June, 1907.
No. 41.
sRCaR
68r PRIZE COMPETITIONS . SATIRIC POEM ' IN HEROIC 681 COUPLET A PAGE OF JOHNSON 'S LIFE 682
OF BOSWELL POLITICAL LIMERICK ABROAD. STUDENTS THE
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TILE COX,COMB DIALOGUE
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THE ALLEGRA
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OXFORD STUDENTS' DEBATING SOCIETY A.E. W. NOTICE OXFORD
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691 . TENNIS CLUB DRASTUDENTS' OXFORD MATIC READING CLUB . .692 692 • LADY MARGARET HALL .
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ST. HILDA'S HALL
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SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE.
ST. HUGH'S HALL
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HOME STUDENTS
Oxforo P121 TED FOR THE PROPRIETORS IW JAMES PARKER & Co,. CROWN YARD.
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ENtor Miss JACQtTIER, St. Hilda's Hall.
tieasurer : Miss BUTLER, Home Students.
Committee : Miss MORTON, Lady Margaret Hall. MiSS MORGAN-BROWN, Somerville College. Miss FARNELL, St. Hugh's Hall. Miss BRAMELD, St. Hilda's Hall.
Miss
POLLARD, Home Students.
1907.
JUNE.
No. 41.
And — if no other means succeed of course— We'll make her a good citizen by force How can we do it ? Can't you really guess ? Drag her, reluctant, to 0.S.D.S.
fl ri3e Competitions.
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Satiric Vocni in lbcroic Couplet. A Prize has been presented by Miss Roger, to P. Q., Lady Margaret Hall, for the poem which appears below :—
That great Society will to her impart Those sentiments which suit an English heart. There she may hear the loftiest minds debate On our political and social state Mid such great souls, how can she fail to see Her national responsibility ? :
SATIRIC POEM a. (Respectfully dedicated to the 0.S,D.S.)
Yes, we despise the girl to books confined Who from her study looks on human kind ; Who rears ideas from artificial soil With little fruit for witness to her toil. The book-full block-head ignorantly read Has but few human interests in her head. " Let controversies rage," she gaily cries, " Upon my book I fix contented eyes; Let statesmen labour and let soldiers die, And let the poor in cheerful squalor lie. The unemployed did once kick up a row, But aren't they mostly labour-members now ? Let Education Bills be all thrown out, My education's what I care about ! Protection ' and Free Trade sound very slow What is Imperialism ?—I don't know. Haldane and Suffragists may do their worst, Don't worry me, I'm working for a First." Of course we say that this will never do, We must enlarge her mind, widen her view, Open her eyes, and to that mind present— Which was, till now, on ancient learning bent, Where only classic cobwebs have been rife— The varied Problems of Modern Life, '
a Three
lines from Pope.
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What time for entry, too, could be more meet ? When all is purged away that was effete, And a new life into the House infused, Which now of dulness cannot be accused. The chief reform (and this I much commend) Is that the seats now run from end to end ; So that the President in check can keep Those formerly inclined to chat—or sleep b. 41114 orpheus'temptations now are much less sore, Speeches are shorter than they were before ; The time allotted seldom did suffice, So now we aim at something more concise. The leading speakers must not prose too long While the House yearns to rise and prove them wrong ; Since twenty minutes ne'er enough has been, The number's wisely altered to fifteen. Third and fourth speakers now the meeting grace, Five minutes must comprise their rapid race ; And this is well, since those who spoke before Have said all that is to be said, and more. (To " open" the debate is not their end, But to exhaust the subject they defend.) b Vide Keats,
Sleep and Pothy, line 2.
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When speakers " on the paper " talk too long, Then loudly clangs the Presidential gong. (I know as well as you she rings a bell, But would you have contrived the rhyme as well?) But when the motion's publicly discussed The rule, it seems, enjoins that no one must Be interrupted. Talk is lengthened out Till you forget what it is all about, And finally you stumble home to bed With a mellifluous muddle in your head. A system such as this must needs convert The most devoted bookworm, I'll assert ; But if a further proof you seem to need, To further details I will now proceed. Enthusiasm for a noble cause Inspires some speakers, and brings down applause. Their knowledge or research may not be wide, They always can denounce the other side ; And fervent rhetoric is much enhanced When personalities are, with tact, advanced. Others, without strong feeling, make a hit, By brilliant sallies of sarcastic wit ; But ignorance often makes them carp and sneer At thoughts beyond their ken, above their sphere. Some, having nought to say, feel themselves bound To raise their voice—so much they love its sound. Others again so highly prize its tone That no ears hear their speeches, but their own. (This type of speaker really is the best, The house so often needs a little rest.) Another class,—created by that Bill Which introduced all good, cleared of all ill,— Ten c victims who in vain have fled the step Of that officious brute their College 'Rep,' Who when they got within her awful reach Were bullied till they swore to make a speech— These ten, with drops of horror on their brow, Desire with all their heart to break their vow ; Some of them do, perhaps,—I cannot tell-But pressed like that I'm sure they can't speak. well. Glorious oases in this waste of rot Are Presidential speeches (ex- or not), Which never fail to enthral the house—as such— Although their import mayn't be very much. c Clause
III. of Reform Bill.
But Presidents and such like chiefly shine In that sweet space twixt 8.15 and 9, When merriment and gamesomeness are rife (Attractive prelude to the sterner strife) ; When motions are discussed—it's meant for farce— Which everybody knows could never pass ; When every week a fresh subscription's fixed (I wonder the poor Treasurer's not more mixed). But no one worries :—" It's no good," they say, " It will change twenty times before we pay. This merry jest but serves to keep us gay." Howe'er these quips and cranks may seem to be Fun for fun's sake, untainted jollity, The lofty moral purpose lurks below, To lure those to the House who wouldn't go Without such sweet inducement, as 'tis said, Stubbornest hearts by gentle means are led. Will all this lead the girl to books confined To interest in her country and her kind? Some thoughts perhaps she'll chance to bear away Anent the burning questions of the day. The shallowness of the debate, no doubt, Will make her long to dig the question. out. This merit the debate can fairly claim, It may achieve something beyond its aim. It stimulates where it could never teach, And helps those seemingly beyond its reach. While it can make one mind think for itself, O.S.D.S. won't lie upon the shelf. P. Q.
t page of 3obitson's life of 113oswelt. THE prize is awarded to Miss Gordon, St. Hugh's Hall, for the following New Popular Edition of Johnson's Life of Boswell, edited with notes by Professor MacBlank, from the original manuscript discovered in 3007. A work of unique interest to every book lover. Leather, 5s.; Cloth, 3s. 6d.
SPECIMEN PAGE.
Mr. Boswell replied by a not inelegant appli-
THE FRITILLARY. cation of the lines from " Irene" d The rest of his observations, if he made any, have escaped my recollection, which is the less to be deplored as they were seldom such as to deserve perpetuation. My own utterances, on the other hand, I think I have transcribed with tolerable accuracy. .
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servation in my projected biography, it will never have a sale north of the Tweed. Myself. On the contrary, it is likely to have a sale nowhere else. No one but a Scotchman would purchase the productions of your pen. (And indeed it is fortunate that he was prevented from carrying out his project by —)
CHAPTER VI. Fortune, in bestowing upon my lamented friend that admirable Persistency of Purpose which procured his introduction into our literary circle, and that Aimiability of Disposition which rendered him not wholly unacceptable within it, had yet fated him, with the Fickleness which poets are wont to celebrate as her customary attribute, to inhabit that hideously mountainous Hyperborean Region where the perpetual consumption of a glutinous edible known as Porridge appears to produce an intellectual inferiority, which as it is aptly typified in the risible character of the national Dress and the asinine associations of the national Emblem, was nowhere more admirably exemplified than in the case of my quondam companion, whose Inanity of Intellect was perpetually betrayed by the Vacuity of his Countenance. This recalls to my recollection the following conversation between us at the prandial board. Myself. Sir, what are you eating ? Mr. Boswell. Porridge, Sir, our national food will you not also partake of it ? Myself Never, Sir. Boswell. May I inquire what are your objections to this salubrious edible. Myself. Porridge, Sir, is a food unfit for Englishmen. " Who eats vile porridge must himself be --." Boswell. Sir, I implore that in your facetiousness you will refrain from language unbefitting a great lexicographer. If I insert such an ob-
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d The manuscript here is hopelessly mutilated. For the discussion of the authorship of " Irene," see my article in the literary column of the Airship for May 20, 3008. It is probably one of the lost masterpieces of Shakespeare, judging from the frequent allusions to it in the work before us. 2
Vinerich. No Limerick was sent in of sufficient merit to deserve a prize.
abc Ztubents Zibroab.
No. I.
MEMORIES OF MIDNIGHT MUNICH. IF you want to go to a German university, try Munich. From the scholar's point of view is it not the radiator, so to speak, of Rontjen's Rays, the home of Paul's Grundriss and the nursery of Schick's Isogonalcentrics But it has, another side. There is no place in Germany where you can amuse yourself so variously. There are operas and concerts unsurpassed; theatres, where you can see anything, from the most haircurling and unpleasant modern play, down to Othello at the Volkstheatre, and the real original Faust-play at the Punch and Judy Show ; lectures on any theme you will, from the reddest socialism or the deepest philosophy, to the very latest science; there are recitals, cafes, carnivals, Kaffeeklatsches and balls, in fact all varieties of entertainment known to civilised—or barbarous— man. Added to which the population is recruited from most countries, and includes art-students, musicians, successful literary men, unsuccessful ditto, woman righters, and reform-clad females who pass muster as human beings, and all these with characteristic dress and habits, so that any lunatic or freak may disport itself in the streets, unchal!
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lenged, feeling that here everyone else is mad, which makes the climate especially suitable for Britons. Apart from frivolous amusement Munich offers picture galleries, which, however, must not bear so vulgar, obvious a name, but are Pinakotheks, and endless ever-opening exhibitions, a Glypothek [i.e., 0 Reader, who would'st fain see Greek abolished even from Pass Mods.—just a sculpture gallery], museums, and all those other things which no self-respecting city can be without. But the most characteristic memories I have brought home from Munich are of evening. You come out of your theatre ("respectiv" the lecture on Kant !) into the moon-lit streets—there is, by an admirable arrangement, which might be brought under the notice of the L.C.C., always a moon towards r 2 p.m. in Munich—and look for a convenient café. When through the fumes of tobacco you can detect an empty table at which your party can find room, you establish yourselves there to drink coffee or beer, and study your fellow-men. At neighbouring tables are folk of every rank and profession, talking, arguing, playing chess, writing letters, eating, drinking, and, unanimously, smoking. To a German the café is his club. There, after his day's work, he meets his friends ; there he brings his wife when she wishes to escape the in-flats-always-rather-wearing proximity of nursery and kitchen ; there he reads his paper, and takes his supper and even his afterdinner snooze. More restless people buy picture post-cards, which everyone within range must sign, and gentlemen, with more gallantry than common sense, buy at ,famine prices violets and roses, strongly redolent of baccy, for the ladies of their respective hearts. On Christmas night a party of us, including two live poets, went to one of the most characteristic of such cafés, the " Simplicissimus," a Kiinstlerhid" a special gathering-place of artistic and literary lights. It was full to overflowing, and on each table burned a tiny Christmas-tree, bright with icicles, tinsel, and many-coloured lights, reminding us rather tactlessly through laughter, noise, and smoke, that we were one and all homeless for the nonce. It would have been useless
to grow sentimental, so we ordered supper and enjoyed ourselves. There were songs and music, and mine hostess appeared in her Tyrolean dress and danced us peasant dances, and one wellknown guest after another was called on by common acclaim to contribute his parlour-trick. Some of these were excellent, ballads and songs, home-made, topical and witty one made us hope that the German of the young English doctor amongst us had not made too much progress in the last few days. The dishevelled, wolf-like man who had committed it was, we learned, a disappointed poet, who earns an occasional mark by writing the jokes for some German Punch, and an occasional meal from the landlady for entertaining her guests. That tempered our indignation somehow. Having well eaten all one's life it is easy to be refined -- " Satur est, quum licit Horatius, ;
Euce /"
After our Christmas supper we came out, to find Munich under a dazzling cloak of newlyfallen snow. In a few hours an army of men and women would come and turn it upside down, though they must know the underside is always brown and muddy. Snow in a city is surely " matter out of place," unlike Burns's " snowflake on the river, one moment white, then gone for ever " it lingers for many days in successive stages of thick mud, thin mud, soup and gooseberry fool, and we hastily left the town and made for a big park which was the nearest open country to our hand. Through it dash tributaries of the Isar, rolling so rapidly that they cannot freeze even at 18° Fahrenheit on Christmas night, and over it rises a tiny mound not many feet high, the only hill that Munich, though within an hour or two of the Bavarian Alps, can boast. On its top is a picturesque wee building, which normally would be called in Germany an Aussichtsturm, but in Munich thrones as The Monopteros. From this we had a view over sleeping Munich—probably no less awake than we—and the two great twin-towers of the Frauenkirche, onion-capped, scowling from the simple dignity of their red-brick height on all plaster-cast creations of would-be art with a justifiable contempt that ought to shrivel up the new Town-hall and the new Law-court ;
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THE FRITILLARY. were they not, like other upstarts, too thickskinned to feel it. And all around us lay deep, untrodden snow. In an outburst of childish folly we raced each other down the slope more than knee-deep in snow. The moon smiled tolerantly down and the trees shook with laughter, and the quickly-falling snow was already repairing our ravages as we regained the beaten track, and were suddenly recalled to maturer thought by realising that we were very wet. German universities are very active, and the professors read vierstiintik for six months without a break.—Think of it you Oxford dons !—but still we snatched a few days before the New Year for a week-end in the mountains. To tell of our tiny inn beside a roaring stream, the wonderful effect of moonlight on the sparkling pines, or the surprise when under a sudden breeze the hill-side that had been one white sheet on which the trees made little white irregularities, shook itself back again, and all our first sensations among the hills and snow, would be a lengthy task. We stayed five days (on one collar and one pocket handkerchief per head), and at last turned reluctantly back to Munich and to work again. There was a three hours' drive to Tegernsee in bitter wind and driving snow, and my companions voted for the inside of the post chaise, but, renouncing their company, I bravely mounted the box, and we whirled off through the darkness. The road lay white in front of us, the mountains rose all round, the only sounds beside the sound of the trees were the tinkling of the horses' bells, the creak of the sleigh as it rounded a sudden curve, and the tooting of our post-horn as we neared a village. When we were heard coming, the people ran out and chased us till they could shoot their letters into our back mouths, but we sped on unheeding, and only now and then drew rein to clear a country post-office. With a cheery greeting the village doctor flew past us on his sleigh, and I heard his story, and much gossip of the country round ; heard then how my companion had driven this same road for thirty years, of accidents to his " colleagues," and the treachery of snow-drifts. Heard, alas, how civilisation has laid its icy hand on the sleigh-coach, and how
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next year the postal service will be conducted by motor-cars, and the people of Dorf K reuth will get their letters, which it may be they do not want, an hour sooner, and there will be an end of tinkling bells. I asked then, rashly perhaps, about the horn, and whether my driver knew many tunes, and he played me on his seven notes one Volkslied after another, much pleased that I knew their words, and happily not observing that I should not have recognised the -air. Suddenly he played one glorious burst that thrilled even my unhearing ear. " Do you know that ? " he said. " No." " Ah ! that is Siegfried's call in the Valkiiren,' it was written by a man called Wagner." And in the darkness his voice literally throbbed as he talked on of the man called Wagner. In no time Tegernsee was reached, and we had to exchange our glorious sleigh, and the fresh, cold night air for a dirty train, and the thick atmosphere of a Smoker. I bade my coachman farewell, pondering on the ignorance and stupidity which brand the German as stodgy and prosaic, because his imagination so often finds voice in a language that is Greek to too many of us. From these reflections I was roused to find my life in peril. The inside motion of the sleigh had, as it seemed, savoured to my friends unpleasantly of Channel steamers, and " that . . . horn " had been the last straw. If there were space, there would be much to tell of Carnival and Peasant Balls, but I hear an editorial voice murmur " 500 words," and here are quite three times that sum, so 1 must close abruptly, only repeating :If you would view Munich aright, Go, visit it by the pale moonlight. [P.S.—The moon shines every night.] E. M. OVEREND.
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THE FRITILLARY. Sonnet to Ran of Bre.
MAID of Orleans, great was your soul to dare The grand but awful task upon you laid By those insistent voices, in the shade. Of that loved forest, where you knelt in prayer. O great it was, methinks, in you to bear Toil, pain and hardship, and, 0 tender maid, To lead your armies, as before you prayed, In faith triumphant and with radiant air. But greater yet the wise humility, Saviour of France, that made you always yearn For the still woods of far-off Domrerny, The forest chapel paved with moss and fern, And, in the moment of glad victory, Leader of armies, homeward to return. M. M. C. P.
trbe Cogcomb 1DiaLogue.
"a Jew from Spain," and so forth. The standard form seems to be this :— A. We are three dukes come out of Spain, And come to court your daughter Jane. B. My daughter Jane is yet too young, She cannot bear your Spanish tougue. A. Be she young or be she old, 'Tis for her beauty she must be sold. Then fare you well, my lady gay, For I must turn another way. B. Turn back, turn back, you Spanish knights, And rub your spurs till they be bright. A. Our spurs are bright and richly wrought, And in this town they were not bought, And in this town they shan't be sold Neither for silver nor for gold. B. Walk up the chamber and down the hall, And choose the fairest one of all. A. The fairest one that I can see Is pretty —, come with me. In a few local versions of this game, however, a new feature appears, which I will call, provisionally, the " Coxcomb " Dialogue. At Horsell, in Surrey, it is played thus A single player representing the suitor (A.) advances to meet a line of players representing the maid and her friends (B.), and the usual sung dialogue begins ::
THERE can be no stronger proof of the vitality which the English Folk-Games maintained up to the first quarter of the nineteenth century, than their power of combining with a remarkable conservatism, as regards their main features, the incorporation of new elements drawn from contemporary life. The number of historical allusions lying between 1700 and 183o seems to mark the latest period in which these dramatic games were a living vehicle for popular expression, and the date at which they stiffened into purely traditional formality. Evidence of borrowing from literary sources is hard to find in the Folk-Games, and it seems worth while to invite discussion on one possible instance of it. One of the most popular Courtship Games is " Knights from Spain," of which Mrs. Gomme, in her Traditional Games, quotes thirty-seven local varieties, differing as a rule only in the title given to the actors—" three dukes all out of Spain," " three suitors out of Spain," " a duke from Spain,"
A. I am a duke come out of Spain To have the law of your daughter Jane. B. My daughter Jane she is too young, She cannot bear your Spanish tongue. (Spoken) Go away, corkscrew ! A. (Spoken) My name is not corkscrew ; (stamping) I'll turn my back and away I'll run (walking away). B. (Singing) Come back, come back, your coat is green, And choose the fairest to be seen, etc. The obscure reproach of "corkscrew" is explained by a Cornish version :B. Come back ! come back, you Coxcomb ! A. Coxcomb is not my name, I'll stamp my foot (stamps) and say the same.
THE FRITILLARY. Another corruption, and rather an ingenious one, comes from Berwickshire :— B. Go away, Coat-green A. My name is not Coat-green I step my foot, and away I go. B. Come back, come back, your coat is green, And choose the fairest one you see. !
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This fragment of spoken dialogue, differing in metre and, I think, in tone from the rest of the game, suggests an interpolation ; and in fact it occurs elsewhere in quite another connection. " An old lady of seventy " is said by a contributor to the " Monthly Packet " for 187— to have learnt and acted the following dialogue in her childhood :— I. A. 2. B. 3. A. 4. B. 5. A.
Madam, to you I humbly bow and bend. Sir, I take you not to be my friend. Have I ever done you any harm? Get you gone, you saucy coxcomb Coxcomb is not my name, that name deserves a stab. 6. B. A stab I little fear: Appoint the place and I will meet you there. 7. 8. A. Across the water at the hour of five, I'll meet you there as sure as I'm alive. 9to. B. Stop, stop, would you not rather have a wife both young and fair, r. Who can speak both the French and Italian air ? 12. A. Rather than be plagued with the cares of a wife 13. I'll take this sword and end my wretched life. 14. B. He's gone, he's gone I cannot live without him. !
Besides the fragments already quoted, another occurs in a Shropshire variant of " Dukes from Spain." (Ad fin.) B. Walk up the kitchen and down the hall, And choose the fairest of us all. A. Madam, to you I bow and bend, I take you for my dearest friend ; You are two beauties, I declare, So come along with me, my dear.
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I have been allowed by the collector to see a MS. copy of the South Cerney Mumming Play, written out by one of the performers. This remarkable play embodies the ballad-theme of Robin Hood and the Tanner in what I take to be a Christmas play of the regular " King George" type. Towards the end of it something like the Coxcomb Dialogue makes its appearance. FIRST MAN. Walk in, Jack Vinney. FIFTH MAN. My name is not Jack Vinney, my name is Mr. Vinney, a man of great property, (will) do more than thee or than another man. FIRST MAN. Ah, and very likely too FIFTH MAN. Ah, and very likely too Did ever I do thee any harm? !
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Ay, saucy Jack. There, Sir, get you gone. Gone, Sir ? I will thee stab. FIFTH MAN. FIRST MAN. Stab him, Sir, I do not care. Appoint the place, I'll meet thee there. FIFTH MAN. ACross the Gure (at) the hour of five, I'll meet thee there dead or alive. FIRST MAN.
In what relation do all these fragments stand to each other? It seems safe to conclude that those which occur in the Folk-Games are derived from a common original very like that known to the " old lady of seventy." But, obviously, this is itself incomplete, and moreover it includes two inconsistent themes ; lines r, 2, 10-54 are fragments of a dialogue between a coquettish lady and an over-tired lover; lines 3-9 represent the mutual defiance of a couple of duellists. It is this latter element only which appears in the South Cerney Play. I think, then, that we must assume that two distinct rhymed dialogues, resembling each other in metre and diction, existed in the eighteenth century that one of these represented a challenge resulting from the miscalling of one of the parties, in which the word " Coxcomb " was used. The other dialogue was on the familiar theme of " she that will not when she may," and in this the lady addressed the lover as "Coxcomb." This catchword encouraged ;
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a fusion ofthe two dialogues, which was complete and well established in oral tradition in the childhood of the "old lady," that is, quite early in the nineteenth century. This unwritten compound version was popular enough to impress itself on some local version or versions of the Folk-game " Dukes from Spain," in which the original incidents of the suitors' pretended rejection and final acceptance come near enough to it for 'confusion. Compare the sentiment of She cannot bear your Spanish tongue. Sir, I take you not to be my friend.
{
f Turn back, turn back . . . Get you gone . . {'Stop, stop, would you not rather have a wife both young and fair . ..? Come back, come back . . .and choose the fairest to be seen. Meanwhile the challenge-dialogue had attached itself to the challenge-dialogues of a Mumming Play, possibly with the aid of the catchword " Coxcomb " existing in that also. Challenge
Coquetry Dialogue
Challenges in Mumming Play
Dialogue
1
1
1
1
" Coxcomb "
i
Old lady's dialogue
" Coxcomb "
i
South Cerney Play
1
Dukes from Spain
B. FREIRE-MARRECCO.
Ube allegro. HENCE barren Industry, Poor Drudge, that never tastes of Pleasure sweet Nor yet of Leisure meet ; But day by day toils on in misery. Go, dwell with students grave, With those who love to burn the midnight oil, And in sad raiment moil, Regardless of their own unlovely looks, So they may have their books, Who ever for the fruit forbidden crave.
But come, thou goddess bright and gay, Spirit of the month of May, By frigid maids mad Mischief called, At thine elfish tricks appalled. Bring thy train of damsels dight, All in shimmering vesture white, With lovely garlands of wild flowers Twined in locks like falling showers ; Primroses, and violets blue, And daffadillies bathed in dew, Anemone, or slim harebell, Blooming all in fairy dell, Where the speckled throstle sings, And the bosky thicket rings With the wily cuckoo's note, While the skylark pours his throat, Soaring still in pure delight At his own strong upward flight. Then to the golden sands repair, And drive the sea-gulls from their lair, Sporting by the rippling wave That gently comes your feet to lave ; Or trip lightly to and fro As around the rocks you go, Skipping with supremest pleasure At the wildness of the measure ; While the mermen in the brine Fondly gaze, and long to twine Their long, cool fingers in your hair, Golden, auburn, dark, or fair. But they cannot come and play, For their tails are in the way ; So they watch with longing eyes, Till ye start with swift surprise, And next moment helter skelter In the darkest rock-cave shelter ; Yet peep out in breathless wonder At the weird men over yonder, Who with waiting weary grown, Thro' the blue depths dim dive down. Then away ye go again, Running races by the main, Till the sun is sinking low And the billows greater grow, As the flood comes on apace And your footprints small erase.
THE FRITILLARY. Then go singing up the hill, In chorus clear and shrill, Of the joys of youth and love, While the pale stars up above Steal gently forth to listen, And for rapture brighter glisten, Tho' Cynthia with a frown In jealousy looks down. But her wrath is all in vain, Here comes Hymen with his train— Troops of comely youths and strong, Who will frolic all night long. They have decked your pretty bowers With all sorts of fragrant flowers, Valley lilies, roses white, Gleaming in the soft starlight. There your liquid slumbers keep Till the morn shall rouse from sleep. M. M. C. P.
Ogforb StuOents' 1Debating 5octetr, May, 1907. President—Miss PETO, L.M.H. Secretary—Miss PHILLIPS, S.H.H. junior Treasurer—Miss SINCLAIR, L.M.C.
An unusually full House spent the first half-hour in animated Private Business ; the time of the House was unnecessarily wasted owing to the inability of certain members to understand that an amendment to a motion is of two kinds :either it alters but implicitly includes the original question, or it explicitly excludes it. In both cases, should the amendment be passed, it is unnecessary to vote upon the original motion. Public Business. The motion before the House was : "That the curriculum in elementary schools is inadequate." Miss GIFFORD (L.M.H.) in proposing the motion exemplified the importance of the question from the interest taken in it by both the present and the late governments. Having duly reminded the House of the importance of men's sana
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corpore sano, Miss Gifford proceeded to enumerate
many possible reforms, chiefly advocating those which affected the age at which children leave school, the need for more practical teaching such as cooking or gardening, the importance of physical training and of organised games. Above all, the Hon. Proposer wished to see greater emphasis laid upon the civic duties of the children and the inculcation of a sterner moral sense. Miss Gifford made a not unsuccessful maiden speech ; she showed considerable knowledge of her subject, but did not succeed in presenting it in a very interesting light, nor did she avoid a formal and rather unsympathetic manner. She should speak well if she would do so frequently, trying to concentrate her attention and to arouse the interest of her audience on one or two points in each speech. Miss HOCKIN (S.C.) took up the line that most of the suggested reforms were already embodied in the curriculum. Moral instruction was, she granted, still somewhat unsatisfactory, but the national conscience was awake to this deficiency. She held that the object of education was to send the child away with an intelligent outlook upon life, a sense of discipline and the power to work well. Miss Hockin made an extremely able first speech. Her manner of speaking was delightful, and her slight lack of enthusiasm at first was lost in her eloquent peroration. Miss EASTON (S. Hilda's Hall) spoke third. She argued that the results were unsatisfactory, noticeably in the bad taste in reading displayed by the servant class and in their inability to write an intelligible well-spelt letter. She also deplored the too great elaborateness of the apparatus used since it undermined healthy initiative afterwards. Miss Easton's was the best of the maiden speeches. Her manner compelled our interest, and had both charm and conviction. We hope to hear her again. Miss ADAMS (O.H.S.) spoke fourth. She declared the fault to be in the children, 95 % of whom were underfed or overtaxed. Miss Adams would do well to recollect that speeches must be made to the House, not read
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THE FRITILLARY.
to the President. Moreover, that they lose such
interest as they might have had by being composed before having heard the arguments to which they are supposed to be an answer. Miss COOPER next spoke, attacking and annihilating the arguments used by the Hon. Mover. She considered that the only reasonable ground of complaint was in the small scope left to the individual initiative of the teacher. It is always interesting to hear Miss Cooper's views upon any educational matter, and her contributions to debates do much to remedy our great defect—ignorance. Miss RYLE (S.C.) spoke well and with conviction in defence of England against the charge of parsimony. Miss EASTON spoke again. Miss BELL (S.H.H.) returned to the question of age. Miss SNOW (S.C.) with her usual humour and power of definition discussed the meaning of the word education. We were grateful to her for not explaining to us its derivation. Miss LEVETT (L.M.H.) discussed the curriculum—a refreshing interlude in an evening spent in talking of many things.' Miss HANSELL (S.C.) reiterated the opinion of a large portion of the House that education should enlarge our minds. Miss Hansell spoke well. Miss PETO (L.M.H.) made an attempt to bring the discussion back to the motion by some account of the exact nature of the present curriculum. Miss ROOKE (L.M.H.) evidently considered her remarks uninteresting, since she stood in bowed attitude addressing them to her own feet. They were too humorous to be wasted upon such a small audience. Miss RICHMOND (St. Hilda's Hall) pleaded for an agricultural training for the young. Miss PHILLIPS (S.H.H.) vigorously defended the education offered in the elementary schools. Miss Phillips always speaks with force and humour. The remainder of the time was spent in more or less animated interjections on various subjects delivered to a dormant House. Miss GIFFORD (L.M.H.) summed up—if one
assertion and two contradictions can be so designated. The motion was lost by a large majority.
On May 28th, a somewhat captious House assembled to spend nearly three-quarters of an hour in bombarding the officers of the Society with questions and rebukes. The officers did their utmost to respond to the well-meant efforts of their assailants, and succeeded in maintaining their precarious foothold upon the platform. The motion before the House was :—" That the conventional element in modern law is contrary to the highest moral standard in the community." The Hon. Mover, Miss WILLS - SANDFORD (O.H.S.) (ex-Secretary), opened the Debate with much firmness. She pointed out that law sets up a standard of morality for the lower classes, but that its effect is often pernicious owing to the fictitious value set upon actions, and its frequent neglect of motives. Law is steadily lessening its scope by the increased importance given to breaches of contract. The inevitable Thaw case was briefly alluded to as a proof of the need of greater pliability in the conventions of law. It was very good of Miss Wills-Sandford to speak at such short notice. Miss HADOW (ex-President) (L.M.H.) spoke next. She became for the time "being champion for conventionality, and declared it indispensable to the common welfare of the community. Individual moral responsibility should be a question for individuals only, questions of motive could not enter in law ; too rigorous investigation would, the Hon. Opposer assured the House, send the best of us to prison. Miss Hadow ended by renewed entreaties to the House not to reject conventionality. The force of the Hon. Member's stream of delightfully humorous remarks was somewhat weakened by her own departure from the conventions of the House, by making a speech at once luminous, eloquent and enthusiastic. Miss TAYLOR (St. Hilda's Hall) spoke third, instancing Antonio to prove that the whole
THE FRITILLARY. question is one of legal phraseology, often resulting in a miscarriage of justice. Miss Taylor's delivery is always such as to insure attention to her strictures. Miss LEVETT (ex-President) (L.M.H.) declared that law should follow, not mould, public opinion. Miss Levett was also an apostle of conventionality, and made some excellent points in this guise. Miss LARDELLI (ex-President) (S.H.H.) made a most welcome speeeh. She believed limitation and stability to be the chief features in law, and accounted for the traditional element in law by the human incapability of creating anything new. It was delightful to hear Miss Lardelli again. Miss STOCKS spoke of the religious influence at work in a Christian country. Miss Stocks spoke fluently, but it was a pity that she did not speak on some aspect of the subject not forbidden by the rules and conventions of the Society. Miss BELL (L.M.H.) made one of her usual graceful contributions to the discussion. Miss BOND (L.M.H.) said that law was designed to meet general and not special needs—also that the question of motive does enter into the consideration of first offences. Miss Bond's delivery improves with every speech. Miss ODEH (S.H.) made an interesting observation. The PRESIDENT rose to make a speech, but overcome by the influence of the rostrum, delivered a short historical lecture instead. Miss Hadow again addressed the house, apparently as the champion of the criminal classes. Miss LEVETT (L.M.H) was convinced of the President's ignorance. Miss MACRIB (L.M.H.) made a thoughtful maiden speech—we hope to hear her again soon—her first attempt was excellent. Miss SNOW (S.C.) was very interesting; it was a pity that her remarks were delivered to an almost empty House. The Mover having waived her right to sum up, the motion was lost by a large majority.
691
A GILCHRIST FELLOWSHIP of Z'ro6, tenable for one year, will be awarded during the Long Vacation. The holder of the Fellowship must be a registered student or student-member of the Association who has resided twelve terms and obtained a First Class in Moderations or a Final School. She will be required to follow a course of preparation for a professional pursuit to be approved by the Trustees. Further particulars can be obtained from Miss Rogers, Clarendon Buildings, Oxford.
OgforD Ztubents' lawn Dennis (Nub. Captain—D. M. HAMMOND (S.H.H.). THE Central Club has been in a most flourishing condition throughout the term. Several new members have been elected, and on each club-day an excellent number has attended. The practice has been held twice at Somerville College, by kind invitation, and we recognize with pleasure the increasing enthusiasm in tennis in each of the Halls. It has been decided that the los. annual subscription from each Hall is hardly adequate, and it has therefore been raised to 15s. This will, it is hoped, cover the expenses of the Club in the future. The annual match against Cambridge will be held this year at Wimbledon, on June 25th. The team from Oxford will be as follows :— Hammond, S.H.H. (Captain). iMiss Drew, L.M.H. {Miss Miss Jackson, S.C. {Miss Wolferstan, S.C. (Secretary). (Miss Fletcher, L.M.H. {Miss Mack, S.H.H. The Club has also arranged a match with Holloway College on June 18th, to be held at Somerville College.
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692
Ogforb Ztubent9' IDramatic litcabing Club. President—Miss
SHAW-PHILLIPS
(Somerville
College). Secretary—Miss
SCOTT-THOMSON
provement in this respect was noticed at the third meeting. At the last meeting a paper on Pain will be read by Miss Kemp.
(Somerville
College). THERE have been three readings this term. The Merchant of Venice was read at Somerville College; the Knight of the Burning Pestle at St. Hilda's Hall ; and Marlowe's Edward II. in the Oxford Home Students' Common Room. The most successful reading was the second, the various parts being particularly well sustained.
1Lab flbargaret (President, M. A. BRANFOOT). — Sharp Practice meetings have been marked as a whole this term by the presence of a large number of physical forms and the absence of all signs of life or intellectual activity. Political and frivolous motions have alike failed to stimulate general discussion. Until a larger portion of the House realizes its responsibilities in this respect, and these meetings cease to be regarded as entertainments to which the Majority comes to be amused by the wit and eloquence of the first two speakers, the possibilities of this Society will not be appreciated.
TENNIS CLUB (Captain, A. M. FLETCHER ; Secretary, M. E. 0. BARTLETT).—There has been plenty of keenness this term, and all the courts have been in constant use when the weather has permitted. We have greatly regretted the absence of Miss Hannah, last term's Captain. In an American Tournament (Singles) held at the beginning of term Miss Drew and Miss Austin came out first with an equal score. The following have their colours : — Misses Drew, Fletcher, Austin, and Bartlett. Miss Drew plays a very steady and energetic game, and should become a really good player with more practise. Miss Austin is strong and has some very good strokes, and Miss Bartlett plays very neatly.
Matches.
SHARP PRACTICE
ESSAY CLUB (President, C. E. SMITHWICK ; Secretary, E. RooKE). — The meetings of this Society, which have been held this term, have been on the whole very well attended. Papers have been read by Miss Wordsworth on " Poetical Justice," Miss Bell on " Greek Tragedy," and Miss Western on " Totemism." Discussion has this term been considerably more active, but has tended to wander from the point. Decided im-
v. High School, two couples, each won 2 sets—o. v. Cherwell Hall, two couples, each won 2 sets—o. Cup Ties. v. St. Hugh's, lost 9 games—r2. v. Home Students, won 18 games-3. v. Somerville, not yet played. „ v. St. Hilda's, 1)
L. M. H.
(Representatives, R. F. Annual Meeting took place here on Saturday, June 8th, in Wadham College Hall, which was very kindly lent for the occasion by the Warden and Fellows. Mr. Wells presided, and the speakers were Miss Wordsworth, Miss Pearson, the Warden of Radley, and Mr. Percy Matheson. After most interesting speeches, everyone adjourned to Lady Margaret Hall for tea. Fortunately the weather was magnificent, and it was possible to have tea in the garden. We were glad to welcome a great many London visitors down for the afternoon. The Annual Report, which was handed to all SETTLEMENT
WESTERN, 0. W. SINCLAIR).—The
THE FRITILLARY. at the meeting, together with a paper entitled, "Arrangements for the Future of the Settlement," provides most interesting reading. It is to be hoped that everyone will make herself acquainted with the new proposals for the necessary expansion of the work.
Somerville College. (President, K. I. M. Secretary, C. F. HICKS ; Treasurer, BOAT CLUB
MEDLEY ; M. CUD-
WORTH).—NO test has yet been held this term, consequently there are no new captains or halfcaptains to chronicle. In spite of Eights and other summer attractions and hindrances, including an incessant wind, great keenness has been shewn by Freshers in going out. They have also made herculean efforts to pass the swimming test. One instance is really worthy of notification as a record for future generations, viz., that of a member who had to cycle twelve miles in and out to the nearest town five or six times till she accomplished the feet (on referring to a dictionary I mean feat). SHARP PRACTICE
(Presidents, Miss Se cretary ,Miss HocKIN).
SOCIETY
SNOW, Miss JOHNSTONE ;
—At the request of some of the members of the Society, it was decided to hold meetings during the Summer Term. Owing, however, to the pressure of work and various counter-attractions the attendance at the debates was somewhat sparse, and a resolution was passed in the fifth week of term that meetings should be discontinued until October. Some of the debates have been very interesting in spite of the scanty attendance. The question as to whether anyone should have more than one Christian name was discussed. The speeches on both sides were characterised by real earnestness and depth of conviction.
ARCILEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(President,
Miss
693
FREIRE-MARRECCO ;
Secretary,
Miss BURTON
;
work of this society has been most progressive and successful. Through the kindness of Professor Myres and others it has been affiliated with the Oxford Architectural Society ; and the Professor gave an exceedingly interesting address to its members on the " Uses of an Archeological Society." Expeditions to Pre-Elizabethan houses in Oxford have taken place, and many valuable papers have been read at the weekly meetings. Especial mention must be made of the lecture given by Miss Lees on the Manorial system, and the paper contributed by Miss Cullis on PreElizabethan Architecture in Oxford. Assistant-Secretary,
Miss STANLEY).—The
VERSE TRANSLATION SOCIETY (President, M. SNow).—This was founded in the October term, and has flourished, though only consisting of a few members. The poem for translation is suggested and voted on at one meeting, and the contributions are read aloud at the next, when all members who know the language of the poem vote for the best. In the October term, Victor Hugo's " Dans l'alcove sombre," was translated, Miss Sulman's translation being voted the best. In the Hilary term, Eclogue VIII. 17-62 was translated, Miss Snow's translation being voted the best. During the Easter vacation, Schiller's " Madchen Klage" was translated. The only translation sent in at the beginning of term was Miss Woolley's, which has accordingly been set aside with the pieces voted for at the other meetings. During this term Helen's Lament from Iliad XXIV. was translated, Miss Ryle's translation being voted the best. The prize-winning translation of the year will be selected from among these four by an outside judge.
(Secretary, M. SNOW).— A meeting was held on May 24, in Miss Emerton's room, for the purpose of making marzipan. The meeting was very scantily attended, and the other WITCHES' CAULDRON
THE FRITILLARY.
694
members had to desert Miss Emerton before the end, but after great struggles the marzipan was brought to a point which may be called successful. Only two meetings are necessarily held this term, and the other has not yet taken place. The completed marzipan will probably be made into fruits of various kinds.
TENNIS CLUB
(President,
Miss WOLFERSTAN;
Secretary, Miss PELHAM-PEARSON (for Miss Mercier) ; Treasurer, Miss D. H. D. FYALL).—A great deal of keenness has been shewn this term. The courts at Somerville have been in constant use, and the court on the hockey-field has been much appreciated. The old plan of dividing the members of the club into three divisions has been again followed, and the tournaments have been regularly held three times a week with but few exceptions. There are a few promising players among the first year students, who have shewn great keenness and perseverance in practising. The following members of the club have been elected members of " The Central " :Misses Waltor, Myers, Cullis, Sergeant, PelhamPearson. A list of fixtures follow :v. The High School, 1st pair, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 2nd pair, 5— 7, 6-1, 6-3. v. Westfield (not played yet). The inter-collegiate cup-ties are not yet completed. ;
St. lbuob's lbali. BOAT CLUB (Captain L. F. Toren).—Though the early promises of this term with regard to the weather have not been fulfilled, the Boat Club has had, on the whole, a satisfactory season. The club has increased in numbers, and the Hall boats, and the canoe most kindly lent us by an old student, have been in constant use. Several
members have been qualified, and we hope to leave the various qualifying committees in a satisfactory condition for the coming year.
SOCIABLES (Secretaries, W. M. COWIE and F. ROBINSON).—Owing to the numerous engagements of the summer term we have only been able to have one Sociable so far. We hope, however, to have another, which will probably be well attended now that most of the examinations are over.
(President, D. M. HAMSociety made a very successful attempt to read the Tragedy of Macbeth. The rendering of the principal parts has been so impressive, and the general horror of the whole play so realistic, that many of the Society have been sent sleepless and trembling to bed. The lack of unanimity among the witches was rather remarkable, but otherwise the minor parts have been read with much sympathy, and the atmosphere of the tragedy realized throughout. SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY
MONDS).—The
(President, M. OTTLEY).— The many and various calls of the Summer Term are not conducive to the well-being of literary societies. The Browning Society has however survived a numerical decline with unimpaired vitality. We have confined our attention for the most part to the shorter poems, arranging them as far as possible in thematic series. Among the most successful subjects selected were the musical poems and the lore poems. BROWNING SOCIETY
CONGRATULATIONS to Miss Watson
on her
Second in Honour Mods. (President, M. A. KEELING)'. The Sharp Practice Society has continued its excellent work of giving free training with abundant criticism to ambitious orators. Private Business has sometimes been sparkling owing to the brilSHARP PRACTICE
THE FRITILLARY. liance of two or three members. In Public Business the House has turned its attention to deep ethical and humanitarian problems, such as the posthumous publication of letters, the perfect womanly character, the superstitious reverence for antiquity, the efficacy of isolation in the case of infectious disease. We were somewhat discouraged at hearing from one of our new members that woman is a clod of formless possibilities, waiting to be moulded by the hand of man.' It is gratifying to note from week to week that the profundity of the motion has no constant effect upon the mood of the House, which has fluctuated, wholly without provocation, between intense seriousness and light - hearted mirth. '
$t. ART CLUB.—The Art Club has devoted itself this term to the consideration of those few Dutch painters about whom books have been written. Three papers included the landscape painters, Hobbema, Cuyp, Ruisdael, and Potter ; Franz Hals ; Rembrandt. The open meeting was a departure, as Mrs. Margoliouth kindly consented to read a paper on Leonardo da Vinci. Though the transition from Dutch to Italian climes was sudden, it was decided that Leonardo was of sufficient cosmopolitan character to enable us to take advantage of Mrs. Margoliouth's offer. BOAT CLUB.—Throughout the term the punts and canoe have been in constant use, and a second punt has been hired for the summer. Boating on the upper river has been hindered by the bad weather. The Club has felt the temporary loss of its Captain, J. Davidson. Several members have been successful in passing their tests ; V. Jacquier and E. Bell have been made half-captains of the boat ; E. Bell has become punt-captain, and M. Grice half-captain ; while three members have qualified for the canoe.
695
BRIGADE.—(CaPiabl, J. M. BRAMELD Lieutenant, M. S. GRicE).—Regular practices were held at the beginning of term, but they have been discontinued latterly in favour of sudden alarms. The Brigade is keen and efficient. FIRE
:
DEBATING SOCIETY
Vice-President,
(President,
Miss RICHMOND ;
Miss JACQUIER ;
Secretary,
Miss
only have two debates in the Summer Term, and the second, a Sharp Practice in which Schools people are expected to shine, is yet to come. It will be on the motion that New Brooms Sweep Clean (with special reference to the approaching clean sweep of the House). The first debate was on Classical v. Romantic Art, and was more spiritedly contested in the set speeches than in public discussion. CARTMEL-ROBINSON).—We
ST. HILDA'S EAST sent us some pupil teachers at Whitsuntide, and we enjoyed shewing them Oxford and taking them on the river.
TENNIS CLUB
(Secretary, M. C.
We have lost to Somerville Hugh's 6-15. 10 Second in Moderations. CONGRATULATIONS
2-19,
MISS
TAYLOR).
and to St.
Taylor on her
*borne %tubents. COMMON Room (M. N. MAYHEW, Hon. Sec.)— A river picnic took the place of Socials this term, and attracted a good number of members. Two boats and a punt composed the fleet, and the picnic went off without any of those hitches which so often mar or make the fun of river picnics. Two important changes are about to take place with regard to the Commqn Room. In future every Home Student will be also a member of
696
THE FRITILLARY.
the Common Room, and a new room has been found in Broad Street, No. 44, which it is hoped will be more used on account of its very central position and its personal attractions.
TENNIS CLUB (Secretary, S. HARRISON).—At the end of last term there was a selection meeting held for the Central Club, and Miss Maclean was nominated a member. This year in playing for the Cup, the Halls have kindly admitted the Home Students, who drew a bye the first round. Some of the cup-ties have still to be played off; the Home Students are rather at a disadvantage, not having practised much together.
0000000000ONO%
Printed by
BOAT
CLUB (President, Miss M. M. C. POL-
LARD).—The boat has been used a good deal this term in spite of wet weather and the rival attractions of the new punt. The President elected for next year is Miss G. M. Thatcher.
MISS NORAH E. MACMUNN has been re appointed Demonstrator in Geography in the School of Geography for the two academic years 1907-9.
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JAMES PARKER & CO.,
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Crown Yard, Oxford.
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