Feb 1894

TIII~

PETERITE. Vol. . XI I .

FEBRUARY, 1894 .

No . ioS.

SCHOOL LETTER. FEAR it is rather late to remark upon the birth of the New Year, as by this time our boat is well launched upon the sea of 1594 ; but as this is the first number of our magazine for the year, I should just like to point out that Big Peter did stir up our midnight repose, as the Old Year left us, with his solemn boom, and the joy-bells rung in the New Year as per usual, a few weeks ago . When we look back upon the `back end ' shall I say, of the Old Year, we burst forth with congratulations to Mr . Yeld for the success of his labours, and those of his kind helpers, Messrs . Preston and Moss ; yes, the " Merchant of Venice " was splendid . In the Old Boys match, the verdict of the previous game was reversed, and we were beaten by a narrow margin of three points . The chance of playing in what was practically the final of the cup was wrested from us owing to Ripon having the measles, and it was decided that both teams should have medals, the cup to be held by the Bradford Tnasurer .

It seems rather as if we got the shell, and lost the kernel, but fate seemed against us.

At any rate the present system, in case of illness and other such emergencies, seems far from satisfactory .

With regard to the holidays, they were longer than usual, a fact which everybody naturally lamented.

Skating was conspicuous rather for its absence . So I daresay most people got out a Horace and levelled the Odes, while others tossed off a few books relating to Hydrostatics . However that may be, these holidays like all other holidays came to an end quite soon enough, and we are again plunged into the whirling eddies and unsuspected mantraps, which are laid for

I

462

THE SCHOOL PT .AY.

us by the ancients, and the moderns as well, I grieve to say may Peterites in the coming year steer clear of them and gain great victories for their school . The term ' s boating promises to be a success, at least it will not be the fault of Mr . Head if it is not. We hope the School boat will give the Old Boys another beating. The new boats will, no doubt, add greatly to our improvement ; we shall no more see races rowed in those lumbering old tubs that have been our ordinary racing craft, until by the untiring efforts of Old Boys new boats were provided .

I think there are good grounds for saying that the gymnasium is on a better way to being a reality than it ever was before . I don ' t know that there is much more to say.

I' m writing on the last day of the holidays, the last mince-pie has been eaten, the last crumbs of the Christmas plum pudding have disappeared, and I cannot but grieve to think that by the time Messrs. Ben Johnson have finished with these long pages of manuscript, and the School letter fills up the usual page of The Peterife, the term will be well on its way . Adieu, sweet friends, adieu, especially to the burly form of C . Newton, a prominent member of both cricket and football teams, who has turned his back on these four walls for ever.

THE SCHOOL PLAY. I' has been said that the school always improves on the play of the preceding year, and whether this be true or not, we can certainly say that no school play has ever met with such success as the second performance of the " Merchant of Venice," at any rate within the memory of those at the school now.

This, too, is all the more creditable as about the middle of November the influenza deprived us of our stage-manager for a week or two, and with such a formidable play before us, this seemed to strike a severe blow at the success of the play.

However, a temporary substitute was soon found in Mr . Preston and under his supervision we made some progress . We had Mr. Yeld back the last fortnight before the end, and though having some anxiety lest the same disease which was seizing on

I

THE SCHOOL PLAY.

463

some fresh victim from time to time, should take away some prominent actor, we arrived at the week before the performance without any such misfortune coming to pass . Then came, not the influenza fiend, but that energetic and good-natured Old Boy Mr . Hugh Moss, who was staying in York for a week, and gave up two or three nights to come and coach us, and so we arrived at the end of our labours with a result as satisfactory as could be wished . Captain Lindberg once again was good enough to paint some scenery for us and simply put into the shade all his former pictures by the " Street in Venice " ; which is saying a great deal.

Our heartiest thanks are due to those who helped us to achieve this result, more especially to Dr. Naylor and Dr . Hingston, and of course to 1\Ir . Moss . The epilogue was as usual written by Mr . Veld, and was read by llassanio . An extract from the Yorkshire Herald, and a criticism, will be found below.

'pc

c:7eicliattf

of Teficc.

By \V"ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

Circa 1 595 .

The Duke of Venice The Prince of dlorocco Suitors to Portia The Prince of Arragon f Antonio (a merchant of Venice) Gassanio (his friend, suitor likewise to Portia) Salan:o Salerino Friends to Antonio and Lassanio Gr aliano Salerio Lorenco (in love with Jessica) Shylock (a rich Jew) Tribal (a Jew, his friend) . . ..

Launa.lot Gobbo (the clown, servant to Shylock) ..

Old G,'bbo (his father) Leonardo (servant to Bassanio) Balthasar Servants to Portia St phano Portia (a rich heiress) ..

Iverissa (her waiting maid) ..

H . R . PARTINGTON. A . W. EASrwoon. . . (C . P . WHixCCP. . . J . E . METCALFE. . . W . A . ROSE. (B . DRAPER. A . M . SULLIVAN. • • C . W . NEWTON. S . DOBSON. . . G . P . IIAWORTH. R . H . BAILEY. K . J . Roy. W . C . B . WILLIAMS. J . SiiP,FHERn. . . L. H . MorsER. ( E. M . HINGSTON. {l R. K . VELD. . . G . G . VELD. N . F . ADms.

F . CLEMONS. Jessica (daughter to Shylock) Magnilicucs of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice . Gaoler, Servants to Portia, and other attendants .

THE SCHOOL PLAY.

46 4

ACT I.

Scene r .-Venice .

A Street.

2 . —Belmont .

A

Room in Portia' s House.

ACT II. Scene 1 .-Venice . Before Shylock 's House.

2,—Belmont . A Room in Iortia's House.

3 .—Venice .

A Street.

4 .—Belmont. A Room in Portia's House.

ACT III. Scene 1 .—Venice . .1 Street.

2 .—Belmont . A Room in Portia ' s House.

3 .—Venice . A Street.

4 .—Belmont . The Gardens of Portia's IIousc.

ACT IV. Scene 1 .—Venice . A Court of Justice.

2 .—Venice . A Street.

ACT V. Scene I .—Belmont . "Phe Gardens of Portia's House.

The New Scenery by T . II . Lindberg, Esq. 7'he .11usic for the son„ "7rll me where is fancy bred in Act III, specially composed for the occasion by Dr . NAYLOR, Organist of York !Minster.

The Solo sung by M . SCOTT, accompanied by A . SAMPLE, Esq. Committee.

C . W . NEWTON . ~ \V . A . RusE. Holt .

R . II . BAILEY .

E. W . 11 . IIENSON.

S .crdary and Treasurer. A . Ti . EASTWOOD. Assistant Secretary.

J . E. METCALFE.

77re Stag.

Stage Manager ..

G . VELD, Esq.

Prompter

If . R. PARTINUTON.

..

Under-Prompter

F . C . I1E1.

Property Man ..

Super blaster . .

C . P. CAss.

Call Boys

C . 1' . \\- IIINCUr. , .

C . SPENCE, R .

G.

PAVER-CROW .

THE SCHOOL PLAY. EXTRACT FROM THE

465

"HERALD ."

The annual representation of one of Shakespeare ' s plays was given at St. Peter's School, York, on Saturday night . The piece chosen this year was " THE MERCHANT OF' VENICE, " an interval of thirteen years having elapsed since it was last put on the school stage . The full-dress rehearsal or "Children's Night" was given on Thursday afternoon, the Archbishop of York and Mrs . Maclagan being among the spectators . Shakespeare is always a difficult subject for amateurs, still more so for boys ; but, in spite of this initial difficulty, the performance was in every way worthy of the play . The scenic arrangements were excellent.

Two new scenes of Venice had been kindly painted by Mr . '1'. H. Lindberg, and both were much admired, the one which showed the Column of St . Mark obtaining special notice and appreciation . Taking the performance as a whole, before remarking on individual players, it might very well be said that it is even above the good average of the St . Peter ' s plays . Enough praise cannot be bestowed on the untiring energy which Mr . Veld must have displayed to bring his " company '' to their state of perfection.

Individual criticism is always hard on young players ; overpraise, on the contrary, often doing much harm ; but there are a few characters which cannot be passed over without notice .

The honours of the evening were undoubtedly carried off by Bailey, who sustained the difficult part of Shylock with real ability . His conception of the character was distinctly artistic, and he was remarkably successful in the trial scene in depicting first the revengeful, inexorable creditor, gloating over the opportunity to indulge a hatred intensified by many wrongs to himself and his race, and then the suppliant pleading for mercy from the very tribunal which he had urged to be punctilious in fulfilling the strict letter of the law . Throughout the play the gesture and action were in complete accord with his words, and he never fell into what is so often a young player's fault in a long part—monotony.

U. Veld, as Portia, had undoubtedly a very hard part to play, but he did it well .

He scarcely seemed to realise the crisis reached in the casket scene where Bassanio makes his choice, B

466

THE SCHOOL PLAY.

in which the Jew story, the ring story, and the love episode between Portia and Bassanio all really culminate ; but, apart from this, he sustained the r%ile he had to play really well, his performance in the trial scene being dignified and sympathetic.

Rose, as Bassanio, threw more life into his acting than any of His accompanying the others, with the exception of SlaArk. .

Antonio was well done by Metcalfe, actions were especially good his pleasant and quiet voice . with an apparent tinge of natural melancholy, suiting the part to perfection .

Old Gobbo and Launcelot were equally rendered by Shepherd and Williams, the latter' s soliloquy on the calls of "Conscience and the Fiend " being excellently performed, and Haworth made a picturesque Lorenzo.

Of the rest, it is impossible to say more than they all helped to make the play one of the most successful yet seen at St . Peter ' s . All the characters were called before the curtain at the end of the fourth act, and a similar compliment was paid to Mr . G. Veld, the stage manager, Mr. T . H . Lindberg, Mr . Hugh Moss, and others, who had assisted to make the performance a success . Mr. Veld said they desired to thank Mr. Lindberg for his artistic pictures ; Dr. Hingston for the loan of plants ; Dr. Naylor, who composed a charming setting of "Tell me where is fancy bred, " in the third act ; Mrs . Burton, and Dlr . Hugh Moss . It was to Mr . Hugh Moss that the school owed those representations of Shakespeare . (Applause .) Though he was a very busy man, he had found time to go down two evenings and coach the boys—(applause)—and they were deeply grateful to him . He was always ready to do everything he could for the school . The full cast of characters was as follows :— The Duke of Venice, H . R . Partington ; the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon, suitors to Portia, A . W. Eastwood and C . P . Whincup ; Antonio, a merchant of Venice, J . E . Metcalfe Bassanio, his friend, suitor likewise to Portia, W . A. Rose; Salanio, Sabrina, Gratiano, and Salerio, friends to Antonio and Bassanio, B . Draper, A . M . Sullivan, C . W . Newton, and S. Dobson ; Lorcnao, in love with Jessica, G . P . Haworth Slrylork, a rich Jew, R . H . Bailey ; Tuba/, a Jew, his friend ,

467

THE SCHOOL PLAY .

K . J . Roy ; Lanncelot Gobbo, the clown, servant to Shylock, W . C . B . Williams ; Old Gobbo, father to Launcelot, J . Shepherd ; Leonardo, servant to Bassanio, L. H . Moiser ; Balthasar and Stethano, servants to Pcrl. t, E . M . Hingston and R . K . Yeld ; Portia, a rich heiress, G . G . Yeld ; Nerissa, her waiting maid, N . F. Addis ; Jessica, daughter to Shylock, F . Clemons . Mr . G. Veld acted as stage manager, H . R. Partington as prompter

F. C .

Hey as under-prompter, C . P. Cass as property man

C . P . Whincup

as

Paver-Crow as call

super-master, and

boys .

C.

Spence and

At the conclusion

following epilogue was recited

of

R . G.

the play_ the

by Piassanio :—

THE EPILOGUE. Sweet friends, on these occasions we usually report Our chief successes in the world of scholarship and sport ; But this year's great event—this year's triumphant joy has been The gracious visit paid us by our future King and Queen.

'Tis not by armies or by fleets Victoria holds her throne, But by the far more mighty force that springs from love alone !

And dear as she is dear shall be her ever-glorious line, And dear the Duke and Duchess too who could so well divine The gift that brings to every boy the joy-blush on the cheek, The undivided pleasure of the glorious extra week.

Long live the Duke and his lovely Bride ! and when they come to rule May they still feel a kindly love for England's oldest School.

On Cam and Isis I'eterites some worthy deeds have done ;

(t) at St . Catherine's the place of premier scholar won ; Leaf (2) has attained the shining heights attained but by so few, And crowned a First-Class in Part One with a First Class in Part Two. Clarke

Wilkinson (3) came so near a First, his Second seems a fraud, And Williams (4) too, while Cotterill (5) scored a triumph we applaud At Balliol,—where St . Peter's in years successive made So great a mark in days of yore with Fausset and with Wade, While in the field of poetry we've pleasant news to tell In the great success of him (6) who wrote the lay of " Ashtorel ."

And every lover of the School congratulates it on its Claim to the famous Author (7) of " A Century of Sonnets ."

N .B . If any Peterite goes in for mountaineering, We recommend one volume (8) of a series now appearing ; The work is portable in form, and practical in tone, " Who's view is this?" you ask, and I reply " The author's own . "

4 68

THE SCHOOL

PLAY.

At Football we ' ve not done amiss—and hearty thanks accord', To those who helped us—notably to Messrs . Head and Lord.

For if we have not won the cup outright, we yet can say We scored three times as many points as the School we missed to play.

Mitchell (a) at Cambridge got his " Blue "—a right good man is he, oh !

And at St . Thomas's we boast a much-applauded trio.

We wish for Mr. Barnby all joy in his repose, Long years before " the setting sun and music at the close ."

Success to Mr. Sample's skill ! And may Lorenzo's reasons Keep safe one tender juvenals from Erebus and treasons.

Mr . Miller is, we trust, by this at Felstead well afloat ; We none of us shall e'er forget what he did for our Boat ; That Boat that four years running the O .P.'s gave to lose, Although they all were men of mark and made distinguished crews.

We welcome Mr . Head and trust that when he holds the tiller He'll coach us with the same success achieved by Mr . Miller.

We hope life's wheels with Mr . Sworn to music sweet are speeding, And joy's thermometer ne'er gives less than a normal reading.

And we all for Mr . Ensor wish a strong crop of successes In the shape (we've turned them out ere now) of future F .R .S's.

Sweet friends, we thank you deeply for your gracious patronage Your kind applause it is that makes the sunshine of our stage.

This year we felt some qualms, we felt how great had been our loss, Because " The Merchant" here was first put on this stage by Moss.

We felt we were audacious —our consciences reproached us When lo ! Hugh Moss himself appeared and opportunely coached us!

So that if we have failed, sweet friends, this charming play to render, Be to our faults a little more than usually tender.

But this we know you will be—and therefore with a cheer Wish you a merry Christmas and the happiest New Year.

(1) E . W . Clarke, First Open Classical Scholarship, St . Catharine's College, Cambridge.

(2) F . Leaf, Frst-class in the Classical Tripos, Cambridge, Part I ., 1892, Part II, 1893, now VI. Form Master at Marlborough.

(3) K . E. T . Wilkinson, exhibitioner of Caius College, Cambridge, second-class, 1st division Classical Tripos. ( t ) H . It . Williams, Hastings Exhibitioner, Queen's College, Oxford, 2nd Class Honours Moderations.

(5) C . 13 . Cotterill, the open Mathematical Scholarship, Balliol College, Oxford.

(6) E . \V . L'rockbank, author of Ashtorel and other poems (London ; Began, Paul & Co.) (7) Samuel Waddington, author of "A Century of Sonnets ."

(8) The Climbers' Guide to the Mountains of Cogne, by G . Veld and W .

Coolidge (London : Fisher Unwin).

(9) F . Mitchell, Caius College, played for Cambridge versus Oxford.

(1o) N. L. Hood, S. O . Bingham, F . M . Bingham, play for St . Thomas 's Hospital, and Hood for Surrey County .

CarrrclsM

OF THE PLAY .

469

CRITICISM OF THE PLAY. I' seems a little invidious to be asked to write under so painful a heading, and suggests the thought that animadversions are asked for where only admiration would have been offered ; but, the opportunity occurring, it may he permissible to say that the last " Theatricals " did give room both for warm congratulation and for that form of hopefulness that arises from a possibility of improvement . The selection of the " Merchant of Venice " was naturally a popular one ; but the production of a well-known play works in two ways ; its familiarity helps off the sketchiness inseparable from an amateur performance ; it also emphasizes that demand for accuracy of treatment which is brought to a scholarly presentation, and a scholarly presentation It struck the casual observer, howis looked for at St . Peter' s . ever, that in character, situation, even in wording, the rendering departed from the lines laid down by Shakespeare .

Ex pede Ncrculem "Good signiors both, when shall we laugh?" Bassanio is made to say to the most solemn of a solemn company : Was it sarcasm ? Gratiano announces his aim in the exclamation "Let me play the fool ;" but he never did : he was perhaps let in another sense . It was the gentlest statement of fact that drew forth Shylock's comment : " Why, look you, how you storm !" a rare thing in storms, and very like a Scotch mist.

A perfectly gratuitous piece of vulgarity, neither art nor nature, making the Rothschild of Venice look like a squinting cobbler, allowed him no more than time to hurry to his feet to say "I stand here for law ."

Even old Gobbo marred a delightfully clever impersonation by repeatedly wandering to the wings in a series of speeches written as interruptions to his son .

A play is not a series of stage effects.

The distinguishing merit of the performance was the deliberate distinctness of enunciation with which nearly every part was spoken .

Lorenzo, especially, it was a delight to listen to : his effort, be it said with bated breath and whispering humbleness, was what may be called the selfishness of the playing . A "part" is plainly a part, a part of the dramatic whole, not of a scene,

I

470

FOOTBALL.

not even only of a play,—when Shakespeare writes it--but of an irnagined stretch of human life ; and this effect is not produced by players who from time to time turn to the footlights, repeat a few lines to the circumambient air and drop back into their native indifference.

There were exceptions.

Bassanio was one . His part in the play is secondary, almost passive, yet from first to last he was alive, with a share and an interest, not only in what he did, but in what every one else did too ; even when returning to the stage he produced the impression that he had been laughing with Gratiano or There should, however, be a limit : Shylock visiting Portia. over-passed it in under-going somewhere some treatment not prescribed by Shakespeare, which metamorphosed his decrepit, sticksupported crookedness into a firm sturdiness between the third act and the fourth.

After all, these are "minor points," only to be mentioned here.

It was a very pleasant performance, well mounted, smoothly played, creditable to all concerned . The " Merchant " is not a comic play, but the management, knowing our taste, kindly provided a little fun with comets and balconies, blue globes, blue sheets of paper, and smirch faced magnificos for which we were grateful . It is not necessary to specify merit separately again here ; that has been duly chronicled in another place . The hope cannot, however, be too often expressed that the third perfor mance will follow on the second with shorter interval than divided this from the first.

hOOTBALL. SCHOOL v . OLI) BOYS. Played on Dec . 19 .

Rose won the toss, and the Old Boys kicked against a rather strong wind . From a scrummage in the School half Mitchell passed to Lord, but the ball went wide, and the School forwards coming up, kicked to the O .P .'s 25, where Lord saved .

By a similar piece of play the ball was taken to the School 25 .

Partington now received a pass and ran well, but Lord and Draper, by smart runs, took the ball

FOOTBALL .

47 1

back . The last named immediately after stopped a dangerous rush . Dunkerley came through a scrummage and dribbled to Rose, who kicked into touch . Partington received the ball from Metcalfe, and gained ground by a judicious kick into touch.

Atkinson now got away with a dribble, but kicked too hard, and the ball went to Wheelwright, who dodged several opponents cleverly, and kicked to Spence . Mitchell now ran from the centre to the School 25, where he again got the ball and passed to Crombie. who was pushed into touch . Soon after, Eastwood got the ball near the centre and got clean through his opponents, Directly but Carter caught him about a yard from the line . afterwards, Eastwood made a similar run, and got in between the posts . The same player kicked the goal . Lord kicked off, and the ball finallly went into touch in the School 25 . Mitchell here got the ball from a scrummage, and was only stopped close to the goal line by Wheelwright . Wilkinson next got the ball from Mitchell and sprinted over the line.

Lord kicked a goal.

Half-time was now called.

After a very short interval Newton restarted, the ball going to Mitchell, who returned it well . After several prolonged scrummages in the School half, Mawson picked up and was not stopped until he got close to the line, where Wheelwright brought him down . The School forwards gradually forced their opponents back to the centre, but Mitchell led another attack, and passed to Crombie, who got close to the line . Here followed several well-fought scrummages, but at last Mitchell received the ball from Wilkinson and passed to Lord, who got in after a strong Partington kicked run .

Mitchell failed in his attempt at goal . out, the ball going to Lord, who ran and threw to Draper, but the ball went wide, and the latter had to save . A similar mistake by the School let in their opponents, who rushed the ball to the line . The following scrummage resulted in a minor.

Soon after the kick out, Crombie dribbled over the line, but failed to secure the ball . Time was now called . Score OLD

Boys, i goal, r try (S points). r goal (5 points) .

SCHOOL,

47 2

FOOT IIA LL.

REMARKS .—The game was mainly a forward one, the strong wind interfering with passing . Owing to the late start, the last half of the game was played in semi-darkness, which made it difficult to distinguish the forwards . The Old Boys played fourteen men only . Teams back, H . Wheelwright ; three-quarter backs, H . R . Partington, W . A . Rose, '1' . Leonard ; half-backs, A. W . Eastwood, J . E . Metcalfe ; forwards, C. W. Newton, R . H . Bailey, T. Romans, S . Dobson, G . P . Haworth.

W. C . B . Williams, K . J . Roy, E . F. Nevile, E . IV. H . Henson.

OLD Bovs .—Three-quarter backs . P . E . Lord (capt .), R . A .

Draper, '1' . S . Spence ; half-backs, F . Mitchell, K . E . T . Wilkinson; forwards, J . A . Dunkerley, J . A . Mawson, E . S . D . Carter, B. S . J . Scargill, N . T. Crombie, E . W . Clarke, W . H . M. Hancock, R . Whincup, M . F. Atkinson.

ScxooL .—Full

OLD BRADFORDIANS. Played on the School Ground on Saturday . December g, and resulted in a win for the School by 17 points to nil. Bradford won the toss, and Rose kicked off with a slight wind in his favour, and the return being prevented, play settled down in the visitors' 25 .

The School continued to press, and some good passing between Metcalfe, Mr . Lord, and Rose nearly resulted in Partington scoring, but the tackling of the visitors was very sure.

The ball was kept in the Bradfordians ' half, but their defence was so good that we could not get it away . Soon, however' the visitors were penalised for offside tactics near the posts, and Eastwood landed a goal .

After the kick off Bradford pressed, but could not score .

Partington then picked up in the loose, got through several of his opponents, and scored near the posts after running three-quarters the length of the field .

Eastwood failed at goal . The visitors pressed again, and half-time was After the interval a series called with play in the home 25 . of scrums took place at the half-way, and the School forwards, headed by Newton, Bailey, Haworth, and Mr . Head, rushed the ball to the 25 line . From a scrummage here, Metcalfe got possession

FOOTBALL .

473

and started a bout of passing, which ended in Mr . Lord scoring, all the backs having previously handled the ball . No goal . The visitors pressed again, but nothing came of it, and a forward rush on the part of the School, in which Newton, Dobson, and Mr . Head were conspicuous, took play into neutral territory, where Rose got the ball out to Partington, who scored behind the posts after a magnificent run, a goal resulting. After the kick off, the York forwards took the ball into the visitors' territory, and Bradford were defending when the whistle blew, with the score : School—2 goals (r penalty), 2 tries Old Bradfordians—nil.

(17

points).

The School on the whole played very well, the forwards having a distinct advantage over their op ponents, Newton, Mr . Head, Bailey, Haworth, and Dobson being always to the fore . Partington was the best of the backs, though all played a sound game, and the passing was very good.

The past season, though successful as regards results, has been in several ways unsatisfactory . We started with a back team that fitted themselves into their places, and in the first two matches gave great promise . Then Shepherd hurt his knee— off the field, be it noted—and upset matters considerably . After some manipulation, in which period we lost the Durham Match, Whincup developed into a good companion for Metcalfe, and all seemed well again, though the forwards were necessarily weakened by his withdrawal . In his second match in this new position he broke his collar-bone, and a new half was needed . It was then found needful to bring up Eastwood from full-back and trust to our three-quarters to protect his substitute . And this last arrangement brought us to the end of the term, but not without some anxieties, for Eastwood was himself laid up with influenza for a fortnight . However he missed no matches, and was one of the seven who played in all the ten games of the term, slight illnesses keeping others out of the team . Several matches also fell through from various causes, including our match with

474

FOOTIBALL.

Ripon, which would have settled the destination of the Cup. And with all due deference to the Committee, it passes our comprehension how a Challenge Cup can be taken away from the holders except after a defeat . This is one consideration which must have escaped their notice . To pass on from the disagreeable, out of the ten matches played, 8 have been won and 2 lost— against Durham and against the Old Boys (the second match).

The latter match is reported in the present number ; it was only lost by the majority of a try after an even game, and the effects of a week ' s idleness seemed to tell on the School . Perhaps the best victory of the team was against Mr . Joy's team, when with some six of the team away the match was won . The forwards, excellently led by Newton, came on a great deal towards the end of term . Though lacking in weight their combination improved considerably, and all the men promise well . Behind the scrummage owing to the mishaps already mentioned the combined work was hampered, but they often showed up well, and Partington 's running was a feature . The total scores were—for the School, 40 goals, 28 tries, or 281 points against 7 goals, 4 tries, or 47 points of our opponents . The tries have been scored by Partington, 28; Rose, 11 ; Leonard, 7 ; Eastwood, 4 ; Mr. Lord, Newton, \Vhincup, Metcalfe, 3 . Dobson, 2 ; Shepherd and Bailey, 1 . Eastwood dropped one goal and placed one from a penalty ; he kicked 20 out of 25 shots in front.

CHARACTERS OF THE TEAM. 1V. A . RosE (Capt .) ; Three-quarter, 9st. Sibs ., 189x .—Plays in the centre, and has worked very hard for the success of his team ; tackles and runs well ; has improved in kicking; passes unselfishly, but spoils it by delaying the least fraction in throwing out ; should not confine himself to the overhead throw.

A . W . EASTWOOD . Full-back, 9st . 12lbs., 1S91 .-A good kick ; saves very well, and is generally a safe tackler ; towards the end of the season proved useful at half, stopping rushes well ; improved in passing and running.

FOOTBALL .

475

Left Three-quarter, rest . 21bs ., 1891 .-A beautiful runner, dodges and hands off well ; can kick a long way, and takes his passes well ; is improving on the defence, marking his man better, but still does not like saving.

H . R . PARTINGTON .

Forward, 13st ., 1892 .-An untiring worker from beginning to end ; always near the ball ; very good out of touch and dribbles fairly ; a strong tackler ; has led the forwards excellently.

C . W . NEWTON .

Forward, lost . 31bs ., 1892 .-Another worker with a good knowledge of the game ; for his weight is admirable : tackles especially well ; played a good game at half until his accident, passing and kicking well.

C . P . WHINCUP .

Half-back, 9st . 61bs ., 1S93 .-Played better with Shepherd than with any of his late companions ; did a lot of tackling and saving ; sometimes a little wild in passing ; can run well, and might with advantage run more.

J . E . METCALFE .

Forward, lest . 61bs ., 1893 .-Has unluckily been called upon to play behind the scrummage on several occasions, with moderate success ; much more useful in the "scrum, " where he shoves hard, and makes good use of his pace in the loose ; a very fair place kick.

R . H. BAILEY .

Right Three-quarter, 9st . 71bs., 1893 .-With a little more pace would be very good ; always safe and to be relied on ; tackles and kicks well ; is better at running through his men than round ; should try to keep to his own wing.

T . H . LEONARD .

Forward, 9st . 71bs ., 1893 .-Is a little wanting in head, but an undeniable worker ; too fond of picking up in the loose ; tackles and saves well .

T. ROMANS .

476

OLD PETERITE CLUB.

Forward, inst . rzlbs ., 1893 .—Improved very much as the season went on ; makes good use of his weight in the scrummage ; is good out of touch ; wants to tackle harder.

S. DOBSON.

G . P . HAWORTH . Forward, lost. 21bs ., 1813 .—Is fairly fast, and generally on the ball ; tackles well ; with more weight ought to be good.

Forward, 9st. 91bs ., I893 .-Good in the open, dribbling and passing well ; works well in the scrummage; should tackle harder.

W, C . B . WILLIAMS .

K . J . Rol, . Forward, 9st . 21bs ., 1893 .—For his size one of the best of the forwards ; works very hard and tackles very safely ; a little short of pace.

E . F . NEVILE . Forward, lost . 41bs ., 1893 .—Also very much improved ; fairly fast and dribbles well ; has plenty of dash and tackles well.

E . W . H . HENSON . Forward, 11st. 71bs ., 1893 .—Useful in the loose, dribbling and tackling well ; ought to do more scrummage work for his weight .

O.Y. CLUB. T a committee meeting held at the School on Monday, Dec. 18, the following were elected members :—R . H . Bailey, `C . J . W .

Grindrod, 'I'. H . Leonard, C . W . Newton, R . C . 'I'ute, W . H. Webb, T. B . Whytehead.

Subsequently the annual General Meeting should have been held, but the only members present were the Rev . G . T . Handford. and M . F . Atkinson, E . S . D . Carter, J . B . Clarke, E . IV. Clarke, P . E . Lord, W . A. Pearson, and G. Yeld .

A

477

OLD PETERITE DINNER.

YORK DISTRICT.

The sixth annual dinner of the Old Peterite Club for the York District was held on the loth December last, at the Station Hotel . Twenty-four Old Peterites sat down to an excellent repast . The Rev. Canon Browne, at considerable personal inconvenience, most kindly travelled from London to take the chair, for which the heartiest thanks of all Old Peterites will undoubtedly be given to him . It was with great pleasure that all were able once again to meet Canon Elwyn, without whose genial presence and brilliant eloquence the dinner would have been a very different affair.

After dinner, the CHAIRMAN (Canon Browne) proposed the health of "The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family . " He said that throughout the whole of her reign—an unprecedentedly long reign—she had endeared herself to all her subjects ; that a word from the Queen of England had more influence throughout the world than that of anyone else . He alluded to her judgment in that when choosing a title for the heir presumptive to the throne of England, she had taken the opportunity of reviving that most ancient and honourable one of " York . " The CHAIRMAN next proposed the toast of the " Archbishop, the Clergy of the Diocese and Ministers of all Denominations, " and said that St . Peter ' s School ,ought to take the greatest interest in the Archbishop, for the first real Archbishop of York (Egbert) was also Headmaster of the School . He also mentioned the close connection of the School with the Minster , and said he had great pleasure in coupling this toast with the name of one of the most distinguished of all Old Peterites, the Rev . 1V . Y . Fausset.

O47 LD PETERITE DINNER. 8

The Rev . W . Y . FAUSSET in replying referred to the interest the Archbishops always shewed in the school by annually presenting a prize for classics, which prize he had had the pleasure of carrying off more than once . He spoke of the clerical side of a schoolmaster's life and thanked them for so kindly receiving his name and the toast in such a cordial manner.

Mr. MANN next proposed the " Army, Navy, and Auxiliary Forces, " Old Peterites, he said, were always ready to take their places in the forces it was so important for England to keep up, he wished there had been some member of the army or navy present to reply, but he had great pleasure in coupling the name of Col . White, who had risen to great distinction in the auxiliary forces, with this toast.

Lt .-Col . WHITE in replying thanked the company for the manner in which they had received the toast. He knew of many O .P .'s who had joined the army and navy and he wondered where they were at the present time . General Roberts had said that the present condition of the army and especially of the commissariat was excellent. The navy he was afraid, was hardly so efficient as England would like to see it . The Reserve Forces in York were fairly satisfactory and he hoped they would go on improving.

Mr. MUNBY proposed the health of the " Masters, Past and Present . " There was no need for him to speak of Mr. Handford• We all knew him and we all revered him . He personally wished he could see more of him . He was glad to hear of the school keeping up its reputation and to read of its frequently distinguished scholars . He looked down the table and saw Mr . Yeld ; he should think there probably never was a more popular or excellent To-night they were favoured by the appearance of master .

Canon Elwyn in whose presence he dare say nothing .

It was a pleasure to see him . He believed there was no man living, whose absence from York was more regretted than Canon Ewlyn ' s.

He had done his best to bring some of his old schoolfellows to the dinner, but he was sorry to say with but little success . He alluded to Archdeacon Hey, (who brought out the backbone in the boys and who taught them stability of character) and Mr. Harrison and " Tommy " Richardson .

OLD PETERITE DINNER .

479

Canon ELwvx, who was enthusiastically received, replied in one of his characteristically eloquent speeches . He spoke of Archdeacon Hey and how dear to himself was the memory of the Archdeacon . He was, at Charterhouse, daily reminded of Mr. Richardson, for whenever he visited Mr . Richardson's son, there he saw the old master's portrait staring him in the face . The first half-holiday that he (Canon Elwyn) gave to the school was because Mr. Richardson was 70 years old, and after it was over he discovered that a holiday had been given for the same reason the year before .

Of Mr. Harrison the least that could possibly be said was that he was always a perfect gentleman .

Mr. Tomlinson was still, he believed, as well as ever and a short time ago he (the speaker) had received a letter from Mr. Robertson . At the other end of the table he saw Mr . Yeld, but Mr. Yeld was a mere chicken, as a master, compared to Mr . Scargill . When he first came to the school, he found Mr. Scargill there and whenever he had the pleasure of seeing him, he always seemed to be the same now as then . He then spoke of Mr . Freeman, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Lord . He looked back to the years he spent in York with great pleasure and followed the doings of the old school with great interest, always reading " The Peterite " to see how it was getting on .

It was a great pleasure for him to be present at their annual dinner once again.

The CHAIRMAN next gave the toast of the " Old Peterite Club ."

He said the toast list sent to him by the Secretary had contained the to him mysterious initials of " O .P . " in describing this toast.

This on the system of O .K . meaning " all correct, " he had translated to be "All Perfect ." He said the earliest description of Peterites was that of Alcuin in a letter to Charlemagne, when he called them Scions of Paradise. " IIe hoped Mr . I-Iandford was able to call them that now . \Vhen he was at school he had frequently been knocked down for being a " Peterite, " which was a term of great reproach then, but now it seemed to have become an honoured title . There was one way in which Old Peterites could do a great deal of good to the School ; that was by sending Young Peterites there . (Hear, hear .)

480

OLD PETERITE DINNER.

Mr . NAYLOR responded to the toast in a witty and humorous speech . He regretted the smallness of the number of O .P . ' s present, but suggested that quality was there if not quantity. If only our whole dissembly were to appear we should be a large club ."

Canon ELwIN then proposed " The School, " and referred to the great debt the School owed the chairman for proving its antiquity.

After speaking of the pleasure it gave him to see his old servant " James, " he alluded to the recent distinctions gained by Leaf, Clarke, Wilkinson and Cotterill, Fausset and Wade . The School was worthily maintaining the traditions of the past.

The Rev. G . T . HANDFORD replied, and thanked Canon Elwyn for proposing the toast in so kindly a manner . The School was very much alive at the present time. After alluding to the recent Royal visit and the success gained by Cotterill in the Scholastic world and Mitchell in the Athletic, he read a letter received from Mr . Henry Mills, an old boy in New Zealand.

Mr . MITCHELL then proposed " The School Athletic Club, " and spoke of the last boat race (of which he had a lively recollection), which the School won easily . After touching on the School ' s football season, he coupled the toast with the name of Mr . Lord, than whom no one had done more for the School sports in every way.

Mr . P . E . LoRD responded, and said that in the last 1 o years seven Old Peterites had obtained their " blues ." At football during the last term the School had only been beaten twice.

Mr . AVILKINSON proposed the toast of the " Theatricals . " The School had now obtained a high reputation for their annual theatricals.

Last year's performance had undoubtedly been an unqualified success.

He coupled this toast with the name of Mr . Yeld, without whose kind and able supervision they would not be able to exist.

Mr . YELD replied. He slid the theatricals were a great pleasure to him, and it was with sorrow that he thought of the now dismantled stage and the play that was no more . IIe spoke of the kind way in which Mr . Preston had come forward and managed the play when he (for the first time for 16 years) was unable to be present owing to illness . He alluded to the way in which the theatricals impressed

OLD PETERITE DINNER .

481

the beauties of Shakespeare on the boys ' memories, and spoke of the advantages they had sustained in having Hugh Moss in York to coach them for a couple of nights.

Mr. YEI.D then proposed the health of the Chairman, which was drunk with musical honours, as was also that of Canon Elwyn.

The Rev . G. T . HANDPORD proposed the " O .P . Pinner Committee, " to which Mr . D . CARTER, the Secretary, suitably replied.

It is a matter of great regret to the committee that so few Old Peterites were present . This is the smallest dinner that has yet been held, and it is very disheartening to find it so . The paucity of diners is somewhat accounted for by the dinner being held before the other schools had broken up, but surely there must be more than 24 Old Peterites who are sufficiently loyal to the old School who would like to be present at such a gathering as this . The Committee fear that the blame must be laid on their shoulders, and if this is so, they most respectfully ask all Old Peterites who have the welfare of the School at heart, and who would like to, at least once a year, meet their old schoolfellows and talk over their old school clays, to point out any way whereby the attendance at the dinner might be increased . They would also be glad if Old Boys would forward them the names and addresses of any Old Peterites they may know of . The dinner must not be allowed to fall through, but if more Old Boys do not appear at it than have done on the last two occasions it must infallibly do so.

The following is a list of those present :—The Rev . Canon Browne, Rev. Canon Elwyn, Rev . G . T . Handford, Rev . W . Y. Fausset, Lieut .-Col . White, and Messrs . G. Yeld, F . J . Munby, T . G . Mann, J . F. Walker, J . L . Shann, A . Raimes, A . E . Chapman, F . Mitchell, P. E . Lord, K . E . T . Wilkinson, H . and E . W . Crossley, M . F . Atkinson, R . Whincup, D . Naylor, E . W . Clarke, T . Spence, A . Peters, and D . Carter .

PETERITE BALANCE SHEET.

482

POETRY. Calm and clear was the Summer sky, At peace the gentle bay ; Watching the seabirds (live and fly Whilst the wavelets (lanced in play, Sadly it came to me, "There shall be no more sea, " This cannot always be.

Inky black was the Winter sky, Fierce foamed the frantic bay ; Watching the doomed ship helpless lie half hid in billow and spray, Gladly it came to me, This cannot always be, "There shall be no more sea . " So, under life's changing sky, Oftimes a peaceful clay ; "That this were eternal," we cry ; Then wreck, billow and spray ; Welcome, thou old decree, This shall not always be, Time shall roll on to Eternity .

BEARI)OE.

PETEBITE BALANCE SHEET, 1893.

Cr.

£ s.

I

7r,

s.

a'.

5 6

27 10

2

9i

0

3

Balance

I2 II

41

4

2

4 16

3 o

O .P . Club

23

L43

. .

d.

I'cterite Printing, to October Wrappers . .

Balance, January, 18 93 School Subscriptions

3

X43

4

0

2

48 3

NOTES AND ITEMS. Rev . C . F . Husband appointed to the Curacy of Cudworth.

R . Crosthwaite, Pemb. Coll ., Cambridge, proceeded to M A. degree.

We congratulate Rev . J . M . Marshall, who has so often entertained us at Durham, on his appointment to the Rectory of Croft, near Darlington.

Old Peterites of many generations will hear with deep regret of the death in a ripe old age of William Tomlinson, F .R .A .S ., who for nearly thirty years was a Master in the School, and had special charge of the Civil and Military Department.

Mr . Tomlinson died at Sandown, at the age of 85, and though it is now eleven years since he left the city of York, he never ceased to take a most kindly interest in the affairs of the School . He retained all his faculties to the last, and died peacefully after an illness of three days.

The last two numbers of the Peterite, 1o6 and 107, were published in October and December.

N . L Hood, St Thomas' Hospital, has passed the second and (final part) of the 3rd M .B . Examinaiion, in, we believe, the shortest possible time.

We beg to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following :— " Barrovian, " " Sedberghian," "Giggleswick Chronicle, " " Merchistonian, " " Leodiensian," " Hurst Johnian," " Coventry School Magazine," " Eastbournian, " "c Dunelmian," " Ulula ."