June, 1906.
No. 88.
PACa,
REPORT
or
COMPETITION . 629
PRIZE LYRIC .
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FIRST RECOLLECTIONS . PHILOLOGY FOR THE FEEBLE 631
MINDED • SONNET .
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'A PLEA FOR THE STRENUOUS LIFE
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THE HARPER
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NEMO
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HORACE ODE H. 3
OXFORD STUDENTS' DEBAT. 635 . ING SOCIETY THE "X" CLUB ..
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LADY MARGARET HALL • 640 640 SOMERVILLE COLLEGE ST. HUGH'S HALL .
Oxforb PRINTED IrOR THE PROPRIETORS EY JAMES
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ST. HILDA'S HALL
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HOME STUDENTS .
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PARKER
&
CO., CROWN YARD.
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Ebitor : Miss KEELING, St. Hugh's Hall.
treasurer : Miss WATKINS, Lady Margaret Hall.
Committee : Miss LEVETT, Lady Margaret Hall. Miss HICKS, Somerville College. Miss FARNELL, St. Hugh's Hall. Miss jAcQuiF.a, St. Hilda's Hall. Miss PLITNKET, Home Students.
1906.
UNE.
N.
1Lvric.
lReport of Competition. No one availed herself of the opportunity offered her of revealing the opini6ns of .Lady Macbeth, on •the •English race. Harvest proved a-more attractive subject, but competitors cannot on the whole be congratulated on their .performances. " A Prayer for Christ's Harvest" is certainly the most poetical of the contributions, and is the only one which shows any mastery of. rhythm, The only fault to. be found with it is that it is not obviously a Lyric of Harvest. A. J. has caught in her opening _stanza some of the joy of harvesting, but her closing lines are a mixture of common-place and obscurity. A poem of 16 lines should not become gradually thinner towards the close. " The Harvest" by Nugatrix is often felicitous in expression, but it is spoilt by incoherence and inaccuracy of thought. Meadows do not as a rule "nod gay with corn," nor do the. reaper and the hay-maker work side by side. We feel that some apology is due to competitors (and others) for turning their thoughts in May to the harvest fields. The Committee has awarded the prize of I OS. to A. J.-, S. Hilda's Hall, for her " Prayer -for Christ's Harvest," but hopes that more obvious interpretations will in -future be given to the titles of competitions. Committee has decided to offer prizes next term for : (a) A specimen page of a novel to be used as, an advertisement in a publisher's circular.. (b) A Sonnet. (c) A descriptive article of general interest. THE
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A PRAYER FOR CHRIST'S HARVEST. -
A DULL and sluggish pool—into the midst I cast a pebble there ; See how the circle spreads, all ledged with light. Caught from the sun-sprayed air. Wider and wider grows the yearning round Until it gains the .shore, And gathers all the pool in its embrace, Holds—and is seen no more. widening love of God, Is seen no more O'er our dim apathy, Spread outwards from a life which strove for Life In distant Galilee. O golden circle, clasping round the world, Made sainted if thou stay, O shine thou as a halo more and more Unto the perfect day. A. •
First 1Recoilections. who in mature life have meditated upon the forgotten years of infancy, that mysterious time, shrouded in obscurity, of which their mothers especially love to tell, but of which no trace survives in their own consciousness, will not wonder at the interest that is universally felt in first recollections. To the historian, the dark ages of individuals, no less than those of races, cannot fail to be fascinating in the extreme. It is a period of mystery and romance, as alluring to the curiosity of the intellectual knight-at-arms, and THOSE,
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as pitiless in baffling it, as La Belle Dame herself. From the full sunlight of the present the mind travels back to the dim twilight of infancy, illuminated only by the first recollection, eve's one star.' Beyond is the region of chaos and old night. Ask any man what is his first recollection, and watch his face as his swift thoughts bridge the gulf of time and place him at the very birthplace of memory. For a moment it will assume an expression of bewilderment, almost of pain, as if suddenly brought in contact with a great darkness, and then as suddenly it will light up and he will tell you, " I remember my second birthday distinctly. It was a wet day, and I was feeling depressed, but in the afternoon it cleared a little, and my godfather brought me a box of soldiers ; " or, " My first recollection is of having my chest poulticed one night. I had been asleep, and when I woke the room was dark except for the flicker of the night-light, and was filled - with the pungent odour of linseed meal—faugh ! I must have been about three I suppose." If a woman be asked to confide her earliest memory, it Will, in all probability, be connected in some way with the delights of dress. New mourning is a source of infinite satisfaction to the female infant, and next best is a bridesmaid's costume. " I was three, and I remember being bridesmaid to my cousin, and having a white cashmere dress with a silk fringe, and when we came away from the church I thought I was married, and was bitterly disappointed when they told me I was not." 0 ripe baby mind ! 0 woman of three ! little can advancing years have added to the maturity of thy desires. But in justice to the sex let it be stated that all women are not husband-seekers, nor vain from their very cradles. Some are virgin souls, philosophers, who in their tenderest infancy are painfully conscious of the transitoriness of human happiness and of the irrecoverable nature of time. " I remember my - third birthday. When I was being dressed I said to my nurse, Shall I never' be two any more ? and she said, Never any more;' and I said, I was so happy when I was two,' and then I lay down upon the floor and tried." This small Methuselah has not yet arrived
at an age when she might have reason to bewail her lost youth, yet at three she had already felt what it is to be well stricken in years. Thus with the seriousness of womanhood do our babes put away childish things and take upon themselves the crushing responsibilities of those who will "never be two any more." Acquisitiveness develops early in the male baby. " I remember being left alone in the dining-room with some chicken-bones when I was two. I climbed up and got the bones, but my aunt came in and took them away." " My first recollection is of being invited to take tea with the cook. She wanted me to say grace, but I didn't know any. This shocked her considerably, and she besought me to try and recollect one, but it was quite useless. While she was saying hers, I grabbed the butter and began to suck it. I agree with Charles Lamb, that grace is best said after meals." An .old gentleman of abnormally long and malicious memory improvised the following metrical account of his first recollection, at a dinner party :— " My mother had a maid called Jane, She played with me upon the grass, One day a soldier came And kissed the pretty lass. All ha ! thought I, when I can speak, I'll tell my ma."— But it is not always wise to believe the tales that old gentlemen tell at dinner parties. First recollections are generally mundane and trivial in the last degree. They are almost in- . variably connected with externals,—funeral attire,. tubbings, meals or whippings, and things of that sort,—rarely with the higher emotions and reflective faculty. In this they differ entirely from the anecdotes that our elderly relatives remember for us. These are often highly picturesque and charming, concerned with exquisite flights of the imagination, heroism, generosity, and precocious piety. But, inasmuch as our crimes outweigh our virtues by a hundred to one, so also do the recollections of the former outnumber those of the latter. We remember ourselves as greedy Johnny
THE FRITILLARY. and vain Mary ; they remember us as young-eyed cherubim. We love them better when we think of this. M. M. C. P.
ipbtIoloov for the feebleoilbbibeb.
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III. The Palatal Umlaut, Now here is a very extraordinary thing, Ye feeble, believe if you can. Just imagine the cart is in front of the horse, Or the motor-car driving the man. The h + a consonant standing in front Reflects on the letter behind, And serious damage by this is incurred. 'Tis a Palatal Umlaut we find.
(BY TWO OF THEM.) "They learn in suffering what they teach in song "Shelley.
1. Verner's Law. Jakob Verner made a Law We must all obey : Little voiceless spirants now May not voiceless stay. When the vowel next before Did not bear the stress, . Then, behold ! a Z appears, Which at first was S. About this S I will relate A story funnier far, Not content with being Z, It poses as an R. It seemed a silly thing to do, But F became Barred B ; And here's another senseless trick, The Thorn turned up as D ! " What need for all this chop and change ?" The feeble-minded ask. " To keep such nonsense in our heads Would be too hard a task. Dear voiceless spirants, all take heed, Content be with your lot. What does it matter ? Never mind If voices you have not."
II. The Umlaut. 'Tis the voice of, the Umlaut : I heard him complain, "You've explained me all wrong, you must say it again. I am i, I am o, and I also am u, And (though only " so-called."), I am Palatal too. 2
" But where there's a dental, how can it be so ? T, surely, would stand in the way ?" The only and obvious answer is this : "'Tis what the philologists say."
IV. The Ablaut Series. —A feeble mind, That lightly thinks of Schools, And has no hope beyond a Fourth, What should it knoW of rules ? I met a little Ablaut-sprite, " I'm very old," she said ; " I lived in pre-historic days, And yet I am not dead." She had a quaint archaic air, And she was vaguely clad : Her stem was odd, and very odd ; —Her endings made me mad. " Sisters and brothers, little maid, How many may you be ?" "How many ? Seven in all," she said, And wondering looked at me. " And where are they ? I pray you tell." She answered, " Seven are we ; We all in Gothic made our mark, Six only in 0. E." " You say that all in Gothic come, Six only in 0. E., Yet ye are seven ? I pray you tell, Sweet maid, how this may be."
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632 'Twas throwing words away, for still The little Maid would have her will, And said, " Nay, we are seven ! "
M. C. D. M. .Fr.
Zonnet. You did not want the love that I could give ; You did not want my young devotion true ; Yet am I richer all the while I live For having given my first-fruits all to you. 0 ! steadfast soul to whom my soul was drawn, When ardently I sought a guiding star, You led me from my spirit's roseate dawn, And still I follow worshipping afar. By hope constrained in dreams I fondly trace, 'Midst all the spheres, your radiant path above, And tho' you neither bend nor turn your face, I see the white wings of Imniortal Love; I would not have you stoop to come to me, I shall o'ertake you in Eternity. M. M. C. P.
Vlea for the ".'..)treituott.c.5 " Glory after all is the thing which has the best chance of not being altogether vanity.'.' •
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A HIGH-SOUNDING motto for a- prosaic subject, it may be objected. • But there is • an insidious and tantalising common=sense about the " Plea for the leisurely life," which must be attacked on. high ground or not at all. The " Leisurely " has an able exponent who perhaps has met with more sympathy than she either expected or deserved. Let me; therefore, almost a waverer imyself„ solemnly_ protestagainst her conclusions. Much as one deplores -that restless tendency which constrains its victims to pack both tennis
and hockey into one brief afternoon, and reduces them to nervous break-downs and irritability— there is another side to the question. The mind at leisure is truly an enviable possession, but can it be attained by deliberately putting character before work ? Few things are more dangerous than conscious self-cultivation ; it is often, indeed, one of the causes of the over-hurried life, but is just as perilous mentally, when it leads to self-created leisure. True, 7) ax9Xi admits that her arguments do not apply to those who really need the best Class' they can get. This is a necessary qualification—and kind ! But why aet this gulf between the woman who must work and the woman who need not? of couse, it must exist , to some extent, but why widen it, and make the life of the worker harder than necessary ? But to go to the root of the matter—Character grows best in the neglect which is the result of an all-absorbing interest. The steady pursuit of a " First,"—through weariness and boredom, through enthusiasm and utter absorption, through ridicule and discouragement—is a training by no means to be despised. Far too much is heard nowadays of the evil of striving for success. It may sound paradoxical to hold Browning partly ,responsible for this unhealthy attitude. Nevertheless, I believe th..tt the imperfectly-understood reiteration of such phrases as "There is no first or last," tends to produce a bad, and wrong view of life. The desire for success—in. Schools . or in games one of the truest, worthiest instincts in human nature. Yet we talk sentimental nonsense about caring for the aim rather than the achievementsentimental, I mean, when applied to ourselves, not when it concerns a. friend. As to the specific charges against the womanstudent, it is rather a weak point in the argument of 0-xoNii, that she has merely described a normal day, which, perhaps omitting the set of tennis, would not surprise any one. -She lends colour, too,' by ignoring all the interludes which lighten such a day. The gossipy tea, the frivolous dinnertime, the brief but brilliant meeting of a society, the silent moments in chapel, the social and cheering cocoa—these are not all leisure, but to the ordinary woman they are more or less sedative:
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THE FRITILLARY. After all, the usual years for life at Oxford are between the ages of 20 and 23, and these form but a fraction of the whole. When college life follows immediately upon school life, it is perhaps no adequate preparation for home. But it is also true that nothing but experience has ever proved useful to those who have to fill a place in the home. In most cases, college life is the seedtime, of which, either in work or in society, the harvest comes later. Let us then sow as many seeds as possible, and, within the bounds prescribed by health and temper, make these all too short years as strenuous and vigorous as possible. Leisureliness has a way of slipping into slackness, which puzzles and annoys even its advocates. Against the many aims of the average college girl let us weigh her lack of interest in real problems, " I don't care for politics," is a common enough remark, utterly unjustifiable, if one considers that politics means our lives and those of our fellow-men. Social problems are dismissed as savouring of Pol. Econ., and therefore "Shop," or an interest in them is even labelled " amateur philanthropy." " Woman's Suffrage is really almost vulgar, and certainly uninteresting." "As to the 0.S.D.S., it is a misguided and boring delusion, only upheld by a few blind and self-admiring enthusiasts 1" I, too, would appeal to all in the name of those pioneers who fought for what we misuse, that, while we may, we should cling to the strenuous life as well as to the leisurely mind. AN ENTHUSIAST.
tbe barper. " You bid me sing of love. What shall I sing ? You are so wonderfully young and sweet, And you are crying out for Love to bring His gifts and lay them at your restless feet. There is a passion in the heart of you For something infinitely true,
Yet, while unrolled the eternal secret lies You bend upon it all unheeding eyes, Refusing aught which may not seem to span The love of man to maid, and maid to man. "And yet the rose which trembles to the dawn, Swaying towards light, The raindrop quavering upon the thorn, Deep in the 'moonless night, The dew-starred woof of gossamers that spread Into heav'n's blue, Quail with the touch of that Love Infinite, Whose breath is shed Through countless worlds, yet Love which, maiden, you Would crush into a restless, human thing, Compassed by heart-beats----and would have me sing !" She turned, as though she would have read his mind, Then, passing, bowed her head with queenly grace; He never saw the tears upon her face, For he was blind.
NUGATOR.
11emo. MEMO'S mother and father had died before he was three years old. His father had been a genius, but with distorted views. He left his son to the care of an old friend who shared most of his peculiar notions. On no account was Nemo to learn what Death was. " Bring him up to be a good man, let him lead a child's healthy life ; stifle questions concerning the end of things, if there are any; but there won't be, Jacob, if you give him the life we have planned." Jacob had promised, and was himself interested in the experiment. He and Nemo lived sometimes here and sometimes there, but always in the depths of the country, and in the most primitive fashion. Two rooms sufficed them, and a deaf and dumb woman waited on them.
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Nemo was taught that God was good, and had made the world. Fortunately, he was not by nature speculative, and he accepted his friend's teaching passively. Some people accept without question what they have been accustomed to from the beginning. No animals were killed for their food, which consisted largely of the produce of the field and forest. Jacob told him that the flowers went away in the various months, and would come again next year. They always came. He learnt stories from History. " Where are these people now, Jacob ? "—" God still has them, Nemo. You and I will go and see them one day." Years went by, and nothing had happened to disturb Nemo's belief in the everlastingness of this life. To all questions Jacob had an answer which satisfied. But he was growing old, and he had long been silently ill. A youth of vain endeavours " to kick against the pricks," and a manhood of strict asceticism were beginning to tell on him ; and the thought arose within him haw he' was to keep his promise to his friend that Nemo should not know of death. He called the boy to him. "Nemo," he said, " what would you do if I were to leave you, to go a very long journey ?" Most children have heard of these journeys which those who have loved them have had to take. But with these there is always at least a dim consciousness of the real fact. To Nemo, however, there was . nothing further conveyed than the journey, and he and Jacob had wandered much from country to country. " Could I. not come too, Jacob ? " he said, wondering. "You might join me later, boy, but meanwhile you would live with a friend of mine who would show you towns, and many things of which you have only heard." " Should I see Robert. Bruce, and Joan of Arc, and King Henry of Navarre?"" For a moment Jacob was at a loss. " No, Nemo," he said at last, " my friend does not know thesepeople, but when you joined me, I would show you them ; we would talk to them together." Nemo soon forgot this talk, and played again in his usual boyish fashion. It happened in the spring that he was walking in the woods, aimlessly gathering cuckoo flowers. He had walked far, and the day was hot. He flung himself down ,
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by the water, and prepared to sleep, laying his flowers beside him. He had carried them- long, and in a few minutes he noticed that they were withered. It had never occurred to him before to look again at the flowers he picked. Those he brought back to Jacob were always removed before they died. " How funny they look," he murmured ; "what has happened to them ? thought flowers only looked like that when they were going away till next year. I must ask Jacob." In a few minutes he was asleep. In his dreams there came to him a spirit—a grey shadowy form with sad eyes and a good smile. The spirit held out his hands to Nemo, and called to him : "You have never met me. They say you are the only boy in the world who has not heard of me. Can you guess who I am ? " Nemo was not afraid ; he wondered. " Perhaps you are the King of the land where all the people I learn about are living. Do you know Alexander the Great and Philip Sydney ?" The spirit smiled. " Yes, I am Death, but I do not rule, I merely guide them across the water. Men say I have a grisly look. They fear me—some hate me. But you do not seem afraid. Come with me, and see if you can bear the sights I have to show." He led Nemo across parched plains, and through cold damp passages under the earth. " It is very cold, Death," shivered Nemo. The spirit looked round' and smiled. " Are you afraid to look on me ? " " No," answered the child, as he looked into the sad eyes, " I feel that there is something beyond. Besides, Jacob says God has made everything, so He made you, and God is good." By now they had .reached the opening of a large cavern. All was grey, damp, and cold. The spirit turned to the boy and said : " I am going to show you men who are dead, as you will be one day." Nemo shivered again, and tried to clutch the hand of Death. But at that moment he awoke. His dream had frightened him. Life seemed a bigger and less simple thing. His belief quailed before his awaking Reason. He went back to his friend. The dumb waiting-woman met him at the door. The look in her eye was unusual. Nemo hurried in to Jacob. What was that pale thing lying on the bed ? Nemo's mouth grew dry, and
THE FRITILLARY. his heart beat loudly. He touched the body—it was cold. He spoke to it—there was silence. For some time coherent thought was impossible. Then something within him told him that this cold stiffness was what the spirit would have shown him in the cavern. SNAPDRAGON.
lborace : Obe 33. 3. OH never in the stress of life Forget to still thy soul, Nor when kind fortune smiles on thee, Rejoice beyond control; Since thou, 0 Dellius my friend, Art mortal and must meet thy end.
Ogforb Stubents' Zebatitto %octetr. President—Miss Mowm, (S.H.H.). Secretary—Miss KEELING (S.H.H.). Junior Treasurer—Miss BELL (L.M.H.). THE choice of the Education Bill as a subject for discussion at the first meeting of the Society this term proved- a great success. Public discussion was characterised by unusual fervour, and more than the customary number of speeches. It is to be regretted that several honourable members marred otherwise good speeches by poor delivery, and thus deprived the house of many valuable criticisms and suggestions on the Education Bill. Who knows but that the ultimate loss to the country may have been considerable ? Miss RvLE (S.C.), in proposing that " This House approves the Education Bill," opened the debate with a critical analysis of the Bill, comparing it, in its treatment of the religious question, with that of 19o2. This latter Bill she designated
It may be that throughout thy years Thou liv'st the life of woe, Or idle on some far-off sward, As feast days come and go, In sweet repose thou dost recline, And sipst content the long-stored wine.
as " the most unsatisfactory Bill that ever became law." She deplored the amount of power given in 1902 to the owners of voluntary schools with regard to religious teaching, as these owners were almost entirely Anglicans and Roman Catholics. In the Bill which she was defending the Hon. Proposer maintained that this grave act of parti-
O tell why pines of lofty height And poplars silver-leaved Love to unite their friendly shade With branches interweaved ? And why along its winding way The streamlet hastes and will not stay ? Then bid them bring sweet wines and scents, And blossoms of the rose ; For rich or poor, or high or low, Their wealth must shortly lose. Our heirs will reap whate'er we leave, For we must die without reprieve. We all are driven to one bourne ; And, shaken in the urn, Our lot thrown out at fortune's ,choice Is given to each in turn. And then poor shades we must embark In fatal boat for regions dark.
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ality had been cancelled. Miss Ryle objected to the principle of denominational teaching on the grounds that there should be no taxation without representation. She would answer the outcry of the Church by asserting that the so-called robbery had been perpetrated by Mr. Balfour in 1902, for at this date voluntary schools were brought partially under the control of local authorities. The Hon. Prop. defended the system of undenominational teaching, and pointed out that the extended facilities clause provided ample opportunities for denominational teaching in urban districts. The impossibility of extending these facilities to rural districts was made evident by the fact that no suitable arrangements could be made for the double system. Miss Ryle welcomed the abolition of religious tests for teachers, as these had only excluded the
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honest atheist, while they offered no obstacle to tile dishonest atheist. Miss Ryle made an admirable defence of the Bill in a most tactful speech. Her task was made more difficult by the fact that she spoke to an unsympathetic house, but she might have done more for her cause by speaking in slower and more measured tones. Miss MAYHEW (O.H.S.) refused to attack the Bill on its secular side. Its purely educational 'merits were generally agreed upon. She answered her opponent's defence of passive resistance by pointing out that many members of the Church of England during the last thirty years had had to pay for the teaching of the " Cowper-Temple " religion. Miss Mayhew then proceeded to attack the Bill under discussion, to prove it unjust in five respects.—Unjust to the Church, to the benefactors of voluntary schools, to the parents, to the children, and to the teachers. Unjust to the Church which has served the country so well in the past, to the benefactors who had given the money for a definite denominational purpose, to the parents whose children were not to be brought up in the religion of their fathers, to the children themselves, and to the teachers who were not to teach what they held to be the true religion. Miss Mayhew's speech was good and clear, and, like Miss Ryle's, shewed considerable grasp of the subject. Her delivery was excellent, and had a most invigorating effect upon the House. Miss CORBETT (Somerville College) defended the Cowper-Temple clause and undenominational teaching in a fluent speech, which was, as is usual with Miss Corbett's speeches, characterised by considerable charm of delivery and manner. Her reference to a certain tea-party at which she had defended the Education Bill against five ardent Conservatives, and her comparison of herself with Daniel in the lions' den pleased the House very much. Perhaps Miss Corbett's speech was somewhat spoilt by the levity with which she treated a subject on which the House felt very strongly. Miss BELL (L.M.H.), Junior Treasurer, certainly made the most successful speech on paper.' Her attack on the Bill was both spirited and
'tactful, and she gained the sympathy of the House to a far greater extent than her predecessors. Her criticism of undenominational teaching was most clear, and her denunciation of the Bill as an _unfair compromise drew down great applause. We regret that Miss Bell has spoken so seldom before, and hope she will rectify this by speaking often in the future. Miss CORNISH (S.H.H.) drew attention to the difficulty in which the teacher was placed who was really anxious to promulgate his or her faith. Miss Cornish spoke well, but not loudly enough. Miss DE ZOUCHE (S.C.) laid stress on the taxation question,' and declared herself in favour of secularisation. The present Bill, however, she thought, was an extremely fair compromise. Miss de Zouche is quite a good speaker, and knew the subject well, but it is a pity that she did not stay to hear any refutation of her arguments that might have been forthcoming. Miss WILLS-SANDFORD (O.H.S.) declared that there was necessarily something unfair in the Bill, if the whole body of Nonconformists were perfectly satisfied, and the whole body of Anglicans dissatisfied. The House always enjoys hearing Miss Wills-Sandford. Miss JOURDAIN (S.H.H.) drew attention to the arbitrariness of the choice of four-fifths as a majority. Was not two-thirds a majority also ? She also spoke of the unfairness of the Bill with regard to registration of teachers. Miss JACKSON (S.C.) defended the vagueness in the Bill which the Hon. Opposer had condemned, as on such a question as religious teaching and education the Government could not be too vague. Miss Jackson, as usual, spoke very well. Before the close of Public Discussion the House was delighted by a speech from Miss Rogers, which collected and answered all the arguments in favour of the Bill which had been brought forward in the course of the evening. There also spoke for the motion, Miss SNOW (S.C.), Miss HICKS (S.C.). Against the motion, Miss BAKER (S.H.H), exJunior Treasurer, Miss SPURLING (O.H.S.), Miss LEVETT (L. M. H.).
THE FRITILLARY. The Reporter regrets that the illegibility of her notes prevents her from reporting these speeches. On a division there voted for the „motion, 193 against the motion, 47.
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THE motion "that this House considers that a lawyer is justified in pleading the cause of a man whom he knows to be guilty" was discussed with vigour. The lack in numbers was atoned for by the variety of the speeches. Honourable Members were so interested in the subject in hand that they so far forgot the etiquette of debate as to speak more than once in public discussion. It is only fair to say that their remarks quite justified this breach of etiquette.
Miss BOND (L.M.H.) drew a pathetic picture of the criminal who is always with us. He is ugly, but ugliness has its attractions as well as beauty. He may in the course of his career kill two or three people, but such can probably well be spared. After a full description in this manner of the criminal, whose cause should interest us, Miss Bond passed to the lawyer. His duty is not to judge or sentence the prisoner, but to plead his cause. Miss Bond argued with considerable plausibility that a lawyer never could know whether his client were guilty or not. A self-confession is acknowledged by the law to be no evidence, as is the witness of a casual observer. Consequently the hypothetical case set down in the motion did not relate to facts ; a lawyer was always justified in pleading the cause of any man, however apparent his guilt might be. Miss Bond's speech was a new departure in the speeches of the Society in so far as it was a really successful attempt to illustrate a debating speech with a certain amount of humour. Such a departure has long been needed, but we regret that Miss Bond failed by her ineffective delivery to make her speech really telling. Miss COWEN (S.C.) thanked the Hon. Prop. for so kindly proving that a lawyer should not speak absolutely against his knowledge of facts. She pleaded that if the criminal were diseased,
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as the first speaker suggested, should not some efforts be made to heal him ? For the sake of society at large the lawyer should never shield -a guilty person. It has been said that advocates must earn their living, but they should not do so at the expense of society. Miss Commin argued her case well in a speech which was much to be commended for its fluency and lucidity. Miss LEVETT (L.M.H.) pointed out that the fine English maxim that a man is innocent till he is proved guilty had lost much of its point if a lawyer could not plead the cause of his client. Miss Levett was as usual good. Miss DEssiN (S.C.) declared that the lawyer was no more entitled to turn witness, when he discovers the truth, as the Hon. Opposer suggested, than the doctor who hears of a crime from his patient. Miss Dessin made a most successful maiden speech. Miss SANDERS (L.M.H.) hoped she offered no insult to the House when she suggested that the legal mind was entirely absent from it. Why Should individual belief influence a case ? A man may often believe what is wrong, and in any case it seems unfair for the criminal to remain undefended because the advocate or adversary, like the Scotch man, is " positeeve" he is guilty. Miss SHAW (S.C.) expressed strong disap proval of the sentiments of the last speaker. For her part she would always respect the man who acted consistently according to the dictates of his conscience. It was the lawyer's moral welfare which she had so much at heart. Miss Shaw is a very good debater, and she well understands the art of emphasis in delivery, and in this way makes her speeches effective. MISS BOWEN-COLTHURST (S.H.H.) pleaded the cause of the criminal with considerable vigour and effect, and was well answered by Miss CORBETT ,
(S.C.). Miss BICRMORE (S.H.H.) pointed out in an excellent maiden speech, that in England the greatest criminals were usually defended by the greatest advocates, as public opinion always held that the more hopeless the case, the better entitled was the criminal to a good defence. There also spoke Miss SNOW (S..C.), Miss
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TUDOR (S.H.H.), Miss WEST (S.H.H.), Miss KEELING, Secretary (S.H.H.), Miss MOWLL, President (S.H.H.). On a division there voted for the motion, 16 ; against the motion, r r.
O.S.D.S. v. NEWNHAM COLLEGE.
April 2 0th. THE motion, " That this House approves of Mr. Chamberlain's conception of Empire," was proposed by Miss CumBERT (L.M.H.), Ex-Pres. of the O.S.D.S., with her usual clearness and energy. The debate was long and spirited ; interest never flagged, and indeed, except from the point of view of oratory, the zeal of some members might well have been tempered with discretion. But this failing is so uncommon, at least in Oxford, that it ranks as a virtue. Miss Cuthbert began by expressing on behalf of members of the O.S.D.S. the great pleasure and satisfaction which the invitation to this interuniversity contest had given. She hoped that a precedent had been established, and that in the near future Oxford might extend a hearty welcome to Newnharn. Turning to the subject of Empire, Miss Cuthbert spoke of the transitory nature of all former empires, and of the argument that the British Empire must in like manner pass away. But the way in which the British Empire had grown up must be taken into account—it was based on the principle of reproducing British life, British homes, British ideals beyond the seas. The problem now confronting the mothercountry was, " What was to be done with the great Empire already existing ? " It was in answer to this question that Mr. Chamberlain's conception was of value. He considered that the Imperial ideal was, first,' union as a means of protection ; secondly, freedom within the bounds of the Empire. His ideas had taken practical shape as the suggested Preferential Tariffs, and the accomplished Federation of Australia. The argument in favour of entirely independent colonies
might perhaps be best answered by considering the present condition of the United States. Foolishly, reprehensibly, and ungratefully, in the speaker's opinion, they had broken away from Great Britain, and the result of this loss of stability and tradition might be seen in the political corruption of to-day. Miss Cuthbert went on to emphasize the mission of the Empire, and the principles which it embodied. Peace and progress followed in its train, because it was built up on a basis of internal freedom ; it was not a tyranny, because it was composed of self-governing units—subject only to a general Imperial control. Finally, though men might differ as to the precise value of Mr. Chamberlain's schemes, there could be no doubt whatever that his conception was noble and progressive. Miss POTTER (Newnham Coll.) began with an appreciation of Miss Cuthbert's "eloquent appeal to Imperialists," and an earnest desire to find out "what it was all about." Mr. Chamberlain's conception of Empire was an abstraction, whose nature she had been unable to discover. He appeared, however, to aim at a consolidation of Empire by commercial ties. This would necessarily mean a certain drawing away from the rest of the world—the tariff-wall would have to be raised round the whole Empire to the disadvantage of the rest of the world. Considering this idea from the economic point of view, one was puzzled to know where the "sacrifice," quoted by Miss Cuthbert, would come in. The whole point of some of Mr. Chamberlain's speeches seemed to be that the game was worth the candle. In reality self-sufficiency would be purchased at the expense of the working-man, who cared very little where his bread or his butter was produced. As to the question of union, it was very doubtful whether Mr. Chamberlain's scheme would not rather produce commercial warfare between the colonies—an equitable scale of Tariffs was practically an impossibility. With regard to the general Imperial ideal, it would be well to consider the point of view of the rest of the world. Cosmopolitanism was in some
senses a finer ideal than Patriotism. It was better
THE FRITILLARY. to be universally friendly than exclusively intimate. As to the notion that the colonies were to be privileged in return for their loyalty, it was almost an insult. Colonial loyalty was something stronger than could be bought or rewarded. This speech, though admirably clear and wellreasoned on the economic question, failed to answer the Proposer's arguments, which had been, for the most part, general. Miss BOWDEN-SMITH (Newnham College),. in a really eloquent speech, defended Mr. Chamberlain'sconception of Empire as one of the truest and worthiest ever set forth. Speaking with personal knowledge of the subject, she laid stress on the practical side of his proposals. It might be more ideal to talk about being the " salt of the earth," and trying " to hitch one's waggon to a star," but there was little of such sentiment in the colonies, and self-interest and local patriotism would be the best basis for the Empire. From the military point of view, the future of England lies with the colonies ; not one of the great ocean highways could be defended except the Canada-Liverpool route ; hence England must rely on her colonies, and bind them to her by firm and material bonds. Miss CORBETT (Somerville C _ ollege) thought the motion was rather a matter of past and gone politics, and no longer an imminent question. She criticised the inconsistency of speakers who had said that it was not fair to- criticise the means suggested to attain Mr. Chamberlain's conception, and yet also declared that conception to be practical. Her Little Englandism, she said, might well be called Imperialism, for Mr. Chamberlain's scheme was impracticable and undesirable. It would produce great irritation—men engaged in business generally had but little sentiment left— in fact money-Making was mere sordidness. In conclusion, England had very little to lose by losing her colonies, and the truest conception of Empire was to put the mother-country first. In the discussion there spoke :—Miss ELKIN, on behalf of cosmopolitanism ; Miss WARD, on the ideals of Mr. Chamberlain, as expressed in his actions and means ; Miss TOMPSON, who asserted that we stole the Empire ; Miss LEVETT (L.M.H.),
639
who quoted Mr. Balfour's phrase, " we stumbled headlong into our Empire," and also proteste d against calling all commerce sordid ; Miss REEVES, who in impassioned words declared that the colonies did not want any connexion with England and would get on far better without any such bond. After reproaching the mother country for sending to Australia convicts, missionaries, and gin, Miss Reeves proceeded to point out the immense literary, romantic, and sentimental debt which was owed to England. Finally, Miss CLOUGH (Vice-Principal, Newnham Coll.) made the only really practical speech of the evening. It was still worth while, in her opinion, to consider the first step—the Colonial Conference. Material needs must be considered, and it was right that the colonies should be consulted. Further, it was pointed out that the speaker, who accused Mr. Chamberlain of having no ideals, could neither have read his speeches nor studied his life. It was perfectly obvious that he not only had ideals, such as that of a great united Empire, but that he was in danger of being carried away by them. Miss VERRALL (President) having spoken on the motion, the House proceeded to a division. There voted—for the motion, 69 against the motion, 69 The President did not give the casting vote.
the "f" Club. President—R. M.
HARRISON
(L.M.H.).
THE "X" Club meetings have been held regularly during the- year, except in this term, when infection has prevented two meetings. We have had two excellent papers from outsiders, as well as those read by members. In the Michaelmas Term Miss Gibson read a paper on "The problem of keeping fit," which roused a good deal of interest and some discussion.
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640
Mr. Nagel lectured to the Club in the Hilary term on "States of Matter." He brought a great many interesting specimens of radium and uranium, and showed several experiments on radio activity. Other papers of great interest were read by Miss West, Miss Kemp, and Miss Bowen-Colthurst. The standard of papers this year has been very high, and __writers have been very successful in popularizing stiff matter in such -a way that an ignorant audience can understand and enjoy it. •
Ifdabp ilbargaret L.M.H. SETTLEMENT (Representatives, R. E. BELL, A. M. FLETCHER).—The annual meeting is to be held - at Oxford this year in New College Hall (by kind permission of the Warden), on Saturday, June 9. Miss Wordsworth is to speak, and Miss Pearson, the Head of the Settlement, who has just returned from her six months' holiday abroad, and also the Rev. G. H. S. Walpole, D.D., Rector of Lambeth. We hope it will be a great success.
weak on her back hand. Her style might be improved. ESSAY CLUB (President, Miss KEmP).—Four meetings have been held this term. Papers have been read by Miss Pickford on Mirabeau, Miss Sanders on Natural Selection, Miss Levett on the Balkan Problem, and Miss E. Brown on Puritanism and the Stage.
Somerville College. BOAT CLUB (Secretary, Miss Scorr).—The Boat Club has bought a new canoe which has been a great addition. Miss Overend has been made Captain, and the Misses Pearson, Ryle, and de Zouche Half-Captains.
TENNIS
CLUB (Secretary, Miss SCOTT).—So
far only one match has been played, v. St. Hugh's, which was won 11-9. Miss Terry and Miss E. Jackson are playing for Somerville.
(Secretary, D. WOLFERSTAN). —This term most of the debates have been good, though some have shown a most frivolous ten= dency. Attendance has, on the whole, been regular. The most interesting discussions have been those on the motions :—" That an advocate is justified in defending a man whom he knows to be guilty of the crime with which he is charged ;" " That nothing carries a man through the world like a true genuine natural impudence ;" and ." That the attraction of opposites makes the greatest friends." SHARP PRACTICE
TENNIS
CLUB (Captain,
M. STOCKER).—An
American tournament was held at the beginning of this term. Miss Stocker, Miss Rogers, Miss Hannah, Miss Moorhouse, Miss Little were the first five players. Miss Stocker and Miss Rogers have kept their colours from last year. The other three have received theirs this term for the first time. After these there was a considerable drop in the score. Miss Rogers is playing very well. Her best ball is, a fine return drive into the corner of the court. Miss Hannah has improved considerably, and has a good swinging serve,- but is rather weak on her back hand. Miss Moorhouse is steady, and plays a good defensive game, but is inclined to send soft balls. Miss Little sends strong low balls, but is again
FIRE BRIGADE (Captain, H. BvRNE).—Regular practices have been discontinued this term. Only one, at which all members were present, has been held to test the efficiency of the Brigade. This was found to be quite satisfactory.
THE FRITILLARY. %t. 'Mob's THIS term Miss W. Horner has come into residence again to finish her University course, and Miss C. Wordsworth for her last term of training.
641
expression than in the one single-Sociable that has been held. We hope, however, to have. another before the end of term. (CaPain, P.
DE B. F. BOWENhave added considerably to the members of the Boat Club this term. The boats have been used very regularly ; a great many members are now ready, or nearly ready, for qualification. We are in great hopes of seeing our new boathouse begun soon. Our hearty thanks are due to a member who for the coming year is -lending her private canoe to the Hall. BOAT CLUB
COLTHURST).—We
(Secretary, D. M. HAMMONDS). —The play during the two winter terms has not been enthusiastic, but this term the courts have been used a good deal. We hoped, on this account, to have a small tournament among all tennis players in the Hall, but when the arrangements were made, everyone seemed to have taken a dislike to the idea, and nothing further has been done. The two champions were elected this year from the Central Club members by means of singles. We are playing a match with Cherwell Hall this year for the first time. Congratulations to Miss Mack and Miss Horner on being elected to the Central. TENNIS CLUB
SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY
(President, M. P. POT-
term the Society has been trying to enter into the spirit of one of the greatest of Shakespeare's tragedies, " King Lear," and has succeeded admirably on the whole. The impetuosity, passion and intense pathos of the central figure has been rendered with much feeling by a former President of the Society, the halfcomic, half-serious comments of the Fool with quick appreciation by another sympathetic reader —these making the most conspicuous successes in a delightful course of readings. The meetings have been well attended on the whole, especially by the older members, to some of whom grateful thanks are due for the never-failing support they have given to the Society throughout their Oxford career. TER).—This
SOCIABLES (Secretaries, R. ARBUTHNOT LANE, E. DUGGAN).—According to the usual custom, the number of Sociables has been diminished in the Summer term. It is hoped that the social instincts of the Hall have found other means of
SHARP
PRACTICE (President, P. DE B. F. BOWEN-
Practice has been more than usually animated and well attended; there being very few who excused themselves from -our weekly meetings. Among the motions discussed were:i. " It is better to work when the spirit moves one than to plod for hours against the grain.? It was pointed out that the spirit might move at awkward :times, such- as at- meals, -but- it was decided that in such cases it was always better to " do the thing that's nearest, tho' it's dull at whiles." After a lively discussion the motion was carried. ii. " That any form of gambling is permissible so long as the gambler keeps well within his means." This brought many ideas and obscure points to view. Gambling was defined as risking a good thing in the hope of gaining something better. By this it was shown that many of us rank as gamblers, for instance, when we ask outsiders to tea in the hope of getting invitations to eights. Nevertheless the motion was lost by a large majority. iii. " That it is better to lie than to be rude when occasion demands the choice." During a vigorous discussion various harmless lies were enumerated. Among them were the conventional lie such as "Dear Madam," which was excused by assuming that the lady was' probably dear to somebody else, if not to the writer of the COLTHURST).—Sharp
.
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642
letter ; and the elevating lie, which made the liar, in order not to be found out, live up to his professed sentiments, which he knew to be higher than his real feelings. The question had finally to be decided by the President's casting vote, *which was given in favour of truth. iv. " That this House is satisfied in leaving the government of State to our abler brothers." There were few who opposed this motion. The more liberal-minded members regarded the -abler brothers as the ruling Radicals. The Tories regarded them as the Conservatives. Some looked upon the abler brothers as their own personal brothers, while others considered them in comparison with. women, and very few of these regarded the adjective " abler " as applicable to the male sex. We hope to have two more meetings this term. The motions will be chosen from the following ;I. " That a man's character is most easily judged by his choice of friends." 2, " That the Celt is superior to the Saxon." 3. " That the insecurity of property resulting from a socialistic policy leads to the disintegration of our empire." Members of St. Hugh's are requested not to read the above until after the last Sharp Practice.
was considered the most convenient arrangement. The papers were on Venetian Art, 15th and 16th Centuries, and were read by Miss Darke, Miss Davidson, Miss- jacquier, and Miss Barlow. The artists whose work was -made- an especial study were the Bellini, Carpaccio, Titian and Giorgione, Tintoretto and Veronese.
SOCIAL
St. 11MIOa's , ART Cum.—During the summer term- there have been four meetings of the Art Club, as this
Miss CARTMELL-ROBIN-
Social this term is to -take the form of a -pastoral representation of Teele's " Arraignment of Paris," in the last week. Most members of the Hall have devoted energy to making the most of a charming play, and of a garden which ought to be- a pretty raise en scene for the Greek gods and goddesses and Elizabethan shepherd§ and shepherdesses. Miss Knight is assisting us with- her quartett. In the "-stage business " we have -been helped by. Mrs. Dawson, and for general stage management we are much indebted to -Miss Burrows. Miss Hawtrey has taken several of the rehearsals: Costumes were planned by Miss Taylor and Miss Darke.
FIRE BRIGADE
tenant, J. BROWNING SOCIETY (President, L. F. TODD).— The Browning Society has- been reading Aristaphanes' Apology this term. The meetings have been very enjoyable, owing to the fact that the diminution in the number of members has been balanced by a corresponding increase of keenness in the general tone imparted by the remaining few, The Society has been fortunate in acquiring three new members, whose sympathetic interpretation has contributed much to the success of the meetings.
(Co-Presidents,
SON, Miss JACQUIER).—The
(Captain, E.
CHAMIER ;
Lieu-
four practices were held this term, but sudden alarms are daily expected. All the members- are quite efficient and very keen: It is to be hoped that the freshers next year will be equally energetic: DAVIDSON).—Only
BOAT CLUB (Captain, K. A. RICHARD).;---The Club is to be congratulated on the enthusiasm for boating displayed this term. Nearly every niember is zealously devoting herself to the attainment of perfection in some branch of the art: The glorious roll of the Qualified grows slowly but surely, and even among the less successful, Windmill sculling and bank-to-bank punting are steadily decreasing. The punt is immensely popular, and is used for every purpose from early morning to dewy eve, sometimes for energetic punting, more often for systematic lazing, occasionally even (we are told) for work. The one- great- sorrow of the Club is -the -nameless condition of the punt-
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64.3
a defect which, despite the waste of much ingenuity, it seems impossible to remedy satisfactorily.
Institute, Hanover (for Michaelmas Term at Norham Hall). Emily T. M. Williams, Home Education.
TENNIS CLUB (ReJ'reserltative MISS HAWTREY). —The tennis court has not been so much patronised as might be wished, owing to the continued inclemency of the weather. A certain amount of excitement arose in playing off the Hall Championship Ties. Miss Dodwell, Miss Darke, and Miss Jones being so close, it was difficult to decide who ought to play against the other Halls. Eventually it was decided in favour of Miss Dodwell and Miss Darke, rather to the relief of Miss Jones, who has the misfortune to be in for " Schools." The Hall Tournament is coming off next week. It is not to be played in American fashion this year, owing to the fact that there is no record in the annals of the Hall that it has ever been finished. We hope to establish a precedent this year, and that some players will actually be proclaimed winners on the board.
MISS HILDA MURRAY, who has recently been promoted to be Staff Lecturer in English and Germanic Philology at Royal Holloway College, has now obtained the degrees (Ad Eundem) of B.A. and M.A. of Dublin University.
,
DEBATING SOCIETY (President, Miss RICHMOND; Vice-President, Miss JACQUIER ; Secretary, Miss HAWTREY).—Owing to the many distractions of the summer term, among which preparation for the " Arraignment of Paris " may be considered the greatest, it was unanimously decided to have no meetings this term. It is hoped that members will return to the fray with renewed zest in October.
bone Ztubents. New Students. Constance Cruttwell, Home Education and in Berlin. Anna Kerrl, High School and Teachers' Training
Printed by
JAMES
term the tennis has, in spite of the " April showers," been fairly well attended, but it would have been more sought after had it not been in Summertown, as many of the students (especially the non-cyclists) could not spare the time to go out so far. However, we had no choice as to the whereabouts of the court, as those at Somerville and Lady Margaret Hall were unavailable. Three of the Home Students tried for the Central Club, but unfortunately were not successful. TENNIS.—This
COMMON ROOM (Hon. Sec., L. S. MERIVAT,4— The counter attractions of the Summer term having of late years led to a great diminution in the attendance at the Socials, the Committee this year decided to have only one gathering instead of three. In order to make the function more interesting, we had a " penny tea," i.e. each guest brought with her the largest or most amusing article she could buy for one penny. The prize was awarded to Miss Kerrl, whose two peat bricks, firewood, and box of matches, formed a really wonderful pennyworth. Other good bargains were the five enormous potatoes brought by Miss Bowditch, Miss Mayhew's block of salt, and the appetizing bun sent by Miss Ruth Butler. Quite a number of guests came, among them Mrs. Johnson and several old students. Everyone seemed to enjoy herself so much, that perhaps the experiment of having one Social may become a permanent custom.
PARKER & CO., Crown Yard, Oxford.