Che Ukjornian. THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL KIM'S SCHOOL CHRONICLE, " TO. per StSaKra pardavw, TO. o tvptra ra
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Contents. Editorial School Calendar ... School Notes Concert Junior Football First XV Characters P.T. Competition ... The Ketch Run O.T.C. Notes Fives Notes Chess Notes Literary and Debating Society ... Lecture Society The Library School Officers The Accident On Notoriety Life in the Sudan O.V. News In Memoriam Old Vigornians' Club ... ... The Damson Tree George, or The Studious Student Valete Salvete The Oxford Letter The Cambridge Letter Correspondence ... ... ... Games Account ... ... ... Library Account Contemporaries ... ... ...
PRICE is.
MARCH, 1926.
No 115. VOL. IX.
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editorial. We have a most surprising fact to chronicle : our heart (like our pockets) is light. We are feeling merry : we are singing pasans of joy to ourselves. The reader may well enquire the reason for our happiness. He will say : " You are quite eccentric ; no one has ever written an " Editorial " in a happy mood; from time immemorial the " Editorial " has been ushered in with cries of pessimism and despair." We brush these strictures carelessly aside and repeat the strange fact that we are merry. It is an unwonted occurrence that an Editor should be happy, and we may assure everyone that our heart does not always leap up when it beholds an " Editorial " in the offing, but—to use an expression which means nothing—the exception proves the rule. We will let out the secret in one word—Floods. Fair Sabrina came to our rescue and deluged the grassy meads with her turbid stream. For while the pedagogue was disporting himself without his gown and the scholar without his pen—in other words, during the holidays—the River Severn sent an ever-to-be-blessed-by-Editors flood. The London " Times " correspondent in the course of an astonishing article said that the inhabitants of Worcester seemed quite regardless of the flood. What did he expect them to be doing? Fearfully turning on the electric light each minute to see that the Electricity Works were safe? But the thing that seemed to have struck him most was that the cathedral was quite unaffected by the floods. He
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was disappointed, no doubt, that he could not photograph people coming to church in boats or a verger rowing^ the preacher to the pulpit. Still, we must be thankful for one thing : unlike last year, he put no photograph in the paper, purporting to represent the present floods, which showed the trees in full leaf! Our good friend, Mr. Southall, has been actively nelping the School again. He has submitted to the City Fathers a scheme of the Headmaster's, whereby a culvert is to be constructed which will deal effectively with ordinary floods which threaten our playing fields. The Governors of the School are standing the cost of much of the work, and the City Council decided upon the scheme without a discussion. So there is yet hope that we may yet have an uninterrupted football season. * * * The Vigornian is dull. Vfis, , gentle -reader, we are the first to admit it. We are conscious that Vigornians are turned out term after term of exactly the same pattern as before and .quite as uninteresting. Originality has no scope, for the Editor, even if he does happen to have ideas of his own, dares not break with tradition so far as to omit certain regular features. We seem to have reached a deadlock. Therefore we appeal for guidance to our readers. As many as can set pen to paper are invited to write to us and tell us quite frankly exactly what they think. If you think the Vigornian is very good as it is, say so : if you would like the Editorial omitted and a Cross-word Puzzle substituted, tell us : in fact, whatever you think about any feature will receive careful attention. At present, it may be, the oases of interesting paragraphs are few and far between : if that is so, it is the duty of every reader to send us his criticism. But let it be constructive and not merely destructive. Say what you would like put in, as well as you would like left out. In the past, editors have explained that it is the readers' fault if the Vigornian is dull, and that statement is peculiarly true now. We therefore look for a large postbag.
School Calendar. Man., Tues., Sun., Sat.,
Mon., Sat., Wed.,
Jan. 18. Boarders return. ,, 19. School begins. ,, 24. School Celebration of the Holy Communion, 8.45 a.m. Feb. 6. Lecture by Major-General Dunsterville, C.B., C.S.I., on " The Dunster Force in Persia," 8.0 p.m. „ 8. The film " India To-day " at the Public Hall, 2.30 p.m. ,, 13. Lecture by Captain C. W. R. Knight, " Aristocrats of the Air," 8.0 p.m. ,, 17. Ash Wednesday. Service in the Cathedral, 12.0. Physical Training Competition, 2.30 p.m.
Mon., Feb. 2 2 . Tues., 23Thurs., 25Sat., 27. Morr., Mar.
Certificate " A " Practical Exam. The Ketch Run. School Service in the Cathedral, 3 p.m. Half Term. Film, " David Livingstone," at the Silver Cinema, 2.30 p.m. Thurs., 4- School Service in the Cathedral, 3 p.m. Sat., 6. Lecture by T. E. Rammell, Esq., on " Rome," 8 p.m. Tues., 9- Certificate " A " Written Exam. Thurs., i i . O.T.C. Field Day at the Old Hills. Sat., 13- Lecture by T. Granville Squires, Esq., on " The East African Settler," 8.0 p.m Thurs., 18. School Service in the Cathedral, 3 p.m. Fri., 26. Confirmation at 12.0 noon. Mon., 29. Sports Heats. Tues., 30- Sports Heats. Fri., Apr. 2. Good Friday. Sat., 3- Sports Finals. Sun., 4- Easter Day. School Celebration, 7 a.m. Mon., S- Sports Finals. Tues., 6. School Concert, 7.30 p.m. Wed., 7- Exeunt omnes. Mon., Mav 3- Boarders return. Tues., 4- School begins.
School Dotes. It is only right to begin the School Notes with the usual grouse against the weather. This term the after-effects of the severe December floods, coupled with a steady rainfall, have made Football quite impossible. Runs have been the chief source of exercise, varied by an occasional Paper Chase. * # * In spite of the weather, Fives has been played with great vigour by a great many people. A most interesting match was played with Worcester College, Oxford, on March 3rd. The School pair, C. L. Garnett and L. W. Shorting, are to be congratulated on their victory. * * * The School enjoyed several days' skating both at Camp and at Spetchley Park at the end of last term. * * * Our congratulations are due to P. H. Graves-Morris, who won a Prize Cadetship at Sandhurst; to K. N. Ross, who gained a Postmastership at Merton College, Oxford ; and to C. J. C. Molony, who won an Exhibition at Queen's College, Oxford. * * # .Some mention has been made of a Paper Chase. This was run. over a trail of about seven miles, which included some very sporting country, and at least one water-jump. The hares, who received eight minutes' start, just managed to reach home in safety. * * *
THE VIGORNIAN. Rowing has started, and is I icing carried on with great enthusiasm. It is comforting to think that at last we have discovered a sport which cannot be affected by the weather. * *- * The Field Day was held on March nth. The battleground was the Old Hills, and the general scheme of operations was that of an advance guard attacking a rear guard. As usual, the battle was marked by the headlong courage of the troops, who, we fear, must have sustained frightful losses. * * * The new sand table has been an endless source of delight, and, we suppose, of profit to all. Armed with a few Halma men to represent troops, and a trowel with which to tear up the car'.h, one can enjoy being a sort of tabloid Napoleon. * * * The Band, on its way through the streets of Worcester, draws so many children to it that we can no longer disbelieve the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. * * * The date of the O.V. Cricket Match and Annual Dinner has been fixed for July loth. It will be preceded by the School Prize-giving on July gth, and the arrangements will be on the same lines as those which proved so successful last year on the occasion of the opening of the New Buildings. * * * The School sent in fifteen candidates for the Oxford and Cambridge School Certificate Examination in December, of whom twelve- were successful. These were G. L. Bishop, C. E. X. Davis, J. B. Edwards, J. S. Hurford, R. A. W. Langtield, C. P. Longland, E. W. Parsons, J. H. C. Phelips, E F. Stanton, R. E. Thomas, J. R. WingfieldDigby, P. H. B. Woodhouse. * * * As we go to press we learn that J. L. Longland, at Jesus College, Cambridge, has been awarded his Blue. This noteworthy distinction is a great honour to the School and we offer him our heartiest congratulations. * * * At a meeting of the Games Committee it was decided not t.) hold a Boxing Competition this term, owing to the low standard of boxing generally. This step was taken with a view not to discourage boxing, but rather to encourage it. * * * Important alterations have been made in the seating in College Hall. Many of the old desks have been got rid of, and in their place are some nice-looking seats which greatly improve the appearance of the Hall. * * * The playground too has been levelled and otherwise improved, and one or two trees have been planted.
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Concert. The end-of-term Concert, which was held on Friday, December i8th, began with a spirited rendering of the School song, " Floreat Schola." This was followed by a pleasing rendering of three old English pieces on the piano by E. W. Parsons. " The Fighting TemeVaire," vigorously sung by an O.V., O. Collett, came next, succeeded by a Violin, Viola and Pianoforte Trio, well played by Mrs. Winifred Hill, Mr. F. Fielder, and another O.V., C. Brown. Then came three Two-part Songs, rendered by treble voices, " It was a lover and his lass,*' " Under the Greenwood Tree," and " Come unto these yellow sands." They were quite well sung, though their voices hardly carried to the back of the Hall. The School Choir gave " O h ! the sweet contentment," with great spirit, and the first part of the programme was concluded by two songs by the " Masters' Quartette." More popular than ever, they were loudly encored, and one wonders however it could have happened that this item was omitted at the previous concert. During the interval some of the prizes were distributed by Mrs. Moore-Ede, the rest, as was explained, being held over until the regular Prize-giving in the Summer. The Certificates won in July were then also distributed. The second part was begun with the " piece de resistance " of the evening, Mendelssohn's Cantata, " Come, let us sing," a version of the 95th Psalm. This actually lasted half an hour, though it did not seem like five minutes. A great deal of work is given to the soloist, and R. P. C. Bagnall was highly successful, indeed surprisingly successful, in an arduous part. The singing of the Chorus was excellent and left nothing to be desired, and Mr. Day is to be heartily congratulated on his able training of it. The musical programme concluded with another song by O. Collett, " When the King went forth to war," and two more humorous quartets, both Mr. Day's compositions. Thus, after the usual cheers, and the National Anthem and Auld Lang Syne," the concert ended, a concert which kept up the high standard set in previous years, if, indeed, it did not surpass it. * * » PRIZE LIST. ARCHDEACON JAMES' ACCIDENCE PRIZES : VI.—Greek and Latin, K. N. Ross. Upper V.—Latin, G. D. S. Boole. Greek, J. H. Nicholls. Lower Va.—W. J. L. Severn. Lower Vb.—B. S. Verdier. Remove.—D. M. Birkmyre. Middle IV.—H. Baylis. HOLIDAY READING PRIZES : Upper V.—G. D. S. Boole. Lower Va.—T. O'D. Lumley. Lower Vb.—J. H. Marker. Lower School.—F. A. Hughes. Fourth Forms (Mrs. H. Wood Prizes) : i F. H. Yarnold, 2 A. H. S. Powell, 3 W. F. Cox.
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M. R. A. AINSLIE. Forward. Owing to a sprained ankle was prevented from reaching his form of last season. Hence he was a disappointment. He was inclined to shirk the scrum. Improved at end of season. Excellent in line out and in the loose. J. S. COLOMBI. Forward. A real hard worker. Fast in loose. R. K. HOOPER. Wing threequarter. A speedy runner. At first lacking resolution but later improved in this respect. An excellent place-kick. W. J. MAYHEW. Wing threequarter. Was quite fast but mistrusted his ability to beat his opponent in attack. H. C. GKTTINGS. A useful hard-working forward. A. D. ARBUCKLE. Stand off half. Was new to the position and took some time to settle down. Later became good—has very safe hands. D. A. B. HOPKIX. An energetic and useful forward. C. L. GARNETT. Full back. Rather slow, but tackled fearlessly and cleared well when not too closely pressed. L. L. WALLACE. A good worker. Rather apt to neglect his work in the scrum. P. C. W. MONAHAN. A good hard-working forward. In the line out excellent. E. C. HALTON. Scrum half. Slow in initiating attack, good in defence.
HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS : (Entomology)—C. P. Longland. (Drawing)—D. B. Williams. ARCHDEACON SPOONER'S RECITATION PRIZES i R. H. N. Wood. 2 B. H. Wallace. FORM PRIZES : Upper V.—G. D. S. Boole. Lower Va.—E. W. Parsons. Lower Vb.—J. H. C. Phelips. Remove.—O. R. Davies. Upper IV.—R. M. Brighouse. Middle IV.—M. M. Hallett. Lower IV.—F. Cale. Lower 111.—W. J. F. Jeff. Lower II.—D. J. U. Pilbeam. MATHEMATICAL SETS : A2.—J. C. Palmer. A3.—G. J. Knight. A-j.—E. Rieu. Bi.—O. R. Davies. B2.—C. F. A. Assheton. B3.—P. C. W. Monahan. B4.—J. E. A. King. Lower School.—D. W. G. Steele.
Junior Football. " Quocunque aspicies nihil est nisi pontus et aer." So one might have said (if one had remembered the line) when looking at the Rugger fields early this term. Everywhere they were covered with biliously placid grey water, which, as the term drew on, gave place to a rich brown mud, pricked here and there with unpleasant little spears of grass. As a sporting ground for bull-frogs and eels the fields were admirable, they might even have served as the opening scene of Childe Roland's journey to the Dark Tower : as Rugger fields they were quite useless. Wherefore one might sum up the Junior football season somewhat in this manner :— JUNIOR FOOTBALL. There has been no junior football.
First XV. Characters. C. J. C. MOLONY i. (Capt.). Centre threequarter. good leader—sound in defence—a forceful player.
A
P. H. GRAVES-MORRIS. Centre threequarter. Excellent in attack and defence. Thoroughly understood the finer points of the game. A strong runner with a powerful handoff. Was responsible for many tries. G. E. CHURCHILL. A good hard-working forward. Slow in the loose but very useful in the scrum. Led his line well. J. S. HURPORD. A strenuous worker. Rather too slow in getting the ball back through scrum.
p.C. Competition. The Inter-House P.T. Competition was held in College Hall on Wednesday, February 171(1. It was very soon obvious to those who watched both the " massed " work, and the display of individual classes, that the standard of P.T. in the School had improved considerably during the last year. Sergt.-Instructor Pearce, of the Worcestershire Regiment, who kindly acted as judge, said that the work was, on the whole, good, but emphasized the need for a sharp word of command from the instructors, and greater agility upon the part of the classes. It was then announced that the Hostel retained the Cup. They are to be congratulated on an excellent squad, which carried out its work in an extremely smart fashion, but which completely discarded that stamping and barracksquare smartness which is so opposed lo the principles of P.T. The final order was as follows : — 1. Hostel. 2. Castle House. 3. School House. 4. Day Boys. N'atland.
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Cbe Ketcb Run. The Ketch Run was held on February iyth, in the usual unpleasant weather ; which however did not prevent a large crowd from assembling at the starting point. There were 132 runners, and until the field had thinned out, Severn Street and the Bath Road were filled from side to side. The first man home was D. W. A. Molonv, who received i j minutes' start. This is the third time in succession that Molony has finished first, and he is to be congratulated on something of a record. R. E. Thomas was first of the open division, and was thus winner of the Warren Cup. He ran an admirably judged race in excellent style, and we congratulate him most heartily. The Inter-House Cup was won by Castle House, whose six first men finished in remarkably good times. The final order of Houses was as follows :— 1. Castle House. 2. Day Boys. 3. School House. 4. Hostel. 5. Natland. Mr. Thomas kindly acted as starter, and Mr. Strong and Mr. Whitaker conducted the difficult business of marshalling the runners at the finish and of calculating the marks.
o.c.c. notes.
Work for the first half of the term has been of a general character, special attention being given to the preparation of candidates for Certificate " A." * * * Twelve candidates were entered and the practical examination took place on February 22nd. L/Cpl. Porter and Cadets Mayhew i, Rieu and Greenfield failed in this part of the examination. The following passed and sat for the written part of the examination on March 9th : Cpl. Gettings, L/Cpls. Longland and Stanley, Cadets Nott, Spong, Verdier, Wood and Woodhouse. The result of this part of the examination will not be available until next term. * * * The following appointments and promotions have been made during the term :— Sergts. Molony i and Garnett to be Cadet Officers. Sergt. Churchill to be Coy. Sergt.-Major. Cpls. Peters and Shorting to be Sergeant. L/Cpl. Brown to be Sergeant. L,Cpls. Ainslie, Gettings, Coverdale and Ross to be Corporal. Cadets Graham, Langstaff, Painting, Williams, Taylor, Thomas, Stanley, Longland, and Porter to be L/Corporal. Sergt. Shorting was appointed Band-Sergeant.
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Eleven boys left last term. Of these C.S.M. P. H. Graves-Morris has entered Sandhurst. He passed in I4th in the list and was awarded a Prize Cadetship. His work in the corps was invaluable and we wish him every success in his Army career. * * * The following recruits were enrolled this term :— Beavan ii, Eckersley, Mayhew iii, Payne ii, Slade ii, Thorne, Waylen, Walker, Weeks, Clinch i, Bowles, Chatterley, Simpson, Farrington, Rushton, Liggins. * * * The usual Field Day took place on March nth on the Old Hills. A detailed account appears below. * * * The miniature range has been put in order and a considerable amount of shooting practice has taken place. * * * This term a team has been entered for the competition for Public Schools organized by Country Life. At the time of writing, the result of the competition is not to hand. •:.;• * * A sand table has been constructed in a room in the Edgar Tower, placed at the disposal of the corps by the Headmaster. This supplies a long-felt want and is invaluable for indoor work in Tactics. * * * FIELD DAY. MARCH IITH. The scene of operations this term was the Old Hills. The corps, headed by the band, marched to Callow End, where the band left their instruments. Here the attacking and defending forces separated to their respective areas. The General Idea was that an Eastern Force, whose Western boundary was the River Severn, had invaded Westland Territory on March loth. The approach of a large Westland Force compelled them to retire, and at noon on March nth the Eastland Force were crossing the river at Pixham Ferry. To ensure the safe crossing of his troops the Eastland Commander had ordered a small force to fight a rearguard action and delay the advance of the enemy, their object being to prevent the enemy from getting within striking distance of Pixham Ferry. No. 2 Platoon, with one Lewis gun section from No. 3 Platoon, formed the rear guard, under the command of Cadet Officer Garnett. Meanwhile the Westland Force was advancing over the northern slopes of the Malvern Hills. Their advance guard consisted of No. i Platoon, No. 3 Platoon (less one section), and Recruits, and was under the command of Cadet Officer Molony. At 1.30 p.m. the advance guard, moving along the Malvern Link—Deblings Green road, came under fire from the direction of the Old Hills, and a strong enemy position was located on a hill to their right front. The advance guard commander immediately took steps to take this posi-
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tion. He soon realized that a frontal attack was impossible. Eventually, by skilful handling of his troops, he worked round both flanks of the position and enclosed the enemy in a sharp salient, which soon became untenable. The Eastland Force then withdrew, and took up a position near St. Cloud, leaving one L.G. section in a good tactical position to cover his withdrawal. The Westland Force then re-organized and continued his advance until he was again held up in the vicinity of St. Cloud. The Eastland Commander had again chosen a good tactical position, but his force was not strong enough to resist the determined advance of the Westland troops. Both commanders handled their troops remarkably well. Cadet Officer Molony showed initiation and a thorough knowledge of the general principles of attack. When confronted by unforeseen difficulties he was quick to change his plans as circumstances demanded. The initial disposition of the rear guard in a defensive position by Cadet Officer Garnett was good. His troops were 1 so placed as to enable him to bring to bear on the enemy thr: maximum of fire, forcing him to deploy. After withdrawing to his second position he initiated a counter attack at the right moment. Platoon Commanders did their work well and section leading was in most cases good ; there was general keenness throughout the action. Two points were particularly noticeable—better use was being made of ground and the principle of fire and movement was everywhere observed. After tea on the Common, the journey home was commenced about 5.0 p.m., and the steadiness shown on the march was very creditable. The band in particular are to be congratulated. After a tiring day and encumbered, as they ^vere for a long march, by their instruments, they set a steady pace which was maintained without variation to the end.
floes Rotes. An interesting Fives match was played on March 3rd, at the School, who were at home to Worcester College, Oxford. It sent down two representatives each of whom had played for the University several times previously. The fixture consisted of a doubles match, and two singles, each to be decided by the best of three games. J. E. G. Roland and J. E. B. Hall were the opponents of the School pair, C. L. Garnett and L. W. Shorting. The doubles match, the first event, resulted in a victory for the School in two straight games. Though scrappy at first, the School pair seemed more at ease, whereas the Oxonians seemed troubled by buttress shots, and, though playing extremely well as individuals, never really got together. The School won the first game fairly comfortably by 15 points to 8. The second, though almost redeemed by many splendid rallies on the part of the College, went also to the School by 15 points to 12.
Of the singles, that between J. E. B. Hall and C. L. Garnett was the best. The latter did not seem to find his feet quickly' after the change, and the first game went to Hall at 15 points to 7. Garnctt, however, evidently the less tired, rallied brilliantly in the game following, and a most exciting battle was witnessed. Thirteen all was reached, and finally Garnett ran out at 5—2. Both were very " done," but Hall the more so, with a result that Garnett gained the final game after a sharp tussle at 15 to 8. In the meanwhile, matters had come to a head in the other court. Roland, whose placing seemed to worry Shorting, drew rapidly ahead in the first game, only to be held and caught up, having reached 8 points. Nevertheless, after a severe rally he gained the advantage, and ran out at 15 points to 12. Shorting now stepped in, and swept away Roland, winning the second game by 15 points to 2. It looked like a complete collapse upon the part of the College representative, but to the surprise of all, he completely reversed the tables, to gain the deciding game at 15 points to 7. The School may congratulate ilself upon a fine victory, having gained two events out of three in a fixture with the best representatives that Oxford can produce at this particular sport.
Cbess Rotes On January ayth, Mr. G. C. Brown very kindly offered the Club a board against M. Alekhine, who was to play 40 games simultaneously at the College. K. N. Ross played and lost—as did 38 others—and other members of the team went up and watched.
On February 4th, a match was played at home with the second team of the Worcester City Club. The result—a just one—\vas a draw, for all the games were well fought out. The games were played as follows :— W.C.K.S. W.C.C.C. II. Rev. R. J. Whitaker Mr. L. Sharpe K. N. Ross Mr. D. Gibbs C. L. Garnett Mr. H. G. Perkins I... W. Shorting Mr. S. Holtham G. E. Churchill Mr. J. King O. R. Craze Mr. D. S. Collins -
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On Thursday, February 25th, we played our return match with the Roval Grammar School. We took a
THE VIGORNIAN. strong team, and were unlucky to secure only a draw. The games were played as follows : — W.C.K.S. K. N. Ross C. L. Garnett I.. W. Shorting G. E. Churchill O. R. Craze T. O'D. Lumley -
W.R.G.S. R. C. Gaut T. Atwell L. Court C. M. Evans W. B. Whenman W. K. Leake
The match for the Worcestershire Public Schools Chess Shield was played at the College for the Blind on March i6th. By adjudication-time, four games had been finished, one win and three losses. Adjudication brought a further loss and two draws. The position on the top board was very intricate, but rather in Ross's favour. It has yet to be thoroughly analysed. The School team showed a marked improvement, especially in knowledge of the openings. The games were played as follows :— W.C.K.S. K N. Ross C. L. Garnett L. W. Shorting G. E. Churchill O. R. Craze E Rieu -
J. P. Mayhew T. O'D. Lumley
* o o J 0 1
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BLIND .COLLEGE. A. Brace E. E. Davies R. Cross R. Ash A. C. Threlfall G. Miller
P. A. Hughes R. Faulkner -
For adjudication. * * * The return match with Worcester City II will be played
Citcrarp and Debating Society. Committee: C. ]. C. Molony (President), K. N. Ross (Secretary), D. K. Peters, C. E. Coverdale, D. G. W. Brown, G. D. S. Boole, M. J. C. Stanley, P. H. B. Woodhouse, J. R. Wingfield-Digby, C. P. Longland. The first meeting this term was held on January 3oth, when Mr. D. K. Peters presided. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed. Mr. K. N. Ross then proposed " That in the opinion of this House, Boxing is not a noble sport."
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In his speech, he laid most stress on the unnecessarily brutal side of boxing and suggested that the art of breaking other people's teeth was not particularly noble. He said that the late boxer Siki was a typical specimen of his class. In conclusion, he prophesied that our descendants would regard boxing as we regard bull-fighting in Spain. Mr. C. J. C. Molony opposed and soon demolished the flimsy arguments of the last speaker, He asked if being taught to keep one's temper was an ignoble thing. He said that boxing made the body beautiful and that the British Army was an example of its efficiency. Mr. J. R. Wingfield-Digby seconded the motion, and laid especial stress on the bad moral tendency of boxing. He objected to it because it was not a team game and spoke of the unhealthy popularity of boxing matches. Mr. C. P. Longland seconded the Opposition, and said that in the School boxing had been conducted on the House system, which thus produced the team spirit. The motion was then thrown open to the House and a welcome opportunity was afforded to show what deep roots boxing now has in the School. No one supported the motion, but Messrs. Blackall, Every, Coverdale, Boole and Haysman opposed. The Hon. Opposer then summed up the case for his side. The Hon. Proposer replied, and said that though boxing was beneficial in many ways, it was not a noble sport. The House then divided and the result—a foregone conclusion—was that the motion was lost by 3 votes to 35.
On February 6th, there was a well-attended meeting of the Society, presided over by Mr. C. J. C. Molony. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed. Mr. P. H. B. Woodhouse then proposed " That in the opinion of this House, it is better to be the son of a robust burglar than of a consumptive bishop." He said that statistics showed that the sons of consumptives were usually themselves consumptive, and accordingly were not to be envied. He contended that a robust burglar's son was likely to have many good qualities owing to his healthy body. Mr. K. N. Ross opposed, and after commenting on the paucity of his opponent's arguments, proceeded to argue that it was better to have a strong mind in a weak body than a weak mind in a strong body. Stevenson did more good, in spite of his ill-health, than any strong burglar. But he also denied that sons of consumptives were necessarily either weak or consumptive, and he compared the upbringing of a burglar's son with that of a bishop's. Mr. D. G. W. Brown seconded the motion, and lavished praise on burglary as a profession. He said that burglars had a code of honour, and that whether they could behave with conventional politeness was negligible.
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Mr. C. E. Coverdale seconded the Opposition, and proved that the son of a consumptive bishop would probably not have consumption owing to his healthy life, while the burglar's son in the overcrowded slums was quite likely to develop it.
The first motion was " That marriage should be compulsory." Mr. G. D. S. Boole was called upon to propose this, and Mr. K. X. Ross to oppose. Other speakers were Mr. Every for, and Messrs. Molony, Woodhouse and Glutton against. The motion was lost by 3 votes to 15.
The motion was then thrown open to the House, and Messrs. Stanley, Peters, Ainslie, and Blackall spoke for the motion, and Messrs. Every, Glutton, Digby and Langstaff against it. The Chairman also vacated the chair to oppose it.
The next motion was " That Bernard Shaw is a greater man than Stanley Baldwin." This was proposed by Mr. C J. C. Molony, and opposed by Mr. D. G. W. Brown. Other speakers were Messrs. Every and Boole for, and Messrs. Coverdale and Wingfield-Digby against. The motion was lost by 3 votes to 15.
The Hon. Opposer and Proposer then summed up, and on the House dividing, the motion was found to be lost by 13 votes to 36. * * * On Wednesday, February, 25, a meeting of the Society was held in College Hall. It was well after five before proceedings began, owing to the failure of the Secretary to appoint a chairman. No minutes were read owing to the Secretary's unaccountable absence. Mr. Every was invited to the chair. The motion as eventually drafted was " That in the opinion of this House, co-education is a good thing." Mr. D. K. Peters, after apologizing for the absence of so many members of the Committee, proposed the motion. He urged that co-education would lead to a better understanding between man and woman and that women had a right to as good an education as men. Mr. M. J. C. Stanley opposed the motion, saying that coeducation would lead to an increase in the present deplorable masculinity of woman and femininity of man. This, he considered, would mean the loss of home life and influence which was so strong in us. Mr. J. R. Wingfield-Digby seconded the Hon. Proposer. He urged that the fact that co-education had grown to such a large extent lately was proof of its acceptability. In America it was universal, and in England it was spreading rapidly. Mr. G. D. S. Boole, in seconding the Hon. Opposer, said that boys and girls developed at different speeds. Girls certainly needed a good education, but their real sphere was the home, and they should be trained for it. The deplorable result of the system in America was that the teachers of both sexes were women. The motion was thrown open to the House. Mr. Every vacated the chair to oppose the motion, and on the House dividing, the motion was lost by 18 votes to 2.
A series of impromptu debates was held on March 3rd. The minutes of the previous meeting but one were read and signed nem. con. The Secretary took the chair, and explained that the procedure would be that there would be one opener on each side, and that every speaker must speak for not less than two, and not more than five minutes.
The next motion was " That rowers should confine their activities to rowing." Mr. J. R. Wingfield Digby proposed this and Mr. D. K. Peters opposed. Messrs. Coverdale and Glutton supported the motion and Mr. Stanley opposed. The motion was carried by 12 votes to 6. The last motion was "That this motion will be lost." The two heroes who proposed and opposed this were respectively Mr. Coverdale and Mr. Stanley. Owing to the nature of the motion, no vote was taken.
lecture Society. On Saturday, February 6th, the School had the excitement of hearing a really thrilling and amusing account of a striking part of the history of the war, the exploits of the Dunster Force in Persia and Caucasia, from the lips of Major-General Dunsterville himself. A large section of the audience felt a further thrill in addition to those of the lecture and the slides, in the sight of the original Stalky of Stalky and Co. And if these hoped to see a Kipling hero, they were not disappointed. The General was a Kipling hero ; the expedition had a distinct flavour of Puck of Pook's Hill and of British daring. We heard the story of the attempt of twelve officers, two clerks and forty Ford vans and their drivers to reorganize thousands of Russian revolutionary forces in a disturbed country on the verge of the famine and to keep the enemy from penetrating right into Persia. They went through perils unscathed that would clearly have been certain death to any other party. No Persians or Russians consented to shoot them. At last, it appears, the General got British battalions, among them a Worcestershire one, and during the summer of 1918 he endeavoured to defend Baku against the attacks of the Bolshevists and the Turks. He was hampered by the dilatoriness of the Socialist Revolutionary Government, whose members seem to have had an unfortunate disposition to pass resolutions at any emergency. Not the least exciting of the adventures of which we heard was concerned with the final escape of the force from Baku and their retreat through Persia. We thus had interesting light thrown for us on one side of the Russian Revolution.
THE VIGORNIAN. On Monday, February 8th, the School attended the Missionary film " India To-day," at the Public Hall. Some of us with recollections of a previous occasion, expected to see the film break before our eyes and to have the performances punctuated with a variety of hitches. But there was no hitch, and we were able to get a glimpse of every side of the many-sided Indian life all over the great continent " from Cape Comorin to the Khyber Pass." The most striking impression was that of the awakening of India and the rapid inrush of foreign methods and foreign ideas into every department of life, overthrowing the old agricultural civilization. Education was indeed one side, but it gives us a pang to see factories and slums springing up like mushrooms after the fashion of the worst of our own cities. The film was wonderfully clear and comprehensive. On Saturday, February i3th, Captain C. W. R. Knight, M.C., came to give a lecture on " Aristocrats of the Air." The aristocrats were not found to be aeroplanes, as some may have expected, but some of the rarer and more beautiful of our British wild birds. He first told of the rapacity of the egg collector, from whom no rare bird can now be free, and of his own failure, after long travel in Scotland, to find a Golden Eagle's eyrie where he could photograph the young. But the slides he showed us, many of them made from cinema photographs, more often gave us a sight of the birds living in peace for once in a great wild bird sanctuary in some unspecified part of England. There his wonderful cunning and skill had succeeded in filming the childhood and youth of such nervous feathered creatures as the Montague's Harrier. The adventures of Wiziki, a backward baby Montague, caused some interest and amusement. Another fascinating story to watch was that of a Sparrow Hawk's family, who suffered, or seemed likely to suffer, by the death of their mother in the middle, and whose omnivorous diet was one of their most striking qualities—to say nothing of their pure white down when young. Captain Knight also showed a penetrating study of the face and pose of an Owl in his garden who has taken to eating from his hand. Altogether it was an absorbing lecture from a lecturer with great skill, not only in photographing but in lecturing. * * * On Saturday, March 6th, Mr. Rammell reappeared as a lecturer in College Hall, after a number of years of hiding his light under a bushel ; and gave us an enthusiastic and absorbing account of Rome. He fired interest and enthusiasm in every part of his account of the eternal citv, with its wonderful relics of every age, and showed us the most striking thing of all about it, the continuity in its history that has enabled ruins of two thousand years to stand next to the streets of a modern capital. The sweating house of Agrippa's baths that was turned into the Pantheon because it was too big, is now a Christian church. The slides and description of St. Peter's was particularly impressive. Still more directly interesting were the holy places of St. John Lateran, especially the sacred stairs. The Colosseum, stripper of its iron and its marble, the
449
Castle of St. Angelo, once covered with marble too, we are told, and the enormc-us baths, must have made in their prime a group of enormous public buildings which can only be imagined by thinking of Wembley ; and still more extraordinary is the enormous size of the triumphal arches and the column of Trajan. The slides of the statues in the city also showed their wonderful form and expression. The lecture gave us indeed an extraordinary powerful impression of the scope and variety of the interests of the Eternal City. * * * Through the kindness of the Headmaster, on Monday, March ist, the School celebrated Ross's Postmastership at Merton by going to see the great British film " David Livingstone." But the great story of Africa only took up the later half of the programme. It was preceded not only by the Pathe' Gazette but by a long film romance " The Call of the Road," which might have been attractive if we had not been waiting for Livingstone, like the introducer's speech that might have been very interesting if the audience had not been waiting for Bernard Shaw. As it was, it seemed a rather sensationalized and weakened dishing up of " The Broad Highway " by Farnol, with a dash of Conan Doyle and boxing. Then came the story of Livingstone. The part dealing with his early life and first departure from Africa and his life and courtship at Kuruman, was extraordinarily well and effectively done, as was the dramatic meeting of Stanley and Livingstone ; and manv of the scenic pictures and views of wild game were both interesting and beautiful, especially those of the Victoria Falls. But whenever Livingstone or Stanley or a slave gang was represented on trek there was a marked tendency to make them cross mountain, lake .and stream, and dash in and out of the jaws of crocodiles at one constant rhythmic joy-trot that was very unreal. One also wishes that some of the more interesting pictures had been kept on longer. But considering the enormous difficulties of taking such a film, it was in no way unworthy of the grand storv it represented. * * * On Saturday, March i3th, J. Granville Squires, Esq., lectured on " My Wanderings in Africa," and told us some of his experiences in twelve years of hunting and trading in the East African bush. His lecture was illustrated by some very remarkable lantern slides in colour, taken, he said, from photographs which he had never imagined would be shown publicly. It was also illustrated, in a different way, by the very extraordinary weird and wonderful imitations he gave us of native songs and dances, native conversation, and the noises of all kinds made by big game in the hunter's paradise. He said a great deal about the very primitive and extraordinary customs of the negro tribes of the bush, and the remarkable variety between tribe and tribe in physique, manners, clothing and even language, and their wonderful war dances. It was particularly striking to hear that East Africans cannot get out of the habit of walking in single file, as along a bush path, however wide the road may be. We may complain of Oxford trousers here, but we may thank our lucky stars
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that fashion has not brought us to such a pass as it has brought the negro who twists his ears and dyes his hair into every conceivable colour and shape for the sake of respectability. This, the last lecture of the season, was in no way unworthy of its predecessors.
Cbe Cibrarp. The following books have been added to the School Library this term : — The Region Cloud The Carolinian The Strolling Saint Anthony Wilding Night Watches The Three Just Men Salute to Adventurers The Paddington Mystery Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town Carry On, Jeeves! A Gentleman of Leisure The Final Count Martin Conisby's Vengeance Lord Jim Nostromo A Set of Six Almayer 's Folly
P. Lubbock R. Sabatini ,, ,, W. W. Jacobs E. Wallace J. Buchan J. Rhode S. Leacock P. G. Wodehouse ,, " Sapper " Farnol J. Conrad ,, ,,
The following have been put into the Reading Room :— The Savoy Operas W. S. Gilbert True Zoo Stories L. G. Mainland The Elements of Chess J. du Mont Pocket Guide to Chess Openings Griffith & White Wisden's Cricketer's Almanac * * * Our best thanks are due to Canon James for presenting to us his book " Seventy Years." * * * A handsome clock has been presented to the Reading Room by W. McC. and P. H. Graves-Morris, O.V., for which we are most grateful. * * * It is the custom in many other schools for a boy, when leaving, to present a book to the School Library. Here new books are greedily seized upon and additions are always welcome both to the School and the Sixth Form Library. Is it asking too much to expect that some such custom should take root here?
School Officers. Captain of the School Captain of Football Secretary of Football Captain of Boats -
K. N. Ross. C. J. C. Molony. M. R. A. Ainslie. C. J. C. Molony.
Secretary of Chess
D. K. Peters. C. L. Garnett. D. G. W. Brown. C L. Garnett. K. N. Ross.
Castle House Day Boys Hostel Natland -
C C. L. Garnett. K. N. Ross. L. W. Shorting. G. E. Churchill.
Secretary of Boats Captain of Fives Captain of Shooting
School Monitors—K. N. Ross, C. J. C. Molony, G. E. Churchill, L. W. Shorting, C. L. Garnett. Editors of the Vigornian—K. N. Ross, C. J. C. Molony, G. Every. Librarians—K. N. Ross, C. E. Coverdale, C. J. C. Molony, G. F. Blandford, D. A. 13. Hopkin.
Che accident. The sun was setting : great streaks of gold lit up the horizon and a reddening glow began to suffuse the face of the sky. The road was silent, save for the solitary croaking of a raven on an adjoining plum tree. The traveller sighed : how rarely this calm floated about his troubled steps! Nature, grandly soulless, afforded an anodyne to his fretful and sick mind. The road seemed long no more : and his movements did not hinder his communion with nature. Alone with the Eternal! Nothing could break his rapt attention ; even the signpost at the cross-roads no longer typified for him the relentless hands of men ; it seemed clothed in symbolism ; it was the parting of the ways, with no middle course. Unseeing, unseen, he paused on his way, and breaking through the hedge, he rushed to the solitary signpost and knelt at its foot. Then, as the shadows lengthened, he arose, as in a dream,, and set foot upon his path again. Suddenly he stumbled and fell. He turned his head ; a mangled corpse was at his side. The last rays of the sun lit up the distant sky. His senses returned; he started to his feet; then, with an agonized gasp towards the hidden sun, fell. At dawn a farm labourer found the two bodies.
On Roiorietp. It is strange how some men spend their lives in trying to make themselves talked about. As the phrase is, they long to be " in the limelight." Fame has for them like attractions as the candle to the moth. They will pursue it, though it kills them. Once they have made the tiniest
THE VIGORNIAN. ripple in the lake of the world, they are not content to remain stagnant. They must continue to be important, to be on everyone's lips. The means employed are many and various. Some write letters to the Press : others join all the clubs they can discover : others find their way into every subscription list. Such men love to act as witnesses in street accidents and to take charge of things ; the taste of authority spurs them to gain a more copious and ample draught. Some like to make a splash at their deaths : instead of bequeathing their money to famous men of the day, as was the custom at Rome, they leave it to hospitals. They either vituperate their relations in their wills, or else leave legacies to unheardof people for unheard-of reasons. St. Ives, Cornwall, is the proud possessor of a granite obelisk on top of a hill, which was erected in his lifetime by a certain John Knill, Mayor of St. Ives, in 1767. His will required that every five years ^5 should be divided equally between ten girls, natives of St. Ives, under the age of ten, who, on July 25th, were to proceed, dressed in white, to the top of the hill, and to dance and sing round it to the music of a fiddle for at least a quarter of an hour. One may well wonder what John Knill's motives were in this. Did he expect the occasion to be one of impressive solemnity? Did he expect that thus his name would live as a benefactor of St. Ives? He would be sadly disappointed. The day is treated as rather a joke, the visitors, no doubt, being partly responsible for this (the holiday season is in full swing when the time comes round). None the less the chanting of the Hundredth Psalm on the hill top, if not deeply impressive, has now acquired such odour of antiquity as to render it a charming relief from modernity.
Cite In tbe Sudan. I have found by experience that the guide-books are correct in alluding to this country as the " Sunny Sudan " : for certainly one can give the sun full marks for his work during nine months of the year : but as soon as the rainy season approaches, it becomes a different matter. Almost invariably at sunset a storm comes up, purple and black thunder-clouds in piled masses, and then down comes the rain. An hour's downpour is enough to render all roads, which are of course unmetalled, impassable for any mechanical vehicle, and all transport has to be done by camel or the ubiquitous donkey : even the main railway line is at times swept away. The cotton-growing area, which is called the Gezira or Island, since it is bounded by the Blue and White Niles on either side, differs very considerably in character from the surrounding country. All trees have been cleared away to make room for the cultivation, and the area is intersected by numerous canals : it is one vast level plain, to which water for irrigation is brought from the Makwar Dam by means of an artificially-dug canal some sixty miles long. The inhabitants have been allotted separate holdings in the
cultivated area, each man about thirty acres, which as a general rule lie in close proximity to their own villages. Their houses are built of mud bricks, baked in the sun, with thatched conical-shaped roofs : during certain seasons of the year, one sees a species of stork, a sacred bird, perched one on each roof, which gives a comical effect. These villages are full of howling black babies, flies and pariah dogs : one is occasionally invited to drink tea and coffee (which for some unknown reason they call by the same name) by the local sheik, and this is an ordeal grim and great. (One must not, by the way, picture a sheik as one of Ethel M. Dell's creations, covered with swords, daggers, and silver-mounted pistols—he generally keeps the village shop and sells cigarettes and soap.) His idea of hospitality is to produce an almost incredible amount of food and drink in the shortest possible space of time, and what is more, the unfortunate cotton inspector is expected to make an attempt to consume it all. On one occasion I accepted an invitation to a neighbouring village. The menu was as follows : Scones a la Sudan (i.e. clabs of unleavened bread). Poached eggs (sic). A bowl of fat. A bowl of crushed sugar. (One is supposed to take Egbert the Egg between finger and thumb—it is quite stiff and rattles pleasantly when shaken—dip it in the fat, and then in the sugar and carry on.) Other food, too, was produced, but I am not able to give an authoritative statement as to its nature. Drinks were also served in the following order: Still lemonade (composed of water straight from the canal, rather brackish). Bottles of mineral water of a curious pinkish colour. Tea, coffee, hot milk, and as a grand finale, a fermented liquid made from the juice of the date. (This was the best of the lot. I drank a lot of this.) As a consequence of this orgy, I was unable to mount my horse unaided, but was hoisted on board by the village in toto amid loud and derisive cheers (which with Oriental politeness were instantly suppressed). It must not be gathered from this, however, that the life is one of leisured ease. On the contrary, the inspector is up at sunrise, leaps upon his horse and gallops off in all directions, returning to his house only to snatch an occasional meal: his work finishes at sunset, when comes the witching hour, when what Americans would call a " high-ball " is indulged in, and one may with charity conclude that it has been well earned. M. E. WEBB (O.V.).
O.V. Reu». The Rev. P. N. W. Strong has accepted the offer of the living of Christ Church, Leeds.
R. Loach is now managing the electrical branch of Somerset Motors, Taunton. *
* *
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F. M. Longworth-Barnes has taken up fruit and poultry farming at Cove, Hampton, Devon. *
*
*
Gilbert W. Seabright, having left Cheltenham, has now obtained the position of first salesman in the furnishing department of the old-established house of Messrs. Eldred Snyers and Son, Ltd., Broadway, London, W. He is living at 21, Windsor Road, Haling, and is anxious to get in touch with Mr. Ottley, who was on the staff of a bank in Pall Mall, London. * * * L. L. Wallace has begun work with Messrs. Fell and Harper, auctioneers, house and estate agents, Birmingham. * * » R. Bowstead writes from Te-Kinti, New Zealand, where he is working on a dairy farm, having gone out under the Public Schools Emigration Scheme. * * * H. P. E. Pereira has left Mirfield and is now an Assistant Master at Sydenham Hill Preparatory School. * * * J. A. Joseph has passed out of Faraday House with a first class in general subjects and distinction in mathematics. He has now, to quote his own words, " put down the silk hat of a gentleman and donned the tweed cap of a British navvy instead." This, we understand, he wears chiefly in a pit under motor cars in the Sunbeam Works at Acton. He finds "the British navvy, on the whole, a fine fellow to work with and not, as seems the popular belief, a grumbling, discontented Communist." * # *
In IDemoriam. GEOFFREY W I L L I A M H E M M I N G , 1912-1916. With great regret we record the death of FlightLieutenant G. W?. Hemming, on February 26, owing to the crashing of a seaplane of the R.A.F. at Calshot, near Southampton. The machine, a Fairey seaplane, had just left the water and risen to the height of goft., when it suddenly swerved and crashed to the ground, pinning the two officers on board. Both were taken to hospital and died, Hemming almost immediately. To quote from the report : " He was first with the R.A.S.C., and while serving with his unit was the idol of his comrades. His exploits in battle with German aeroplanes were common talk of the unit, but it was not on account of any boasting on his own part that he was almost worshipped by his comrades. On one occasion he fought with no less than three German planes and came out victorious, with all three to his bag. He was awarded the D.S.C. for his gallantry. He was decorated by the Belgian and French Governments and was mentioned in dispatches." At school, though never pre-eminent in scholarship or athletics, he was beloved by all for an exceptionally sweet and lovable disposition, and a modest and unassuming patriotism and devotion to duty, and we who knew him can well understand why he was " almost worshipped by his comrades." By his death one more is added to the already long list of names, of which the School is justly proud.
C. A. C. Patton is at the R.A.F. Training School at Abu-Sueir, Egypt. He captains the soccer team and flies over the pyramids to Cairo to play matches. He recently obtained 79% marks in an examination ( !). * * * J. L. R. Croft is articled to an articled pupil with Messrs. Clayton & Gibson, solicitors, Newcastle. He has been playing Rugby Football for the Northern Club. * * * C. Brown is on the staff of the Union Assurance Society at their headquarters at Blackfriars House. He has joined the London Rowing Club and is this year rowing as a senior oar, his boat having won the Junior event at Molsey at the end of last season. * * * MARRIAGES. LOACH—SANDAY.—On November 2gth, 1925, at St. Mary's Church, Taunton, Ronald Loach, O.V., to Violet, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. C. Sanday, Hill House, Hill Avenue, Worcester. QUIN—PHILLIPS.—On February i6th, at St. Mark's Church, Newport, Mon., by the Rev. Isaiah Roberts, Captain S. E. V. Quin, O.V., Welch Regiment, to Audrey, youngest daughter of Alderman Fred Phillips, Nant Coch, Newport, Mon.
T.E.R.
Old Vlgornians' Club. Your Committee beg to report as follows with reference to the work of the Club during the year 1925. Three numbers of the Vigornian have been issued to all members. New members joined during the year Members resigned Members deceased _ _ _ Life Members in the Club Hon. Members i n t h e Club ' In arrears with their Subscriptions for 1926 Total Membership on 3ist December, 1925 -
-
-
_
_
-
-
33 -o 2 133 7 21 357
With regard to Arrears of Subscriptions, it is hoped that Members concerned will be good enough to forward their Subscriptions without further delay to the Secretary (H. E. Nicholls, 9, College Green, Worcester). A Statement of Accounts is set out below :—
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453
OLD VIGORNIANS' CLUB.
EXPENDITURE. By Dinner .. .. ,, Augmentation of Waiters' Tips ,, Printing ... ... . ,, Postages ... .
Statement of Accounts for the Year ending 3ist Dec., 192.^.
£ s. d.
RECEIPTS. To Balance in hand Annual Subscriptions „ Five-years Subscriptions Four-years Subscription „ Life Members' Subscriptions ,, Arrears of Subscriptions ,, Interest on War Loan Stock ,, Interest on Conversion Stock
74
S o
... ... ... ...
... .
s. d.
18 10 6 10 o 3 12 6 6 6
o
IO
54 12 o I 9 9 IS i i 3 10
£*5S
£
£22 19 6
0
o o o o o
igth Januarv, 1926. Examined, compared with Vouchers and found correct. FREDERICK G. JONES, A.C.A., Hon. Auditor.
7 o
For the Committee : — S. D. STRONG (Hon. Secretary), School House, College Green, Worcester.
... ...
d.
£
EXPENDITURE. By Vigornians—December April ... July
H. E. NICHOLLS (Secretary), 9, College Green, Worcester.
£8 19 o 9 0 8 ii 18 10
29 18 6 ,, Printing ,, Stationery ,, Postage and Receipt Stamps ,, Loss on O.V. Dinner ... ,, Secretary—Salary and Bonus for extra work done ,, Sports and Regatta Expenses Paid to Deposit Account ... Balance on Current Account on 3ist Dec., 1925
If anyone can supply the Secretary with the present addresses of the following Life Members of the Club he would be much obliged :•—
6 13 9 i 4 o 6 o o i 19 6 15
o o o o o I 3
IO
5° 44
1 7
°
Also of the following :— G. A. Hill, Esq. ; S. Suthers, Esq. ; W. Wickersham, Esq.
RESERVE ACCOUNT. To 5% War Loan Stock 1929-47 ,, War Savings Certificates . , 3 s % Conversion Stock „ On Deposit at Bank ^50, plus ;£i os. 3d.
Francis J. Braithwaite, Esq. ; Francis G. Brodribb, Esq. ; H. M. Conacher, Esq. ; L. P. Cooke, Esq. ; Thos. B. Kennan, Esq. ; Wm. R. F. Lunt, Esq. ; R. Salisbury, Esq:
£
d.
20 o 116 o
o o o
7S 13
Interest
£262 13
3
It is requested that Members of the'O.V. Club should notify the Secretary of any change of Private Address. Complaints reach him that no Vigornians or Notices have been received for various periods. To ensure every Member getting what is due to him, it is imperative that the Secretary be informed of any change of Private Address.
O.V. D I N N E R ACCOUNT. RECEIPTS. To Sale of Tickets (56) ,, From O.V. Club General Account (being loss on Dinner Account) ... ...
£
s. d.
21
O
O
i 19 6
.£22 19 6
Cbe Damson Cree. James O'Connor never grew old because he lacked the conventional tokens by which age is recorded—friends, a profession, children. The damson tree, ageless and changeless, grew placidly outside his window and seemed not to
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recognize his existence. Occasionally when a south wind blew, it would tap at the panes as though making nervous advances, but whenever James opened the window the south wind rushed forward, and the tree was flung aside by the wind's vivacious self-assurance. Day after day James would sit beside his window, polishjng his nails, and wondering at the tree. One day, he thought, he would write a poem about it. He did indeed buy a bottle of ink and some quill pens, but he could never concentrate his thoughts, and the black cork of the inkbottle soon disappeared beneath a grey coat of dust. Very gradually the tree became a sort of Igdrasil, twining its roots about the whole fabric of his life. All day he sat in a yellow dressing-gown, which almost matched his complexion, gazing at the tree. Sometimes he frowned at it, now and then he laughed. At night, although he slept as soundly as the moonlight on a barn wall, he was conscious of the tree, shading him beneath its delicate twisted branches. Sometimes he would watch, fascinated, a tawny moon rising behind the branches, and in the morning he would rush to his window half-expecting to see it hanging amongst their gnarled meshes, a trifle tawdry and gilt by daylight. Once, for about a fortnight, he attempted to analyse his feelings about the tree. He even confided in McKeown, his gardener, a man as wrinkled and venerable as a walnut. " What do I think of yon three? " said McKeown. Och cut it down, sir. It's past bearin' anyway." He was surprised at his master's sudden annoyance. Once, too, James asked the clergyman the same question. Mr. Roberts raised his left eyebrow in a cynical and irritating way, coughed dryly, and offered to lend him " The Golden Bough " ; then went on his way with the tremulously energetic movements of an epileptic black scare-crow. After these rebuffs, James retired in silence to his yellow dressing-gown and to his seat by the window. He grew morbidly anxious that he should see the tree's least shiver, and hear the wind's least whisper among the branches. He thought of having his bed moved into his sitting—room, but decided that there was not sufficient space. Soon he grew too preoccupied to take any interest in his food. Sometimes in the evening McKeown found him sitting, holding a fork on which was impaled a chilled and greasy fragment of his morning's sausage. As he passed about the garden he would see his master sitting at the window, running dirty fingers, through his wild brown beard. A large rat watched James from the wainscot : sometimes it would jump on his knee, and then the tree would shudder self-consciously before the gaze of four eyes—two black and bright, two grey and cloudy. Spring with its grey rain rather reluctantly gave place to summer with its golden rain and voluptuous patches of
sunlight. It soon became evident that something was happening to the tree, something which thrilled James and drove McKeown to luscious, amazed spitting. The damson tree had budded and showed every sign of bearing fruit ! September came, and there was no longer any doubt of it. Purple fruit began to show among the branches like gems on the withered fingers of an old woman. McKeown no longer spat, but swore monotonously : he never attempted to taste the fruit, nor for that matter did the birds. James moved his head nearer the window, so that his long nose almost touched the glass. One day some urchins climbed the wall and came delicately up the path— intent upon the fruit. Suddenly, agonizingly conscious of that yellow face behind the dusty window, they fled shrieking. McKeown, who had hurried up with a stick, retired, privately flattered by such a display of terror, as he imagined, on his appearance. James had not noticed the urchins ; he gazed more intently upon the tree. The rat gazed more intently upon James ; very often now it jumped to his shoulder, and sat looking greedily at his eyes. It grew fat on his almost untouched food. In time some of the fruit dropped, and those which remained on the tree were all pitted with grey caverns where worms, groping and greedy, had burrowed. And then the leaves turned brown. They grew dark and withered, and when the wind sprang up gave little choking sighs as though in pain. Very gradually James's yellow cheeks grew darker : his eyes sank in and began to burn with a strange brilliancy. He had long ceased to pay any attention to his hands, and his nails were now almost an inch long, curved and black like the claws of a hawk. McKeown it was who first realized that the tree was going to die. It gave him a certain amount of gloomypleasure. " Always said it were no good," he said. " I would have had it down but for himself. . . ." He spat. Old Noddy Brady, a withered and contented echo, spat too, and finished his whisky. To James, the realization that the tree was dying was as real and passionate as the pangs of toothache. At dawn, at mid-day, towards evening—" You're dying," he would say. Once very late at night he woke, shivering in his chair, and glanced out. The tree was faintly revealed in a sordid beam of light from a near-by window. It seemed to wind crazily upwards like an ascetic in prayer. He closed his eyes and sank back again into a chilled sleep. Then the tree died. Quite suddenly and quietly it died. The bare branches shivered in the wind like so many aged and naked paupers. A solitary leaf, like a grotesque fragment of decaying flesh, hung half-way up.
THE VIGORNIAN. James ceased to run his long fingers through his beard : the sunlight no longer had any meaning for him. His head fell a little forward. The rat now sat on his shoulder, and took less and less interest in James's food. It scarcely troubled to hide when it heard McKeown's indifferent footsteps. McKeown himself wagged his head sagely at the tree, and began to whet a rusty axe upon his ancient grindstone. So three weeks passed. James now slept almost continually. He seldom ate. One day the rat did not fly at the sound of McKcown's footsteps. McKeown opened the door. James sat limply in his chair. The rat on his shoulder looked round, blood-stained and snarling.
455
School Monitor 1924, Captain of School House and Head of the School 1925, Company Sergeant-Major O.T.C., Certificate " A." L. S. K. Ford (1910-25), Day Boy. 2nd XV Football 1024-5, ist XI Cricket 1924-5, School Monitor and Captain of Day Boys 1925, Sergeant O.T.C., Certificate " A . " Upper Vth. J. J. Darby (1917-25), Day Boy. Corporal O.T.C. C. E. N. Davies i. (1918-25), Day Boy. Cadet O.T.C., Certificate " A." O. Greenfield i. Certificate " A."
(1920-25),
Natland.
Cadet
O.T.C.,
R. K. Hooper (1921-5), Castle House, ist XI Cricket 1923, ist IV Rowing 1924-5, ist XV Football 1924-5, Corporal O.T.C., Certificate " A . "
George, or CDe Studious Student. Strange fits of writing have I known, And I will dare to tell, But in the student's ear alone What once to me befell. My tutor set an essay wide, On Neolithic Man : As is my wont, I straight decide To put down what I can. Upon the ink I fixed niy sight And soon I was inspired To write and write and write and write Until I was too tired. Encyclopaedic tomes I've sought To read about the sun ; My slock of paper's running short, And I have scarce begun ! The pages grew with wondrous speed (1 write thus even now) Without a thought for who should read And a4- allow. My pen went on ; quire after quire It wrote, and never stopped, When—crash ! Alas, into the fire My blue-black ink has dropped ! What fond and subtle thoughts will sink Inlo a student's head ! " What if the world's supply of ink Should fail! " I sadly said.
J. S. Hurford (1921-5), School House, ist XV Football 1925, Corporal O.T.C., Certificate " A . " Middle Vth. C. E. H. Finch (1923-5), Hostel. Cadet O.T.C. Remove.
B. Cadbury Jones (1924-5), Hostel. 1925, Cadet O.T.C.
Valete.
P. H. Graves-Morris (1920-5), School House. 2nd XV Football 1923, ist XV 1924-5 and cap, 2nd XI Cricket 1923, ist IV Rowing 1924-5, Captain of Shooting 1924,
2nd XV Football
C. Harding (1921-5), Day Boy. L. L. Wallace (1923-5), Castle House. 1
y-i-Ki •
Upper IVlh. R. A. Elt (1920-25), Day Boy. Middle IVth. R. P. Bradley (1922-5), Day Boy. [I.
J. A. C. T. Radcliffe (1925), Day Boy
Salueu. Lower Vth. P. Bowles, School House. Remove. O. R. Craze, Day Boy. G. E. Walker, Hostel. R. C. Weight, Castle House. Upper IVth.
Vlth.
2nd XV Foolhall 1925,
G. S. Clinch i., School House. J. R. A. Embling, Hostel. Middle IVth. J. G. Beavan ii., Castle House. P. C. Medawar, Hostel. G, P. L. Taylor ii., Hostel.
2nd XV Football
THE VIGORN1AN.
456 Lower IVth. T. S. Broadhurst, Day Boy. K. M. Chatterley, Day Boy. E. C. Payne ii., Castle House. F. G. Rowe ii., Day Boy. R. J. W. Bryer, Day Boy. P. A. Thome, Day Boy. D. II. Clinch ii., Natland. R. J. Dixon, Day Boy.
Cbe Oxford Cctter. Dear Sirs, For many days past we have perused our mail-bags with knees knocking in apprehension. For an equal number of days we have failed to notice your handwriting, and our spirits have risen accordingly. In our folly we began to suspect that you had at last decided to transfer your requests for this letter to some other more competent person. But the blow has fallen : we strolled boldly up to the said mail-bag, in hopes of a pleasant letter, or even a receipt, and there, sirs, we perceived your bold script. With a feeling of clamminess somewhat resembling an uncooked crumpet, we read what you had to say. In tones of supreme levity you informed us that we were to have " more sleepless nights," and made a feeble statement to the effect that you were endeavouring to " turn out " the I'iffornian a little earlier. Well, sirs, " ours not to reason why," but do not expect any startling results. When we used to " turn out " the said Vigornian, we did it as late as possible, to avoid hearing more adverse criticism than we could help. Readers of the Daily Mirror, dear sirs, are no doubt aware that a gentleman of the name of Mr. Cook visited Oxford this term. They may also have gathered that the citizens of the said city objected to the intrusion of the said gentleman. But let us provide them with some few details which the impeccable journal omitted or misrepresented. We saw Mr. Cook's distorted features at a window, presumably investigating whether the coast was clear : he withdrew the said features with commendable promptitude when a missile smote the pane just above the bull—an inner at 12 o'clock. His voice was drowned, we are glad to say, by the vocal efforts of those outside ; his person unfortunately escaped a similar fate, by having recourse to what the Daily Mirror was pleased to call a " decoy taxi "—because it could not say the truth and call it a "decoy perambulator." Yes, sirs, he was wheeled away in a perambulator. How are the mighty fallen ! " But whv," says you, " did he not walk out like a gentlem a n ? " Well, sirs, we can only suggest that he had heard of the treatment meted out in times gone by to Mr. G. B.
|
Shaw. He may even have seen the question asked in a prominent Oxford magazine as to whether his nether garments were the colour of his opinions. But to pass to a more delicate subject, or rather a less delicate one—for ourselves. We spent one whole hectic week this term running along the towpath shouting lurid h i n t s in the vulgar tongue to our respective Togger crews. On this occasion, fortunately, the towpath did not resemble pea-soup, but there was one very large puddle just opposite the Gut (to those unfamiliar with our topography we would say that this is not a vulgar nick-name of an individual). Well, sirs, the Magdalen -boat on a certain afternoon missed their third bump in succession opposite the large puddle which was opposite the Gut. We were somewhat astonished at this juncture to hear an impassioned cry of " Oh, God ! " and at the same time to observe the owner of the voice bathing in the waters of the puddle. The exclamation, we understand, was provoked by the fact that the Magdalen boat rejoices in the name of the Deity because " it moves in a mysterious way," but we have not yet discovered why the gentleman chose the puddle as his rostrum, whence, like the impassioned Diderot, to break forth. It seems fitting that we should lake this opportunity to give a tip for the Boat Race. Dear sirs, the Oxford boat is worthy of your utmost support. You should have been on the towpath when the said boat took the water and observed the thrill, which passed through the onlookers, a thrill, sirs, at sight of eight lusty giants going forth to do battle for us, which can only be described by those two soul-inspiring lines—• " Casting aside their cigars, they leaped lightly into the boat. They all rowed fast, but none rowed so fast as stroke." And now, sirs, realizing that two of your number have won open scholarships at our fair University, we would congratulate them, and the School, and indeed ourselves, on this coming addition to our numbers. You may expect very learned letters next year. Names and latest weights : — I. F. W. SCHOFIEI.D (Hertford), lost. i2lbs. including his umbrella. Before paying him our terminal insult, we would correct an error we made last term. He is not in the Cavalry, as we deduced from his riding propensities, but in the Artillery, which of course aims higher. We suspected that he was cultivating boskage on his upper lip, but if has not materialized. C. B. ( J i L L (Exeter). \Veighl unknown. We have at long last discovered something about him, from an Oxford magazine. We are told that " the last of the Corinthians " has finely succumbed to the delights of Epicureanism and departed to the Italian Lakes. We wish him a speedy recoverv and a conversion to .Stoicism. li. A. AINSWORTII (Keble). Has put on two stone since he took to beer—as a medicine, of course. His bad
THE VIGORNIAN. language on the towpath procured for Keble five bumps and a supper. Informs us that Woolworth's sell good socks. Drinks tea very delicately and writes voluminous essays— altogether docs a vast amount of work. Finds the recent high winds make it difficult to replace divots and careers all over the course trying to catch them. Spends the rest of his time with dentists and dons. W. BENTON-EVANS (Queen's). His weight fluctuates so much, according to where he had his last meal, that we cannot publish it. The new Captain of Soccer at Queen's has been playing regularly for the Centaurs. Provided with a good handicap, won vast sums at his College Sports. Plays billiards and ping-pong in his own inimitable manner, and also the banjo in a dance band on Saturday nights. We wish him luck in Schools. M. R. CRAZE (Hertford), last. 4jlbs., the heavy-weight of the crew. Has made variety the keynote of a very pleasant term. Has played Rugger, Hockey and Cricket—the latter in the evening at a Winter Cricket Asylum for all lunatics, who are sufficiently raving to frequent it. Is in the somewhat anomalous position of being a member of both the Conservative and Liberal Clubs—the latter, because it provides breakfasts on Sundays. Works hard. Insertion of the last two words costs half-a-crown. D. H. PRESTON (Worcester), gst 61bs. Has taken to Soccer, since his unfortunate accident last term made Rugger impossible. Spends his time " throwing " in North Oxford. Has joined the Air Squadron from a perverted sense of patriotism. Keeps a museum of pistols. We saw him during Toggers with a wry smile on his face. Owing to a conflict with the Examiners at the end of term is no longer seen at the theatre. Still runs. Now, sirs, we have come to the end of this very imperfect letter : our writing is deteriorating so rapidly that we reallymust go and drink some coffee. Wishing the School every success, Yours, etc., OXON.
'•
COME TO CAMBRIDGE.
;
Really you will find it far more pleasant here in every way, and besides, our language is comparatively simple, and we speak naturally : there is no " drawl " to acquire, as is in vogue on the Isis, and which, we believe, takes about a year to k'arn with nicety. Of course there may besome who prefer to say " bo-er-therer," but we find it far nicer to say it sharply—just " bother " : it relieves the feelings so much more quickly, and effectively !
j \ j | | |
| j I ; , ! .
Yet though we arc so few, we are not a little proud, for one of our number has gained great distinction in the athletic world and been awarded a Full Blue. This, we believe, is the first occasion (but we may be in error, having no records by us) that a Full Blue has been awarded to an O.V. We most heartily congratulate J. L. Longland on his success, and wish him the best of luck against Oxford. J. L. LONGI.AND (Jesus). In a past letter, if our memory does not fail us, we made comment upon the efforts of this worthy student in connection with a form of sport called " Pole-jumping." At the time we considered it a touch of lunacy, or at best a passing whim—it was a joke ! But apparently he did not regard it in this light at all, and his early interest in this sport, soon developed into a passion for viewing Mother Earth from a height of about uft. He now reaches this height with no difficulty. The powers that be became so enamoured of the singular beauty of the parabola he describes in his journeyings to and from his celestial observatory, that they have conferred upon him the greatest honour an athlete can gain. We believe, but only believe, that his family motto has been changed to " Alte volo " : and his never ending song is—" Oh ! for the wings of a dove."
I
E. I.. FISHKR (Sidney Sussex). Has contracted the nickname of " Bud," which doth mightily offend him ! Spends most of his time surveying, but unfortunately has developed the " cafe habit," ostensibly to study anthropology—but we have our doubts.
;
R. WYNNE-WOOI.LEV (Christ's). We have not seen him, so presume he is still singing. Yours,
!
Dear Sirs,
457
CANTAB.
Che Cambridge tetter.
" Oh, mother, thy child is sick," moans the hero in "The Cuckoo in the Nest." Such, too, is our cry as we wander day by day through the streets of this fair city, thronged with its peoples of all nations and tongues. Just three of us—amid all these thousands—hungering for the sight of one! from our native land : yet our hopes are vain, for never do we see any that by his very mien betrays his nationality, or wears the distinctive tie of the Vigornians. We are all that remain of a once flourishing colony, and soon our numbers will be further reduced. Are there none lo join us and keep the line unbroken? In effect, don't go to Oxford,
Correspondence. To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, Do you happen to know of anv complete historv of the King's School, Worcester? When I was a member of the School I knew very little of its history, and now I am forgetting what I ever knew. It has always seemed to me a great pity that the School, established well over thirteen hundred years ago—far
THE VIGORNIAN.
458
older than most of the great Public Schools of England— should have no record (to my knowledge) of its history, headmasters, famous scholars, and traditions, beyond scraps of information on the class lists, Mrs. Henry Wood's novels, and the names on the walls of College Hall. I contend that were the members of the School better acquainted with its history, which covers such a glorious span of years, such an ancient place of learning would not be so deplorably lacking in traditions. A history of the King's School is all that is needed to enhance its fame. Do you happen to know of any such book, and, if so, will you give it due publicity? Yours, etc., O.V.
[An excellent sketch of the School's history has been written by Canon Wilson, prire 3d., published by the Midland Educational Co. Though short, it gives all the important facts in the history of the School. A larger historywould, no doubt, be most acceptable, and we tentatively suggest that this might be a subject for a Mrs. Henry Wood Essay.—EDS. Vio.J
fabulous subscription of i8/- per term ; at present it is undoubtedly not really worth it. If most of the tools were replaced by an adequate number of new ones, an adequate number of carpenters would be the inevitable result. W T ith the usual apologies, Yours, etc., II.
F.
I.ANGSTAFF.
To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Sir, May I suggest that the present Debating Society, with its waning capacity for creating interest and its scantyattendances, should be replaced next season by the formation of a Parliamentary Debating Society? There would certainly be enough members, and such a society would be of far more value than the present one. Yours, etc., J.
R.
WlNGFlELD-DlGBY.
Games Account. To the Editors of the " Vigornian." Dear Sirs, 1 am writing to you to suggest that some change should take place as regards to the Rule " No boy must cycle round the College Green." When the Day Boy arrives at the Edgar Tower at two minutes to nine, after riding up hill and down dale for eight miles, generally against a head wind, and sees the masters trooping forth from their Common Room, he reluctantly pushes his bicycle round the Green to the bicycle late ! shed, and he knows that he will be ... Therefore, 1 would propose that either this rule be abolished or that someone should be commissioned to open the back door every morning at 8.30.
RECEIPTS. Subscriptions — Term I, 1925 Rowing Term II Rowing Term III Donations— Mr. Taylor Mr. Claxton For Concert Profit (Luggage and Jerseys) Sale of Cricket and Football Cards Y.M.C.A. (use of field) City C.C. „ ,, Deficit
Yours hopefully,
£ s. d. 83 o o 9 0 0 86 10 o 18 10 o 83 10 o 10
6
S ° 8 15 6 i t 6 i 4 3 2 0 0 2
126
0
0
9 10
£422 16 7
A LONG-SUFFERING DAY BOY. [This seems reasonable enough, but in the meantime, we suggest that our friend should get up five minutes earlier and so avoid being late.—EDS. Vic.]
To the Editors of the " Vigornian." May I, through the medium of your pages, express the opinion felt by all " carpenters." The carpentry shop as a whole, and all its contents separately, are at present in a terrible state of dilapidation ; so the number of carpenters decreases term by term. Carpentry will never become popular until members think it worth while to pay the
EXPENDITURE. Deficit Rates and Taxes (Field and Pavilion) ... RentField 2nd Field ... Extra Field (Red Hill) Hobday (Footballs) Hall (Mower and repairing same) Phillips and Probert (Fixture Cards) ... Cooper (Shield and Cups Engraved) Megaphone Ferrv (Visiting Teams) Painting Flag Pole Bathing Attendant
£
s. d.
68
9 6
33 19
4
10
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8 0 0 5 0 0 1 3 2 6 3i S 6 3 13 6 2 1 7 6 I
IO
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I 15
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THE VIGORNIAN. 10 o 6 10
Goal Posts ...
4
Hunt —
5 0 3 4
80 o 0 17 o 7 II o 4 7 10 o I
Johns (Oil, Barbed Wire, etc.) Horse Treatment and Food ...
2
Cutting and Repairing Hedge, etc. ... Rent Rugbv Field Rowing— Boat House (Rent) ,, (Rates and Taxes) Ayling (Oars) ..
3 i o o 6 o 3
S o o 18 8 9 7 6 16 o 3 3 o 18 S 3 7 7 19 4
Marlow (Entrance)
EXPENDITURE.
o 0
459
Mar. 18. June 19. Large (Papers) July 8. Phillips & Probert „ 9- Smith's (Books) Sept. 22. Oct. 17. Phillips & Probert (Books) ... £18 i 3 „ 19- Baylis 23 17 8 ,,
20.
Chess Club (2 years) ...
Jan. 19. Large (Papers) Feb. 15. Mann (Chessmen) Phillips & Probert (Books) ... „ 16. Smith's (Books) Baylis (Vigornians) ... Sunday Papers
£ s. d. 5 5 3 i 17 i 10 o 3 '7
o 5 o 6 7 6
41 18 i i 10 o 2 o 6 '5 2 14 3 7 16 o 4 12 o 17 2 o 2 4 4 9
£129 I I
5
£v* 16 7
Contemporaries.
T. E. RAMMELL, Hon. Treasurer. C. CREIGHTON, Headmaster.
We beg to acknowledge the following contemporaries, apologizing for any accidental omissions :—Bromsgrovian (2), Cantuarian, Decanian, Felstedian (2), Herefordian, Portcullis, St. Edward's School Chronicle, Wulfrunian, Wyggestonian.
Clbrarp flcccunt. May
RECEIPTS. Balance Library Subscriptions £19 8 o Vigornians @ i/~ 9 14 o
£ s. d.
29
Sept. 24.
Oct.
Feb. Mar.
Library Subscriptions Vigornians
2O
2
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O.V. Club (Vigornians) Headmaster (London Mercury) O.V. Club (Vigornians) Subscriptions (Library & Vigornians) O.V. Club (Vigornians)
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3° 3 o 9 o 8 2 o ii 18 10 3° o o 8 II 0
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