The Vigornian December 1924

Cbc Utyornian. THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAI KIM'S SCHOOL CHRONICLE, " ra [itv SiSaKTa [tavOavia, ra <!' tvptTa. £ijrfc, ra 5' ti^ra irapa. Ofitv j/i

No. in.

VOL. IX.

Contents. Editorial School Notes H.R.H. The Duke of York's Camp . Football Cricket Season Prize Day O.T.C. Notes O.V. News Birth The Oxford Letter Cambridge Letter Debating Society Lecture Society Shooting Swimming Notes Chess Notes Renuntiatio New Year's Day ... Shakespeare on " Rugger " The Elusive Muse School Officers Valete Salvete School Calendar The Library King's Scholarship Examination Correspondence Addenda to O.V. News Contemporaries

DECEMBER, 1924.

PRICE is.

Page 357 358 359 359 361 362 366 367 367 367 368 369 37° 370

37'

372 372 372 373 373 373 374 374 375 375

editorial. This Editorial is to engage in the two tasks which are perhaps more dear to the human heart than any others; certainly, when together, they form an almost irresistible combination. They are, firstly, the administering of a pat on the back to one's self; secondly, the reproof of others in tones of warm moral indignation, coupled with an exhortation to do better in future. The intelligent reader has by now, of course, guessed how the former weakness is here to be indulged. No Editorial hand could conquer its itch to reach up and warmly slap the Editorial back (a difficult proceeding, you think? But you are forgetting that Editors are not like other mortals) on the exceptional success attained by this column at its first attempt to fill the rfile of prophet. This adventurous step was taken in the July number. With a flourish of trumpets the Editorial announced to the world that the flooding of our fields was in truth a blessing in disguise; that, with the practical abolition of the opportunity to play, the opportunity to work was multiplied a hundredfold. And how was this prophecy justified? How was this bright gleam of hope darting over the murky waters of the flooded Severn shown to be lit by the lamp of truth? By results in the Certificate Examinations, the like of which can only be found by one who buries himself in the records of the past, the reputation of the Editor as

THE VIGORNIAN.

358

a seer has been established. We are not suggesting that this column is to become in future years a sort of Old Moore's Almanack, foretelling the coming events of the School year : but it is pleasing to break away at last from convention and find some real mission in life for the poor, aimless Editorial.

The standard of Rugby football throughout the School is steadily improving, and sufficient evidence of its popularity is supplied by the contempt universally poured on " Soccer." We congratulate the School XV. on its victories ; details will be found elsewhere.

To turn to the second business. Why, oh, why are the pages of this magazine so barren of any productive work? Why are the only contributions of any sort received by the editors, letters of a not very intriguing nature in which some earnest or indignant youth laments a prevalent abuse? The Vigornian, though primarily intended for the information of O.V, and outside friends of the School, should of course be readable to the School itself. This it cannot be till greater enthusiasm is displayed in coming forward with any written work that has the least chance of interesting the School and letting the Editors judge whether it really will do so. As a contemporary points out, it is not the least objection to an essay that it has been shown up in form. Surely we all feel that on some occasion we have rather excelled ourselves in this respect! Then, why not, in that case, touch up the essay to suit popular rather than pedagogic tastes and hand it to the Editors?

Speech Day took place on Thursday, October gth. The selection of two eminent Old Vigornians to distribute the prizes was a singularly happy one, and we heartily thank Mr. Matthews, K.C., and Professor Pearce-Higgins, K.C., for their admirable speeches and for the half-holiday which they procured for us. * * *

In closing, let us express a fervent and confident hope that the pens of potential contributors will no longer lie rusted and idle : that the fair Muse of Severn may once more be invoked by youthful followers : and that the Vigornian will not be allowed to deteriorate into a mere drv-as-dust chronicle of facts.

School Dotes. Looking back on the Term that is drawing to a close, we have much cause for satisfaction. The weather has not been as inclement as usual, and we have only had one small flood, while at the beginning of the Term we had better days for the opening of the Rugger season, than throughout the whole of the Cricket season.

The empty places in our midst at the beginning of a new School year are inevitable ; this Term, however, they have been comparatively few. We take this opportunity, however, of bidding farewell to Miss M. J. V. Whitaker, who left the Staff at the end of last Term. The Summer Examinations are behind us and the results satisfactory enough to allow us to forget them. To those who are matching their wits against the examiners' this Term we wish every success.

The new class-rooms are nearing completion and work has just been begun on the proposed Chappel Memorial Reading Room. These buildings will have the welcome effect of making the School less centralised in College Green. # * * The O.T.C. held a Field Day on November 6th, on Bromyard Common. An account of the operations is recorded elsewhere. The weather, though not so favourable as on other recent occasions, remained fine, and a most enjoyable day was spent. * * * The Debating Society has recommenced its activities and the debates held up to the present have been extremely well attended and some good speeches delivered. The Society has tended to wane in recent years through lack of support and therefore its success is the more welcome. The K.S. Examination was held on Nov. izth and 13* ; there were fewer candidates than usual owing to the fact that only three scholarships were offered. We heartily congratulate those who were successful. A chess competition is in progress. We look forward to playing the Blind College next Term and hope for a better result than last year; this, however, can only be attained by practice beforehand. Tire indignation caused by last Term's veto on drilling in the Green has been quelled by a judicious compromise, but one from which somewhat invidious inferences may be drawn. While the donkey is allowed to bray east of the cloister door, section commanders may now vie with it to the west. * * * A mild epidemic of chicken-pox has again attempted to assert itself this Term. But it has merely succeeded in stopping two matches that floods would in any case have made difficult to train for or to play.

THE VIGORNIAN.

ft.R.fi. Cbc Duke of fork's Camp. Our Royal host was unable to greet us at luncheon but he promised to come and see us later, which promise he amply fulfilled. After lunch we were shown the Royal horses and the coaches, after which we made our way to Cannon Street. On our arrival at New Romney we had a little walk to the Camp where we sat straight down to tea. After that we were introduced to the Entertainment Marquee and the Cinema which was showing a thrilling serial entitled " The Green Terror," featuring Heather Thatcher. Sunday was more or less a day of preparation for the work of the week. Our representatives were in " C " Section under Squadron-Leader Cox. The other Public Schools represented were Sedbergh, King William's Coll., Isle of Man, U.C.S. and Queen Mary's School, Wallsall. On Sunday evening we had a rare occurrence— rain ! To while away the time a game of Rugger was organised (?) on the beach. The sides rather resembled those of Tom Brown's schooldays. The game was refereed by Mr. Potter-Irwin and Collis, an Irish international, played in a bathing dress ! On Monday morning real work started. Every morning throughout the week it was the same; the games getting gradually harder and harder. Some games we played were landboats, standing long jump, balls and bucket, stool-ball, bench hurdles, bench obstacles and foot and hand netball. The last was a splendid game. The goals were like two large shrimping nets into which the ball had to be thrown from without a ring. The only rule was not to hold the ball when tackled, otherwise tackle, kick, run or do what you like. " C " Section started top and kept the lead to the end. The steeplechase was the " grand finale " on Friday afternoon. Two Sections ran at a time. Evans came in first in our two in very good time. The Section were third. With this result added in " C " Section were top by about 70 points. Thursday was the great day when the Duke of York came down and brought his brother, the Prince of Wales. With him there were many other distinguished men, including Mr. Gosling, Minister of Transport, Lord Invernairne, the Heads of Harrod's and Whiteley's and Mr. Astley-White, the Headmaster of Westminster. After lunch the Camp photo, was taken. After the photo, every pair of Sections had a game to demonstrate. C. and K. had throwing at the target with tennis balls. The Prince and the Duke joined in with most of their guests and some of the Camp staff. After tea all the visitors made speeches and were limited to three minutes by bombs exploded by the doctor ! The Duke and the Prince both bathed after tea and there was a tremendous crush to get into the same bit of sea as they. The Entertainment was attended by everyone and the Duke made a little speech before he went in which he urged on us that everyone must " play the game," the motto of the Camp. They all drove off amid tremendous cheers and musical honours. Again on Friday night the Entertainment was a gala show. There was an Irish play, film.s, a jazz band and many songs, including a singing competition. The Camp

359

chief made a speech and told us what we were going to do later on (it was now 11.30), and he presented the medals to the first and second Sections, silver and bronze respectively. After Camp prayers we went down to the beach where there was an enormous bonfire. We joined hands and sang Auld Lang Syne and the National Anthem. After that we cheered the Chief and also our section leaders. When we returned to Camp there was a properly organised pillow fight after which we turned in. Commander Coote told us on the first day that we were going to have the happiest week of our lives, and he did not exaggerate in the least. It is a very wonderful experience and our advice is to go if you possibly can. Most people were sorry to leave and would have liked longer and would love to go back again another year. Everything is so wonderfully organised and as for the staff and the section leaders you can't better any of them ; they were absolutely " topping."

Football. FIXTURES. ist XV. Wed., Oct. i .—Old Vigornians - Home Sat., „ 4 —King's Norton R.F.C. Home Sat., „ ii..:—Warwick School Home Sat., ,, 18 —Cheltenham College 2nd XV. Away Wed., „ 29 —Hereford Cath. Sch. Away Sat., Nov. i ,—Kidderminster R.F.C. - Home Wed., „ 5,—Christ's College, Brecon Away Wed., „ 26. —Hereford Cath. Sch. Home Sat., Dec. 6.,—Warwick School - Away 2nd XV. Sat., Oct. ii.—Warwick School 2nd XV. - Away Sat., ,, 18. —Bromyard G.S. - Home Wed., ,, 29..—Hereford Cathedral School 2nd XV. - Home Wed., Nov. 5 .—St. Edward's Sch., Oxford, 2nd XV. Away Wed., „ 26..—Hereford Cathedral School 2nd XV. - Away Sat., „ 29.—Bromyard G.S. - Away Sat., Dec. 6.—Warwick School 2nd XV. - Home 4 th XV. Wed.,Nov. 19 —Blakebrook School - Away Wed., Dec. 3..—Blakebrook School - Home " Under 14 " XV. Sat., Oct. 25.—Downs School - Home Sat., Nov. 8..—Blakebrook Junior XV. - Home Sat., ,, 22.—Blakebrook Junior XV. - Away Sat., „ 29, —Downs School - Away

Won

26—3

Won Won

21—6 10—6

Lost Won

13—31 24—3

Cancelled Lost o—65 Cancelled Cancelled

Lost Won

3—17 48—o

Won

17—o

Lost

o—93

Cancelled Cancelled Cancelled Lost 8—24 Cancelled Cancelled Drawn

6—6

Cancelled Won 9—o

36o

THE VIGORNIAN.

Rugger has been carried on this Term with great enthusiasm by everyone, and the seed planted three years ago has become a tree which seems to hold promise of good fruit in the years to come. Rain and the river have caused some interruptions, but it is an ill wind that blows nobody good, and to the flooded Severn we owe the acquisition of a new field which is permanently above water-level. The ist and 2nd XV. have tasted both success and defeat and so are neither unduly exalted nor unduly depressed. We believe that both the grasp of Rugger tactics and the ability to execute those tactics have increased in the XV.'s and in the School in general. This is largely due to Mr. Thomas, Mr. Tattersall, Mr. Whittaker and Mr. Bentley, whom we would thank most gratefully for their unflagging interest in the School Rugger, and for their excellent coaching. Junior football has also flourished, and the " under 14 " XV., which is largely the product of the coaching of Mr. Bentley and Mr. Strong, ensures that in future years there will be a good supply of material from which to shape the ist and 2nd XV's. In conclusion, we would thank the masters generally for the interest they have shown both in playing themselves, and refereeing the lower games. C. J. C. MOLONY, Captain of Football. B. H. CARTER, Secretary of Football. Writing at a later date, we have to record a rather dismal " petering-out " of this exceedingly promising season. Just when the ist and 2nd XV.'s were working themselves up into a perfectly irresistible state of ferocity for the last two matches—against Hereford and Warwick—• another case of chicken-pox broke out which necessitated their cancellation. Perhaps, however, we shall be able to play these as well as other matches next Term, when, since no hockey will be possible, it is proposed to have one or two ist XV. matches, even if there is no definite " first game." At present, the feeling must be that we have not got our money's worth out of a very useful XV. KING'S SCHOOL v. KING'S NORTON. An excellent game was seen at Worcester when King's Norton visited the School. The game was played at a good pace, and in the opening stages was fairly evenly contested. The visiting forwards were superior in the scrum and gave their backs many opportunities, but they were unable to take advantage of them. The School forwards were better in the loose and carried the ball in frequent rushes to their opponents' line. Ashdown and Wallace were always prominent. After one of these rushes the forwards heeled quickly and enabled Molony to set up an attack. Davey carried on the movement and made an opening for Carter, who sent in Redmond for a try, which Hooper converted. Shortly afterwards a further try was scored by GravesMorris, but was not converted. The next try was the result of a fine individual effort by Davey, who beat the defence and cut through to score under the posts. Hooper again

converted. King's Norton set up several attacks through their left wing, and eventually scored an unconverted try. Before half-time another unconverted try was scored for the School by Preston. In the second half King's Norton attacked more vigorously, but the School defence was sound. Each side attacked in turn, and for the School Graves-Morris added a further try. Hooper converted with a splendid kick from a difficult angle. King's Norton scored an unconverted try before the end, and were beaten by 21 points to 6. The teams were as follows : King's Norton R.F.C. : D. W. Heath; C. E. Garratt, H. S. Stansby, E. Kunzle, P. Nelson; I. A. Heath, A. Cunningham; A. R. Adams, H. B. Yates, J. Gummow, F. D. Yates, E. Mealand, B. James, K. Silk, E. Scott. King's School : L. E. H. Goddard ; T. M. L. Redmond, B. H. Carter, P. H. Graves-Morris, D. H. Preston ; C. J. C. Molony, T. A. Davey ; A. G. Bain, F. W. C. Gettings, M. R. Craze, B. H. Wallace, R. K. Hooper, G. F. C. Ashdowne, E. S. Sherwood, M. R. A. Ainslie. KING'S SCHOOL v. WARWICK SCHOOL. The School beat Warwick by 10 points to 6 in a game which was characterised by keen marking and tackling. For some time neither side was able to develop any successful attack. The School reached their opponents' line on several occasions, but fumbling on the part of the three-quarters prevented them from scoring. It was Warwick who scored first. Their backs got the ball and a centre cut through. After gaining some distance he passed wide to his right wing, who scored far out. The try was not converted. Shortly afterwards the ball came out to Davey, who alone among the School backs was playing with his customary skill. He cut through and ran strongly to score near the posts. Hooper converted the try, and half-time came with the score 5 points to 3. The second half was almost a repetition of the first, though now Warwick attacked more frequently. Eventually they scored through a centre three-quarter, but they failed to convert the try. They continued to attack, and were kept out only by the resolute tackling and clean fielding of Goddard at full back, who was very sound throughout the game. After a combined rush by the forwards, the ball was carried to the Warwick line ; the latter were penalties, but Hooper missed the kick from an easy position. Towards the end Davey again received the ball, and, after a characteristic run, scored behind the posts. Hooper converted the try, and the game ended without further incident. It was a well-fought out game, and it was valuable in that it disclosed a weakness in the three—quarter line when faced by a line who marked carefully and keenly. Of the backs, Davey and Goddard alone did themselves justice. The forwards played well, and maintained their efforts to the end. KING'S SCHOOL v. CHELTENHAM COLLEGE 2nd XV. In their match against Cheltenham College the School were beaten by 31 points to 13, but the score hardly in-

361

THE VIGORNIAN. dicates the respective merits of the two sides. In the initial stages of the game, the School more than held their own against their heavier opponents. They were beaten for possession in the scrum, but on the few occasions when they did get the ball, they initiated attacks which always looked dangerous. From one of these the ball reached Graves-Morris, who cut through, and, after beating several opponents, scored in a favourable position. Hooper converted the try. The School backs had been marking and tackling well, but they did not keep it up. The College attacked vigorously, and before half-time had scored a goal and two tries. They made the most of their superior weight in the scrum and height in the line out. In the second half weak marking allowed the College to score two more goals. Then the School attacked, and the ball came out to Molony, who set his backs in motion. Graves-Morris scored his second try, and Hooper converted from a very difficult angle. Molony was defending well, and his tackling was good, but his efforts were not supported by some of the backs, whose tackling was half-hearted. The College scored two more goals. Just before time, Graves-Morris, who had played a very sound game throughout, added his third try. Hooper's kick hit the post. The School played well against their heavier and more experienced opponents, and the only criticism that can be made is that one or two in the side do not mark closely enough, while their tackling lacks vigour. KING'S SCHOOL v. HEREFORD CATHEDRAL SCHOOL. The match was played at Hereford on a ground which was, for the most part, actually under water, so that anybody running sent up a sheet of spray at each step. Shortly after the outset it was almost impossible to distinguish the players from one another, either by jersey or face. After Worcester had kicked off, Hereford made a determined attack, which culminated in a try, scored from a line-out inside Worcester's 25, by Goodall, a Hereford forward. This try was not converted. From the second kick off the Worcester pack attacked, till the Hereford full back saved the situation by a kick up the middle of the field. Goddard caught the ball, and tried to drop a goal. The ball went just wide, and was touched down. From the drop-out, Davey secured the ball, and accurate passing along the Worcester three-quarter line enabled Redmond to score, after a good run. Hooper failed to convert. Very shortly afterwards Ashdown scored again for Worcester, after a forward rush, and Hooper converted with a good kick. No further scoring took place during the first half, though Worcester attacked most of the time . With a feeling of elation at leading by 8 points to 3, the Worcester forwards excelled themselves at the beginning of the second half, and, keeping the ball in the Hereford 25 for some time, made repeated attacks, which only failed to result in further scoring. At length, after Goddard had again made an unsuccessful attempt at dropping a goal, Croft dribbled over the line and scored Worcester's third try. It was not converted. Then Hereford looked dangerous, and a temporary disinclination to fall on the ball on the part of the

Worcester three-quarters, might have led to a try for Hereford on more than one occasion, had it not been for Goddard, beyond whom the ball seemed unable to be taken. This danger spell was soon over, and Worcester renewed the attack. A try, scored far out by Graves-Morris, was well converted by Hooper, and was shortly followed by another try for Worcester, scored by Gettings, which Hooper again succeeded in converting. Worcester continued to attack, and Graves-Morris scored the last try of the match for Worcester by diving with the ball into a pool of muddy water over the line. Though both sides played a creditable game, Worcester well deserved their victory of 2 4—3-

Cricket Season. One can imagine friends of the School, when they read the above heading, exclaiming, " Why, I thought they had given it a miss this year " : and they would not be far wrong. Certainly we have never had such a season, and we devoutly hope it will be a long time before we have another like it. For the first three weeks the ground was a mud-heap, and there were few days when it was not questionable whether practice was possible. And after that the deluge. And, to " put the lid on " and finally preclude the possibility of School matches, a few cases of chicken-pox. Anyone who saw the field (which, by the way, was quite invisible) on June i, or, for that matter, on July i, might be pardoned for doubting whether any more cricket could be played on it this year. However, we made the best of a bad job, and thanks to the O.V. festival which provided two keenly-contested games and our friends at Norton Barracks, we did not conclude without a match, though we were unable to record a victory. Enough has been said to show that we have had no chance of proving what we are made of, and that any attempt at individual characters might be misleading. At the same time it is fair to say that the season was not an absolute " wash-out " : when we did start, there was a great display of keenness, leading up to House matches, one of which at any rate provided a thrilling finish. We were, moreover, fortunate enough to secure the valuable services of Fox of the County team to coach us, and there is no doubt that, in the short time at his disposal, he did us a lot of good. It is to be hoped that we shall be able to arrange for him to continue the good work next year. The authorities must bear in mind that our cricket has suffered a severe set-back, and that every effort will have to be made to repair the losses sustained in 1924. * * * The last School match, played on July I2th, provided some good cricket and showed—only too late—what might have been under ordinarily decent weather conditions. The School compiled the useful total of 173, but the Barracks hit with their usual exemplary vigour and, aided by rather weak bowling, knocked off the runs just on time

THE VIGORNIAN.

362

for the loss of only two wickets. At the same time the 2nd XI., who had had a rather inconsistent season, played a creditable draw with Dean Close 2nd XI. Moreover, during the House matches an " under 14 " XI. defeated Blakebrook School in an exciting game. On the whole, then, we may conclude that, if summer had come instead of floods, we should have enjoyed quite a successful season. The Hostel had little difficulty in securing the House Cup. Besides their strength- in batting, they were the onlv side to possess two good and consistent bowlers. They easily defeated School House in the first round, putting together a vast score at the expense of some very demoralised bowling. At the same time the Day Boys won a thrilling game with Castle House, in which amid scenes of enthusiasm they made the winning hit with their last pair at the wicket. Natland then put up a very good show against the Hostel in the first innings, but subsequently were beaten fairly easily. In the final the Hostel defeated the Day Boys without having to extend themselves. They again found the bowling against them easy and, helped by slow, easy wickets, scored freely. The Cup thus returned to them after an absence of a year.

Prize Dap. Two Old Vigornians—Mr. J. B. Matthews, K.C., and Professor A. Pearce Higgins, K.C.—were on the platform at the Annual Prize Day, held in the College Hall on Thursday afternoon, Oct. gth. Mr. Matthews is Recorder of Dudley, and Professor Higgins is Whewell Professor of International -Law at Cambridge. The Dean of Worcester (Dr. Moore Ede) presided, and there were also on the platform, Sir Arthur Carlton, Archdeacon James, and Canon Wilson. Mr. Matthews presented the School prizes, and Professor Higgins the Wood prizes. The Dean said that that was an exceptional occasion, for they had with them two O.V. who were now K.C.'s. (Applause). He thought he ought also to allude to the distinction that had been awarded this year to another O.V. He meant one of their Governors, Mr. Samuel Southall, the Town Clerk, who had had the Freedom of the City conferred upon him. It was satisfactory to know that the old School was keeping up-to-date and steadily progressing. Not only were their buildings improving, but their education also, he hoped. He was sure it was an improvement on what it was a century ago. They had only to read some of Mrs. Henry Wood's stories of the King's School boys in the middle part of the last century to realise how inefficient the instruction was then. He did not know how the education of to-day would compare with that given in the early days after the School's refoundation by Henry VIII., because when he turned back to the chronicles of that time he found that the boys were so skilled in the Latin tongue that they always talked in Latin during school hours and in the playground as well. That was a

degree of classical eloquence to which the present generation had not attained. (Laughter). The Headmaster then rose to give his annual report, and spoke as follows : HEADMASTER'S REPORT. " To-day's Prize Day is in many respects a memorable one in the history of the School. It is many years since we had the satisfaction of having the prizes distributed by one of our old boys. I do not know how many years, but I feel fairly confident in saying that ....ough on previous occasions the prizes may have been distributed by an old boy, they never have been by two old boys, nor by two so distinguished in different branches of the same profession as those whom we have the honour in welcoming here this afternoon, and in this respect we may claim to be establishing a record. " Another respect in which we have established a record for the School this year is in the number of successes won last Term in the Certificate Examination. I am often asked why we have our Prize Day in October. The reason is that we are then in a position to take stock of the work and progress of the School year whicli ends with the Summer Term, and in this stocktaking the results of the last Exam, are a very useful guide though I should never regard them as a complete test of the value of the work done in the upper forms of the School. Examiners (and examinees) are both subject to human frailty and may not always do themselves justice. " But as a general indication statistics of Exam, results are certainly valuable and I am not going to decry them in a year when we have done so well judged by this test. " You will find them printed on the back of the sheet. Five Higher Certificates is a very good number for a school of our size. Last year I was well satisfied with two. This year we have five, three in Classics ; and, though we are and shall always, I hope, remain a School whose special attention in more advanced work is devoted to Classics without neglecting general subjects for all up to School Certificate stage, we show that other subjects get their fair chance too by winning a Higher Certificate in Maths, and in Modern Languages. " Then we come to School Certificates. I openly admitted last year that three was not a satisfactory number and that I was ashamed of it. This year we have 12, not only a very creditable number, but I would direct special attention to the quality of many of them with 8, 7, 6 credits. " The Lower Certificate results are even more satisfactory. Last year I was pleased with 19 and congratulated the School upon it. This year we have 26. " The whole of Lower Va. obtained Lower Certificates with two exceptions, and these two did well enough to pass in other subjects but failed owing to a weakness in Maths, which often accompanies a proficiency in languages, though not in itself alone a proof of it. " I think the School and the staff are to be congratulated on the results of the last Exam.

THE VIGORNIAN. " We have no successes in Scholarships to the Universities to record this year, having had no candidates ready to send up, except for a preliminary trial, but three of the Higher Certificate winners will be competing at Oxford and Cambridge this Term, and they have our best wishes for their success. " With regard to athletics, we have had a most successful Rugby football season, though the floods in the Summer Term completely spoiled the cricket. I therefore have under consideration a scheme for raising the field above flood level and am conferring with the Corporation about it. " A third respect in which this occasion is memorable is that I am able to report the beginning of a considerable extension of our School buildings, of which I have spoken on previous occasions. The block of buildings containing four new class rooms was begun last summer and though delayed by the strike will, we hope, be finished in time for use next Term. They will be an inestimable boon to the School and especially to the staff, and will enable us to increase still further the efficiency of the teaching in many ways that are impossible with our existing equipment. The funds for this building have been provided by the Governors by realising some of the invested capital of the School which will be repaid by instalments over a period of years. " I must mention also the scheme which I inaugurated two years ago to build a Reading Room as a memorial to Canon Chappel in which many of those present have shown so kindly an interest and to which they have given generous support. The original design for this building proved more expensive than had been at first estimated. A simpler and, in my opinion, more dignified design has been prepared which will cost just about the sum originally estimated, ,£1,400. So far nearly £800 has been subscribed or promised, and I have rather anxiously been considering whether this is sufficient to make a start. I have decided, in order to secure the economy which will result from carrying on this building at the same time as the other, to begin it at once. This means that there is a debt of about £600 on the Reading Room for which I make myself responsible. " I am encouraged to do so by two things—first the generous support which the scheme has received from the parents of boys in the School, many of whom are present this afternoon and I should like to thank them most heartily for their support. You will remember that in my appeal for the Reading Room I invited those parents who felt able to do so to help by a terminal subscription of whatever sum they wished in addition to the ordinary School fees. A considerable number are helping in this way and this brings in a steady terminal income to the building fund. This I am confident will continue and probably increase, such is the loyalty to the School shown by parents and their appreciation of the work it is doing for their boys. " The second thing that encourages me to adopt a forward policy is my confidence in the future of the School and in the soundness of its present prosperity. Every year }

363

receive an increasing number of entries and applications from a wider area and boys come to us from all over England. This is shown by the fact that the boarders now outnumber the day boys which is quite the contrary to what used to be the case. " And I am not surprised that a wider public from a larger area is beginning to find out the advantages of such a School as ours. The Cathedral Schools, and I venture to say particularly the King's School, Worcester, meet a very real need in England to-day and meet it in a distinctive fashion. They provide a full public school education at a very moderate expense and they do so in a way that no other schools can. You have only to consider the situation of this School and the building in which we are assembled this afternoon to realise what I mean. " English education from the earliest ages has been the concern of the Church and there can be no true education which is not rooted and grounded in religion. Here under the shadow of this Cathedral, with the Cathedral as our School Chapel, we are privileged to live daily throughout the Term in an atmosphere which reminds us perpetually of this. We have this unique privilege, this splendid opportunity. It is not for me to say how far we avail ourselves of it, but I know that it has a great value in the eyes of those who send their sons here, and that it cannot fail to have a lasting influence on those who spend their schooldays here. It is this more than anything else which is the cause of the peculiar attachment I feel to the King's School, and of the confidence I feel in its future and its destiny, and it is well that I should remind you boys here of it, lest a thoughtless familiarity with what you may have come to take for granted should make you forget the special privileges you enjoy here. " I must not go on talking about the King's School or I should never end, and there are two distinguished speakers whom you are much more anxious to listen to than to me. If I have omitted anything which I ought to have recorded it is only because time is short. " It only remains for me to thank you all for your presence here this afternoon, to thank especially those who have contributed to the Prize Fund,—whose names are printed on the paper,—and to thank most of all the two distinguished and busy O.V. who have found time to come here this afternoon and to honour their old School with their presence." MR. MATTHEW'S SPEECH. After distributing the School prizes, Mr. J. B. Matthews said that it was 50 years ago since he was at the School, which he entered a few years before his friend Higgins. They both were articled to Worcester solicitors, and afterwards went to the Bar, but whereas he had practised from day to day in the ordinary work of the courts, his friend Higgins had taken up the academic side, and had won world-wide fame as an authority on international law. Having introduced himself and Professor Higgins, Mr. Matthews sketched out a rough retrospect of the past 50 years for the benefit of the boys, explaining that motgr

364

THE VIGORNIAN.

cars, electric light and power, submarines, aeroplanes and wireless—all things which they took for granted—had been developed in this period. There had been, too, a wonderful change in their social outlook as one could see by reading the novelists of the last century. To-day, we were in the middle of a great social revolution. The world was changing under our very eyes, and it would not surprise him if, in the course of a generation, the Victorian era had not as completely been put in the waste paper basket as society of the i8th century was swept away and replaced by that of the igth. They would not see the process so much to-day, for there were no laces, velvets, brocades, diamond buckles and powdered wigs, the passing of which would enable one to appreciate the change. They had nothing of that sort now. If they had, the manufacturer of sack cloth would have an immense vogue, for it seemed to him that we should get into it without undue delay. The older generation were undoubtedly handing down to the boys a very sick, very sorry, and very troubled world, a world with terrific financial embarrassments. It was seething with discontent, and that discontent would not have passed away by the time the boys " took on the job." It behoved them to see how far they could forecast what would have to be done in the future to bring back the world to something like a decent condition. He counselled them to probe into the causes of the present world discontent, and said that, in his view, it could not be put down to the war, though that was a comfortable doctrine. The causes which led to this trouble were brewing long before the war, and although the war precipitated matters, it was perfectly certain it would have come about some time or other if there had been no war. The causes lay deep, and he would not attempt to say what all of them were. There were, however, three causes which appealed to him as bringing about this frightful amount of discontent in the world. The first was that in the olden days a workman was employed by a master, and if he quarrelled with the master he could go and curse him to his face, or argue with him if he wanted to. There was some humanity about that. The workman did not feel that he was a mere cog. He had some opportunity of being a master of his craft and of some day rising to be a master man himself. There were personal relations between master and man very different from to-day. The Joint Stock Company system, which had such a wonderful effect on the trade and commerce of England, had had also this wholly unforeseen result—that the workman could do nothing with the monster company that employed him. He was but a cog in the machine. His life was monotonous ; he had no opportunity of raising himself out of his position, and his human interest had been withdrawn. The corporation that employed him " had no body to kick, and no soul to curse." The workman felt helpless. This problem, he suggested, should be tackled in a spirit of sympathy for both master and man. Another contributory cause was the motor car. Before the roads were tarred, cars smothered in dust the workman's cottage by the roadside, and ran over and killed his fowls, his dogs, and

even his children. The cost of the motor car was pointed out to the workman—sums to him beyond the dreams of avarice. His life was made unhappy by these things, and his envy was excited by wealth being flaunted in his face in a way that it never was before. Mr. Matthews put his last reason in the form of an appeal to the boys. Let them not, he said, get into the rut of craving for daily excitement that seemed a fever running through the blood of our people. Nowadays, people could not dine quietly at home, but must go to a restaurant; they must go to a theatre as many nights as they possibly could, and, not satisfied with going to bed at a reasonable hour, must needs go jazz-dancing to all hours. Let them make up their minds that they would not go through the world in this way, for so sure as they did there would be no happiness for them or for those living with them. Let them not get into the idea either of trying to get rich quick. That was one of the vices of the age. There was no getrich-quick method which could be relied upon to make one's life happy. Let them work hard and get as much for their services as they could, but eschew gambling—or if they preferred to call it so—speculation. PROFESSOR PEARCE-HIGGINS' SPEECH.

Professor Pearce-Higgins then distributed the Henry Wood Essay prizes and said :

I I j

Mrs.

" It is a great pleasure to me that I am able to be present at this, the most interesting of all the functions in the School year, and I very much appreciate the honour which has been done me by asking me to take part in the proceedings. To find myself once again in this fine old hall in which I was a schoolboy for six years, naturally inclines me to a retrospect, as I think of former schoolfellows and masters, but Speech Day is not the time for looking backward on the part of those of us who are getting to be pretty "old boys." No! we see the old School Hall but there are the young and present boys, the living stream which passes ever through it, going out afterwards into the world to renew its life. The buildings age, the masters age, but there is always the same age about the occupants of the desks, and unless I am much mistaken, very little change in the general characteristics of this generation from that which I knew in my time. If that is so, I ask myself what was the effect on me of the various speeches to which I listened at the Speechdays when I was here as a boy. It is not very easy to say. At first when I thought about it I said the effect was nil, but further consideration led me to modify this view somewhat, for I recall still with pleasure some kindly encouraging words which were said of me by an examiner, and probably if I gave the matter fuller thought other things would return to my memory. "Speech Days are really of great value; they cause many of us to spend a short time in the consideration of a really important subject, namely, the meaning of education. We realise that school is not a place to which boys are sent .for the purpose of learning how to get on in life,

THE VIGORNIAN. how to make money or fame, how to succeed in any given business or profession. It should be a place first and foremost in which boys are taught to think, to ask questions, to try to find out things for themselves. It is a place where character is formed, where habits which go to make up that character are begun. A great many things which are taught may prove in after life to be of little or no practical value, but none of you can say which are those things. What really matters is the way the various subjects are tackled, whether the vvork is done with thoroughness, or whether lessons are got through just because something has got to be shewn up next day. Both in school life as well as in after life if one wishes to get the best out of it, he has to put the best into it. School is also a place where the individual character should have its chance of fulfilling itself, not in isolation, but in cooperation. Youth is always the time for adventure, for trying things, for accepting responsibility. It is also the time for dreaming dreams. Possibly the most important time of school life is that part of it which is not spent in the class room; the playing fields, the study, the long walks and talks of friends are as important as the instruction given in class. The leisure time spent in private reading is also of the greatest value, and often it opens up vistas which may alter a career. " In a School like this, whose very beginnings are lost in the mists of antiquity, there is a long tradition, and a strong sense of the esprit de corps; at least there was in my time, and I am sure it is no less strong than of old. But the esprit de corps of a public school must not and does not stop there, it has to be felt in wider matters than the School life. We are all members of a great state with a great mission in the world. As a nation we have doubtless made mistakes in the past, we have done things which have not always redounded to our credit. But, taking a long view, I am convinced that in the main the sense of the nation has been on the side of justice and right. We have a great history of which we are not ashamed, but I have often been ashamed to think how little of that history is really known. I have had a long experience of public schoolboys coming fresh to Cambridge and their ignorance of the history of their own country has generally been appalling. Here, judging from the interesting articles which I have seen from time to time in the " Vigornian," there is no reason why the boys of this School should not be well acquainted with the history of their own School, and its connection with the life of the nation. One thing that emerges from the history of such a School as this, and the same thing is common to all the old endowed schools of the country is the fact that the education given in such schools would not be possible but for the generosity of past generations. This is why all public schoolboys should feel it to be their privilege as well as their duty to give back to the nation their services, either in civic service to their native city or in some other way in the state. " The list of names on our Roll of Honour of those who gave their all for their country in the late war is

365

undying testimony to the maintenance of the tradition of public service, while the School has a living example to-day in the person of the Town Clerk, my first teacher in the law, at whose addition to the small and distinguished body of the Freemen of this faithful and sacred city we all rejoice. " Under the shadow of this beautiful cathedral, in these dignified and ancient surroundings, it is impossible to grow up without something of the beauty, splendour and glory of the past entering into your souls. By thoroughness in work, by thoroughness in play, by accepting the fullest responsibility in any office in the school to which you may be called, by whole-hearted co-operation in making the wheels of the school machine run smoothly, by accepting the discipline of school life, by making allowances for the shortcomings of schoolfellows, yes, and of schoolmasters, you will be able, when your school days are over and you enter into the larger world which lies outside these doors, to feel that the world is not such a strange place after all. It is one where the same qualities which enabled you to make the most of your school days will also enable you to be of service to England, your mother." PRIZE LIST. The Prize List was as follows : SCHOOL PRIZES. Bishop of Worcester's Divinity Prize: VI., J. L. R. Croft. Rev. N. F. McNeile's Divinity Prize: Upper V., G. Every. George Hash's Divinity Prize: Lower V., W. W. Hubble. Maurice Day Classical Prize : Senior, VI., A. G. Bain; Junior, Upper V., G. E. Churchill. James Nash's Divinity Prize: Lower V., F. J. W. Mansfield. School Latin Prose Prize (Canon Lacey) : K. N. Ross. School Maths. Prize (Canon Wilson) : J. L. R. Croft. Archdeacon James' Accidence Prizes: VI., Greek and Latin, A. G. Bain; Upper V., Latin, G. F. Blandford; Greek, G. E. Churchill; Lower V., Latin, R. I. Graham; Greek, J. H. Nicholls; Remove, Greek, J. B. Edwards; Upper IV., Latin, W. J. L. Severn; Lower IV., Latin, J. A. W. Rogers. General Knowledge (The Dean of Worcester) : Upper School, C. J. C. Molony, H. P. E. Pereira; Middle School, J. A. W. Nott; Lower School, J. A. Crofts. French Prize (Mrs. Ernest Day) : R. F. P. Cobb. French Prize School Certificate (Mr. S. W. Whitehouse) : J. J. Painting. French Grammar Prizes: J. S. Allen, W. J. L. Severn. German Prize : R. F. P. Cobb. German Prize Lower Certificate: J. J. Darby. Science Prize (S. Southall, Esq.): T. E. D. Beavan. Mrs. Henry Wood Essay Prizes—Upper School : G. Every, H. P. E. Pereira ; highly commended, D. K. Peters. Middle School: M. R. A. Ainslie, W. J. L. Severn; commended, R. E. Thomas, R. E. Tull. Lower School: F. H. Yarnold; commended, G. D. I. Rushton. Prizes for meritorious work are awarded to : T. E. D. Beavan, R. H. N. Wood, D. J. Cockle, B. H. Wallace, W. R. Chignell, G. B. Jacques, C. H. Grist, J. L, Randall, J. M. N. Jackson.

THE VIGORN1AN.

366

Form Prizes.—Upper V., G. Every ; Lower Va., W. W. Hubble; Lower Vb., M. R. A. Ainslie, J. Wilding; Remove, W. J. L. Severn ; Upper IV., J. H. C. Phelips ; Lower IV., B. A. Sewell; III., F. H. Yarnold; II., A. R. Hart; I., F. Cale. Mathematical Sets.—A2, B. H. Carter; A3, C. L. Garnett; A4, J. H. Nicholls ; Bi, R. K. Hooper; 62, B. H. Wallace; 63, B. A. Sewell; 64, J. S. Hughes; Ci, F. H. Yarnold; €2, ). E. A. King. Extra Subjects.—Archdeacon Spooner's Recitation Prizes —Upper School, F. H. Burden; Middle School, J. A. A. Maund. Holiday Reading—rUpper V., G. Every; Lower Va., C. E. N. Davies; Lower Vb., J. Wilding; Remove, T. O'D. Lumley; Fourth Forms, J. L. King, C. E. H. Finch, H. D. Littlebury; Lower School, F. H. Yarnold. Drawing (School—Certificate), D. B. Williams; (Lower Certificate), R. K. Hooper. Cathedral Catechising Prizes —Senior (Canon Rivington), E. F. Stanton ; Junior (The Precentor), J. F. R. Jones-Williams. Music Prizes (Sir Ivor Atkins), singing, H. P. E. Pereira; piano, C. B. Hopkin.

O.C.C. CAMP. This year the Corps went into Camp (at Tidworth Pennings) 78 strong, a record in numbers. We went in on the Monday, the day before Camp officially begun, and arrived there without serious misadventure, except for rain, which pursued us out of Worcester, and was falling when we arrived at Tidworth. When we got to the Pennings, we found all the tents carefully and thoroughly coloured a sort of bilious yellow, and were told that this was because they were all new tents, and would be thoroughly rainproof. This was in the main true, as long as they had a fair chance, but the appearance of the Camp suffered. We got well established that night, which was as well, for the next morning the rain rained, and kept on raining, and prevented us from doing anything except find out how long a morning can last. However, about midday it cleared up, and the majority of the Brigade got into Camp in good weather. » * » The Staff of the Camp was from the R.M.C., Sandhurst, and was assisted by a Demonstration Platoon of Sandhurst Cadets, all of whom, we were told, had volunteered for the job, and were doing it in their holidays. They were very cheery souls, and did not allow the Camp to feel dull, even when it rained. Besides showing us how to drill, how to mount guard, how to handle a platoon in attack and in defence, they were in the habit of treating us to displays of vocal and instrumental noise, and some carefully organised burlesques of ceremonial, as, for example, the proper way to treat a distinguished dusky potentate, who happened—so they said—to be paying a visit to the Camp. » » * Training pursued its normal course, Section, Platoon, Company, and so to the Battalion, and we finished up with a Brigade Field Day, which so far as we were con-

cerned was a great success, not only because we won a glorious victory, but also because our Company was specially complimented by the Battalion Commander. One innovation was Night Operations. We assembled in Camp by Companies, marched in silence to a rendezvous under cover of what was supposed to be darkness, only fortunately (or unfortunately) the night was clear and starry, then advanced to what was supposed to be a shelter trench, deployed into line, and delivered an attack on an unseen enemy. Then we marched home. We got into Camp before any of the other Battalions, although we had carried out a more ambitious scheme. So that was all right. * * * On one afternoon we had an aeroplane demonstration, which began with formation flying, carried out by some huge and savage bombing machines, with the incongruous name of " Fairey Fawns," and went on to show how aeroplanes communicate with and give assistance to infantry in action. * * * We also had a kit inspection on the Sunday, by the Commandant, and it rained. No more need be said about that. If it had only started to rain half-an-hour earlier, it wouldn't have mattered. However, such things come to an end. » * * We were interested to find an old friend in Camp—Lieut. P. N. White (O.V.)—who was Adjutant of one of the Battalions, and had been a Corporal in our Camp detachment at the same Camp in 1919. * * # These Camp notes seem hardly so sparkling as they might be. The reason is that the Editor has hinted to the writer in the gentlest manner that the jokes about the Camp pets had all been previously used. For further information on such maters refer to the Vigornian of December, 1919 and 1922. There were not so many this time, but some people shook out their clothes before dressing (oh, Very well, I won't say any more about it, then!). * * * PROMOTIONS. At Camp: Cpl. Graves-Morris to be Sergeant. L/cpl. Hooper to be Corporal. 29/9/24. Cpl. Goddard to be Band Sergeant. 17/10/24. Cdt. Shorting to be Lance-corporal. 1/12/24. Sergt. Bain to be C.S.M. * * * CERTIFICATE A. The following passed the practical part of the examination :— Cpl. Churchill. Lance-Cpl. Allcott. Joseph. Cadet (now Lance-Cpl.) Shorting. Cadets Ashdowne. Davey. Garnett Smith. * * *

THE V1GORNIAN. FIELD OPERATIONS. On Thursday, Nov. 6th, we carried out Field Operations on Bromyard Downs. The general idea was that a Northern White Force had been defeated in the neighbourhood of Hereford by a Southern Army, and was retreating northward. The Advance Guard of the Southern Army had information that parties of the Northern Army had been seen on Bromyard Down, and had orders to drive them away, and to make good the northern boundary of the Downs. * * * We went to Bromyard by train, having with our amazing good fortune picked out a day without rain—not a common phenomenon this Term up to that time-—and arrived at Bromyard about 11.30, having run out of the thick mist which covered the Severn Valley and part of the Teme Valley into bright sunshine. At the station the two parties separated, and were guided to their respective starting places, at the north and south ends of the Common. Then for a time we rested and refreshed ourselves. *

»

»

Operations began at i .30, and the advanced parties of the Southern Force came under fire of the Northeners' most advanced positions at about two o'clock. These posts were soon forced to retreat, first on the western flank, and then on the eastern, but the eastern part of the Southern Force failed to drive home their advantage quickly enough, with the result that they failed to dislodge the Northern rearguard from their main position in the time at our disposal. * * * After this we had tea, and marched back to Bromyard Station to entrain for Worcester, having had a thoroughly successful and enjoyable day. * * * The chief points brought out were the necessity for bold and rapid action by an advance guard, the importance of a good use of ground, and the difficulty of control by platoon and higher commanders. The section leading, as usual, was good.

O.V. Hews. J. S. R. Hall is at present on a sheep-station of some 12,000 acres at Binnaway, New South Wales. * * A. F. Drake has passed his ist B.D.S. (Liverpool) Examination and also his 2nd B.D.S. (part I.) with distinction. * * * M. E. Webb has taken up an appointment in the Sudan on the cotton plantations at Barakat, whence he hopes to return in 1926 to take the 3rd Class Honours Degree, which his sudden departure abroad prevented him from receiving. * * * A. J. Dash, of Comilla, Bengal, after being a judge for a year, is now collector and district magistrate of the district of Tippera in Eastern Bengal. * * *

367

A. H. Adams has been appointed to a mastership at King's School, Grantham. * » * We wish every success to F. H. Burden, H. B. Downes and W. H. K. Davey, who have all gone out to New Zealand to take up farming.

Birth. ADLINGTON.—At Worcester, to Mr. and Mrs. Alec Adlington —a son.

Cbe Oxford toiler. To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, In the course of my search for information with which to compile this letter, one outstanding fact has been impressed upon me; namely, that the youth of Oxford—at any rate, that part of it which claims to be Old Vigornian —is essentially modest Allow me to picture a typical interview : Notebook in hand I mount the stairs that lead to the rooms of an eminent member of our circle I press him for information concerning his activities. His walls may be decked with groups of brawny athletes, none brawnier than he ; his desk with well-marked tomes ; his shelves with periodicals to which he is an invariable contributor. But what does he tell me of his exploits? Nothing. I am met with downcast looks, a flushed cheek, an uneasy shuffling of feet. And when I try to put a stop to irrelevant conversation I am greeted with naive remarks about the weather ! But as Socrates, though often discouraged, was not to be daunted in his search for wisdom, so I, though I too met with discouragement, was not to be daunted in my efforts. So I evolved this brilliant scheme. Knowing the weakness of mortals for gossip, I determined to get resident O.V. to talk to me about each other. This is what I learnt,—not, bear in mind, from the persons in question. Schofield does not spend quite all his time at work or play : he has a far more engrossing pursuit,— but, alas, I may not tell of it. Gill is an advanced antiprohibitionist of the practical kind. Evans is already making a name for himself as a frequenter of S. Hugh's. I soon realised that this was not the kind of information that you require, so, as this method failed also, you must understand that the official tabulated notes with which it is customary to end these 'Letters are, in this case, largely the result of an effort of imagination. I. F. W. SCHOFIELD (Hertford). Probably was at the " All Blacks' " match. Is thought to work quite hard and to take his exercise by long walks in the country. Is becoming a first-class groom, and is always to be found taking tea at Buol's on Sundays.

THE VIGORNIAN.

368

A. J. C. B. GILL (Exeter). Should have been at the " All Blacks' " match. In his own words, " he plays indifferent, infrequent golf, and periodically has his liver jogged by riding on pillions of motor-cycles." Has been seen flitting to lectures, but more usually to the theatre. Of him it is always said as of hotels—" excellent cuisine." T. H. HORSFIELD (S. Edmund's Hall). May have been at the " All Blacks' " match. Is taking some Finals in the near future. After which he is said to be going to Africa. Is usually to be seen on the river of an afternoon. Will probably appear in the Teddie Togger's Boat. W. BENTON-EVANS (Queen's). Was at the "All Blacks' " match. Has been spending most of this Term deciding which branch of learning to pursue. Shines in the Queen's ist Socrer Team, and is reserve in his College Relay Team. Meant to appear in the Freshers' Sports, but arrived too late and was placed last. He was, however, charged the full fee. H. A. AINSWORTH (Keble). Was at the " All Blacks' " match. Has been doing a minimum of work for Pass Mods. Coxes at the risk of many lives, and plays hockey for the 2nd XI. when no one better is procurable. May be seen at the Union on Thursday and the theatre on Friday nights. I hear he has become an ardent Liberal. I will close with the customary appeal to Vigornians to come to Oxford. As an incentive I may put forward the unselfish pleasure of composing the Oxford Letter. With all due apologies, I remain, Your comrade, Sir, in the written word, OXON.

Cambridge Cetter. To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, At last you are to receive a letter which has actually been written in the course of a Varsity Term ; for in the interests of truth and of the less sophisticated readers of your excellent periodical I must confess that but few of our former chronicles have not been composed during the Vacations. This was due not, as the more malicious of you might suppose, to any natural slothfulness on the part of the writer, but rather to his whole-hearted devotion to his more serious labours and to the disconcerting suddenness with which Term has termin no, not that—has drawn to a close. But now I perceive that the ancient order of things changes; it appears, Sirs, that you have taken " Hustle " as your slogan, " Onward " as your marching orders ! Here then is the response to your youthful eagerness—an eagerness which we who are come to an age of cynical disillusionment cannot fail to admire and approve. We have been living a quiet life in Cambridge this Term, undisturbed by any unusual or untoward events ; in case you may have read the wonderful accounts in some of the less reputable daily papers of wild doings here on the night of

November the Fifth, permit me to inform you, Sir, that I myself was present throughout the proceedings—not from any desire to join in scenes of unbridled license, but because I felt that it was my painful duty as your special correspondent to obtain an account which was not marred by wilful exaggeration. Let me say at the outset that never, not even at the most fatuous of film comedies, have I been so profoundly bored: the town seemed full of excited Freshers inspired to action by the bold speeches of Townees ; wildly they rushed about, occasionally mustering courage to fling pennies at—lamp-posts, and then fleeing in terror when the bored policemen turned their heads in their direction. This then was " the rag that ended in a riot "; here " the frightened women who ran shrieking through the streets of Cambridge " ; by our above mentioned friends were committed those " bold assaults upon the local police force " ! I could wish that those enterprising journalists whose imaginative efforts shocked many a quiet home next morning could themselves have been haled before the King's Justices for gross and unmerited libel. To return to our sheep : the voice of the Royal Commission is no longer heard in the land ; and all that this well-meaning Body would seem to have effected is that it has cut up the Tree of Knowledge into Boards of Studies. In Athletic circles much jubilation has been shewn at the somewhat unexpected victory over the lesser University in the Relays—yet as I believe I have said before, " Make Oxford favourites, and they will surely lose." The " All Blacks' " match was also particularly gratifying, and it will be with the brightest hopes that we shall turn our footsteps Twickenhamwards on Tuesday, the gth. We had expected a fresh addition to our numbers this Term, but apparently the aspiring youth had forgotten that there was a small Scholastic Test to be undergone before enrolment in this ancient Foundation—'nuff said ; however B. St. J. Howells has, as we might have expected, been unable to face the prospect of leaving us. LATEST FROM THE COURSE. B. ST. J. HOWELLS (Queen's). Is almost totally immersed in the study of Biblical lore ; he turns out on Rag nights with a pitying expression on his aged face—as much as to say that the spirit of Cambridge is not what it was. He occasionally gives the Queens' boat some valuable, if lurid, hints from the towpath. We shall all be sorry to lose Grandfather. V. C. POWELL (John's). Works far into the night, and begins to look pale and wan ; the cause is apparently a little fixture with his hard-headed examiners towards the end of the Term. Plays Soccer with incredible earnestness in his few spare moments, and follows the varying fortunes of the John's ist Team on an utterly undecipherable chart of his own invention. We hear that he is almost a certainty for a place in that distinguished band of men—the Cambridge Billiards Team. G. H. EVANS (Christ's). To him we owe very hearty (if somewhat tardy) congratulations upon being elected a member of the Achilles Club. It is an honour which he

THE VIGORNIAN. has most thoroughly deserved, and may in some degree compensate him for his ill-luck in straining his heart. In spite of a prolonged study of the archives of the O.V., I have been unable to find any other member who has been elected to the Achilles! He has also broken all existing records for work this Term, in the utterly ungrounded fear that he may fail in his Medical Exam. However, we hope to see him running again next Term. E. L. FISHER (Sidney). Has moved into palatial apartments in College, filled with all kinds of ingenious and fearsome devices—presumably for labour saving. He still makes the hearts of the stoutest Roberts quail at the roar of his B.S.A. ; has become the star wing three-quarter of the Sidney team, which had up till now failed to recognise his merits as a forward. He still, we believe, throws a pretty rifle. J. L. LONGLAND (Jesus). Continues his heresy in the matter of stooping as low as to play Soccer—and as custodian, too (I believe that is the correct term among the Soccer " fans "). Has been seen at Fenners' and at nearly all the Saturday night theatre performances. R. WYNNE-WOOI.LEY (Christ's). Has come to dwell nearer to us because of the love he bears us ; he has followed the detestable example of J. L. Longland and reverted to the "Association code." Still delights the few Christ's chapel-goers with his manly young voice. R. R. BROMLEY (Christ's). Is rarely to be seen, so that we must take this first opportunity of congratulating him publicly on playing in the Fresher's Match at Hockey— though perhaps this was mot a very great honour for an International. We hope he will have every success in this line. With all the usual apologies, etc., We remain, Yours sincerely, CANTAB.

Debating Society. Committee: President, A. G. Bain ; Secretary, K. N. Ross; C. J. C. Molony, J. L. R. Croft, H. F. Langstaff, K. C. Bristow, M. J. C. Stanley, P. H. B. Woodhouse, J. R. Wingfield-Digby. The first debate this session was held in College Hall on November I5th. Mr. A. Taylor took the chair. Mr. A. G. Bain proposed " That this House considers that the closing of Wembley is to be viewed with relief rather than with sorrow, and hopes that the experiment will not be continued next year." He alleged that one saw too much of Wembley in the newspapers and it was brought into too close connection with other newspaper scandal. He said that though he himself had not visited Wembley, he understood that one saw little or nothing of the peoples of the Empire or their customs there. Furthermore, Wembley was the home of all

j

369

Europe's most undesirable characters. In his opinion, the public were tired of Wembley and he spoke with contempt of the schoolchildren who visited it. The Secretary (Mr. K. N. Ross) opposed, and after making sundry remarks on the Hon. Proposer's speech, said Wembley did not merely exist for the education of schoolchildren. One of its main objects was to increase the trade of our Empire, and this, he contended, it had done ; the effects of it were enormous, and if continued next year the resulting increase of prosperity would be very great. He laid stress on the fact that it was most unpatriotic to support the motion. Mr. K. C. Bristow seconded the motion, and in a humorous speech explained why he was shocked at Wembley. He considered it to be harmful to the nation. It must, he said, be most unpleasant for residents near Wembley to have so much noise near them. As for the Amusement Park, he would prefer to call it the Playground for Profiteers. Mr. J. L. R. Croft, after pointing out certain fallacies in the previous speech, said that Wembley had been instrumental in reducing unemployment. He could not agree with the statement that working class people were not interested in the various exhibits. " The Storming of Zeebrugge " he considered to be a very inspiring thing. (Applause). The motion was then thrown open to the House and a steady succession of speakers made the debate very brisk. Messrs. Hurford, Osmond and Preston spoke for the motion and Messrs. Graves-Morris, Hopkin i., Sherwood, Wingfield-Digby, Woodhouse, Langstaff, Stanley and Williams opposed it. The Hon. Proposer then summed up, urging the House not to be misled by the false patriotism and sentimentality of the Opposition. On the House dividing, it was found that the motion had been lost, by 9 votes to 36.

The Headmaster presided over a well-attended debate on Saturday, November 22nd, when Mr. J. R. Wingfield-Digby proposed " that in the opinion of this House the coloured races are a menace to civilization." His statistics as to the dangerously large population of China showed, he contended, that the coloured races were a serious factor in the politics of the world. The education of white men with yellow would cause a considerable fall in the morality of Europe. He acknowledged that all had an equal right to live, but maintained that the coloured races should be kept in subjection for safety's sake. He doubted very much whether the League of Nations would be successful in dealing with the yellow peril. Mr. J. L. R. Croft opposed the motion and said that if the coloured races were treated properly and civilized, they would not want to revolt. It was bad policy to suppress them : Britain should use kindness. The Asiatics were the

THE VIGORNIAN.

37°

equals of the Europeans and Americans in morality and intellect. Mr. M. J. C. Stanley, in supporting the motion, said that the Chinese had a bad effect on others. Too close contact with them was to be feared. The niggers in America had no regard either for one another or for others : they were supremely selfish and a great menace. The Hon. Opposer was ably supported by Mr. S. D. Strong, who reminded the House of the vastness of the problem. He maintained that the un-Christian races were better in very many respects than those of Europe who seemed likely to become the slaves of machinery before long. Arabian philosophers and astronomers had had great influence over Europe and the work of Einstein was marvellous. . The motion was then thrown open to the House and so great was the enthusiasm to speak that time alone prevented many from so doing. Messrs. Bristow, Williams and Bain spoke for the motion, and Messrs. Langstaff, Hurford, Peters, Brown and Molony opposed it. Lack of time forced the Chairman to refuse the privilege of summing up to the Hon. Opposer, and urged the Hon. Proposer to define clearly what meaning he gave to the motion. So much extremely irrelevant matter had been spoken on both sides that many were quite undecided on which side to vote. The Hon. Proposer said that as the Germans were a menace to Europe in 1914, so the coloured races were now a menace to civilization. This definition helped matters very little and this rather ambiguously worded motion was lost by 36 votes to 23.

The enthusiasm shown by the School during the Term has been most gratifying, and it is to be hoped that this interest will continue to attend the Society's activities in tne future.

Cecture Society. The series of lectures was opened by an instructive talk by the Rev. C. M. Horley on November 8th, his subject being "The Shaftesbury Homes." He began by detailing the origin of this institution and the successive stages of its development. Then he described the various trades that the children were taught. All his slides supported the assertion that he frequently made, namely, that the children were very happy. The training ship, " Arethusa," was next spoken of and the life on board was illustrated by many interesting slides. The lecturer mentioned the fact that no less than eight old " Arethusa " boys took part in the attack on Zeebrugge. This he justly considered to be an overwhelming tribute to their ability. In spite of the lantern's failure to function once or twice, the lecturer was never at a loss for some instructive facts to give us. » * *

On Saturday, November 22nd, we had the privilege )f hearing Captain H. G. Mansfield speak to us on " The North-West Mounted Police." He stated that he himself had had the pleasure of being a member of that body for five years. He briefly outlined the history of these famous Police and spoke of their difficulties in dealing with the liquor traffic. He spoke of the problems which met them when the Canadian Pacific Railway was being constructed. The crisis in the history of the Police was, he said, at the time of the Klondyke gold rush. Incidentally, he showed a photograph of a sunset over Yukon River taken at midnight! The distances these policemen have to travel over in their quest of far off murderers were next mentioned. The last part of his lecture consisted of his experiences when with a party sent to make a trail. The hardships and dangers they endured were lightly touched on, but everyone appreciated their marvellous courage. The lecturer's brisk manner held the attention of all, especially when he was relating one of his anecdotes, all the more enjoyable because they were true. * * Many were undoubtedly glad lo welcome the Rev. A. R. Runnels Moss to the School on Saturday, November 22nd. " David Copperfield " had been chosen for his recital and he went through the book in his usual manner. He was perhaps most successful in impersonating the fisher-folk, for as Uriah Heep he was not very convincing. For those who had not read " David Copperfield," his recital did much good in urging them to read it, but those who had done so must have been disappointed at the inevitable " cutting " that had to be made. He depicted " little Em'ly " with much feeling and he impressed all with his powers of memory and elocution and whatever the level he reaches in his recitals, there can be no doubt as to the genuineness of his laudable purpose in increasing the popularity of Dickens. » * * Wednesday, December 3rd. 6.30 p.m. Rev. W. A. Pitt-Pitts. " The Uganda Mission." Saturday, December 6th. 8 p.m. Paul Edmonds, Esq. " Burma. '

Shooting. The Inter-House Shooting Competitions took place in the last two weeks of the Summer Term. In the Individual Competition, the result was rather a surprise in that it was won by someone who was not in the shooting eight. Whether the best " shots " of the eight were overexcited on account of what was expected of them or not, much credit is due to C. J. C. Molony for his steady shooting. Just failing to get an inch group, he dropped two on his application and scored a possible on his snap-shooting, thus compiling a total of 53 out of a possible 60. In the team shooting, School House was successful in retaining the Cup. This, again, was rather a surprise,

THE ViGORNlAN. for the Hostel team was far better on paper but their men did not show their usual form. Natland, unfortunately, had one weak man in their four, otherwise their shooting was very creditable and they did well to beat two other teams much better than themselves and obtain second place with 165 points to 170 gained by School House. P. H. GRAVES-MORRIS, Captain of Shooting.

SiDimmina Dotes. Mr. H. E. Nicholls is again to be commended on the excellent progress made by his swimming classes last Term, which resulted in no less than twenty-three becoming proficient—three more than his record of the previous year. A distinct improvement in the standard of swimming generally was noticeable, which was due to his special guidance, not only to beginners, but to the more advanced swimmers. Mr. Nicholls presses home to us that swimming is an art superior to all others in the promotion and preservation of health, that the knowledge is invaluable not only as a means of preserving one's life, but also for rendering assistance to others in danger of drowning and that everyone should therefore consider it a duty to learn to swim. The result of the House competition was as follows :— Castle House ... ... ... 48 points Natland 19 ,, School House ... ... ... 12 ,, Day Boys n „ Hostel 2 „ Castle House thus easily retained the swimming-picture.

Chess Rotes. The severe defeat which attended the last match with the College for the Blind has deterred us from playing with them this Term ; but through the kindness of Mr. Brown two representatives of the School played Herr Geza Maroczy, the great Hungarian chess master, on November 26th. Both held out stoutly, but needless to say, they lost. The usual School Competition has been unenthusiastically played off this Term. It is a great pity that more do not take an interest in the greatest of all games, both for the School and for themselves.

Renuntiatio. Not a sound is heard on the bleak Scottish moorlands save the whistling of the boisterous wind. No one is crossing the wilds, no foot treads on the yielding moss. The lonely cottage shields but one creature from the inclement weather: an old widow is seen sitting by an untended fire which will soon go out for lack of attention. But though somnolent, she is not listless ; her face has an eager, expectant look upon it. Is she waiting for news of someone? Long after midnight she keeps her lonely vigil, when suddenly she rises half up from the chair on which she had been sitting as if hearing what she had so long been expecting. Though the moor is as deserted as

37'

ever, the old lady darts up and begins dancing around the room! She can scarcely refrain from hugging her new wireless-set which has just allowed her to hear the election result of Dundee !

Reu>

's Dap.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, The breach that cleaves the Old Year and the New ; The breach so happy, yet, alas, so sad With thoughts of chances missed ; with sighs Of " what I might have done, had I so willed," With tears for friendships broken past recall. . . And yet there comes the consolation bright Of " what I shall do, if I have the strength," The New Year's promise, all the New Year brings, That fills my mind, drives out all other thoughts. Again the promise will and must be made To make new bonds of friendship, and the old That have been tried and tested, to confirm: No more to treat with scorn or to condemn What some may reverence : to love the pure, The noble : and in fine, dear friends, to do The best things possible in this New Year.

Shakespeare on " Rudder/' The Game : " There be some sports are painful and their labour Delight in them sets off." The Tempest. To the referee : "Thou hast been worth the whistle." Measure for Measure. Scrum-half snarlingly" I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you." Twelfth Night. - and the result : " There in the midst a tearing groan did break."

Antony and Cleopatra. The spectators : " Hark, they roar ! " Julius Ccesar. ist XV. at Hereford, 1924 : " The people muddied, Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers." Hamlet. Our place-kicker : " A brain that nourishes our nerves and can Get goal for goal." Antony and Cleopatra. The All Blacks' war cry : " I'll charm the air to give a sound, While you perform your antics round." Macbeth. The moral of the game: " If haply won, perhaps a hapless gain ; If lost, why then a grievous labour won."

Two Gentlemen of Verona. C. BUMPKIN.

THE VIGORNIAN.

372

Cbe €lusioe muse. I've a perfect itch to write Something for this magazine, Something that is neither trite Nor in style or substance mean. But what can I write about? I'm afraid few things, all told, Aren't immediately ruled out By objections manifold.

First of all, let's turn to verse; If at serious stuff I try, Criticisms will be terse, " Sentimental rot " the cry. Something wittier, you say, In the style of " Punch " is best ! But I simply can't essay To combine both rhyme and jest.

School Officers. - A. G. Bain. - C. J. C. Molony. - B. H. Carter. - P. H. Graves-Morris. - C. L. Garnett. - L. E. H. Goddard. - K. N. Ross.

Captain of the School Captain of Football Secretary of Football Captain of Shooting Captain of Fives Captain of Gym. Secretary of Chess -

Captains of Houses : School House - A. G. Bain. - B. H. Carter. Castle House Day Boys - M. R. Craze. Hostel - L. E. H. Goddard. Natland - G. E. Churchill. Editors of the Vigornian.—A. G. Bain, M. R. Craze, K. N. Ross. Librarians.—K. N. Ross, C. E. Coverdale, C. J. C. Molony, G. F. Blandford, C. B. Hopkin, D. A. B. Hopkin. School Monitors.—A. G. Bain, M. R. Craze, B. H. Carter, L. E. H. Goddard, P. H. Graves-Morris, C. J. C. Molony, G. E. Churchill.

Change the theme, then (and the metre)!

Valete.

So, then, we must turn to prose, but All attempts that aim at pathos Just as futile as those that Humorously end in " bathos." If you start, " O, loved one, parted ! " Not of doubt remains the faintest That you speak, though thus you started, To a tooth drawn by the dentist.

That is old : a better plan is To attempt a witty satire, Searching in the nooks and crannies Of my mind for subject-matter. Satire, though, is never taken In the spirit it's intended; I had better save my bacon, By my pen none be offended.

It is therefore now quite patent Nothing will grant words and phrases To that impulse in me latent To attain the critics' praises. I must so confine this yearning To a letter (how I hate to !) To the editors concerning— Oh ! what can the thing relate to? PSEUDONYM.

VI. H. A. Ainsworth (1920-24). School House. 2nd XV. Football 1923-4; Librarian; Editor of the "Vigornian "; Secretary of the Debating Society ; School Monitor ; C.S.M., O.T.C. ; Certificate " A . "

R. F. P. Cobb (1915-24). Day Boys. Private, O.T.C. W. B. Evans (1913-24). Day Boys, ist XI. Football 1920-21; ist XV. " Rugger " 1922-3-4, Capt. 1922-3-4; 2nd XI. Cricket 1922, ist XI. 1923; ist IV. Rowing 1924, Capt. of Boats 1924; Captain of Hockey 1923-4; School Monitor; Senior Victor Ludorum 1923-4; Sergeant O.T.C., Certificate " A." H. P. E. Pereira (1921-24). School House, ist XV. Football 1923 ; 2nd XL Cricket 1924 ; Librarian ; Corporal O.T.C., Certificate ' " A . " R. E. B. Robinson (1920-24). Natland. 2nd XI. Football 1920; ist XV. " Rugger " 1921-2-3; 2nd XI. Cricket 1922, ist XL 1923-4, Secretary 1924; ist IV. Fives 1923-4, Captain of Fives 1924 ; School Monitor ; Sergeant O.T.C., Certificate " A." Upper V. C. H. Brown (1915-24). Day Boys. 2nd IV. Rowing 1923-4; Corporal O.T.C., Certificate "A." J. C. Flay (1919-24). Day Boys. 2nd XV. Football 1922, ist XV. 1923; 2nd XI. Cricket 1924; Lance-Corporal O.T.C., Certificate "A." R. W. Porter (1919-24). Hostel. 2nd XV. Football 1923-4; 2nd IV. Rowing 1924; Lance-Corporal O.T.C., Certificate " A."

THE VI CORN I A N . H. W. Burdett (1922-4). Natland. Private O.T.C. Lower Va. W. H. Avery (1922-4). Day Boys. N. V. R. Gibbs (1922-4). School House. Private O.T.C. Lower Vc. E. D. Hooper (1918-24). Hostel. 2nd XV. Football 1924. 2nd XI. Cricket 1924. Private O.T.C. Remove. C. E. A. Appleby (1922-4). Natland. Private O.T.C. Lower IV. H. G. Bentley (1923-4). Natland. Private O.T.C. E. L. Crowder (1923-4). Natland. 2nd XL Cricket 1924. Private O.T.C. N. U. Earle (1919-24). Day Boys. Private O.T.C. J. E. Hartwright (1920-4). Day Boys. E. C. Hodson (1917-24). Natland. Private O.T.C. H. G. A. Maund (1921-4). Day Boys. Second Form. E. O. Hartwright (1921-4).

Day Boys.

Saluete. Remove. D. M. Birkmyre. Day Boy. R. R. Marchant. Natland. R. D. R. Probert. School House. Upper IV. J. S. Colomb'i. School House. F. H. Roberts. Natland. Middle IV. E. J. Granger. Hostel. M. R. Burnett. School House. R. R. Haynes. Castle House. J. F. Howman. School House. Lower IV. J. L. N. Phillips. Day Boys. Third. R. J. Collins. Day Boy. J. F. Green. Natland. E. W. Knight. Day Boy. Second. F. W. R. Claxton. Day Boy. H. E. Davis. Day Boy. F. A. France. Day Boy. F. A. Hughes. Day Boy. W. J. F. Jeff. Day Boy. L. G. Jones. Day Boy. H. M. Morgan. Day Boy. R. H. Phillips. Day Boy. R. P. Royle. Castle House. D. C. Royle. Castle House. D. W. G. Steele. Day Boy.

373

School Calendar. Fri., Sat., Sun.,

Sept.

.—Boarders Return. .—School Opens, 9 a.m. School Service, 9-iS.—School Celebration of Holy Communion in the Lady Chapel at 8.45 a.m. .—O.T.C. Field Day. .—Prize Day, 2.30 p.m. .—Half Term. .—Lecture, 8 p.m., Rev. Horley, " The Shaftesbury Homes."

»)

»»

Thur., Oct. Thur., Mon., Nov. Sat., »

Wed., Thur., Sat.,

12,

I King's Scholarship Exam.

13

15- —Lecture, 8 p.m., Captain H. G. Mans-

field, " The North-West Mounted Police." Sat., —Lecture Recital, 7 p.m., Rev. A. R. Runnels Moss, " David Copperfield." Wed., Dec. 3-.—Lecture, 6.30 p.m., Rev. W. A. PittPitts. "The Uganda Mission." Sat., 6. Lecture, 8 p.m., Paul Edmonds, Esq. " Burma." Fri., 12.-—Exams. Begin. Thur., 18 .—School Concert. Fri., 19. Exeunt Omnes.

Clbrarp. The following books were presented to the School Library from the Library of the late R. D. Willis, O.V. (together with a number for the Sixth Form Library): The Romany Rye George Borrow Lavengro George Borrow The Wild Ass's Skin H. de Balzac Catherine de Medici H. de Balzac C. Bronte Villette Life of Samuel Johnson, Vol. II J. Boswell Essays J. Brown The Count of Monte Cristo A. Dumas C. Darwin Naturalist's Voyage in H.M.S. Beagle J. Evelyn Diary The Mabinogion C. Guest Kalevala, the Land of Heroes W. F. Kirby H. Melville Typee The Adventures of Hayji Baba of Ispahan J. Morier Travels Mungo Park Travels Marco Polo Diary S. Pepys W. H. Prescott History of the Conquest of Peru The Conquest of Mexico W. H. Prescott Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile J. H. Speke The Bayard of India L. J. Trotter

THE VIGORNIAN.

374 Mrs. St. Clair Baddely kindly presented : The War in the Air

W. Raleigh

The following have been purchased Library :

for the

The Three Hostages Ships for All Memoirs of a Physician Stalky and Co The Trampling of the Lilies Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour Huckleberry Finn

School

J. Buchan F. C. Bowen A. Dumas R. Kipling R. Sabatini R. S. Surtees M. Twain

To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Sirs, I am an old shed, lent to the worthy members of W.C.K.S. at a fabulous fee (of which I get nothing) for use as a shelter for cycles. Every wet day the rain pours in through my roof, and gradually ruins the cycles of my patrons. The result is that, after their work is done, the owners of the various bicycles come to fetch them, and bewail the fact that my work has not been taken over bj another structure more suited for the purpose. Is it not possible that my end can be arranged in some way or other ? With the usual apologies, Yours, in a dreadful condition, THE BICYCLE SHED.

King's Scholarship examination. The results of the Examination, hold on November rath and i3th, were as follows : King's Scholarships.—i, E. W. Parsons, St. Michael's College, Tenbury ; 2, J. H. C. Phelips, Worcester Cathedral King's School; 3, C. D. Garrett, St. John's, Tutshill. House Scholarships.—G. H. Carrel, St. Peter's, Westonsuper-Mare; O. Rees Davies, Gunnersbury Preparatory School. Dean Forrest Memorial Scholarship.—C. V. The Knoll, Woburn Sands.

Hodgson,

To -the Editors of the " Vigorn.'an." Sirs, How is it that our musicians cannot venture further than C major when choosing a hymn for morning prayers? We have the same few tunes over and over again. When one has been in the school a few years, one does not need a hymn-book as the words are only too familiar. At present if the pianist is asked why his choice is so limited he replies that the School only know very few hymns. Even if that were true, they would, I am sure, rather learn fresh tunes than endure their present agony. But this is not true. The School know a great many hymn tunes ; enough, most probably, to have a different one each day of the year. With this last warble, • I remain yours, NIGHTINGALE.

Correspondence. To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, I venture through your pages to express my deep regret and annoyance at the recent withdrawal from the Reading Room of " Modern Wireless." I have been told, upon good authority, that its cost—the ruinous one of one shilling per month—was too heavy for the Reading Room to bear. Surely it would have been better to drop one of the many fiction magazines, etc., with which the Reading Room is supplied, than that, with wireless the extremely interesting and world-wide important subject that it is, the School should have no periodical relating to it. I know that many wireless enthusiasts greatly enjoyed the use of it, and I think that I am voicing their hearty wish at the same time as my own, when I hope that next Term will see the reinstatement of " Modern Wireless." Yours, etc., L. S. K. FORD.

t" Nightingale " must remember that he is an exceptionally talented bird. Not everyone has such a comprehensive repertoire. If he has been at the School long enough, he must surely have poignant recollections of its attempts to render lesser-known hymn-tunes.—Eds., Vigornian.]

To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, Since a new reading-room is being built, might we not introduce a few very strict rules concerning it? For instance, I should consider it a great improvement if loud talking were forbidden. Yours sincerely, " BOOKWORM." [Naturally, " Bookworm," the authorities share your concern for the care of our new reading-room, so never fear. —Eds., Vigornian.]

THE VIGORNIAN. To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, What has become of the " Dramatic Society "? This Term has been rather dull without it to liven things. I am not by any means the only one to express desire for its revival. Yours hopefully, " SCENESHIFTER. "

[We are sorry that " Sceneshifter " has not been able to amuse himself of an evening. Perhaps, if he is so desirous of plying his trade, there might be a hand wanted at—•—but, seriously, we hope, too, that next Term will see a revival of this Society's activities, with our correspondent and his fellow enthusiasts in all the " fat " parts.—Eds., Vigornian.] To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, There has been, for several years past, a column in your paper, acknowledging the receipt of certain contemporary papers. Should not the School be given a chance of comparing its paper with those of other Schools? Thanking you in anticipation of prompt attention to this matter. I remain, Yours faithfully, " INTERESTED." [Hear ! hear ! For once a correspondent has touched upon a subject which comes under the direct control of the Editors, and for once, therefore, the matter will really be attended to.—Eds., Vigornian.]

375

Contemporaries. We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following contemporaries, apologising for any accidental omissions :— The Alleynian (2), The Felstedian (2), The St. Edward's School Chronicle (2), The Tonbridgian, The Decanian, The Portcullis, The Harrovian, The Monktonian, The Monmothian, The Wulfrunian, The Cantuarian.

naaenda to O.V. H. S. Warren was ordained priest by the late Bishop of Zanzibar on Sept. 8th, and is working in the U.M.C.A.

marriage. The marriage of William Denis Battershill, Ceylon Civil Service, only son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Battershill, of 15, Wood Lane, Falmouth, to Elizabeth Joan, elder daughter of Major-General Sir John Gellibrand, K.C.B., D.S.O., and Lady Gellibrand, of Risdon, Tasmania, took place at St. Mary Bolton's, South Kensington, on Tuesday, October 2ist, 1924. Rev. J. Austin officiated.

Birth. SIEVERS.—On December 8th, at Rosedeen, Malvern Road, to Gertrude, wife of Robert F. Sievers—a son.