number five take care of itself. This worked well for a time, and I can honestly say I have learned how pleasant it can be to sit through breakfast without having to be gay and scintillating—a show that would be distinctly rude and unsociable in conversation-driven America. But this approach has its disadvantages as well. After a week of scrupulously biting my tongue and never speaking until spoken to, I finally met a reallife native and he said, "The trouble with you Americans is that you keep too much to yourselves. You never enter into things."

So the American adventurer blunders his way through the quaint ways and manners of this island society.

His complaints are frequent and loud—how can one be expected to keep quiet (regardless of rule number two) when there is no connection for his electric blanket. The complaints are always the same : 10

1. The weather is "lousy".

2. There is no central heating.

3. The plumbing is outside.

4. The gate should not be locked at night.

S. The food is bad. Graduates from one particular American college are especially insistent on this point, because at this institution (called "Harvard") they are accustomed to having better food than they would have at most real universities. This single fact of better food, incidentally, is the reason why many youngsters choose to go to Harvard.

The obvious answer to these and any other criticisms is simply, "Then why did you come here, and why don't you go home?"

Englishmen are advised to use this phrase frequently on the American, since there is little he can say in return, and will probably just take another sip of Coca-Cola in relative silence.

Perhaps I have now given you enough description that you will be able to recognize an American at Oxford. Remember, he is basically a nice chap, bearing no ill will against his native hosts; when you see him in his home, with his own civilization and heritage around him he seems quite reasonable and understandable. Surely you Englishmen have had enough experience in the jungles, of India to know how strange a civilized man looks when out of his element.

PETER GROSE

OUR COLLEGE SERVANTS

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EN living in and out of Pembroke for generations have taken for granted the services of their college servants, and we here in 1958 are no different in this respect. The purpose of this brief article is, therefore, to shed a little light upon the men that do so much to make life worth living in college, and whose efforts go so largely unnoticed.

If I were to mention them all, I should fill up more space than I have at my disposal, and so with one or two exceptions I have confined myself to those with over twenty years' service with the College. Pembroke, we firmly believe, is unique among Oxford colleges in the number of its servants who have rendered such long and faithful service. Much credit for this must be due to Mr. Turner, the Manciple. Appointed as Kitchen Clerk as long ago as 1919, he rose to the position of Buttery Clerk before attaining his present position as Manciple in 1933. The occasion 11

of this article very appropriately marks twenty-five years of smoothly efficient and cheerful administration.

With the longest service of all, though one would scarcely think it, is Reggie Hunt. He started in 1912 as cycle shed attendant, and after the Great War carried out staircase duties. To those in college accustomed to the amenities of modern plumbing and heating, it will come as a shock to hear that as late as 1926 Reggie as the only servant with the necessary technical knowledge was appointed baths attendant on the change-over from oil-lamps and hip-baths to electricity and the new-fangled hot water system.

There he has remained ever since, whilst rendering additional help to the college in the garage.

In the kitchens we find Mr. E. V. Organ, who was appointed Assistant Cook in 1929 after an apprenticeship in Jesus College.

After the last war, in which he took part, he became Head Cook in 1946. Second Cook is W. Rogers, also appointed in 1929, who has worked side by side with Mr. Organ ever since.

The staircase servants have all been with the College for between twenty and thirty, years. Of these George Dawson (1921) has been here the longest. Frank Kirby joined the staff in 1925 with George Rand, but the former had already served as a boy in the J.C.R. Alfred Hunter also joined the staff in the same year and was given a staircase in 1928. That year saw the arrival of Harry Hearn and Alf Waters. The circumstances in which the latter entered upon service with Pembroke are of some interest.

A Pembroke undergraduate by the name of Ziegler was living in lodgings on the High where Walters was the manservant. Ziegler took a fancy to Alf, and asked the Manciple whether a vacancy could be found in college for him. There being one for the following term, Ziegler offered it to Alf, who accepted it, and he has been with the College ever since. Two years before this in 1926 Henry Orchard arrived, and but for a break between 1940 and 1945 has served here continuously. Leslie East, best known in College as the Boatman, in which capacity he has served since the end of the war, joined as Senior Common Room boy in 1929, followed in 1931 by Bert Kimber as Hall man. They both graduated to staircases, and shared the honour of serving in the R.A.F. during the last war.

All these are your loyal servants who have waited upon you in Hall and on your staircases for thirty years. They are so to speak the foundation members; veritable pillars of the College.

Other servants who have served the College faithfully and well in less spectacular positions include Hector Greenwood who 12

came in 1925 from Radley College, and for many years looked after the undergraduate bicycles with the same efficiency and care that he bestows upon the shoes and boots of present members.

Mr. Duke, who joined in 1931 as Senior Common Room man, has endeared himself to fellows and undergraduates alike with his reliable and excellent service in the S.C.R. and at High Table.

Helping Mr. Turner on the administrative side are George Willoughby (1933) and Ted Cox (1935). The former as Kitchen Clerk is responsible for accounting and catering administration.

Ted as Buttery Clerk originally served directly under the Manciple, but with the expansion of the College and its administrative functions came separation and a junior assistant. He also, as most will know, runs the new Beer and Snack Bar in conjunction with Mr. Organ.

This has necessarily been short and restricted. I only hope that it may cause you to spare an occasional thought for the men that help the College to function, especially for those behind the scenes. They are a grand and loyal group, and must have a fund of entertaining stories of Pembroke Past and Present if you were but to ask. Why not go and ask old . . .?

G.D.M.L.

BORSTAL VENTURE, 1957 PARTY of 15 or so Pembroke undergraduates camping together in Yorkshire during a fortnight of the long vacation would be unlikely to attract attention outside the immediate vicinity; alter the facts to include among the camping party lads from an "open" Borstal near Hatfield, and you have by any definition "news". The public perhaps reads only of the extraordinary.

Here, at any rate, superficially, was a large enough contrast to whet most appetites (or as the Express put it "The rough with the smooth").

I suppose the obvious question to ask is what made us do it.

A false sense of bravado? That certainly was present as the day drew nearer, but, as shorts were all too soon to disclose, we were athletically ill-equipped for any sort of endurance test. Or are we interested in sociology? That must be nearer the mark, for even one of the lads thought that we were undergoing a sort of practical course, providing completion to our studies; it was hard to convince him to the contrary, for by an odd coincidence, four of our number were reading law. The plain truth is, of course, that we

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went as a Christian Fellowship--the Christian Fellowship within the College. The Rector of Spennithome, Yorks, who conceived the idea, and on whose grounds we were to camp, coined the phrase "an experiment in Christian living", and this proved to be a ready sword to use against the many who were prepared to mis-represent us.

I had the misfortune to arrive when the camp was half-way through, and the first Hatfield contingent was packed and ready to go, preparatory to another group arriving. First impressions were embarrassing. Who would seek to arrive unannounced, suited, and carrying suitcases, into the midst of thirty campers, whose mugs, cutlery, jersies and pumps had so obviously become a PART of them? Second impressions were reassuring. The week, by all accounts, had been splendid.

It is difficult, at this length of time, to speak of feelings experienced some six months back. Equally fatal would be a chronological summary of day to day events, which would wear the look of someone else's snaps. Together we went out to visit the many beautiful spots around—but Fountains and Jervaulx mean nothing if you have not been there. Together we went on hikes over this dale or up that, once slept in extremely uncomfortable barns—but the bare fact records nothing of the pleasure we found in each other's company. They caught the same back-ache picking potatoes, and, like us, had tea with a Countess. All our activities must be put in their context however, which for us meant a religious context, that of the sharing of Christian friendship. And the joy of the camp lies in the friends we made.

Fortunately the end of the camp did not represent a complete severance of ties. Not only have letters gone back and forth, but visits have been paid the one to the other. A particularly happy weekend was spent by a dozen or so of us at the end of Michaelmas term, at Hatfield itself. We were, according to the press "going to live the life of Borstal boys". It certainly did not turn out like that. We dressed in dungarees admittedly, but three theological students and one chemist do not take to motor mechanics as easily as that. We could do the early morning run by the light of the moon, but gym was a stiffer hurdle. (We knew we could survive the food, for we had it on good authority that it was better than that of one of our well-known public schools).

More important, we met those we already knew, and could prepare the ground for next July.

For the "experiment" is to be repeated this year, and on a larger scale, for Lincoln has agreed to run a similar fortnight. At 14

the time of going to press, the Village thus looks as if it is to be over-run for well over a month; a responsibility which "sleepy little Spennithorne (pop. 180)" to quote Time, will take in its stride. We are looking forward to going there again.

J.C.R. ART COLLECTION

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HREE new paintings have been acquired by the J.C.R. since the present committee took over, representing an expenditure of about ÂŁ45. More important than these, however, new lights were installed in the J.C.R., and with such great effect that one wonders why this essential addition was not made long ago. Also, after much discussion and waiting, racks were installed in a room off the Upper Lecture Room, where paintings can safely be stored during vacations.

The painting which has provoked the most discussion and comment during the past few months has undoubtedly been Gilbert Spencer's "Hebridean Memory", in oils and Cinemascope, which has been on loan from St. Anne's. This work occupied the whole of the lower end wall of the J.C.R. during the Michaelmas term and dominated the room as few other paintings could do. The opinion of the J.C.R. pundits on this painting was not entirely favourable. Many criticised the perspective, others found some of the detail irritating and purposeless, and the colouring also came in for criticism. One gentleman, believed to be of Caledonian origin, even complained that the painter's memory was faulty in the matter of the colour of the funnels on Messrs. MacBraynes steamers. The Committee is still trying to think of a suitable answer to this one.

Of the three new paintings bought by the J.C.R., two are by Brian Bradshaw, a painter from the North who shows considerable promise and whose present work is of a very high standard, and the other by Douglas Swan, which had, at the time of writing, only been in the J.C.R. for a week. The Bradshaws, having been on show last term as well, have received a fair amount of criticism, the majority of which has been directed at the painting 'Sheep', which many find dull and lacking in interest, while others complain that the sheep look too much like sheep to be of any artistic value.

Thus although there are no spectacular additions to the Art Collection, much useful work has been done by way of the improved lighting and the new racks, and it is hoped that it will soon be possible to reframe those pictures, of which there are 15

more than a few, whose present frames are unworthy, ugly, and M. J. CRISPIN. even dangerous.

Art Committee : George Rigg (President), Edwin Barnes, Derek Lywood, Julian Crispin.

What Fools these Students be !

FI ER four terms at Oxford one begins to have some knowledge of what people in general and undergraduates in particular think of the place, and when I say think I mean really think. Of course there are always those who are here for a good time, just as there are those who are here for the sole purpose of gaining a degree. These, however, are minorities.

The average person on coming up intends to make the most of what is generally called "Oxford life", without having so much of it that he goes down without gaining any academic qualifications whatsoever, and in Oxford these are the people who really matter. What a pity it is, therefore, to hear these people say that they find their life a dull one—a monotonous round of tedious conversation and even more tedious opinions, of fanatical rowers and diehard rugger enthusiasts, of second rate artists and third rate politicians. And what an appalling confession when we have to agree with them, and agree with them we must.

"They're all the same," is a constant cry. We may not be sure of who "they" are, but somehow we do tend to agree with the sentiment. One can predict exactly how the conversation at a tea party will go. It will probably begin with a comparison of the various subjects being read ("Of course I don't stand a chance in prelims./mods./finals."), followed by reflections on the varsity match, torpid forecasts, the chances for arts graduates in industry ("Of course I wouldn't dream of going into it myself."), Tennessee Williams' latest, old Bob's night on the tiles, Marx (only occasionally Harpo), the doctrine of Predestination, and the most recent theory of art. New topics become old ones inside a few days, and very soon the cry goes up that there is no conversation left in Oxford—a cry which is quite false because there are plenty of people of a really good and sound intelligence in the university who never disclose their feelings in conversation because they are under the impression that to say what one really thinks is not quite nice. They are put off by the clever stuff, and as a result we have to suffer the same old rubbish day after day. It used to 16

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be said at one time that what Oxford thought today the country would think tomorrow. If this ever was true let us hope that it is not now, otherwise the country is in for a period of the most dismal stagnation.

How often does one hear Oxford praised because it is the home of the individual mind! And yet what does this mean, assuming that it means anything? Merely that one can state the most outrageous opinion and receive serious attention. Of course many people will hold that this too is a good thing, that it is of infinite value when young to form opinions on serious matters so that one will gain self-confidence. And yet are not the evils of this greater than any good which can result? Providing that the mind is a mature one, merely toying with ideas later to be discarded it is true that no harm will result. But this is not always the case.

In nine cases out of ten it is the immature mind seriously advocating the most nonsensical rubbish and being given serious attention. In other words it is the "freedom of the individual mind" at work. It is a great pity that there is not a little less freedom, but in a democracy perhaps that is too much to expect. But is it too much to ask for a little more control, a little more discipline in the opinions that one puts forth? Does one really grow out of this state? I doubt it. Instead what happens is that later on in life this person will desire to have the same credence given to his beliefs which he had always received at Oxford, and of course he will not get it. He will become what he is bound to become— a crank.

But still Oxford will go on letting all and sundry have their own particular little say. Perhaps it is inevitable. It is also a pity. . But at least one can make one's own contribution to the general good by refusing to be "tolerant".This word is probably used more than any other in Oxford, and what it means is this. Never on any account allow yourself to think that you have any knowledge of any subject whatsoever, because you will be constantly meeting the man who though he has "never really gone into the matter deeply, nevertheless has managed to form some opinions on it, and has come to the conclusion that, etc." This man will pop up all over the place, and there is absolutely no defence against him because the two things which might prove to be so —knowledge and experience—have to be discarded in favour of tolerance. And don't expect this tolerance to justify itself either, because it won't even attempt to do so. It will just assert itself without any apology or explanation. Perhaps it doesn't need to apologise for itself, however, because its usefulness is so easily 17

apparent. Tolerance gives you the right to pass opinions on a book which you have not read, a film or play which you have not seen, or a piece of music which you have not heard. Moreover, and this is the real value of it, your opinions will not merely be as good as those of the bigoted idiot, they will be better because yours will have all the benefits and the blessings which fall from a broad and "tolerant" mind!

We had all wanted to come to Oxford for different reasons, but in the minds of all of us there was the knowledge that it would not be quite the same as anywhere else. It would be much less inhibited, behaviour would not be quite so stuffy, and how we had hated that stuffiness! It is a very good thing that Oxford should not be quite the same as anywhere else, but it must have its reasons for being different. In the past it did. Now it is different for no particular reason, except perhaps that it delights in shocking, in being unreasonable when it is far easier to be reasonable, and far more sensible too; and this reason is just not good enough. Such an attitude can only be to its disadvantage.

A. F. TAYLOR.

SKI-ING IN ZURS URED by the insidious propaganda of the Ski Club and by tales of last year's successful party, five of the Pemmy boys went to Ziirs, in Austria, to sample the delights of winter sports. The real cost of the holiday was kept secret and plenty of snow and girls promised. The standard of the girls, recruited from various parts of Europe, was high, but there was very little snow when we arrived in Ziirs. For the first week, however, the Austrians assured us every night that there would be snow by the morning. Eventually there was, but the lack of snow only meant that more energy could be devoted to the "apres-ski" side of things. And by the time there was snow, certain members of the party were suffering from prolonged hangovers and dared not trust their sense of balance and their legs to skis. Messrs. Hunt and Cooper consumed enormous quantities of alcohol, though not perhaps with Mr. Jacobs' ability, and pursued the Metcalf sisters during intermittent periods of soberness. Mr. Turner carried out the duties of a 'confidant' and soother of broken hearts with great patience and understanding.

Serious training, however, took place for the Oxford team (and for the Pembroke team) before lunch, between lunch and tea, and again in the evening on the dance-floor and in the bar. The

L

18

boys were always in bed by about 2.30 and were never late for breakfast. Pembroke finished a safe ninth in the inter-college race (out of nine); Mr. Turner, who was seen skiing extremely fast between falls, just succeeded in finishing before the time-keepers went home for lunch; while Oxford, in the downhill race, did not take quite so long, but could only finish second. Roy Vernon, his thoughts perhaps far, far away (in Scandinavia?) lost his glasses, but finished nobly. They nevertheless won the slalom race decisively by 0.3 seconds over a course cunningly set by their trainer. Notable social occasions were the fancy-dress ball and the Alpenrose tea-party, which was attended by those staying at the Lorunser, who having ordered 'Tee mit Citron' proceeded to bombard the residents with sugar and lemon, while Fernando, the man from Chile, took a suitcase full of snow. In this hotel four Irishmen were found asleep on the stairs by the waiters in the morning, and their language on being woken up caused severe diplomatic strain. All-night parties went on at the `Cowbar', the favourite night spot, which boasted a zither player and yodeller.

None of the Pemmy boys managed to hurt themselves skiing (accidents were rare this year) or by falling off their bar-stools or by being trampled ruthlessly underfoot on the dance-floor.

ROY VERNON

PEMBROKE AT LARGE

C

OME the end of the Summer Term, Oxford heaves a sigh of relief while Consuls in far-flung outposts tremble at the thought of the undergraduates they will have to bail out in the ensuing months. Although Pembroke was represented in a considerable number of countries, it caused the aforesaid Consuls surprisingly little trouble.

Perhaps the most enterprising was John Clogg, now sadly missed, who got a job with Imperial Tobacco in Montreal. After a couple of months' work in which he saved about $500, he headed for New York, and then by Greyhound bus to Key West where he emplaned for Cuba. Havana appears to be a city of many delights, most of which are better left unsung. Returning via Miami, and New York again, he came home infinitely more worldly. Also in Canada were Peter Stewart (lumbering and drinking) and Bob White-Cooper who shot his way westwards with considerable success in the Oxford and Cambridge Team, and appears to have been feted by every Mayor in the Maritime Provinces.

19

Nearer home, David Boyd acquired muscles working on a farm in Sweden; Richard Sorabji absorbed culture in Greece; while Archie Cruttenden and David Terry combined a modicum of both by painting churches in Austria. Unfortunately Archie is unable to recount much of what they saw having a hazy memory as a result of the local breweries' ability to cope with his capacious demands. The cricket side to Denmark met with success on and off the field. Neil Garland is said to have shown 'great form', out we have been unable to obtain any more explicit information.

Horace Ball had a most unfortunate encounter with a window after a pleasant one with the Carlsberg product. Bob Cooper gave us a very garbled account of night clubs in Esjberg—in fact he's not sure if they were night clubs.

Roy Vernon, Norman Swift and Julian Crispin set off in Roy's smart new Volkswagen and, travelling via Jugoslavia (no hunting with Tito owing to close season) and Greece arrived in Istanbul where they met the owner of the 'Cobra'. They were unable to afford any purchases at the Slave Market, but managed to acquire a delightful Greek nymph, in spite of her anti-social countrymen who hammered nails into their tyres. Trevor Fox couriered gullible Americans over most of Western Europe for enormous profit. No doubt there were others abroad but, since they have chosen to remain uncommunicative, we can only assume their activities were unprintable.

The wanderers, some sartorially sporting their cosmopolitan outlook, returned to the fold more or less on time. Some horizons may have been broadened and those concerned may be congratulated on their dexterity in avoiding the trammels of Interpol.

D.J.D.M.

THE SPORTING SCENE

A

PLAIN review of the sporting achievements of the past year would make encouraging reading to anyone interested in the College. It is true that success has not been attained in every branch of athletic activity, but there is essentially a credit balance. On the debit side there still lies the rugger. Slightly more successful than last year, the XV is still a long way beneath the position achieved four years ago. The hockey club had a considerably poorer season than that of the previous one, when they had played so well to reach the semi-final of Cuppers. Squash has been another sport uncrowned by success, and, though this, be20.

longs to last season, the cricket side despite some more than averagely talented will have many a better year.

On the credit side pride of place must be accorded to the soccer club. Theirs was a supreme achievement after promotion from Division Two last year, to carry off the first division championship without suffering defeat. After their notable showing in Cuppers last year, I am sure we all hope for the very best this term. Perhaps next after the achievement of the soccer, players must rank those of the athletic club which proved itself the finest track team in the University last term, and is favoured in places other than Pembroke with good chances for full cuppers this term.

The form of the rowing eight all last summer was most pleasing, and there looks the making of a good torpid this term with the consequent high hopes for the summer. The shooting cuppers have not yet taken place, but we are well represented at the University level, and wish all luck to them. Lastly our congratulations once again to the water polo team on yet another fine season in which they seemed unfortunate not to rise from second to the top position in the League. They too have Cuppers this term, and must have very fair chances of winning for the third year in succession.

Much of this sounds pleasant to the ear, but what of next year's prospects? How far was this season's success achieved by freshmen, and how much did we rely upon our third year seniors? The answers to these questions are far less encouraging, indeed frankly disturbing. The athletic club can look forward with confidence to next year, needing only one or two middle distance runners to fill the rather large gap that will be left by one of this year's stars.

They apart, the position is bad. The soccer club will be deprived of much of its spirit, and its reserves like most of our other clubs are woefully weak. This complaint is echoed throughout the College, and the painful fact is that far too few of last year's freshmen and more particularly, this year's are prepared to put themselves out to help carry on the full programme of college sporting activity. This means that far too few men are trying with ever decreasing success to keep the college flag flying at or near the top of too many sports, and their success is, naturally enough, limited. Me position is growing worse. We do not frankly believe that there is any point in college life, unless all men pull together in work, in the intellectual activities of College, and equally much in the realm of sport. Not everyone can be an athletic star, but he can try, and until more Pembroke men do try, the sporting scene is likely to become increasingly gloomy.

G.D.M.L. 21

NORTHERN SIDE OF THE

THE THIRD QUADRANGLE T may come as a surprise to many reading this note to be told that Oxford and Cambridge, the traditionally 'residential' universities came somewhat badly out of a survey recently made of the percentage of students housed within the walls of the colleges or in Halls of Residence. Compared with the 75% of Durham, the 59% of Leicester and the 55% of Reading the figures for Oxford and Cambridge were both about 52%.

Even before the threat of the 'bulge' and the approaching abolition of National Service began to put fresh pressure on our congested entry lists our Governing Body had had very much in mind the need for adding to the number of rooms available for men in College.

Such expansion can take place only in a northerly direction and for many years now we have lost no opportunity of acquiring the freehold of buildings lying between Beef Lane and Pembroke Street hoping that in time these might provide the site and accommodation required.

Substantial purchases were made in 1928 and 1929, and in 1951 No. 15 Pembroke Street was brought from Webbers and converted for use as an Annexe, thus completing the ownership by the College of the whole of the block from No. 12 to No. 23 Pembroke Street inclusive. In 1953 the Besse Building was put up on a site provided by the demolition of some semi-derelict

I

22

PROPOSED NEW QUADRANGLE

buildings acquired in 1928, and the College is now in a position to realise its dream of creating a third quadrangle.

Architects plans have been drawn up, and have received the warm approval of the City Authorities, whereby the houses from No. 16 to No. 22 Pembroke Street are to be converted into three staircases of rooms for undergraduates with doors opening southwards and bathrooms in the basements. No. 8 Beef Lane (the only inhabited house in the street) together with the garages, workshops and other nondescript buildings lying between the Pembroke Street houses and Beef Lane, together with the southern wing of the present annexe, are to be demolished, leaving an open grass quadrangle. The cycle shed is to disappear underground thus adding to the space available for parking and turning vehicles near St. Aldate's Church.

The exteriors of the Pembroke Street houses, all of which are scheduled as 'historic buildings', are to be preserved and their backs (after redecoration) will provide a handsome northern side to the new quadrangle as the accompanying illustration shews.

It is essential however for the execution of this scheme that Beef Lane be dosed at its eastern end near the present bicycle shed and in the west near the Besse Building so that the converted buildings and the quadrangle can become part of the College and the men living on the new staircases and in the Besse Building feel that they are really within the College walls. The accompanying plan will chew the layout of the proposed new quadrangle with access provided to the 'Chapel Quadrangle' by 23

the demolition of the wall and rooms now connecting the Old Masters House with the Senior Common Room.

To obtain permission to close a thoroughfare in Oxford in the present stage of the 'roads controversy' is a formidable task, and we owe a great deal to the Town Clerk and the City Architect both of whom have throughout approved of our scheme as one adding greatly to the appearance of this particular part of the City. Even with the consent of the City Council however it is

P Enaggo Cot.LEG E1

.••:.!**•*•••••••••••°.,••':

open to anyone to raise individual objections to such a closure and some were lodged. They came from some of those living in Pembroke Street who felt that the already congested state of the narrow thoroughfare passing their doorsteps would be made even worse were any road in the neighbourhood closed to traffic.

The ensuing Public Enquiry was held recently in the Town Hail at which representatives from the College as well as the City Officers were called upon to give evidence. The result is awaited.

Subject to the City order for closing Beef Lane being confirmed we hope to embark on the first stage of our scheme this summer by converting Nos. 21 and 22 Pembroke Street thus 24

giving us an additional 3 sets of rooms and 6 bed-sitting rooms

by October. The whole scheme which may well take 2 or 3 years to complete will give us an additional 24 sets of rooms within the College over and above those already provided by the Annexe and the. Besse Building.

In this way we shall do our share in meeting the growing demand for entry into the University, besides giving a higher proportion of our numbers a second year in College.

G. R. F. B .

International Fellowship "If seven maids with seven mops Swept it for half a year Do you suppose," the Walrus said, "That they could get it clear?"

"I doubt it," said the Carpenter, And shed a bitter tear.

T

HERE must be many people today who find themselves in this position in the face of apparently insoluble problems, of imminent dangers and an increasing sense of frustration.

It is only too easy to stand aside in a spirit of defeatism, to try to contract out of responsibility, and revert to a sort of spiritual isolationism, guided in the conduct of affairs only by the principle of self7interest.

It is this attitude which more than any other has been responsible for the failure of the United Nations to fulfil the hopes placed in it at the time of its foundation twelve years ago. Perhaps the fault then was that its aims and ideals were too noble, too difficult of achievement for a generation which had just emerged from the most terrible war in history with a desperate hope in the future, and yet without the conviction necessary for its realization. "We, the Peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind . . ." The story since then has been one of loss of faith in the organisation, which, it was hoped, would create the new world order, and of a reversal to the old order of suspicion and mistrust.

The organisation which was seen as the instrument for building this new order is now seen as an anomaly, or, through its opportunities as a vehicle for propaganda, as a hindrance to the 25

achievement of world peace. In the light of the imperfections in its present structure, it is suggested that security would be better assured solely through regional alliances and the nuclear deterrent. But in a world in which power is so equally distributed on a knife-edge, and the potential for destruction by nuclear weapons is such that a major war would involve all countries without distinction between combatants and neutrals, the existence of some form of international body to act as a restraining influence is increasingly important, placing as it does all countries under the obligation to justify their actions before the world. Mutual fear is not conducive to constructive thinking where each side is afraid to give up its deterrent, and before the U.N. is abolished, it must be asked, what is there which could replace it? To condemn it for its failures in the past is to judge it as a separate entity, existing in isolation, and to forget that it is only the sum of its parts, and that no one country can condemn the whole without itself incurring a share of the responsibility.

In a world where fewer than half the children receive any form of education, and where two-thirds of the population are undernourished, there can be little hope for a stable community.

Criticism of the U.N. is usually on the political level, and economic and social problems are often forgotten or passed over as irrelevant to the main problems of our time. But if only from motives of self-interest this is a mistake, for the under-developed countries judge by actions and not words, and it is from these countries that the West obtains much of its raw materials for industry. On the economic level a poor country provides a poor consumer market for our manufactured goods, and sending in a British technical expert to advise under a U.N. project has in several instances resulted in the purchase of capital equipment in this country and the possibility of opening up a new market.

These agencies of the U.N. form perhaps the most modest and yet the most hopeful and valuable part of the work it does.

The World Health Organisation, for example, in four years cured 1,300,000 people of yaws, while the Food and Agriculture Organisation has sponsored new techniques which can lead to the doubling of the rice crops of many Eastern countries. By channelling aid through the U.N. and not as part of a military-economic deal, something constructive is being done to break down the barriers of suspicion and fear. It is often assumed that the burden of paying for this work falls too heavily on this country, and that if we pay anything for technical assistance, it should be to help our colonies. In fact this country receives more from the 26

U.N. in the form of aid for its colonies than it contributes. We pay less than one per cent of our national income towards schemes for international co-operation and assistance, which cannot be termed extravagant. If the question were put in this form, most people would probably approve of this aid, but how many are prepared to press for an increase in our share?

This raises again the whole question of what the individual can do. By himself, it would seem, little, but by joining with others to create a climate of informed public opinion, and by informing himself, pressure can be brought to bear to combat ignorance and prejudice. The means are not dramatic, but they do provide an opening for action as opposed to discussion or apathy—contributing to appeals for help and urging others to contribute—sacrificing holidays in order to help refugees through work-camps; or spare time to help relief organisations through office-work. There have been few changes in the past which have not been started by simple means such as these, and few changes which have been as urgent if the world is to survive.

J. H. LYON.

BRAVE NEW WORLD "Let me take your bags, sir."

"Why thank you, but I'd rather carry them myself."

"Oh, don't worry, there's no charge. Just a regular welcoming service provided by American Express."

"I see. Hmmm. Excuse me, but you don't sound English."

"I'm not. I'm an American, like you."

I followed the porter to the waiting cab. Grey gloom hung from the station roof and dripped down my collar.

"Could you take me to Pembroke, please ?"

"Sure, buddy. Hop in." The perfect New York tones of the driver's reply were not lost on my sensitive ears. "Excuse me, I said from the back seat, "I know its none of my business, but aren't you . . . " "American? 'Course I'm American. Whaddya expeck, anyhow?"

We drove in• silence through the crowded streets, and I slid across the seat from window to window in my eagerness to catch glimpses of the famous towers and legendary streets. It was not quite as I had expected: the buses were not double-deckers, there were no queues : all the men I could see were wearing soft felt hats, I 27

searched in vain for a sign of bowlers, duffle coats, Burberrys and jutting pipes: I could not find a single moustache. There was something not quite right about the traffic . . . suddenly I realized what it was. All the cars were American. Buicks, Fords, Oldsmobiles, Dodges and Desotos clogged the small streets, and Carfax itself was a bedlam of honking horns, unfamiliar after the silence of London. We arrived at the gate of Pembroke.

"You must be Mr. Rattle. Pleased to meetcha." The porter stuck out his hand, and I noticed a U.S. Navy tattoo on the backside. "You must be Stewart," I began to say, but he interrupted me.

"No, Stewart left with the rest of 'em."

"I see." Of course, I didn't really see, but I sensed that the silent, confident approach was the only way of keeping my sanity.

When the cab had gone, the porter, known simply as 'Joe' or `Mac' advised me: "You oughta drop in and say hello to the Treasurer."

"But I thought he was called the Bursar over here."

"Used to be, but we changed that, too."

"I see." I walked into the Bursar . . . I mean, Treasurer's office.

A distinguished looking young man in a grey flannel suit and a crew cut rose to greet me.

"Good to have you aboard. See you're a Harvard man, splendid. I was Yale, myself. Came over here on a Rhodes after the war, then went back and did a stint for JP Morgan in the New York Office. When things began to shape up over here, why, I felt it my duty to answer the call."

"I see."

"I'm sure you do. Good luck, Ratte."

Dazed, I began to climb the narrow stairs to my room. I noticed that the lettering `J.C.R.' had been painted out over a door, and the title 'Fellowship Room' had been substituted in letters of red, white and blue. Beyond the panels, I could hear voices from Ohio, California, North Dakota, Vermont and Iowa engaged in conversation. ". . . Hey, where's the New York Times . . . who's got this week's copy of Confidential . . ." The voices blurred in my head as I ran the rest of the way, I locked myself in my room, and hid in a corner. Was I losing my mind? Perhaps. Was it all a dream? Perhaps. A knock on the door.

"Yes ?" I whispered.

"It's. Kimber, your scout." I could barely keep myself from crying out with joy. The voice on the other side of the door was actually English! I hurried him into the room.

28

"Kimber, please, what's happened here." Kimber, shaking his head sadly, explained.

"Well, sir, I'm the last one. Everyone else is gone. The Chancellor resigned last of all, just last week, and they put a Senator in his place. It all started with the Rhodes, and all the other fellowships and grants : I saw it coming as long ago as that."

When Kimber finished his sad tale, tears in his eyes, I knew the worst. There were no Englishmen left in Oxford. The whole town and University had been gradually abandoned, starting in 1957, when the Pembroke JCR had succumbed to a subscription to the New York Times. Now, as far as he knew, Kimber was the only Englishman left, and there was strong pressure in the town council to deport him soon.

"Kimber, we've got to do something. This is terrible! Look, let them throw you out. We'll head for Cambridge! " Kimber gave me a last sad smile and said quietly: "No good, sir. They've got Cambridge, too."

The last thing I can remember, as I spilled Draught Bass down the front of my now useless Pembroke tie, was the sound of three Christ Church men singing the Star Spangled Banner . . .

JOHN RATTE.

PEMBROKE HERITAGE Major W. W. Bullingdon-Smythe

B

ORN in 1897 at Simla, where his father was O.C. 11th Mobile Bath and Laundry Unit (since disbanded) Bullingdon-Smythe (or B.-S. as he was affectionately known to his chums) found his early years vital in giving him a sense of the obligations of being British. "My earliest memories," he says, "are of waking in my nursery and seeing through the mosquito net the old queen on the wall draped in a Union Jack". B.-S.'s stay in India was a short one; the family settled at Grantchester, where father was able to devote his leisure to writing his memoirs, "Up the Ganges by Mobile Bath-house". After prep. school came Repton where he won the Giles Pilchard Prize for Outstanding Initiative. He captained the first eleven and kept wicket for Sussex. Then came the holocaust of 1914 and B.-S., now 17, feeling the call, left the school unobtrusively one foggy autumn 29

night. "At the time it was all rather in the present," he recalls, "but now it seems very much in the past."

At the end of the war, B.-S., now a major felt the time had come to broaden his horizon an so in 1919, he came up to Pembroke to read Oriental Greats. He distinguished himself while here for his unflagging attempts to establish a pack of Pembroke beagles, a venture that never, alas, reached fruition. Most of his time was devoted to Real tennis, Eton fives and a little croquet.

After two years he left and except for a brief period as a tram driver in the General Strike, devoted the next ten years to managing his father's estate until what he jokingly and modestly calls "damned incompetence" forced him to sell. Exploration had always held a fascination for him so that when he read in The Times, an advertisement for "ex-public school boys" to take part in the famous Ffoulkes-Harding expedition to the Kwumali bush, B.-S. took the opportunity in both hands, little realising the fame that it would bestow on him. "It is a step I have never regretted," he stoutly told me, when I interviewed him recently at the Cheltenham sanatorium. For it was on this very famous expedition that B.-S. alone and unaided, pulled the body of a male Umbonga elephant fifteen miles on a trek cart through the bush to civilisation, and in the process seriously damaged his health in the cause of his country. In recognition of his services, he was presented with an illuminated scroll. He has since made his home in Cheltenham, where he devotes his time to preparing, from memory, a survey map of the Kalahari desert, a locality which he remembers with great affection. He is also a tireless worker for the Distressed Gentlemen's Association.

R. MANLEY-COOPER.

"Life is a jest; and all things show it.

I thought so once; but now I know it."

(John Gay's Epitaph)

30

•

SOCIETY SCANDAL

THE JOHNSON SOCIETY President: R. G. Ellis. Secretary: E. R. Barnes.

A pleasant warm Trinity term saw the society spending only two evenings together, with critical faculties virtually suspended. Fourteenth century England and Hottentot imagery seemed as one. A large society, varied in its talents and groupings, was resting for the summer.

It awoke in Michaelmas to find but a tiny nucleus remaining. Faithfully tradition was carried on, and in one event made, or at least restored, under Mr. Gray's presidency. A paper on a Phelips prodigy Thomas Conyatt was accompanied by a barrel of drink imported specially from his native Somerset. Novels Forster-wise or law Glazebrook-wise completed a term in which all papers were worthy epistles. The Johnson has continued R.G.E. to meet.

SIR THOMAS BROWNE SOCIETY President: M. Simpson. Secretary: A. A. N. Cruttenden.

Let us face it. The Sir Thomas Browne Society is the non-U society of the college. None of the right people belong to it. People do not go around sporting the society tie as a mark of distinction. Best suits are rarely worn at meetings. Of all drinks, beer (ugh) is consumed during proceedings. What then is the society's special appeal and why do people take the trouble to belong? The answer is simple. Every member who goes to a meeting, lives in the constant hope that the particular ladies who have been invited to read that evening will turn out to be Venuses, that perhaps eyes will meet across the room, lashes will flutter, a beautiful relationship will instantly form and perhaps one day . . . So far nothing like this has ever happened, though the Society with some initiative has netted certain girls of outstanding talent by making them honorary members 31

Meanwhile the serious work of Drama goes on and the choice of plays for reading are as varied as ever. Last term we beat Sir Laurence by a day, by giving the first performance of "The Entertainer" in Oxford. This term will see a recorded production of Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral".

Next term we hope to stage another joint production with Exeter. Our last excursion into the world of University dramatics was the first ever Pembroke entry in OUDS Cuppers. To be frank; we did not win, although there were some special circumstances against us. The one-act play we entered had the merit of being original, written as it was by a member of the college, John Ratte. "To Die Amused", as it was called, had been specially tailor-made to our requirements and was a serious attempt to grapple with the problems of virtually nothing. The play was set nowhere, at no particular time. The list of stage properties formed an imposing collection—a suit of armour, a revolver, a step ladder, a white charger, a dead duck. People who saw it, found it funny which was a great relief to us and more than justified the enterprise. (What is impressive about the Tommy Browne is that Mr. Ratte is not the only playwright we have had in the Society!).

Looking back, it has seemed a very 'quiet year for us so far. But then, there is a Rugger Club blind at the end of term.

M.S.

THE ERINYEANS President: Miss J. Gleadall (St. Hugh's). Vice-President: A. Kroeger.

Secretary: G. Crookes.

At least twice a term a host of lovely ladies from St. Hugh's glide into Pembroke JCR, and, usually twice a term, a horde of young gentlemen from this College enter our ladies' chamber. Believe it or not, on these occasions our JCR becomes a debating hall where angry young men and women can purge themselves of their passions and learn to speak properly at JCR meetings. That this society comprises a few of that select number who can think and speak seriously about something was seen last term in the debating of the motion proposed by our guest, the President of the Union "That this House believes that Christianity has outlived its usefulness." However, ours is not a chamber of horrors, and we hope that on all occasions, the atmosphere is one of orderly informality and ease, so that everyone's words are received with sympathy, and possibly understanding. The joint debate with the Merton—St. Hilda's Fanatics on the motion "That this House would set its face firmly against lipstick" showed that the art of debating entails being able to speak clearly and interestingly on a motion which is nonsense. In the past we have enjoyed our debates with other colleges, and these have been an expression of our desire to promote the social side of the Erinyeans. Last term we held a party, and the success of this and all our activities was due largely to the work of our ex-President, Dick Thomas, to whom we now give our thanks. Yes, the society has had a prosperous past, and its success in the future is assured if members of our college will accept the invitation to join it at any time.

G.C.

THE BLACKSTONE SOCIETY President: P. J. Turner. Secretary: R. Hunt.

The society continues to flourish, its meetings during the Michaelmas term being particularly well attended since the initial interest of the freshmen continued longer than is customary. The variety of our programme may have been partially responsible for this, as we were fortunate enough 32

to be visited by representatives from three branches of the profession. Another encouraging feature of our activities has been the revival of informal moots before dinner; these have been most valuable in the life of the society.

Our first visitor of the Michaelmas term was Mr. Richard O'Sullivan, Q.C., one of the most respected members of his profession, who spoke to us about the greatness of the Common Law, and its impact upon our way of life. This visit was followed by that of Mr. Ian Yeoman, the president of the Law Society. The topic on which he spoke was one on which all the members of the society felt well qualified to speak, the reform of legal education. The final meeting of the term took the form of a moot with Wadham, presided over by Mr. R. H. Maudsley from Brasenose.

During the Hilary term we look forward to another varied programme our speakers including Mr. Geoffrey Crispin, who will speak on "Life at the Bar", and a metropolitan magistrate who will tell us something of the problems with which he has to deal. The principal speaker at our Annual Dinner will be Sir Donald Finnemore, one of the most distinguished Pembroke lawyers of recent years.

The society owes much to the valuable support of its senior member, Mr. R. F. V. Heuston, whose advice is always forthcoming when it is sought, who entertains our guests so well, who judges our moots so sympathetically, and to whom we owe our sincere thanks.

COLLINGWOOD SOCIETY President: G. J. Finden. Secretary: R. W. Alder.

Browne: Why are we here?

The ex-President: I do not understand this 'why': it is not a casual 'why'; is is not a logically deductive 'why'; it is not a 'why' as I use the word 'why'. This is not a question. (1).

The President: This is a magnificent question, a vital question; we are condemned to be here as pure contingency, but we cannot tell you why. (2).

The first Professor: If you were to indulge in perception and follow it by thought, then you would be able to make propositions about your `here'. (3).

The Secretary: It's these foreign metaphysicians who cause honest mathematicians all the trouble. (4).

The Treasurer: I am not sure what Ayer has to say about this. (5).

The American,Member: You know, that's very true, yet I had never thought about it that way before. (5).

The Senior Member: Let us see what Hume has to say about this. (5).

The Mancunian Member: Is there any port left? (6).

The Irish Member: It's the madeira that matters. (6).

The Marxist Member: Our existence is purely contingent within causality according to the scientific laws of strict necessity. (7).

The Christian Member: God has a reason for everything, even though it is not given to us to understand why. (8).

The ex-President: I smell metaphysics. (6) (9).

The President: Smear Technique. (6) (9).

Browne: When is the Nuffield meeting? (9).

1. Aesthetics. 2. Contingency and the basis for moral action. 3. Thought and Perception. 4. Mathematical Philosophy. 5. Ibid. 6. Constantly.

7. Impressively. 8. Furiously. 9. Empirically.

G.J.F. 33

AN,ErJEN SOCIEtV President: J. K. Gray. Secretary: P. Wallis. .It would seem that the delights of a liberal education have lost their savour, for alas, the number of Pembroke historians declines. The Camden Society has suffered in this general retrenchment before the malignant forces of poker and science. However, for those who are liberal in mind and share a bias towards history, the Camden Society still provides a convivial ancr scholarly atmosphere.

Our medieval trend culminated in a most entertaining paper by Dr. Harrison on "Choral Foundations in Medieval Britain". Mr. Wallis presented a lucid exposition of the history of Sweden's relations with Europe 1871-1957, which successfully overcame the drowsy atmosphere of Trinity.

The Michaelmas term began with Mr. Moppett's discussion of the development of London and the significance of its role in national history 1066 —1216. Echoes of the Lincoln-Douglas debates sounded as Messrs. Thomas and Savidge ably presented the cases for the South and North in attempting to allocate responsibility for the outbreak of the Civil War. Thus more members of the Society have contributed papers and this healthy development will be continued this Hilary term when Mr. Wood will reveal the person and political significance of Lord Shelburne and Mr. Sparrow will lyricise over the Oxford Movement, whilst a note of scholarship will be provided by a paper on the Anglo-Saxons by Mr. Aston of Corpus Christi.

D.A.S.

NUFFIELD SOCIETY President: R. Bunco. Secretary: D. Meakin.

The Nuffield Society usually meets twice a term to listen to papers connected with Science.

Last Trinity term, Dr. Keith Lovel, an ex-Pembroke medic., who is now at the Radcliffe Infirmary, related to us the life of Charles Theodore Williams, an Honorary Fellow of the College, who died in 1912. A portrait of Charles Williams hangs in Hall and it is to him and the generosity of his wife that the College owes its Playing Field and Pavilion. He was one of the pioneers in treatment for T.B. and left money to the University for the promotion of Oxford Medical Education and a considerable amount to the College. A scholarship, named after him, was founded from which Dr. Lovel himself benefited.

A discussion on 'The Wolfenden Report with Special Reference to Homosexuality' provoked much interest in the Michaelmas term, when our speakers were Dr. Grunhut, the University Reader in Criminology, and Mr. Moyey, the Reader in Sociology. Professor Higman, the Associate Professor of Sociology, from Colorado, was also present. We reached the conclusion that the report was a good one from the legal aspect and from the point of view of its social implications. The report stressed the need for much research into the subject matter before any remedy for the present problem( could be conceived.

At the second meeting of the Michaelmas term, Mr. K. W. Fell read a paper on "The Role of a Clinical Psychologist". This was difficult to define and there were no universal opinions on it. Mr. Fell criticised many of the methods used in Mental Hospitals as being out-dated. The "hit-ormiss" techniques employed had no scientific value and could easily do irreparable damage to the brain. He was concerned about the possibility of normalisation applied on a wide scale, thereby eliminating individuality, This term we hope to indulge in some wine tasting.

R.B. 34

THE BEAUMONT SOCIETY President: E. R. Barnes. Secretary: G. Rigg.

From Chekhov and Trollope to Santayana and Larkin; the Society has ranged far over nineteenth and twentieth century literature in the past year. Thomas on Dylan Thomas and Barnes on William Barnes smacked of pious ancester-worship, but about the punt party there was nothing pious at all. On the contrary, the Thames Conservancy Board are still seeking Mr. Gl-z-br—k to bring a charge of sacrilege. But if Holy Isis was defiled, it was in a good cause. Murphy on Zola was scholarly, Bates on Yates phantastical, but the memory of these will fade. Who though, can forget the sight of the secretary following his punt-pole into the new cut, the sound of an irate punt keeper demanding justice and refusing bribes, the taste of cheap wine sometimes laced with candle-grease? That evening of poetry-reading alone would have put the society at the forefront of College literary societies, even had the other one not given up the struggle, rejected literary papers, and put in their place a botch-potch of legal and historical anecdotes.

E.R.B.

PEMBROKE MUSIC SOCIETY President: D. P. Wainwright. Secretary: L. S. Smith.

The society has been in existence for almost a year now with a termly membership of between thirty and forty. Pursuing the original policy of making use of musicians both within and without the college, in the Michaelmas term the society heard a recital given by Ronald Perrin, assistant organist of York Minster, and an illustrated lecture on "Problems in the Translation of Operatic Libretti" by Professor J. A. Westrup. The final concert of the term was given mainly by members of the college. The beautiful playing of Eve Barsham from L.M.H. was most memorable.

During Hilary term one of the meetings will consist of a tape recorded version of "Othello" introduced by L. S. Smith. Looking forward we may expect an interesting lecture in Trinity term by Mr. James Dalton, fellow and organist of Queen's, and in the Michaelmas term, one by Alec Robertson, the well known music critic.

D.P.W.

o

cjP

35

SPORTS GJ THE BOAT CLUB Captain: D. Prichard. Secretary: R. G. Huband.

The clouds of comparative lack of distinction which have hung over Pembroke rowing for the last few years were suddenly dispelled last Trinity term by an VIII which gained recognition as being amongst the foremost of the Oxford boats competing at Henley.

In Eights Week, though as yet still rough, the VIII was showing promise of its later speed. It narrowly missed Worcester on the first night, rowed over on the second, and on the Friday and Saturday bumped St. Peter's Hall and Wadham without having to go beyond the Gut. The Regatta season was opened by winning the Senior Eights at Wallingford, beating Reading University in the final. At Marlow in the Town Cup, it beat Peterhouse, Vesta and Thames R.C., losing to the ultimate finalists, London R.C., by one foot.

The ten days pre-Regatta training at Henley under R. D. Burnell were highly successful, and Pembroke's chances in the Thames Cup were rated very high by impartial observers. Unfortunately we were ill-fated enough to draw the National Provincial Bank in the first round, who, after being a length down at the Barrier, beat us by one and three-quarter lengths, and went on to lose narrowly to Princeton University in the Final. It was, however, certainly no disgrace to lose to a boat which had not only been highly successful in the Putney Head of the River Race in March, out which also provided the Four to represent Great Britain in the European Games.

No great success can be recorded for the Michaelmas term, either in the University Fours or in the Long Distance Race. But in a small college that term must always be devoted to the training of new oarsmen, and no pessimistic conclusions should be drawn from the race results. The early training of the Torpid is showing promise.

There has, however, this year been a disturbing apathy amongst freshmen, but those who have come to us have shown much promise, and there is every reason to hope that this year's VIII will be even faster than last year's.

Finally we should like to congratulate the captain, David Prichard, on his Trial Cap and sympathize with him in his unequal struggle to find a seat in a Blue Boat which, it seems, must now consist entirely of Goliaths.

R.G.H. 36

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLU1 Captain: G. Hoskin. Secretary: G. M. Taylor.

Pembroke A.F.C. headed the 1st Division of a major sport last term, and in so doing followed up their successes of last year. The performance was the more meritorious because regular players number about fifteen, and supporters considerably less. To these stalwart few who braved the cold, and the vastly superior force of vociferous Welshmen, in cheering the team to victory in the last decisive game against Jesus College, go the thanks of the team.

The secret of the team's success lies in their probably unique training programme, the credit for which belongs to the breweries of England. The triumph of the Michaelmas Term furnished proof of the historic maxim that beer is best.

In accordance with the custom of the Saturday night Pink 'Un, I append brief pen portraits of the men who brought honour and glory to the old College. Goalkeeper Bob Mahy displayed typical Continental agility in the early matches in the recovery of his specs. during goalmouth melees.

Following the discovery of the wonders of Elastoplast, he has been a different man, turning in some extremely good displays. Brian Keen's stature is well suited to full back, where a slight tendency to attack provides vocabulary practice for our English scholar. A very sound player who selflessly lies in an unwanted position. Peter Toomey, it must regretfully be conceded, is a star performer. His play in all departments is almost faultless, and his speedy covering has saved many dangerous situations.

Brian le Geyt is a powerful player, rarely beaten in the air or on the ground. Occasionally he tends to confuse the two Codes of Football in defence, when kicking mightily for touch. Graeme Smith is a centre half of distinction, doing his work with the minimum of effort, an impression heightened by his seemingly telescopic legs. Chris Beswick is the only Centaur in the team. An astonishing man, he plays with abundant energy after bouts of debauchery unaccompanied by food. Extremely powerful in the tackle, he is a complete all-round player, and with Toomey, makes the finest combination to be seen in University soccer. George Hoskin, the skipper, is at best swift and elusive, with a fine cross-shot. A temporary loss of form has been put right by the announcement that his love-life is now on a legal basis. Two splendid goals in the Jesus match provided much needed inspiration for a jaded side. Dick Hayes drinks only sparingly, but despite this handicap, he is the highest goalscarer. His fierce shot with either foot and well-timed heading have produced top-class goals, and he is the grafting type of inside forward who is invaluable in mid-field. At centre forward, Steve Culhane is intelligent rather than robust. He has lost last season's ability to score, but has been an astute worker in mid-field. The quality of the dreamer was absent from a fine display at left half against Jesus. The secretarial chores of Geoff Taylor have shown on the field. He is overweight and lazy, and consequently- schemes. He does not over-indulge in heading or tackling, which he considers dangerous, but hopes to score before the end of the season: Outside-left is not an easy position to fill, but Lawrie Shaw, an inside forward, has played there with enthusiasm. He is sometimes surprised by his own abilities to produce the brilliant touch, but is above all an outstanding example of a team man who never loses his serenity.

G.M.T. ATHLETICS CLUB Captain: C. J. Ball. Secretary: M. Riegels.

Trinity term of 1957 provided many very enjoyable matches for the club, many of which we were unfortunate to lose. This was because our team was seldom at full strength on account of injuries and the many calls, on 37

Our invaluable blues. Individually that term, various performances were outstanding, especially John Metcalf s three wins on the track against the A.A.A., and a tremendous last leg in the 4 x 110 to bring Oxford into the lead. John Winch also ran an excellent mile to come third to Ibbotson and Johnson, and Rex Van Rossum ran staunchly in the high hurdles. It was a sad day for the club on the departure of John Metcalf, but our loss was Great Britain's gain, as various Polish gentlemen must have noticed in Warsaw and in London.

We started Michaelmas term with some trepidation, but our freshmen turnea out trumps, with two notable finds in John Carden, who won the Freshmen's javelin event and who also threw second string for the University in the Field Events Match against Cambridge, and Martin Francis, a promising hurdler. In the Senior Sports, Rex Van Rossum won himself the title of "the indefatigable Van Rossum" from 'The Times' for winning both hurdles and the 100 yards, and coming second in the 220. F. Staples also achieved the final in the 1100 yards, as did M. Riegels in the low hurdles and the 440. Field Events Cuppers nearly saw us relegated back to Division II, owing to unfortunate misunderstandings on the part of various competitors who failed to turn up, but Relay Cuppers made up for all. With promotion only just attained, we dared not hope for too much in Division II, but owing to some brilliant running by Rex Van Rossum, who seems to improve with each successive event, and John Winch, who regularly sets out miles behind and ends up miles in front, admirably supported by John Carden, Martin Francis, Peter Cox, Michael Riegels, to mention but a few, we just beat St. Edmund Hall in times generally faster than those in Division I, to give us a silver relay baton, and promotion to Division I. We now enter the Hilary term, full of determination to get to the finals, if not to win cuppers. We have justifiably been seeded in the first four colleges and with the new knockout basis for Athletics Cuppers, we have every hope of sweeping the board and making this a record year.

M.R. CRICKET Captain: W. P. B. Gunnery. Secretary: G. M. Taylor.

The College had a middling season to judge from results, but there were a variety of good performances with bat and ball. Perhaps individuality was as much in evidence as finesse. Gunnery (W. P. B.), whose fixture card was a rough estimate of the matches to be played, represented something of the unusual, but showed admirable restraint when facing the first over. A reluctance to run when called was strangely accompanied by occasional surprise appearances at the striker's end. A steady stream of good scores provided the answer to all his critics, nevertheless. Mike Byrne bore the skipper's burdens, and bowled consistently well, at times brilliantly. It was disconcerting to see batsmen, not quite good enough to touch his outswinger (the knowledge of which he himself disclaimed) continue to edge fours through the slips, marshalled by W. F. Sale. Bill spent far too much time in the Library, which was a pity because his batting rivalled the captain's bowling in style. His off- and cover-driving was modelled (so he told me) on Hutton, and his demonstrations of the Master's strokeplay captivated many a J.C.R. audience. Bowling was not really Sale's strong point, but he was left-handed and bowled an enticing length, which always made the batsman play (to the chagrin of the outfielders). Against Hertford he applied so much back-spin that he was able to review the ball at leisure as it played around his own feet. The performances of Glyn Jarrett rarely represented his ability to bowl leg-spinners. His batting was sound throughout the season, and extremely powerful off the back foot. Philip Revill also failed to reproduce net-form in the middle, but his fielding at cover-point and, later, his wicket-keeping, were invaluable. Another outstanding fielder was David Boyd, who delighted in steaming round the 38

boundary on the hottest of afternoons. Sheer determination produced many fine scores, at times compiled by big-hitting. Roger Alder performed capably with bat and ball; at times he made the ball swing alarmingly. John Samuel and Brian Keen shared the new ball with Byrne, and Philip Gough made too infrequent appearances. Toomey played reluctantly, when the weather threatened rain, but, despite complete lack of practice, hit a praiseworthy thirty-one in one of his two appearances at the wicket.

G.M.T. RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB Captain: R. Blow. Secretary: G. D. M. Leslie.

This year's captain inherited the larger part of last season's unlucky side and after an extremely promising series of trials, characterised by much hard, straight running in which several freshmen figured prominently, the committee may perhaps be forgiven for having looked forward to much improved results.

A sound knowledge of the fundamentals of the game, however, was not sufficient to make a winning side, and the influenza epidemic, which swept the university during the early part of Michaelmas term, prevented us from fielding a fully balanced side until the very last fortnight of that term. The pack, less affected than the outsides by changes, was in all departments competent without ever achieving its potential. We were very fortunate in having our large and experienced second row for the third consecutive year, but the pack as a whole never developed into a co-ordinated machine. Of the freshmen, however many sound performances were contributed by J. Wright and G. Moore, and D. Heath distinguished himself early on until unhappily injured. D. Boyd, who had been prevented by illness from playing last year, considerably strengthened the pack by his very excellent all-round play, and secured many valuable points by his reliable place-kicking.

The outsides lacked the speed essential to make either the orthodox break or a more subtle form of opening, but they were handicapped by our early inability to form an established pair at half-back. The lack of scoring power was amply demonstrated by the overwhelming proportion of points secured by the forwards. In defence, however, they served us admirably, and at full back we had in freshman R. Smith a tower of strength, who by his safe fielding and very long kicking greatly increased the confidence and effectiveness of the whole side. The only other freshman to secure his place amongst the backs was D. Bartlett, who, owing to illness, did not play until late in the term. When he eventually joined the side, his elusive running and fine ,kicking served the team well.

The third division league was not completed owing to the weather conditions, and no one team appeared outstanding. We were well beaten by New College, but won two of our remaining four games, and must attribute our failure to win the others to a certain absence of the will to win.

We joined five other colleges in forming a second XV League, which continued to provide rugger for our occasionals and for the very many keen freshmen who were unable to clinch a place in the 1st XV. Amongst these must be mentioned W. Charles, who played with great skill and determination whenever called upon. The rugger played in this league was not of a very hign standing owing to the essentially scratch nature of the side, but it appeared to be enjoyed very much, and the team gained at least one particularly convincing success.

At the time of going to press the Cuppers competition is not yet under way. With most of the team back in good health, we look forward to beating St. John's in the second round, and to providing St. Edmund Hall with determined opposition in the quarter-final.

Record: Won 5, Drawn 1, Lost 4, Points for 86, against 66.

G.D.M.L. 39

THE INCOMPETENTS Commander: David Hopkins. Adjutant: Roy Vernon.

The season was not one of the more brilliant in the club's history, for every match save one was successfully lost, often rather convincingly. The Incompetents regularly batted twice without reaching their opponents' total, the second innings often being even more incompetent than the first since it usually coincided with opening time. The only match not lost was the one against Abingdon school-masters, which was drawn, and for which several skilful cricketers were imported from the Cricket XI. Mr. Warburton (on the eve of his schools) made a notable farewell appearance.

It was always very difficult to choose the team; the right combination of those with some degree of competence, those pleasantly incompetent, those who drank, those with cars, and those with attractive girls was not easy to find. Nevertheless a large number played during the season for one reason or another.

Among those whose performances history will revere may be mentioned Mr. Gunnery, who sometimes kept wicket, Mr. Said, who played with Leander pads, Mr. Letts, who sat in a. cow-pat at Chalgrove and was chased round the out-field by two cart-horses, and Mr. Hall, whose offbreaks deceived no-one. The Dean played a fine innings at Eynsham; his efforts to make contact with ball were outmatched by the bowler's efforts to make contact with his wicket. Mr. Finden's umpiring was sound, and Mr. Otway, Mr. van Smit, and of course, Mr. Ball gave notable all-round performances. The Commander and Adjutant were even more incompetent than usual, though, unlike the Squash Club last year, no matches were R.V. ever cancelled.

SWIMMING AND WATER-POLO CLUB Captain: D. G. Shorey. Secretary: R. Savidge.

The swimming team was not favoured with an influx of freshmen this year, but notwithstanding this, it managed to keep its head above water.

The old brigade of Savidge, van Smit, Roberts and Shorey was reinforced

by Messrs. M. Riegels, P. Turner and R. Bunce, whose services were much appreciated.

The water polo team started the Michaelmas Term league in second place, behind St. John's, whom we beat in the first match, thereby gaining top position. This we held until the sixth week, when a crop of illnesses caused us to forfeit a match due to a lack of a team, and gave University the lead. We played them in the seventh week, but could do no more more than draw, and so we had to rest content with second place. A relay league was also held during the term, and in this we finished third.

Pembroke's chances in water polo cuppers are good, but the result is by no means a foregone conclusion. We have won this event for the last two years, but this time the Pembroke team is slightly weaker, whereas a number of other colleges, notably Exeter, are considerably stronger. The result should be of considerable interest, and we hope that this year's result will prove to be a case of third time lucky.

D.G.S. HOCKEY CLUB Captain: R. D. Vernon. Secretary: P. J. Revill.

The Secretary having temporarily mislaid his record of matches played during Michaelmas Term, it is found impossible to attempt a statistical survey of the exploits of the Club. This in any case would be insufficient to reveal the full story of the term's hockey, and it is hoped that whatever the results those who played enjoyed the games.

However, honesty is bound to record that the first half of the season was not noticeably successful, at any rate by last year's standards. Memory recalls only one game as definitely having been won, apart from a mild frolic against Dorset House, which was pursued in the true spirit of mixed hockey by the eight Pembroke men who took part (aided by an occasional ninth); though there were several near misses in the shape of draws. The 40

uppers competition, played for the first time in Michaelmas term, saw the exit of the College to Brasenose, who eventually reached the final, but considering the galaxy of Blues and Occasionals opposed to us, the side acquitted itself quite well in this match.

The greatest problem has been the lack of thrust and scoring power among the forwards. This was mainly due to the fact that the loss of last year's inside forwards was not made good by the freshmen, so that positional changes had to be made which altered the whole complexion of the side. However, towards the end of the term a good deal of improvement was shown; it was a pity that we could not field a full side more often.

Looking forward to Hilary term, we hope for further improvement and better results, especially in the inter-college Six-a-side tournament which is to be played for the first time.

In conclusion, mention should be made of the Captain's appearances for the Occasionais, and of the solid play of the half-backs, D. G. M. Boyd, D. W. Currill and P. J. Revill.

P.J.R. SQUASH CLUB Captain: W. P. B. Gunnery. Secretary: T. Fox. Well, Dick Jenkins got his Squirrel, but really the rest of us just aren't up to it you know. I mean, we all won an odd game or two—I distinctly rememoer Will's devastating victory after scaring his Selwyn opponent with the threat that his (Will's) broken jaw would make him faint if he ran too hard (the psychology of this strategy continues to escape me, but Will had it all taped); and I once beat a chap from Worcester (hadn't played for three years; been rowing, I think); then there was that glorious evening when we might conceivably have won against Cirencester, if Peter hadn't been so narked at getting no money for the petrol that he just couldn't play a stroke for indignation; but on the whole we were not too good. Not even John got into the habit of winning, which discouraged us because he was the only one who looked fit enough to seriously We started the Squash Ladder again, much to the delight of Gordon, and to the dismay of "umpteen" people who can no longer refuse to play him for more than ten days. But he got a bit of a shock when he found opponents actually challenging him—the usual reply was to wave his hand airily to where his name filled half the booking list and say "I'm very sorry, but you can see how it is . . ." Unfortunately, they can see how it was, now that the secret of the Dickinson—Richards marathon has leaked out, and Gordon is reduced to winning pints off luckless rugby players, after showing them by demonstration how weak his play is. Now, I don't quite know how he does this: he claims that at first he deliberately plays below his ordinary standard and loses, but you can see the fallacy involved, can't you? Yet the fact that he wins when a pint is at stake is undeniable: I don't suppose I'd better reason any further, in case he . . . oh, but he wouldn't, would he; he's so terribly nice, and he's got such lovely saucy black hair, and he knows I really don't mean it.

Anyway, the names on the Squash Ladder blew away during the vac., so that idea seems to have fallen through.

T.F. THE GOLF CLUB Captain: Richard Thompson. Hon. Sec.: Les Birbeck. Member: John Otway.

Evidence of the existence of this club is hard to find. The captain would like to disillusion those who are in a happy state of disbelief. As was mentioned in last year's Bullfrog, we won the first round of Cuppers before a brutal defeat in the second. There is little to add this year; Cuppers eluded us again—this time completely. Some members of the team were rather unduly cutting towards the captain over Cuppers—I would mention in particular Mr. John Otway, whose ability as a golfer is only limited by his vocabulary. We are sure, however, that the College will be delighted to learn that Mr. Les Birkbeck enjoyed several private tourneys at Southfield with the captain, and, regretfully, several pints at his expense. This 4l .

state of affairs, however, is unlikely to continue. In passing, I would mention the club's participation in the University Trials. The scores were: first day, R. D. Thompson and L. Birkbeck 87, J. Otway 93; second day, scores obliterated by rain. We have reason to believe that Mr. Otway competea secretly on the second day and destroyed an equally secret score-card. May we wish next year's captain every success, though who he is to be remains a dark problem, as all three members of the club have held this onerous office at least once.

We append a description of the swings of our members: John Otway: classical.

Richard Thompson: classical.

Les Birkbeck: classical.

R.D.T. SHOOTING CLUB With Alan Grant as the small-bore Captain, and Jerry Wall as his secretary, the college is well represented in the University Rifle Club. We shall be entering teams again for the College small-bore cuppers, and I hope that we shall have the same or even greater successes this year with the generous efforts of those College-spirited people who volunteered to fill up our other teams last year—I hope that we have even more this time.

We are trying to finally fix up a decathlon shooting match against Queen's College, Cambridge. This will certainly consist of three-positional .22, SR(b) long and short range, long range M.R., .38 revolver and .22 pistol, and possibly muzzle loaded rifles.

The results of these competitions and matches are not yet available for publication.

R.R.T.W-C. TABLE TENNIS The most noticeable improvement in table tennis this year has been the redecorating and refitting of the table tennis cellar. The obvious characteristic of the teams has been their variety of composition. The first team, however, still maintains its place in Division I, but many good players who have played have relied too much on the one who is very good.

We confidently hope to provide better support for him in Cuppers this term.

G.B.G. THE BRIDGE CLUB Drawn top of the ladder in last term's competition, the first team managed to avoid sinking more than one place, Two teams have entered for Cuppers, and after two second-round matches both can still claim an unbeaten record. On the whole we might conclude that some tricks have been won, while others have been lost. There has been a pleasing rise in the standard of play in the College and also in the numbers willing to put bridge before beer.

P.G.B.L. CROQUET This noble sport will once again be available to the more discriminating members of the College when the droughts and rain of the summer months permit. It is hoped that those who avail themselves of the facilities provided, will once again remember to remove their high-heeled shoes and show their big toes through their socks, rather than make even bigger holes in the already sporting pitch. It is also hoped that people will not use the mallets on the bowls or practice their "on-drives" through the closed windows of the surrounding buildings.

M.R. THE CHESS CLUB Unfortunately we were only able to run one team this year. This, however, is achieving rather unexpected success and should finish in the top half of the Cuppers Table. Anthony Cross and Glyn Jarrett are playing well on the bottom boards and itâ–ş is to them that we owe our two wins out of the three matches played during the Michaelmas term.

P.G. THE SAILING CLUB Our correspondent tells us that at present there is only one member of the Club and that, therefore, it cannot enter the Cuppers Competition.

However, it is hoped to gather a crew to spend some time on the Norfolk Broads during the Easter vacation.

42

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43

There are two sides to every question (source of quotation unknown)

In fact, in the case of some questions, there are so many sides that it is hard to know which to tackle first. Take vivisection (no, don't turn over—go on reading this). It means painful experiments on animals, of which there are now nearly three millions a year in Britain. It takes a lot of sides to make up three million.

Where do we start? It is wrong, of course, to inflict suffering on animals. But is it still wrong if humans benefit from it? If the plea of utility makes vivisection right, what basis have we for conduct? Tricky, isn't it? And anyway, is it useful? And if so, how far?

Our magazine, the ANTI-VIVISECTIONIST, deals with most "sides" of this question in the course of each year. It costs 3s. 6d. a year for the six issues (average price of one packet of cigarettes). Call it four bob with poundage and postage.

We lose on it: you may profit by it. Send the 3s. 6d. today to: — BRITISH UNION FOR THE ABOLITION OF VIVISECTION (or just B.U.A.V.) 47 Whitehall, London, S.W.1.

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Printed in England at The Abbey Press, Abingdon, Berkshire.