2 minute read
"A History of St. Peter's School"
from Oct 1978
by StPetersYork
glowing splint in oxygen to the detection of a passing plane by radar. We saw a simple electric motor and a demonstration of a transformer in action. Geiger-counters were used to detect radio-active playing cards, and to check the contents of a wallet. These, and many other demonstrations, involved a large number of boys, who also helped with projecting the visual aids. The whole venture was clearly meticulously thought out and executed. Every demonstration worked convincingly, the complications and hard work involved must have been immense.
In a subject as wide-ranging as this the problem facing Don Hamilton must have been primarily one of selection. Somehow he succeeded in giving us a lucid account of the development of scientific knowledge over hundreds of years, culminating in the great advances of recent times, and demonstrating some of its practical uses.
The lectures gain in excellence. We shall look forward to "The se and Fall of the Atom" with high expectations. J.G.
Mr. D. Hamilton and a team of able assistants wrote and published "A History of St. Peter's School" as a part of the 1350th anniversary celebrations. The aim was to inform Peterites of the School's history I in an interesting and stimulating way. The magnitude of such a task I was considerable.
The book attempts to set the School's history in the context of important national and local events of the last 1350 years. This has understandably led to a problem of balance since the amount of material available on the School between 627 and 1800 is limited. The emphasis in the first half of the book is therefore more on national and local events. We can only imagine what life in the School was like within this general historical framework for much of this time. From about 1800 onwards more detail is available on the School's development and the balance changes accordingly.
The second half is almost entirely devoted to the 18th and 19th centuries and is presented in an authoritative and interesting way. Life during these years is recorded in detail. School rules, the timetable, the development of the curriculum, the fees and examples of questions taken from the 1854 and 1873 examination papers, all help to bring the history to life. Other more serious matters are also recorded: the decline in numbers between 1866 and 1910 followed by the successful expansion in the mid-twentieth century. The valuable contributions of J. Dronfield and K. H. Rhodes are also noted. The book is well presented and easy to read comprising a successful blend of hard fact with amusing anecdote. There are numerous charts, plans, graphs and illustrations which admirably support and enlighten the text.
The publishing of "A History of St. Peter's School" is a notable achievement. A few minor inaccuracies do not detract from the work as a whole. Mr. D. Hamilton and his assistants are to be congratulated it on a task well done. We can no longer remain ignorant of the School's past with any justifiable excuse. R.C.G.D.
