Issuu

EDUCATIONAL BOOKS °-€.>Ck211.

JAMES G. BISSET CONTINUES to supply all the Class Books (New or Second-hand) suited for the requirements of the Higher Educational Institutions in the City, at the Lowest Prices.

N.B.—Best Value in Students' Note Books.

JAMES G. BISSET, Classical, Medical, and Educational Bookseller,

85 BROAD STREET (Opposite Marisclial College).

"THEY'RE GOOD BAKERS, HUTCHISON'S ! " Hutchison's Bread is made from finest Empire flour, and is delightful to eat, and very easy to digest. Their Cakes and Fancies, too, are all unusually tasty and light. Try them TO-DAY!

BRANCHES

THROUGHOUT Telephone 753.

THE

CITY.

•

Engagement Rings

• 4".

Pearls Watches Clocks

0),

Silver Cutlery

Os •• •• Always an interesting

cx?(ir

collection at

A. & J. SMITH '9' UNION STREET ABERDEEN

A. C. LITTLE & SONS, LIMITED,

COSTUMIERS & FURRIERS. For High-Class Garments and Furs at the very Keenest Prices, including :— FUR COATS FUR TRIMMED COATS TAILORED COATS AFTERNOON GOWNS EVENING DRESSES

COAT FROCKS LEATHER COATS 2- and 3-PIECE SUITS SHOWERPROOFS DRESS SKIRTS, ETC. We can Fit any figure in our LARGE SIZE DEPARTMENT. Large Size Garments of every description always in stock.

MOURNINGS. We pay very prompt attention to Mourning Orders. Fit is Guaranteed within 6 hours. Black Coats, Costumes, Dresses, Coat Frocks, 2- and 3-Piece Suits, Skirts, etc., always in stock at the very Keenest Prices.

iff

THE HOUSE FOR VALUE" Telephone 523.

105 UNION ST., ABERDEEN.

THE

NEW

PERMANENT SNAP BRIM

ALEXANDER BOOTH 127 UNION STREET ABERDEEN

JAMES FYFE & SON PAINTERS

GLAZIERS.

AND •

•

OFFICE AND SHOWROOMS:

11 DEE STREET, ABERDEEN. Telephone 304.

4%.

11,

Telegrams

" Fyfe, Painters.',

_WILLIAM GRAY Tailor and Outfitter, 17 HOLBURN ST. Cle,=,), ABERDEEN. We are Outfitters to the Grammar School, and hold Stocks of everything for present and former pupils. Your patronage will be esteemed. 'PHONE 2211.

ESTABLISHED 1886.

MACMAHON Artistic Portraiture in all Modern Styles SPECIAL

TERMS

SCHOOL

502 UNION STREET 'PHONE 187

ABERDEEN

[ BOOKS BOUND N\

W P-4- JACK

(ABERDEEN)LT_D IS BACK WVND

ALL SORTS AND SIZES Established 1855

Telephone No. 291

TAILORING

AND

OUTFITTING

OF THE HIGHEST GRADE AT MODERATE PRICES. ALL

GARMENTS

AND GOODS

GUARANTEED.

G. W. RAFFAN & SON Tailor and Outfitter ---

•• 'Phone 462

82 UNION STREET ---

The Bureau of Travel. An Up-to-date SHIPPING, PASSENGER and TOURIST OFFICE, where all travel is arranged. CONTINENTAL TRAVEL-CONDUCTED OR INDEPENDENT. Official Agents—IMPERIAL AIRWAYS AND AIR UNION. MOTORWAYS-BRITISH AND CONTINENTAL. AGENTS :—Polytechnic Touring Association, George Lunn's Tours, Sir Henry Lunn Tours, Frame's Tours, Dean & Dawson's Tours, Free Church Touring Guild, etc., etc. Summer Tour Programmes now ready. Get your copies free. SHIPPING. OFFICIAL AGENTS-ALL LINES, ALL ROUTES. Personally Conducted Tours to Canada and U.S.A. Tourist Third Cabin from £38 Return. SUMMER CRUISES TO MEDITERRANEAN, NORTHERN CAPITALS, AND NORWAY; CANARY AND MADEIRA ISLANDS. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROUND THE WORLD TOURS. Ask for Programme and Full Particulars. Reduced Rail Fares issued in connection with Tours and Cruises. issued and dated in advance. Sleeping Berths, Seats, and Rail Tickets L. & N.E. Compartments Reserved. Pleasure Parties catered for. PASSPORTS, also VISA Particulars on application. TRAVEL HOLIDAY CLUB. FOREIGN MONEY Bought, Sold or Exchanged. arranged where necessary. LATFs1 INFORMATION ALWAYS AVAILABLE.

MACKAY BROTHERS & COY. (Aberdeen) LTD. 35a Union Street, Aberdeen. Civility, Courtesy, and Attention. 'Phone 825 Central. Tels. " Worldwide, Aberdeen."

DECORATOR -na SPECIALIST Ca- STAINED GLASS £s' MURAL DECORATIO i tz adeocrw.-cro.fitpAcattan:

A. D. COPLAND.

W. KENNAWAY, Ltd. BAKERS and CONFECTIONERS,

5 and 7 Holburn Street. Luncheon and Tea Rooms,

173 Union Street, ABERDEEN

SPECIALITIESWEDDING CAKES. SHORTBREADROYAL DEESIDE IN TARTAN TINS, ALSO A LARGE SELECTION OF PLAIN AND FANCY ICED CAKES.

Telephone No. 1891.

ARCHIBALD McKELLAR Family Grocer and Wine Merchant,

454-456 Union Street, Aberdeen. . . We Specialise in . . Cooked Gammons, " Sinclair's "

Belfast Smoked Hams, " Harris's " Wiltshire Bacon.

Medicinal Wines—Vibrona, Hall's, Wincarnis, Glendenning's.

Telegraphic Address : " Undertake, Aberdeen."

Telephone No. 2300. Works: Rosebank Place.

GORDON & WATSON Ft:M.:R.1f. f \DEI FAKERS AND MOT( )R 11F:A RS F. PROPRIETORS

12 HOLBURN ST. & 40 VICTORIA RD. ABERDEEN

Royal (Dick) Veterinary College EDINBURGH. Principal : 0. CHARNOCK BRADLEY, M.D., D.Sc., M.R.C.V.S. After attendance on Complete Courses of Instruction in this College, Students may proceed to the Examinations for the Diploma of Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (M.R.C.V.S.), and for the Diploma in Veterinary State Medicine (D.V.S.M.). Students of the College may also present themselves for the Degree of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Veterinary Science conferred by the University of Edinburgh. The College being recognised as a Central Institution under the Education (Scotland) Act, 1908, Students are eligible for Bursaries granted by Education Committees in Scotland. A Copy of the College Calendar, containing particulars of Scholarships, Fellowships, etc., may be obtained on application to A. C. DOULL, C.A., A.S.A.A., Secretary and Treasurer.

attersb9 HATS FRED WATT Coat Specialist

BRIDGE STREET ABERDEEN

SNAP BRIM TWENTY SHILLINGS 'PHONE 3515

Curr's Coffee is equally acceptable and invariably delicious. There is 60 years' experience of Coffee making in it —hence the reason of its excellence.

URR'S COFFEE 4 L

erriti

Thomas Curr Ce Co., ABERDEEN.

Telephone—Aberdeen 1710.

1 DESSWOOD PLACE, MATTHEW ABERDEEN. BOOTH, THE MASTRICK DAIRY. WE offer you a Choice Selection of DAIRY PRODUCE from our own Farms, and produced under the direct supervision of members of the family. Our Customers may rely upon the absolute Purity and Cleanliness of all our products. Distributors of Lord Carnegie's Certified Milk. Head Dairy: 3, 5, and 7 WHITEHALL ROAD. Branches: 33 FOUNTAINHALL ROAD. 7 MIDSTOCKET ROAD. 25 BEDFORD PLACE. 100 ROSEMOUNT VIADUCT. 473 GREAT WESTERN ROAD.

BOYS' TRENCH COATS Two Lots of Unusual Value IN BOYS' AND YOUTHS' WOOL GABERDINE TRENCH OVERCOATS. LOT 1-In the Newest Shades of Browns, Drabs, or Greys ; Sizes 3 to 12. Fit Boys 6 to 17 years. 20/- for Size 3 ; rise 1/- per Size. Thoroughly Rainproof. The Coats are made up from short ends of High-class Cloths, and in the majority of cases are worth double the price we are asking. 2—In Indigo Navy Wool Gaberdine, linel with a warm fleecy lining; Sizes 3 to 12. Fit 6 to 17 years. 20/- for Size 3 ; rise 1/- per Size. A sure protection against both wet and cold.

LOT

SHOP BY POST-WE PAY CARRIAGE.

ALEX. SCOTT & CO. 58 St. Nicholas Street, Aberdeen (Near Woolworths).

CATERING IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. PARTIES SOCIALS WEDDINGS, Etc. Accommodation for 20 or 200.

(DINE

To w.

& REST 625'.'

(Alm S10 ‘. or

THE ST. NICHOLAS CAFE (OFF ST. NICHOLAS STREET)

MITCHELL

MUIL

LTD.

CAPS for

Shooting, Fishing and Golfing. :

PRICES FROM

HALF-A- GUINEA.

W. J. MILNE Ltd.

HATTERS 249-25 i Union St. (Opposite Royal Northern Club) 'Phone 1293.

Burberry Agents.

Aitken anb %one Painters & Vecoratore 335 ttnton %treet --• Elberbeen. • ••

Make a Hit with the Family

" I shot an arrow into the air, It fell to earth, I know not where." So run the words of the song, but it will be no BLIND SHOT if you take home some of

McPHERSON'S DELICIOUS DOUGHNUTS

W. M. McPHERSON 15 Fountainhall Road : 8 St. Swithin Street

ABERDEEN

ESTABLISHED

1843.

Wm. Cay & Sons

LOW'S BOOKSTALLS 39-50 New Market Gallery ABERDEEN

funeral lattbertahers, 415 UNION STREET AND

209 GEORGE STREET, ABERDEEN.

Books on All Subjects and at All Prices Over 500,000 Volumes in Stock Educational Books in Great Variety

Motor Hearses and Cars for Town and Country Funerals.

CATALOGUES ISSUED

Telegrams—" Cay,"Aberdeen." 'Phones Nos. 92 and 54.

'PHONE

ESTABLIIHED

3332

I 818

BY APPOINTMENT TO H.M. THE KING

J. WILLIAMSON & SON (W. B. WILLIAMSON, PROPRIETOR)

Meat Purveyors and Poulterers 1, 2, & 3 MARKET BUILDINGS, ABERDEEN 'PHONE 452 BRANCHES: 35 FOUNTAINHALL ROAD 'PHONE 1724

THE SQUARE. CULTS 'PHONE, CULTS 2

ALSO AT CHURCH SQUARE, BALLATER 'PHONE 38

D. Wyllie & Son

FRED HARDIE

247 Union Street,

Photographic A rtist, 416 Union Street,

Aberdeen.

ABERDEEN

Wyllies'jBookshop, Aberdeen ; Prompt service; prices keen ; Established—One-eight-one-four ; Car service at our door.

For every style of In- and Out-Door Group, Composite Groups & General

What to do, 'Phone 402.

Portraiture, Etc. Commercial Photography our Speciality.

Telegraphic Address: "Wyllie,Bookseller,Aberdeen"

Suits and Overcoats of the Better Quality and Style READY TAILORED AND MADE TO MEASURE IN THE FINEST SCOTTISH AND ENGLISH CLOTHS Priced from

5 to 8 Guineas

W. S. McINTOSH 500 UNION STREET WEST-END OUTFITTERS FOR MEN 'PHONE 1232

TELEPHONE 851.

For Drawing Instruments & Materials PICTURE FRAMERS AND ARTISTS' COLOURMEN

TAYLORS' ART SALOON 49-51

TYPEWRITERS IMPERIAL " ALL BRITISH " STANDARD TYPEWRITERS. Magnificent Machines. More up-to-date than the foreigners and better built. No dearer.

AU Makes of PORTABLE TYPEWRITERS. New and Second-Hand. Come and make your own selection after seeing the different ones together.

SCHOOLHILL

ABERDEEN Telephone 2870.

C. H. WEBSTER 10 HOLBURN STREET ABERDEEN

Geo.Jamieson & Son Silversmiths Watchmakers and Jewellers

Sole Representative of the world-famous firm of Silversmiths— Elkington & Co., Ltd.

One of the finest selections of GEM RINGS, REAL PEARL NECKLETS, and SCOTCH PEARLS, in Necklets and Single Pearls.-

142 Union Street (Next Union Bridge)

ABERDEEN.

ELLIS & IvrFIARDY 7 LTD 18 REGENT QUAY

1301 UNION

STREET.

Importers of Household,and Steam Coals. Telephone 2889.

GEORGE:11SSET'S Clan'.Tartan•Warehouse 15

UNION STREET ABERDEEN CLOTHIER TO THE

ADMIRALTY, R.N.R., and R.N.V.R.

HIGHLAND OUTFITS :: a Speciality :: for Boys, Youths, and Gentlemen. also for Maids' and Ladies' Wear; and will gladly supply patterns of Ladies' favourite Tartans for Kilts. Telephone 2680.

Delivered by Careful and Experienced Men.

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE ABERDEEN'S PREMIER HOUSE OF ENTERTAINMENT

.at

and one of the finest Theatres in the British Isles A FIRST-CLASS ENTERTAINMENT ALWAYS! Twice Nightly at 6.40 and 8.45. Matinees - at 2.15

Once Nightly at 7.30 All when Advertised.

Advance Booking Office Open to Callers at the Theatre Daily Conditions of Advance Booking as Exhibited at the Booking Office Seats booked by Telephone must be paid for before 4 p.m —1 p.m on Saturdays. It must be distinctly understood, however, that no seats are guaranteed until they are paid for, and in order to avoid disappointment, seats asked for by Telephone must be claimed and paid for immediately, as under no circumstances will they be kept if they remain unpaid when all other seats have been sold. Telephone enquiries can only be attended to as the work of the Box Office permits.

Telephone-493 Popular Prices For full particulars of this week's Programme see Theatre Bills or Advertisement in Daily Press or Tram Cars Lessee, WALTER GILBERT Aeting Manager, W. LOTHIAN GILBER"r

RANGES, STOVES, WATER HEATERS and COOKERS. r0.1 FIREPLACE ARRANGEMENTS IN MARBLE AND TILES. We cordially invite you to visit our Showrooms and inspect the many Designs displayed.

JAMES SCOTT & SON (Aberdeen) LTD. 483-485 UNION STREET, ABERDEEN. Telephone Nos.:

Telegrams :

1881-1882.

" Strength," Aberdeen.

Telephone No. 2299.

ARE CLOTHIERS TO THE

YOUNG GENTLEMAN. QUALITY FIXES THE PRICE. WE KEEP ONLY THE BEST. IT'S CHEAPEST IN THE END.

LARGE

SELECTION ALWAYS IN STOCK.

OF CORRECT SCHOOL WEAR v

A. & J. SCOTT

Tailors, Clothiers, and Outfitters,

GEORGE

STREET, ABERDEEN. CONTENTS.

.. Facing page 116 Portrait of The Honourable Lord Mackay „ • 117 „ Portrait of Rev. Professor Alexander Reid Gordon The Grammar School, on School Hill, 1757-1863 ; Entrance to Robert Gordon's Colleges, showing Inscription on Gray's School of Art ; The Doorway of the School Cycle Shed, showing Inscription on the left-hand side of the Door ; and Between pp. 124 and 125 .. Robert Ferguson's Bell, 1627 Facing page 132 .. .. Lower School Pupils in 1885- 86 133 , .. „ School Rugby 1st XV—Season 1930-31..

Page 86 Geneva—Capital of the World. By Dr. James L. Mowat .. „ 91 .. .. .. The Senior Member of the F.P. Club ,, 92 •• •• •• •• Byron, Sportsman and Traveller In Search of Adventure, or the Misadventures of an Austin Six "_ 101 107 .. .. .. .. Notes About Old Boys 122 . •• •• •• William Dyce, R.A. „ 123 .• Fighting Sleeping Sickness and Leprosy.. „ 124 .. •• .. .. .. The Old Grammar School 126 •• •• •• •• •• Old Class Magazines „ 127 •• •• .. Activities of Retired Members of the Staff 128 •• •• School Notes 131 Pupils' Tours to the Continent. Dr. Macandrew's Book .. „ 132 Dramatic Society School Library. An Old Class Group. 133 •• •• .• .. .. .. School Rugby Football „ 138 .. .. The Literary and Debating Society The Former Pupils' Club— • 143 The Annual Meeting of the Club . • " 150 .. •. ••• The London Centre • .. 154 • .. The Glasgow Centre .. ,, 157 .. •• •• •• The Rugby Football Section 161 •. .. •• •• .. List of Club Consuls .. .. „ 163 .. .. List of New Members of the Club • . „ 164 .. Club Office-Bearers, 1931-32 •

•

••

•t

„

.•

• •

•

„

NORTHERN ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, Established 1836.

Assets

22,000,000. 4

ALL CLASSES OF

INSURANCE,

FIRE ACCIDENT

INCLUDING :-

LIFE MOTOR CAR

•

Life Assurance Branch. The Company's Tables of rates for Life Assurance include every class of Policy. Write for Particulars of:— WHOLE LIFE POLICIES ENDOWMENT ASSURANCE POLICIES EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENT POLICIES CHILDREN'S DEFERRED ASSURANCE POLICIES CHIEF OFFICES :

ABERDEEN

1 Union Terrace.

LONDON

1 Moorgate, E.C. 2.

Aberdeen Board of Directors. A. S. R. BRUCE, Eso. The Right Hon. The EARL OF CAITHNESS. FRANCIS J. COCHRAN, ESQ. GEORGE M. Coox, ESQ.

Manager Secretary

GARDEN A. DUFF, ESQ. The Right Hon. The LORD FORBES. A. MARTINEAU, ESQ. R. MACKAY. J. L. WILLIAMS.

I 4

Aberbeen Orainmar School tilaga3ine Vol. XXXIV.

MARCH, 1931.

No. 2

The " Grammar School Magazine " is issued under the auspices of The Former Pupils' Club, in March, June, and November. All communications with regard to the " Magazine " should be addressed to the Editor (the Secretary and Treasurer of the Club), THEODORE WATT, M.A., The Rosemount Press, Aberdeen. ** Members of the Club are requested to inform the Secretary of any change of address.

Geneva—Capital of the World. By JAMES L. MOWAT (1915-16), M.A., Ph.D. An ambitious title ? It is, but when . . . the war-drum throbs no longer, and the battle-flags

are furl'd In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world,"

such a title may be justified. Even already it is, perhaps, due to a city which is associated with the origins of the Red Cross movement and chosen as the seat of the League of Nations and numerous other international institutions for furthering the material, moral, and spiritual welfare of mankind. Even if it is too early to apply the title to Geneva yet, let that compensate for my being so old-fashioned as to quote Tennyson. Geneva cannot be said at present to be an impressive capital city. It is a provincial town of some 120,000 inhabitants (of whom over 10 per cent. are foreigners), and those who are used to the busy life of London or Paris frequently complain of boredom. Nevertheless, it is very pleasantly situated and well planned, and it can easily take on the architectural and other insignia of its position, once that position is assured. To the visitor it is disappointingly modern and devoid of ancient monuments for a town rich in historical associations. After five centuries of Roman domination Geneva was successively the capital of the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths,

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

and the Franks. As a bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire it lived in almost constant conflict with its powerful neighbours, the Dukes of Savoy. The last of their attempts to take the town was repulsed on 11 th December, 1602, when it is said that the success of the Genevese was due to the inspiration of a woman who suggested pouring cauldrons of boiling liquid on the soldiers who were scaling the walls. This " escalade " is still commemorated annually by the Genevese with a torchlight procession in costumes of the period and innumerable fancy-dress balls. People move on from one café or one ball to another throughout the night, the traditional conclusion being a plate of onion soup at the station buffet about 5 or 6 a.m. So far I have substituted ham and eggs for the onion soup, but in time I may feel in the mood for the latter dish at such an hour. Incidentally, why are station restaurants on the Continent so much better than the average ones at home ? Geneva, Lausanne, and Leipzig are three cases in which I know from personal experience that the station restaurants are among the two or three best in the place. It would seem strange in Aberdeen to invite a friend to dinner at the station instead of, say, the Palace or " Jimmy Hay's," but here I have dined at the station oftener than in any other restaurant. I seem to have been led astray from my brief survey of Genevese history. One point which must be mentioned is its association with the Reformation movement, when Calvin not only exerted his religious influence, but also gave Geneva a strong political constitution. At a later date, 1798-1814, Geneva belonged to France, after which it regained its independence and eventually joined the Swiss Confederation. But of this varied past few traces remain. Plaques mark the spot where Julius Caesar is believed to have crossed the Rhone, where Calvin lived, where John Knox preached. On the slopes of the hill which forms the centre of the town some quaint old houses, with narrow, high-peaked gables, cluster round the old Cathedral—a quietly pleasing Romanesque building which has been completely spoiled at one end by having been restored during the eighteenth century with a pseudo-Greek portico. One may distinguish two dominant features in Geneva : traces of the influence of Calvinism, and the strongly democratic spirit of the Swiss republics. The former can be seen in the sober, or, as some would have it, dull and stodgy atmosphere of Geneva and the plain solemnity of its inhabitants. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants, where one can eat well and drink one's fill (beer is the favourite drink), but they lack the animation and the sometimes meretricious glitter of Paris or other Continental cities. They are places where one goes with one's family or friends for a chat, a game of cards,

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

a break in the ordinary round. The cafés also show examples of the democratic spirit. Even in some of the best restaurants you may quite often see people of a variety of classes: wealthy business men, international officials, exiled Russian aristocrats, good Genevese bourgeoisie, and well-to-do peasants celebrating a wedding or some similar occasion. Your sturdy Genevese republican of the working class, while remaining perfectly polite and respectful, never dreams of removing his hat or cap on entering a café, no matter what its status may be or what the other customers may do. In the same way, when I returned from my summer holiday I was met with a handshake from the _concierge, the charwoman, the butcher, the baker, and any other small shopkeepers with whom we deal regularly. They are as good as I am, and they don't see why the difference in our wealth or position should prevent us treating each other as equals. Personally, I like the attitude. This spirit of equality is, perhaps, one of the characteristics which fits Geneva for its position as an international centre. Apart from its geographical situation, Geneva has other features which make it a good seat for the League. Switzerland is itself international, with a very mixed population and three official languages—French, German, and Italian. French is the language of Geneva, but one hears a great amount of Swiss German, and the bulk of the labourers are Italian. The town has been subject to strong French influences at different periods, owing to its somewhat isolated position on the borders of France, and the influx of Huguenots and other exiles from France, so that its natural characteristics have been mixed with French elements, although the people differ too greatly from their neighbours in temperament ever to be completely Gallicized. The consequence is that Geneva has no very marked atmosphere or character of its own, and is, therefore, a splendid centre for an experiment in internationalism, such as is at present being carried out in the collaboration of officials of thirty or forty nationalities in the international institutions. In spite of occasional friction, it may be said that the results of the first ten years of such work have been very satisfactory and encouraging, especially when one remembers the strength of national feeling and national fears and jealousies. It is in summer that Geneva appears most cosmopolitan, when thousands of visitors come " to see the League." Strolling along the Lake side in front of the huge hotel which houses the Secretariat of the League (pending the completion of the new building); one may hear half a dozen different languages. I must plead guilty to deriving some amusement (I hope not malicious) from these pilgrims. In many cases it is possible to guess their nationality from their appearance or dress, or from their French accent when they ask, " Pardon, Monsieur, on est le Palais des Nations ? " If I succeed, I reply in their

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

own language (when I know it), and enjoy the look on their faces, which register amazement at being so quickly identified. I am not so astonished as I used to be at waiters in various countries who have addressed me in English before I even opened my mouth. I have come to the conclusion that most German men reveal their nationality in their taste in ties, and clothes in general are a very good indication. But I have so far failed to establish the nationality of the gentleman who was seen this summer wearing grey flannels, white spats, and a bowler hat ! In September, during the Assembly of the League, every hotel and boarding-house (and they are many) is full, and people of all nationalities, sometimes in picturesque oriental costumes, are to be seen in the streets. Many of the delegates and most of the Press representatives are to be found at certain times in the " Bavaria," a famous café which used to be frequented by Briand, Chamberlain, and Stresemann. This café specializes in Munich beer, German sausages, and sauerkraut—a combination which makes a most excellent and satisfying meal. The walls of the place are hung with caricatures of all the most famous delegates, mostly by Derso, who (I am told) published an article on the last Assembly, illustrated with some of his own drawings, in a recent issue of The Illustrated London News. During June the International Labour Conference brings another group of delegates to Geneva. It provides me with my most interesting work, since I act as interpreter and thus get into touch with some of those who are guiding international affairs. A word as to the special system of " telephonic" interpretation used at the International Labour Conference and tested last year at the Assembly with the help of a few of our interpreters may be of interest. For certain parts of the discussions, not involving the actual drafting of conventions, resolutions, and the like, where every word must be weighed, the telephonic system is used to save the time involved by the normal system of interpretation after each speech. Interpreters for English, French, German, and Spanish sit just below the dais, facing the speaker. Each has a mouthpiece with a microphone, so shaped that the interpreter's voice can scarcely be heard by those near him. He translates as the speaker delivers his speech, endeavouring to keep only a few words behind. The delegates in the hall have head-phones and can switch on to whichever language they wish to hear. It will be obvious that the translation must be very literal and can have no pretentions to literary style, but if the interpreter is competent, one can be sure of an adequate and comprehensible translation. The system involves great concentration and is a severe strain at first, but one gets used to it in time, and we generally relieve each other after a short

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

spell. From French into English is a comparatively simple matter, but telephonic interpretation from German is extremely difficult, as one has often to wait for the end of a sentence or clause before grasping the sense. While one is translating that sentence one misses the following one. Much, of course, depends on the speaker, his style, and his delivery. Many of the orators at these international conferences are not using their own language, and if their French or English is halting, the poor interpreter has a hard time of it. My worst experience so far has been with Miss Helene Vacaresco, a Roumanian poetess, who spoke at last year's Assembly in connection with the tribute paid to the memory of Bolivar, a precursor of the idea of a League of Nations. Miss Vacaresco waxed lyrical in her panegyric and, by some means beyond the comprehension of a prosaic interpreter, discussed at some length the poetic qualities of Virgil and Mistral ; as she soared on the wings of her eloquence, her coherence and her French accent were left further and further behind, until finally I declined to follow her to such giddy heights and contented myself with a simple summary of her main ideas. Even when no important conferences are being held, no one need find Geneva dull. The theatres may be provincial, but we have had performances of grand opera by the company from the Dresden Opera House, and good concerts are frequent occurrences, although the prices are high and seats difficult to obtain. Tennis flourishes, there is a golf course a few miles out, and recently I have succeeded in starting a badminton club, which promises to be a success. For the winter evenings there is dancing and bridge—always contract, a form of which has been played here for ten years or more I believe. But the greatest attractions of Geneva lie outside the town itself. First of all there is the Lake, stretching away to the north and east of us, with a surface area of over 220 square miles. Although it cannot equal the sea, it is a constant source of delight with its ever changing greens and blues, and its beautifully clear waters, which reach the extraordinary depth of 975 feet at some parts. At the far end of the Lake, about Montreux and Chillon, the mountains close in and make a lovely panorama, but at Geneva the Jura Mountains circle round two sides of the town at a distance of several miles, while to the south and west we have the Savoy Alps, and in clear weather Mont Blanc stands out in its austere dignity some forty miles away. An article in a recent issue of the Magazine described the joys of mountaineering in Savoy. But even humbler climbers like myself, who are not attracted by ropes and ice-axes, can find splendid exercise and an inexhaustible store of beauty among the lesser mountains, where mule tracks and grassy slopes lead one steeply but safely to summits where the view

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

passes my powers of description. Last spring four of us spent many happy week-ends in Samoens, a charming village in the French Department of Haute-Savoie, where we found an excellent inn which charges five shillings a day for a room and full board. It is very clean and up-to-date for a French village inn, the cuisine is good and (mirabile dictu !) one can get an excellent cup of tea. Samoens is close in summer, as it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, but in spring it is a fine centre for climbing. It lies about 2,250 feet above the sea, and one can reach peaks of 8,700 in the immediate vicinity. It is delightful in April to reach the snow level and lunch on a patch of crocus-spangled grass in the middle of the snow, where one can bask in a sun as warm as any that is ever felt on Aberdeen beach. Ski-ing is the great joy of our winter season, and although Geneva does not lie very high, we are fortunate in having a bus service on Sundays which can take us to good ski grounds in the Jura by 9 a.m. (after an hour's run), and bring us back about 6 p.m. Often Geneva itself is buried in mist, while in the Jura or in Savoy one can enjoy the clear, frosty air and the bright sunshine, and look across the thick sea of mist which hides the Lake to the snow-clad mountains glittering on the other side of the valley. One of the great advantages of ski-ing is that even the beginner, who finds it a somewhat sedentary sport, can thoroughly enjoy himself in spite of the incredible contortions which he performs and the apparently inextricable knots in which his legs and his skis get tied. If I may, in conclusion, drag my readers back from the joys of mountains to a practical problem, it might be of interest to some of them to know the prospects of employment in the international institutions in Geneva. I cannot say that they are sufficiently encouraging to lead anyone to train specially for a post, but anyone who specializes to some extent in languages, economics, and social questions may well find as congenial an occupation here as in any other place. The vacancies are not numerous and occur at irregular intervals ; any post available for an English-speaking person is advertised in The Times. In certain quarters there is a feeling that the proportion of British and French officials is already too high, the reason being that all publications appear in the two official languages, English and French. The general conditions are quite attractive. The salary commences at about £480, rising by £32 annually to £1,100, with possibilities of promotion to a very limited number of higher posts. In view of the high cost of living in Geneva, these salaries must be considered as having rather less purchasing power than they would have at home. The work is usually interesting, and there is now a satisfactory pensions scheme. Vacancies are filled by competitive examination. For a post as translator a

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very thorough knowledge of French and one other language (preferably German) is demanded, and a reading knowledge of other languages is an advantage. For the International Labour Office a paper on economics is set (slightly below the standard of the University Ordinary Degree exam.) and a general knowledge of social questions is expected. For the Secretariat the requirements vary according to the section in which the vacancy occurs ; generally some experience of research in economics or social problems, backed by a good knowledge of French, is necessary. In all cases a University degree is required, unless the applicant has some special qualifications or experience which make him peculiarly fitted for the post in question. I should be happy to give fuller details to anyone who may be interested. I don't see why Aberdeen in general, and the School in particular should not have a fuller share in international work, as they have already had in the building of the Empire. Geneva is not so very far from home ; it is a convenient centre for visiting any part of Europe ; and I think what I have written will show that one F.P. at least is quite satisfied with life in what he hopes will become and remain the capital of a world which studies only the arts of peace.

The Senior Member of the F.P. Club. On 30th November last Dr. DIOMAS IRVINE ROWELL (1854-55), C.M.G., entered his 91st year, and on that date the

Secretary of the F.P. Club sent him the following telegram : " Heartiest congratulations from your old School on passing your 90th milestone." Acknowledging on the same day receipt of the- telegram, Dr. Rowell wrote : " I have had very many gratulations sent me from far and wide, but none has touched me so deeply as that which you have sent me from my dear old Grammar School in Aberdeen, and will you kindly let them know how very deeply I appreciate it. I have, indeed, had a full and hard-working life, and what success I have had throughout it, I put entirely down to the training I had in the dear old School, and I would gladly, were it possible, go through the whole again from start to finish, and few there are who would be able to say the same. How very kind and thoughtful of you to send me that wire, which will be cherished and appreciated and safeguarded. You will kindly excuse my poor writing, but at ninety it might perhaps be worse." There was no occasion for Dr. Rowell to apologize for his handwriting : it is beautiful, and would put that of many a younger man to shame.

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Byron, Sportsman and Traveller. Much less than its half-dozen years of public existence has sufficed for the statue of Lord Byron in front of the School to become part of the genius loci. As such, it seldom receives inspection except from visitors, but I found myself the other day pausing to admire the poise and virility of the figure, with its look of " high, immortal, proud regret," that complex look of mingled genius and power which required the coinage of a new word—" Byronic "—for its expression. The direction of the face is not, as is suggested with a very venial exaggeration of sentiment in Mr. J. D. Symon's book, Byron in Perspective, oriented—or should one say occidented ?—to Lochnagar : it is a good many degrees south of so happy an accident. But the gaze is at least directed to the swelling blue of the Highlands, which first evoked that sensitive response to scenery, and descended, a ghostly superimposition, on every landscape he witnessed from the Malverns to the Pindus Ranges. Of this feeling he himself says: " The infant rapture still survived the boy, And Lochnagar with Ida looked o'er Troy ; Mixed Celtic memories with the Phrygian mount And Highland linns with Castalie's clear fount."

I found myself, too, comparing the statue with that of another Gordon, the fifth Duke, in the Castlegate, which has always appealed to me in its severity of cut and substance, and the dignity of its proportions as a native type which, if persisted in, might have conferred a regional distinctivenesson the statuary of the city. The School statue takes a high place on its merits, and, lest the opinion of an obscure layman be thought presumptuous if not valueless, I reinforce it with a footnote to Miss Ethel Colborn Mayne's Byron, the most satisfactory short estimate of the poet's life and work, in which she observes: " No other statue is comparable with this one in vitality and nobility : it is at a glance ' Byronic.' " The two men, it is worth noting, must have met at a dinner attended by patrons of the Ring on March 20, 1814, for Byron has a note on the occasion in one of 'his letters, when still another Gordon, the Marquess of Huntly, was in the chair. The School memorials of its most distinguished pupil are rather meagre, only the portrait of a little, scrabbed boy in the Hall alongside a facsimile of the Class Register in his last year, with the unfortunate mildewed reproduction in the Library of what is, perhaps, the most unfortunate of all the representations of his striking but elusive physiognomy. All his works, however, have been recently put on the shelves of the Library, together with a few volumes from the field of Byroniana, the vast extent of which—there must be at least a couple of thousand books and articles in all the languages of Europe—is a

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tribute to the universality of the poet's genius. But it should be easy to secure a good reproduction of the Westall or Phillips portrait, though none of the portraits, in the opinion of the Countess Guiccioli, whose intimacy with him might be considered excessive, does him justice. It is sometimes urged that there is no need to commemorate Byron in the School, since his association with it was brief and little more than nominal. The answer to this is that he attended the School for nearly four years, almost as long as he was at Harrow, and longer than he was at Cambridge; while, if it be urged that he learned little there except some Latin Grammar—think of five hours of this daily, ye degenerate moderns !—it may be replied that he learned as much as any other lazy schoolboy—was he not fourth in the second highest class ?—and that, in general, educational institutions do very little to promote the flowering of genius, which is its own preceptor, beyond accommodating them during the years of their pupilage. Trinity College was little more than a haven of refuge to Byron, a convenient asylum from the hectic world of London, and except in its social aspects almost barren of influence. Far from too much having been made, too little has been made of the School's connection with a personality so puissant and memorable. It must be remembered, too, that before he left Aberdeen at the age of 10i, in the autumn of 1798, he had experienced three or four things that left their mark on him for life—he had roamed the Deeside Highlands, an experience which those who have shared it know to be a life-long influence, had fallen precociously in love, had steeped himself in the literature of the Old Testament, and had read, with prophetic intuition, all the histories and books of travel in the East he could lay hands on, and laid the foundations of his love of classical literature—he, the protagonist of the Classics in theory and the confounder of them in practice, while he was cudgelled to Church and Catechism during these early years. Finally, in addition to predestinarian influences, he was thoroughly inoculated with a lively and democratic liberalism, which not even Harrow and Trinity could scotch, and which made him the life-long foe of the notoriously reactionary Regency Government, and the Ishmael of polite Society. It is not, however, of Byron's personality as expressed in his poetry or public life that I am writing, but of humbler matters, of the manifestation of his many-sided activities as a sportsman, in which he very handsomely anticipated the athletic traditions of the School. His daemonic energy of mind was coupled with a bodily energy quite marvellous when one thinks of his undoubted lameness, the nature and extent of which has been disputed, but which was very probably aggravated by the attentions of irresponsible quacks and the

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primitive orthopaedic practices of the time. There is no better examplar in English Literature of that energy which Blake calls eternal delight : he was a creature of infinite and tremendous gusto. Here was a lame young man of 5 feet 7 inches in height, though he usually claimed another inch, who insisted on taking part in every manly sport, partly out of sheer natural exuberance, and partly out of a not unadmirable but somewhat morbid personal vanity. At the age of 19 he was like a young bullock, weighing 145 stone, but a few years later he was down to 9 stones 11 lb., with subsequent fluctuations according to his manner of life: owing to bouts of indulgence and regular irregularity his system required a deal of doctoring. The stones of magnesia he administered to a perpetually protesting stomach would have rejoiced the hearts of shareholders in Imperial Chemical Industries. At the School in his day there were no organized games, only the usual juvenile excitements of passing current bloody noses and cracked crowns—more so than now when games let off a deal of bellicose steam. On his own confession he loved a hubbub of a life : " As boys love rows, my boyhood loved a quarrel."

Tom Moore, his friend and biographer, says that an Aberdeen contemporary told him that Byron was a dab at Bases, aliter " Glesca' Hoosie," presumably the game now relegated to street urchins and seldom played even by them, but appropriately organized and elevated to the status of a great popular spectacle in America. At Harrow and Cambridge he took up boxing and fencing, practising both at Angelo and Jackson's rooms in Bond Street, the fashionable west-end lounge of the day, where gilded youth congregated to have a go at each other when weary of the fleshpots of Piccadilly. Byron often spoke of donning the mufflers and sparring ad sudorem with " Gentleman " Jackson, his corporeal pastor and master, the Admirable Crichton of his day, who was often entertained by his pupil as a friend both at Brighton and Newstead. Nothing says more for Byron's capacity for friendship than the way in which men of all ranks attached themselves to him for life: he was always a man's man. At boxing he was only a fair performer, his main object being to secure that calm nothingness of languor which only those can know who have sweated themselves to exhaustion. He was, of course, handicapped in his footwork, apt to get rattled, and lose sight of the art in his desire to land his adversary—in de Quincey's phrase—" one on the conk." His greatest achievement in this line appears to have consisted in flooring a poor Mr. Purling and putting out his kneepan. He had a draught screen, said to be in

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Murray the publisher's in Albemarle Street to this day, decorated with all the beauteous disciples of the Fancy. His enthusiasm was such that he celebrated his mother's funeral obsequies by making one of his youthful Newstead henchmen, Robert Rushton, don the gloves and be hammered, an act which, far from being an exhibition of unfilial callousness, was more likely due to a grief which found vent in violent action. The foils, as well as the gloves, were always lying handy in his rooms to improve the shining hour. In fencing, as became a Gordon, he preferred the Highland broadsword, a lusty if crude weapon, suited to his robust, inartistic style. A favourite amusement, highly unpopular with the carping race of landladies, was to thrust a sword through the bedhangings—those were the days of voluminous and insanitary draperies about the downy couch—each rent representing a slain critic. Those will appreciate the satisfaction of this process who have prodded a straw dummy to the encouraging obscenities of the sergeant-major. Riding he always loved, and generally had a stableful of horses. Such was his passion for this exercise that during his stay in Venice the equine population of the city was doubled, four of the steeds being the bronze horses of St. Mark's. He exercised his stable daily, on the Lido. His chief equestrian feat was his journey from Lisbon to Cadiz in 1809 with Hobhouse, about 500 miles, within a week. Fondness for animals sounded the same extravagant note of character as his other predilections. His every abode harboured a small menagerie of dogs, monkeys, cats, jackdaws, peacocks, tortoises, macaws, and even a bear and a wolf. Fancying roast goose one Michaelmas, he purchased one, but when the festival arrived, he not only would not have the bird killed, but provided it with three companions to make life worth living. Shelley observes somewhere that in the staircase of the Palazzo Guiccioli at Ravenna the arriving guest would encounter peacocks, guinea-hens, and an Egyptian crane doing the honours of host. Of dogs he favoured the large, showy, and preferably bloodthirsty types—Newfoundlands, deerhounds, bull-mastiffs, and bulldogs. He owned a succession of particularly ferocious English bulldogs, and visitors were often required to exert themselves with pokers and tongs to ward off "Boatswain," the dog whose monument is at Newstead—a monument as well to the misanthropic strain in its master, a misanthrophy common enough among animal lovers, as shown by their cynical reflection, " the more I see of men the more I like dogs." Another favourite was " Nelson," a devil incarnate, as Mrs. Quickly would have it, who frequently ran amok and had ultimately to be shot, clinging to the throat of a horse. Tenacity of tooth and stoicism unto death were the passports to Byron's affection.

Aberdeen Grammar School Ragazine.

A recurrent entry in his diary is : " Rode i' the forest : fired pistols." Everywhere that Byron went, the pistol club was sure to go, both on land and sea. It usually met in the lounge in bad weather, and cautious entry had to be made by callers, as there was considerable risk of accidental perforation. The host would rather smash bottles or looking-glasses, puncture coins, or split walking-canes, than shoot animals, for he was no lover of blood-sports : an Italian shoot he was once present at he called " a snivelling, popping, small-shot, water-hen waste of powder and shot." Once in the Gulf of Lepanto he brought down an eaglet, but the look of the dying bird made him vow never to shoot another bird, a vow kept in the spirit, if not in the letter, for on his last journey to Greece he used the ship's poultry for target-practice. But hens are different—mere fodder when dead; alive, mere egg purveyors. Byron never actually fought a duel, though he was on the verge of scores. His epistolary style was no less provocative than his manner, but his fundamentally frank and friendly nature always prompted him to pacific overtures, and his greatest friendships, for instance with Moore and Hobhouse, began with dark hints of mutual extermination. Cricket, in his day, was a tall-hat, underhand-bowling, low-scoring, natural-turf-and-pretty-bumpy-too, play-like-agentleman sort of affair, but the Eton—Harrow match was already instituted, and Byron played for his school in the 1804 match. In Lillywhite's Cricket Scores the entry appears : " Lord Byron c. Barnard 7, b. Carter 2," while he took one wicket. Runs were then called notches, and the bowler got no credit for a catch off his delivery. He continued the game, for some five years later he observes that, to promote perspiration and reduce obesity, he was practising with seven waistcoats on. It was the sea that provided the theme of some of Byron's best, certainly his best-known, poetry, and gave him scope for the activities he loved best of all. Though swimming was his master-passion, he loved rowing and sailing. Rowing then was mostly a utility affair, but he often rowed on the Thames, and at Venice he used to row every day to the island of the Armenians to visit the monastery there, half a league from the city. His greatest rowing feat, another example of that bounding extravagance of action prompted by the urge of an exhaustless energy, occurred during a stay at Lerici, on the Ligurian coast, in December, 1822. Bored with the inactivity of convalescence after one of his bilious attacks, he jumped out of bed, rowed himself to Sestri, over 30 miles away, in half a day, and completed the extravaganza by proceeding to Genoa, about as far again, on horseback, the same day. He sailed much in his yacht, the " Bolivar," named after the Venezuelan

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liberator, but he regarded yachting pretty much as an active man to-day regards motoring, merely as a means of transport. But it was as a swimmer that Byron was most in his element, for here his lameness was no handicap. He swam anywhere and everywhere, by night and day, as often and as long as he could. At Cambridge he was noted--the Byron Pool commemorates him—for his diving feats, retrieving plates and eggs, and shillings, of course—with Aberdonian assiduity. Even this he had to do differently, by accomplishing the feat with a youngster perched on his shoulders. And he was ready to swim five miles at any time under any conditions. Some of his feats are worth recording. He was nearly drowned at Brighton in 1809, and had to suffer the ignominy of rescue by local boatmen. Henry Drury, his head master's son and erstwhile enemy, was once challenged to cross and recross the Thames till the loser succumbed to exhaustion. Byron, who had dined well, but could probably swim as well drunk as sober, was the winner. In August, 1807, he swam for a wager three miles in the Thames from Lambeth Bridge. In July, 1809, while on tour with Hobhouse, he swam in the Tagus from Lisbon to Belem Castle against adverse wind and tide, a feat which took him about three hours. In May, 1810, he swam the Hellespont from Abydos to Sestos, the return half of I,eander's feat. But he swam for glory not love :

•

" 'Twere hard to say who fared the best. Sad mortals ! thus the gods still plague ye : He lost his labour, I my jest, For he was drowned, and I've the ague."

The strait here is only about a mile broad, but the complex current drift makes the swim more than twice as long. Leander's time is not known, but Byron and Lieut. Ekenhead took 1 hour 10 minutes. The feat has often been done since and would be easy enough to any good swimmer in condition, but Byron's abuse of himself was colossal. His favourite tipple was soda water, a dozen bottles a day being an ordinary allowance. His soda water bill, for instance, from 4th October to 22nd December one year was over £6. At Venice in 1818 he swam from the Lido to the end of the Grand Canal (4iItalian miles), being in the water from 4.30 to 8.15 without touching or resting. And this, too, with his pants on ! In August, 1822, he swam from Viareggio to his yacht and back to shore, three miles under a burning sun, and paid the penalty for damning the consequences. He had to stay in bed until Nature renewed his entire epidermis, his body being one huge blister. The strangest swim of all was when the body of Williams, who had been drowned with Shelley in the Bay of Opezzia, was being burned on the beach, and Byron and Trelawny swam a mile out to sea and viewed the crematory rites on the bosom of the very agent that had occasioned them.

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Walking and climbing figured little in his list of activities —naturally enough. But he " did" Morven, Lochnagar, the Simplon, and gazed on Jungfrau, which was considered inaccessible at that time, from the adjacent Wengen. Dancing was sour grapes : there is an amusing pseudonymous introduction to " The Waltz," that gyration being then a novelty, and the rage of the ballrooms. His youthful prowess as a play-actor he recalls in his juvenile poem on Harrow. All his activities, " so many and so many and such glee," are eloquent of his brilliant, faceted personality. He is easily the greatest sportsman in the long roll of English poets. The locomotor urge actuated Byron, though social ostracism no doubt started the mechanism. There have been many, even from this School, who have travelled farther, have travelled more adventurously, more heroically than Byron, but no one ever travelled more memorably or with such personal eclat. Thousands of breakfast tables, and not of the great only, followed the wanderings of the Pilgrim of Eternity, who staged the pageant of the Bleeding Heart on a Continent as background. Men who read no poetry at all read his : travel cast in so brilliant a form enormously intensified the value of the personal record. In his wanderings through space he wandered through time, with one eye on the present and the loveliness of the things of time and sense, and the other on a past which shed its glory on all landscapes, cities, towers, and palaces, an emotion noted in his exquisite line : " Full flashes on the soul the light of ages." It must be admitted that he had a third eye for himself, for no more kenspeckle figure ever wandered across Europe than this Lordo Inglese, " half a Scot by birth and bred a whole one," and, on a chronological computation, a quarter of an Aberdonian. His travels may be summed up in two words—Italy and Greece, symbolizing for him Love and Duty. In the former he found his art, in the latter his destiny. He often refers in his journals to a projected visit to South America, and would no doubt have made a memorable Odyssey of it, for the material he loved was to hand in the glories of Inca civilization and the crude terror of Spanish oppression, but that adventure was denied him, as it was to Burns, whose spiritual successor he was, and with whom he had many affinities of taste and outlook. Greece, in particular, fascinated and appalled him, that lovely land once brilliantly alive and still gilded by eternal summer, but sunk in the grossest of political apathies, a land in which Fletcher, his faithful man-servant, could see only a place where he was roasted, toasted, baked, grilled, robbed by brigands and eaten by fleas and lice, an observation which earned his master's reproof as being the mark of a man with

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the eye of a hog, but which to the poet was the unforgettable home of Sappho, the land of Salamis and Marathon. He defied all sumptuary laws in his style of travel : the coach in which he set out on his travels was an imitation of Napoleon's, fitted with a bed, library, plate-chest, and dining apparatus. When he " flitted," a whole menagerie had to be transported. Travelling from Ravenna to Pisa, under the scrutiny of the Italian police, he had a retinue of five carriages, seven servants, nine horses, a monkey, bulldogs, mastiffs, cats, peafowl, a harem of hens, books, saddles, firearms, a chaos of furniture, and on top of all, the whole Hunt collection of a wife and nine dirty children—Hunt's Hottentot kraal he called it. Apart from this engaging exuberance of costume and equipment, no one was ever better prepared for the task of being the pioneer of Romance in verse, for he was steeped in the love of the Middle and Near East, even before he left school in Aberdeen. He neglected routine study with the greatest of profit, though his is not an example to be followed by pedestrian pupils. Childe Harold's first pilgrimage (180911) was in Iberia, Greece, and Albania, with Athens as the centre of attraction. This experience first awoke and fixed the expression of his latent genius. From Athens he sent Murray, his publisher, a fragment of hemlock, which he maintained was a descendant of the plant that supplied the juice which Socrates drank, and by which he freed himself from Xantippe and other sublunary woes for ever. Some Athenian skulls and live tortoises were sent to Sir Walter Scott. The cold shoulder of Society--one of the causes celebres of literature—drove him forth a second time in 1816. And his travels were on a more extended scale, with more momentous consequences, personal, literary, and political. He went through the Low Countries, the Cockpit of Europe. What schoolboy has not memorized the famous rhetoric on Waterloo's ensanguined plain? Then through Switzerland and Italy, where he lived from 1816 till he left on his last journey to Greece in 1823, with a presentiment that he would never return. This was the period of supreme literary activity and the efflorescence of his strong political sympathies, which had begun with a protest in the House of Lords and culminated in the powerful Vision of Judgment," perhaps the most vital satire in English Literature. It was these Radical sympathies which antagonized the Tory oligarchy far more than his social lapses. They had no place for the man who censured their Philistinism and social callousness—for the man who could write, " Yet, Freedom, yet ; thy banner torn but flying Streams like a thunderstorm against the wind."

This second long journey of exile and humiliation, passing into

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proud and justifiable resentment, really set him on his poetic feet and strengthened his powers to the end of his life. It would take too long to follow him through all the fascinating record of his wanderings. He had a personal reaction to every place : thick-coming fancies crowded on his brain and found expression in a unique spontaneity of verse. He tramped the streets of a town with the echoes of history ringing in his ear. He tossed off verses anywhere on the road, as Schubert did music in hostelries. The famous lyric, " Oh, talk not to me of a name great in story ; The days of our youth are the days of our glory "

was written during a halt between Florence and Pisa. Travel, his own or other people's, was ever his inspirer—he could be a traveller of the armchair with an atlas on his knee. " The Island " is founded on Bligh's " Narrative of the Bounty " and a contemporary account of the Tonga Islanders : " Long have I roved through lands that are not mine, Adored the Alp and loved the Apennine."

It is time to close these random notes on the career of the greatest man who left—who is ever likely to leave—as fortuitously as he entered, the Grammar School. He was the greatest comic genius, Shakespeare excepted, who ever adorned English Literature, and the most cosmopolitan in tone and temper, to say nothing of an epistolary style which in vivacity and sincerity is a major achievement. The most diverse personalities in Europe have paid tribute to his Genius— Ruskin, Shelley, Swinburne, Arnold, Goethe, of which I quote the last and most eminent : " He was a personality, such for its eminence as has never been yet, such as is not likely to occur again." Nothing in the life of this extravagant and erring spirit became him like the leaving it. He made a noble end on what was perhaps the threshold of a great destiny. Of him it might be said what the old ballad says of the Earl of Moray : " He was a braw gallant, And he played at the glove."

and to finish— " He was a braw gallant, And he played at the ring, The bonnie Earl o' Moray He might ha'e been a king."

• W. M. H.

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In Search of Adventure, or of an Austin Six from Aberdeen The Misadventures to Khartoum. PART I.

Travel is a stereotyped affair. So it seemed to me before I set out. There are, however, still a few eventualities which Cook's, the Automobile Association, and guide-books have not yet catered for. It is not my purpose to describe the natural beauties of the various countries through which I passed, nor to discuss the controversial question of the necessity or otherwise of Customs formalities ; but to show how adventure was thrust upon us, and perhaps, point out the way in which, or rather delicately hint at how, this elusive quantity should be pursued. The Great North Road was smooth. Not a pothole ruffled its speedy surface. The crossing from Harwich was abnormally rough. It was pouring rain on arrival at the Hook of Holland. The month was October, and the mornings then have a chilly way about them. The Dutch landing and Customs authorities were so expeditious and polite that I declared a large quantity of " Gold Flakes." " But you are going a long way, you will need them on the journey." So surprised was I that, forgetting my town of origin, I crossed the speaker's palm with silver. English cigarettes, I may say, I do not smoke. As bribes they are invaluable. On the Continent of Europe and elsewhere bribery is an art and not an immoral procedure. Always think down to the level of the people you are amongst. It saves them trying to think up to yours. This is not conceit, but a practical tip. Keep to the right. This rule is soon forced upon one, and although at first it seems strange, after the first ten miles or so it is easy. If faced with a driving crisis in the first ten miles, I am sure I should have made for the left, and most probably faded out of the picture. Over clean, narrow, paved roads we sped, through the Hague, to the German border, A rapid succession of canals, windmills, wide pasture lands, level crossings, bridges, bicycles, willow trees, barges, and canals, cows, green grass, hothouses, cheese factories, and canals. Always a useful performer at breakfast, I had to admit defeat in Holland. Three generous meat courses to start off with, followed by a few cheeses, enormous loaves, gallons of coffee, and rounded off by sweet omelettes and cakes. They

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were subsequently a pleasant memory after weeks of café complet. So to Germany. Efficient, rigorous Customs. No eyewash, but no personal note sounded. The roads at first were poor, and the backward nature of the rural districts and the miserable aspect of the villages struck me. The main form of transport was the bullock-cart--slow, creaky, and dilapidated. The roads were muddy. Suddenly, round a corner, two bullock-carts obstructed the right of way. Brakes were applied, the car skidded, slid along, and gently tapped the back of the nearest cart. The road was immediately littered with rolling beetroot. The air was thick with the curses of the rudely-awakened German driver. The bullock, scared, broke its rotten rope traces and bolted. A crowd appeared. It gesticulated. Sensing hostility, I dashed after the escaped bullock, captured it, and returned it to the driver, and helped him to tie it in again. " Not so bad," murmured the crowd, but what about the cart ?—and it was such a good cart ! From a capacious tool-chest I produced a hammer and a bag of nails, and did a little crude carpentry work. The result was a far stronger cart than originally. The crowd smiled. It was amused. The driver still looked gloomy, for he had all his beets to pick up. Then the " Gold Flakes " were produced, and handed lavishly round. To a subdued cheer I slipped in the clutch and glided away through the fragrant smoke. On through picturesque Brunswick, Hanover, the industrial area, to Potsdam, and so to Berlin. For Berlin, see guidebooks. I found it a gay, expensive, noisy city, less cosmopolitan than London, but with better traffic control. From Berlin to Dresden, and on to the Czecho-Slovakian border the road is excellent, and the Austin batted along at sixty, narrowly missing destruction from the hands, or rather bonnet, of an enormous Mercedes-Bentz doing eighty, when they both tried to pass a horse vehicle at the same time. The border is at the top of a high pass, and a thick mist hid the whole landscape when we reached it. I wondered if I could slip past the Customs, but found that a barrier was stretched across the road. With headlights full on I was creeping slowly down the Czech side of the pass when I saw the lights of another car ascending. I blew my horn. We both blew our horns. We shouted, but still the car came on, on its wrong side. I refused to budge, and as we almost touched, the other car swung out to its right, and as it passed the occupants leant out and let forth at me in powerful and unrestrained language. Luckily the only word I caught was " linx." Suddenly it

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dawned on me that the rule of the road in Cz.-S1. is drive on the LEFT. I had forgotten the change over. The kindly mist hid my blushes, and had probably saved our lives. The roads were bad. There were no signposts, at least none with names. A sign like the pictorial burning bush reared its head in places. This was supposed to be coloured, and the particular colour gave one the key as to which road one was on. The wind and the rain had made all the colours alike, but the inevitable boy who could speak English and was proud to air it was found. Extensive road work was in progress, and provision not always made for getting past the construction work. In five years' time it should be a good country to tour in. Suddenly one struck a lovely tar-mac. road: a real Brooklands stretch of 40 miles into Prague. The going was so good that I shot past the Toll House, but was recalled by angry shouts and yells. Two soldiers had hastily seized their rifles, no doubt to bring down the fugitive, had he refused to stop. It cost me 2/d. to enter Prague. At Prague it was discovered that my companion had not the correct visas for the journey. We repaired to the British Consul. Our luck was in, for of course he is also OUR (F.P.) Consul. No one could have been more helpful and hospitable. In record time the visas were got. We lunched with him at the select Czecho-Slovakian Club, and picked up more of the spirit of Prague in a day than the ordinary tourist does in a month. Whilst motoring in this fair city, I committed some obscure driving error. A lordly policeman with a magnificent sweep of his baton stopped all traffic, and leisurely descended from his central pedestal or throne, and came at me, intent on utterly destroying the criminal. He spoke in an unknown tongue. So did I. He gesticulated. I didn't. An impasse. Suddenly I said, " Where is the Grand HOTEL ? " " Hotel" is an international word. Intelligence gleamed in his eyes. We were British. Of course he would show us the way. " First left, fourth right, and straight on ; you can't miss it "—all by pantomine, at which by now we were past masters—and with a smart salute he waved us on, marching in front to clear away the crowd which had gathered—a truly courteous gesture. An excellent undulating road led to Vienna, and instead of drab beet-fields, came vine-clad terraces. For Vienna, see guide-books. The police were paragons of politeness and knew their roads, and quite a number could speak English. We circled round the great Ringerstrasse, and sped on to Bratislava. This beautifully-situated city on the banks of the Danube used to be Pressburg in the old Austrian Empire, and is now the fashionable health-resort of CzechoSlovakia. There we met a doctor, who showed us round the

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great barracks of a hospital. It was interesting chiefly for the survival of the Sisters of Mercy, those gentle, kindly creatures with no idea of asepsis, who in their own way, however, minister gratuitously to the sick and suffering. To Budapest the roads were all that could be desired. Budapest, that most beautiful of all beautiful cities, with the yellow but majestic Danube flowing through its heart—sorry, I am usurping the function of the guide-books ! After Budapest the fun began. Roads rapidly degenerated. Signposts were present but confusing. Once we passed a little town, motored for thirty miles, and then found ourselves entering the very same town again ! This is an excellent way of seeing a new country. The Hungarian—Yugo-Slavian frontier was a complicated affair. On the road was a block-house manned by soldiers, but they could not cope with a foreign car. No, the place for that was the railway station, where there was a clerk who could read. A soldier mounted the car and piloted me to the said station. The clerk was in his house, but he would come. He did so in half an hour. I then showed him how to fill in the documents. Complete with soldier we returned to the post. The sergeant in charge took an intelligent interest in the papers, looked at all the luggage, and sounded the " all clear." One mile further on, another block-house, bristling with Yugo-Slavian soldiery. Same procedure. At the railway station there was great excitement. An official produced three great seals and an enormous stamp to crush them with. In broken English he explained that one seal had to be put on the engine, one on the chassis, and the third anywhere—for luck—" all formality you know," he said. Weighed down by seals, we bumped across terrible roads, full of potholes, making for a small town which the book of words said had a good hotel. This town was reached at dusk, and the hotel turned out to be purely a " pub," with no accommodation, so on we pushed in the dark. A suspiciouslooking wire overhead made me slow down, and next minute I stopped dead on the precipitous bank of a river. The wire was the ferry rope. No lights. No visible warning signs. Cars should not travel at night in Yugo-Slavia. Completely lost, I turned around and went on till the first crossroads, and took the road running most nearly East. This soon petered out in a cart track, and eventually in fields, but in the distance lights became visible, and after a bit of crosscountry work and one puncture, a railway was reached, crossed, and suddenly a road appeared, and then a village. An inhabitant of the village made an appearance, and on the word " hotel " being hurled at him, he graciously piloted us to the local caravanserie.

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Although by this time it was 9 p.m. the whole village turned out to stare at the foreigners. The hotel was roomy and had electric light. These were its two good points. The sanitation was primitive, and the beds had their minute occupants in hundreds. The car, after much palaver, was stabled in the pig-sty, and apparently, when viewed next morning, had been much approved of as a nesting place for the local fowls. Food was the next most pressing requirement. The final effort of this estaminet was black coffee, hard cheese, great hunks of coarse brown bread, and some sticky pastry compound. Whilst we were attempting to ingest a little nourishment from this host of good things, the Mayor of the town was ushered in. He was a tall, black-bearded man, picturesquely if dirtily dressed in breeches, grey shirt, and red neckerchief, broad-brimmed hat, and a wide leather belt stuffed with cartridges. The odour which stole from him proved him to be one of the great unwashed. By the aid of maps and fragments of English, French, and German, and half the total population, we elicited from the Mayor where we were and which road we should take for Belgrade. Dawn saw us hit the trail. We stayed not on the order of our going, but fled after a sleepless night. Once more the Danube. Looking across its broad expanse, we saw Belgrade. The city looked fine in the sunlight. It rose tier upon tier to the crest of a hill. Would the ferry ever come ! We waited for half an hour, and then went and had some coffee at a riverside cafe. By signs we impressed on the proprietor that even more than coffee we wanted the ferry. No sign of intelligence crossed his face. His daughter appeared and was appealed to. She led the way to the car and made us understand that the horn should be blown. I tooted at the old bulb and blew the electric horn for at least ten minutes, and then, and only then, did signs of activity appear on the opposite bank. Belgrade is progressing rapidly. The terribly uneven, dangerous streets of a few years ago have given place to fine tar-mac. roads. Clean, well-built, freestone buildings are springing up, and there is an excellent service of electric trams. After Belgrade the roads became one continuous series of potholes, and were inches thick in sandy dust. Twice I had to remove great sabot nails from the punctured tyres. Reasonable hotels were now few and far between, and we were pushing on in the dusk in order to reach the nearest town, when bang went a tyre. The car was driven off the road into a copse at the side, and before repairing the tyre, we decided to make a spot of tea. Then five figures appeared out of the wood. Unshaven, villainous-looking brigands they were, dressed in

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breeches, homespun woollen stockings, red shoes with the points turned up, blouse shirts of doubtful hue, and Balaclava helmets. Picturesque but disturbing—and they soon made it evident that the copse was their land, and that we could not camp there. In vain we pointed to the burst tyre. They got angry and shouted. Tired and cross, we shouted at them in turn. They spat on the ground and left, but in five minutes there appeared two other men, each carrying an ugly but antique rifle. They squatted right beside the car, spat, chatted to themselves, and lit their pipes. Evidently they intended to see us off, but it was the smell from their pipes that finished us—sickening, foul fumes. The car was repaired as quickly as possible, and as we returned the baggage, it entered our minds to check it. Search as we might we failed to find the all-important piece—the attache case. It was not in or on the car. It must have bumped out when the car crossed some of the craters in the roads, euphemistically called potholes ; or else it had been stolen while we were mending the previous puncture. The attache case only contained our Passports, Tryptiques for the car, International Driving Licence, Travellers' Cheques, Letters of Credit, Cheque Books, Identity Certificates, and MONEY. Without it we were virtual prisoners in Yugo-Slavia. By this time Belgrade had been left 100 miles behind: the only thing to do was to return there. Shattered were our hopes of reaching Constantinople in time. The outlook was gloomy. Depression set in. Between us we counted up the equivalent of 4s. 6d.—our total wealth. We were tired, dirty, hungry, and there was no hotel near. It was 10 p.m., and petrol was running low, and there were 100 miles of villainous road to recover before our fate was known. Off poor Austin went on the sad return. Only ten miles had been done when bang went another tyre. This was the last straw. We turned the car into the nearest field, and I am sure a hundred brigands would not have shifted us. Dinner consisted of hard chocolate; the emergency blankets were produced ; and wrapped in one each, we dozed off in the car. (End of Part I.) A. C.

School and Club Badges. As it not infrequently happens that cast-off caps and other articles of dress with the School badge on them are worn by unauthorized persons, it is strongly urged that the badge should always be removed from any article before it is discarded or given away. It is obviously very desirable that none but present or former pupils of the School should appear in public wearing the School badge.

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*** It is requested that the Editor be informed of all new appointments and interesting incidents in the careers of Former Pupils.

The dates given in parentheses after names indicate the sessions of attendance at the School.

James Smart Abernethy* (1925-26), M.A., is at present serving his apprenticeship as a writer to the Signet with Messrs. Duncan & Black, W.S., Edinburgh, and is also attending classes at the University of Edinburgh. Cecil Hay Aiken* (1911-14), who has been an engineer in Assam and Ceylon since 1920, has recently returned to this country. Henry Alexander* (1881-91), M.A., is one of the two representatives from Scotland on the Committee on Regional Development which has been appointed by the Minister of Health to consider reports issued by Regional Planning Committees and to make recommendations regarding their working. He is Convener of the Plans and Town Planning Committee of the Aberdeen Town Council, and Chairman of the Aberdeen and District Joint Town Planning Committee, whose scheme is the largest regional planning scheme under an executive committee in Scotland. Robert Allan* (1919-23) is 5th Engineer with the British India Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., on the s.s. Banjora. Alexander Smith Anderson* (1905- 09) was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) in the New Year Honours List. He is manager of the Norwich Union Life Office, Aberdeen, and has been the personal representative of successive Ministers of Pensions on the Aberdeen, Banff and Kincardine War Pensions Committee. He was a member of the Scottish Advisory Council of the Ministry, and is Chairman of the Earl Haig Fund in Aberdeen. Andrew Duncan Anderson* (1916-27) is on a maize and cotton farm near Bindura, Southern Rhodesia. James Alexander Barclay* (1920-25) received the degree of M.A. of Aberdeen University at a special graduation ceremony in November. He is now studying for the B.Sc. degree. * Member of Former Pupils' Club.

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Bertram John Alexander Gray Barr* (1909-13), who has been for a considerable number of years in the service of the Mercantile Bank of India, Ltd., is now stationed in Calcutta. He was previously in Colombo. James Clark Bell* (1918-24), who graduated M.B., Ch.B., at Aberdeen in 1929, is now in medical practice at Chadwell Heath, Essex. Robert Bell* (1916-19), C.A., has recently come home from Colombo, where he has been for three years in the service of Messrs. Lewis Brown & Co., Ltd., as accountant. Alexander Graham Booth* (1907-14), M.B., Ch.B., has recently taken over a medical practice in Bedford. Alexander Campbell Brands* (1925-27) is in the service of Mr. John Angus, advocate, Aberdeen. Vernon Tee Greig Cheer* (1921-28) holds an appointment as an electrical engineer in Hull. James Cheyne* (1908-11), who since he left the School, with the exception of the War years, has been connected with insurance, has recently joined the Motor Union Insurance Co., Ltd., as Inspector at their Aberdeen branch. Patrick Ashley Cooper* (1896-1901), B.A., LL.B., has just been appointed a member of the Committee on Economy which the Government decided some time ago to set up. The Committee will be empowered to make recommendations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for effecting immediately all possible reductions of expenditure on Supply Services. Policy will remain the exclusive concern of the Cabinet, but the Committee are invited to indicate—the terms of reference are practically the same as those which were given to the Geddes Committee in 1921—economies which might be made if certain policies were adopted, abandoned, or modified. P. A. Cooper is a director of more than 30 companies, with interests in many parts of the world. He is either Chairman or Vice-Chairman of most of these, and is a thorough believer in the doctrine of " no dividends, no Directors' fees." George Mather Craig* (1896-99), B.Sc., has recently joined the F.P. Club through the activities of the Glasgow Centre. He is Principal Teacher of Engineering in Allan Glen's School, Glasgow. Douglas Scott Cruickshank* (1918-23), who served his apprenticeship as a chartered accountant first with Messrs. Pirie, Dickie & Co., C.A., Aberdeen, and then with Messrs. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., C.A., London, was for eighteen months in the Estates Management Department of Messrs. Harrisons & Crosfield, Ltd., London. He has recently gone out to Batavia, Netherlands East Indies, to take up the post of chief accountant to Messrs. Francis Peek & Co., Ltd., there.

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Ernest Denny Logie Danson* (1892-94), M.A., D.D., who has been Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak since 1917, has been appointed by the Bishop of Carlisle to the third canonry of Carlisle Cathedral. He was instituted in the canonry in February, and will return to Borneo for the summer months. He will be in residence at the Abbey, Carlisle, in the autumn, when the installation ceremony will take place. The F.P. Club will have to find another Consul for Borneo. Patrick John Diack* (1912-23) is now on the Bamandanga Tea Estate, Bamoni P.O., Jalpaiguri, Dooars, India. John Wight Duff* (1877-82), M.A., D.Litt., LL.D., F.B.A., contributes a chapter on ' The Beginnings of Latin Literature," and a full bibliography relating to archaic Latin and to the literature up to 100 B.c., to the eighth volume of the massive Cambridge Ancient History (from Babylonia to the dawn of the Middle Ages). It is a volume of over 800 pages. Douglas McKenzie Duncan* (1918-25) graduated as a B.Com. of Aberdeen University at a special graduation ceremony in November. Sydney William Duthie* (1918-23), who is in the service of the Anglo-South American Bank, Ltd., has recently been transferred to Buenos Aires. James Hastings Edwards* (1894-99), M.A., LL.B., was in December appointed Lecturer in Procedure and Evidence at Aberdeen University. Since 1910 he has been a partner in the firm of Messrs. Edmonds & Ledingham, advocates, Aberdeen, and for the past four years he has been assistant to Professor Mackenzie Stuart in the Law Department of the University. Robert Louis Fairley* (1925-26) is in the Audit Division of the Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada in London. George Topham Forrest* (1879-89), F.R.I.B.A., Architect to the London County Council, and Frederick Peter Morton* (1882-94) are associated with the erection of the new Lambeth Bridge, the former in a supervisory capacity, and the latter in connection with the sculpture which is to adorn the bridge. William Wares Georgeson* (1911-23), M.A., who was appointed to the Indian Civil Service in 1929, has now taken up the duties of Assistant Collector in the Presidency of Madras. He was a classical scholar of Pembroke College, Oxford, for two years. Linton M. Gibb* (1881-84) is a member of the Aberdeen Amateur Photographic Association, and has been awarded the prize of the Rochester International Salon of Photography, New York, for a beautiful study of a peacock

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in the full spread of its plumage, secured at the Edinburgh Zoo. The picture was one of two sent to New York. The other, a landscape, " Mid the Braes of Balquhidder," also received high praise. Minto Rodger Gillanders* (1881-95), M.A., who was for a number of years Principal Science Master in the Elgin Academy, and latterly Mathematical Master in Banff Academy, has just been appointed Second Master at Keith Grammar School. Douglas Ross Harper* (1917-26), who has been in the Kuala Lumpur office of Messrs. Harrisons, Barker & Co., Ltd., since March, 1930, was in November transferred to the Singapore office. Alexander Jopp Chambers-Hunter* (1906-07 and 1911-14) is at present engaged at the Lynx Mica Mine, near Salisbury, Rhodesia. Herbert Cecil Hutcheson* (1921-26), M.A., has recently been appointed Music Master of St. Helier No. 2 Boys' Central School, Morden, under the Surrey County Education Committee. He has been organist and choirmaster of Holburn Central Church, Aberdeen. Joseph Brewer Jobberns* (1880-86), M.A., Rector of St. Mary Magdalene's, Dundee, has been appointed Dean of Brechin in the Scottish Episcopal Church. He has served for 37 years in the diocese of Brechin, and was appointed to his present charge in 1922. He has been a Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, Dundee, since 1918. Ian Horace Laing* (1926-30) is a Cadet engaged in a two years' course of training in H.M.S. Conway, Rock Ferry, Cheshire. Cyril Johnston Lawrie* (1924-30) is in the service of Messrs. Milne & Pledge, Ltd., wholesale warehousemen, Aberdeen. David Proudfoot Levack* (1906-09), M.B., Ch.B., has recently been appointed Assistant Medical Electrician in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Eric Robert Russell Linklater* (1913-16), M.A., has been much in the limelight recently as the author of " Juan in America," which is the Book Society's choice for March, 1931. The Times describes the new book as " a comic and extravagant novel of the picaresque type, in which the author of ' Poets' Pub ' indulges his rich satirical fancy at the expense of the citizens of the United States. His hero, a lineal descendant of Byron's Don Juan, and an inheritor of his ancestor's irresistible way with the ladies, with a double streak of paganism and romanticism in his nature, is sent to America at the age of 23 that he may learn the art of stockbroking at Motley

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University. As the result of his romantic temperament and his philosophical acceptance of what the day brings, his education in the United States is highly episodical. . . . There is a great deal to laugh at in these lively pages, and considerable point in the satire." Another review says that " Juan in America " is " a supremely amusing book. But it is more than that. It is a serious and sympathetic criticism of American conditions. It is a work of outstanding literary skill." Norman Harley Savory Macbeth* (1919-24) after a short spell in India had to return to this country for health reasons, and has now taken up distilling at Invergordon. Roderick Strachan McDonald* (1914-20), who is in the service of the National Bank of India, Ltd., was in January of last year transferred from Bombay to Colombo as Assistant Accountant. Charles Gordon Mackenzie* (1887-92), M.A., B.D., of the West Church, Crieff, has been elected minister of the West Church, Cowdenbeath. He began his career as an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland at Methlick in 1906, and was for a number of years Presbyterian minister in Kandy, Ceylon. Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1888-91), M.A., D.D., was in March elected minister of Forglen Parish Church. For the last two years he has been minister of Dunnichen, Angus. He received the degree of D.D. from the University of Aberdeen last year. Alexander Mair (1921-23) has been selected for a Colonial Veterinary Scholarship. Holders of these scholarships are normally offered appointments in the Colonial Service on completing satisfactorily their course of training. Edward George Marr* (1899-1901), who is in the service of the Bank of London and South America, Ltd., and was home on furlough recently, has been promoted from Barranquilla, Colombia, to Montevideo, Republic of Uruguay. Ralph Marshall* (1915-25), who is in the Public Works Department of Burma, is at present stationed at Pegu, about 45 miles from Rangoon. In a recent letter he says that in the great earthquake of last spring Pegu was almost totally destroyed, several hundred people being killed, and it is only now beginning to assume some shape again. There was a rather disturbing tremor at the beginning of December, which did considerable damage at Pyu, north of Pegu, and gave Pegu itself a good shake. Marshall says it was not a pleasant experience. Another F.P., ALISTER ROSE* (1900-13), is stationed at Nyaunglebin, about 50 miles from Pegu. Graeme Mitchell Mill Menzies* (1917-20), M.B.., Ch.B., is in the Colonial Medical Service in Northern Nigeria.

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Thomas Menzies* (1905-10), M.B., Ch.B., who has been in the R.A.M.C. since he graduated in medicine in 1915, is at present home on furlough, after a considerable spell in India. William Menzies* (1922-25) is serving his apprenticeship as a chartered accountant with Messrs. James Milne & Co., C.A., Aberdeen. Charles Watt Michie* (1923-25), M.A., has been selected by the Colonial Office for appointment as a Cadet in the Administrative Service of Nigeria. David Croll Milne* (1911-15), B.Sc., assistant harbour engineer to the Government of Western Australia, has recently been appointed Assistant Harbour Engineer at Greymouth, New Zealand. He served as an apprentice in the Harbour Engineer's Office, Aberdeen. Gordon Edward Milne* (1920-26) is at present serving his apprenticeship in the s.s. King Idwal. Thomas Henderson Murdoch* (1921-27) graduated M.A. at Aberdeen University in November. After a short business training in Aberdeen, he has received an appointment with Messrs. Lidgerwood, Ltd., London. He is employed mainly in work requiring a knowledge of Spanish. George Quintin Murray* (1922-27) returned some months ago from Glasgow to Aberdeen, where he is engaged in stockbroking. Robert Gordon Nicol* (1871-73), O.B.E., C.E., at the end of January retired from the post of Harbour Engineer at Aberdeen, and has since been appointed Consulting Engineer to the Harbour Board. He joined the Harbour Commissioners' staff in 1883 as one of the assistant engineers, and was appointed Harbour Engineer in 1895. During his long association with the Board he has carried through many important works of improvement at the Harbour. He is the Advising Engineer to the Fishery Board, and in this capacity his long experience of sea works and harbour engineering has often stood the Board in good stead. He was one of the founders of the Aberdeen Mechanical Society, and he is a past President of the Aberdeen Association of Civil Engineers. He was President of the F.P. Club in 1912-13. lain H. Pattison,* who entered the School in 1921, was in December awarded the George Ernest Morrison Scholarship of the value of £200 per annum, tenable for two years at the Geelong College, Victoria, Australia. At the end of this period the scholar has the option of settling in Australia or of returning home. The appointment was made on the recommendation of H.M. Senior Chief Inspector of Schools for Scotland. Pattison, who is a son of Mr. Henry J. Pattison, Head Master of St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Aberdeen,

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and was 16 years of age in' October, was Captain of the School Rugby Second XV, and holds the Silver Medal of the Royal Life Saving Society. He sailed for Melbourne early in January, and arrangements were made for his being met on arrival by the F.P. Club Consul. Edward Fyfe Paul* (1910-18) has been appointed Inspector for the Scottish Temperance and General Assurance Co., Ltd., at Birmingham. Cecil Sleigh Philip* (1918-21), M.B., Ch.B., has recently gone to Blackpool, with a view to settling in medical practice there. James Charles Philip* (1886-89), M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S., Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Imperial College of Science, London, who has just been elected one of the Honorary Vice-Presidents of the F.P. Club, delivered in Aberdeen early this year a series of ten Thomson Lectures on " Physical Chemistry and Living Matter." Professor Philip is the youngest son of the late Rev. JOHN PHILIP (1828-33), D.D., for many years minister of the Free Church of Fordoun, and is a brother of Mr. J. Bentley Philip, formerly a member of the School staff. John Wilson Pope* (1910-24), lately an apprentice and subsequently assistant in the City Engineer's office, Aberdeen, has been appointed by the County Council of Sutherland to be Assistant Engineer on their three years' roads construction scheme. He is presently on the Lairg-Tongue Road, and another F.P., Alan Johnston Wilson* (1916-23), appointed to a similar post, is stationed on the East Coast route, Brora to the Caithness boundary. Sir David Prain* (1872-73), C.M.G., C.I.E., LL.D., F.R.S., another Honorary Vice-President of the F.P. Club, took a leading part in the celebrations in London in December in connection with the Quinine, Tercentenary. This was specially appropriate, for he was closely associated with another F.P., the late Sir GEORGE KING (1849-50), K.C.I.E., LL.D., F.R.S., who was the first to introduce quinine into India on a wide scale. They worked together in Calcutta, where Sir George cultivated quinine in the Royal Botanic Garden. On his return from India in 1905, Sir David Prain became Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and retired in 1922. James Leslie Rennett* (1913-26) is now on the Si Boelan Estate, Tebing Tinggi, Deli, East Coast of Sumatra. Another F.P. on the same estate is GEOFFREY FARQUHAR BROWN* (1921-25). George Reginald Robertson (1921-22) of Pietermaritzburg, has been selected out of ten applicants to be the Natal

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Rhodes Scholar for 1931. A son of Mr. J. D. Robertson of the Natal Education Department, after leaving the Grammar School he studied at the Maritzburg College and the Natal University, specializing in Law. He is keen on every type of sport, and for the past two years has captained the Natal University First XI. He is to study at Oxford, and proposes to read for the B.A. degree in the Honours School of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, hoping eventually to obtain an administrative appointment in the Colonial branch of the Imperial Civil Service. The scholarship is of the value of £400 per annum, and is tenable for three years. Gilbert Wolridge Rose* (1900-09), M.B., Ch.B., Major, R.A.M.C., is Assistant Commandant of the Royal Army Medical College, London. Alexander Fraser Ross* (1923-27), (B.Sc. For.), has been selected for an appointment in the Colonial Forest Service, and will proceed to Nigeria on completing satisfactorily a post-graduate course at the Imperial Forest Institute, Oxford. Charles McDonald Ross (1917-25), son of the late Rev. Harry M. Ross, M.A., Bon-Accord Church, Aberdeen, graduated in medicine at the University of Edinburgh in December. George Stanley Russell* (1894-1901), M.A., minister of the Deer Park United Church, Toronto, is the author of a recently-published volume entitled " The Monastery by the River." This is described as a quaint and beautiful story of an old English Monastery. " It is woven about the heartaches and joys of the monks, and the daily routine of their existence is enlivened and enriched by the deft touches of the author." James Harold Sim* (1901-06), who entered the service. of the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1909, was in June last promoted from the position of Accountant to that of Assistant Manager at the Halifax (Nova Scotia) branch of the Bank. Charles William Sleigh* (1874-79) , M.A ., factor, Strichen, is to receive the honorary degree of LI..D. from the University of Aberdeen. He is Vice-Convener of the County of Aberdeen, was Chairman of the Aberdeenshire Education Authority, and is now Convener of the County Education Committee. He is also Chairman of the Provincial Committee for the Training of Teachers, and has taken a leading part in all the educational and local government work of his native county. Ernest Robert Sorley* (1906-18), M.B., Ch.B., has recently been promoted to the rank of Surgeon LieutenantCommander, and is at present serving in H.M.S. Enterprise. Robert Stott* (1913-22) is at present 3rd officer in the s.s. Mermay, of the Canadian and American Co., Vancouver.

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Writing from Shanghai in January he says : " Having lost touch with most of my old School-fellows, I should like to express my appreciation of the Mag., which keeps us all so well informed about the progress of the School, and those whose names are linked with our own Grammar days." John Cameron Taylor* (1904-06), who is in charge of the office of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., in Tientsin, and is F.P. Club Consul there, wrote in January that he and DAVID M. WHAMOND* (1900-02), of Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, Tientsin, had together been going through the November issue of the Magazine. Another F.P. in Tientsin is ALAN CHALMERS* (1915-19), of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. Robert Ross Tennant* (1910-13), who left Aberdeen a year ago for Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia, has recently settled at Blantyre, Nyasaland, as agent for the Fiat Motor Company. George Joseph Cathcart Thompson* (1914-22) is in the employment of Messrs. Carreras, Ltd., and is meantime working in London for his Company, having returned from the U.S.A. last August. Douglas Stewart Walker* (1903-16), M.A., LL.B., was in December admitted a member of the Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet, Edinburgh. He is a son of GEORGE WALKER SMITH WALKER* (1876-82), of Messrs. Adam, Thomson and Ross, advocates, Aberdeen, and entered the service of Messrs. J. C. & A. Steuart, W.S., Edinburgh, of which firm gior the last three years he has been a partner. Another partner is GAVIN LEITH ALLARDYCE* (1894-1900), M.A., W.S. Ralph Spence Walker* (1910-22), M.A., who is studying at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge, has been awarded, jointly with another, the Member's English Essay Prize, open to all undergraduates of the University of Cambridge. He graduated M.A. at Aberdeen in 1928, with first class honours in English. He is a brother of JAMES FREDERICK WALKER* (1902-14), M.A., of the School staff. John Park Weir* (1918--24), M.B., Ch.B., is now Assistant Medical Officer at Kingseat Asylum, Newmachar, Aberdeenshire. Howard Bruce Wilson* (1921-25), M.B., Ch.B., is studying for the D.P.H. of the University of London, and is engaged in the practice of his profession at Clapham. Edward James Wood* (1908-21), M.A., has been promoted to be Lecturer in Classics in the University of Manchester. Daniel Overbeck Wright* (1915-16) is on the Sungei Patani Estate, Kedah, F.M.S.

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The President of the F.P. Club. As will be seen from another page, the Honourable Lord Mackay (Alexander Morrice Mackay), M.A., LL.D., Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland, was at the Annual Business Meeting of the Club in March elected President for the ensuing year. Lord Mackay's career has more than once been outlined in the pages of the Magazine, the last time being in June, 1928, on the occasion of his being raised to the Scottish Bench. Lord Mackay has entered on the duties of his new office with great zest, and at the first Annual Dinner of the Glasgow Centre of the Club, on 14th March, he delighted the gathering by his speech in proposing the toast of " The School, the Club, and the Glasgow Centre." When he comes to preside at the Annual Dinner of the Club in Aberdeen next autumn, he is sure to receive a very warm welcome.

Marriages. (1907-141.—At St. Mary's Cathedral, Aberdeen, on 3rd January, 1931, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BOOTH,• M.B., Ch.B., Gordon House, Bromham Road, Bedford, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex. Booth, 17 St. Swithin Street, Aberdeen, to Winefride, youngest daughter of the late James Gerry and Mrs. Gerry, 376 Great Western Road, Aberdeen. • Hall (1892-95).—At 20 Bayview Road, Aberdeen, on 29th November, 1930, ERNEST NEWTON HALL, shipmaster, Woodside, Aberdeen, to Ruth, youngest daughter of the late A. Lovie Murray, stationer, and of Mrs. Murray, 38 Devonshire Road, Aberdeen. McPherson (1888-91).-At St. Oran's Church of Scotland, Edin burgh, on 4th November, 1930, Rev. JOSEPH MCKENZIE MCPHERSON, M.A., D.D., minister of Dunnichen, to Jean Cattanach, second daughter of the late J. B. Stirling and Mrs. Stirling, Letham, Angus. Ogilvie (1907-16).-At Bessels Green Old Meeting House. Sevenoaks, Kent, on 10th January, 1931, LAWRENCE OGILVIE,• M.A., M.Sc., younger son of the late Rev. William Paton Ogilvie, M.A., United Presbyterian Church, Rosehearty, to Doris Katherine Raikes, daughter of the late Alexander Duncan Turnbull. Rorie (1905-07 and 1910-12).—At St. Peter's Church, Bayswater, London, on 19th February, 1931, FRANK MILLER RORIE,• M.B., Ch.B., Wellington House, Aberdeen, son of David Rorie, D.S.O., M.D., and Mrs. Rorie, Cults, Aberdeenshire, to Evelyn Alice, fourth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Sercombe, Exmouth, South Devon. Strachan (1912-19).—At St. Paul's Church, Whitley Bay, on 30th December, 1930, ROBERT DONALD STRACHAN,* M.A. (Cantab.), SOH Of the late Rev. Robert Strachan, Bombay, to Enid, daughter of the late W. H. Davy and Mrs. Davy, 16 Evesham Avenue, Monkseaton,Northumberland. Walker (1908-14).—At Ferryhill North Church. Aberdeen, on 4th December, 1930, ANGUS WALKER,• son of the late Captain and Mrs. Walker, 57 Abergeldie Road, Aberdeen, to Vernona M. C., second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Laing, 85 Murray Terrace, Aberdeen. Wilson (1908-15).—At St. Mary's Cathedral, Aberdeen, on 22nd January, 1931, DOUGLAS EDWARD WILSON,• M.B., Ch.B., Colonial Medical Service, Tanganyika Territory, to Isobel Mary, elder daughter of Provost and Mrs. Macpherson, Priestwell, Dufftown, Banffshire. Booth

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The Honourable Lonn Mac x \ v (Alexander Morrice Mackay, M.A., LL.D.), President of the Former Pupils' Club.

o 4

Rev. Professor ALEXANDER REID GoRDON, M.A., D.Litt., D.D.

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OBITUARY. A BRILLIANT SCHOLAR.

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Alexander Reid Gordon* (1884—M), M.A., D.Litt., D.D., Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages, University of St. Andrews, died at Tor-na-Dee, Murtle, on 19th December, 1930, aged 58 years. A son of Mr. Alexander Gordon, Port Elphinstone, now resident in Fountainhall Road, Aberdeen, he left the Grammar School as Dux and joint Gold Medallist in 1888, and entered Aberdeen University as First Bursar. He graduated M.A. with First Class Honours in Classics and in Mental Philosophy at a time when double Honours had to be taken in a single session, and gained the Simpson Greek Prize, the Seafield Latin Medal, the Town Council Gold Medal, the Hutton Prize, and the Bain Medal. He then went through the theological course at New College, Edinburgh, and studied in Germany at the Universities of Freiburg, Gottingen, and Berlin. He was ordained minister of the Free Church (later U.F. Church), Monikie, Angus, in 1898, and continued there till 1907, when he was appointed Professor of Old Testament Literature and Exegesis in the Presbyterian College (later United Theological College), Montreal. Seven years later he became, in addition, Professor of Hebrew in McGill University, Montreal. Besides lecturing widely in North America, particularly in the University of Chicago, he found time to make notable contributions to the literature of his subject. In 1907 he published The Early Traditions of Genesis, for which he was awarded the degree of D.Litt. by the University of Aberdeen. He was one of four scholars who co-operated in the production in 1927 of The Old Testament: an American Translation, his special contributions being Proverbs and the Major Prophets. He published not only works whose special appeal is to experts, but also books of a more popular character, such as The Poetry and Wisdom of the Old Testament, The Prophets of the Old Testament, The Faith of Isaiah, and Bible Stories re-told for the Young (4 vols). He also contributed articles to the Encyclopadia of Religion and Ethics, The Hibbert Journal, The American Journal of Theology, and other periodicals. In July, 1929, the University of Aberdeen conferred on him the honorary degree of D.D. Last summer he was appointed Regius Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages in the University of St. Andrews, but illness prevented his entering -on his new duties. In the welfare of his old School and of the F.P. Club Professor Gordon took the deepest interest, and he was a very welcome contributor to the Magazine. His death, under pathetic circumstances, came as a painful surprise to his many friends, who will cherish the memory of one who had a genius for friendship and the keenest zest in life.

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Alexander Cook (1875-78), eldest son of the late Alexander S. Cook, Aberdeen, died at Toronto on 1st January, 1931, aged 65 years. He was a commercial traveller on the staff of Messrs. Greenshields, Ltd., wholesale soft goods warehousemen, Montreal. Thomas Baird Grainger Grieve (1903-06), only son of Mr. William Grieve, Drummelzier, Murtle, died at a nursing home in Edinburgh on 14th January, 1931, aged 35 years. He had a wide and varied career, interrupted from time to time by serious ill-health. He was trained as an officer in the Mercantile Marine, and served successively as a midshipman, sub-lieutenant, and lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve during the War. He was invalided out of the Navy in June, 1919. Some little time afterwards he was in the East laying cables, and on a rubber plantation, but his health again broke down. After a while he rejoined the Merchant Service, and before long obtained his captain's certificate. All his life, however, he had cherished the desire to become a doctor, and about five years ago he returned to Aberdeen to study medicine. He was within sight of completing his studies when the disease which had been attacking him for a long time brought about his death.

A NOTABLE EDUCATIONIST.

Hugh Gunn (1888- 89), M.A., died at Sutton, Surrey, on 23rd February, 1931, aged 60 years. Leaving the School as Dux in 1889, he graduated in Arts at Edinburgh University in 1893, and in the same year became a teacher in Sutherlandshire. In 1899 he was appointed an Assistant Inspector of Schools in Scotland. Shortly afterwards, during the South African War, he went out to South Africa as organizer of education in the refugee camps. His success was marked, and in 1902 he was appointed Director of Education and a member of the Legislative Council in the Orange River Colony, holding the post till 1910. He reorganized the whole system of national schools, carried out a scheme for re-building Grey College School and founding Grey University College, and was chairman of a Commission on Technical Education. In the summer of 1910 he resigned his post as Director of Education in the Orange Free State,being unable to agree with General Hertzog on the question of the use of English in the schools. This action of his raised a storm of controversy in South Africa, and was the chief landmark in the protracted education schism which played a large part in the first elections to the Union Parliament. In 1911 he accepted an invitation from the Government of Western Australia to advise and organize the University which was being founded at Perth. This

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work he took up after he had visited all the Universities in Great Britain. During the War he served as a Captain in the Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish), and as liaison officer in the Ministries of Munitions, Pensions, and Labour. He was a keen shinty player, being the founder of the Edinburgh University Shinty Club, and a first-rate golfer. He was responsible for the inception and editing of the twelve self-contained volumes entitled The British Empire: A Survey, published in 1924, a complete set of which he presented to the Library of the School, ' as a memento of the happy days I spent there and of my appreciation of the School and its work." He was also co-editor of The Book of the Red Deer and Empire Big Game, published in 1925. Duncan Macaulay (1859-60), M.A., minister-emeritus of Glass South Church, Aberdeenshire, died in Aberdeen on 24th January, 1931, aged 87 years. After graduating in Arts at Aberdeen University, he attended the Free Church College, Aberdeen, till 1868, when he was licensed by the Presbytery of Aberdeen. Thereafter he held various assistantships, and was ordained to Glass in 1876. He continued there for 36 years, until his retiral in 1912. He was an able and cultured preacher. INSURANCE MANAGER AND CRICKETER.

William Mackintosh* (1893-96) died suddenly at Bronxvile, New York, on 19th January, 1931, aged 51 years. On leaving the School he entered the office of the Royal Insurance Co., Ltd., and so rapid was his promotion that at the age of 27 he held the post of Resident Secretary to the Company in Aberdeen. In 1912 he was promoted to be Secretary of the Company in New York, and he was also appointed Secretary to the Royal Indemnity Company, Vice-President of the Newark Fire Insurance Company, and Manager of the Skandia Insurance Company in New York. Latterly his position was Manager of the Royal " for New York, and Assistant Manager for the United States. From 1908 until 1912 he was a regular member of the Aberdeenshire Cricket Club's Scottish Counties Championship XI, for which he recorded many big scores. A first-rate bat, he was always in the first four in the order of batting, and was an excellent player in the outfield. He was also a keen golfer. William Mackintosh was always very keenly interested in the F.P. Club. Before he left for America, he used to run the F.P. Ball ; and when, after the War, the system of Club Consulships was instituted, he willingly gave his services as the Club Consul in New York. In the course of an appreciative obituary notice, The He married Miss Adelaide Bronxville Review said:

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Delamater of Bronxville, and for the past few years he lived at his home in Lawrence Park. He was actively connected with the affairs of the village, and was honoured and loved by his many friends for his clear thinking, clean living, and his sense of humour. Although an American citizen, he was still Scotch, with all the fine qualities of that race. His success in business explains why so many Scotchmen come to America, and his private life explains why Americans are so glad to have them. He was an American-Scot who made every Scotchman home-sick for the Old Country, and every American glad he had become a citizen of this country." George Stodart Moir (1882-85), farmer at Mains of Knockhall, Foveran, from 1890, died there on 27th February, 1931, aged 63 years. FORMERLY ON THE SCHOOL STAFF.

George Raymond Murison (1866-71), M.A., D.D., minister of Stenness, Orkney, died there on 12th February, 1931, aged 76 years. Born at Brucklay, New Deer, in 1854, the son of Alexander Murison, cart- and wheel-wright, he passed from the Grammar School to Aberdeen University in 1871, and graduated M.A. in 1875. Three years later he was licensed by the Presbytery of Aberdeen, and after being an assistant in Kilmarnock and in Glasgow, he was ordained minister of the parish of Stenness in 1889, and there he continued till his death. He took a keen interest in ecclesiastical matters in Orkney, and was Clerk to the Presbytery, and to the Synod of Orkney. In educational affairs, also, he took an active part. He was Chairman of the old School Board of Stenness, and was the first Chairman of the Orkney Education Authority. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from the University of Aberdeen in 1925. While a student in divinity, he was temporary English Master at the Grammar School, following his brother, Professor ALEXANDER F. MURISON* (1860-63), K.C., M.A., LL.D., who was for many years Professor of Roman Law in University College, London. Of George R. Murison an old pupil of his at the School writes : " We had him as our teacher in English at the Aberdeen Grammar School for about a year. He was an excellent teacher, kept good order, and was much liked by us all. He was most painstaking, and did his best to help us to make a good show at the Bursary Competition. I had the privilege of sometimes seeing him outside the class. I remember going to call on him about something in his lodgings in Belmont Street, and he asked me to stay and have tea with him. He made a strong impression on me by his personality, at a time when I was taking in everything and remembering — soaking in impressions with eye and ear and almost through the skin. Though it must be nearly half a century since I

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met him, the memory of George R. Murison is one of the pleasantest of my boyhood." A MUSEUM EXPERT.

Sir Francis Grant Ogilvie* (1872-74), C.B., M.A., B.Sc., LL.D., one of the Honorary Vice-Presidents of the F.P. Club and a very interested member of the London Centre, died suddenly at Edinburgh on 14th December, 1930, aged 72 years. The eldest son of the Rev. ALEXANDER OGILVIE (183738), head master of Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen, he graduated M.A. at Aberdeen University in 1879, and B.Sc. at Edinburgh University in 1881. After serving for a time as Assistant Professor of Natural Philosophy at Aberdeen, he was for four years Science Master at Gordon's College. In 1886 he was appointed Principal of the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, and was also for some years Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering. In 1900 he was appointed Director of the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art. Three years later he became Principal Assistant Secretary (Technology and Higher Education in Science and Art) to the Board of Education, London ; in 1910, Secretary of the Board of Education for the Science Museum and Geological Survey, and also in the following year Director of the Science Museum ; and in 1920, Principal Assistant Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He retired this year from the post of Chairman of the Geological Survey Board, which he had held since 1920. He was created C.B. in 1906, and was knighted in 1920. Sir Francis, who had commanded the Forth Division (Submarine Miners) R.E. Volunteers, rendered valuable service during the War as Assistant Controller of the Trench Warfare Research Department, 19151917, and of the Chemical Warfare Department, 1917-1918. He was a member of the Carnegie Trust for the Scottish Universities from 1923. He married in 1886 Miss Sarah Gill, daughter of the late Mr. A. O. Gill of Fairfield, Aberdeen, and sister of Colonel WILLIAM SMITH GILL* (1876-79), C.B., of Dalhebity, Aberdeen. His only son, Mr. Alan Grant Ogilvie, is Reader in Geography in the University of Edinburgh. William Reid (1877-78), eldest son of the late William Reid, New Flinder, Kennethmont, died in Aberdeen on 7th December, 1930. For the long period of 42 years he was cashier to Messrs. J. & A. Ogilvie, cabinetmakers, Aberdeen. William Scott (1868-69), M.A., died in Elgin on 7th January, 1931, aged 78 years. He was appointed head master of Newmachar Public School in 1879, and for 34 years, from 1885 to 1918, he was head master of Mosstowie Public School, Elgin. He became a licentiate of the Church of Scotland in 1901, and from 1919 was chaplain of Gray's Hospital, Elgin, and city missionary.

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Norman Smith* (1891-1902), M.C., A.M. Inst.C.E., died at Calcutta on 3rd February, 1931, aged 45 years. A son of the late Mr. Alexander Smith, of Messrs. A. & J. Smith, jewellers, Aberdeen, he served his pupilage as a civil engineer under Mr. R. GORDON NIcoL,* Harbour Engineer, Aberdeen, and qualified as A.M.Inst.C.E. in 1911. He successively held posts in London and Newcastle-on-Tyne, and was resident engineer in the construction of a new graving dock at South Shields. Shortly after the outbreak of the War he received a commission in the Northumberland Fusiliers, and served in France from January 1916 to March 1917. He was then transferred to the Royal Engineers, and continued in France till January, 1919, being awarded the Military Cross. In 1921 he was appointed one of the constructional engineers in the making of the new St. George's Dock for the Calcutta Port Commissioners. In 1929 he joined Messrs. John Cochrane and Sons, tunnelling contractors, London, and was sent to Calcutta to drive a tunnel under the Hoogly for the Calcutta Electricity Supply Corporation. Six months more would have seen the completion of this work, but he fell a victim to caisson disease (compressed air sickness). George Cardno Still* (1874-78), M.B., C.M., died at Twickenham, Middlesex, on 6th March, 1931, aged 68 years. He was a son of the late THOMAS STILL (1846-50), M.A., who was for many years one of the Masters of the Aberdeen Grammar School. Dr. Still was in medical practice at Shepshed, Leicestershire, from 1884 to 1902, and settled at Twickenham in 1903. He took a keen interest in the London Centre of the F.P. Club.

William Dyce, R.A. William Dyce, R.A., who was born at Aberdeen in 1806, was a pupil_ at the Grammar School from 1814 to 1819, and he graduated M.A. of Marischal College at the age of 16. After acquiring the rudiments of his art education, he went in 1825 to Rome, where he developed a tendency towards early Italian or pre-Raphaelite art. In 1830 he settled in Edinburgh, where, besides painting portraits, he contributed largely to the exhibitions. Some years later he left for London, and in 1844 was appointed Professor of Fine Arts in King's College, London. He was one of the artists selected to decorate the Palace of Westminster and the House of Lords, and at Osborne House several works in fresco were executed by him. He was elected an A.R.A. in 1844, and an R.A. in 1848. Several of Dyce's works are in the National Gallery of Scotland, and his portrait of Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole is in the National Portrait Gallery, London. One of his pictures fetched 860 guineas in 1923, causing a mild sensation and establishing a

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record for an artist who had been almost forgotten. He was a man of singularly wide culture, and an accomplished musician. He died at Streatham on 14th February, 1864, and a memorial tablet in brass in the chancel of St. Leonard's Church, Streatham, which for years has been almost indecipherable, has recently been renovated at the expense of the present members of his family, and the cleaning, says The Times, has revealed an interesting piece of engraved work, which is charming in design and in effect. The tablet is a large one, measuring 7 feet by 3 feet 6 ins. A portrait of the artist holding a palette takes up the centre of the memorial, while behind him, upon an easel, appears to be a study of the two principal figures in his picture, " St. John leading the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Tomb," now in the Tate Gallery. The figures. in the borders represent, on the left, St. Luke, St. Bennet Biscop, and St. Cicelia ; and, on the right, the Venerable Bede, King David, and St. Leonard.

Fighting Sleeping Sickness and Leprosy. ALEXANDER CRUICKSHANK (1911-17), M.B., Ch.B., hasbeen a frequent contributor to the Magazine, and the first part of a very racy account of his recent tour by car across Europe appears in this issue. He is in the Sudan Medical Service, and since his return from furlough last year has been transferred to the large Sleeping Sickness Settlement at Sources Yubo, Tembura. This is situated only one mile from the border of French Equatorial Africa, and some 35 miles from the Belgian Congo. In a recent letter he says : " Besides the 1,000 odd sleeping sickness patients, we have nearly 2,000 lepers as well. I have still my old station with 2,700 lepers to look after too, so that I am rarely bored with idleness. This area is really the last stronghold of sleeping sickness in the Sudan, and infection has been kept up mainly through communication with the French Congo. " Relatives in limited number are allowed to stay with the patients, and help them to grow their own food. All patients do one day's work per week on the communal cultivations of arrowroot, pea-nuts, beans, bananas, pineapples, etc., and in this way the entire Settlement (population approximately 6,000) is self-supporting, sick and incapacitated lepers being fed from the communal crops. " Not only is the Settlement self-supporting in the way of food, but we have our own staff of builders, hrickmakers, carpenters, blacksmiths, sawyers, roadmakers, tailors, and in addition there is a chair and basket factory, wood carving and pottery sections, and every morning the orderlies attend a school run by one of themselves, in order to learn reading and writing."

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The Old Grammar School. In the present issue of the Magazine appears a series of pictures illustrating a little undertaking that the Executive of the F.P. Club has recently completed. This is the marking of the site of the School when it stood in Schoolhill, and the placing of an inscription on the actual doorway and belfry of the old School. Practically all that is known about the various buildings that housed the School prior to the erection of the present one in 1863 is recorded in Dr. Morland Simpson's Bon Record. Although the School undoubtedly stood on the Schoolhill from time immemorial, the earliest mention of the School building is in the Town Council Register under date 24th September, 1589, when the Dean of Guild was " devysit and ordanit to mend and repair thair Grammer Schuill, in thak, vindois, and uther necessaris." Dr. Simpson explains in a footnote that " thak " means a roof, not necessarily a thatched roof ; but an entry in the Treasurer's Accounts, 1594-95, " Item, for mending the grammer scoole with hedder, 50s.," shows that the roof was thatched with heather, and there are several later entries relating to the repair of the School. On 2nd April, 1623, the Council decided that the School " be biggit, beitit, and repaint in substantious and honest maner in all convenient diligence, and to be jeasted, lofted [roofed], and sklaited sufficientlie and substantiallie." Two years later, on 16th February, 1625, Robert Ferguson, a burgess of the Burgh, presented to the Provost, Baillies, and Council " ane bell, new stockit." Likewise he promised " on his awin charges to caus big a belhous, of aistler wark, and to put up the said bell thairin, to serve for the vse of the schooll, in all tyme heirefter, quhairupoun the counsall ordanis a note to be maid in the tounes bookes to be a perpetuall memoriall to the posteritie of the said Robert his beneficence foirsaid to the said grammer schole." Of this " sklaited " building of 1623 and Ferguson's belfry of " aistler wark " or of the earlier " thekked " building no picture is extant. The former was superseded by another building erected, or opened, in 1757, consisting of a low, one-storied structure (which is shown in one of the accompanying illustrations), standing in Schoolhill on the site now occupied by Gray's School of Art. Here the School was housed until 1863, when the present building in Skene Street was erected and opened. Possibly Ferguson's belfry of 1625 was incorporated in the building erected in 1757, but of this there appears to be no record. Ferguson's bell, however, was certainly transferred to the new building in 1757, and afterwards, no doubt by reason of stone-throwing, it became

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THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ON SCHOOL HILL, 1757-1863.

ON THE SCHOOL H ILL STOOD THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL OF ABERDEEN FOR OVER SIX CENTURIES THIS STONE MARKS THE SITE OF THE SCHOOL FROM 1757 TO 1563 \'HEN THE PRESENT BUILDING IN SKENE STREET WAS ERECTED INSCRIBED BY THE ABERDEEN GRAMMAR SCHOOL €0RMER PUPILVGLUB

MCMXX X Above.—ENTRANT L TO ROBERT GORDON'S COLLEGES, showing Inscription on Gray's School• of Art.

Below.—" CLOSE-UP" OF THE INSCRIPTION.

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DOORWAY AND BELFRY. OF THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1N SCHOOLHIP. 1757 TO 1863 AbOVe.---THE DOORWAY OF THE SCHOOL CYCLE SHED, showing Inscription on the left-hand side of the Door.

Below.----" CLOSE-UP" OF THE INSCRIPTION.

ROBERT FERGUSON'S BELL, 1627. l'he oldest extant relic of the School's past.

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cracked. It is now preserved in the Rector's Room at the School, and another of the illustrations shows this oldest extant relic of the School's past. It is 13 inches in height, and the diameter at the mouth is 12i inches. The following inscription on it shows that it was re-cast in 1733 : "DENVO . ME I0 : MOWAT VET : ABD. MDCCXXXIII." On a band below appears : " RO : FERGUSON MDXXVII," an error for MDCXXVII, with a monogram underneath, perhaps the maker's mark. Although the School was transferred from the Schoolhill to Skene Street in 1863, the building erected in 1757 stood in the Schoolhill for another 20 years " disused and beginning to wear a. most disreputable aspect," says W. Robbie in Aberdeen, its Traditions and History. During the session 1883-84 it was demolished to make room for the Art School presented to the city by Mr. John Gray, iron founder. In the report for that session of the Rector, Mr., afterwards Dr., James Moir, it is stated : " The Schoolhill has been associated with the Grammar School for at least six hundred years, and as it seemed desirable to connect the present site of the School in the West end of the city with the site it formerly occupied, an appeal was made to old pupils and friends for aid to remove part of the building in Schoolhill, and to re-erect it in connection with the new buildings. The appeal met a cordial response, and the old belfry, presented to the School in 1628 [sic] by Robert Ferguson, along with the old doorway, has been re-erected on the North side of the New School." The portion of the present building in which the old doorway and belfry are incorporated, was, as many will remember, used as a pavilion before the acquisition by the School of Rubislaw Field. This pavilion is not now on its original site, for at the time when the present Infant Department of the School was erected in 1906 the pavilion, including the old doorway and belfry, was taken down and re-erected some distance to the west, and it is now used as a cycle shed. If, as Dr. Moir seems to have thought, the belfry is the original one presented by Ferguson, then it has been erected no fewer • than four times (in 1627, 1757, 1883, and 1906). In the accompanying illustrations will be seen the inscription as it has recently been cut on the left-hand side of the door, and also a " close-up " of the wording. The illustrations also show the inscription that marks the site of the Grammar School from 1757 to 1863, and where this has been cut on the front of Gray's School of Art, east of the arched entrance to Robert Gordon's Colleges. Permission to put the inscription on the School of Art building was readily granted by its custodians, the Governors of Robert Gordon's Colleges.

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Class Magazines.

The collection in the School Library of old Class Magazines continues to grow. The latest addition consists of seven MSS. volumes, which have been presented by Alexander Taylor (1911-15), now an Inspector of Taxes at Leeds. The title of the first volume is " The Imperial Weekly," which started in October, 1911. It consists of Parts 1 to 9, and a second volume contains Parts 10 to 21. The chief contents are serials, complete stories, articles, etc., and there are profuse illustrations, many of them in colour. In the year 1912 there are three separate monthly numbers of the " Imperial Magazine "—Part 1, April ; Part 2, May ; and Part 3, June. Again the contents are mainly serials, stories, and articles, but there are interesting allusions to outstanding events and personalities of that period, such as the Coal Strike, the Titanic Disaster, and Mrs. Pankhurst. In an editorial note it is stated : " Some of our classfellows evidently imagine that our stories are ' cribbed ' from books. I hope these ideas will be changed, because they are untruths—not one story is copied. Our jokes, etc., are often taken from periodicals, but not our fiction part." One of the jokes that may have been original is :— TEACHER : Afghanistan is the place of the Afghans : name another, Boy. BOY: Umbrellastan, Sir. One number has a musical supplement entitled " Hullo, Little Girl "—" partly composed (tune) by G. McC." This was a forerunner of the great work which Gordon McCallum was later to do at the University in connection with the Students' Gala Weeks. Those responsible for the Magazine were, in addition to Taylor, Robert Francis Gordon McCallum (1910-17), M.A., now on the staff of the Glasgow High School ; Newell Burnett Cran (1910-11), of whom it is recorded in Part 16, " left for South Africa "—actually Southern Rhodesia ; Charles Gray Kennaway (1904-16), M.A., B.Sc., now a chartered accountant in Aberdeen ; William James Maclean (1910-16) ; John Charles Edward Murray (1904-14), now a rubber planter in Perak, F.M.S. ; and Robert Henry Stalker (1906-11). Apparently some volumes are missing, for there is a gap between June, 1912, and October, 1913, when " The New Star Magazine " made its appearance. This, in one volume, was run on the same general lines as the " Imperial Magazine," but the editorial board was strengthened by the inclusion of James R. Sutherland (1907-17) as a story-writer, and John Tower Sorley (1904-17) and Norman Taggart (1906-15) as

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artists. The rules in connection with this magazine were : " (1) No person shall injure this book in any manner, or a fine of 1d. to 6d., according to amount of damage, will be imposed. (2) No honourable person shall copy anything without permission. (3) No person, except in extreme cases, shall keep this Mag. longer than two nights. (4) Any pencil markings count as an injury." Sutherland contributes a " Comic History of Scotland," also an " Astronomy Corner," and McCallum " Your Editor's Holiday." According to Taylor, " McCallum was the chief culprit, and sole printer and publisher. He used to spend hours and hours at the job." The seventh volume of the present set was written entirely by Taylor, and consists of the story " A Ripping Tale of School Life-Boys will be Boys" in " The Gram. Series of Boys' Best and Bright Books." Apparently this story was preceded by another, entitled " Under the Black Ensign," which has been lost. Altogether, from a perusal of the seven volumes one must come to the conclusion that the members of the Class that was responsible for them were a particularly keen and talented group. Probably other magazines produced at the School by these and other F.P.s are in existence somewhere, and it is suggested that if any such are available or are found hereafter, they should be sent to the Secretary of the F.P. Club for preservation in the School Library.

Activities of Retired Members of the Staff. The various members of the School Staff who have retired in recent years owing to their having attained the age limit are by no means " unemployed." The following list indicates some of the activities in which they are engaged :— Mr. Maxwell H. Mackie is Examiner to the Aberdeen Endowments Trust. Dr. Charles McLeod is Examiner in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Aberdeen University. Dr. George Middleton is part-time Assistant in Humanity at Aberdeen University, and Examiner in Latin for the Law Agents' Entrance Examination. Mr. William Munson is part-time Assistant in English at Aberdeen University. He is also Editor of The Aberdeen University Review. Mr. J. Bentley Philip is Secretary of the Deeside Field Club and Editor of The Deeside Field, the fifth number of which has recently been published.

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I The School Dramatic Society held its annual presentation of plays in the Hall on 17th and 18th December. Four plays were presented : " A Night at an Inn," " Under the Skull and Crossbones," " A Tragedy Rehearsed," and Galsworthy's " The Little Man." The last-named was the most ambitious and, therefore, most difficult to present satisfactorily, and its outstanding success was a great tribute to the actors and producers. * * * The ancient ceremony of serenading the Masters was duly carried out on the last day of the Christmas term. Unfortunately, many of the Masters had chosen to spend the evening out rather than submit to the tender mercies of the " troubadours." However, largesse was freely distributed by many of our hospitable mentors, and the serenading passed off with great gusto. * * * The first noteworthy event in the present rather featureless term was, of course, the annual School Dance. This was held in Isaac Benzie's Rooms on Tuesday, 6th January. The beautiful dresses of the ladies and the gallant bearing of the gentlemen combined to make the scene a lively and animated one. Had the shade of our greatest pupil been present, he might well have recalled his famous line : " The lights shone on fair women and brave men." The forty-six couples present found no fault with the band, floor, or buffet, and the Dance was voted by all to be one of the most enjoyable ever held. Much credit is due to the Dance Committee for their very capable arrangements, and to Mr. Duncan Macgregor, who carried out the duties of M.C. with his usual efficiency. The Novelty Dance was won by Mr. I. M. Park and partner. * * * The 17th Troop held their Café Chantant and Concert on Saturday, 10th January, in the School. Both the cafe, which was opened by Lady Lewis, and the evening concert were very well patronized, and the substantial sum added to the Troop Funds bears witness to the efforts of the boys themselves and of the many friends of the Troop. * * * The annual Inter-Debate was held on Friday, 6th February,

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in the Girls' High School. The subject was " Should Capital Punishment be abolished ? " There was a large attendance of representatives from both schools. A report of the debate will be found elsewhere. * * * We voice the deep sympathy of the whole School with Mr. James S. M. Eddison in the loss he has sustained by the death of his father, which occurred last month. * * * The 1st XV has not been so successful this term as last. The team has been often handicapped by injuries, and the long absence of the Vice-Captain, T. F. Robson, has been keenly felt. However, we were fortunate in having the team at full strength for the return match with Gordon's College, the " Auld Enemie." Our handsome victory reflects great credit on the players themselves and on the painstaking coaching of Mr. Macgregor. We congratulate E. W. M. Watt, E. B. Bright, A. Booth, and A. D. D. Hutton on gaining their 1st XV caps, and N. A. Ross, C. France, and E. Cruickshank on being awarded their Colours. * * * We need hardly say that we are very glad to see Mr. Milton back at his post following the absence caused by his recent unfortunate accident. While playing Badminton Mr. Milton had the ill-luck to snap a " tendon of Achilles," a very rare and also painful accident. We hope that Mr. Milton will soon have completely recovered from the effects of this misfortune, which must be extremely irksome for one of his active disposition. * * * The Four-Part Choir formed by Messrs. Falconer and Henry continues to make good progress under the guidance of these gentlemen. Part-singing, besides being very interesting and enjoyable, tends to develop a real love of music in its participants, and many more boys in the Upper School would do well to join. The Choir will no doubt give a good account of itself at the forthcoming School Concert. * * * Now has come the time when Masters grow more and more anxious and irritable, and senior pupils more gloomy and pessimistic, for the dread Leaving Certificate examinations are upon us once more. This year there is an unusually large number of candidates, both of Fifth-year pupils and of anxious " Second-timers," who are consoled by the fact that " there's always the Prelims." Many pupils are sitting both Prelims. and Highers, hoping to pass in one should they fail in the other. The best of luck to all!

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Random Notes. The other day one of our English Masters was declaiming with great vigour the following lines from Shakespeare :— " Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd, Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell ?"

Was it merely chance that caused the Games Master to make a dramatic entry at that moment ? * * * In these days of progress, when speed-cops and traffic signals are springing up on all sides, it is interesting to note that what used to be a disorderly mob, pushing and barging at the Janitor's box, is now a well-behaved queue, moving forward in an orderly line under the direction of one of the Masters. The other day, however, the box-ward traffic was held up by an embarrassed and nervous youngster who muttered: "C-c-could I have an-er, a-a—," and then in a moment of desperate inspiration : " I mean, a d-disunimperforated jotter." * * * It is with sincere apologies to Mr. Herrick and the general public that we present the following parody, perpetrated by an unknown hand :— " When as down town my Geoffrey goes Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows That liquefaction of his clothes. If then I spy a lumbering gee, Or trawler battling through the sea ; How the resemblance taketh me !" * * *

This term the essays and tests for the Highers have produced a fair harvest of " howlers." For instance we find one youth writing, " Dr. Smith, leaping out of his warm bed into the cold air of the November morning at 5 o'clock, performed his absolutions hurriedly." Shameful the way some of these divines scamp their duties ! * * * From His we learn that " Its is a contraption for it is" ; and a youth in IA says that " poinded his gear " means " sold his clothes to the pawnshop for money." * * * IVA is a class that makes some interesting contributions to History. We are told that " the Puritans quarrelled over whether surpluses should be used in Church," and that " the nobles had nothing to do with religious affaires." * * * But the cream of all the howlers, what one might call the howler of the year, comes from the French class. There, a genius has translated " Je ne veux point vous rendre raison du sang que j'ai verse" as " I won't give a sanguinary reason why I made verses."

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Pupils' Tours to the Continent. This year arrangements have been made for two parties of Grammar School boys to visit the Continent during the Easter Holidays. Dr. and Mrs. Cormack are again taking a party to Brittany, consisting of " thirteen Grammarians, two sisters of Grammarians, and two Irish setter pups." For the first time a small party of four boys is being taken by Mr. William M. Dewar, of the classics staff, and by a University lecturer, to Rome, where they are to carry through a big programme of sight-seeing. Both parties are leaving on 1st April for London. The party for Rome will make no halt in London, but the party for France will, as usual, spend a day in London, visiting the Zoo and the House of Commons in the forenoon. After lunch in the Corner House, Coventry Street, at which the company will be honoured, it is hoped, by the presence of the Secretary of State for India, Sir. F. C. Thomson, Bart., M.P., and Dr. J. M. Bulloch (the President of the London Centre of the F.P. Club), the party is to be taken by Dr. Bulloch upon a round of visits to buildings which are of special interest to Aberdeen and to Scotland. All interested in the School will, we are sure, approve most heartily of this recent development in the School's activities, and F.P.s will rather envy the opportunities for travelling abroad which are now afforded to pupils.

Dr. Macandrew's Spanish Studies. Recently we recorded the publication of an important book on Teinds and Agriculture by Dr. A. A. Cormack. Now another member of the School staff, Dr. Ronald M. Macandrew, has published a volume entitled "Naturalism in Spanish Poetry : From the Origins to 1900." It was for this work that the author was awarded the degree of D.Litt. by the University of Aberdeen in 1929. As one review says, " the book deals with a topic of surpassing interest in these open-air days--the love of Nature. Doubtless there is only one Wordsworth and only one Tennyson, but Dr. Macandrew's book shows us that there have been many loving observers of Nature's aspects and moods in the Peninsula. He begins very early, in fact about the year 1200, and traces the attitude of Spanish poets to Nature throughout some seven centuries. The work is thoroughly learned, without being in the least heavy, and the notes and the bibliography, which are necessary to the students, are relegated to the end of the book, and thus do not disturb the easy flow of a singularly attractive narrative, by which the author has rendered notable service to the study of his subject."

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An Old Class Group. Over a considerable number of years there have appeared in the Magazine from time to time reproductions of old photos of School classes, and another appears in the present issue. This group of fifty-four was a combination of two classes of the Lower School in 1885-86. The Master is Mr. James S. Shewan, M.A., who later became a solicitor, and is still practising his profession as the senior partner of the firm of J. S. Shewan & Son, advocates, Aberdeen. The group will be found to contain a number of well-known F.P.s, including Alexander Morrice Mackay, who has just been elected President of the F.P. Club. The photograph from which the reproduction has been made has been lent by John E. Henderson, the F.P. Club Consul in Johannesburg. Although copies of the photograph have been submitted to several of those who appear in it, it has not been found possible to identify all the faces. Possibly other readers of the Magazine may be able to fill in one or more of the gaps in the names : if so, the Editor will be glad to be informed.

The School Library. Since the last report 1,546 volumes have been borrowed, the average being 99 books per week, an average regrettably lower than for the corresponding period last session. The Lower School continues to make excellent use of the Library, the record still being held by Lower IVA, which has borrowed 367 volumes during the period. In the Middle School satisfactory outside reading is being done, the best borrowing Division being I, and the best borrowing Class being IA with 121 volumes. Borrowing by the Upper School, however, is unsatisfactory, with the exception of the Fifth, in which Division Modern VB has borrowed 77 volumes, and Classical V has borrowed 69. Much more use of the Library ought to be made by the Sixth, by VA and Classical IV of the Upper School, and by IIIA, IIIc, Ic, and In in the Middle School. A lesson for these Classes may be learned from the words of Lamb : " When I am not walking, I am reading ; I cannot sit and think, Books think for me."

The Dramatic Society. On the 17th and 18th of December the Society successfully produced four one-act plays in the School Hall. Due to the excellent producing of Mr. Farquharson, Mr. MacLennan, Mr. Maclver, and Mr. Dewar, and capable acting by members of the Society, all four plays were great successes. Perhaps the best-received of the four was " The Little Man." The latter is a lesson on international charity, and many nationalities are introduced. Both A. M. Milne's and G. H. G. Ross's performances, as an English woman and an American tourist in Europe respectively, will long remain in the memories of those who saw them. Nevertheless, the standard of the other three plays, " A Night at an Inn," " Under the Skull and Bones," and " A Tragedy Rehearsed," was also extremely good, the vocal abilities of the Juniors in " Under the Skull and Bones " surprising not a few of the audience.

J. S. MACLACHLAN, Secretary.

nits. .7l.IYUUI

1- I.J1- 1L,

I1N

12583-50.

Back Row :—Alex. B. Walker, John M. Fyfe, Wm. Dilling, David A. Smith, Mr. James S. Shewan, , E. Wilkie Bower, Louis Rennet, Edwin S. Macleod, Alex. C. Fildes, Henry B. Mitchell, Wm. Mitchell Smith. Second Row :—Geo. S. Riddell, Geo. Porter, , Oliver St. J. Skeen, , Alex. Morrice Mackay, Arthur Glennie, Robert O. Thomson, Oswald C. Macdonald, ---, Norman Milne, Fred. N. Smith, Herbert H. Bower, Ralph W. Webster Thi►d Row:—James Brown, Patrick McL. Cran, John H. J. Bisset, Chas. W. Schaschke, Wm. A. Bruce, J. A. Campbell, T. P. Fildes, Henry Gray, Albert A. Turreff, N. J. W. Blackett, Wm. S. Lucas, H. V. de J. Good. Front Row :—John Thomson, S. M. Gray, Wm. R. P. Jamieson, David F. Laing, John Fowlie, John E. Henderson, Wm. I. Moir, James Ross. Jas. j. limald, D. M. Watson, Geo. B. Scott, R. L. M'Laren, E. A. Horne, Daniel McLaren.

l School Rugby Football 1st XV-Season 1930-31.

Back Row.—.J. S. MacLachlan, A. B. Hay, J. M. Smith, A. Booth, R. E. M. Paterson, G. D. Bisset, F. D. Lindsay, N. A. Ross. Mr. D. Macgregor (Games Master). Second Row.—A. D. D. Hutton, C. M. Liddell, T. P. Robson, G. A. Rowton (Captain), J. G. Fyfe, E. W. M. Watt, F. B. Bright. Ira Front.—C. W. France, E. Ii. Cruickshank.

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School Rugby Football. The review of the School football season and the criticism of the 1st XV players which usrally appear in the March issue of the Magazine have unavoidably been held over to the June issue. First XV Matches. 15th November.—School v. Dunfermline High School, at Rubislaw• —School kicked off with the advantage of the wind and incline, and immediately set up a strong pressure. School backs were combining well, and a score seemed certain when Fyfe cut through, but the Dunfermline defence prevailed. A long period of hard forward play in mid-field ensued, and a clever cut-through by the visiting scrum half led to an unconverted try from the Dunfermline stand-off. School then attacked vigorously, and after some good work by the backs, Booth scored an unconverted try. School continued to press, and only the greasy ball prevented a score. At last Booth got away on the wing, and scored an unconverted try. Half-time score—School, 6 points ; Dunfermline H.S., 3 points. The second half, owing to the bad conditions, resolved itself into a dour forward struggle. School were slightly superior, but could not claim any great advantage. After some mid-field play, Paterson intercepted neatly, and threw out a long pass, for Fyfe to score. The try was not converted, and no-side came with no further scoring. Fyfe and Paterson were outstanding among the backs, while Liddell was the pick of a good pack. 13th December.—School v. Highland Schools XV, at Elgin.— School postponed their fixture with Engineers on this date and travelled to Elgin to play a XV picked from the Highland Schools. School lost the toss and had to play uphill. After ten minutes' ragged play, School forwards settled down against their heavier opponents, and the ball was heeled in every scrum. The backs then made the most of their opportunities, and after a cut-through by Fyfe, Booth scored an unconverted try. A short time after, Robson dummied and scored a try, which was converted by Watt. School backs were getting plenty of the ball, but they were inclined to do too much on their own. After a period of mid-field play, Fyfe took a short pass and sprinted up the field to score between the posts. Half-time score—School, 13 points ; Highland XV, 0 points. On the resumption, School, playing downhill and with the wind, attacked strongly, and a try by Booth, converted by Watt, finished off a good run by Fyfe. Shortly after this Ross scored, and converted with an excellent kick. The Highland Schools then attacked strongly, and School had to defend for the next ten minutes. School attacked, and Booth ran hard to score an unconverted try, while Robson dropped a splendid goal. Fyfe scored another try, which was converted by Watt just before no-side. Final score— School, 35 points ; Highland Schools XV, 0 points. All the School forwards played well, and from a clever back division Booth, Robson, and Fyfe deserve special mention. 24th January.—School v. Edinburgh Academy, at Edinburgh.— In this game School were still without Robson, and Ross was also off. The ground was in bad condition, and the handling of the School threes was consequently bad. The Academy threes, however, showed good control over the ball, and therefore won the game. School kicked off, and for the next fifteen minutes uninteresting forward play took place in mid-field. The Academy backs got going, and a try, which was unconverted, resulted. School then attacked for some time by forward rushes, but were unable to score. Play returned to mid-field, and the Academy threes again got going and scored. The School forwards were giving the backs plenty of chances, but their handling was very

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poor. Just before half-time, however, Fyfe cut through and passed out to Booth, who scored an unconverted try. Half-time score— School, 3 points ; Academy, 6 points. On the resumption the match developed into a forward game, although Fyfe was nearly through on two occasions. After an Academy attack, the Academy stand-off half had a brilliant run, which ended in an unconverted try. School attacked hard after this, and Halliday intercepted and got away on the wing, but he was brought down. Academy then attacked and scored another converted try. School forwards took the ball to the Academy line, but, owing to the weak handling of the backs, they could not score. Final score—School, 3 points ; Academy, 16 points. School forwards played well but were not up to their usual standard. The handling and marking of the backs was poor. Liddell was the best forward, and Fyfe and Halliday the outstanding backs. 7th February.—School v. Aberdeenshire, at Rubislaw.—The ground was in bad condition for this match, and play was confined largely to the forwards. 'Shire kicked off, and School were forced back to their twenty-five. Following a line out, Mathieson scored a good try for 'Shire, which was converted by Wallace. After a few minutes' play, Cooper got through and scored another converted try for 'Shire. After this, the School forwards woke up and played a magnificent game. By means of splendid dribbles and short inter-passing runs, the ball was taken up to the 'Shire twenty-five and kept there. Owing to the greasy ball, the School backs could not get going. Ross nearly scored, but was beaten in the race for the touch-down. Half-time score— School, 0 points ; 'Shire, 10 points. In the second half, School, playing magnificently, continued to attack on the 'Shire's line. The School backs got going and Ross scored in the corner. The kick failed. 'Shire then attacked for the next five minutes, but following some good clearances by Bright, they were driven back. School forwards had now definitely mastered the 'Shire pack and a try by Booth, which was unconverted, followed. School continued to press, and were unfortunate in not scoring. Final score—School, 6 points ; 'Shire, 10 points. School played well in this game, and except for the first ten minutes, were definitely superior. All the pack played magnificently, while Booth and Bright were the pick of the backs. 14th February.—School v. Heriot's, at Edinburgh.—Owing to the frost-bound condition of the field this match had to be postponed until the afternoon. Heriot's kicked off, and from a scrum, their threes got away and School had to defend. After five minutes' mid-field play, Heriot's scored a try which was converted. Shortly after, another converted try was added. School then attacked, but the passing broke down. From the scrum Fyfe cut through, but was brought down just short of the line. Heriot's then returned to the School twenty-five and quickly added two unconverted tries by means of brilliant runs. School then settled down, and after a long period of pressure on the Heriot's line, they were rewarded by a penalty goal from Watt. Just before half-time, Heriot's added another converted try. Half-time score—School, 3 points; Heriot's, 21 points. On the resumption, School continued to show improvement, although the marking of the backs was still weak. Fyfe cut through, but was brought down. School were now getting plenty of the ball from the forwards, and they continued to attack. Ross nearly scored, but was forced into touch on the flag. Heriot's put in some clever kicking, and School were driven back. Just before no-side, another converted try was added by Heriot's. Final score School, 3 points ; Heriot's, 26 points. The play of School in the first half was weak, the forwards did not show the dash which had been so evident against 'Shire, while the marking of the backs was very poor. There was no outstanding forward, and Ross and Cruickshank were the best backs.

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21st February.—School v. Gordon's College, at Seafield.—The start of this match was postponed for half an hour owing to the pitch being frost-bound. School won the toss and elected to play down-wind. From the scrum at centre following the kick-off, the School forwards quickly heeled, but the passing of the backs broke down. School forwards were playing well, and were keeping up a constant pressure on the Gordon's line, but the backs, although clever individually, were not working together, and chance after chance was lost through bad handling and through lying too shallow. Gordon's then attacked for the next ten minutes, and succeeded in scoring by a penalty goal. School forwards then had a brilliant dribble, and a score seemed certain, but the Gordon's defence held out. Half-time score—School, 0 points ; Gordon's College, 3 points. Matters looked black for School on the resumption, as they had to face the wind, but from the kick-off they attacked vigorously. Hutton got across but was recalled, and a period of mid-field play ensued. Fyfe cut through and raced ahead, but was brought down just short of the line. Gordon's then attacked, but the School defence was sound. There was now only ten minutes to go, but School forwards took the ball up to mid-field where Fyfe dummied and passed out to Booth, who ran hard to score a try, which Watt converted with an excellent kick. School were now definitely superior, and a good run by Ross ended in a try, which Watt again converted. From the centre Robson broke away, cut in, and scored. Watt converted. The last try of the match was a brilliant piece of work. The ball went out to Ross, who ran hard, passing in to Fyfe as he was tackled. Fyfe then cut in and scored an unconverted try. Final score—School, 18 points ; Gordon's College, 3 points. School forwards played well throughout the game, and the backs, although poor in the first half, redeemed themselves by their work in the last ten minutes. Best for School were Fyfe, Booth, Ross, and Robson. Cruickshank, although hampered by wing forwards, played well, and Watt's kicking was very good. G. A. ROWTON.

Second XV Matches. 15th November.—School v. 3rd 'Varsity, at King's.—School played a good game and were unfortunate to lose by 18 points to 8. The team did not play so well together as usual, but McLuskey in the forwards and France in the backs played well. 29th November.—School v. 2nd 'Shire, at Rubislaw.—School had no difficulty in defeating 'Shire by 25 points to 8. School were much superior to their opponents in all positions. Pattison shone in a hardworking pack, and Bain was good amongst the backs. 6th December.—School v. 2nd Gordonians, at Rubislaw.—School played hard and were unfortunate to be defeated by 14 points to 5. The superior weight of the visitors told, however, in the set scrums, and the School backs could not get going. With the forwards failing to get possession in the tight, the backs could not show their abilities, and only Halliday played to form. 13th December.—School v. 3rd 'Varsity, at Rubislaw.—In this game School were without their regular full back, stand-off half, and four forwards. The result of this was that the defeat of 28 points to 3 was not surprising. School lost the toss and played uphill. The wretched condition of the pitch soon made combined play impossible. School seemed to sleep throughout the first half, and let 'Varsity cross their line five times and convert two of the tries. It was only in spasmodic rushes that School left their own half. Half-time score—'Varsity, 19 points ; School, 0 points. School wakened up in the second half, and soon had play in the visitors' twenty-five. During this attack Pattison broke through to score School's try. Thereafter, School became dormant again and 'Varsity scored three more tries. Final

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score—'Varsity, 28 points ; School, 3 points. Best of a weak team were Smart and Lawrence in the forwards and Bath and Pattison in the backs. 17th January.—School v. Gordonians " A," at Rubislaw.—School were not at full strength for this game, but had no difficulty in defeating Gordonians by 24 points to 5 points. School lost the toss and played up against a strong wind. The forwards soon had the ball in the visitors' twenty-five, but the wind played havoc with the passing of the backs. Play was confined to the Gordonians' twenty-five, and after a spell of persistent attacking, McKiddie ran through to score an unconverted try far out. Gordonians attacked from the kick-off, but School soon took up the attack again, for Keir to scramble over for another unconverted try. Then School were on the defensive for some time, during which Gordonians scored a try, which was converted. Play continued in mid-field until half-time, with the score 6-5 in School's favour. In the second half, with the wind behind them, School soon attacked, and Halliday broke through to score an unconverted try. From the kick-off the forwards gained possession, and a combined run down the field finished with Milne boring through for a try, which Gillan converted. Still fielded the ball from the kick-off and was injured in the subsequent scrum and had to leave the field. Even without their full back, School kept up their pressure and MacLachlan scrambled over for a try, which Gillan converted. Play was then confined to mid-field until Liddel gained possession and cut through the Gordonian defence to pass to MacLachlan, who scored a try, which was also converted by Gillan. The final score was- School, 24 points ; Gordonians " A," 5 points. All the School forwards played well, while Gillan played well in the backs. Since January every one of 2nd's games has been cancelled for some reason or another.

HOUSE NOTES. Byron House. Byron House have not had such a successful Rugby season as usual. The 1st XV have either drawn or won every game but the 2nd XV and our junior XV are not so strong as they have been in former years. The 1st XV's success is due mainly to the backs, who have been particularly strong. The forwards have been quite good without being brilliant, their most outstanding success being against the strong Dun House pack. N. A. Ross, C. France, E. Bright, and G. Cameron have played well in every game, especially the first-mentioned, who has scored almost all our tries. Byron have defeated Melvin and Keith twice, and have drawn with Dun. The other game against Dun has yet to be played, and we stand a good chance of winning it. Our prospects for the Cricket season are very bright. We have all last year's School bowlers back with us, with the exception of one, and we have some fine batsmen. We must do our utmost in Cricket, Swimming, and Athletics to maintain the high standard which we have always achieved in every department. A. D. D. HUTTON, House Captain.

Dun House. Dun House has not had a very successful Rugby season. The 1st XV so far have won every game this season except one against Byron, which resulted in a draw. On the other hand, the 2nd XV have

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lost every game except one, which was drawn, while the juniors have not been very fortunate. Throughout the season, Dun has had extremely bad luck. R. Catto, our promising wing three-quarter, sustained an injured knee early in October and has not been able to play since. As there are very few good reserves, Catto's absence has been all the more felt. The House has also sustained another great loss by the departure of fain Pattison for Australia. We wish him every success in his new venture. Our games against Keith were evenly contested. The first game resulted in a win for Dun by 12—8, and in the second game, though somewhat against the run of play, Dun were again victorious by 8 points to 6. In this game J. Gillan played splendidly, scoring all the points for his side. Against Melvin, however, Dun ran out easy winners in both games. The first ended in Dun winning by 26 points to 3, while in the second game the Dun team, although greatly weakened by many absentees, again were the victors by 11 points to 3. Last year the Cricket team greatly distinguished itself, and we hope to maintain the high standard shown then, while all athletes and swimmers in the House are urged to find time to do as much practice as possible. C. M. LIDDELL, House Captain.

Keith House. Before commencing the House Notes we should like to congratulate J. G. Fyfe on gaining his 1st XV Cap, and E. K. Cruickshank on having been awarded his Colours. Bad luck has continued to follow us throughout the Rugby season and we have defeated only Melvin. Our 2nd XV, however, has continued to be successful. As in Rugby, we have able enough players to defend our honour in Cricket, and we can only hope that our luck will improve. We hope especially to distinguish ourselves in the Swimming Sports, as we have done in past years, and we have every chance of doing so. The entry, too, for the Athletic Sports should be large, as usual, and we should easily hold our own with a reasonable amount of luck. ANDREW B. HAY, House Captain.

Melvin House. The Rugby season has now drawn to a close, and it must be admitted that Melvin have not been very successful. Besides being lighter and more inexperienced than our opponents, we have not yet, owing to injuries, been able to field a full team. In all the matches, however, the team, and especially the younger members, have played pluckily. In our match with Byron, it seemed as if Melvin were going to repeat their first performance of drawing-3-3, but in the closing stages of the game the weight of our opponents began to tell, and we were finally beaten by 21 points to 6 points. Baxter, Jamieson, and Begg all played well. In our second match with Byron, Melvin played well, and were beaten by 'only 11 points to 3 points. Until towards the end, the young Melvin forwards were able to hold the Dun forwards, and at times the Melvin backs were superior. Melvin led 3 points to 0 points at half-time, owing to a good penalty goal by Robson. Begg, McLuskey, and Usher played well, while Robson's clever play made us regret his absence in all the other games. Melvin Swimmers are asked to practise assiduously for the Swimming Sports, so that the House can render a good account of itself. The prospects for the Athletic Sports are particularly bright among the seniors, and it, therefore, rests upon the smaller boys to practise hard and uphold the honour of the House. G. A. ROWTON, House Captain.

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The Literary and Debating Society. On 13th November the Society met in Room 3, G. S. Laing in the chair, and a debate was held between A. P. Milne and Colin Maciver, jun., the subject being :—" One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name." Milne, in a witty paper, demonstrated to his audience how men strive for " the glorious and crowded hour." Maciver spoke in slightly more serious vein, and seemed to be rather Puritanical in his views on " one crowded hour of glorious life." The after-speaking was more humorous than edifying, and on the vote being taken it was found that the negative had won by a small majority, many members refraining from voting at all. On 20th November the Society met in the Hall, when Councillor Henry Alexander, Convener of the Town Planning Committee of Aberdeen Town Council, lectured on " The Town of the Future." George Swinney was in the chair and introduced the lecturer. In the course of a most interesting lecture, which was illustrated throughout by admirable lantern slides, Councillor Alexander indicated what town and cities were to be like in the near future. Our lecturer showed us the great advantages of " zoning," or confining factories to a certain part of the town and dwelling-houses to another part ; also the advantages of building and planning in such a way as to make use of and preserve natural beauty. In another part of his lecture, Councillor Alexander showed us many different ways of avoiding blind-corners, and laying out roads to ensure the maximum of safety for the users : later, our lecturer gave us interesting statistics of the traffic at several points in Aberdeen. At the conclusion of this, one of the most interesting lectures of the season, Councillor Alexander was thanked in the timehonoured fashion. A debate was held on 4th December on the subject, " Are we too conceited ? " J. S. MacLachlan led for the affirmative. Throughout his speech it was rather difficult to believe that MacLachlan himself was a member of the species which he designated as conceited, foppish, and ridiculously prone to self-adornment. N. R. Beattie, for the negative, justified, in the opinion of many of his hearers, the actions and the appearances striven after by the human race. Prominent among those who spoke after the debate had been thrown open were Laing, Rowton, and Swinney. On a vote being taken, the affirmative won by a slight majority. The serenading of the Masters was carried out on 19th December. The Society's activities for the new year opened on 8th January with a debate between the President, G. E. Swinney, and the Secretary, W. D. Swinney, the subject being : " Does our System of Education suppress Originality ? " The President waxed very eloquent on the subject of school life : how, from beginning to end, it was one long suppression of natural originality and abilities. W. D. Swinney showed how our system of education widened our scope for originality by giving us an insight into many subjects, and hence a scope for original thought. The after-speaking was very scrappy, and while in some places it amused, it seldom contributed to the matter under discussion. The vote revealed a majority of two for the negative. On 15th January the Society were the guests of Professor Alex. Findlay in the Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Marischal College. Our chairman, A. P. Milne, introduced the Professor to a fairly large audience. Professor Findlay then lectured on " The Romance of Cellulose." In the course of an extremely interesting lecture, he outlined the manufacture of some substances and materials which depend on cellulose, such as paper, some explosives, artificial silk, artificial leather, celluloid,

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non-inflammable celluloid, decorative transparent papers, paints, lacquers, and varnishes. Our lecturer also told us the history of the discovery and development of some of these. The lecture was illustrated At the conclusion of a very by experiments and by lantern slides. interesting lecture, Milne called for three hearty Grammar School cheers, which were given with a will. Afterwards the audience examined the many exhibits displayed on the demonstration table. On 22nd January there was a good turn out to hear Mr. Andrew Milne lecture on The Diversions of a Political Economist." Mr. G. W. J. Farquharson was in the chair. Mr. Milne's lecture was on the humorous writings of Mr. Stephen Leacock, and for an hour and a half the audience enjoyed itself immensely. Mr. Milne touched on many of the branches of Mr. Leacock's works, but dwelt longest on his parodies of certain types of literature. Our lecturer read, to the great amusement of his audience, the tale of Guido, the Gimlet of Ghent, with his two trusty henchmen, Boris the Bradawl and Carol the Corkscrew, and absolutely convulsed his hearers with the description of Guido's heraldic bearings, which concluded with : " A dog, improper, three-quarters in a field of buck-wheat." Mr. Milne also read the tragic story of " Hannah of the Highlands," and that dashing, nautical narrative, " Soaked in Seaweed." At the conclusion of a most amusing and interesting lecture, Mr. Farquharson called on William Swinney to propose the customary vote of thanks to the lecturer. On 6th February the Society were the guests of the High School Debating Society, when the annual Inter-School Debate was held. Miss Glennie welcomed the visitors, and Miss Moffat read apologies for absence. George Swinney then led for the affirmative of the subject of debate: "Capital Punishment is Necessary." In his paper Swinney stressed the great deterrent effect of the death penalty, and concluded by asking the question: " What can be substituted for Lorna Hay, Capital Punishment, should it be abolished ? " leading for the negative, emphasized the fact that the death penalty was the relic of a barbarous age, and stated that the doctrine of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was now no longer admitted to be justifiable. Miss Hay suggested some form of preventive detention, an edifying and educational confinement, as a suitable substitute for capital punishment. The affirmative and negative leaders were ably seconded by Miss Macdonald and A. P. Milne respectively. On the debate being opened for general discussion, very few people seemed to have anything to say, in fact, Rowton, Munro, Laing, and Swinney seemed to be running a private debate of their own, so often did they speak. After the leading speakers had summed up, it was found that the affirmative had won by a large majority. Thereafter, Miss Michie said a few words, and votes of thanks were accorded. On 19th February the Society welcomed Professor Alexander Gray. The President was in the chair, and there was a good attendance, considering the proximity of the Highers and the Prelims. The Professor, in a racy and interesting lecture on '` Karl Marx," kept his audience in fits of laughter by his witty and humorous style. He first of all gave a brief outline of Socialism before the birth of Marx, and then sketched in the most amusing fashion the history of Marx's life. He next gave us an idea of the philosophy of Marx, and told us something about his " distressingly voluminous publications, chief of which are : The Communist Manifesto, Critique of Political Economy, and Capital. The usual vote of thanks was given at the conclusion of one of the most witty and educative lectures to which the Society has ever listened. W. D. S.

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Scout Notes. The School Scouts have suffered a serious loss through the resignation of their Commissioner, Mr. R. Bertram Williamson, whose guidance during the last six years has been invaluable. Mr. Williamson has been the perfect Commissioner. His advice on the organization of the Troops was always ready and useful. His experience of business and law, and his vast store of practical knowledge of every kind, were always at the Troops' service, and constantly needed in the management of their property and in their business dealings. Moreover, having been a Scoutmaster himself, and one of outstanding efficiency and energy, there was not the smallest point about scouting technique but he knew it thoroughly. He never failed to visit a camp, and when there, by his cheerful presence and by joining in the games or anything that was going forward, to contribute to its gaiety. Besides, he did a heap of work at headquarters as Commissioner for Training of the County, arranging for camp-sites, organizing Scouters' training courses, and what not. All this cannot be done without encroaching more upon his time than a busy lawyer can well afford, and consequently Mr. Williamson has found that he must sever his direct connection with the School Troops. But we are glad to say that headquarters still retains his services as consultant on technical matters, so that if he should be wanted, he is always within call, and from the School Troops, more than likely, he will find it impossible to keep away. His place is taken by Mr. Hunter Will, M.A., who is well known to our Scoutmasters as an enthusiastic and reliable Scouter, and is welcomed by them as a worthy successor to Mr. Williamson. The loss of two of our Scoutmasters has also to be deplored. S.M. Ronald F. Skene has had to resign the leadership of the 1st Troop, which he has held since the retirement of S.M. James McLeod a year ago. The Troop's thanks are due to Mr. Skene for having been good enough to assume the post of responsibility thus left vacant and for having carried on the Troop over a very difficult period. Mr. Skene was always pleasant and easy to deal with ; he had a brain fertile of ideas, and an unusual talent for organizing. He was a most popular Scoutmaster because of his imperturbable cheerfulness and good nature. To fill his place S.M. John L. Johnston has been transferred from the 9th, A.S./M. Alex. S. Duncan stepping up in turn to be Scoutmaster of the 9th. The 17th Troop also has lost its Scoutmaster, S.M. Alex. B. Donald, who has been obliged to leave for the same reason as S.M. Skene —that old devastator, imminent examinations. One of his former assistants says : " It was with heavy hearts that we said ' Good-bye' to Sandy, who had led us so well in the last three years, and who had given of his best to the Troop during that time." To this tribute we can only add that Mr. Donald was a Scoutmaster whose outstanding natural ability and prowess in sports made him a born leader of boys and won him the respect and admiration of his followers. The Troop presented him with an attaché case as a reminder of happy days together. A. S./M. Ian L. Smith takes over the lead of the 17th Troop, assisted by A. S./M.s Harold B. Duff and Alex. Forsyth. In the Christmas and New Year period the two principal events were the " Coming of Age " Dinner of the 9th Troop, and the 17th Troop's Café Chantant. On Christmas Eve the Royal Hotel served up an excellent dinner to some sixty past and present members of the 9th Troop and a few guests, including the Rector, who spoke in reply to the toast of The School. All the diners enjoyed the evening. There were many meetings of old troop-mates who had not seen one another for years, as a good number of quite early members of the Troop were able to be present, being home for Christmas. The oratory was fluent, pertinent, and concise. The speech which aroused most enthusiasm

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non-inflammable celluloid, decorative transparent papers, paints, lacquers, and varnishes. Our lecturer also told us the history of the discovery and development of some of these. The lecture was illustrated At the conclusion of a very by experiments and by lantern slides. interesting lecture, Milne called for three hearty Grammar School cheers, which were given with a will. Afterwards the audience examined the many exhibits displayed on the demonstration table. On 22nd January there was a good turn out to hear Mr. Andrew Milne lecture on " The Diversions of a Political Economist." Mr. G. W. J. Farquharson was in the chair. Mr. Milne's lecture was on the humorous writings of Mr. Stephen Leacock, and for an hour and a half the audience enjoyed itself immensely. Mr. Milne touched on many of the branches of Mr. Leacock's works, but dwelt longest on his parodies of certain types of literature. Our lecturer read, to the great amusement of his audience, the tale of Guido, the Gimlet of Ghent, with his two trusty henchmen, Boris the Bradawl and Carol the Corkscrew, and absolutely convulsed his hearers with the description of Guido's heraldic bearings, which concluded with : " A dog, improper, three-quarters in a field of buck-wheat." Mr. Milne also read the tragic story of " Hannah of the Highlands," and that dashing, nautical narrative, " Soaked in Seaweed." At the conclusion of a most amusing and interesting lecture, Mr. Farquharson called on William Swinney to propose the customary vote of thanks to the lecturer. On 6th February the Society were the guests of the High School Debating Society, when the annual Inter-School Debate was held. Miss Glennie welcomed the visitors, and Miss Moffat read apologies for absence. George Swinney then led for the affirmative of the subject of debate: "Capital Punishment is Necessary." In his paper Swinney stressed the great deterrent effect of the death penalty, and concluded by asking the question: " What can be substituted for Capital Punishment, should it be abolished ? " Lorna Hay, leading for the negative, emphasized the fact that the death penalty was the relic of a barbarous age, and stated that the doctrine of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was now no longer admitted to be justifiable. Miss Hay suggested some form of preventive detention, an edifying and educational confinement, as a suitable substitute for capital punishment. The affirmative and negative leaders were ably seconded by Miss Macdonald and A. P. Milne respectively. On the debate being opened for general discussion, very few people seemed to have anything to say, in fact, Rowton, Munro, Laing, and Swinney seemed to be running a private debate of their own, so often did they speak. After the leading speakers had summed up, it was found that the affirmative had won by a large majority. Thereafter, Miss Michie said a few words, and votes of thanks were accorded. On 19th February the Society welcomed Professor Alexander Gray. The President was in the chair, and there was a good attendance, considering the proximity of the Highers and the Prelims. The Professor, in a racy and interesting lecture on ' Karl Marx," kept his audience in fits of laughter by his witty and humorous style. He first of all gave a brief outline of Socialism before the birth of Marx, and then sketched in the most amusing fashion the history of Marx's life. He next gave us an idea of the philosophy of Marx, and told us something about his " distressingly voluminous publications, chief of which are : The Communist Manifesto, Critique of Political Economy, and Capital. The usual vote of thanks was given at the conclusion of one of the most witty and educative lectures to which the Society has ever listened. W. D. S.

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was that of A. S./M. Norman S. Clark, who, replying to the toast of The Troop, delivered a succinct epitome of the 9th Troop's present flourishing condition and of its triumphant career in the recent past. Ex-S.M. Rev. George Cameron, at the piano, accompanied the choral reminiscence of the assembly. It was, indeed, a memorable evening, and everyone who was there feels grateful to S.M. Johnston, who arranged the whole affair. Besides this there were all the customary Troop and Pack Christmas " Feeds," and the usual presenting of Christmas dinners to poor families. The senior members of the 1st and 9th Troops held also highly elaborate Court of Honour dinners in their headquarters, the guest of the evening at the lst's being their Rover Leader, Mr. W. P. Stewart. With reference to the 17th Troop's Cafe Chantant, A. S./M. Ian Smith reports : " Considering the unsuitable time of the year at which the Café was unavoidably held, the Troop did well to raise £150. S.M. Donald and the rest of the 17th would like to take this opportunity of expressing their sincere thanks to all those who helped in any way to make the Café successful. The Troop would like to thank particularly Mr. R. B. Williamson and Dr. A. F. Hyslop for their interesting and amusing cinematograph entertainment, and the latter also for so kindly composing and producing the sketches acted by the Scouts and Cubs. We wish to thank also the Scouts and Rovers of other groups for their willingly offered help. There is little else to report but matters of routine. The Troops and Packs have been carrying on with winter work. The 1st Troop has started various crafts—leather-work, fret-work, and " egg-mosaic," besides the usual Scouting tests and the Missioner and Fireman Badges. The 9th continues on much the same lines : P.L. David Wilson has won the " All Round Cord, Class A." The 17th and 38th have been concentrating on First and Second Class Badges work. Two of the Troops have been enriched recently by promotion of Cubs, five to 'the 1st, six to the 17th, where they are already, we are told, proving their worth. The addition to the 1st Troop has made it necessary to re-form the Beaver Patrol : Second Douglas Marr is promoted to be its P.L., and Scout Norman Wisely, its Second. In the 9th A. S./M. Alex. S. Duncan becomes S.M. and Scout Forbes Moir becomes Second. In the 17th, P.L. Ian L. Smith and P.L. Alex. Forsyth are promoted to A. S./M.s, Second Alex. Brown to P.L., Scout Gordon Henderson to Second. Gordon Henderson also becomes Cub-Instructor in the 17th Pack. The Troops have held, or are soon to hold, their Parents' Nights —the 38th on February 10, the 17th on February 27, the 9th on March 20, and the 1st on March 27—in order that the annual reports may be read and parents may be given an inkling of what the Troops really look like and what they actually do. And now, as Easter holidays approach, the Scouts' fancy begins gently to turn to thoughts of outdoor scouting, and especially camping. The older boys of the 1st are going to Midmar again to camp close by the castle ; the 9th are going as usual to Dunecht to camp in the castle grounds ; and some of the 17th are going with the lst-17th Rovers to camp at the " Chalet " near Braemar. As to these Rovers, their camping season began at the New Year, which they brought in at the "Chalet." They stayed there for nearly a week, climbing Lochnagar and Morrone in spite of deep snow and severe frost. Some were initiated into the mysteries of ski-ing and skating ; others almost succeeded in breaking their necks by sliding down Morrone on boards. The camp was thoroughly enjoyed, and the Rovers hope to repeat it next year.

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The Former Pupils' Club. FOUNDED 1893.

prestOent : The Honourable LORD MAC K A1", M .A . , LI..D. WicesPresibent anD Chairman of E/ecutive : ALAN MCBAIN, M.A., C.A. Secretary anti Ureastirer : Rosemount Press, Aberdeen.

THEODORE WATT, M.A., The

Secretaries of Centres: London Centre —Tilos. D. H. BROWN, Esbourn, Lawrie Park Cresent, Sydenham S.E. 26. [The Centre comprises, without additional subscription, all Members of the Club resident in London, and within a radius of 50 miles.]

Glasgow Centre—HENRY G. EDWARDS, 12 Cresswell Street, Glasgow, W. 2. [The Centre comprises, without additional subscription, all Members of the Club resident i i the South-western Counties of Scotland—west of a line drawn from Stirling to Carlisle.]

Secretaries of Sections: Rugby Section—D. P. COCHRAN, 150 Union Street. Hockey Section—DANIEL J. WALKER, 22 Rosebery Street. Tennis Section—F. F. STOTT, 273 Great Western Road. Rates of Subscription for Membership : Life Membership . . . . . . £5 5 0 Ordinary Membership.— For those under 21 years of age at commencement of Club year (1st January) . 0 2 6 For those of 21 years of age and upwards . 0 5 0

Visitors' Register. For a number of years a Visitors' Register has been kept at the School, under the charge of the Rector's clerk. The idea is that Former Pupils, and particularly members of the F.P. Club, who are paying a visit to Aberdeen and renewing their acquaintance with the School, should sign the Register. From the comparatively few entries in the Register it would appear that its existence is not well known, and it is hoped that in future many more visits to the School will be recorded in it, so that its interest and value may be greatly enhanced. The Secretary of the F.P. Club will be pleased if members from a distance visiting Aberdeen will, in addition to signing the Register at the School, pay him a call at The Rosemount Press. He is always delighted to be brought into personal touch with F.P.s, and is pleased that so many of the younger members, before leaving for posts abroad, spare a few minutes to report themselves and say good-bye.

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The Annual Meeting of the Club. The Annual General Meeting of the Club was held in the Palace Hotel on Monday, 9th March. The attendance of members was small, but a hearty welcome was given to Mr. Louis Wilson, who was for a number of years the Club Consul for the Island of Hawaii, and who has now retired from business out there and come home. In the unavoidable absence of Mr. Alan Macbain, C.A., the Vice-President, Mr. James C. Duffus, advocate, a past Vice-President, occupied the chair. After the minute of the last Annual General Meeting had been read and approved, the Report by the Executive and the Accounts and Treasurer's Report for the year ended 31st December, 1930, were submitted as follows:— REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1930. The Executive has pleasure in submitting the Report for the Club year which ended on 31st December, 1930. Membership and Subscriptions. The following is an analysis of the membership of the Club at 31st December last :Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire London Area Glasgow Area Rest of Great Britain and Ireland Abroad Total at 31/12/30 Total at 31/12/29

ExtraHonorary. ordinary.

Total.

Life.

Ordinary.

187 86 9

851 (J.295) 194 (J.11) 37 (J.6)

11 2 -

96 206

182 (J.19) 214 (J.21)

3 —

—

281 420

584 582

1,478 (J.352) 1,456 (J.344)

16 16

43 43

2,121 2,097

22 (J.8)

43 -

1,092 282 46

Increase

J. = Junior Member.

From these figures it will be seen that the total membership at the close of 1930 was 2,121, as compared with 2,097 at the close of 1929—an increase of 24, as against an increase of 46 in the year 1929. During 1930, 16 Life Members were enrolled, as compared with 26 and 24 in 1929 and 1928 respectively. While the inevitable " wastage" in the membership of the Club has been more than made up by the admission of

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new members, it is a little disappointing that the net increase is the smallest of recent years. No doubt the explanation of this and of the comparatively small number of those who have become Life Members lies in the prevailing financial stringency. It is gratifying, . however, that a very large proportion of the boys who leave the School join the Club almost immediately. Of those who ceased to be pupils either during or at the end of the session 1929-30, 67—or almost exactly two-thirds of those over fifteen years of age —have already enrolled. This compares with 65 in the previous session. The number of those whose subscriptions were not paid for 1930 was 61-50 who were due 5/- and 11 who were due 2/6—so that the total amount of subscriptions outstanding at 31st December last was £13. 17s. 6d. The Executive again notes with regret that the number of unpaid subscriptions is increasing year by year—it has almost doubled since 1927. Losses by Death. The number of members who died during 1930 was two more than in 1929, viz., 18. Among those who passed away were Rev. Professor George Pittendrigh, D.D., who was President of the Club in 1921-22, and continued thereafter to take a very practical interest in its various activities, and as Convener of the Secondary Schools Management Committee, was in constant touch with the School; two Honorary Vice-Presidents- Sir Francis Grant Ogilvie, C.B., LL.D., and Sir George Watt, C.I.E., LL.D. ; and the Senior Member of the Club (that is, the member whose connection with the School goes furthest back), Mr. Robert Collie Gray, S.S.C., Edinburgh. Among the younger members the deaths have to be recorded of two who were closely associated with the Rugby Football Section—Norman Esslemont, who was for a time an office-bearer in the Section, and Thomas D. Harrow, who played regularly for the 1st XV last season. The names of the others have been recorded in the Magazine from time to time. The " Magazine." Throughout the year no effort has been spared to make the Magazine as attractive as possible from the point of view both of former and of present pupils of the School. The three issues have consisted in all of 360 pages, of which 250 contained reading matter, with in addition 18 pages of illustrations. Included in these were reproductions of the highly creditable sketches of the School Art Club. The Club and the School. The Club, as usual, presented to the School two Silver

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Medals, which were awarded at the close of the session 1929-30 as follows :— . Royston J. Milne. Silver Medal for English . . William Strachan. Silver Medal for German . The All-Round Trophy and No Dawson Prize were awarded to Alexander J. Slessor. The Executive records with pleasure that in 1930 the School was successful in obtaining first place in one of the Aberdeen University Bursary Competitions. For five years in succession-1923 to 1927—the first place in the Arts Bursary Competition was won by a pupil of the School. Since the latter date a Science Bursary Competition has taken place concurrently with the Arts Bursary Competition, and last June the first place in the Science Competition was obtained by Gilbert F. Hamilton, who was Dux and Gold Medallist of the Modern Side of the School for 1929-30. He is a brother of William A. B. Hamilton, who secured the first place in the Arts Bursary Competition in the years 1926 and 1927. Marking the Old School Site. During the year the Executive completed a scheme that had been in view for some time, namely, to mark with an appropriate inscription the site of the old Grammar School building on the School Hill, now occupied by Gray's School of Art ; and to mark similarly the actual doorway and belfry of the old building, which are incorporated in an annex of the present School building. Full particulars, with illustrations, will be found in the March 1931 issue of the Magazine. As will be seen from the Accounts, the cost of the inscriptions has been £18. 4s. Retirement of the School Janitor. At the close of the session 1929-30 Mr. William Kennedy retired, after serving with great acceptance for thirty years as Janitor of the School. When it became known that he was to retire, the Executive felt that it would be the desire of the members of the Club that something should be done to mark his retirement and to show the very high regard in which he was held. It was accordingly decided to institute a Testimonial Fund, and in spite of the fact that the maximum subscription was fixed at 5s., the very substantial sum of £60 was subscribed, and a cheque for this amount sent to Mr. Kennedy. Contributions to the Testimonial Fund came from all quarters of the globe, and in not a few cases were accompanied by letters expressing very warm regard for " the old Janny." The best wishes of the members of the Club have followed Mr. Kennedy into his retirement. The School Boarding House. As was recorded in the November issue of the Magazine, (Continued on page r48.)

ABERDEEN. GRAMMAR SCHO Abstract of Revenue and Expenditure Acco •

REVENUE. I. CAPITAL ACCOUNTLife Members' Subscriptions received during year

£87 10

II. ORDINARY SUBSCRIPTIONS PAID IN ADVANCE— Subscriptions received during year applicable to future years

88 7

HI. SCHOOL BOARDING HOUSE SCHEME— Donation received during year

•

••

W. APPLICABLE TO YEAR 1930— Ordinary Subscriptions received prior to 1st Jan. 1930 (transferred from Capital Account) .. Ordinary Subscriptions received during 1930 .. Arrears recovered in 1930 .. Revenue from Investments Credit balances from Dinner and Ball Miscellaneous.. aa

.. .•

.. .. ..

••

£99 5 0 204 17 6 1 17 6 £306 0 0 90 19 6 19 10 6 3 1 0 419 11 £596 10

Balance Sheet CAPITAL AND LIABILITIES. I. CAPITAL— Amount at credit at 31st December 1929 .. £2,195 8 1 Life Members' Subscriptions received during 1930, as per Revenue Account .. .. .. 87 10 9 School Boarding House Scheme—Amount transferred, as per Revenue Account .. .. 1 1 0 Surplus for 1930, as per Revenue Account .. 15 14 3} £2,299 14 II. ENTERTAINMENTS SUSPENSE ACCOUNT— Amount at credit as per last Balance Sheet 15 0 •• III. ORDINARY SUBSCRIPTIONS PAID TN ADVANCEBalance of Subscriptions received prior to 31st December 1929, applicable to future years .. Subscriptions received in 1930 applicable to future years, as per Revenue Account

£57 12

88 7 6

IV. Magazine advertisements prepaid for 1930-31

146

V. FUNDS OF CLUB SECTIONS IN SUSPENSE— Motor Section Cricket Section

••

.•

114 3 8 19 12 10 23 16 £2,487 15

RMER PUPILS' CLUB. year ended 31st December 1930. EXPENDITURE. CAPITAL ACCOUNT—

Amount transferred as per contra

• •

£87 10

ORDINARY SUBSCRIPTIONS PAID IN ADVANCE—

Amount transferred to Capital Account as per contra

• •

7 6

• •

419 11

• SCHOOL BOARDING HOUSE SCHEME—

Amount transferred to Capital Account as per contra .. , APPLICABLE TO YEAR 1930—

£96 18 61

Working Expenses .. Magazine—Cost for year, less revenue from adver.. tisements and sales London Section—Capitation Grant for 1929-30 Miscellaneous Expenses Cost of marking old School site .. • •

242 19 11 32 10 0 13 5 01 18 4 0

£403 16 81 15 14 31

Surplus for year

• •

•

• •

£596 10 3

31st December 1930. ASSETS. ..

£29 17 0

. LONDON CENTREAmount paid to account of Capitation Grant for 1930-31

••

.CASH IN HAND AND INVESTED FUNDS AT 31ST DECEMBER 1930

.. 2,437 18

ADVERTISING COMMISSION PAID IN ADVANCE

• •

ABERDEEN, 281/1 February, 1931.—We have examined the foregoing enue and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31st Decem1930, and relative Balance Sheet as at 31st December 1930, pared the figures with the vouchers, and found the Accounts ect. We are of opinion that the above Balance Sheet correctly es the position of the Club as at 31st December 1933. We ≥ had exhibited to us the various Securities supporting the Funds he close of the Accounts. The Securities are all entered in the nice Sheet at cost prices. BOWER & SMITH, C.A., (Signed) Honorary A udttors.

£2,487 15 7i __ _

148

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

the Directors of the F.P. Club Boarding House Company presented a very satisfactory report to the Second Annual General Meeting of the shareholders on 1st October, 1930. The report stated that the average number of boys in residence in the Boarding House during the year 1929-30 had been 27, and that the House was fully booked for the current year. A dividend of 5 per cent. was declared, and the Club, being the largest shareholder, with 1,376 shares, received, after deduction of tax, the sum of £53. 6s. 5d. In the last Annual Report of the Club reference was made to a generous offer by Mr. George Watson, London, and to the Directors' efforts to raise additional capital in order to fulfil Mr. Watson's conditions. In the early summer of last year the conditions were fulfilled, and Mr. Watson duly implemented his promise. The warmest thanks of the Club and of the School are due to Mr. Watson, not only for his wholehearted support of the Boarding House Scheme, but also for the stimulus he gave to others. Gifts to the Club. The Executive records with gratification the gift from Mr. Douglas S. Walker, Edinburgh, of his five shares in the Boarding House Company. It is hoped that this may form a precedent for other members of the Club who subscribed for a small number of shares in order to show their interest in the Boarding House Scheme and to give it some financial backing. It may also be mentioned that one Life Member of the Club sent the dividend he received on his shares to the Secretary of the Club, in order that it might be applied to increasing his original Life Member's subscription of £2. 2s. to the current rate of £5. 5s. During the year another member sent £3. 3s. for the same purpose. Social Activities. The Annual Dinner was held in the Palace Hotel on Saturday, 1st November, the Chairman being the President of the Club, Professor J. J. R. Macleod, F.R.S. There was a company of about the usual size of members and friends. The Annual Ball was held in the Music Hall Buildings, on Friday, 26th December, and was again a success from every point of view. The Athletic and Recreative Sections. The Rugby Football Section, the Hockey Section, and the Tennis Section continue to flourish. For various reasons the Cricket and Motor Sections fell into abeyance last season, and the books and funds of these Sections have meantime been placed in the custody of the Secretary of the Club. It is hoped that both Sections will be resuscitated before long.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

149

The London Centre. The membership of the Centre has now reached 280. At the Annual Dinner held on 6th. December, 1930, the chief guests were two distinguished F.P.s, the Right Hon. Lord Alness, Lord Justice-Clerk of Scotland ; and The Hon. Lord Mackay, Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. There was an excellent attendance of members and friends, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening was spent. The Glasgow Centre. As the result of a meeting on 1st December, 1930, attended by members of the Club resident in Glasgow and district, formal application was made to the Executive for sanction to form a Glasgow Centre of the Club, and this was duly given, on the same general conditions as apply to the London Centre. Finances. The Revenue and Expenditure Account for the year to 31st December, 1930, shows a surplus of £15. 14s. aid., as compared with £2. 9s. 6id. for 1929. A notable feature on the revenue side of the account is the increased income from investments, due to the receipt of a dividend on the shares held by the Club in the Boarding House Company. It may be pointed out that the expenses in connection with the marking of the site of the old School in Schoolhill have been more than covered by the surpluses from the Annual Dinner and the Annual Ball. From the Balance Sheet it will be seen that the sum of £15 continues at the credit of the Entertainments Suspense Account, the Executive considering it prudent to keep this amount, which was derived from previous Entertainments surpluses, as a reserve against possible deficits in the future. The Capital of the Club now amounts to £2,299. 14s. lid., being £104. 6s. Odd. more than at the close of the previous year. The total Assets of the Club at 31st December, 1930, amounted to £2,487. 15s. 7id., as compared with £2,370. 3s. id. at 31st December, 1929. •

On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr. N. J. J. Walker, the foregoing Report and Accounts were unanimously adopted. Office-bearers and members of the Executive for 1931-32 were appointed in accordance with the list which appears on page 164. Several names were added to the list of Honorary Vice-Presidents, and it will be seen that no fewer than seven of these are Fellows of the Royal Society (F.R.S.). Messrs. Bower 8z Smith, C.A., were re-appointed Honorary Auditors, and were thanked for their services during the past year. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to Mr. Duffus tor-presiding.

150

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

The London Centre. The Annual General Meeting. This meeting was held at the Grosvenor Hotel, adjoining Victoria Station, on Saturday, 6th December, 1930, at 6.30 p.m., Dr. J. M. Bulloch, M.A., LL.D., the President of the Centre, in the Chair. As is customary on this occasion, the President reviewed the activities of the Centre for the year ended 30th September, 1930, and commented upon the increasing membership of the Centre, the figure at 1st October, 1929, having reached 262, an addition of 24 during the year, after allowing for memberships which had lapsed through death, change of residence, etc. He remarked that during the three years ended 30th September, 1929, there had been a net addition of 58 members, equal to an average annual increase of 20. To all new members coming amongst us he extended on behalf of the Centre a very warm welcome, and hoped that they would make a point of coming to our meetings. The Chairman explained that, to meet the convenience of members of the Centre, the Secretary was endeavouring to make arrangements at Headquarters for the Club Colours to be purchased through an officially recognized outfitter in London. Mr. Watt had promised to bring the matter before the next meeting of the Club Executive. With regard to suggestions which had been made from time to time that ladies should be invited to some of our meetings, the Committee had every sympathy with these suggestions, and intended to make arrangements in the future accordingly. Ladies would have been invited on this date, had it not been found necessary in order to meet the convenience of our guests from Edinburgh, whose judicial duties practically preclude them from travelling far from Edinburgh except at a week-end, to change the day of the meeting to a Saturday. The Holborn Restaurant could not accommodate us on a convenient Saturday and, out of some six or eight enquiries which had been made in other quarters, the Grosvenor Hotel was the only place with vacant accommodation, and that not sufficient to enable us to invite ladies. To meet the wishes of the members and their ladies in this respect, however, it was in contemplation to hold a ladies' evening later, when the new Rector of the University, Sir Arthur Keith, and Lady Keith would be the chief guests. At the request of the President, the Secretary and Treasurer presented the accounts for the year to 30th September, 1930, showing a balance in hand of £2. 3s. 10d., with a sum of £21. 7s. Id. in addition at the credit of the Contingency Fund Account. The accounts having been duly audited by the Auditor of the Centre, Mr. H. S. Insch, C.A., were approved by the meeting. In accordance with the resolution adopted at the Annual General Meeting held on 1st December, 1927, it was explained by the President that Dr. Douglas Porter, Dr. Brebner Scott, Mr. A. M. Cowie, and Mr. E. O. Hector, the four senior members of the Committee, were due to retire and were not eligible for re-election till one year had elapsed. To fill the vacancies thus caused, Messrs. A. W. Grafton, R. Norman Hally, W. Hutcheon, and J. C. O. Lawrence were elected, and the retiring members were thanked for their services. The Honorary Secretary and Treasurer also retired in accordance with the Rules, and at the unanimous request of those present agreed to carry on. The President's term of office having expired, it was proposed by the Honorary Secretary that he be re-elected for a further term of two years, and this being the unanimous desire of the meeting, Dr. Bulloch was re-elected accordingly. In order to make clear the distinction between the title of the

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

151

Honorary President, Lord Meston, and that of the President, a suggestion by the Secretary that Lord Meston's title should be Honorary Life President was approved by the meeting. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the President and to the Secretary for their services during the year. With the approval of the Executive of the Club, Mr. Henry J. Hardy, tailor and outfitter, 15 Maddox Street, W.1, has been appointed official outfitter to the London Centre for the supply of Club Blazers, Ties, Scarves, etc. Mr. Hardy is now in possession of a stock of these articles and is prepared to supply them to members of the London Centre on terms similar to those on which they can be obtained from the Club's outfitters in Aberdeen. With regard to the Dinner to the Rector of the University and Lady Keith, it was intended to hold this function early in March. Sir Arthur Keith, however, suggested its postponement till later in the year, and it has accordingly been decided to ask Lady Keith and him to be the guests of the Club at the Annual Dinner in the autumn.

The Annual Dinner. The Annual Dinner of the Centre was held at the Grosvenor Hotel, adjoining Victoria Station, on Saturday, 6th December, 1930, and a large gathering assembled to do honour to the two distinguished Former Pupils of the School who were the guests of the Centre on this occasion, namely, The Right Honourable Lord Alness, P.C., the Lord JusticeClerk of Scotland, and the Honourable Lord Mackay, a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The President, Dr. J. M. Bulloch, was in his usual place in the Chair, and was supported by Lord Meston, the Honorary Life President of the Centre ; Sir Francis Grant Ogilvie, C.B. ; Brigadier-General Magnus Mowat, C.R.E. ; Professor J. C. Philip, F.R.S. ; Professor W. W. Jameson, M.D., ; and Mr. Harry J. Wilson, O.B.E., His Majesty's Senior Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories. On this occasion the London Centre was further honoured by the presence of The Right Honourable Lord Justice Greer, P.C., one of the Judges of the English Court of Appeal. The members and their guests were accommodated at small tables in groups of six and eight, and this arrangement was generally considered an improvement on the seating at previous functions. In spite of a thick fog which came down early in the evening all round London, a company of 86 assembled and partook of a most excellent repast. Unfortunately, however, several members of the Club were prevented by the fog from getting to town. After the loyal toast had been honoured, apologies for absence were intimated from, amongst others, Viscount Dunedin of Stenton ; The Lord Advocate for Scotland—The Right Hon. Craigie Aitchison, K.C. ; Mr. W. W. Lackie, a co-resident with Lord Alness in their School days at No. 34 Fountainhall Road, Aberdeen, and now one of the Electricity Commissioners ; Dr. Frank Collie, and Dr. Brebner Scott. LORD ALNESS ON THE SCHOOL. Lord Alness, in proposing the toast of " The School and the Former Pupils' Club," said that any right-minded man who thought about the school in which he was trained must feel affection, gratitude, and pride. As regarded affection, could anyone fail in devotion to the institution at which he had spent the safe and sheltered days of his youth ? " Till recently," said Lord Alness, " I should have thought not, but when I have read of a distinguished Cabinet Minister and, perhaps, a less distinguished author who went out of their way to disparage if not, indeed,

152

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

to cast aspersions upon the great English public schools in which they were respectively trained, I can only wonder and regret. I can hardly believe that such things could happen in Scotland. I can hardly think that anyone would be guilty of such an impropriety, and I have no hesitation in calling it an impropriety. If we desire to criticize the school in which we were trained, let us adopt better and more decent methods than the proclamation of its defects upon the house-tops. " An interesting movement which has been brought to my notice by Mr. George Duncan of Aberdeen, a great friend of the Grammar School, is the idea of providing employment for the boys of the School as they leave and as they require it. The Education Authority of Aberdeen, with great enlightenment, has already appointed an official, one of whose duties it is to supervise such an arrangement for pupils as they leave the elementary schools of the City. Why, I asked, should the idea not be extended to the secondary schools in general, and to the Aberdeen Grammar School in particular? I have been credibly informed that at Cambridge the Appointments Board have, within the last twelve months, found employment for 400 graduates as they left the University. " One of Mr. George Duncan's ideas in connection with this scheme is that it would be a good thing to interest the Club Consuls throughout the Empire in the movement, with the possible result that pupils may be sent from the ends of the earth to be educated in the School in which the Consuls were educated. So it is thought the usefulness of the School may be broadened, with great advantage to itself and to the pupils." In reminiscent mood Lord Alness spoke of his friendship with Principal Sir George Adam Smith, whose life-work in Aberdeen had been an inspiration and a challenge to all of them. In his days there was not a Grammar School boy who did not worship him, and he knew that the same was true to-day. The toast of the London Centre was given by Lord Mackay. Choosing a serious note, he said that amid the pessimism and depression of to-day, the fine old Scots character that came from the hard, almost poverty-stricken soil of Scotland was more needed in the world than ever it was before. " I resent," he said, " or rather I feel antagonistic to the present idea that while Scotsmen may come to London and pick up a good thing or two, they do not go back to Scotland, and have nothing of the Burns spirit about their country. I believe that if people would but develop that spirit in their lives, there is waiting for all of us a place in a movement by which we Scotsmen, we Aberdonians, and we Grammar School boys, will show the Englishmen how the Empire should be served." Dr. Bulloch, who replied to these toasts, said he had been the subject of some criticism in the Aberdeen newspaper that week for some supposed aspersion which he had cast upon a boarding school. The other day he had been discussing before the Vernacular Circle of the Burns Club of London the various movements now afoot in Scotland making for a clearer perspective of their characteristics and identities as a people. He had ventured to quote the late Mr. Campbell Swinton's criticism of compulsory games at Fettes. Mr. Swinton belonged to a very old Scottish family, and strongly resented compulsory games as played at Fettes. " My remarks," Dr. Bulloch said, " have apparently caused a little uneasiness in Aberdeen, because I believe that compulsory games have in recent years been instituted there. But what 1 would say is that I do not believe for a moment that education can remain a static fact. With the necessary development of education in the North, I do hope that we are going to advance along the lines of our special aptitudes and genius as a people." In a closing word our President gave a sharp rap to those parents who think the correct thing to do is to send away their sons to boarding

Ensigns Armorial of The Aberdeen Grammar School

William Mark,

Alexander

1583 — 1890.

*63 - 186£

Gwr

Clark 1893.

Ensigns c rmorial Ghe Abarthan tirammar' Pcr Pala.tWes.lath: dadtr • Wpm CNA: tmcmiArgolr.masonzd Seh: albs the rinIstire m ousel pelesav proper. hilted end pommellal Or oreanctarrall m •ebte.e.1 tht tors sallimkner. beamlbw padlock, ¢ arnan Elm( Dam shirld thts etonsi with.41=6,qm:dad Alm.. uld

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IN response to numerous requests, the registered Coat of Arms of the School, with the official " blazon," has recently been reproduced in the correEt " tinctures." This beautiful lithograph, which will be welcomed by all F.P.s, measures i r n x 8f, and has an ample margin for framing. In order to make the lithograph a more personal possession of any F.P. who purchases a copy, the publishers are prepared to have his name, with the dates of his years at the School, suitably lettered underneath the Arms. Where other members of the purchaser's family have been at the School, his name could be lettered in the centre, and the names of the others on either side. The above miniature reprodu&ion of the Arms will show what is meant. The cost of a copy of the Arms, post free, in Strawboardproteeted envelope, is t/-, and if any lettering has to be added, 3/6. Orders and remittances, with particulars of any lettering that may be desired, should be addressed to the publishers, THE ROSEMOUNT PRESS, LTD., ABERDEEN

Co-operation co-operation of many minds and THEhandsenthusiastic make possible the fine productions of the HOUSE OF OGILVIE. For over three-quarters of a century our constant endeavour has been to give the best possible service to our Customers. We base our claim to your patronage on our ability to please you.

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ABERDEEN GRAMMAR SCHOOL ROLL OF PUPILS 1795-1919 ANNOTATED FROM 1863 BY

THEODORE WATT, M.A. There is still a small balance of copies in stock, and the Executive of the F.P.' Club has authorized the disposal of hese at the

Greatly Reduced Price of 7s. 6d. (Packing and

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A Book every F.P. should possess and treasure.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

153

schools for their education. " I can understand people in the country doing that," he said, " but when people in a town like Aberdeen, where there is a splendid school like the Grammar, send their boys elsewhere, it seems to me to be an appalling piece of lazy parenthood by proxy." Lord Meston, in a happy speech, proposed " Our Guests," and Lord Justice Greer responded. In replying, our guest told us that, a native of Liverpool, he was sent to Aberdeen when 15 years of age to study medicine at the University. On arriving in the city, however, he was sorry to find that his English education was not up to the standard of knowledge of an Aberdeen boy of that age and, on the advice of a friend, it was decided that he should spend a further year at school —the school chosen being the Grammar School of Old Aberdeen. He attended King's College and thereafter, to the great disappointment of his parents, decided to take up law in place of medicine. The Secretary proposed the health of the Chairman, and in the course of his remarks showed how, during his term of office, Dr. Bullock had been an ideal President. He congratulated Dr. Bulloch on the success which had attended his first term, and wished him an equally successful second term, on which he had entered that night. The gathering was brought to a conclusion by the singing of " Auld Lang Syne," and everyone agreed that the evening had been a most successful one. During the evening a small Concert Party entertained the company with songs. In addition to those already mentioned, the following were amongst those who attended the function :—Lieut.-Col. J. Rennie Greig, T.D. ; Major Douglas H. W. Williamson, Major Maurice J. Williamson, Major Charles Reid, D.S.O. ; Dr. J. I. P. Wilson, Dr. J. A. Davidson, Dr. Alexander Hill Griffith, Dr. Andrew J. Shinnie, Dr. Redvers Ironside, Dr. W. J. O'Connor, Dr. G. D. Knight, Dr. H. D. Christie, Dr. G. O. Gauld, Dr. G. O. Gauld, Jun. ; Dr. J. Burnett Rae, D. Bruce Rae, Alfred Williams, A. Landsborough Thomson, M.A., D.Sc. ; J. C. O. Lawrence, A.M.I.M.E. ; Alexander Reid, M.Inst.C.E. ; J. Drummond Smith, M.A. ; W. Rogie Angus, M.A., B.Sc. ; Edward Legge, M.A. ; G. S. Smith-Spark, M.A. ; E. O. Hector, C.A. ; H. S. Insch, C.A. ; J. W. Milne, C.A. ; W. Nicol, C.A. ; W. A. Henderson, C.A. ; G. Elder Levie, C.A. ; H. L. Pirie, M.C. ; Harold S. Milne, Leonard J. Smith, M.C. ; D. M. Wright, W. M. Mackenzie, W. Hutcheon, J. H. Davidson, Andrew R. Abercromby, R. Norman Hally, C. E. Garland, D. H. Rennett, J. R. H. Jones, A. McKenzie-Smith, Edward Brodie, Ernest Clark, J. Ross Esson, F. C. Wallace, J. G. Kyd, F.F.A. ; and Thos. D. H. Brown, Honorary Secretary.

The Tennis Section. The Tennis Section had a very successful season in 1930. The membership was the largest for some years, and several interesting matches were played. A Club Tournament was held during May and June, which proved very popular with the members. For some years past members of the Section have been privileged to introduce a guest any Wednesday evening, but in May, permission was granted by the Rubislaw Field Committee to extend this privilege to Monday and Saturday evenings also. In November an Informal Dinner was held in Kennaway's Rooms which was well attended by members of the Section and their guests. A most enjoyable evening was spent with music, cards, and ping-pong. It is hoped the Tennis Dinner will become an annual event. New members for the forthcoming season will be welcomed, and it is expected that play will be started during April. Intending members should communicate with the Secretary of the Section, F. Floyd Stott, 273 Great Western Road.

154

Aberdeen Grammar School .1Iagazine.

The Glasgow Centre. At an enthusiastic preliminary meeting held in Glasgow on 1st December, 1930, it was unanimously decided to form a Glasgow Centre of the Club. Replies in favour of such a venture had been received from 30 members resident in the district, and it was felt that such a response was highly encouraging. The Rules governing the London Centre were considered, and similar rules were adopted for Glasgow. Office-bearers were appointed as follows : President—James Ledingham; Hon. Secretary and Treasurer—Henry G. Edwards; Committee—William A. Allan, J. H. N. Craigen, Launcelot H. Ross, G. A. M. Saunders, and Rev. Sydney C. Still, M.A. The sanction of the Executive of the Club, duly applied for in accordance with the Constitution of the Club, was very cordially granted, and the Glasgow Centre has made very promising progress, having already between 50 and 60 members on its roll. All members of the Club residing within the counties of Argyll, Ayr, Bute, Dumbarton, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Lanark, Renfrew, Stirling, and Wigtown, and west of a line drawn from Stirling to Carlisle, are ipso facto members of the Glasgow Centre. If any F.P.s resident in this area have not received notification of the meetings of the Centre, they are requested to communicate with the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Henry G. Edwards, 12 Cresswell Street, Glasgow, W.2. The opening social function of the Centre was held on Saturday, 31st January, 1931, in the Grosvenor Restaurant, Glasgow, the attendance in this instance being confined to members. Progressive Bridge occupied the major portion of the evening, and later the company was entertained in song and story by Messrs. J. H. N. Craigen and H. L. Watson. Although the attendance was smaller than had been hoped, the members present spent an enjoyable evening and looked forward with pleasure to larger attendances at future meetings of the Centre.

The First Annual Dinner. The first Annual Dinner of the Centre was held in the Grosvenor Restaurant, Glasgow, on Saturday, 14th March, 1931, when the guest of the evening was the Hon. Lord Mackay. The President of the Centre, Mr. James Ledingham, banker, was in the chair. LORD MACIiAY'S SPEECH. Lord Mackay, in proposing the toast of " The School, the Club, and the Glasgow Centre," first made reference to his election as President of the Former Pupils' Club, and said that he hoped he would not fail in his duties as President, and would do them not merely formally but would, if ho could, help to make the Club and its various Centres an increasing force. Proceeding to refer to the School, Lord Mackay said that they were all proud of their old School. Their Etons, their Harrows and their other famous schools were great schools, and those who belonged to them had a right to be proud of them, but the Grammar School of Aberdeen was a thing apart. He did not say that in any boastful spirit. He had been told, and he thought rightly told, when at the London Centre, that it was the case that there was only one possible competitor with the School in the whole world for continuous existence as a school. (Applause.) On the heading of the Club letterpaper was the statement that the School was founded prior to 1256. By that date the Grammar School of Aberdeen was already an institution. They could talk glibly about the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but they forgot sometimes how young the modern civilization of the world was, because when they went back four or five centuries, they found they had gone beyond

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Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

155

the time when there existed a Scottish University at all. The Grammar School of Aberdeen was known to have existed and to have taught for centuries before any Scottish University was founded, and he thought they would find it was correct that the School had rectors and masters before any English University was founded. As far back as could be traced the School was under the supervision of the ecclesiastics of the time, but it was also run under the auspices of the town of Aberdeen, and that had remained from then till now. He believed there had always been Town Council bursaries to encourage the lad o' pairts in Aberdeen. It was rather an interesting instance of the civic powers of a growing burgh encouraging and taking part in the upkeep of a school, and he thought the circumstances were unique both in Scotland and in England. (Applause.) Referring to the part that games had played in the life of the School, Lord Mackay said he was perfectly convinced that all-round development of character was the first thing in education, and for that purpose games, honourably and reasonably conducted, were as important as letters and figures. The Grammar School of Aberdeen had always done that in a reasonable and proper manner. It was not merely that normal playing of a game with its honourable traditions was real training for after life, but he believed wholeheartedly that if they could conduct business, politics, and world affairs in the spirit of the best play, half the difficulties of the world would disappear. All life was a fight. It was really serious. The idea that everybody should be put in wadding and kept cosy from the day of his launching into life until his death did not appeal to him. On that basis mankind would go backward and become less than the animals. It was a tussle, but if all their hard fights in life could end in the way in which they found a Rugby team giving three hearty cheers for their opponents, human life would not be such a serious and dangerous thing as it at present was. (Applause.) THE CLUB SECRETARY'S REPLY. Mr. Theodore Watt, who replied on behalf of the School and the Club, conveyed the congratulations and best wishes of the Executive of the Club to the Glasgow members on the formation of the new Centre, which, he said, would be a focussing point for members of the Club in the south-west of Scotland. He also remarked on the appropriateness of the presence of Lord Mackay as chief guest, in view of his election a few days before to the Presidency of the Club. Referring to various points that had been mentioned by Lord Mackay in his speech, Mr. Watt observed that the Grammar School first definitely emerged from the mists of the past in 1256. That was the furthest back date to which the history of the School had so far been traced. No one, however, knew when the School was actually started, though it seemed probable that it had originated under the auspices of the Church. As showing the School's interest in its long history, Mr. Watt recalled how a former Rector, Dr. James Moir, used to picture the boys of the Grammar School watching Robert the Bruce marching with his troops over the Brig o' Balgownie. Lord Mackay had made reference to Mr. H. F. Menzies, who came as a master to the School early in Dr. Morland Simpson's rectorship, and who, as an old Rugby Internationalist, did a great deal to set the F.P. Rugby team on its feet, and helped to establish its prestige right from the start. Mr. Watt mentioned that Mr. Menzies had been for many years, and still was, Rector of Wallace Hall Academy, Dumfriesshire. In a reference to the Magazine Mr. Watt said that he might be pardoned for mentioning that next year he would have completed 25 years as editor. He spoke of the satisfaction which the editing of the Magazine had brought him, and of the interesting letters which he received from former pupils in all parts of the world.

156

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

Turning to the School, Mr. Watt described it as being in " fine fettle." The masters, he said, were more and more recognizing the value of getting alongside the boys through games and other activities, and he spoke of the recent development of tours abroad at Easter. Mr. Watt then mentioned some of the outstanding activities of the Club during the last dozen years, including the building of the War Memorial Pavilion, the erection of the Byron Statue, the presentation of the Shanghai Clock, the installation of the John Waters Organ, and last, but not least, the very successful establishment of the School Boarding House. Mr. Watt concluded by saying that he could speak for hours on the School and the Club, but he must remember that a second speaker had also to reply to the toast. The Chairman then briefly replied on behalf of the Centre, and expressed his gratification at the encouraging attendance. Mr. Launcelot H. Ross proposed " Our Guests," and Mr. Alexander McKenzie replied. During the evening an enjoyable programme of songs and elocutionary items was given by Messrs. Parry Gunn, John Gray, A. Leggett, H. L. Watson, and J. H. N. Craigen. Mr. Bert Brisbane was accompanist. In the company were :—Lord Mackay; Mr. Theodore Watt, Aberdeen, Hon. Secretary of the F.P. Club ; and the following members of the Glasgow Centre—Messrs. Wm. A. Allan, Glasgow; W. M. Anderson, Troon ; J. H. N. Craigen, Glasgow ; Henry G. Edwards, Hon. Secretary, Glasgow Centre; Wm. B. Jack, Greenock; Dr. Alexander Johnstone, Greenock ; Mr. James Ledingham, President, Glasgow Centre ; Dr. Keith R. T. Matthew, Glasgow ; Messrs. Launcelot H. Ross, Glasgow; G. A. M. Saunders. Glasgow: David J. G. Shennan, Glasgow; Rev. Sydney C. Still, Glasgow ; Messrs. James Stirrat, Glasgow ; R. D. Strachan, Dairy ; J. Murray Tomory, Glasgow ; H. L. Watson, Glasgow ; and Alexander A. Rae Smith, Glasgow.

The Hockey Section. The Section have had a fairly successful season. Unfortunately, owing to the wretched weather conditions, no less than eight of our fixtures had to be cancelled. For the third year in succession we have been able to field three XIs. The play of our second and third teams is improving with experience, and some of our young players show great promise. W. Menzies, C. Maclennan and C. J. Stewart played in the Local Trial at Rubislaw. W. Menzies and C. Maclennan played for the North against the Highlands at Inverness, and C. Maclennan was selected to play for the combined North and Highland XI at Dundee in the Scottish Hockey International Trials. There are no new Caps, but Dates have been awarded to E. Yule, C. Maclennan, C. J. Stewart, and W. Menzies. The following is a list of matches and results for the season up to date :— For. Against. v. St. Ronald .. •• •. 2 1 1-5 6-0 v. Aberdeen •• .. .. 3 1 2-2 — v. 'Varsity .. .. .. .. 2 o_ii 1 v. 'Varsity " A " .. .. .. 2 2 — v. Mackie Academy F.P.s .. .. 5 2 — v. Grammar " A " .. .. 6 4 — v. Ruthrieston F.P.s .. .. 2 2 1-2 v. Gordonians •. .. .• 0 0 — v. Richmond 3 •• •• •• 5 0- 3 v. Depot Gordon Highlanders .. — — 11-3 Won 7. Lost 5. Drawn 4.

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Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

157

The Rugby Football Section. The Section has, so far, had rather a disappointing season. The 1st XV's record of games up to the present shows that out of sixteen games played, seven have been won, eight lost, and one drawn. Two of these defeats resulted from away fixtures, in which the Section was weakly represented owing to the usual difficulty of the inability of members to travel. On account of the severity of the weather five of the recent fixtures had to he cancelled,three of these being out of town. For the same reason, the annual struggle for the Cup has been postponed, and it is hoped that the 1st XV will be more successful in their ties than they have been throughout the season. The 1st XV this season was fortunate in having the services of R. A. Spark, who played regularly for the 1st XV several years ago, and who is at present home on leave from abroad. J. M. McLeod, who recently left to go to Oxford. is now playing in the position of scrum-half for Oxford Exiles 1st XV. The 2nd XV have played twelve games, of which they have won five and lost seven. Several of their fixtures have been against 1st XVs, such as Aberdeenshire and Engineers, and accordingly the results are not so disappointing as appears at first sight. The 3rd XV have played twelve games, won seven and lost five. This satisfying record has been made possible through the increased membership of the Section. Full Colours for the present season have been awarded as follows :— J. M. McLeod, R. D. Bain, I. F. Booth, G. W. Bowes, J. I. Morrice, A. N. Smith, J. E. Bothwell, D. P. Cochran, N. S. Cowan, H. B. Grant, J. Trail, and S. R. Smith. Half Colours :—A. S. Duncan, W. F. Mayor, A. Macdonald, W. P. Smith, A. A. N. Bain, D. L. Rennet, G. J. Anderson, G. D. Allan, J. P. Jeffrey, J. L. Ducat, A. M. Roberton, I. Stewart, and N. C. Duffus. SUMMARY OF ANNUAL RESULTS. The following is a summary of results from as far back as can be traced. The records for some intervening years are missing, and any information with regard to these years would be welcome :— Playing Points. For Against Membership.

Season.

Matches played.

Won.

•• 1908-9 1909-10 • . 1910-11 • • 1911-12 • • 1912-13 . • 1913-14 . • •• 1922-3

9 13 18 16 13 17 17

4 7 7 8 9 10 17

4 5 6 6 4 4 0

1 1 5 2 0 3 0

1923-4

•.

577

1924-5 1925-6

•. ••

21 14

13 10

6 4

2 0

421 196

1926-7

•.

226

1927-8 1928-9 1929-30 1930-31

•• •• .• ••

17 15 18 16

6 8 11 7

9 6 5 8

2 1 2 1

157 218 272 147

Lost. Drawn.

43 54 82 97 No data 183 g.:, 98 112 j il 54 226 I, .1,.. 71 356 , j 16

No data 27 29 29 30 34 36 Cup winners 88 42 Cup winners 107 68 98 42 Cup winners 77 46 Cup winners 195 45 131 28 34 155 165 60

158

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine. RECENT 1st XV RESULTS.

Nov. 29. Dec. 6. „ 13. • 20. Jan. 17. 24. Feb. 7. • 14. „ 21.

v. 1st Aberdeen 'Varsity, at Rubislaw v. 1st School, at Rubislaw .. .. v. 1st Aberdeen 'Varisty, at Rubislaw v. 1st Aberdeenshire, at St. Machar .. v. 1st Panmure, at Rubislaw .. .. v. 1st Gordonians, at Rubislaw .. .. v. 1st Aberdeen 'Varsity, at King's .. v. 1st Engineers, at Hazelhead .. v. 1st Gordonians, at Rubislaw .. ..

Nov. 29. Dec. 6. • 13. 20. Jan. 24. Feb. 21.

2nd Gordonians, at Seafield .. .. v. 2nd Aberdeenshire. at Rubislaw .. v. 1st Engineers, at Hazelhead •• v. 2nd Aberdeen 'Varsity, at Rubislaw v. 1st Gordon's College, at Rubislaw .. v. 1st Aberdeenshire, at Rubislaw ..

Nov. 29. Dec. 6. • 13. • 20. Jan. 17. 24. Feb. 7. „ 21.

v. 3rd Gordonians, at Seafield .. v. 2nd Engineers, at St. Machar v. 3rd School, at Rubislaw .. v. 3rd 'Varsity, at Rubislaw .. v. 2nd Engineers, at Rubislaw .. v. 3rd Aberdeenshire, at Rubislaw v. 3rd Aberdeenshire, at Rubislaw v. 3rd School, at Rubislaw ..

•• •. •• •. •• •• .• .• ••

Lost 6-13 Won 14-11 Lost 3— 8 Won 6— 5 Won 15-14 Lost 3— 8 Lost 6-14 Won 9— 0 Won 8- 7

•. •• •• •• •• ..

Won 10- 3 Lost 6- 8 Lost 0- 5 Lost 3— 6 Lost 3-12 Lost 5-34

•• •• •• •• •• •• .. •.

Won 16— 9 Lost 3- 6 Won 31- 8 Lost 3- 8 Lost 8-11 Won 15-12 Lost 0- 3 Won 35-14

2nd XV RESULTS.

3rd XV RESULTS. .. .. .. .. . .:

1st XV MATCHES. 29th November, 1930. v. 1st 'Varsity, at Rubislaw. F.P.s :— J. M. McLeod ; N. S. Cowan, G. W. Bowes, J. W. B. Cruickshank, S. R. Smith ; W. F. Mayor, A. Macdonald ; R. D. Bain, W. P. Smith, J. Trail, I. F. Booth, J. E. Bothwell, A. N. Smith, H. B. Grant, R. A. Spark. 'Varsity kicked off and scrumming followed, and Mayor took play into the 'Varsity half. Even play followed, and Cowan just failed to gather Bowes's cross-kick. F.P.s were doing well in the tight scrum. 'Varsity pressed and almost scored, but Bowes broke away and was just tackled in time to save a score. Again 'Varsity pressed, but McLeod's fine tackling saved the situation. Mishandling and hard tackling kept both lines intact for a time, but shortly before half-time Cruickshank let Cowan away to score the first try. Half-time—F.P.s, 3 points ; 'Varsity, 0 points. On resuming, play went from end to end and much scrumming on the F.P. line was ended by a breakaway by Bain. F.P.s pressed, and Macdonald got over after good work by the forwards. 'Varsity pressed hard again, and going all out scored a try which was converted. Shortly after they scored again and converted once more. F.P.s were by no means beaten, and Mayor was unfortunate when attempting a drop at goal. Shortly afterwards 'Varsity scored another try, and F.P.s, although pressing hard until no-side, were unable to score again. Result-F.P.s, 6 points ; 'Varsity, 13 points. 13th December, 1930. v. 1st 'Varsity, at Rubislaw. F.P.s :— H. T. N. Sands ; N. S. Cowan, G. W. Bowes, J. W. B. Cruickshank, S. R. Smith ; A. N. Other and N. C. Duffus ; R. D. Bain, J. Trail, R. A. Spark, W. P. Smith, A. N. Smith, J. E. Bothwell, H. B. Grant, A. A. N. Bain.

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Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

159

After the kick-off, play remained at midfield with much scrumming. 'Varsity then pressed, and much bad passing spoiled the F.P.s' attempts to relieve the pressure. Bain and Smith, however, led a fine rush up-field, and F.P.s were almost over but could not score. Spark was continually breaking away, but was ill supported. 'Varsity forwards brought the ball down, and after some scrumming, 'Varsity scored an unconverted try far out. Shortly after this 'Varsity again scored, and F.P.s were hemmed into their own twenty-five until half-time. Half-time—F.P.s, 0 points ; 'Varsity, 8 points. On resuming, F.P.s pressed, and a well-deserved score came when A. N. Other burst through for an unconverted try. Grant was injured and had to go off. Spark A. A. saved well from a free kick for offside, and F.P.s pressed hard. N. Bain just failed with a penalty kick. Bowes gained touch in the 'Varsity twenty-five, and thereafter attempted to drop a goal but also failed, and no-side came with F.P.s unlucky not to have scored again. Result—F.P.s, 3 points ; 'Varsity, 8 points. 20th December, 1930. v. 1st Aberdeenshire, at St. Machar. F.P.s :—H. T. N. Sands ; N. S. Cowan, J. W. B. Cruickshank, G. W. Bowes, A. N. Smith ; W. F. Mayor and A. Macdonald ; R. D. Bain, R. A. Spark, G. D. Allan, J. Trail, W. P. Smith, A. M. Robertson, A. A. N. Bain, and J. E. Bothwell. F.P.s played downhill, but from the start were hemmed in their own twenty-five, and Aberdeenshire had an early score, which was converted. F.P.s then came away and their forwards took the ball well down. A penalty kick was awarded, which Mayor converted. Bad marking by 'Shire enabled Cowan to add an unconverted try before half-time. Half-time—F.P.s, 6 points; 'Shire, 5 points. In the second half F.P.s heavy pack kept 'Shire well in hand, and were continually pressing, but no further scoring occurred for either side. Result —F.P.s, 6 points ; 'Shire, 5 points. 17th January, 1931. v. Panmure, at Rubislaw. F.P.s :—R. D. Bain ; L. S. Cowan, G. W. Bowes, J. W. B. Cruickshank, S. R. Smith ; W. F. Mayor and A. Macdonald ; J. Trail, R. A. Spark, J. E. Bothwell, A. N. Smith, A. A. N. Bain, W. P. Smith, and J. S. Dunnett. From the kick-off Panmure pressed, but R. D. Bain relieved with a fine kick to touch. Panmure came back, however, and scored between the posts, but did not convert. F.P. forwards went hard from the restart, and Trail got over for an unconverted try far out. Scrappy play followed until Bowes broke away well, but was pulled down. The forwards, using their feet, rushed the ball up for Cowan to cross the line for another unconverted try. Panmure replied strongly and scored a try just on half-time as a result of Cochran's enterprise. He was playing for them, as they arrived with only fourteen men. Halftime—F.P.s, 6 points ; Panmure, 6 points. On resuming, Macdonald sent Bowes away, but he was tackled on the line. Panmure then forced the pace, and after good back play went over far out. The try was converted. F.P. forwards then assumed control, and Smith got over at the corner for another try, which was not converted. Soon after Mayor got possession, and after gaining much ground, gave to Cowan, who scored far out. Bain failed with the kick. F.P.s were now hard at it, and Smith went over for another unconverted try. Just before no-side Panmure broke away from centre and scored between the posts but failed to convert. Result—F.P.s, 15 points ; Panmure, 14 points. 24th January, 1931. v. Gordonians, at Rubislaw. F.P.s :S. W. Wood ; N. S. Cowan, G. W. Bowes, J. W. B. Cruickshank, S. R. Smith ; W. F. Mayor and A. Macdonald ; R. A. Spark, J. I. Morrice, A. N. Smith, J. Trail, J. E. Bothwell, W. P. Smith, A. A. N. Bain, and J. S. Dunnett.

160

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

The ground was in very bad condition, and there was much scrappy play from the kick-off. Gordonians were the first to press, but F.P.s came back. Faulty handling by F.P. backs let Gordonians through for a try. Fine F.P. forward rushes took play up-field, but Gordonians, kicking with the wind, were soon back again, and only the F.P. forwards kept giving relief with good work in the loose. Half-time—F.P.s, 0 points ; Gordonians, 3 points. Immediately on re-starting Bowes cut through, only to be held on the line, and for a time play remained in the visitors' twenty-five. An unexpected breakaway by Gordonians gave them a try which was easily converted. F.P.s continued to attack and were often unfortunate, but at last Smith got over for an unconverted try. There was more scrappy play until no-side, but F.P.s could not score. Result—F.P.s,! 3j points ; Gordonians, 8 points. 7th February, 1931. v. 'Varsity, at King's. F.P.s :—A. S. Duncan ; S. R. Smith, A. A. N. Bain, I. Stewart, N. S. Cowan ; W. F. Mayor and A. Macdonald ; R. D. Bain, J. I. Morrice, R. A. Spark, J. Trail, J. E. Bothwell, A. N. Smith, W. P. Smith, and I. F. Booth. 'Varsity kicked off, but Duncan sent them back with a fine kick. F.P.s broke away from a scrum, and good work by Spark and Macdonald gained ground. 'Varsity, however, returned to the attack, only to be held up by F.P. forwards, who were playing a great game. Relief came through Mayor and Spark, who took play to the 'Varsity twentyfive, and Smith was unlucky not to score from a kick ahead. The F.P. forwards were getting the ball, and Spark was apparently everywhere. Just before half-time R. Bain kicked across for Morrice to gather and score an unconverted try. Half-time-F.P.s, 3 points ; 'Varsity, 0 points. F.P.s were early offside and 'Varsity pressed hard to score soon after between the posts and convert. F.P. forwards retaliated, and Cowan got over for an unconverted try. For a time F.P.s pressed strongly, but a breakaway by 'Varsity, and a free kick against F.P.s gave 'Varsity a well-taken penalty goal. Mayor was kicking well, but 'Varsity got through again for an unconverted try. Just before the finish 'Varsity added another. Result—F.P.s, 6 points ; 'Varsity, 14 points. 14th February, 1931. v. Engineers, at Hazelhead. From the kickoff F.P.s attacked, and Macdonald sent Cowan over for a try which was not converted. Play was very scrappy, and there was no further scoring this half. Half-time—F.P.s, 3 points ; Engineers, 0 points. On resuming F.P. forwards pressed hard, and Strachan picked up to score a try far out. From the kick-off Spark went away by himself to score another unconverted try. Result—F.P.s, 9 points ; Engineers, 0 points. 21st February, 1931. v. Gordonians, at Rubislaw. F.P.s :— A. S. Duncan ; N. S. Cowan, J. W. B. Cruickshank, G. W. Bowes, E. C. Strachan ; W. F. Mayor and A. Macdonald ; R. D. Bain, J. I. Morrice, R. A. Spark, A. N. Smith, J. E. Bothwell, J. Trail, W. P. Smith, and A. A. N. Bain. Play went from end to end at the start with F.P.s getting the ball well in the line-outs. Gordonian backs were playing well, and forcing the pace they secured a drop-goal from far-out. F.P. forwards worked hard but the backs were weak. Gordonians, however, got off-side on their own line and Mayor kicked a fine goal. Half-time—F.P.s, 3 points; Gordonians, 4 points. Bain went ahead from the kick-off and Cruickshank almost got through, but soon after an intercepted pass let Gordonians through for a good score. F.P.s pressure told however, and Bain went over for Mayor to convert finely. Bowes soon tried a drop at goal, but should have passed out, and F.P.s continued to press hard. There was no further scoring. Result—F.P.s, 8 points ; Gordonians, 7 points.

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161

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

List of Club Consuls. AUSTRALIA (Victoria) :—THOMAS G. WATSON (1896-99), Box 26, Stock Exchange, Melbourne. D.D., BORNEO :—Rt. Rev. E. D. LOGIE DANSON (1892-94), Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak, Bishop's House, Kucking, Sarawak, via Singapore. CANADA (Manitoba) :—JOHN CHARLES MURRAY &I.IGERTCo., 201 WOOD (1903-06), C.A., c/o Peat, Marwick, Mitchell Huron and Erie Building, Winnipeg.

CANADA (British Columbia) :—WILLIAM ERNEST MILNE (1881-90), 347 Water Street, Vancouver. CANADA (New Brunswick) :—WILLIAM MENZIES KESSON (1893-98), Fredericton.

(1880CANADA (Nova Scotia) :—GEORGE MACKENZIE WOOD Halifax. 1882), c/o Messrs. Joseph Wood & Co., Central Wharf, C.E., c/o CANADA (Ontario) :—ROBERT FLEMING (1891-98),Toronto. Messrs. Wood, Fleming & Co., Royal Bank Buildings, CENTRAL AMERICA (Guatemala) :—CHARLES H. MOIR

(1873-76), la Avenida Norte No. 6, Guatemala, via New Orleans and Puerto Barrios.

CEYLON :—DAVID SCOTT (1886-94), c/o Messrs. Lewis Brown & Co., Colombo.

[Residing at 36 Rubislaw Den South, Aberdeen.]

AngloCHILE :-JAMES ALEXANDER RHIND (1902-04), The Chilian Consolidated Nitrate Corporation, Tocopilla. CHINA (Hongkong) :—ALAN REID (1911-14), Chartered Bank

of India, Australia and China, Hongkong. CHINA (Shanghai) :—WILLIAM ROBERTSON MYERS (1895-99), Commissioner, Chinese Maritime Customs, Shanghai.

CHINA (Tientsin) :—JOHN CAMERON TAYLOR (1904-06), cio Messrs Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., Tientsin.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA :—Captain JOHN WILLIAM TAYLOR (19061911), M.B.E., M.A., His Britannic Majesty's Vice-Consul, Prague. (1908-15), Turf EGYPT :—HAMISH FORREST MACLENNAN Club, Cairo.

(1895F.M.S. (Negri Sembilan) :—DONALD TRENCH SKEEN 1899), M.B., Seremban. (1898-1909), F.M.S. (Perak) :—WILLIAM CLARK WARRACK Sungkai Estate, Sungkai, Perak.

F.M.S. (Selangor) :—COLIN HAY MILLER (1900- 04),

Lenggeng

Estate, Semenyih P.O. Nabavatu. FIJI :-KENNETH JAMES ALLARDYCE (1894-95), Hong(1896-1901), DANIELSON GERMANY :—JAMES GORDON Strasse kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, MOnckeberg 27, Hamburg, 1.

Singlo INDIA (Assam) :—WILLIAM H. G. HALLY (1889-96), Tea Co., Ltd., Jaboka Division, Sonari P.O.

INDIA (Bengal) :—G. F. ROSE (1881-92), c/o Messrs. Andrew and Co., Ltd., 8 Clive Row, Calcutta.

Yule

162

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

INDIA (Bombay) :—JOHN HALL RITCHIE (1903-09), M.A., B.Sc., c/o Yacht Club, Bombay. INDIA (Central Provinces) :-CECIL ARTHUR GRANT SAVIDGE (1913-24), c/o Secretariat, C.P. Government, Nagpur. INDIA (Rajputana) :—GEORGE TAYLOR SIMPSON (1910-20), Jodhpur State Railway, Jodhpur. KENYA COLONY :—HECTOR BRODIE (1906-17), Sonamerg Estate, P.O. Songhor. MEXICO :—ALEXANDER and ROBERT YOUNG (1914-21), c/o William Young & Co., S.A., 2a San Jeronimo, 31, Mexico City. NEW ZEALAND :—Dr. THEODORE GRANT GRAY (1895-1901), Government Buildings, Wellington. NIGERIA (Northern Provinces) :—CAMPBELL GRANT MCKENZIE (1910-12), c/o The Secretary, N.P., Kaduna. NIGERIA (Southern Provinces) :-Dr. WILLIAM EDWARD GLOVER (1896-98), c/o The Principal Medical Officer, Lagos. POLAND :—JAMES BRYCE CLARKE (1896-99), Anglo-Polish Bank, Warsaw. RHODESIA (Southern) :—NORMAN ALEXANDER SINCLAIR (1913-16), Midlothian Syndicate, Midlothian Farm, P.B., Salisbury. SOUTH AFRICA (Cape Province) :— Vacant. SOUTH AFRICA (Natal) :—DAVID STRACHAN (1893-1902), 19 Hulston's Buildings, Durban. SOUTH AFRICA (Orange Free State) :—DOUGLAS GORDON BISSET (1890-1900), Castor Siding, Private Bag, Bloemfontein, SOUTH AFRICA (Transvaal) :—JOHN EWAN HENDERSON (1884-87), 24 Saxonwold Drive, Saxonwold, Johannesburg (P.O. Box 4466 ; Telephone--Rosebank 951). SOUTH AMERICA (The Argentine) :—REGINALD J. G. WILSON (1905-11), Anglo-South American Bank, Buenos Aires. SOUTH AMERICA (Brazil) :—A. BAIN MACKIE (1896-1904), Royal Bank of Canada, Caixa do Correio No. 300, Rio de Janeiro. STRAITS SETTLEMENTS (Penang) :—JOHN RHYS DANSON (1897-1903), Municipal Office, Penang. STRAITS SETTLEMENTS (Singapore) : — WILLIAM B. S. PIGGE (1914-21), Singapore Improvement Trust, Municipal Buildings, Singapore. SUDAN :—JAMES LORIMER SOUPER (1898-1909), The Gordon Memorial College, P.O. Box 286, Khartoum. SUMATRA :-EDWARD PERCY BARNETT (1895-1903), The Bandar Sumatra Rubber Co., Ltd., Bandar Pinang, P.O., Galang, E.C., Sumatra. UGANDA :—GRAEME GEORGE SUTHERLAND (1903-09), Mengo Planters' Ltd., P.O. Box 19, Kampala. UNITED STATES (Chicago) :—THOMAS (1894-1900), 1715 Illinois Merchants BankB. G. HENDERSON Building, Chicago. UNITED STATES (New York) :— Vacant. WEST INDIES (Tobago) :—KENNETH REID (1901-04), King's Bay. WEST INDIES (Trinidad) :—ARCHIBALD YOUNG (1885-93). c/o Messrs. Alston & Co., Ltd., Port of Spain.

McMILLAN'S SPORTS DEPT. SUPPLIES

Every Requisite for Sport TENNIS -- FOOTBALL - LA CROSSE BADMINTON --- HOCKEY -

NET BALL

CRICKET — GOLF -- CROQUET, Etc.

SPECIAL TERMS TO CLUBS.

McMILLAN LTD., Union Bridge, ABERDEEN. TELEPHONE 932.

I Naj

ESTABLISHED 1897.

A. &W. ALEXANDER : Butchers and Fishmongers : Game and Poultry Salesmen PURVEYORS

THE

FINEST

QUALITY

492 UNION STREET ABERDEEN Telegrams—

Telephones-817, 818.

" Alexanders, Fishmongers, Aberdeen."

SHORTBREAD

JOHN

LEDINGHAM & SON, LTD.

470 UNION STREET 580 GEORGE ST. Tel. No. 2544 (2 Lines)

60 ROSEMOUNT PLACE 48 UNION ST. (Tea Room)

ABERDEEN

Higher-Grade

Showyard Erector to the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and Contractor to the Royal Northern Agricultural Society.

SWEETS

*It"

Bluebell Best Mixed Drops Toffee Mixture Aniseed Balls Cinnamon Balls

JOHN REID

13d. I Qr

Buttered Ginger Walnuts 19 Almonds 99

HOUSE CARPENTER AND

Black Striped Balls Licorice Bon Bons Cough Caramels Chocolate de Danse Dairy Butter Bon Bons Barley Sugar Bon Bons (

JOINER

4d. Qr.

55 Blenheim Place and 14 Fountainhall Road

6d. Qr.

ABERDEEN 444

Also 6d., 1/-, 1/6 Pocket Jars, and the well- known

Carpentry and Joinery Work of every description done

21b. Home Jars 3/-, 3/8, 5'- each. ESTIMATES ON APPLICATION

ESSLEMONT FOR SWEETS

---

ABERDEEN

Telephone No. 1997

HUTCHISON SUIT-CASE MAKER and LEATHER MERCHANT

All Materials stocked for

Models Exclusive

LEATHER BACK

CRAFT

Prices Pop sda r

21 PALMERSTON ROAD

WYND

ABERDEEN Telephone 1994 (Private Exchange)

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

163

List of New Members of the Club. LIFE MEMBERS. Allan, George James (1907-20), M.A., M.B., Ch.B., 39 Queen's Road, Aberdeen. Anderson, Wilson (1919-22), c/o Universal Credit Corporation, Penobscot Building, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. Williamson, Robert Bertram (1906-18), M.A., LL.B., 22 Rubislaw Den South, Aberdeen. ORDINARY MEMBERS. Craig, George Mather (1896-99), B.Sc., Roselea, Brookfield, Johnstone, Renfrewshire. Crombie, Hugh Mackenzie (191120), M.B., Ch.B., 6 Queen's Terrace, Aberdeen. Dunnett, William Fleming (191922), St. Mary's Manse, Ellon. Farquhar, Ian Wood (1920-30), 45 Skcne Terrace, Aberdeen. Hatt, Leslie S. (1925-30), 4 Northburn Avenue, Aberdeen. Laing, Ian Horace (1926-30), Cadet in H.M.S. Conway, Rock Ferry, Cheshire. Lawrie, Cyril Johnston (1924-30), The Crest, Westholme Avenue, Aberdeen. MacBean, Alexander Fraser (192030), 10 Chanonry, Old Aberdeen. Meff, Ian Grant (1915-26), 48 Fonthill Road, Aberdeen. Munro, Neil (1925-27), Ravenswood, Banchory. Pattison, lain Henry (1921-30), St. Margaret's Brae, King's Crescent, Aberdeen. Rigby, Henry (1918-28), 20 Hilton Street, Aberdeen.

Robertson, Alexander Matheson (1926-30), 261 Great Western Road, Aberdeen. Russell, James Knox (1917-28), West Park, Pitfodels. Russell, Samuel Boyd (1919-28), West Park, Pitfodels. Sangster, Robert Gray (1919-30), 117 Cromwell Road, Aberdeen. Shepherd, George Thomas Garland (1925-28), Shethin, Tarves, Aberdeenshire. Strachan, William (1920-30), 18 Great Western Place, Aberdeen. Stuart, David Philip (1922-30), 79 Fonthill Road, Aberdeen. Watson, Alastair Ian (1923-30), Merchiston Castle School, Colinton, Midlothian. Watson, John Scott (1923-30), 100 Broomhill Road, Aberdeen. Watson, Mearns Bruce (1920-29), 225 Holburn Street, Aberdeen. Wood, Stanley Whyte (1918-30), 91 Hammerfield Avenue, Aberdeen. Wylie, Norman Richard (1927-30), 30 St. Swithin Street, Aberdeen.

Addresses of Life Members Wanted. The Secretary of the F.P. Club will be glad to receive from anyone the addresses of the following Life Members :— George Gordon Bulmer, M.A. (1910-16). Thomas Leslie Brown (1887-89). Charles Williamson Duff (1877-78). William Elmslie (1904-07). James Gordon, Jun. (1901-06). Theodore William Brailsford Knight (1906-11).

Frank Taylor Lyon (1915-18). Harald Merrylees (1895-98). William Walker Scott (1903-13). Arthur William Strachan (18931901). Gordon I. Strachan (1897-98). William Webster (1878-86).

164

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine.

F.P. Club Office-Bearers, 1931-32 Honorary President— DAVID MIDDLETON ANDREW, M.A. (Rector since 192 4).

Honorary Vice-PresidentsSir JOHN BAKER, M.D. (1875-79).

Professor WILLIAM BULLOCH, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S. (1877-8o). Sir GEORGE CARMICHAEL, K.C.S.I., LL.D. (1876-81).

Sir WILLIAM WATSON CHEYNE, Bart., K.C.M.G., C.B., M.B., C.M., F.R.C.S., D.Sc., LL.D., F.R.S. (1863-68). Sir JOHN COLLIE, C.M.G., M.D., C.M. (1873-76). Sir GEORGE STUART FORBES, K.C.S.I., M.A. (186o-64). Professor JOHN JAMES RICKARD MACLEOD, M.B., Ch.B., D.Sc., LL.D., F.R.S. (1884-93). The Right Hon. Lord MESTON, K.C.S.I., LL.D. (1876-80). DOUGLAS GORDON MILLER, M.A. (Rector, 1921-24). Sir PETER CHALMERS MITCHELL, C.B.E., M.A., D.Sc., LL.D., F.R.S. (1879-80). The Right Hon. ROBERT MUNRO (Lord ALNESS), P.C., M.A., LL.D., Lord Justice-Clerk of Scotland (1884-85). Professor JAMES CHARLES PHILIP, O.B.E., M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. (1886-89). Lieut.-Col. Sir DAVID PRAIN, C.M.G., C.I.E., M.A., M.B., LLD. F.R.S. (1872-73). Lieutenant-General Sir ANDREW SKEEN, K.C.B., K.C.I.E., C.M.G. (1880-86). Professor ROBERT SCOTT TROUP, C.I.E., M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. (1888-91). The LORD PROVOST OF ABERDEEN. President—The Hon. ALEXANDER MORRICE MACKAY (Lord MACKAY), M.A., LL.D. (1882-91). Vice-President—ALAN MCBAIN, M.A., C.A. (1903-14). Secretary and Treasurer— THEODORE WATT, M.A. (1889-1901), The Rosemount Press, Aberdeen. Committee— DOUGLAS P.COCHRAN A. M. JOHNSTON. JAMES LEITH, Jr. WM. G. CRAIGEN,

M.A., LLB. JAMES C. DUFFUS,

M.A., LL.B.

G. G. NicOL, D.S.O.

JAS. PATTERSON, M.A., LL.B.

RANALD ESSLEMONT. W. DOUGLAS SIMPSON, M.A., D.Litt. J. P. JEFFREY, C.A.

J. L. RIDDELL. J. F. WALKER, M.A. N. J. J. WALKER, M.A., LL.B. E. W. WATT, M.A. R. B. WILLIAMSON, M.A., LL.B.

Hon. Auditors—Messrs. BOWER & SMITH, C.A.

BY APPOINTMENT

SHIRRAS, LAING &CO.'S HIRE

DEPARTMENT

Can cope with all demands, large or small. Our huge stock of Hire Goods is at your service. From the smallest informal function to the largest reception we can suit you.

Parties, Receptions, Whist Drives, Bazaars can be supplied with Tables (oblong or round), Table Linen, Chairs, Form Seats, Cutlery, Crockery, Table Glass Ware, Tea Urns (Nickel Silver or Copper), Card Tables, Playing Cards, all on Hire. Indoor Fireworks and Parlour Bombs are becoming the popular feature both for Juvenile and Adult Parties, we carry a large stock; also Paper Lanterns and Decorations. Whist Drive Prises.—We have a large stock of useful and Ornamental Goods very suitable for Whist Drive Prizes—from Novelties at 6d. to Silver Plate & Jewellery. HOUSEHOLD IRONMONGERY.—We have a very comprehensive range of all Household Ironmongery, including Aluminium and Enamelware Kettles, Tea Pots, Fry Pans, and all Culinary Articles; also Brushes in endless variety, Chamois, Dusters, Carpet Sweepers, Vacuum Cleaners, including the famous " Whirlwind" and "Electrolux." Heating and Cooking Stoves, Lamps. Blacksmiths, Tin and Copper Smiths, Heating Engineers, Marquee and Tent Makers and Hirers.

SH I R RAS, LAING & CO., LTD., 46-52 'Phones-1424 & 176.

SCHOOLHILL, ABERDEEN. Wires—" Lamps, Aberdeen."

WHERE TO BUY YOUR FURNISHINGS We are the Actual Manufacturers of High-class Furniture of Original Design OUR UPHOLSTERY IS CONSTRUCTED BY EXPERTS WE SOLVE YOUR EVERY PROBLEM IN BEDDING OUR SOFT GOODS DEPARTMENT LEAVES NOTHING TO BE DESIRED

GALLOWAY 8z SYKES, LTD. The Complete House Furnishing Specialists

361-363 UNION STREET, ABERDEEN

Showyard Erector to the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and Contractor to the Royal Northern Agricultural Society.

Bluebell II igher-Grade

SWEETS Best Mixed Drops Toffee Mixture Aniseed Balls Cinnamon Balls

Vt_ttlir

JOHN REID

3d. J Qr.

Black Striped Balls Licorice Bon Bons Cough Caramels Chocolate de Danse Dairy Butter Bon Bons Barley Sugar Bon Bons Buttered Ginge r Walnuts Almonds

HOUSE CARPENTER AND

JOINER --

4d. Qr.

55 Blenheim Place and 14 Fountainhall Road

6d. / Qr.

ABERDEEN 4444

Also 6d., 1/-, 1/6 Pocket Jars, and the well- known

Carpentry and Joinery Work of every description done

21b. Home Jars 3/-, 3/8, 5/- each. ESTIMATES ON APPLICATION

ESSLEMONT FOR SWEETS

---

ABERDEEN

Telephone No. 1997

HUTCHISON SUIT-CASE MAKER and LEATHER MERCHANT

)%1odels Exclusive

11 BACK

All Materials stocked for

LEATHER

CRAFT

Prices Popular

21 PALMERSTON ROAD

WYND

ABERDEEN Telephone 1994 (Private Exchange)

50 not out! 0 L L Y good score that—half way to the century and never looked like being beaten. Y'know there's a flrong analogy (that's a good word, eh?) between Collies' Grocery Place and Cricket. They're fifty not out, too. Since they flarted 'way back in 188o they've played a flraight bat to all the wily bowlers of their opponents. Collies have such a variety of sirokes, so to speak: they keep things you've seldom heard of, but, by golly! they're good. And even for ordinary flraight drives and cuts like Bacon, Eggs, and Butter and things, they are unexcelled. Some people, too, charge big prices for just ordinary quality. But Collies don't do that—it's not Cricket ! You can be sure when you get Collies' fluff (and tell the mater this) that whatever price you pay, you get correct, solid value. Collies always play the game.

ANDREW COLLIE & CO. 269 UNION STREET ABERDEEN

Cramped or Comfortable

a look at your shoes. Quite ordinary, TAKE you say. Ordinary—yes, but not correct. Look again. See how their inside line, running from the heel, slopes outwards from a point opposite the ball of your foot. This forces the big toes on to the other toes and cramps and squeezes the whole foot.

In this diagram, the solid line indicates the sole of theCanti, lever Shoe, the dotted line the ink of the ordinary shoe. See how the comfortable Cantilever Shoe conforms to the natural straight inner line of the foot and provide ample toe room where the ordinary shoe would force the b g toe inwards to squeez!. crowd and cramp the other toes.

That's where Cantilever Shoes come to the rescue with their straight inner line, which gives ample toe room, and allows the foot to function properly. That's one of the reasons for Cantilever's wonderful comfort. In Cantilevers you can go on walking all day and never feel tired. N.B.—We also wish to point out to you that nine persons out of every ten have a difference between the size of each foot, and it is impossible to have an allowance for this in an ordinary shoe. Therefore, to enjoy absolute foot comfort It is necessary to fit both feet separately. This can be done when fitting Cantilevers, and if you have a difference, gain comfort at once by procuring a pair.

Cantilever Shoes

(made for Women, Children and Alen in a hide range of sizes)

MILNE & MUNRO 263 Union Street

•

ABERDEEN

(Aberdeen's Leading Shoemakers ho years ago—Make us your Sn•ienrific Shoe Fitters to-day) tst,i .sa

W. LUMSDEN & SON 58 UNION STREET, ABERDEEN.

GROCERIES, PROVISIONS, ::

WINES and SPIRITS,

ALL

HIGHEST

QUALITY.

HAVANA CIGARS in Great Variety. Telegrams: " TRAVELLED, ABERDEEN."

\ [ 2(-U.

Established 1770

Telephone 274

SIMPSON & WHYTE LIMITED

' Tailor! of . .

Ladies' & Gentlemen's Garments ALSO

Naval, Military, and Clerical

8 ALBYN PLACE, ABERDEEN

ABERDEEN

TOWN

ABERDEEN Rector

COUNCIL-EDUCATION

GRAMMAR

COMMITTEE.

SCHOOL.

(FOUNDED PREVIOUS TO 1256.) DAVID MIDDLETON ANDREW, M.A.

HE GRAMMAR SCHOOL provides for Boys a complete course of Study, both Elementary and Secondary, Classical and Modern. The School, which is organized in three Departments—Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools—contains excellent laboratories handsomely furnished and equipped, including a Chemical Laboratory, Science Theatre with Physical Laboratory attached, Natural Science Laboratory, Art Room, Gymnasium, Workshop, Botanical Garden, Library, Reading Room, and Museum. Pupils in the Lower School are prepared for the Control Examination of the Education Committee, while the Senior Classes are examined for the Day School Certificate (Higher) and the Leaving Certificate of the Scottish Education Department, passes in the latter examination being recognised as exempting from further examination in the corresponding subjects of the Preliminary Examination for graduation in Arts, Science, Law, and Medicine at the Scottish Universities. The situation of the School in the West end of the City is open and healthy. The Class-rooms are large, and the Grounds for Recreation include separate Playgrounds for Juniors and Seniors, Tennis Courts, and a field for Cricket and Football. There is also a Boarding House run in conjunction with the School.

ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. (ALBYN PLACE.) Head Mistress - Miss BEATRICE M. ROSE, M.A. (Aberd., Oxon.)

HE HIGH SCHOOL provides a liberal education for Girls from 5 or 6 to 18 or rsi years of age, and aims at fitting them for home life and for professions open to women. The School buildings occupy an excellent and spacious site in the West end of the City. The furnishings and equipment of the School comprise, in addition to numerous Class-rooms fitted up with many modern conveniences for teaching purposes, an Assembly Hall, Gymnasium, Art Rooms, a Lantern Room, a School Library of 2,000 volumes, spacious Cookery and Laundry Rooms, and a suite of Laboratories of the most approved description for the teaching of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The School is organized in three Departments—Infants, Primary, and Secondary. The Classes in the Infants and Primary divisions are graded in accord. ance with the requirements of the Scottish Code. The pupils are prepared for the Control Examination of the Education Committee. Pupils in the Secondary Department are prepared for the Day School Certificate (Higher) and the Leaving Certificate of the Scottish Education Department. The subjects of study include—Scripture, English with History and Geography, Mathematics, Classics, Modern Languages, Experimental and Domestic Science, Art, Class Singing, and Physical Exercises. Pupils whose parents desire it are taught Theory and Practice of Music (Pianoforte, Violin, and Organ) in preparation for the Examinations of Trinity College of Music, London, and of the Associated Board of the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. Advanced pupils are prepared for the Licentiate of the Royal Academy. Information as to Fees, Scholarships, Courses of Study, etc., at the Grammar School and High School for Girls is given in the School Prospectus, which may be had free on application to the Director of Education, Education Offices, az Union Terrace, or to the Rector or Head Mistress respectively.

"PREFECT" SUITS THE "Prefect" School Suits are made of reliable cloths in a well-assorted range of designs and colourings. They are cut and tailored :: by experts. :: TO

AGES 8 TO 14

FIT

YEARS.

Usual Qualities55/- to 70/-. 45/- to 60/-. Super Quality-651- to 90/-.

R.K.SMTH &G.. Quality is our Truest Economy

ROBERT STOTT Family Grocer Italian Warehouseman, Tea, Coffee, Wine and Spirit Merchant

53 ALBERT

STREET, ABERDEEN Telephone 1848

THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. MARISCHAL COLLEGE. ABERDEEN.

WINTER SESSION

OCTOBER TO MARCH. APRIL TO JUNE. Courses for B.Sc. (Agr.) Ordinary and Honours Degrees ; College Diploma in Agriculture : National Diploma in Agriculture; Special Farmer's Course ; Planter's Certificate Course, etc. Residential Course in Rural Domestic Economy for Girls at Craibstone. SUMMER SESSION

Calendar giving full particulars of Courses of Instruction, Syllabus of Experimental Work, and particulars of Advisory Work undertaken by toe College ; and Prospectus of Craibstone School of Rural Domestic Economy, may he had on application to

THE SECRETARY, 41i UNION STREET, ABERDEEN.

ESTABLISHED 1815

ABERDEEN SAVINGS BANK

FUNDS £7.800,000

(Certified under Act of Parliament) THE BANK PROVIDES ABSOLUTE SECURITY AND THE MOST COMPLETE SERVICE FOR SAVING. Compound Interest. Su ms of One Shilling and upwards received. No Stamp Duty on Withdrawals. THE SAVINGS BANK endeavours to co-operate with the Parents and with the School in training our Youth in wise spending and in saving "'Tis Education forms the common mind; Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." BOOK SAFES—This most attractive Home Safe may be obtained by Depositors on Application or by making an Initial Deposit of Two Shillings. JAMES It. FIDDES,

HEAD OFFICE-

19 UNION TERRACE, ABERDEEN. BRANCHES

TIIROUGHOUT

ACTUARY. me

CITY

AND

COUN TY.

BOYS LOVE THE COMFORT DUNN'S BOOTS AFFORD PARENTS APPRECIATE :: THEIR LASTING :: :: PROPENSITIES ::

blade on lasts that are stylish as well as comfortable, and the wide selection of leathers and

styles

insure

complete

satisfaction.

Lo.}.s' and Youths' Box-calf Boots tenth either Leather or Uskide Soles. Sizes and half-sizes from 10/6 upwards.

JOHN A. DUNN 46 UNION STREET

•

ABERDEEN

'Phone 158 PRINTRO AT THP. ROSEMOUNT PRESS, ARIERDEAN.