Boat Club 5

comforting to note that the School curriculum would have to be varied very little, and that only at Sixth Form level, to satisfy the requirements of the proposed Agreement to Broaden the Curriculum.

After paying tribute to the Careers Master, the Head Master reported a pleasing increase in the use of Short Works and other courses. It was intended to organise a short Careers Convention in the School in February, to which all parents would be invited and at which a number of experts would cover a wide range of Careers topics.

Much building was still in progress or planned: the extended dining ball and new kitchens would be ready in September and the two new squash courts would be in use before Christmas, whilst the alterations to The Manor, which had had to be postponed, should definitely be finished by Easter. Of these buildings, only the squash courts had been provided by the Appeal Fund. Future projects included a new boarding house, the completion of the 1935 building, improvements to the Chapel, including a new organ, provision for metalwork and woodwork and improvements to the swimming bath.

The acquisition of 29 Clifton last year had had an inspiring effect on the School's music, and more and more boys were taking up instrumental playing. The Head Master made special mention of Anfield, who had crowned his school career by becoming an A.R.C.O., and Hunter, who had been the first Peterite since the war to have a composition of his performed by the Choir in Chapel.

In his necessarily brief review of all the out of school activities Mr. Dronfield mentioned, inter alia, the proposed adoption of long trousers by the Senior Scouts, Alderson's successes on the squash court, five new records in the Sports, the loss of the Cricket XI's unbeaten record but the great promise in the Junior cricket, the visit of the VIII to Marlow Regatta, Poynor's selection for the Imperial Cadet Association team to shoot in Canada and the unbeaten success of the Fencing team.

The Head Master concluded his report by saying that the School's many societies continued to flourish; boys were encouraged to join as many as possible and at the same time to realise that membership involved attendance, a valuable lesson for their life after leaving school, when they would find that one of the besetting sins of the world was apathy. "It was at St. Peter's that I learnt to enjoy life to the full," said Mr. John Rodgers in his speech after presenting the prizes; he went on, however, to warn his audience against mistaking comfort as civilisation, against the "I'm all right, Jack" and the "Never had it so good" mentality. The rapid scientific progress of the past forty years had not been matched by our intellectual and moral progress, and there was undoubtedly a danger that we as a nation might be entering the twilight of our glory. It was true that some of the greatest men in the world had not won prizes at school— the usual bromide uttered on such occasions—but these were the exception and not the rule, and it behoved every boy, while at school, to strive to excel in everything he did; otherwise the men would not be forthcoming to surmount the difficulties which daily were confronting us. We should not do obeisance to the mean or average, we should not suppress individuality for the sake of conformity, for we, more than any other nation, were forced to live on our wits, at the same time doing a hard day's work for a hard day's pay.

4