THE
PETFRITE. VoL . III .
NOVEMBER, 1881 .
No . 24.
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. HE pitiless Editor of the Pctcrite demands from me a paper
T on the late meeting of the British Association in York.
One might imagine, by the bye, that papers enough were read during that meeting to satisfy most people for some time. The expressions "just fifty years ago," "ancient city," "Jubilee," "great success, " and so on, have been heard somewhat commonly of late, so it may be as well if I forbear to state them any more. Now, however, that the flood of enlightenment which dazzled us for a week has passed away, it may be possible to look back with some calmness upon what then seemed so nearly turning our sober heads . But yet even while the demi-gods of science were amongst us, there were not wanting some few misguided cynics, who ventured to express surprise at the wonderful zeal for abstruse knowledge displayed by some of the fair enthusiasts that enlivened the street, the section-room, and still more the soiree . But when will genuine merit and true zeal escape the envious tongue of the detractor ? This, however, and a good deal more in which such words as "humbug " were pretty freely used, is only what they, the cynics, said : I am asked to state here what I think about it. Now, detractors apart, I take it for granted that there never will be any large or wide-spread movement, even for the noblest object, without sham and self-interest becoming mixed up with it, and attracting many to join and support it for their own purposes ; whether it be to amuse themselves, or to share in the credit which prominence in a popular cause confers . We can expect no better, that is, until we arrive at those highly advanced days when our race will enjoy the full benefits of Vril . Till then we must be content ro take the good with the bad, only being carefial that, the balance is on the right side,
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THE BRITISH
ASSOCIATION.
For let us confess the truth : there is a vast amount of this "humbug " behind the scenes, in almost everything . When this outweighs what is genuine and beneficial, as it sometimes does, then the agency in question is on the whole injurious ; when it does not, the agency is on the whole advantageous . No greater service, then, can be done, either to any such agency in question, or to the cause of truth in general, than for pretence and sham to be thoroughly laid bare and pointed out : but yet for all that, it would be a mistake, provided the Algebraical sum of it all be on the side of good, to put one ' s hands in one's pockets and refuse to participate. Now in the case before us, I think there is some ground for supposing that the balance is, or has been, on the right side. Because, firstly,—It may have stirred up in the York public, as it was intended to do, some desire or curiosity to know what all these people have been talking about . It may have led them to realize that there are fields of interest beyond what they have hitherto conceived of as the practical limits of the knowable. And to stimulate such a glimmering curiosity is the first step towards raising the standard of general intellectual cultivation. Secondly, it may have led people to recognize the fact that science is a thing to be welcomed, not feared, or looked upon with suspicion : that while Truth is that which is, Science is the honest effort to discern what is, and is thus the friend and handmaiden of Truth. Thirdly, it may have unwittingly preached them a sermon against false enthusiasm and fussy zeal about nothing, or about an object not at all understood ; a sort of zymotic disease rather prevalent in these days, I fancy : witness the enthusiasm displayed for Demonstrations, Bazaars, and the like. If the sages who came to teach and to learn had quietly assembled—say in the concert-room—and allowed people to attend who desired to hear them, there might have been perhaps some fifty or a hundred found to go there with an intelligent interest in what was said, and appreciation of it for itself ; and, perhaps, some fifty or a hundred more who went there because others did, or to see what went on and stare at celebrities . In this case the sham enthusiasts would have been reduced to one half of the whole number, which would be, as things go, a respectable minimum . And the number of people who attended
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such meetings—divided, say by two—would be a pretty fair measure of the genuine interest in science felt by the people of the place where they were held . And thus we can hardly deny that there must have been a good deal of false enthusiasm of late. The very fact, however, that it has been so patent and blatant, is in reality the best thing that could happen short of absolute perfection, because it tends all the more strongly to open men ' s eyes to the tendencies to sham which exist so commonly around them. If, then, the late meeting in our city has done all, or any, of these three things that we have touched upon, in any considerable degree, I think we may be satisfied that it has done good work ; because earnestness for knowledge, a conviction of the universality of Truth, that is, that it cannot contradict itself, and a sifting away of spurious zeal and self-interested enthusiasm, are three things which, if they wore more generally prevalent, would do much to remove the shallow artificial tone that makes ordinary society so distasteful to many people of sense and thoughtfulness, not to mention more solid gains. The British Association, then, has come to improve us, and it has done so, we hope, both by showing us what is wise and what is foolish, what to aim at and what to avoid ; and we shall have been benefited by it in proportion as we rightly estimate the lessons it has read.
CALDkON SNOUT.
A
T 6 .4o one morning in August, three of us left the little
village of Ilaughton to catch the train leaving Darlington for Middleton at 7 .13, which we succeeded in doing, arriving at the latter place by 8 .25 . We next inspected one of Messrs . Ord and Maddison's \V hinstone Quarries, which contains a bed of stone about 6o feet deep . Here we saw two of Ramsden's stone crushers at work, motive power being supplied through two Turbines 3 feet in diameter, each wheel doing the work of a 30 horse-power steam engine . The water by which they are worked is brought for a distance of 5 or 6 miles from the moors in an open race and stored in a reservoir above the quarry, large pipes conveying it from thence to the wheels, the waste escaping into the Tees which runs just below .
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CALDRON SNOUT.
Leaving the Quarries, we passed through Middleton and Newbiggin, and over Bowler Bridge which spans a small stream running through a very pretty little valley. Standing on the bridge and looking down the valley we saw 6 or 8 diminutive water-falls, varying in height from one to three feet, which, the valley being well wooded, had a very pleasing effect . From here we jogged along to the "High Force" Inn, arriving there about io o'clock . From the Inn we proceeded to the Falls where, as it had been raining heavily the day before, we found a good body of water coming down . The geology of the falls presents rather a curious appearance, as the Whinstone has broken through the Limestone and flooded it as it were, leaving a non-stratified on a stratified rock . The upper rock, being hard, is not much worn, whereas the underlying limestone is completely honey-combed where it is subjected to the action of the water below the falls ; so, should the world last long enough, the whinstone, being undermined, will tumble in and the falls disappear . Here we fell in with a heavy party of civic dignities who, according to their own account, were " doing their annual tower," which apparently consisted in all of them breakfasting at the " High Force " Hotel, all going to the " Force," 6 going to Caldron Snout (io started), and all dining at the " High Force " Hotel at 7 p .m . Learning on enquiry, that some of the aforesaid " Towerists " were going to the Snout, we, not knowing our way, determined to follow. Leaving the " High Force," we went along a path, or more strictly speaking, a sort of track which in some places is not more than 4 inches broad, and winds along the side of the cliff with a sheer descent of some 20 or 30 feet to the river Tees which runs along at the bottom . Fortunately there was plenty of ling and small shrubs to hold on by, so we got safely across ; had any one tumbled, it would have been extremely awkward for him, as the river-bed is strewn with large boulders. After following this track for about a mile we got into more open country, then fording Langley Beck just above its junction with the Tees, we came to a Moor . Here we thought to make a short cut by crossing a spur of the moor just in front of us, but as "the way was steep, the rain was cold," and we had to follow the deviations of a sheep track, our short cut proved a long one, so after going ahead about a mile, we determined to descend to the river again . Whilst going down the hill-side, one of our party
CALDRON
SNOUT .
101
had a narrow escape from being assisted on his way by a Billy Goat which charged him furiously, he having incautiously crossed its path just below where it was standing, instead of above, as he should have done, Soon after reaching the river we passed through a ravine where the cliffs towered above us on each side 130 feet or more . Pressing on, we reached Caldron Snout about 2 p.m ., when the rain, which had been coming down gently all the day, increased to a steady down-pour . However, nothing daunted, we sat down under a rock near the Snout . It does not require much imagination to liken this rapid to a vast caldron as it whirls bubbling, boiling, seething, and roaring along ; and from the wild, weird appearance of the surrounding scenery, one could easily picture it as a fitting place for witches to hold their midnight revels in . With regard to the appellation "Snout," I could trace no resemblance to the organ of that name possessed by any animal, biped or quadruped, which had come under my notice . On our return we picked up a stray member of the "heavy civic party'," who piloted us across the moor, and in the course of our journey pointed out Micklefell, the highest hill in Yorkshire, 2,300 feet above sea-level . Jack caught a young golden plover on the moor, but Tom unfortunately let it off. This bird is said seldom to breed in England . Under the skilful guidance of our " Towerist " we reached the high road without any mishap, where, after wishing him goodbye, we parted, going at a quicker rate than he felt inclined to travel, and reached the "High Force " Hotel by 4 o'clock, but did not call, as our train left at 5, and we were rather more than five miles from Middleton Station . However, by dint of running and walking, and walking and running, we just managed to catch it . Jack was done up, and once or twice talked of giving in. We reached Darlington about 6 .3o, when, what with our exertions to catch the train, and what with sitting in our wet clothes, for it had rained all the day, ww e were so stiff we could hardly move ; indeed it was quite laughable to see the gingerly way in which we got out of the railway carriage and walked down the station steps ; walking anywhere but on the level was extremely painful, and that was bad enough. We arrived safely at Haughton about 7 p .m ., had our tea and went to bed about 9 o'clock, thoroughly tired out, but having J. H. J. enjoyed ourselves immensely .
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THE PROFESSOR. CHAPTER II. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE
68).
Quisnam te, juvenum confidentissime, nostras Jussit adire domos ?
HE Professor, after long investigations lasting through
T several weeks, came to the conclusion that it Nvould be best to publish the experiences of the sailor as they were conveyed to him, viz ., in the form of a personal narrative, which the eloquent voice of the deceased man's brain told to him as clearly as tongue or lips could frame it . This narrative contained facts which, at first sight, seemed staggering even to his faith in the correctness of his investigation ; but upon subsequent consideration, aided by the scientific principle that what is wholly impossible or ridiculous is the most probable hypothesis, ii priori, the Professor was led to append such explanations as seemed satisfactory. The facts, as he gleaned them, were as follows, (the Professor 's remarks will be appended parenthetically) : " My name is James Smithe, I was rated able-bodied mechanic on board the steam-ship ` Electric Light," chartered from New York to Hull, twelve hands all told, with one hundred passengers, to call at Newfoundland . We were one day's steam N .E . of Newfoundland, going at a tidy speed of 40 knots an hour, much more steadily than those new-tangled aeronautic electricity-bags,* when a hurricane burst upon us, such as I can never remember the like of. " The Electric Vanes which should have made us independent of the effects of wind or thunder were carried away with the first blast ; a flash of lighting disabledthe electric connexion of the steering-gear ; the ferro-platinum coating of the ship's sides was split ; a darkness black as a gas-lighted town settled upon us ; we were driven W . by N . three hours, then S . by E ., and tossed we knew not where, as the delicate machinery which showed our * The advances science has made since the Nineteenth Century ! I cannot, though I have spoken with people who can, remember when sailors would have scorned to be " mechanics," and more sailors than passengers had (unscientifically) been needed, whilst 15 knots an hour was racing speed . Steam was at one time as ignorantly scoffed at as aeronautic navigation is here ! [PROFESSOR ' S MEDITATIONS.]
THE
PROFESSOR .
1(33
latitude and longitude without observation was altogether annihilated by the jarring which followed when the balancing machinery of the ship was destroyed and left us to pitch and roil for the first time, an accident which added another to the horrors of our situation, inasmuch as we were violently sea-sick, as none of our race had been for half a century. * * "The water poured in, and the ship's huge bulk began to settle before foundering. Then the last resource was thought of, the solidified hydrogen, of which huge blocks were ready to be expanded to float the ship in case of need . After some trouble these were discovered and placed in the melting apparatus, I assisting with my hands to perforrn the arrangements . While meantime we sailors betook ourselves to the life-bags of hydrogen ready provided in case it should be needful to commit ourselves to air ; when, upon a sudden, either from disuse or from inadequate inspection at the beginning, the machinery for melting the solid gas exploded with fearful power, dispersing the ship abroad in different directions, some tearing through the waters downward, others scudding the surface with the radiation of a star from the centre of force, whilst another portion was carried into the clouds to the height of several miles, and with this last portion was I . Though after a few hundred yards the rapid motion took away my breath, yet I had still sense to perceive that soon we returned towards the earth with the same rapidity with which we had shunned it, and binding my hydrogen bag around me, I awaited the shock . After we had been shot down a mile into the water I lost consciousness, and awoke again to find some strange forms bending over me, a strangeness, not light yet not darkness, pervading what I could not call an J . V. atmosphere . " J . V. wishes, with permission of the Editors, to complain of a misprint, or, perhaps, a misapprehension on the part of the corrector of proofs. Telephone/lc, in Chapter I ., should be Tcicy5lrronetic ; the notion being that of an apparatus by which drought, and not sound, could be converted into electricity, and so conveyed instantaneously to another, and re-converted into thought,— an improvement of the twentieth century .
104
ANTIGONE. " She is in Sophocles, at least in this play, little else than a man in female dress, undertaking female duties with no trace of female tenderness or weakness in any of her actions . " MaIiaffy. HIS criticism, in a somewhat modified form at least, may
T not unnaturally occur to any reader of the ' Antigone .' But it is not a just one ; and Mr. Mahaffy's saving clause "at least in this play," may guide us to considerations which will show its injustice . The 'Antigone ' ought not to be read alone, but in the light of the other two plays of Sophocles which deal with the same tragic history of the house of CEdipus . It is true that the three plays do not form in any strict sense a trilogy ; that the `Antigone' was even written before the ' Cdipus Rex ' and ' CEdipus Coloneus' . But, none the less, the three plays proceed on the same lines, are parts of the same grand conception . Euripides in two different plays handled his Helen in two quite different ways ; not so Sophocles his Antigone . If, then, we look at Antigone in the ' Coloneus,' we find her before her father's death full of tender, filial affection, and of forgiving, sisterly love, even where she has been deeply wronged . If there is no ' female weakness,' there is at least ' female tenderness ' here. Then comes the crushing calamity of her father's death, filling her with despair and a fearful sense of the loneliness of her future life . Yet, with this sorrow fresh upon her, she can titter the self-forgetting prayer—" Send us to Thebes, if perchance we may stay our brothers' strife." At the opening of the 'Antigone' that strife unprevented has plunged her in still deeper sorrow. Life has no charm left for her ; her soul is with the dead already, and Haemon's love is powerless to win it back to earth . It is with this, of course, that the modern critic finds fault . And we may allow that in Antigone's last speech there is a slight defect which somewhat mars the beauty of the play. The argument which the poet puts into her mouth (lines 905-912) sounds too much like one of the bits of sophistical rhetoric which abound in Euripides . But graver offence than this there is not . For, unnatural, and indeed unjustifiable as such a sentiment would
Y 05
ANTIGONE .
seem in a modern drama, it must have seemed different to a Greek audience ; and when we charge Sophocles with a serious defect we are blaming him for a feeling which he only shared in common with his countrymen . A story told by Herodotus might be adduced in proof of the sentiment which held the brother in higher honour than the husband . It is hard, too, for us to realize the transcendent importance of burial in the Greek mind . Yet only when we have realized, as far as we may, the difference between ancient and modern feeling on these two points, are we able to criticise this play aright . When we have done this, we may be able to admire the proudly determined self-sacrifice which for the time has absorbed all other feelings . It is not true that Antigone has no tenderness ; but in the supreme crisis of her life tenderness and all her minor qualities are thrown into the background, and in the foreground stands prominently out the one commanding quality of courageous self devotion . But, whilst we gaze on this especially, we are not allowed to forget that in the background the other qualities are there all the time; now and again a master touch shows all the depths of this wonderful soul OVTOL (TVVEX~EIV (1AAa
(rz,ii.
LAEZV E(t)BV.
We may well forgive the picture a little hardness in view of its grandeur . And surely for a woman to show in a great emergency one great quality is not being ` a man in femalc dress .' ` Female weakness' may be absent altogether, but true and noble womanliness is conspicuously there . Mr . Mahaffy's criticism would seem to imply that tenderness and weakness were the only qualities of woman.
NOTES AND ITEMS. A . Chadwick, G . H . Eyre, B . G . M . Baskett, H . C . B . Clayforth, F . T . Griffith, E . A . Douglas, and J . C . Bailey, obtained the Oxford and Cambridge Board's Certificates at Midsummer . The first two obtained distinction in Mathematics. Tempest Anderson Esq. M . I) . read a paper at the meeting of the British Association in York on " A new Optometer ."
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NOTES AND ITEMS.
At an Ordination held by the Bishop of Ripon at the Cathedral, on Sept . 25th, Rev . E . S . Fox, B . A . (C . C . C ., Cambridge) was ordained priest, and licensed to St . George's, Leeds. Royal Artillery :--Lieut . Alexander J . Montgomery to be Captain, vice G. C . H . Parlby, promoted.—London Gazette, Sept . 16th. P . Palmes, of the 81st, and G. Mitchell, of the 14th, Regiment have won the ordinary medal for the Afghan War . G . Mitchell distinguished himself in envoy duty, but P . Palmes was in action. F. W. Greenhow has entered at Hatfield Hall, Durham University. We regret to observe the death of W . J . S. Cadman, Esq. J . P ., of Millfield House, York, who was one of the Judges at the School Sports last year.
OXFORD LETTER. HE principal feature of this Term is of course the number of
T Freshmen coming up . Balliol, as before, is to the front with 54.
The river assumes a lively appearance ; there is usually quite a deadlock of boats just below the new boat-house early in the afternoon, though perhaps among the coached, so far as our observation has gone, there is hardly the same proportion of Freshmen as usual. Perhaps they have more generally taken to Football, in consequence of the recent appeal of the 0 . U . R . U . F . C . for more support, at least to the extent of 15 entries from each College . It seems strange that individual Colleges cannot support separate Clubs and grounds, for in that instance we should think more players would be disposed to take up the sport here, than (under present circumstances) care to join that somewhat rough and indiscriminate meeting, a " squash game in the parks . " The new Boat House is complete, with dressing rooms and all conveniences, though its red-bricked, red-tiled eminence, somewhat spoils the view from the roofs of the barges higher up the river. Happily it is not crowned with the dove-cote-like turret in blue slate, which is an eyesore upon the roof of our new cricket pavilion and the other buildings (such as the New Schools) in the same style. Lincoln and Keble are fortunate in renting dressing rooms in the new Boat House, thus securing a share of the terrace during the racenights from which the best view- of the course can be obtained. Boating prospects seem lively . We are not surprised to see that St. John ' s, whose eight made the greatest number of bumps last May, has a four on for the Challenge Races this Term, as has Balliol, whose
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fortunes were not so happy . It would of course be premature to deliver any opinion as yet, but Magdalen, whom we saw going very prettily, are not likely to resign the lead without a struggle, whilst Hertford, picked from the best eight on the river, are likely to fight hard. The Union Debates opened with a defence of the conduct of the Government in Ireland, by T . B . Saunders, of University, who was opposed by A . N . Cumming, of Balliol, who hardly spoke quite as well as in his eloquent denunciation of the Government last Term. We take this opportunity, somewhat late as it is, of congratulating W . Y. Fausset, on his success in Greats, and hope to see his carreer crowned by a Fellowship before long. We are to have a performance of Sullivan's " Martyr of Antioch " this Term, by the Oxford Choral Society ; also Hadyn's " Creation ; " and a Concert by Miss Zimmerman and Herr Straus, the violinist. W . H . Cobb has come up to New College this Term, and B . G . M. Baskett and A . Newenham to Queen ' s,—the second of the three only direct from St . Peter ' s.
CAMBRIDGE LETTER. T really is too bad of the Editors! They actuall_j expect one to evolve from one ' s inner (N .B . outer) consciousness a ' Cambridge Letter ' by return of post, if possible, quite regardless of the fact that if one is working twenty-four hours per diem, he is hard pressed for time . It is so long since I wrote last that I not only forget when it was, but also what has happened in the interval . This sounds Irish, therefore I beg to assure you it has nothing to do with either Mr. Parnell or any other member of the Land League, which is at present exercising the minds of those members of College Debating Societies who hope to win applause in the future from a larger audience than the one they at present discourse to at every Saturday evening meeting. As regards Boating, I may, perhaps, allude to the success of First Trinity B . C . at Henley, where they carried off the Ladies ' Plate (for Eights), and the Visitor' s Cup (for Fours) ; in fact the same Four as that which rowed at Henley is now in practice on the river for the 'Varsity Fours, the only opponent they have to fear being Jesus (the present holders of the Cup), who are, as usual, strong in ` blues . ' There is otherwise little else going on now at the river save ` tubbing ' the Freshmen and other promising oars, and as the number of men who have come up this year is the largest on record, being forty
I
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CAMBRIDGE LETTER.
more than last year, the Captains of the different College Clubs ought to have plenty of material to work upon . The 'Varsity Boathouse is now approaching completion, but will not, I think, be completely ready for use until the beginning of next Term. Football, of course, is in full swing, both Rugby Union and Association ; but it is as yet too early in the season to say of what calibre the respective teams may prove themselves to be . In R. U. the places to be filled up by the ' Varsity are chiefly behind the scrimmage. Athletics and running have not begun as yet, with the exception of the Hare and Hounds Club, which meets twice a week. The storm has, as elsewhere, done much damage to trees, particularly in the fall of the ` two sisters, ' otherwise called ` the twins, ' in St . John ' s grounds : they were said to be two of the tallest elms in England. We are delighted to welcome so many Freshmen from St . Peter' s this time : let us hope they will some of them, if not all, be bright and conspicuous stars in athletics as they are in brains, following the example of J . H . Mallinson, who has been elected Hon . Sec . of Christ ' s College Boat Club . The only other piece of personal news I have to give you is that K . Marshall has been elected to a Musical Scholarship at King ' s College, whither he has, therefore, migrated from Caius . I close my letter with a list of those Peterites at present in residence :—E . Bellerby, Ridley Hall ; A . Chadwick, John ' s; J . H . Collinson, Queen ' s ; E . A . Douglas, J . H . Mallinson, P . L. Newman, Christ ' s ; G . H . Eyre, Corpus ; F. T . Griffith, W . H. Griffith, Clare ; W . S . Fox, Pembroke ; C . Kitchin, Trinity Hall; M. Kitchin, Trinity ; K . Marshall, King's ; R . W . Taylor, Trinity. MAX.
SCHOOL LETTER. HE School re-opened on Sept . 14th, with a considerable
T addition in numbers ; and dusty books have by this time been
sufficiently roused from their holiday slumbers in one way or another. We seem in this high latitude to be treading on the skirts of another Arctic Winter ; and a keen stimulus is given to football enthusiasm in the shape of somewhat gelid breezes Football prospects being treated of elsewhere, we will not dilate upon them. York is by degrees cooling after the recent heated energy of British Association work (or pleasure) ; and gradually resuming its wonted and antique placidity . The Jubilee meeting of the afore-mentioned
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Association from all accounts has been an undoubted success : one of its most active supporters was Rev . T . Adams. The Debating Society is again suffering from—we will hope—a temporary lethargic attack . This we trust is unwarrantable and remediable. The Library Catalogue is at present under process of revision, the large addition of new books since the last revision rendering this proceeding highly requisite ; and a more orderly and respectful treatment of books is hereby sincerely to be desired . Three new librarians have been elected :—E . W . Clayforth, L . T. Crawshaw, and P . E . Lord. Mr . Hales, some time ago First-form Master of St . Peter ' s, has recently returned in the capacity of master to the Lower Civil and Military Department . It may be also interesting to know that Mr. Wright, Mus . Bac ., Oxon, a gentleman who has frequently acted for Dr . Monk at the Minster'Organ, has ably succeeded J . H . Collinson, as organist to the School Chapel. The Theatricals have again been taken in hand by Mr . Yeld in his usual decisive and sanguine manner ; and despite the School ' s recent loss of Dramatic talent, they will no doubt prove far from a failure. We are mounting our " high horse " for the fifth time : one of Shakespeare ' s plays is again to be acted . The " Tempest ' was first chosen, but it has been decided better to alter this intention . It is now proposed to attempt the "Comedy of Errors " or the " Two Gentleman of Verona " ; and rehearsals will from now fall thick and fast. It is proposed, we understand, to establish a Free Library in York : surely Books and Freedom are naturally connected through their Latin equivalents, suggests Our " Sly " friend, J. B.
SONNET. Like as some painter, who by day and night Sees a fair face before him, and would paint, But ever his hand and heart are heavy and faint For the pure glory and the searching light That flash upon him from her eyes so bright, His true Madonna, his ideal Saint, And then he knows he may not, for the taint Of earth is in him, trace those lines aright.
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SONNET. As he declines upon a lower theme, Wasted with weary effort, so do we (Alas, how often, helpless that we are!) Fall, baffled, from the following of our dream, On lesser lives and low, while yet we see Our vision fair in front, but faint and far.
FOOTBALL. Although the loss of so many excellent players and the fact that only two remained of last year's team rendered Football prospects gloomy in the extreme, the pick-ups s p ewed that there was material for a very fair team, which, if deficient in running power, would be heavy and muscular . An industrious mathematician, in the accuracy of whose computation implicit trust may be reposed, has calculated the weight of the `forwards 'to be little under one hundred stones . The first match was against York, in which the superior training of the School neutralised the advantages of speed on the part of their opponents, and though York, owing to the fine play of Baskctt, Ashburner and Gray, scored r goal and 2 tries in the first part of the game, a good run of Stevenson's, backed up by the rest of the team, carried the ball into the York
25,
where it stayed until the end of the game, which resulted in a victory for the School by i goal and 3 tries, to r goal and 2 tries . Iiaye's dropkicking was very note-worthy ; it would be well if the other `backs' would imitate his example in this respect, and in punting more freely. There is also a want of passing not so much among the
` forwards,' as
from `forwards' to the 'backs' : such neglect is evidently very detrimental to real forward play, and reduces considerably any chances the `backs ' have of getting off. The sickening fiasco against the Training College ought to impress this on the team, as their victory was as much due to the excellent passing and unselfish play of their `forwards' as to their superior speed . Li internal matches the School Ilouse easily defeated the School by 2 goals and 6 tries to nil . The novel side of Scholars v . Rest resulted in a very one-sided game, the combination of learning and muscle completely overpowering opposition. PAST v . PRESENT. Played on Thursday October 6 on the School ground . The kick off by Stevenson was well followed up by the Present, but soon R . Wood, by a good run, carried the ball back, and subsequently the Present were
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obliged to touch down . They, however, after some good play on both sides forced the Past hack, and Brockbank succeeded in obtaining a try. The kick failed, and from that time the Present did not score, though the game was never entirely in their opponents' hands . J . Griffith, F. T . Griffith, C . Taylor, and G . W. M . Bulman each obtained a try for the Past, but no goals were kicked . For the losers Brockbank, Kaye, Stevenson, and H . Clayforth, played well . I he game thus ended in a victory for the Past by 4 tries and r touch down to r try. Past .—E . J . C . V, l ,cn, back ; G. W . M . Bulman, B . G . M . Baskett, three-quarter backs ; R . Wood, and C . Taylor, half-backs ; J . Griffith, H . Walker, E . Newenham, F. W . Greenhow, G . H . Wade, F. T . Griffith, E. A. Lane, forwards. Present .—W . J . P . Kaye, F . Ware, backs ; W . E . Brockbank, H . C. B . Clayforth, three-quarter backs ; C . J . Williamson, L . T. Crawshaw, half-backs ; L . E . Stevenson, E . A . Peters, E . AV . Clayforth, F . Wade , F. W. Chapman, H . G . Joy, R . C . Wilton, J . Walker, forwards. PETER'S SCHOOL v . TRAINING COLLEGE. This match was played on Satur day Oct. 8th, on the School ground, and ended in an easy victory for the Training College . The ball was kicked off at 2 .30 . by St . John's, who soon sheaved their superiority by forcing the School to touch down in self defence almost directly after the commencement of the game. The play of Hayley, and of Smith and Waring, the half-backs, was most noticeable . Among the School forwards, Stevenson, Peters and E . W. Clayforth played best ; the backs tried hard to avert utter defeat, but were out-paced and out-manceuvreci by their opponents, whose passing was as unselfish as it was effective— a fact which it would be well if our forwards would note. ST.
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. HULL. This match was played at Hull on Saturday, October i 5 . St . Peter's won the toss and elected to play with the wind, which at that time was blowing very strongly down the ground . Immediately from the kick-off it was evident that the School was out-matched at all points, and in a very short time Hoskins, the Hull Captain, obtained a try ; the placekick, however, was a failure . After this, though Brockbank twice, by good runs, threatened the Hull goal, and though the whole team played a remarkably plucky game considering their opponents' superior strength, tries in quick succession were made by Hull, but no goal resulted . After half-time the School pulled themselves together, and, though their opponents' score did not increase as rapidly as before, Hull succeeded in registering two goals ; and at the call of time the score
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FOOTBALL.
stood two goals and fourteen tries to nil . The victory, however, was nothing like so decisive as it seems, since the strength of the wind repeatedly, after a place-kick at goal, carried the ball back among the Hull forwards, and so the School was deprived of the advantage of a drop-out from the twenty-five flag . The most noticeable among the School team were Brockbank, Stevenson, Kaye, H . C . and E . W. Clayforth, Crossley and Lane . Hoskyns, Close, Calvert (an Old Peterite, who obtained four tries and kicked both goals), and Brough, especially distinguished themselves for Hull. HULL :—Lovell, back ; G . Braithwaite, Wilson, Brough, three-quarter backs ; Hoskyns (capt .), H . Smith, half-backs ; W . J . Close, J . Calvert, E. Braithwaite, Whitehead, Tyacke, Womack, Robinson, W . J . Tull, Winter, forwards. Sr . PETER ' S :—W. J . Kaye, H . C . Clayforth, backs ; W. E . Brockbank, F. Ware, three-quarter backs ; L . T. Crawshaw, C . J . Williamson, halfbacks ; L. E . Stevenson (capt .), A . Peters, E . W . Clayforth, H . G . Joy, J . Walker, R . C . Wilton, E . A . Lane, H . Crossley, F . E . Robinson, forwards . ST . PETER'S v . CLIFTON.
(Oct . 22) The ball was started from the Clifton end by the Rev . II . Hopkins, and the School, aided by the wind, slightly penned their opponents. After about twenty minutes' play, L. J . Crawshaw, by a good run round, secured a try : H . Crossley attempted the kick, but without success. A few minutes after L . E . Stevenson, by a smart run, gained a second try, but the kick again failed . The ball was then carried down towards the School goal, and Beale ran in, but as it was alleged that he was gone into touch, the try was disputed . The kick, which was from near the touch line, was a failure . The School were the next to score, Kaye dropping a splendid goal from the field of play near the half-way flag, all the more praiseworthy as the ball was very heavy and slimy . After half-time the School were compelled to touch down several times in rapid succession, but nothing of importance occurred . The School were thus left winners by one goal and two tries to one disputed try. Kaye's punting and Brockbank's running were very effective . It would be impossible to single out any of the forwards for specially brilliant play , as all played well . Clifton showed a deplorable ignorance of the rules, which considerably impeded the success of the School. St . Peters .—1V. J . 1' . Kaye, back ; L . E . Stevenson, H . C . B. Clayforth, W . E. Brockbank, three-quarter backs ; L . J . Crawshaw, C. J . Williamson, half-backs ; E . A . Peters, E . W . Clayforth, H . G . Joy, F. Wade, F . W . Chapman, R . C . Wilton, H . Crossley, E . Lane, F . Robinson, forwards. Clifton .—G . Milner, back ; R . Thompson, A . Smith, three-quarter backs ; G . Breed, \V . Birks, J . Beak . half-backs ; the Rev . H . G. Hopkins, -- Ilildith, J . and H . Thompson, F . Haigh, H, Parker. I, C undnll, t, Gill, R, Gray, forwards