May 1886

THE

P[T[RITE. Vol. . IX .

MAY, 1886 .

No . 6o.

A YORKSHIREMAN'S VIEWS ABOUT YORKSHIRE. ORhSHIRE is a grand county ! It is the most noble portion of \7 the greatest country of the mightiest empire of the world . And it is about Yorkshire—lofty but happy theme—that I have to speak.

Need I then ask for consideration if I should seem now and then to be betrayed into a vein of undue complacency or boastfulness ? For really we Yorkshiremen are in such a position that we can hardly help boasting : we are so conscious of merit that we think it a mark of modest candour not to conceal the truth . By the way I have often been puzzled to understand other people's way of talking about us ; nor could I ever quite make out how it is that those who are so unhappy as not to be " Yorkshire " seem hardly so much impressed with our superiority as one would expect . Is it their envy that keeps them so often dumb to our praise ? or can it be that they are in ignorance of things as they are ? In either case their opinion is equally valueless; so, although it is curious, we need not concern ourselves any more about it . Surely we are the best judges of our own affairs, and our judgment on this point is singularly unanimous.

One of the traits that we most cultivate and affect is a certain bluntness that often does duty for honesty ; in fact it not only does just as well, it very often does much better . The contemptible Southron may cringe and fawn on the hand that feeds him, but we are quite above that, though not above taking what advantage we can in our own way ; there is a fine rough hearty independence of manner about us that speaks for itself and quite disarms suspicion, and which pays better than any amount of cringing . This bluntness is decidedly a great thing . I know of a person who calls it rudeness or boorishness, but that is because he is the sufferer : I meant that it was a grand thing for us . Besides, what would men have ? It can never be expected

34

A YORKSHIRE\IAN ' S VIEWS ABOUT YORKSHIRE.

for a moment that a Yorkshireman will consent to be servile ; and as none of us have ever seen the slightest difference between servility and civility, it follows that you cannot expect us to be civil either . And so if it is a fact that we are uncivil, it is one that we are rather proud of than otherwise.

And then, too, our wit is another point we justly plume ourselves a good deal on, so much so that we don ' t often appreciate the efforts of strangers to be amusing ; and it is but fair to add that they seem to appreciate ours quite as seldom . A real Yorkshire joke ought to have a good deal of body in it, if one may take a metaphor from the wine trade ; it is not a mere conception or flimsy idea, but a good, substantial, ponderous fact, easily grasped, relating to every day life, and involving broad farcical or even gross incidents . Certainly there was a man I knew once who said that our wit was nothing but coarse humour ; but then I always said that this was because he was one who lacked that fine perception of the ludicrous that is inbred in Yorkshire blood . The same authority it was too, I think, who asserted that Yorkshire cleverness was nothing but low cunning. Could he have said anything more prejudiced and unfair ? I admit that we do not much care about your fine theories and grand abstractions ; but while most of us regard scholarship and philosophy with a mixture of suspicion and contempt, it is yet admitted on all hands that we exhibit in no common degree that hard-headed mastery of the practical and matterof-fact which is the kind of cleverness that every day life requires ; the kind in fact which pays, and what better test can there be ? And yet the person just alluded to actually ventured to say that our heads were " hard " because they were thick . People, I am aware, have often made complaints that the common Yorkshireman is dense, just because a stranger generally finds it necessary to repeat his remarks two or three times over before they seem to have penetrated his mind, and even then possibly only elicits a stare or a yawn by way of response.

Now this just shows how easily one may be misunderstood . Stupid indeed ! why this behaviour proceeds not from our stupidity, but from our self-respect . There is nothing that we naturally resent and despise more than being patronized and questioned by every prig of a tourist that comes our way, and who thinks he knows so much better than we do about this, that, and the other ; and a seemly reticence is the appropriate means by which we mantain our dignity and express our contempt . Besides, we could never see why any one should want to

A YORKSHIREMAN ' S VIEWS ADOUT YORKSHIRE .

35

be in such a dreadful hurry about things, and regard such impatience as a mark of foolishness and inferiority.

And then to see our natural good sense, look at the prudence and caution we generally display in our statements ; so much so that objectors are actually unreasonable enough sometimes to betray irritation at it . For instance, does some one want to know the exact time?

—how foolish it is, by the bye, to be so fussy about minutes ; we generally keep our clocks about an hour too fast, so as to be always ready. Is the time required? Your pert Southerner would have answered at once, " Twenty-one minutes and a half past three . " But not so fast ! We are not going to commit ourselves like that, though perhaps we could if we chose . We in Yorkshire after due delay interposed, for the sake of dignity or what not, reply perhaps, " It's mebbe gettin' on a bit i' th' efternoon, " or in words equally well chosen for vageness . Does a footsore pedestrian ask the distance to the next town ? In a like spirit we inform him for his guidance that it is " a ' canny bit, " or "a gudish step ; " but should he be so pressing as to repeat his question in more exact shape, we console him with the -humorous assurance that " he'll ken by he's gitten thar," and this too not because we do not know ourselves—we have possibly walked the distance every week of our lives—but because we don't choose to be forced to make definite or exact statements of any sort.

Observe, too, as evidence that we Yorkshiremen belong to a class apart, the easy familiarity which we exhibit among one another, contrasted with the reserve and distrust that we regard strangers with . At a way-side railway station such a stranger shall notice his hitherto moody and silent fellow-passenger suddenly brighten up and hail a chance incomer by his Christian name, ask him about his cow, then .about his wife, and afterwards fall into a conversation conducted in ,language that can only be understood by the initiated . In fact there is I imagine among us a kind of freemasonry, or else a mesmeric sympathy, that attests the fact that we are different from other people.

But what is the use of pointing out what we all see, or of proving that which we all know ? It is an axiom with us, which we are never tired of laying down, that in all possible ways " There is nothing like Yorkshire ." Like the clown in " All's well that ends well," with his unfailing " Oh, Lord, Sir !" there is for us one simple but infallible sway of escape from awkward positions, that " will fit any question from below your duke to beneath your constable," and it is "Sir, I'm a Yorkshireman !"

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MOUNTAIN HOTELS IN SWITZERLAND. HAVE always considered, indeed known, that editors of magazines, school or other, have a bad time of it ; but I think that even they have their revenge, when their dilatory contributor, who has easily allowed himself to be persuaded " to write something some day, " is at last forced to promise to write something, and that instantly . A human being so situated emits the usual signals of distress by proceeding to

I

lay in a superabundance of paper, superabundance of pens, and then looks about for a subject . The first and often insuperable difficulty has in my case been overcome, for here I am committed, not without misgivings at least, to a text . " Mountain Hotels in Switzerland," that 's my subject ; and let me tell you the subject being defined to be " that about which something is said," it's just as well to provide yourself (unless of course you're a schoolboy construing in class) with something about which you intend to say something, even if you have nothing to say about it. Here, then, I feel I'm inexpugnable if not plain ; but with regard to the something to be said I still have my doubts whether I shall not be in the position of Mr . Moyley's old parishioner, who migrated from her native village for a year or two to the States, and on being pressed by her gossips, on her return, to relate her experience, replied that by what she could make out, folk there lived very much as they did at home . And, indeed, it ware observed even before Horace's time that a sea passage changed no one's temperament, but one's temperature . But for an Englishman am inclined to think the Straits of Dover often do both, for he h been seen on the Continent sociable and even hilarious . You sh judge.

In speaking of mountain hotels, I must be understood to include only those above an altitude of about 5,000 feet, and to exclude pints like the Righi . You may wonder at the reservation, but I choose it deliberately . For to say nothing of the Righi, which has forfeited al) right to the name of a mountain at all, no less a height will eliminate the American element, which, if you have travelled, you will know to . be desirable—at least in Switzerland . I will suppose then that the traveller is something of an invalid, at any rate for the time, and that he comes to such an hotel not for a night or two, but for two or three weeks, with no hope of being strong enough for real mountaineering, but to breathe the keen pure air and eat the bread of idleness . At

MOUNTAIN HOTELS IN SWITZERLAND .

37

#able d' hits he will find himself among some seventy or eighty of his

compatriots, who seem to know each other pretty extensively, and arc 'most of them relating their experiences—I don't mean religious, but of the day . Here is a clergyman, with grown up sons and a daughter, Mere a lady, who seems a sort of mistress of the ceremonies, here a hard-worked barrister, here a schoolmaster ; you may throw in a dean or two, a bishop even, and a popular dissenting minister . Not far off are three undergraduates from Cambridge or Oxford . They arrived just before dinner, and will disappear at an unearthly hour before any one is up on the morrow, with ropes, ice axes, and taciturn Swiss guide, who will conduct them over I know not what precipitous heights and glaciers, to appear late at night, dog-tired but very happy, at their next Testing place . But this is the migratory population of the Swiss season, that is never happy unless it is seeing what amount of fatigue it can -endure, and never stops more than a night at one place, unless indeed bad weather sets in, when these unfortunates find their occupation gone, and are only too glad to take any part in whatever is going, theatricals, waxworks, or what not . Yes, the new visitor soon discovers that something is toward ; there are endless consultations, whisperings, mysteries, and the arrival is announced for a certain evening of Mrs. So-and-So ' s celebrated collection of waxworks . Happy, thrice happy, he if some irrepressible person does not come up to urge him to personate shall we say Robinson Crusoe . Let not the unwary soul fall into the snare . If in an evil moment he consents, he will have to stand for a good hour quite motionless contemplating a footprint in the sand, until the showman comes to cut jokes about him and put him through ridiculous movements. He may amuse himself, however, with the misfortunes of his neighbours . Who are these next him wrapped in blankets? The story is from Mark Twain . After being on their legs all day Smith and Jones arrive at the hotel on the top of the Righi, late at night and dog-tired, but determined to get up to see the sun rise on the morrow . They do get up and dress in the fragmentary way usual on such occasions . A blanket, like charity, covers many deficiencies . They are now in a conspicuous position at the topmost top. " Magnificent ! eh, Jones ?" " For how not, Smith ?" Interval of ten minutes, while Smith and Jones admire the view. " But I say, Jones, it seems to me to be getting darker ; and why are all these people laughing at us ? " The fact is our friends have overslept themselv es, and it is sunset, not sunrise, they are watching . Every mountain

33

MOUNTAIN HOTELS IN SWITZERLAND.

hotel has its favourite expedition or expeditions, not above the mod rately enthusiastic, just sufficiently hard not to bore those who are more ambitious . Here all combine to enjoy themselves . A huge party formed, and they go up hill and down dale to picnic on some mount summit . They are still happier if there is a snow slope down which tiglizzard . They take their places in a long row one atop of the other.

Away they go, and the snow rushes up all around them . In this wa time soon passes ; thus we carve a portion from the solid day ; and the evening, as I said, there is dancing, theatricals, and so on . Th society is chiefly English at these places, with a certain sprinkling o` `. other nationalities . No American goes to any place where he canno carry an enormous box three yards cubed ; no German where he canna have all the windows closed all day and every day . It is curious to find how many clergymen start into existence on a Sunday . Nothing but a white tie, perhaps not that, has distinguished them during the . week from the herd ; yet here they are to-day all gone into mourning.

It is curious, too, to observe how some contrive to combine thin ;<< incompatible, a certain distinctive garb with an athleticism truly lay They sacrifice either colour or cut . Thus they appear in the right cut,; but wrong colour ; or the right colour, but wrong cut. I have heard of a clergyman who perambulated Switzerland in a Norfolk suit black cloth with white tie, but do not myself believe this, and do ns' ask you to.

At last comes the day (and I feel no confidence that my reade are not glad to hear it is approaching) when it is time to move on..

Your seat at table d' Irate is to know you no more ; your bedroom a. stranger shall occupy. Such friends as you have made will accompany, you a little distance on your way, and there under the pine trees your shall make your half merry half sad farewells . For a week or more you have known them and learnt to like them, but you will never set them again . Should you happen to stumble upon one or other of them! years after in England, they will be altered, the same and yet not theta same. See, they are calling a last good bye as they watch you disap pearing round the mountains . Shoulder your knapsack, my friend, and let your alpinstock ring upon the stones ; foot it bravely ; don't_ you remember that Archbishop Leighton, than whom no prelate wasw more holy, used to say a man should die in an inn ?

A.

SCHOOL LETTER. NE long wail at the weather would in all probability express the feelings which have occupied the majority of the School so far this term . In the mornings it has looked fairly promising, but as surely as the afternoon approached the rain came too . Only twice has it been possible to have a game, while practice has been seriously interfered with . Under these circumstances it is hard to make any prognostications as to the fortunes which will attend our arms in cricket . We have only three of last year 's team remaining, and with Whaley, who has been appointed Secretary, this leaves seven vacancies to be filled up, to do which no very striking talent has as yet shown itself.

O

As far as we can judge the bowling will be weaker than the batting.

But McClellan has shown fair form . Whaley, so far, has not fulfilled the promise of last year, but will doubtless improve as the season goes on ; there are several more who can bowl but have never yet been tried for the School . With regard to batting, Crawshaw is stylish and will, we hope, do great things for us ; his score in the " Six v . Twelve " was very neatly put together. McClellan also seems to have improved, while the two Procters and \Vaud should prove useful . Our list of fixtures is a fairly long one, and includes we see matches with Clifton and Flaxton, which for the last year or two have been discontinued.

We feel we must not bring our efforts to a close without congratulating the headmaster on the addition of a son to his family ; as yet he is nameless, but we hope he may live a long life of usefulness and prosperity .

OXFORD LETTER. HE hopes of warm weather, which at the beginning of term seemed in a good way of being realised, have been sadly disappointed.

The fine warm clays with which May began have been followed by continuous cold and wet, This has interfered very much with cricket, and has made rowing very unpleasant. The eights begin on May 27th, and last for six nights . At present the pick seem to be Magdalen, with Girdlestone stroke and Unwin 7, and Corpus, whose boat is head of the river. New are very fairly strong, and aided by the Macleans should prove a good boat . The question of headship depends on the

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40

OXFORD LETTER.

improvement Corpus and Magdalen may make in the next week.

Corpus are very strong, but Magdalen row in far better style than any other boat, and will make a good attempt to gain the place of honour. The coaches have had a very unpleasant time lately, and may be seen running bare-legged up and down the flooded banks.

Cricket, too, has been rendered very unenjoyable by the cold and wet . All the trial matches so far have been spoilt from a cricket point of view. In the Seniors' match Glennie, of Keble, showed splendid form for 138 in the second innings of Mr . Cobb ' s side . He, with Coles, put on 22o for the first wicket, the latter having made 7o in good style . H . T . Arnall-Thompson, whom some will remember as having appeared for Leicestershire under the name of Arnall, did the best piece of bowling . In the Freshmen's match, Rashleigh, Foster, Wreford-Brown and Bateson batted as well as could be expected on the treacherous wicket, while Rawlinson and Bromley Martin bowled the best, the former obtaining twelve wickets for 83, and the latter six for 24 . St . Peter's was represented by H . W . Rhodes, who, however, failed to come off. The Eleven beat Sixteen Freshmen by an innings and 12 runs . Wreford-Brown and Rashleigh again showed the best form with the bat . Bradby, of whom so much was expected, has done nothing yet, and A . P . Watson, of Harrow renown, has not done as much as was expected of him . But perhaps when the weather becomes more suitable for cricket they will regain their school form . The first match is against the Australians, on May 27, 28, 29, to be followed by matches against Surrey, Lancashire, and M .C .C . There is not much hope of our being able to repeat our victory of ISS4 over the Colonists, as we shall be very weak in bowling. It is to be hoped, however, that Whitby will regain his old form this year, as with the exception of the Freshman from Malvern—Rawlinson—there is no fast bowler of any note .

The plan for removing College Cricket to the Parks is now again under the consideration of the Council . The change from the dead wickets of Cowley Marsh to the splendid ground in the Parks would be beneficial in every way.

Another sad drowning accident occurred at Iflley a week or so ago, which ended in the death of a little girl of thirteen, who fell out of a punt, and was carr ied through the open mill weir at Iffley, and drowned . A child who fell in at the same time was rescued by a sailing boat. The evidence at the inquest proved that the girl's life

CAMBRIDGE LETTER .

41

might easily have been saved, and a severe censure was passed on the deputy lock-keeper, who was chiefly to blame.

The New Theatre continues to flourish, and has been visited by some good comedy ccmpanies . We are to be visited soon by Henry Irving, who will give some lectures on the " Age of Shakespeare ."

1V. G . Wilson and H . W . Rhodes are playing for their College Eleven.

CAMBRIDGE LETTER. I IE tripos fever is again at its height . The one cry is, " What are you going to get, " and the wretched victim replies with a sepulchral groan, " Oh, a plough ; or if I ' m lucky, a low third . " Only two Old Peterites are in for honours this year, Stevenson, who will probably take a good second, and another, who is a hot favourite for the wooden spoon, but owing to modesty does not wish his name to appear.

In the athletic world cricket is again prominent . The 'Varsity have seven old choices, and with several very promising Freshmen, we need have no anxiety as to the result of the Inter-'Varsity match.

Doubtless the eleven will have to be chosen more from the reputation of the players, than from this year's form, as the shortness of the term and the bad weather have made it impossible to give every one a fair trial . At present the most prominent among the seniors are Porter, of Trinity, Moline, and Mirehouse, of Jesus ; of the Freshmen, Thomas, the late Eton captain, and Butler, of Harr ow, ought to have a very good chance of obtaining their blue . We must not forget to mention . that Stevenson is captain of Christ ' s Eleven, and Lord has been playing for Clare . having an average of 26 for five matches.

The races this year will in all probability produce much more excitement than in previous years . Jesus will have to do all they know to keep head, having had a run of bad luck, their 7, Fairbairn, being laid up with jaundice, and their 5 being unable to row owing to examinations . Third Trinity have got four blues, and four men who will at least be trial eight men, so ought to go head easily . Of the -other boats, Emmanuel, Clare, and perhaps Corpus will go up . We .are sorry to see that Little is not able to keep his place in Trinity Hall third, his sliding being faulty ; we would recommend Peterites

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42

BOAT RACES.

not to bucket to Poppleton and back in the " Slider " if they wish to• obtain a place in a college crew, as bad sliding is never got rid of . We must not conclude without congratulating Clarke on his being chosen to play tennis for Corpus .

BOAT RACES. SENIOR PAIRS . (Prize given by Mrs . Gilbert .)

FINAL. J . Wilson (how) R . Crawshaw (str .)

J . Mortimer (cox .)

F . Bulman (bow) G . C . Wand (str .)

II. Whitby (cox )

Little energy was shown in this race, and Wilson and Crawshawwon by about one length . Bloomfield and McClellan afterwards rowed off for seconds, but Waud and Bulman had it all their own way.

JUNIOR SCULLS . (Prize given by Mr . Newman .)

II . Metcalfe

F. Mitchell.

A good race ensued, and Mitchell won by half a length.

FINAL. F . Mitchell

G . Lane.

Mitchell paddled away from the start, and won by about nine . lengths .

JUNIOR PAIRS . (Prize given by Mr . C . Johnson .)

FINAL. J . Mortimer (bow) G. Lane (str .)

C . Lane (cox .)

C . Metcalfe (how) II . Metcalfe (str .)

II . Whitby (cox)

The river was in terrible condition when this race was rowed, being more like a heavy sea . Lane and Mortimer pulled well throughout, and although inferior in size, won cleverly by four lengths.

SENIOR SCULLS . (Prize given by Mr . Atkinson .)

R . Crawshaw .' . N . Williamson.

This race was exceedingly exciting. Crawshaw did not seem to exert himself much till he ran into the bank, giving Williamson some four lengths lead . Getting well into " the straight," Crawshaw put on a grand spurt, and caught Williamson up on the post, where a foul ensued in mid-stream . On the race being rowed over, Crawshaw won. with comparitive ease by three lengths .

R011' RACES .

43

FINAL. J . Wilson

it . Crawshaw.

Wilson, the last year's winner, had the race pretty well in his ovIn. hands at the corner. The remainder was a paddle over, won by four lengths .

SENIOR PAIRS. A . Rose (bow) N . Williamson (str ) C . Lane (cox .)

F . Bulman (bow) G . C. Waud (str.)

H . Whitby (cox)

A good race resulted as far as the Corner, where Williamson unfortunately fouled, through being too closely steered, and thus lost the race .

SECOND JUNIOR HOUSE FOURS . (FINAL,) SCHOOL HOUSE v . DAY BOYS. SCHOOL HOUSE .

DAYBOYS. C . Metcalfe (bow) G . Lane (bow) H . Metcalfe E . D . Carter F . Mitchell T . Isherwood N . Hood (str .)

R . Wade (str.)

J . Leaf (cox .)

C . Lane (cox .)

The School House were in the rear at the start, but soon caught up their opponents . At the Corner they were a clear length ahead, and pulling in far superior style to the Day Boys, won by a good three lengths .

SENIOR FOURS . (FINAL.) SCHOOL HOUSE v. DAY BOYS. DAY BOYS .

SCHOOL HOUSE. A. Rose (bow) F . Bulman (bow) C . W . Gabb H . W . Allan J . Wilson T . P . Clarke N . Williamson (An) G . C . Waud (str .)

C . Lane (cox .)

R . Crosthwaite (cox .)

The Day Boys obtained a slight lead at the start, and as the School House did not settle down to work, increased it, winning by about three lengths . Both crews were done, but the School House did not pull so well as against the Rev . C . R . Gilbert's.

SCHOOL z' . OLD BOYS. OLD BOYS. E . A. Lane (bow) W . G. Wilson R . D . C . Rose II . W . Rhodes (str.)

C . E . Tyndale-Biscoe (cox.)

SCHOOL. F . Bulman (bow) C . W . Gabb J . G . Wilson R . Craw.shaww (str.)

J. Mortimer (cox .)

Both boats got away well at the start, the Old Boys having a slight advantage . Their lead was increased, and Crawshaw spurted in vain, the Old Boys winning easily by about three lengths.

44

DEBATING SOCIETY. N April roth this society held its last meeting . There was a very fair attendance, W . Peck bringing a motion that it would he injurious to abolish capital punishment . The mover spoke of the

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death penalty as having most weight with a man likely to commit murder, who would not stop to think of the misery of a prison life, but would be appealed to directly if his neck were in danger . He instanced Ireland as an example of what was likely to become the case in England if capital punishment was abolished . H . Bloomfield briefly seconded the motion, expressing his opinion that death was the only punishment equal to or likely to stop the crime of murder . In opposing, L . W. Pickles pointed out that the object of punishment was not to gratify a sort of spirit of revenge supposed to exist in the law, but to lead to improvement in the future . He objected to the reference to Ireland, which was not at all a parallel case, and further advocated the advisability of having degrees in the crime of murder, with appropriate penalties . The discussion was continued by J . G . Wilson, who said if Ireland were not a fair parallel at least France was, and that there the abolition of the death penalty had led to an enormous increase of crime . H . McClellan spoke somewhat amusingly on such a grim subject, on the opposition side, and was followed by Rev . W . Routh, who said he was able to support what was said by a former speaker as to the object of punishment, and also in some other particulars, as that of degree . France had been quoted for the motion, but Switzerland could equally be brought against it, and he was of opinion that some change in the law was needful . W . Peck then replied . On division the numbers were found to be equal, the chairman therefore gave his casting vote, which was against the motion.

For the Motion Against ...

Majority against

.. r r 12 ...

r

After the numbers had been read, votes of thanks were proposed and carried to Mr . Routh for his services in the chair, and to the ladies who had been good enough to lend their presence at the debates, thus bringing the meetings for the term to a close .

45

CRIChET. FIXTURES .—FIRST ELEVEN. May 29 . Clifton, home.

June I . North Riding Asylum, away.

June 5 . St . John's College, home.

June 10. Yorkshire Gentlemen, away.

June 12 . York Law, away.

June 15 . Flaxton, home.

June 17 . York, away.

June 19 . Durham Grammar School, home.

June 22. Yorkshire Gentlemen, away.

June 24 . J . Walker's team, home.

June 26 . Ripon Grammar School, away.

June 29. Old Boys, home.

July I . York Law, home.

July 3 . Durham Grammar School, away.

July 6. York, home.

July 8 . J . Walker's team, home, July 10 . Leeds Grammar School, away.

FIXTURES .—SECOND ELEVEN. June 17. St . Olave's School, home.

June 26. Archbishop Holgate's School, home.

July 3 . St . Olave's School, home.

July lo . Archbishop Holgate's School, home.

July 17. St . George's College, Harrogate, home.

FIRST SIX v. NEXT THIRTEEN. FIRST SIX. FIRST INNINGS. H, T . McClellan, c Jackson b Itulman R . Crawshaw, c Scarbrough b Bulman G. C . Ward, b Scarbrough .

E. Procter, c Jackson b Scarbrough .

W . K. Procter, b Scarbrough 0. W. Whaley, not out Total

.

.

. . . .

.

5 . 13 . I 6 IO 2

SECOND INNINGS. b Scarbrough 13 b Scarbrough 45 b Mitchell 5 b Mitchell 8 c Williamson b Metcalfe , o not out 6 Extras 3

.

. 37

Total

FIRST SIx .—First Innings.

O. DI .

F. Bulman . . . .

II 0 J . Scarbrough . . .

11 4

R. 24 13

\V. 2

Second . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27 18 25 6 I

2 O 2 0 I

J . Scarbrough F . Bulman F. Mitchell G. Campbell H. Metcalfe

Innings. .

12 .

7 .

11 .

4 .

3

0 I 1

So

46

OBITUARY. NEXT THIRTEEN. FIRST INNINGS. N . Williamson, c Crawshaw b McClellan E. Carter, b McClellan F. Mitchell, run out II . Jackson, b McClellan F. Bulman, b McClellan T . Scarbrough, c Procter b McClellan J . E. Gofton, b Procter T. Isherwood, b McClellan II . \V . Allan, b McClellan R . Crosthwaite, c and b McClellan J . G. Wilson, b Whaley Mr . Yeld, not out II, Metcalfe . b Whaley Extras

I o 3 28 3 3 8 3 3 6 o 3

Total

(6

SECOND INNINGS. Mr. Yeld, b Whaley N . Williamson, run out F. Bulman, b McClellan II . W . Allan, b Whaley T . Scarbrough, b McClellan IL Jackson, st McClellan b Whaley F . Mitchell, run out J . G. Wilson, b Whaley T . E . Gofton, b Whaley H. Metcalfe, b Whaley E . Carter, not out G. Campbell, c McClellan b Whaley T . Isherwood, b Whaley Extras

6 o o 3 5 2 o o 2 I2 o o 3

Total

34

NEXT TIIIRTEEN .—First Innings.

0.

M. R. II . T . McClellan . .

17 2 29 O . W . Whaley . . .

15 6 14 W. F . Procter . . .

5 0 17 . . . .

2 I 4 E . Procter

AV. 8 2 I 0

Second Innings. . .

16 II . T . McClellan 18 O . W . Whaley . . .

W . K . Procter . . .

3

2 8 0

9 8 0

12 15 3

3bttuar .

ON MAY 25TH, SERGEANT MAJOR SMITII, FOR

22

YEARS DRILL SERGEANT AT ST . PETER ' S SCHOOL.

1

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CORRESPONDENCE .

47

BIRTHS. On April 22nd, the wife of G . Yeld, Esq ., of a son.

On May 23rd, the wife of Rev . E . Bulmer of a son.

On May 25th, the wife of Rev . H . M . Stephenson of a son.

CORRESPONDENCE. To

THE EDITORS OF THE PETERITE.

SIRS,

I cannot help thinking that the Theatricals would better attain their end, or, at least my conception of it, if the present system of preparation and rehearsals were discontinued . The alterations I would suggest are : (I) The play to be selected and the caste arranged during this term.

(2) No rehearsals until the actors know their parts.

(3) That it should be the duty of the prompters and committee to see that the parts were known within a certain time.

If I may venture to speak on the strength of three years intimate connection with the management of the theatricals and subsequent observation, I should say that no improvement is ever made till the last fortnight, that is till the actors begin to have a fair knowledge of their parts . The rehearsals up to this point are as if they had not been ; as to the practice of reading from books, it is sheer waste of time . I will go further than this ; I say that ignorance of a part during the last dozen rehearsals, though slight, means bad acting at the performance . 1 do not allude to a complete stoppage on the very tight, though I have in my time looked forward to that with fear and trembling . What I mean is this :—The rehearsals may be divided into three sections ; (r) reading, (2) without books and before the parts are known, (3) final preparation, when the parts are supposed to be known . Of these the second is wasted ; the first worse than wasted, for it is hurtful . And for this reason, the principal and primary difficulty the actor has to contend with is nervousness, fear at the sound of his own voice ; this can only be overcome by growing accustomed to the sound of speaking his part naturally, not that of reading it, perhaps without intelligence . Reading, then, cannot overcome this ; it cannot even teach the part ; all it can do is to encourage a monotonous delivery after the part has been learned : a defect that is the hardest

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of all to remove . The best and boldest swimmers are those who have been thrown into the water and left to themselves . The second set is also wasted : till the actor knows his part he cannot afford to attend to advice offered ; his time is fully engaged with thinking about what comes next, instead of what is now. How can he enter into the present situation and his own relation to it, when his mind is engrossed with some speech ten or fifteen lines in the future? Why is it that there is more stumbling in the last week than the fortnight before? If the greater portion of the rehearsals has any positive result, it is that it breeds a number of bad habits that are almost unconquerable . Beyond this, the moral effect is bad ; the weary round makes the actors listless, and intensifies the faults that result from the style of preparation . It is of the younger actors I would mainly speak, seeing that their age and position prevents them from speaking for themselves . Their acting was the feature of last theatricals ; this alone is sufficient claim for consideration . What they complain of is the constant night after night ; they soon repent their rash enthusiasm at the first ; then all is a weary blank till the dresses arrive to wake them up again . It is not so with the older actors ; they have the excitement of managing and many other things to interest them all the time ; the younger a r e more or less slaves : and I take the theatricals to defeat their main object unless they afford pleasure to those who spend all their nights upon them . All this would, I think, be avoided, if the above suggestions were adopted. The theatricals would be better, and the work for.all engaged pleasanter, and the time less ; the actors would only have to learn their parts instead of reading it, etc ., besides ; the prompters would have more time for the other duties at the last ; nor ought the committee, at present an idle ornament, to grudge a little of the time, that they would also be saved from the rehearsals, in trying to make the theatricals a greater success, and more enjoyable for spectators and performers alike .

NOTES AND ITEMS. The Old Boys match will be played on June 29th . All who wish to play are requested to send their names to O . W. Whaley.

J . H . P . Fowler has gained the Chancellor ' s Prize for an English Essay.

Rev . F . M . Haregreaves, Keble Coll ., Oxford, has taken his M .A. degree .