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++ (toncorbia " -The Official Organ of- '{tbe AssT. EDITOR :- EDITOR :-W. T. J. DoNOVAN, W. MADIGAN. 39, lVIIDHURST AVENUE, CROYDON. SURREY. Tel~phone :-Thornton _Heath 2424. PUBLISHED TWICE YEARLY PRICE 3d. VoL. II. MAY, I935· No. I. It is something. of an achievement for a magazine of this character to have safely completed its first volume and we now . confidently expect that having got' over its growing pains, the success of the second Volume is assured. Volume I ended on a high note with the first of a series of contributions by Brother Bemardine and it will be seen that our readers are still accompanying him on his pilgrimage (?) to America in Volume II. * * * We were extremely sorry to learn at the Annual Dinner of Brother Sylvester's serious illness which caused him to leave Clap- ham for Mayfield. His many friends in the College-past and present-unite in wishing him a speedy recovery. * * * * . A party of Old Boys headed by our Ron. General Secretary paid a visit to :Mayfield on Easter Sunday in order to find out at .first hand how Bro. Sylvester was progressing. Although they were unable to see :him; the Rev. Brother Raymund gave them a most hospitable and cordial welcome. * * * * I = D. Greenstock has ft:equently been mentione~ in the Mark Cross and vVonersh Notes .. We were glad to r~ad in the' Universe' of his rec.ent ordination. · · · · *-· * * * Vve also extend the congratulations of C.O.X.A. in general (and -the Cricket Section in particular) to Bill Carrick who· was recently married to Miss Radlmeyer. · * * * * The College Garden. Fete has been fixed for Saturday, June 15th and we hope to see t~e .lads there in full force. Although these are comparatively- early days to be writing of the Garden Fete we can prophesy that all the best side-shows of .last: year .will be available andjn addition several novelties are at present being hatched out .. There are of course other attractions apart from the side-sho\vs but \Ve do not think that they call for particular comment from THE ED~TOR_. Note.~Members who have kept past issues of Concordia may be interested to learn that one member has had the complete set of Volume I bound. It certainly looks very attractive and the cost .was only about z/6. We have a limited supply of some. of the back numbers. still available. Price 3d. ~er issue, post free. · * * * * A New British Made THE "APEX" Pencil Sharpener EFFICIENT Produces a serviceable point for Pencils of Standard Size with ease and speed. ECONOMICAL Ceases to cut once the pencil PHILIP & TACEY, is adequately. poirited, thus ------.:LTD. ------eliminating waste of time and material. Teaching A ids INEXPENSIVE. and Educational Requisites At 4/6 the value is obvious. · 69 to 79 HIGH STREET, FULHAM, LONDON, S.W.6.· 2 I iM 5 lliijf "r! ¥¥ !P 72 11:totes frotn ®\? IDiar~~ 11.-NEW ENGLAND. By the REVD. ·BRoTHER BERN ARDINE, C.F.X. Those who were long-suffering enough to read to the end my previous notes will remember that we r·eached New York without acCident ; which is what we had set out to do. Now however I am somewhat at a loss how to proceed. I have looked over my notes and consulted my maps (the oil com- panies distribute through the petrol stations to anyone \vho asks for them wonderfully complete maps of separate States or groups of States) and I find that what 1 considered my blurred recollections of a three-years-old journey have clarified themselves to such an extent that I am capable of boring even the most patient reader. Perhaps the best thing to do is to outline the itinerary arranged for Br. Edmund and myself \~ith so much kindness by Br. Osmund, the American Provincial, and to fill in the details later, if the editor permits. V\1e were to go by road from New York to Danvers in l\Iassa- chusetts where we have a boarding-school which it would be difficult to equal anywhere in England and to spend a week exploring the country. Then we were to return to New York and go south to Baltimore (Maryland) for another week, following it up with a week at V\1ashington. Our next week was to be at Louisville (Kentucky) and this was to lead to a mid-week at vVheeling (West Virginia) and a long week-end at Detroit, whence we were to go by boat to Buffalo and by road to Niagara. Afterwards we should travel by tniin to Utica (N.Y.), spend the mid-week there, return to New York and devote our last week to the exploration of that wonderful and elusive city. · The bare outline of our journey would be some 3,200 miles, but the excursions we made from the various centres would add another J,ooo, so that from Southampton back to Southampton . \ve should have covered at least r2,ooo miles. On escaping from the Customs ·at Hoboken we took a taxi and were ferried across the Hudson river to l\Ianhattan (New York, as we understand it,) and made our way across that narrow congested. island to Manhattan Bridge and thence to Brooklyn. Anything I have to say about New York will be said at the end of my notes; for the moment I will only add that, except for the lower end of the island· where \Vall Street ·and the older commerCial centre lie,. no one would mistake it for an English city-:-even apart from its. skyscrapers. New York is an incredibly cosmopolitan, noisy city,-and yet after three years I feel a hankering to sec it again. There is undoubtedly a fascination about it that no other city except London exercises. Brooklyn on Long Island is joined to New York by three bridges carrying road and rail traffic, numerous ferries belonging to the Railways and at least three railway tunnels under the East River. 3 It is municipally part of.New York and equally Hebraic, though it bas a very large Catholic population. Coney Island is at one end {)f it. Long Island extends some 120 miles and contains many ` beaches' and millionaire estates. We have four houses in Brooklyn, which are closed during the summer holiday, and Br. Luke ofHoly Cross very kindly emerged irom his vacation to receive us. Anyone who has been in America knows the abounding hospitality of the Americans. I had read·of it. (in an impersonal way) again and again, but the experience of.it was .staggering. Nothing was too good or too much for us. Our reception at Brooklyn was typical of what occurred at every house we visited. Most people look upon ' Brother ' as a sort of courtesy title, .but we found that it was a reality and meant -just I brother.' I was unknown to all but about ten of our 6oo American Brothers (Br. Edmund had visited America 30 years previously) ; but wherever we went we were welcomed as real flesh-and-blood brothers ; the fatted calf was killed for us, and we ·felt like prodigals returned home. · At my first meal on American soil I was surprised to find that it was de rigueur to drink a glass of ice-water, no matter what other beverages there were. At first I regarded it as an unnecessary diluent of better things, but I soon became a convert. It seemed rather incongruous at breakfast to drink water and then tea or coffee, but I found the benefit of doing so. \Ve had been warned by a previous visitor that we must regard dysentery. as inevitable in a hot American s~mmer, but neither of us experienced any -discomfort. Ice-water. is universal. On ;the trains a coloured .:waiter stands lynx-eyed behind. you in the dining car arid keeps your glass filled. On my first train journey I over-irrigated my system very considerably in a hopeless attempt to keep up with the waiter. Every house has a refrigerator, so that the ice is always available. . The day after our arrival at New York, we start~d out at 9 a.m. on the 275 mile journey to Danvers. This meant crossing to Manhattan and traversing the length of the island (some 12 . miles); which is separated from the mainland (Bronx) by the Harlem River. It took us about two hours to get clear of the city and on to the Boston Post-road. In the Bronx we had to ask a garage man the way-and it was here that I first he~rd the indigenous N. York accent. I had of course .heard over here what I thought were incorrect imitations of the diaJect, but they were true enough. The garage man told us to take the 1 foist toining to the roight.' But, if I may anticipate a little, what rejoiced my soul on one of our excursions through N. York was to hear our German host declare I I vas not boin in Nee Yoick; I am a Choiman,' though my heart bled at the. double mutilation of our mothet: tongue. . For about 50 .miles we ran through towns and villages owning N. York as centre and were never far from Long Island Sound. These towns were very attractive and to me a revelation of beauty, comfort and well-being. The .majority of American residence~ ~re frame houses, i.e., wooden houses. They are cheaper to buil4 4 ar{d· lend themselves to decoration. I was told that they were cool in summer and warm in winter. Before I went across the Atlantic I had no use for frame houses, but I saw such a number of extremely pretty and even magnificent dwellings, that I had to- revise my opinion. The public buildings, even in small towns~ are of. brick and stone and seem to hc..ve been erected without thought of cost. · The schools especially, both elementary and secondary, made me blush, though I found in the course of my travels that it was not wise to praise the husk or rind without examining the kernel. Before the advent of motoring the American roads were in- different; now however they are splendid, though disfigured by advertisements (except in the State of l\fassachusets) and petrol stations. These latter seem to be far more numerous than with us, probably owing to the much greater riumqer of cars, but how they subsist I don't know. At every cross road I saw 3 or 4· · . The coast of Long Island Sound is wooded and indented witlt creeks, andserves as a pleas:ure ground for the New-Yorkers. The roads were full of hikers of both sexes and motorists in sleeved or armless vests on their joyous way to country clubs, parks, bathing -and dancing-resorts. \Ve had lunch at a delightful frame-house overlooking an arm of the Sound. American meals ·are very sensible and suited to the climate. The East coast seems to be particularly rich in. -shellfish of various kinds; lobsters, crabs, oysters, clams, etc., and much use is made of them, oysters and clams being served up in many ways. In travelling· we took little meat. In the early afternoon we left the coast-road at Bridgeport and turned up the Naugatuck Valley, where amid ideal surroundings was a chain of the small industrial towns of Connecticut. East . Lancashire must have been one of the most perfect parts of Britain before the get-rich-quick, evangelical pioneers of the cotton industry defaced it to their own image and likeness; to-day it brings tears .of anger to think that these sordid exploiters of the poor and ignorant should have been allowed to ruin the beauty of the country as well. I should not describe these Connecticut towns as beautiful~ but they do not seem such a violation of their environment as Burnley or Oldham. They specialise in the manufacture of metal articles whose value is derived. from their workmanship. All the metal is imported from other parts. I noticed several factories whose products I had often come across in England. Massachusetts is one of the textile centres of the U.S.A., but the industry is de- clining there and is being transferred to the Southern States where 'the cotton grows and where cheap coloured labour is plentiful. It was in America that I first understood what rivers and lakes were. On our way to Danvers we passed sheet after sheet of water which in England would figure on a map but over there they were taken for granted. Some of our rivers arc of course very beautiful and others wou]d be so, if England were uninhabited, but in point of size they are negligible ·compared with such majestic giants as . the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio. Some streams in Derbyshire run underground ; the majority of our streams would 5 follow their example and hide their diminished heads, if they could see a river such as the Potomac or Hudson ... I found New England extremely beautiful. vVe crossed ridge after,ridge of \vooded hills, ;each one looking across a valley with a stream or lake in it ; we had a good car and the journey was like a switchback. . .. The little country towns are lovely and unspoiled. They were founded by the early settlers, who, whatever the bleakness and intolerance of their religion, knew how to be .comfortable. The houses stand well back from the roads, whi<;h are always lined with old trees ; usually there are no fences or hedges ; each house has a strip of grass separating it from· its neighbour and a :lawn in front running down to the sidewalk. ('Pavement' in America means roadway). There· is always a verandah or porch along the front of the house, often with a garden-seat swinging -from the roof of th_e porch. As this is much used by the family, you get a very good idea of the inhabitants in passing through the :town. The whole atmosphere is one of homeliness and friendliness. ;vVe went for many miles along the valley of the Connecticut River--'- a fine broad stream like a lake-and got ~mr first sight of tobacco growing and of the drying barns. This valley produces the finest tobacco ~~af, which is used for wrapping cigars. The cigars are made in Boston by Belgians. The plants are protected by muslin, but the afternoon we were there there was ·a violent thunderstorm, \Vhich though it did not last very long did damage to the extent of several hundred thousand dollars, as I read the next clay. At 6 o'clock we reached vVorcester (1\'Iass), where we have a school, and were welcomed by Br. Campion. Perhaps I ought to mention that Prohibition was still in force while we were in America, but we were not conscious of it from our own experience. I was still glowing with the warmth of our welcome ~nd was about to sit down to a meal, when Br. Edmund and I were called downstairs ;to satisfy the voracity of a reporter who wanted to know what \Ve tll()ught of America and its works (after 24. hours' exper~ence). I had never been interviewed before and did not wish to be then·; p1oreover I was very hungry, so I said lots of things which duly appeared in print with little diminution of asperity. I did not see the paper until some weeks later ; when I did •. I turned hot and cold · and prayed. that it had not reached our side of the Atlantic-but it had .. vVe were interviewed at. most places, but I gradually became more cautious. Once however I defied the reporter to publish what I said, and he told me I had said more than enough to be jailed. The· subject was of course Prohibition and the un- :warrantable interference with personal liberty. vVorcester is a large manufacturing town. with a Catholic University and a big Catholic population, French Canadians to a large extent. There is a magnificent new road to Boston with a broad strip of grass in the middle and three lanes on both sides. Per:1aps I. may mention here, now that the air is full of the 30 m.p.h. limit, that limits are established things on American roads. On leaving a town you see a sign ' End of thirty mile limit,' and fur,ther on ' 40 miles '-after that you can please yourself until 6 ·you ·approach the next town. There are far more signs on the roads than ·with us, but they are neat- and plain withoqt being obtrusive.· Moreover the boundary of every state and town · is inarked by a notice,. e.g. I Town line-:-:Meriden.' \Vhenever a ·Spot . has 'the slightest historical association, the ·fact is recorded .jn sufficient detail on a board at the road side. 1 often wondered how the. conscientious motorist,. anxious to fill up the gaps in his early education, would ever reach his destination, if the same laudable · practice obtained over here. Our objectiv~, St. John's Prep. School Danvers, was about . · I7 miles N .E. of Boston ; we were ·delayed by an unnecessary . journey through Boston and consequently arrived late, bur our old friends, Brs. Norbert and Ambrose, were waiting for us .and gave us the usual brotherly welcome. Next day was the official welcome, done in first-class style with printed menu and tqast list.. On the way up to Boston we had begged the Provincial: to let us down lightly ·in the matter of post-prandial oratory,. both inflicted and endured, and he promised to do his best ; but ·he stipulated that we should, reconcile ourselves to speaking in all the larger houses. :Many of our Brothers are accomplished speakers · and that·mitigated things somewhat, but even so I felt like a hand- kerchief that had been through the wringer when my turn came. Br. Edmund delighted everyone by his perfect knowledge of English. St. John's School is the finest establishment we have. ·(A Prep. school prepares for College, i.e., University, and St. John's has about 250 youths, mostly boarders, up to r8 years). It con- . sists of five big blocks with· numerous smaller buildings, and stands . high among wooded hills_ in an estate of nearly 200 acres. vVe spent the week visiting our· Schools in New England and other places of interest. V.l e were in Boston several times ; this is much more like an English ~ity than New York and the speech more nearly approaches ours. vVe saw Harvard and the equally famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The whole district is full of English names:. Reading, Newbury, Andover,. etc. The older parts of Boston are distinctly English, and Boston prides itself on its culture. Its Catholic centre is Boston College, the ·Jesuit University, a fine collection of buildings, modelled on Stony- hurst. Brookline and the outer suburbs of Boston, the Newton Villages (Centre and. Highlands), breathe an air of wealth, comfort and good taste, though owing to the depression many homes are for sale.· . On one of our drives we visited vVellesley, a University College for women, a very large estate with very many beautifully.:.designed buildings. ·The same afternoon we called at Regis College, and I was proud to see that this gorgeous Catholjc vVomen's College could· hold its own. Near Regis College at vVeston is the Jesuit House of Studies, an immense place. There is a central dome from which .radiate corridors in all directions. I admired the simplicity of the .Church and was comparing it favourably with another Jesuit Church· over here for its absence of statues, when I found that they were .only waiting for donors ! In addition to our own schools our Brothers teach in many others. State Schools are entirely free and the fabrics cost fabulous sums of money; not a penny is given towards either construction or maintenance of Church Schools of any denomination, and it is to the eternal credit of the Catholics that they build and maintain scliools, in no way inferior to the State Schools, in which free primary and secondary education is provided. The primary schools are mostly staffed by nuns and the high-schools (14-18) by Brothers of various Orders. The priest of one parish in Brooklyn has to pay 37 teachers, in addition of course to the Clergy, caretakers, etc. In one working-class district of Boston, Roxbury, the Redemp- torist Fathers have built· a secondary school at a cost of £Ioo,ooo. Br. Gilbert, the headmaster, took us over; I have never seen a school in England to surpass it-and it is entirely free. At Maldenr a better class suburb of Boston, a new school was being completed at much the same cost and our Brothers were to open it. At Peabody, four miles from Danvers, we have a property of about 200 acres where youths who wish to become Brothers pursue their high-school· course. On the completion of this they are drafted to the Novitiate in Virginia, some 700 miles away, and after two years there they proceed to the Catholic University at Washington for four years. The training of our own Brothers. in America costs. {2o,ooo annually. Lowell and Lawrence are two textile towns on the :Merrimac, and we visited ·them to see our schools. Both towns were badly hit by the depression and the growth of the cotton industry in the Carolinas. The mills are immense, but some stand idle and even have the roof stripped to escape taxation. Like most industrial towns in the States they have attracted a mixed population ; the Greeks form· a colony of their own and the French Canadians have their churches and schools in which French is spoken. Altogether the two towns presented an impressive picture of the benefits of rationalisation-that fashionable and blessed word. At the end of our week in New England we left by road for New York but took a different route so as to pass· through New Haven and visit Yale, which has finer buildings than Harvard though more scattered. I missed the air of academic serenity which one associates with a noble pile of university buildings (such as Yale assuredly is) and which even the undergraduates cannot take away from the quadrangles and lawns of Cambridge-those haunts of ancient peace-but a heterogeneous Mediterranean population, such as New Haven endures, does not make for peace. On returning to New York we drove the whole length of the East Side; the congestion was increased by the polyglot population's · habit of living in the street, and as we filtered slowly through the successive many-tinted layers of Southern Europeans, Negroesr Israelites and Heayen knmvs. what others and saw the angelic innocence of their open faces and heard their gent!e voices, I won- dered not that there were gangsters-but that there were not more. I felt safer when we got to Brooklyn. B.B. 8 1bon. "LORD OF THE MANOR" 11 u Lord· Of The Manor (presented in the College Hall on November 3oth, and December Ist) was, if you will pardon the word-play, enacted in a manner more lordly than is customary. with amateur players of the same status. A most ambitious production, it lifted the Xaverian Players to a high position in the amateur dramatic league-:table. A lack of self-consciousness and sound team-work, made the production well above the amateur average. . . ' This is not an easy piece to perform, frequently_ touching the l pyrotechnical. But the roles demanding gusto-those of Sir Henry Bovey (Bill Donovan), George Tover (Bill Madigan); General I Sir George Fleeter (John O'Donohoe), and Lily Tover (Ida Donohoe) -were brought to life with a realism that was surprising, si.TJ.ce all -called for solid character-work, and, in the case of the first three, a considerable ageing process was necessary. Although all concerned u lived " the characters faithfully, the performance which stood out was that of Bill Madigan. :Miss Georgina Trumper is a dangerous I( scene stealer," being so attractive as to rivet the attention. :Miss Theresa Cavanagh as Lady Bovey also showed a mastery of the delicate art of composure. Very convincing, and excellently made-up, was John O'Donohoe as General Sir George Fleeter. One felt that he might easily have quelled an Indian insurrection. with the annihilating effect of that sprightly-mo_ustache and wicked gleam behind the monocle. The Misses Ida O'Donohoe and Patricia Gillon were called upon to subdue their sweetness in portraying none-too-sympathetic characters-the aggressive Lily Tover and the class-conscious Kitty Carvell-and they certainly got under the skin of the parts 11 in the a undignified quarrel. · Arthur Tunmer's comic fidgetiness and nervous facial grimaces made him very much at home as the tt not very intelligent " Robert Bovey, scion of Stagbovey Manor. Edward Hodges had the hardest task of all, and was most -comll'l;endable. The producer-l\Hss Amy O'Donohoe thanked the audience l for its support after the final curtain, but we hasten to assure her , that it was warmly given and warmly deserved. A word, too, in praise of the scenery, the Hall of Stagbovey :Manor being worthy of the professional stage. Stage Manager J. C. O'Donohoe and Assistant D. Smale did their work admirably. g: B U:be a;bost U:ratn. "The Ghost Train," presented in the College Hall on March S, g, and ro, was, like the previous effort, lt Lord Of The Manor," above average amateur ·standards, and neither the'legitimate ·west End presentation nor ·th~ film maintained ·better suspense. · . · Without wishing to cast aspersions on tlie fine work of the :Players, I think it was generally acknowledged that the real triu!J?.ph took place behind "the scenes. Ridley's spectral locomotive was "done proud" by the effects-men-Messrs. J. C. O'Donohoe, W. Bolland, \V. J. Dowd, J. Woolard, D. Smale, F. \Voodman, and J. O'Sullivan, "and Uncle Fred Owe~ an' all" (according to the programme "appreciations") all conspired to make the B:B.C. Effects Department green with envy, and were the big noises of the evening. They rounded off th<;ir efforts with a dash of comedy after the· ·final curtain. They would have had their audience beli~ve that the reverberations and shriekings of the' train were achieved with a toy puff-puff· of the sort that. delights little Willie at Gamages ; and that the battering rain which persisted throughout the performance like the rain in Mangham's play of that name was achieved with two tumblers and half-a-pint of water. · As for the histrionics, Bill Madigan and Miss Georgina Tr.umper must again be selected for special mention, I think, and I should like to see' them in a play where really solid acting .is demanded. Madigan seems. naturally fitted for elderly men roles and never fails to convince, while Miss Trumper always reveals dramatic experience .. Edward ·Hodges put up a very pleasing show. · Arthur Tunmer, as Teddy Deakin, the Yard man who poses as a brainless fop, had a suitable role-by which, I mean, of course, that he excels in this type of behaviour on the stage and not in real life. I was surprised,· however, that he was able to adapt himself so well to the quick-action dramatics towards the conclusion of the play. It would be interesting to see him in a completely dramatic role, minus those grimaces and fussinesses. I thought Miss Ida O'Donohoe had a rather unsympathetic role asanaggingwife, but she carrieditoffwithgreatenthtisiasmand vigour. Miss Theresa Cavanagh might have extracted more from the character of Miss Bourne, the fastidious old lady whose alcoholic medicine got· the better of her, but as this character is one of the most difficult in the play-:-calling for a display of befuddled ine- briation-great credit is due to her for her adequateness. Miss Patricia Gillon and Miss Barbara \Villiams were pleasing as the Newlywed, .and the lesser portraitures were· well executed by: Messrs.FrancisEdgley,DerickJones,PhilipTrumper,andK.R.Reilly. Miss Amy O'Donohoe produced the show very thoroughly, and J. C. O'Donohoe stage-managed with proficiency. The Great \Vestern Railway, Messrs. Frank Cooper & Co., and :Miss E. Maynard-for their co-operation, and Master John \Vilson-for his inviting poster-work, did ·much to ~~ put the show over " and give it that completeness which m·akes the critic declare "sound work in all departments." · IQ CLAPHAM COLLEGE LITERARY and DEBATING SOCIETY. This session of the debating society hal? .been an unqualified success. The attendance has continually been excellent and the qual.ity of tl)e c;lebates well above the average. As the social event has been permanently stopped the members of the society were taken to the theatre in its stead. The committee visited Sadler's \Veils to see "The Taming of the Shrew," the rest of the seniors saw " Ten Minute Alibi " at the Comedy, and the juniors \vere taken to the Streatham Hill Theatre to see the pantomime. On two occasions different entertainment was substituted instead of the usual debates, Mr. J. Palmer gave us an excellent lecture on the History of Art and excerpts from Shakesperian plays were given by Palmer J., Palmer T., Ryan, Stephens, Daniels and Eaton; 'these were so successful that· the society have been requested to present them· again on Speech Day.' Another gratifying feature of the session was 'the regular attendance of three former members :Messrs.]. Palmer, G. Gallagher and·G:.·Young: It 'vas necessary to create three new committee Members and· a Treasurer, Mr. Ryan was in the committee from the previous session and Mr. Eaton continued in the office of secretary, the interest shewn by the juniors and the excellent promise they shewed in the junior debates augurs well for the succe~s of the society in the future. l\L EATON. CLAPHAM. COLLEGE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. Thi~· year· th~ society has .been fairly ,su~cessful but there is still some lack of enthusiasm among the seniors. It was decided not to elect a committee as this had .proved unnecessary in past years: The only change in the officers was the electi?.n of.l\L Eaton to the post of Honorary Treasurer upon the restgnahon of P. Fewell. I5 ------~ The session was opened with a lecture by :Mr. F. Butler, l\LSc. on "Pasteur and the Conquest of Disease." Late in t~e session we had a lecture on an affiliated subject tt The Digestive· System " by H. Hughesdon, a junior member of the. society, who .surpr~sed. all by his intimate knowledge of his subjeCt. The other lectures were all of a very high standard. We are indebted to Mr. R. C.] Hallet, a member of the Editorial Staff of the Clapham Observer,. for a very interesting lecture on "Newspaper Production." We had many visits this session among them being visits to the Ford Motor Works and the Amalgamated Press. In conclusion I would like to propose to one and all, Old Boys and members, a vote of thanks to our Chairman who has done so much for the society. T. J. RYAN. THE VICTORIA WINE CO., LTD. L((J)ndon~s Wine Merchants Since Jr 865o Offer you the Finest Vall.ue and the Most Efficient Service Possilbll.e" OVER 130 BRANCHES throughout London and the Home Counties. Telephone: Local Depot': 45, BALHAM HILL, S.W. 12 BALHAM '1560 16 Section Secretar\?'S 1Reports. CLAPHAM OLD XAVERIAN'S· CRICKET CLUB. SEASON 1935. Committee: vV. J. Madigan (Captain) ; J.. B. O'Sullivan (Joint- Vice-Captain) ; D. \V. Jones (Ron. Sec. and Joint Vice- Captain) ; ]. W. Pinder and P. Trumper. The Cricket Season is now upon us and as an innovation the list of this season's fixtures is being sent to members of the AssoCia- tion in the expectation that several Old Boys will turn up at Norbury when the spirit (or the 159 bus) moves them. vVe find that it is a very pleasing form of exercise to sit in a shady spot on a sunny afternoon watching a good game of cricket and in this connection the Association is hoping to use the matches as an opportunity for providing Old Boys to a keep contact " during the summer months when our other, social activities are necessarily limited. A special note should be. made of the match against the College on J nne 8th, and it is hoped that the Old Boys will turn up in force on that day. The fixture list shows 35 fixtures. We should be able to add three or four to this. All we need now is good weather, good form, ·good luck and tpeJri~ngly spirit. . A FEW VVORDS TO COLLEGIANS. The Old Boys are playing against teams of good standing, and on good grounds...:.....:most of them not far from Clapham. The subscription is specially reduced (f<;>r two years) for those joining in the season after that in which they were last at the College . .lliany of the team are from the College teart:J.s of the last few years. If you join, you will not be among·strangers-we will see to that. It is from your ranks that we must recruit new members, if we are to maintain our status and, for that matter, our existence. (Incidentally, 1935 is the Club's tenth season). \Vhen your time· at the College is r:un {alth.ough we hope you don't regard it as " time "), if you are a cricketer, keep it up. You will be very glad you have when you have left school for some time, especially if you work indoors. If you drop it fo:t: a time you'll find it won't come back too easily, if at all. We shall be very ple?-sed to hear from .you. I12 Poplar vValk, D. jONES. Merton Park, S.vV.r9. _/ '1:.7 "]' ·._T~)3LE .~EN~IS;SE"C';['ION. Compared with the previous season's stormy passage through the London Leag~e, the Table Tennis Section is now-concluding a comparatively u!leventful season. Friendly I!latc}_l~s haye been played with, among others, the G.P.O., Chelsea Polytechnic and L.C.C. (County ~all), and it is curious that, while we have won all inatches played at home, we have failed in the away fixtures. There must be a moral in this. For a long while it has been felt that our table, which having reached an honourable old age, will be pensioned off. \Vhen afte~ practice on the table in the club-room we visited a club w"ith. a modern hard-wood table we found that the match has been lost before \ve have really "settled down." · During the past few months three or four ~ew players have joined the Section, but, there will still be ample --room for more members next September. In view of the present great popularity of the game there must be many. members of the Association who are not now in the Section. Verb. sap! . · DOUGLAS J. SMALE. 22 Brianvood Road, Clapham Park, S.W.4. TENNIS SECTION. The annual ·general meeting of the Section was held at the College on the r2th April, and the programme for the season dis- cussed. Play is now available on \Vednesdays from s.o p.m., and on Saturdays from 2.0 p.m., and, as last year, fea can be obtained at the College. Provision has also been made for the admission of playing visitors, which may well be borne in mind by any Old Xaverian who is only able to spend an occasional" afternoon· or i i \ .evening ·at the College. ! The subscription remains at 7s. 6d., which incredibly small suin is only made possible by the generosity of ~he Brothers. Balls will again be provided and, to members. who at times made rude remarks about those we played·with last year, may I say that new arrangements this season will (or should do) provoke nothing· but acclamation. ·.It has further ·been recognised by the committee that in the best tennis circles the net is reasonably level and the posts reasonably upright and secure.· (Those who played last year will know what I mean !) : The following Officers were elected who, ·together with th~ undersigned-form· the ·committee of the Section :-E. A. Hodges (Captain) ; W. Donoyan ; \V. Holland; F. ]. Woodman. DOUGLAS J. SMALE. · 22 Briarwood Road, Clapham Park, S.W.4. .r8 ~'THE XAVE~IAN PLAYER~·~'- Our two major production.s of the year have been reviewed at .length elsewhere in Concordia, and I do not think it' is necessary -· for my dealing with. their success in this space: It will interest readers, however, to ·learn thaf \Ve gave two .performances of The tt Ghost Train " additionally at Camberwell with great success. A series of three one-act plays were also given at .Bermondsey, and were enthusiastically received. · · · \Ve are looking forward to 1935-6 season with high expectation and it only now requires a rally of new members. \Vill anyone who is keen on the drama get into touch with me, and I will be most delighted to forward particulars of the plans fo~ the future. Besides the actual plays we·hold ~everal play-re~dings and theatre parties which give a most entertaining social side to the work. Thanks to ail the old Boys who have rallied to our shows, and I hope that we can rely·on their support for the future. 45 Mitcham Lane, P. A. TUNi\lER S.\V.6. · · FOOTBALL. (When we asked Bob Dowd for his notes about. the Football Section he fixed us with a baleful·eye and delivered himself right heartily on the subject. Owing to our shorthand embracing no grammalogues of the (presumably)' technical terms he frequently employed we are UJ1.able even to writ~ his notes for him. He has. promised, however, to unburden himself on the subject in our next issue-Ed.). Old Boys' Ties 2/6, Scarves, etc. can be obtained at DEMPSEYS,. Southside, S.W.4. 19 'ttbe annual IDtnner, 1935. You all have heard tell of T'Bedford Hotel like, that's down Balham way, Well on second of March-a Sat'day it were Old Boys in for Dinner did stray. Our President acted as Chairman, Eh lad ! but it was a bit rough He'd just lost his molars so when he said Grace He just prayed that the meat was?'t tough~ Way up on top-:table alongside vVere F. Barthorpe, H. Davies and others :Mr. Butler, our Robbie and Bill Holland too \Vith lashings and lashings of Brothers. T'banquet it were simply scrumptious \Vhat with bread and some soup and then fish Followed by meat and ice-cream (not Walls') And collection for waiters-in dish. Lyman proposed toast of " College " And Chairman responded~from high ; "' 'Sociation" was proposed next by Xavier (Bro.) To·which Billy Booth did.reply.· lVIr. Butler got up next-quite steady, To drink" Absent Friends," it were prime· But wives and sweethearts were wait~ng outside So he did it in double-quick-time. Then out we all went into Lounge-like- None trying to walk mi all-fours- Vlife, sister, mother and sweetheart alike vVere suitably greeted-" What's yours ? " Soon floor was got ready for dancing- A Paul-Jones began the affray- But popping of corks from the room just without, Nearly drounded soft waltz band did play. vVhen evening wer~ brought to conclusion We put on our coats, hats and jumpers But credit for this most enjo'yable " do " O'D's ? No-he says it's Phil Trumper's. (H'ith apologies to Stanley Holloway). 20 !; .. i · 201;; :'1Jjs~ol1nl\;· <.;.:'·_'::F'·: . :~:::;/ti!;tfi~~l!s~~}t~~~~~;~il~i~~~l(:i-_ · '_;}[9-ver~~1~s;::.of ..·auowi11i.::cF:~gert~rr!,'us. if,isco·i~n(: off: ·:: qif,r. ·itsualpr_ices. (f:V1~ite.jo( c; ~talog~ . , ,({~d~i~ ;~bii~ ~dbid ':W~tch ·~~~-'k~fi~~ ~;~~[~~nd? ;':'!, /~ ''i·1·~:is:o.:.·o·th.~r-·$1lapes:·a~d ·styie-5\{p:-t .;:;y.~:·~;..:·:-.. _. ::·:)-~:·.,~: .... -. ~ ..: ·. ·..•. _... ·: , .· 35L'VERPO()L.STREET, E.C.2•. ,, .. - .•. ,.,.,,,,