July 1881 by StPetersYork

THE

PETERIT E1 VOL. III .

JULY, 1881 .

No . 22.

THE PROFESSOR. l)uis te, juvenum confidentissime, nostras. Jussit adire domos.

CI-IAPTER I.

HE Professor sat on a high stool, lost in deep thought . If

T the imagination of readers will carry them back to the year

1981, they will see him—a little old man, with high intellectual forehead, and silvery hair, a singular modesty apparent in all his looks and gestures : yet with all there was a something about the Professor which baffled at once curiosity and familiarity, a hungering of insatiable curiosity in his eyes ; and yet not curiosity precisely, but the sort of look we might imagine in one of the wizards of the dark ages, betokening at once a past buried in mystery which no fellow-creature could fathom, and a fixed gazing at some object in futurity too far distant for mortal ken : he seemed to see through the outer coating of your bodily habiliments, and dissect you with his eyes . You could not like the Professor. The electric light shed through its thick softening globe of glass a light which threw the features of his face into strong relief, and what a tale could be read in those furrows and wrinkles ! Strange it is that with such a general uniformity of make in the human face, there should after all be such variety of expression, that so few materials should be capable of being combined into such a copious language .

THE PROFESSOR.

The surroundings suited the man . A chaos of books was the background to a confused heap of such implements as formed the tools of a scientific man of his day : instruments, the very use of which could not be imagined by a mere nineteenth century spectator, who had not seen the vast strides science had made in these last few years . Among tools of his profession lay, scarcely recognizable, disjointed human anatomies, and on the table before him were set out, in process of examination, several heads of brains. The Professor murmured to himself. " I have it . But will the world believe me ? Where the famous Holfcnschulz has failed, shall humble Ashton succeed ? Ashton---what memories does that name conjure up ! Let Ashton henceforth be forgotten in Walker ." Here he paused and gazed dreamily at the brains before him ; then, starting up with a look which seemed that of a maniac, lie cried, " But where shall I find my proof ? I will have it, and the world shall believe. And I shall be ranked with the discoverers of the planet Neptune . " To understand these broken fragments of thought, we must go back a few years, and explain what the problem was the Professor wished to solve. Even in the nineteenth century scientific men had vaguely hinted in their writings that thought was a chemical process, that to every idea corresponded a vibration in the atoms of the brain, and that, though the problem transcended human understanding, it was possible in conception to trace the influence on the brain of every thought . This problem had been solved some years before by Holfenschulz, of whom the Professor was thinking, and Holfenschulz had died famous ; in spite of obscure insinuations that the discovery was not original. Professor Walker, when first known, was a man no longer young, whose gifts had attracted high notice at the University of London, where he had passed a creditable course, not, however, with the highest honours, which fell to imitative mediocrity, rather than unorthodox originality. He had accordingly retired to his present residence, built on a lofty cliff overhanging the sea, in what would seem to old-fashioned people a dangerous situation : but the new electro-anemotic apparatus obviated all danger from the stormy position . The only disadvantage of his situation was the dearness of the electric light laid on from London. The problem upon which the Professor was now engaged was

THE PROFESSOR .

the converse to that which we indicated above . Given the brains, to find from an examination of them what thoughts had acted upon them . So had a Cambridge Professor solved the converse problem of that of gravitation . Given the disturbance due to this force, to find the body causing it which proved to be the planet Neptune . The meditations of the Professor were interrupted by a communication from the tclephonetic apparatus, which had taken the place of a visitor's bell, by which he at once learnt that two men had arrived bringing the dead body of a man which had been washed on shore ; they had conveyed it to his house as the nearest at hand . The Professor requested their entrance, and, calling to his servant, Electron, a foundling whom he had adopted as his own, he put refreshment before them . Then, when they had partaken and retired, he bent over the corpse, as the eager thoughts passed through his hot brain . Here was a brain at last to examine and complete the proof. But how had he met his death ? Was it by persistence in the unscientific old system of sea-bathing in preference to the proper one of nitro-ozonisation ? His dress seemed to contradict this . He must then have been shipwrecked, for only a short time before this had the new aeronautic machine superseded the old ships, the last ship having been with difficulty rescued from that wreck to which its unscientific character consigned it . A brief examination of the retina of the eye showed that his last scene had been one of the agonies of drowning, though the surroundings were not evident. By a careful examination of a chart of sea currents, the Professor saw that the last ship unaccounted for, from which he could have been lost, had been supposed to have foundered two years previously in a voyage home from America . Then he saw a gleam, a day-light . Evidently not more than a month had elapsed since his death . The state of decomposition would admit no longer period . By the process of deducing the facts of this man's life from an examination of his brain, the Pr ofessor would completely establish his solution of the long-vexed problem . His brain reeled at the thought . To steady himself, and at the same time provide a stimulus to the thought whose lagging steps kept ill pace beside the stride of teeming fancy, he stepped up to the anhydro-orthro-benzo-trimethylcata-phosphoride machine, which supplied an atmosphere that proved the prolific nurse of thronging inductive ratiocinations, and, imparting an extra speed to the

THE PROFESSOR.

perpetually self-moving wheel, applied himself with increased eagerness to the task of examining the brain . What he learnt shall be described hereafter. J . V.

NOTES AND ITEMS. F. T . Griffith has been elected to an Akroyd Scholarship of '75 per annum, tenable for three years. J . H . Mallinson, of Christ ' s College, Cambridge, has had X20 per annum added to his scholarship for success in the May Examinations. G. H . Wade, of Balliol College, obtained a Second Class in Mathematical Moderations. J . C . Bailey proxinze accessit in the Examination for Scholarships at Keble College, Oxford. II . C . B . Clayforth has been elected to a Kay Exhibition of about L50 per annum value, at Worcester College, Oxford. We omitted to state last month, or rather through ignorance were unable to state, that J . Estill passed the honours, as well as the final, examination of the Incorporated Law Society, and was awarded a certificate of distinction. Mr . A . J . Pollard, who has for the last three years been Composition Master and Head Master's Assistant at Dulwich College, has been appointed to the Head Mastership of the new High School at Oxford . There were over forty candidates for the post . The School will be opened next September. Mr . J . F . Blake has been appointed to a professorship at the new University College, at Nottingham. Mr. T. C . Snow, Fellow of St . John ' s College, Oxford, has been appointed Examiner this year to the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board. The Rev . G . W . Lees was ordained Priest on Trinity Sunday, at York Minster. The Rev . W, Routh has been appointed Secretary for the Mechanical Science Department, for the British Association this year, and Mr . W. S . North Secretary for the Physiological Department .

NOTES AND ITEMS .

Commemoration Day is to be July 5th, and the Sermon on that day will be preached by the Dean of York . The Past v. Present Cricket Match will be played in the afternoon. We purpose publishing our next number in August . It will contain reports of the Athletic Sports, the Distribution of Prizes, and such Cricket Matches as still remain . We have to thank those subscribers who have responded so promptly to the appeal we made in our last, and to several we owe thanks for very encouraging letters as well . Subscriptions which are still unpaid should be forwarded as soon as possible to the Treasurer, S. le Maistre, Everingham Rectory, near York.

SCHOOL LETTER. HE School Eleven has hardly been successful this season, having lost all its matches save two . Two at least—and two important ones—have been lost by the very bad fielding. It is somewhat improved now, but none the less, the matches seem to be likely to continue to be lost. That charming institution, the Yorkshire Gala, has come off, and we are sorry (we had almost said we were glad) that it was not so great a success this year as in years past, for torrents of rain came down each day . There have been two other Galas in York this month—a kind of by-galas—and to neither of them were the heavens propitious . " Praised be Providence for all its mercies, " as the man says in the play. There is to be a Regatta this year at York after all : and a boat has been got up consisting, for the present, of Griffith, Baldwin, Eyre, and Bailey. In consequence of the letter of the Bishop of Caledonia, which appeared in last month ' s number of the Peterite, it has been determined in the School to keep up the connection thus established with that Mission . A Society has accordingly been formed, with the Rev . H. M. Stephenson for President, and the Revs . T . Adams and E . Bulmer for Treasurer and Secretary, respectively . Griffith, Baskett, and Douglas are the other members of the committee . The rules have not been published at the time of writing, but, probably, they will have been drawn up by the time the next number of the Peterite is published .

SCHOOL LETTER.

The Sports are to be, as usual, at the end of this Term : though why people should stickle for an unearthly time of the year like that, when it is impossible to train with any comfort or real benefit, it seems hard to say . JAMES CRAWLEY.

OXFORD LETTER.

OXFORD OXFOR D presents a strange contrast to what it did last week. visitors have now departed, and the only exceptions to the general exodus of the ' Varsity are the few unlucky men who are in for the Schools, or are coming up (as they are beginning to do) for " viv :s . " Good luck to the Peterites who are among them . The Examination for the Craven, too, begins this week ; and with two Candidates and two Scholarships a spirited contest may be anticipated. The proceedings of Commemoration were somewhat feebler than usual ; in fact the only reason for which we could wish to be present would be for the excitement of sharing the enjoyment of a friend of ours who made his way in with the procession amongst M .A . ' s, without a ticket, which (to quote official notice) was to be considered a grave offence ; verbum sap,—a fine of fi. The Candidates for the honorary degrees (if one may apply the term Candidates to those who wear that motley combination of reds, a D .C .L . gown) were less distinguished than usual . Oscar Wilde, who was amongst them, was greeted with appropriate quotations (musical) from Mr. Sullivan ' s new opera of " Patience . " The Union Society ' s first ball went off, we understand, with great success from all but a monetary point of view . There was the usual number of Entertainments, including a Flower Show in John ' s Gardens, and a miscellaneous kind of Fete at Wadham ; a Spiritualistic Seance at Balliol, &c . The usual Concert of the Queen ' s Musical Society was put off in consequence of the sad death of Mr. Postgate, drowned, strange to say, in a public bathing place, among scores of other bathers ; the same week being fatal to a Balliol Undergraduate, who died suddenly from inflammatory fever. The palm must be awarded to the Keble Concert, among College Concerts; among other Entertainments—pace the dancers—to the Commemoration in the Sheldonian, which included a performance of Handel's

OXFORD LETTER .

" Acis and Galatea . " The effect of the perfect music is somewhat spoilt by the ludicrous associations conveyed by the words, e .g. (Polyphemus loq ., a savage giant): "Thou trusty pine ! Prop of my godlike steps, I lay thee by ! Bring me a hundred reeds of decent growth, To make a pipe for my capacious mouth ."

This passage is followed by the air " O ruddier than the cherry, " of which Mr . Edward Lloyd' s rendering was, in our opinion, the best thing in the Concert. From fatalities of another kind Oxford has not been wholly free. After the Eights, in which Hertford, as our readers will know, was left head (good luck to them at Henley), there were a few miscellaneous rows everywhere ; not more than the usual number of screwings up at a " popular College in the High," and a " ragging " of the rooms of the Magdalen esthetic leader, which resulted in a scene of incriminations and recriminations, through which a few noble spirits were lost to Oxford . The House was the head of front of offence ; a porter there being treated to a cold bath one night, a don to a black eye, and the whole College to a firing of salvos (literally and metaphorically) in honour, we suppose, of their boat having been bumped by S . Mary ' s Hall ! Since our Eleven left us, all things being considered, they have not shown up so badly in London. We are glad to hear that we are to have in Oxford Mr . A . J. Pollard, who has been chosen for the Head Mastership of the New High School for Boys . G . H . Wade, of Balliol College, has obtained a Second in Mathematical Moderations . SOLITARIIuS .

CRICKET. The Cricket Season of 1881 seems as if it would terminate in even a less favourable manner than that of 1880 . We have now played nine matches, and in two only has victory rested with us . Bad fielding has thrown away more than one match, some of the most ridiculously easy catches being missed . In the Durham School Match, for instance, victory was well within our grasp, when long-on failed to catch Brutton from an easy chance when he had got 5 runs only ; the same player was missed three times by one fielder before he had got 30, and at last was not out with a score of 82 ; he, of course, won the match for Durham . There is no excuse for the Eleven fielding so badly, as there have been fields-out every other day with the professional, and pick-up sides on half holidays . The batting is better than the fielding ; G . H . Eyre, F. W . Greenhow, W . E. Brockbank, G . W . Bulman, and L . E . Stevenson have all played well ; Eyre played a splendid innings of 87 against Leeds without giving the remotest chance. Of the School Matches, the Rev . T . Adams's House have beaten the School House ; the School have beaten the Sixth by 5 wickets; and the Monitors v . School is still unfinished at the time of writing. The following Matches have still to be played :—Two with Mr. Wilson ' s XI (Clifton), and one each with Beverley, (XVI) Lancers; Hornsea, Yorkshire Gentlemen, and Past v . Present (on July 5th). THE SCHOOL v. FLAXTON. THE SCHOOL. First Innings. Second Innings. L. E . Stevenson, b Sturdy .. . .. . 2 b Sturdy P . 11 . Flower, b Sturdy b Esh 5 F . T . Griffith, b Sturdy ... 1 .. . b Esh F. W . Greenhow, b Smith ,. ,. 12 to bat G . II . Eyre, b Murfin 18 to bat G. W . Bulman, b lash .. . 3 not out . .. E . A . Douglas, c J . Griffith, b Marlin 4 b Sturdy R. C . Wilton, c Hillyard 0 b Esh . .. P . E . Lord, b Esh .. . .. . .. . 0 s Bell, b Craig W. E . Brockbank, not out 12 o Murfin, b Smith 1 H . W . Wood, c and b Esh to bat Extras .. . .. . 9 Extras . .. Total 67

.. .

5 1 3

3 5 0 4 2 4

Total for 7 wickets 27

CRICKET.

FLAXTON. First Innings. .. . W. M . Bell, b Bulman T. Smith, b Bulman J. G. Craig, b Stevenson .. . A . Murfin, c Griffith, b Bulman W. Griffith, c Douglas, b Stevenson J . Griffith, b Bulman G. H . Esh, b Bulman .. . J . Sturdy, c Eyre, b Stevenson .. C . Hillyard, b Bulman A . Milner, not out .. . W. Hutchinson, b Stevenson Extras ..

.. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .

.. .

0 10 4 10 8 3 1 0 0 8 5 6

Second Innings. b Brockbank b Flower b Brockbank b Flower b Flower c Eyre, b Brockbank c Eyre, b Brockbank c Flower, b Brockbank run out not out b Flower Extras

Total 55

Total 37

THE SCHOOL v . ST . JOHN'S TRAINING COLLEGE. THE SCHOOL. First Innings. P . H . Flower, b Wilkes .. . . .. W . E . Brockbank, c Hayley, b Kitson . . . G. H . Eyre, b Kitson .. . . .. F. W . Greenhow, c Sandiford, b Kitson G. W . Bulman, b Kitson .. . F . T . Griffith, 1 . b . w ., b Kitson .. . . .. E . A . Douglas, b IIayley .. . .. L . E . Stevenson, b Kitson P. E . Lord, b Kitson R . C . Wilton, b Kitson H. W . Wood, not out Extras

. .. ... .. . .. . .. .

Total

. .. .. .

.. .

0 3

Second Innings. b Kitson b Hayley

8 7 1 0 5 0 'L 0 0 5

b Kitson c Sandiford, b Hayley c Denton, b Hayley b Hayley b Kitson not out c Denton, b Waring not out b Hayloy Extras

ST . JOHN ' S. . .. Il . Hayley, b Stevenson A . Wilkes, e Griffith, b Stevenson H. Sandiford, c Wood, b Stevenson F. Lodge, b Bulman T . E . Smith, c Eyre, b Stevenson G. A . Waring, c and b Bulman W. A . Croft, c Greenhow, b Stevenson G . Kitson, e Greenhow, b Stevenson T . Denton, run out S . Tesh, not out 'I' . A . Ferrier, 1 . b . w ., b Stevenson . .. Extras Total

Total

CRICKET. ST . PETER'S v . DURHAM SCHOOL. DURHAM . THE SCHOOL.

F . G . Saint, b Bulman . .. T . Matthews, b Flower . . . R. Lattimer, c Wood, b Brockbank C . Haslewood, b Brockbank R. W . Armstrong, b Flower E . B . Brutton, not out E . R . Short, c and b Bulman H . Baker, l.b .w ., b Brockbank C . Cradock, c Douglas, b Wood . . . E . Good, b Wood A . B . Featherstone, l .b .w ., b Eyre Extras . ..

2 8 18 7 0 82 1 0 14 4 8 19

W . E . Brockhank, run out L. E . Stevenson, b Brutton F. T. Griffith, b Armstrong F. Greenhow, c Shortt, b Brutton G . Eyre, c Haslewood, b Armstrong P. II . Flower, c Haslewood, b Armstrong E . A. Douglas, b Armstrong G. W . Bulman, not out P . E . Lord, c and b Saint It . C . Wilton, b Good .. . II . W . Wood, b Good Extras

162

Total

THE SCHOOL v . FLAXTON FLAXTON. First Innings. W . M . Bell, c Eyre, b Bulman C. Hudson, b Flower A . Murfrn, c Douglas, b Bulman Col . Allin, e and b Bulman . .. J . Sturdy, b Flower ... . .. G . H . Esh, b Brockbank ... W . Griffith, c Douglas, b Flower J . Griffith, b Brockbank T . Smith, not out ... M . Heslop, b Brockbank . .. S . Craig, b Brockbank Extras ...

(RETURN).

Second Innings.

.. . . .. ... ... .. . . .. ...

0 28 10 2 5 11 0 5 IN

c Brockbank, b Wood riot out c Bulman, b Wood b Bulman e Douglas, b Wood c Brockbank, b Wood It Wood c Wilton, b Wood Extras Total

12 8 24 13 15 1 18 8 100

THE SCHOOL.

Total

4 4 10 2 1 2 31 81

L . E . Stevenson, c Hudson, b Sturdy W . E . Brockbank, c and b Hudson F . T . Griffith, c Smith, b Hudson F. W . Greenhow, not out G. H . Eyre, b Hudson P . H . Flower, b Hudson G . W . Bulman, c Craig, b Hudson E . A . Douglas, c Esh, b Hudson P. E . Lord, e Hudson, b Esh R . C . Wilton, e Bell, b Hudson H . W . Wood, b Hudson Extras

0 10 1

0 25 2

109

Total

13 3

..G

CRICKET.

THE SCHOOL v . YORKSHIRE GENTLEMEN. YORKSHIRE GENTLEMEN.

THE SCHOOL.

F . A . Claughton, l .b .w ., b Stevenson 6 A. P. Wilson, run out . .. . . . 14 C. Wood, st . Stevenson, b Greenhow 115 T . S . Brogden, b Brockbank . . . 26 W. F. Tempest, run out . . . . . . 15 J. R . Wood, c Douglas, b Bulman 52 E. Gray, hit wkt ., b Bulman . . . 32 J. S . Davy, b Bulman .. . . . . 16 J . Coleman, b Bulman 0 J . W. Barry, not out 15 W. Hutchinson, run out ... 2 Extras 13 Total

.. .

P. H . Flower, b Claughton . .. 3 W . E . Brockbank, b Tempest 7 F . T . Griffith, b Claughton . .. 0 F. Greenhow, c Brogden, b Tempest 11 G. H . Eyre, c Brogden, b Claughton 2 2 E . A . Douglas, b Wilson . . . . ., G . W . Bulman, b Wilson . . . 0 .. . L . E . Stevenson, b Wilson . . . 10 R . C . Wilton, c Davy, b Wilson . . . 0 P . E . Lord, b Wilson .. 0 H. W . Wood, not out . ., 0 Extras . .. .. 3

306

Total

.. .

THE SCHOOL v . LEEDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL. At Leeds on Whit Tuesday . LEEDS. First Innings. 11. Heberden, c Greenhow, b Brockbank . . . 1 G . H . Peacock, b Bulman . .. 0 L. Templer, I .b .w., b Stevenson . . . . . . 39 F . W. Jones, c Greenhow, b Stevenson . . . 13 F . Hodgson, b Stevenson 7 A . Kelk, c Greenhow, h Wood .. . 2 R . Templer, c Douglas, b Stevenson 5 R. Sickle, b Stevenson 1 W. Potter, b Stevenson . . . 7 W. Henderson, c Stevenson, b Brockbank 0 M. Frenchmann, not out 2 Extras 2 Total

. ..

Second Innings. b Brockbank b Stevenson c Griffith, b Stevenson b Brockbank c Douglas, b Stevenson b Stevenson c Douglas, b Stevenson c Wood, b Stevenson . .. st Greenhow, b Brockbank b Stevenson not out Extras Total

. ..

THE SCHOOL . First Innings. W. E . Brockbank, b Potter J . R . Rylands, b Templer G . H . Eyre, b Potter . .. . .. .. F. W . Greenhow, c Kelk, b Potter F. T. Griffith, b Templer . . . G. W . Bulman, b Peacock E . A. Douglas, b Templer ° L . E . Stevenson, c Heberden, b Templer

15 4 6 3 3 13 . 6

Second Innings. run out 0 st J . Templer, b R. Templer 1 c R . Templer, b Frenchmann 87 c Peacock, b Templer .. . 2 b Templer . . . ... 0 , ., run out . .. . .. .. 1 c Henderson, b Templer . . 0 c Peacock, b Potter . ., 0

CRICKET.

THE SCHOOL (continued). b Potter P . E . Lord, not out . . . 17 1. b Templer . .. R . C . Wilton, b Peacock . . . 1 not out H . W. Wood, c Heberden, b Potter 13 Extras Extras . . . . .. Total

.. .

...

.. .

Total

COMMEMORATION DAY AT THE SCHOOL. N Tuesday, July 5th, the Annual Commemoration Service was held in the School Chapel, when a very large congregation was assembled . The pulpit and the window-sills in the chancel were very tastefully decorated by Mrs . Stephenson. The lessons were read by F . T . Griffith and G . H . Eyre ; the Revs . H . M . Stephenson, E . Fulmer and T . Adams read the prayers . The anthem was Sir G. J . Elvey's " I was glad ." The Dean of York preached the Sermon, from St . Luke, 4th chapter, r6th verse, " He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up ." The very Rev . Preacher remarked that amongst the many shrines which men reverence and respect, there were none, perhaps, more precious than the place where one was brought up . The considerations which must present themselves to the mind as a person was thus brought face to face with the past, with the recollection of opportunities often wasted or privileges abused, were of a most solemn character . No such considerations could disturb the mind of Jesus when he returned to the place where he had been brought up, perfect as he was in childhood and in manhood . Many men had bitter recollections on being placed in such a position, and found themselves self-convicted and selfcondemned as they thought of time wasted, talents neglected, opportunities frittered away, and blessings squandered . The boys whom he addressed were yet in the place where they were being brought up, and it depended upon the way in which they now dealt with life, what retrospect should be theirs . Perhaps none could so deal with opportunities as to have nothing to regret . They were being moulded into what they would be in the short space of life which would be theirs hereafter in the world, and for eternity . Personally, much depended on the tone and the temper in which they addressed themselves to what was before them . Abundant opportunities might be provided, conscien-

COMMEMORATION DAY .

tious teachers might labour faithfully and unwearily, and yet their efforts be of little or no avail, if a stubborn, indolent spirit reigned within . Doubtless the drudgery of school life was essential, because it entailed upon the scholars habits of industry, patience, and application which were invaluable in after life . One often found boys who were very brilliant whilst at school in subsequent years failing in everything they undertook . This was simply because their talents had prevented them acquiring those habits which it was most important should be acquired whilst they were at school . They wanted much self-watchfulness to prevent brilliancy of intellect on the one hand or mediocrity of intellect on the other becoming hindrances to them . It was easy to be conceited, and whilst depreciating the powers of others, to over-estimate one ' s own . Great abilities were entrusted by God to us, not to be wasted, but to bring forth proportionate results to his glory and advantage . How beautiful and how rare was the spirit which realized this . Such was the spirit which actuated the great Newton, who on one occasion, on being complimented on his talents, replied, " I am but a child picking up a few grains of sand on the shore of eternity ." It was possible to turn great talents simply to one ' s own ruin, and to be anything but great whilst possessing them . If any amongst them found they had but one or two, and not five talents, let them not be disheartened or ashamed of mediocrity, but be content to cultivate those talents honestly and faithfully ; such a position being far more honourable than the affectation of talents one had not got, and the assumption of powers he could not wield . Much of the real substantial work of life had been done by those whom the world had never classed amongst its heroes . Even if such persons had sometimes failed in attaining brilliant results, they had escaped many dangerous snares. Those whom they might be inclined to consider their harsh instructors were in reality often their best friends, for the indulgent teacher was not generally the boy's truest friend, but rather his enemy, as by him faults that might be corrected were forgiven, and fruits of bitterness which might have been pulled off were left, and perhaps even cherished . The necessary discipline might seem mortifying to the boy, but it was enabling him to triumph over self—over natural infirmities and difficulties, such as ignorance, sloth, and carelessness . In their intercourse between one another they were also rehearsing the part they would

play,

for good or

evil, hereafter ; and their dealings with present opportunities should be such that on their visiting in years hence the place where they were brought up, they might have little cause to look back with sadness on former years .

OBITUARY. At Sorrento, June nth, PERCY CLOSE, M . R . C' . S.

CORRESPONDENCE. To

THE

EDITORS

OF "THE PH1T:RITE . "

DEAR SIRS,—I think something should be done to remedy the disgraceful state of the School boat-house . There it stands with doors open to invite, apparently, all corners ; and any mischievous person may do in five minutes 130 or 140 worth of damage to our light boats, or—better still for them—carry them away altogether. I might venture to suggest also, that if a lock (capable of being locked) should be put on the door, it would be as well that the use of keys should be confined to privileged people by the committee, that they should not be in quite indiscrimate circulation as at present they appear to be . It would be better that all our boats be sold than that the place should remain in its present condition, when it possesses only the sort of interest that attaches to a venerable ruin. lam, fours truly, April 29th . A WEEr.-WISHER. [We regret to say that this letter was crowded out of our last number, when it would more opportunely have appeared . If the state of things be still what he represents we must agree ith him that it is time something was done .—En .] N~

THE

Eurroxs

of "THE PETERITE . "

DEAR SIRS,—Permit me in the pages of your magazine to draw attention to an anomaly that at present exists in arrangement of two races at the Sports of the School, viz ., the two handicaps. It is well known to all who are concerned that these two races have been for some time past won by very little boys in consequence of the preposterous start given to them, and that no boy of a certain age has a chance of winning. Now, I do not for a moment say that the start given to these little hoes, in consideration of circumstances, is larger

CORRESPONDENCE—QUERIES AND ANSWERS .

than would naturally be given, (for if it were considerably lessened the effect would be to throw the race entirely into the hands of bigger boys), but I do say that it is absurd to call a race an open race and yet practically exclude persons beyond a certain age . Why should there not be two close races made,—one for boys under thirteen, and another for boys above that age ? It would then be possible to handicap fairly ; and the interest as well as the advantage of the two races would be infinitely increased . Yours &c ., ISONOâ1v.

CORRESPONDENCE-QUERIES AND ANSWERS. JOHN DOE AND RICHARD ROE. Doe and Roe are, respectively, the fictitious plaintiff and defendant in the Action of Ejectment, which was originally a convenient invention for trying the title to land without the formality of a real action. Thus Jones claimed the freehold against Thompson, the latter being in possession. The following fiction was supposed : Jones, the claimant, was treated as having entered upon the land, and as having, after entry, made a lease to Doe . Next it was supposed that, while Doe was on the land, claiming under the lease, Roe, claiming title under Thompson, the person really in possession, had come and turned Doe out . Roe was called the casual ejector. To seek redress for this imaginary wrong, an action was commenced in the name of Doe against Roe. Doe on the demise of Jones—the real claimant—against Roe (or, shortly Doe demise Jones v . Roe). Notice of this action was given to Thompson, who was let in to defend on the terms of his admitting all the fictitious suppositions, viz : that Jones had leased to Doe, that I)oe had entered and that Roe had turned Doe out . Technically speaking he had to confess lease entry and ouster. In the subsequent stages the suit proceeded so as to try the real point between Jones and Thompson ; and ultimately there was a verdict for or against Doe, as the case might be . Now, although generally the courts of law moulded this fictitious action so as to work effectual justice, we find here and there curious anomalies flowing from it. Thus, for instance, although the Sovereign could not sue or

CORRESPONDENCE—QUERIES AND ANSWERS.

be sued in his own court yet he might maintain an ejectment, for the ejectment would be brought in the name of Doe, or Goodtitle, as lessee ; and the lessee of the Sovereign must needs have his remedy as well as other lessees . Accordingly in the thirteenth volume of Meeson and Welshy ' s Reports you will find a case of Doe dem. William IV . v. Roberts. Again, another anomaly is that since the plaintiff was Doe, Goodtitle or some other imaginary person—if one ejectment failed, another might be brought immediately after, and a third, and a fourth, and so on ad infinitum . For the new plaintiff was not, in legal contemplation, the same person as the one who had failed in the former action. Any name might be selected for the imaginary plaintiff . The only check at law upon repeated and vexatious ejectments was the practice of staying summarily a fresh ejectment until the costs in the former action had been paid . In equity the remedy was a "Bill of Peace ." The leading case on this subject is that of the Earl of Bath v . Sherwin, in which the plaintiff ' s title had been established in five successive ejectments, so he brought his bill for a perpetual injunction to stay the defendant from bringing any more ejectments and to put his title in peace. The above is an extract from a well known and pleasantly written book called "Outlines of Equity" by Freeman Oliver Haynes, Barrister-at-Law, and late Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. Should J . C . S . wish for a more full and detailed, and perhaps more dry, account of Doe and Roe, I refer him to Mr . Serjeant Stephen ' s Commentaries, volume III . p . 618, et seq . A . E . C. The dot of the i, of which " Antiquary " speaks, dates only from the fourteenth century . Why it was introduced is, I believe, not known : certainly not to distinguish from j, which seems at that period to have been regarded as the same letter . B . B. The quotation which B . B . gives, should be written in ordinary blank verse of five feet, i.e. " Oh I'll leap up to my God ! Who dulls me down ? &c.

The lines occur in the last scene in Christopher Marlowe ' s " Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, " the finest speech that dramatist ever J . C. wrote . Can any one tell me the origin of the expression, " The horns of a W. Dilemma " ? What was the origin of the custom of Well-Dressing, still observed in some parts of the country, and in other parts recently revived ? L. A .