THE PETERITE Vol. XLVI
JANUARY, 1954
No. 335
EDITORIAL We were delighted to see Mr. Burgess again at the end of last term and to welcome him to the School Play and to the Carol Service. We had all waited anxiously for news of his progress, and after having our hopes joyfully raised we were saddened to learn that the eye operation had not finally been successful. When he returned to St. Peter's we were glad to see his cheerful courage. Illness, indeed, marred an otherwise good term, for Mr. Ping had to leave St. Olave's for an operation in hospital and was absent for the latter part of the term. We hear of his recovery and hope he will speedily be with us again. The winter terms are the terms for hobbies and societies. Education was once defined as the training of people to make intelligent use of their spare time; such training is never more important than now when more and more pleasure is sought by passive absorbtion of mass entertainment. The press, the cinema, television, now reach all classes of people and can destroy the pleasure which comes from creative work and from active corporate endeavour. The purpose— or one of the main purposes—of a school like St. Peter's is to give the opportunity and the encouragement to achieve this pleasure. Those who have heard the inter-house music competitions, or the most competent performance by the orchestra providing interval music to the School Play, will have seen the enjoyment of those taking part; the play itself, the Debating and Scientific Societies are other examples. Finally, the provision of a hobbies afternoon gives more opportunity for individual enterprise : some make good use of it as the Hobbies Exhibitions show, but some waste their time in the easy paths of indolence. Our object is to make the number of the latter as few as possible, and to convince them that effort and creative action are essential to a satisfying existence. The exceptionally mild weather of this last Autumn helped greatly to the enjoyment of the term, and there were few days when the routine activities were interfered with by the weather. The 1st XV had an unlucky start to the season, but in their final matches played very good rugby to beat their opponents in a most convincing fashion, and the speed and team-work of the pack in particular was a joy to watch. An innovation this season was the award of colours and caps 1
