June 1882

THE

PETERITE VOL . IV.

JULY, 1882 .

No . 29.

THE PROFESSOR: A STORY OF TILL; TIVENTIETII CENTURY. Quisnam te, juvenum confidentissime, nostras Jussit adire domos?

CHAPTER VI.

IIE scene grew fiercer ; the shouts louder every moment oil either hand . From the fierceness of their gestures I expected an appeal to force, to end at last in bloodshed . Yet, no . Though the question, whatever it might be, stirred feelings that might have found vent in war, this humane and civilised people showed themselves no less dispassionate than our modern scientific leaders, being the more fortunate as they had never known and could not miss the opportunity of obeying the promptings of human nature and reason which we are now denied.

By this glorification of animal instincts our sailor shows himself one of the graceless and ungainful tribe, who look back with longing to the last and most foolish gratification of those instincts in the European war which was the death of all wars.

IIow godlike, science ! IIow great the twentieth century, abolishing the fight yet retaining the test . Truly hath it wrought perfection for the old dream of those who would have applied the fallacious criterion of arbitration. No more is moral and physical superiority adjudged through the medium of human fallible guesses . Great are the scientists who measure, mark, and compare !

Now can the forces which a nation might bring into the field be more surely set down on paper and weighed in the balances of the statistician, than formerly its armies were numbered, its Krupp guns counted, and its estimates presented .

T

50

TILE PROFESSOR.

Truly it edifieth, to think how nation weiglreth against nation in the matter of deadly chemicals, whereby it might hurl its foes to atoms, or with treacherous poison sap their vital strength.

And now no need to prove by use . Weighing off our forces, force against force, our quarrels thus are determined or ever they are fully matured . Yet some say that hereby men are set in the rank of wheels that go by machinery.

As if the delicate tests slid not measure unto each nation its temper, whether unto stubbornness or power of holding out and daring to meet ill-success or as to yielding and tameness of submission.

As if such things were not as much matter determined as its revenues and public works ! And then no longer is there the shameful waste of population we once knew, when our manhood and vigour were cast away, when it might best serve its country in the cause of production, instead of as now the infirm and useless, who, when calculation has determined what diminution of our population in course of human expectation our general quarrel demands, are (as an old sage saith) suffered not to live . I shall hereafter detail how it seemeth that this nation though sage had not attained as yet this summit height of science as to method, though in theory we can claim no victory.

Yet it seemed not that reasoning alone or strength of lungs gained the day.

Sweeping onward in large masses with outspread sails by the breeze so raised, and sulphur-smoke carried with it, they drove the weak side before them.

The others as if prompted by some inspiration looked with significan gestures to myself. I, the while, was in great fear, scarce appeared when I saw the others for a while staggered yet pursue their victory as as before .

WIT AND HIUMOUR.

OCRATES, when declared by the Oracle at Delphi to be the wisest of men, professed himself entirely unable to understand how this could be, since he was conscious that he knew nothing . After some reflection, however, he concluded that the explanation must be

S

WIT ♦ ND HUMOUR .

51

this : neither he nor anyone else knew anything ; but, while he was aware of his shortcomings in that respect, other people were ignorant of theirs, and therefore he was so far wiser than they.

Now it is not every man's lot to approach Corinth, and philology is, to the many, equally inaccessible ; but we in England do not, as a rule, even attempt to arrive at a knowledge of the history and signification of words, unless they are other than English . Respecting some words in our own language we possess the moderately ripe, not to say crude, scholarship assigned to himself as above by Socrates, viz ., that of "knowing our ignorance" concerning them . With regard to other words we must, I fear, confess that our tree of knowledge has not hitherto produced fruit of any kind, since we are in the still more elementary stage of learning to which the comparatively advanced philosopher condemned the rest of the world—that of "not knowing our ignorance " of them, and we are utter and unconscious strangers to their radical and outgrowing meanings.

Though our intimacy with wit and humour is not quite so slender as this, I think that many of us have very little perception, or perhaps I should say idea, of the difference between them, our acquaintance with them rather resembling the " knowledge " of the rest of the world than of Socrates . We have all read short and pithy stories headed " Writ and Humour," either in books usually sold as railway literature, or in the " Almanack " of the grocer or draper ; but which was wit and which was humour we forgot to enquire, and the authors forgot to say.

I fancy there is a common impression abroad that the terms are synonymous ; but surely this is not the case : and yet probably not a few people, if asked to do so, would be unable to distinguish between them . At all events, to myself, requiring enlightenment concerning them, no answer in any degree satisfactory was ever returned . I have, therefore, attempted to think the matter out for myself, however faultily this may have been done ; and I venture to submit my conclusions to the consideration of any who, like myself, take an interest in the subject.

Let it be premised, however, that there is no pretence here to treat of the different forms in which men's wit is manifested, nor yet of the several senses in which humour may be used ; but merely an endeavour to contrast the two modes and expressions of thought as related to each other.

Humour then (Latin, humor), of course, primarily means moisture or fluid ; and secondarily, inasmuch as a man ' s state of mind was once

52

WIT AND IItiMOUR.

(and, I think, may even now he) supposed to depend on the fluids of his body, it signifies disposition ; thirdly, it denotes a mental quality taking pleasure in comical ideas ; fourthly their expression.

On the other hand : Wit, from Anglo-Saxon, witan, to know ; and probably connected with Latin, video, to see, and Greek, E{iiOe, to see, signifies, in the first place, insight or knowledge ; in the second, the faculty of combining ideas with a ludicrous effect ; next, the result of this power ; and lastly, one possessing the power. Both, then, deal in the mirthful and ridiculous, and it would seem that humour, at all events sometimes, is to wit as the foundation to the house, or, perhaps better still, as the peach to the bloom.

Humour is, I think, mainly physical and may suggest wit, but cannot from its nature (according to the view here taken) rise so high . It is, in point of fact, the expression of the feelings of the body, and amuses by its whimsical good nature and oddity.

Wit is essentially intellectual, and cannot be conceived of otherwise than as apart from and superior to the body . It loves to string together the incongruous and unexpected, and by the skilful management of words to rescue, as it were, sense out of nonsense.

Humour, again, may be merely subjective, and consist rather in the manner and intention of the speaker than in any peculiar property of the words themselves . Wit is always and necessarily objective, and resides in the conformation of the sentence wherein words not ordinarily agreeing nor suggestive of each other, but on the contrary heterogeneous and anomalous, are fantastically and, so to say, illegally and forcibly brought into conjunction . In other words, humour at times only speaks implicitly ; wit ever speaks explicitly ; while the former glimmers as the reflection of a bright and happy disposition—and hence a bad tempered man can hardly be humourous, though he may be witty—the latter flashes like swift lightnings from the intellect.

That may be the digger, but this is the jeweller, and from the rough stone supplied by humour, turns out the polished gem.

Wit is, indeed, the juggler of words and tricks, the universe of language, into subservience to its will . Nothing is sacred from its lawless legerdemain. With reckless impartiality it degrades the sublime, and ennobles the commonplace ; terms lose their identity, and phrases turn renegade ; the gay dons sackcloth, and the grave wantons . And it is hero as in a card trick : we have assured ourselves that the suits are all in proper order, when, by a dexterous shuffle, the king is produced cheek by jowl with the knave .

WIT AND IIUMOUIL.

53

The best examples of wit, in my opinion, are such as the late Earl of Beaconsfield scattered broadcast in his speeches and writings, and two sayings of his are so pre-eminently excellent that, though uttered comparatively recently and much quoted since, they must be mentioned here.

The one is that in which he described the foolish and reckless assertions of opponents, who were not saddled with the cares of office, as " The hare-brained chatter of irresponsible frivolity ; " In the other, he spoke of his great rival as " A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity ."

Somewhere in "Coningsby" lie condemns Italics as "that last resource of the forcible feebles, " and in the same book writes thus wittily of the magic virtue ascribed by a certain class of politicians to £1,200 per annum : To receive £1,200 per annum is government; to try to receive £1,200 per annum is opposition ; to wish to receive £1,200 per annum is ambition ."

The following may be given as instances of wit of a less brilliant order : An eminent publisher was speaking to (I think) Theodore Book of a periodical which he had just started, and to which he had finally given the name "L Bentley's Miscellany ;" "though," he added, " I had at one time an idea of calling it the ' Wit's Magazine .' " " Well," replied Hook, " you need not have gone into the opposite extreme ."

Sidney Smith, being ordered by his physician to walk for an hour every morning on an empty stomach, asked, " upon whose ?"

The next is delicious . A young man, who had lately returned to his native town after an absence of some years, went to call upon a friend with whom the had formerly been very intimate . Some time having been spent in greetings and conversation on old days, he asked, " and how is your dear father ?" " IIe has been dead two years," replied the other. The one not bereaved duly condoled, and shortly took his leave.

In a few days he called again, and forgetfully enquired, " and how's your dear father ?" " Still dead," was the answer.

At first sight we may be inclined to call this humour, in my sense, but the clever combination of the two words in the last answer, I think, entitle it to the name of wit . It, however, doubtless partakes largely of and is nearly founded upon humour .

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WIT AND HUMOUR.

A brilliant wit is not usually supposed to be the distinguishing feature of Scotch character ; but a thoroughly droll humour will be denied to them by none . One, at any rate, of the following instances is taken from Dean Ramsay's book of Reminiscences of Scotch Humour.

An inhabitant of " the land 'o cakes," passing through a kirk-yard one night, saw a white figure moving about, which, with characteristic superstition, he imagined to be the spirit of one of the dead there buried . He therefore accosted it thus : " Is this a general rising, ghaist, or are ye taking a quiet dander by yersel' ."

At a meeting held for the purpose of electing a chaplain to a prison,. a minister was proposed, but was subsequently objected to on the ground that his preaching was excessively poor, and that all his congregation had left him in consequence . A dry Scot, who had as usual gone to the meeting " to contradic ' a bit," held that, so far from the above argument being a reason for rejecting the candidate, it should be a strong incentive to elect him, " for," he said, " syne he hae preachit his kirk empty, aiblins he'll mak the gaol vawcant as weer Another story of humour, in a somewhat different sense, seems to be especially applicable, as illustrative of that peculiar cast of the Scotch mind to which the quaint views so frequently taken by them may be ascribed.

There is, or was, in Scotland, a party who hold that an infinitesimally small number of men, themselves of course included, will finally be saved ; and an old gardener carried the belief so far that he at length excepted all but himself and a boy named Sandie, who worked under him . A gentleman hearing of this, and wishing to ascertain for his own satisfaction whether anyone could seriously entertain such an idea, said to him that he supposed that he held the above opinion . The old man gravely replied, " reet, sir, I thoclit sae for a lang while, but of late I hae ma doots aboot Sondie.

No strict rule, I apprehend, can be laid down for drawing a distinction between wit and humour in all cases ; and a saying which one man considers witty, another may esteem merely humorous. I have never seen any definition of the two forms of thought and speech, nor do I know what the accepted account may be . My own idea is, as I have endeavoured to show, that if the force of the intellect be, from the skilful collocation of, and play upon, words, manifestly brought into play, the result is wit ; but if this power be either imperfectly recognisable, or entirely absent, it is humour. At any rate, I hope

WIT AND HUMOUR .

55

that the attempt I have made, imperfect as it is may stimulate clearer thinkers to work out on their own behalf a truer and more satisfactory conclusion .

E . P . A.

SCHOOL LETTER. IIE midsummer term commenced on Thursday, April 27th . The school has soon recovered from the short pull-up of the Easter holidays, and is again in full swing with but few alterations in its members . F. W . Chapman has left.

Cricket has, of course, at once taken the field, and recruits for the first eleven have just undergone their final inspection . The new members brought in some cases, being fair batting and bowling talent to light.

As made out, the eleven consists of L . E . Stevenson, P . E . Lord, W. E. Brockbank, H . D . Wood, W. J . P. haye, W. Martin, S . B . Flower, M. D. Taylor, II . W . Rhodes, A . Peters, and P . E . Robinson . I refrain from trespassing on your special correspondent, but cannot keep from calling attention to the illomened practice of commencing against a much stronger eleven . The result of the first match goes a long way with us ; invariably ending in defeat must discourage the eleven.

The Clifton May Fair has been enlivening its immediate neighbourhood during the last day or two by its annual display of attractions . The repetition of the same pathetic tune every minute, the rapid revolutions on rocking horses of variegated complexion may be attractive ; but equo ne credite, teucri, say I, in such a case.

York, in other respects, is making a spasmodic effort to recover the years it has slept away . A sudden mania for tramways has sprung up, and Micklegate is a place of snares and pitfalls to the unwary walker.

Alas for all good resolutions ! The regatta crew were last term animated by an indomitable spirit . News has just arrived that there is to be no regatta . At once all good resolves were cast to the winds ; new oars that were to carry the boat to victory are left to lie idle, and perhaps not ; the old motto ` no reward, no practice ' again dominates in the hearts of the rowing class . Cricket now claims their undivided attention . The result was good ; as soon as the boat was given up by a strange coincidence the eleven won its first match . Still that cannot excuse the want of due respect to rowing .

T

56

SCHOOL LETTER.

The sports promise to be tolerably interesting . The committee appointed are W. E . Brockbank, R . C . Wilton, C . J . Williamson . It is to be hoped a more vigorous system will be introduced ; the courses measured, the handicaps done away with, the hurdle races made real hurdle races and not a kind of mongrel steeplechases . Next season let us hope the time of year will also be altered, or at least that the sports will he held on two days instead of one.

An innovation has recently been made in the school . A universal system of ' blazers ' is being adopted for everything . Each hoarding house and the day boys have their respective trimming . The three branches of athletics are also to be distinguished by different badges.

The adoption of these will no doubt be an improvement ; though it seems rather a pity to encourage party spirit in any way . Why should not the school feel itself united in tone and in colour .

J . B. Later accounts say that there will be a regatta after all, but not until August 4th . One member of tIe boat sturdily maintains the rowing interest, but it is to be feared that he will be outvoted, and the date considered to be too late.

OXFORD LETTER. SUPPOSE we are all looking forward to see what will be the issue of the Inter-'Varsity match . The victory of Cambridge over Australia has doubtless raised the hopes of the Light Blues, but that victory can be said to be a criterion of the powers of their team . In fact, the match will resolve itself into a contest of the brothers Studd and Ramsay, against a team of at least nine sure if not first-class bats.

We have won one match, the M . C. C ., and lost two at the time of writing . The Australian victory would have been extremely doubtful had Massie been caught as early as he ought to have been, when he had only made twelve runs . The arrangement of the Oxonian field, moreover, has been severely and justly criticized, G . C . Harrison being captain in that match (by the bye, it is doubted by authorities whether that gentleman should be in the eleven at all, for there are enough good men and to spare to fill it up without him) .

I

OXFORD LLi°rEi : .

57

The M . C . C . team was weak, save for its very strong bowling -with such redoubtable " trundlers" as Morley, Flowers, Midwinter, and Fothergill. Against the Gentlemen of England, we had Shaw, Whiting, and Kemp absent, whilst Robinson, our best bowler, only played part of the time.

Altogether our chances, with such brilliant additions, W . D . Hamilton and E . D . Shaw, against Cambridge seem rosy.

In the eights Exeter finished head, to the considerable discomfort of at least two persons, who, in all the solemnity of the clerical costume, were found floating down the Isis in company with some fifty other persons who had the misfortune to occupy the same punts as members of that college. Brasenose was much fancied, and bets were made upon their going head, but they did not come off . Hertford was your correspondent's selection, and would probably have justified his investments but for the fainting of No . 2 . There were illuminations and other festivities at the victorious college that night, and one gentleman was severely burnt . Keble, Lincoln, the Unattached, Pembroke, and Exeter made most bumps . Hertford is to put a four on at Henley, with Brown, Lowndes, Buck, and Sharp, all either Old Blues or trialsmen . Exeter will also put an eight on, with Pinckney and Kindersley, now a master at St . Peter's, Radley.

Exeter's victory was the more surprising as there was only one old cightsman in the boat—the rest were all torpid men ; it was by strength and endurance that they won, for their style was not at all good.

We are sorry to have to announce the death by drowning of R. Pettit, of Keble, once nominated as President of the Union in opposition to Cumming, of Balliol.

The Union has not lost its Conservatism, and expressed its extreme repugnance to the policy of the Government by a large majority, in the course of, perhaps, the largest division ever known there. The motion was by llon . G. N . Curzon, of Balliol, who was followed by four expresidents.

Commemoration has attracted as many visitors as usual, and there have been a proportionate number of shows and concerts—apropos of the latter, about twelve o ' clock one night, we saw an Oxonian, standing in the middle of the road, bitterly complaining that the street had risen on end and struck him in the face.

We are happy to congratulate Clayforth and Faussett on their late successes .

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CORRESPONDENCE.

THE SCHOOL BOATING SYSTEM. To

THE EDITORS OF " THE PETERITE ."

DEAR Su,,—Although the School Boat Races are over, I hope the Captain of the boats will give the following few remarks his careful consideration for the benefit of the races next year, and of the Regatta Boat this and following years.

In the first place, then, with regard to the School Races, I would point out that little care is taken by the older members of the Boat Club to discover and develop talent in junior members . The method of procedure in the School is for the young boys to pick up rowing (with innumerable faults) as best they can, by going out in tubs with others who know very little more than themselves what rowing is ;. they thus learn to get the oar through the water without catching a crab, and are under the impression they know how to row . When they get a little bigger, and are wanted in their House Boats, they are put in a Four, and immediately set rowing at a very fast stroke at which it Is impossible for them to learn how to row properly : the result is that they are thoroughly confirmed in their bad habits, and on coming up to the University are surprised at the difficulty they have in learning to row in anything like good form.

What I would propose, then, is for the older members of the Boat Club at the beginning of the boating season to take out those among the younger, who are desirous of rowing, for a short time, in tubs, . every half-holiday, and, making them keep to a very slow stroke, instruct them carefully in the proper style of rowing.

They need not to be kept out long ; twenty minutes every halfholiday would soon give a couple of boys a right idea of how to row, and thus there would be laid a foundation on which to construct good crews in the ensuing years.

Again, when the house fours first begin going out, would it not be far better for them if they were kept for the first fortnight or so to a slow stroke, which would help the crew to get the true uniformity of swing and catch so necessary for the attainment of pace . No crew can

CORRESPONDENCE.

59

row a fast stroke effectively without first having learnt to row a slow one.

In next place, with regard to the regatta boat, here the above remarks on tubbing equally apply. It is manifestly absurd to put four boys (who have never before rowed on anything but fixed seats) in a sliding seat gig and expect them immediately at a quick stroke to make proper use of their slides . The captain of the boats ought to begin by taking out several pairs at the end of the school races in sliding seat tubs and teaching them the way to use their slides at a slow paddle . Ile would thus find out the likely candidates for the boat, and be able to pick next term a crew whose abilities he had already tested . These he should take out in the gig four, and keep rowing a slow stroke till the last three weeks before the regatta, carefully impressing on them the necessity of being perfectly together before they can have any chance of sitting with comfort the light ship.

These few suggestions will, I hope, be well considered by the captain, and if acted on will, I believe, do much to improve the school rowing making it better training for those who will go in for boating at the universities.

Before leaving the subject, I should like to call attention to a few points in rowing which are generally neglected at the school . When I was at school the chief idea seemed to be to lug the oar through the water and then tumble forward in a great hurry to be ready for the repetition of this proceeding ; in this lug the oar used to be put in anyhow, and the greatest attention was paid to a terrific jerk by way of a finish to the stroke . Anyone can see that this is manifestly wrong ; a lug at the finish requires great use of the arms, and leaves the back and legs comparatively unused. The true use of the arms is as levers, connecting . the oar with the back, with which the chief work ought to be done.

When forward, the back should be quite straight and the shoulders kept down ; to begin the stroke, the shoulders should be sharply thrown back with a good push off from the stretcher and the arms kept rigid; thus a sharp catch of the water is effected well behind the rigger, and it should always be remembered that what sends the boat along is the first part of the stroke . As soon as the body has swung back, the arms should be brought back also till the hands are close to the chest with the elbows pointing to the bottom of the boat ; as soon as this position is reached, the hands should be dropped to bring the oar clear out of the water and the arms shot forward till they are perfectly rigid, the

60

COREESPONI)ENCE.

rower meanwhile sitting straight upon his scat and not moving his body so long as the arms are in motion ; when the arms are straightened the body should be swung slowly forward, with the back straight and shoulders clown, the swing being entirely from the hips, and care taken not to overreach by plunging forward with the shoulders ; the hands should as the swing finishes be raised over the stretcher to prevent cocking the blade of the oar, and as soon as the body is well forward, the shoulders thrown sharply hack and a fresh stroke begun . To get a clean feather it will be found advisable to drop the oar with the outside hand and turn it with the inside ; the oar should only be kept on the feather till the hands are past the knees, when the blade should be turned as the body swings . A point which is often neglected is keeping the feet firmly pressed against the stretcher when coming forward ; this steadies the swing and helps to prevent bueketting.

In conclusion, I would impress most strongly on all rowing members of the school the importance of a steady swing and sharp catch, with a proper use of back and legs. Bearing this in mind, the rower will find that he is able to do far more work with munch less fatigue than when he mainly depended on his arms as instruments for work .

CANTAB. To

THE EDITORS

or

'rot:

PETEIUTE . "

SIIts,—May I be permitted to call the attention of the school to the lamentable condition of the Debating Society. It only meets one term in the year—from Christmas to Easter—and does not meet regularly even in that one term . This latter fact is, I think, mainly owing to the extremely inconvenient time fixed, 5-30 on Wednesday evening, at this time of the year the finest part of the day.

I saw it 'suggested in the last number of the Peterite that the Society should be open to the whole of the upper school . This I think would be a great advantage.

Many of the debates, especially on political questions, have fallen through from the want of opposition . The Society seems to have (which indeed in many things is highly advantageous) a perfect unanimity of opinion . This condition would I think be ameliorated if we could impress six or eight lively vigorous Liberals . Perhaps this result might be attained by putting up on the notice board some such advertisement as this—" Wanted several energetic Liberals for the Debating Society . Application to be made in person to the Secretary."

DEAR

CORRESPONDENCE .

61

Surely some means might be found of giving an impulse to the at present stagnant condition of the Society . Another time might be fixed, and means for ensuring regular meetings all the year round.

Hoping that this may have the effect of calling attention to the existing evils, I am, yours truly, SHOREK-KHAN. To

TIIE EDITORS OF TIIE PETERITE . "

Du :u Sint,—I quite agree with "Remex" that the present system is not calculated to encourage regular rowing, but I hardly think that terminal subscriptions could be raised as he suggests . Those who know the difficulty there is in getting even one subscription from the greater part of the school, the day boys, will, I think, agree with me that it would be impossible to collect three . As to starting a subscription beforehand to buy boats, it would be necessary in the first place to provide a place to put them in . The present boathouse is just large enough for the boats we have.

I think, " Reform's " plan of raising subscriptions the best. I would suggest a subscription of 30s . for the upper school and 20s . for the lower . This would give about X200 a year which might be apportioned as follows : Football . . . £20 Athletic Sports . . .

30 Cricket . . .

60 Boating . . .

70 This would leave a surplus of £20, which might be used for starting a lawn tennis club, instituting fives matches, or perhaps renting another field for junior matches. While I am on the subject of subscriptions I should like to say something to the younger day boys . When asked for subscriptions they say " 011! we don't play in the first or second eleven matches ; we can't use the school boats ; we can't be in the 1st XV ."

But let me remind them that though at present they may not share the privileges of the seniors, yet in the course of two or three years they will be seniors themselves, and will then feel the want of those conveniences which they now refuse to join in procuring period . Apologising for trespassing so long on your valuable space, I am, yours truly, W . KATE.

CORRESPONDENCE.

62

To

TIIE EDITORS OF " TIIE PETERITE . "

SIR,—That only two boats were found to compete for the senior pairs is unfortunately not difficult to believe ; that the spirit of St. Peters has sunk so low that one of these could only be induced to row by the degrading bribe of a second prize should be a cause of alarm to professing amateurs. As there was no third boat to contest this unenviable reward, would it not have been much simpler to have divided the money for that race, dispensing with the unmeaning formality of rowing? The school in general is disgusted with this selfish and arbitrary mismanagement of its subscriptions . But it has a new cause of complaint . The entries for the junior races were larger than usual, and the competitors seem to have really taken some trouble in preparing for them . Not so, some of the seniors . The sixth form boat was utterly untrained, and to their disgrace barely escaped defeat from a boat which they calculated on being able to leave by half a dozen lengths . This neglect to train is an undesirable innovation of this year . School boys can have no excuse whatever for being " unfit ." It is strange that these competitors did not take this precaution for their personal comfort alone. It was, doubtless, very generous of them to be so considerate to their opponents, but it is hardly creditable to some of the leading oars in the school that they should have allowed their indifference, or else their inopportune feeling of superiority to imperil the result of so important a race, and there is little doubt that the school house junior would have defeated its plucky antagonists if one of their number had taken the ordinary trouble of training.

Yet large school subscriptions are divided among the victors, to repay them for what they are pleased to call "the bother of practising ." This practice consisted—for certain boats that is—this year in occasionally going out for a pleasant row of a few miles at an easy pace, varied by fitful spurts, without the slightest attempt to acquire style, which might stand them in good stead at the Universities . Coaching is not very diflicule to obtain ; one boat at least owed a well-merited victory to it.

The result of this neglect is that the members of the school get into a thoroughly bad style of pulling, and reap a rich harvest of abuse from the coaches of their respective college boats—if ever they manage to get into them—while a sister school of smaller numbers, but greater ambition, and less adverse to individual self-sacrifice, is usually represented in the interuniversity boat race, without detriment to its cricket and football triumphs.

ESPRIT I)E COR I'S .

CORRESPONDENCE. To

THE

EDITORS

OF "

63

TIIE PETERITE . "

DEAR SIRS,—Would you permit me, through your medium, to do what has been done before, but with no effect, viz ., to call the attention of the athletic authorities to the careless way in which the track is measured at the sports . Last year the race that was called a quartermile was run in something better than the best professional record, while the mile was done in proportionately fast time . If the authorities think the races are long enough let them call them by their right name, when the quarter will become about 400 and the mile about 1600 yards ; but if they continue to call them quarter and mile, let them be made so, and let the course be carefully measured . No member of the ,school, at present, can be certain of what he can do in a race if he has always run considerably short of the distance he is supposed to have run ; and when he competes in a race on a properly measured track he will find himself utterly out of his calculations . I will add no more, for I am sure everyone will see the absurdity and childishness of having short races dignified by the names of long distances.

I am, yours truly, G . II . EYIiE.

NOTES AND ITEMS. The Rev. G . F . Browne, B .D ., of St . Catherine's College, has been elected President of the Cambridge University Conservative Association.

M. Taylor has passed the First Professional at Edinburgh with honours.

E . E . Deane has passed the final examination of the Incorporated Law Society.

II . C . B . Clayforth, of Worcester College, Oxford, has been elected to the Abbott Classical Scholarship, value £60 a year, open with some restrictions to all the University.

The Rev. II . Vyvyan, Junior Mathematical Master, has been appointed to succeed the Rev . F . Lawrence to the living of St. Mary's, Castlegate, York .

64

NOTES AND ITEMS.

The Sub-wardenship of St . Augustine's College, Canterbury, has been conferred on the Rev. J. Walker, of Queen's College, Oxford, and second master of Loretto School, Musselburgh.

We have great pleasure in announcing that W . Y. Fausset, late scholar of' Balliol College. Oxford, was proximo accessit for the Chancellor's Latin Prose Essay.

A . E . Douglas,' of Christ's College, and J . II. Collinson, of Queen's, Cambridge, have had £20 and £10 respectively added to their scholarships for success in the May Examinations.

G . H . Eyre, in the swimming races held by his College, won two races and was second in a third.

J . H . Mallinson, G . H . Eyre, J. II . Daniel, and B . Baskett were all rowing in their College eights in the Midsummer term races at Cambridge and Oxford.

Our readers will be glad to hear that II . Moss has produced a play at his theatre which has been eminently successful.

By circumstances over which they could exercise no control, the Editors have been reluctantly compelled to delay the issue of the Petprite . They have, however, thought it advisable to publish the letters they received at the beginning of the term, as it is not yet too late for them to have a beneficial effect, though in some cases the events , to which they specially refer are long past.