THE PETERITE Vol. XLVII
FEBRUARY, 1955
No. 338
EDITORIAL The term which this number reports had two characteristics which more generally are associated with its successor, the Easter Term— the serious curtailment of our games programme by bad weather and the incidence of an epidemic of influenza. The floods deprived us of the river fields for a considerable time, and the excessive rain even denied us the use of the 1st XV pitch on several occasions. The School XV's fixture list was not seriously disturbed, but there were long periods when rugger was out of the question for the generality of boys. The problem of devising alternative recreations and above all of ensuring that everybody had the fresh air and exercise so necessary to combat the spectre of 'flu was ever-present with House Masters, and they deserve full credit for the ingenuity with which they invariably solved it. Indeed for House Masters the term was one of unusual difficulty. At the peak of the 'flu epidemic over 140 boys were hors-de-combat and, though the total of casualties among boarders never exceeded 60, the normal Sanatorium accommodation was naturally quite inadequate. The emergency measures, which included the use of School House dormitories as sick rooms and the accommodation elsewhere of their normal occupants, had repercussions on the domestic arrangements of all the boarding-houses. The zeal and devotion of Sister, Miss Kendall, our Domestic Bursar, and their various helpers, combined with the patience and forbearance of all concerned, enabled us to "worry through" a most difficult period. (We can congratulate ourselves that the sweeping incidence of the epidemic did not force us, as it did so many northern schools, to give up the struggle and close down. !Beaumont and Fletcher's burlesque, "The Knight of the Burning Pestle", was chosen for the Christmas performance of the St. Peter's Players, and was well received by enthusiastic audiences. A full report of the production appears elsewhere in this issue, but we would comment here on the importance of its musical aspect. A note by Mr. Waine in our later pages reveals the pains which he took to provide the incidental music and the settings for the songs which are an integral part of the play. Both he and the orchestra, whose task was 1
