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PETERITE. VoL. XXI I. APRIL, 1916. No. 222.

SCHOOL LETTER

T is the general custom of Editors, when writing the School Letter, to commence with the most important event, and this term pride of place must undoubtedly be accorded to the weather. The condition of the weather can be best judged from the fact that to-day is the first fine day we have had since the middle of January, a fact which caused universal acclamation. The activities of the Hockey team have naturally been greatly hampered by the rain, indeed out of 7 matches arranged 4 have had to be cancelled. Out of the three matches played, however, two have been very creditable victories, and, if only the weather clears up, the team should emerge victorious from all the remaining matches. We have received the confident assurances of the Boating authorities that in their sphere of influence the reputation of th School will be worthily maintained, and the information brought in by our spies leads us to the same conclusion. The boater being like ducks, are the only members of the School who have not been inconvenienced by the weather, and so we hope that in the boat-races, maintaining their " duck " reputation, they will simply " fly " to victory. The Corps is still continuing to do good work, although this term reminiscences of parades have been inseparably associ- ated with snow, rain, and mud, especially the latter. A minor 2 SCHOOL LETTER. field-day was held upon Friday, March 17th (an exclusive account of which, written by our special correspondent at the front, appears upon a later page), and the major and combined field- day, is due to take place upon Friday, March 24th. The band and the signallers especially deserve praise for their diligence and perseverance, although at a parade of the latter department I was rather mystified by such commands as " Let Emma go," ; however the signallers understood it and so it must be all right. The Athletic Sports have again been revived this term after a lapse of one year, and are fixed to take place upon April 4th. A few of the usual events have been scratched and in their place have been inserted team races against officers. In the ordinary events, although the School is somewhat small the times and jumps should be quite up to the average, provided of course that the weather will take up. This term we are sorry to say that we have lost Mr. Swift. He had been connected with the School for years, during which period he had always been held in high esteem by masters and boys alike. As a token of this esteem he was presented at the end of last term with a chair. To his successor, Mr. Woodcock, we extend a hearty welcome. It has long been the ambition of the Peterite Editors to provide some means of entertaining the more juvenile and lighter-minded sections of their readers, and they have come to the conclusion that a chatty Notes and Items column would be the best possible solution of this problem. The Notes and Items column in this number will be found to be a step in that direction. But as it is the result of an eleventh hour decision we would ask our readers: not to criticize, its failings too severely. But we would like to point out to our readers that the success of this enterprise really rests with them.. There must be many amusing incidents in the course of the term which never come to the ears of the editors, and so we would ask our readers in some way to communicate these occurrences to the editors. If they will do so, they may rely upon the editors to do their best. HOCKEY. 3

HOCKEY.

ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v POCKLINGTON SCHOOL. Result :—School 9. Pocklington i. The School won the toss and played down hill during the first half. The forwards carried the ball into the opponents twenty-five straight away, and after a short time Wright scored with a good shot. After the bully the School again pressed and Wright scored from an excellent centre by Stainthorpe. Directly afterwards Wright scored again. This followed by an attack on the School goal, but Toyne succeeded in clearing to Yeoman who scored. Wright then scored two more goals, after which some even play followed, Jones using his hips well against a diminutive opponent. Chilman then scored from the edge of the circle. Some even play followed this until half-time. The School 7. Pocklington o. Directly after the bully-off Pocklington carried the ball over the school's 25 yards line, but scored with mud only, our back clearing the ball well. This was followed by pressure on our opponents' goal, but they were saved by perpetual off-sides, owing to the over-eagerness of our forwards. However Wright again scored. The York forwards then regained the Pocklington twenty-five, but Wright persisted in being off-side, though in a short time he succeeded in scoring again. Again the forwards took the ball into Pocklington's circle, but without success, except a shot which topped the cross-bar. Pocklington, however, soon scored from a clear by their left-back. Some even play followed when full time was blown. The School forwards showed some excellent combination and were exceedingly well backed up by the backs. Final score :—The School 9. Pocklington 1. The following composed the team :—Forwards, P. G. Russell, T. J. Wright, W. G. Yeoman, J. C. Stainthorpe, M. R. Jones ; Half-backs, A. Delittle, K. G. Chilman, W. L. Roberts ; backs, F. B. Crowther, B. D. Toyne ; Goal, R. R. Rainford. 4 BOATING.

ST. PETER'S SCHOOL V. RIPON GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

Result :—School 2. Ripon 6. The School lost the toss and played down-hill the first half. For the first ten minutes nothing decisive happened, but Ripon scored from a melee in the goal mouth. Shortly afterwards the Ripon forwards carried the ball the length of the field and scored for the second time. After the centre bully Ripon again carried the ball down the field unto the School's circle, but Rainford made an excellent save and Toyne cleared to Wright who took the ball down the field and scored with a brilliant shot. Half- time followed. The School. i Ripon. 2 After the centre bully the Ripon forwards again succeeded in penetrating our defence, but the School was not yet disheartened and again taking the ball into the Ripon's circle Wright score from a melee. After a short period of vain attempts at clearing by the backs, Ripon's left inside scored, and this rather demoral- ised the backs, who were beaten twice in quick succession. Play was then even for five minutes, when time was blown and the game ended with a loss for the School. The team was as follows :- Forwards, G. A. Allen, H. L. B. Bryning, T. J. Wright, J. C. Stainthorpe, M. R. Jones ; Halves, W. L. Roberts, K. G. Chilman, W. A. Yeoman ; backs, F. B. Crowther, B. D. Toyne ; goal, R. R. Rainford.

ROWING NOTES. Considerable keenness has been shown this term in Boating, and the increase of numbers has enabled us to get four crews at work who ought to provide some good racing. The crews of the Tubs, which were at the beginning of the term like paralytic octopeds, have now recovered from soreness and are showing much improvement in style. Gedge, Newhouse I. and Crawshaw, SCHOOL THEATRICALS. 5 are perhaps about the best and should prove useful members of the School Boat next year. The great fault at present is that no one seems to realise that legs are more powerful than arms and that a good rower only considers his arms as connecting files between the oar and his leg and back muscles, by means of which he can guide the oar into his chest. The School Boat has got through some excellent work this term and is very ably stroked by Sergeant. The crew is quite lively and has an unlimited supply of ' guts.' Most of them are however inexperienced in racing and must be very careful not to let themselves get flurried. On no account must they look at their opponents as this is fatal to keeping good time. We are expecting great things of them in the races which are shortly coming off, in which we wish them the very best of luck. The crew of the School Boat is :- Cox, R. H. Metcalfe. Stroke, J. H. Sergeant. 3, J. M. Ferguson. 2, H. L. Walker. Bow, H. G. English.

SCHOOL THEATRICALS. The School Play was again revived last term, and the experiment was undoubtedly a great success. Two perfor- mances were given upon Monday and Tuesday evenings, December loth and 21st, and, in addition to the usual dress rehearsal, a special performance for wounded soldiers upon Tuesday afternoon. The play chosen was " A Pair of Spectacles," by Sidney Grundy, but owing to the War having denuded the School of older boys, the original custom of having Masters in the caste was revived in the personages of Mr. Toyne and Mr. Barnby, whilst the ladies' parts were very kindly and also very ably taken by Mrs. B. Dodsworth and Miss Mildred Evelyn. " A Pair of Spectacles " 6 SCHOOL THEATRICALS.

is a three-act play of the light sentimental class, and as its name implies the plot centres round a pair of spectacles. Benjamin Goldfinch, essentially a " dear " old man, who is the dupe of all swindlers, receives a visit from his brother Gregory, a bluff Yorkshire manufacturer, but a man whom the quest for money has hardened, and who has become distrustful of the world to an excessive degree. At the beginning of the play Benjamin Goldfinch breaks his spectacles and borrows his brother Gregory's. But the spectacles had been affected by the personality of their owner and gradually Benjamin develops his brother's charac- teristics and this naturally produces many amusing incidents, although before the end of the play matters resume their natural course. The following criticism of play is taken in extenso from the Yorkshire Herald :- A piece like " A Pair of Spectacles " presents far greater difficulties to the average amateur than some other kinds of play —such, for instance, as abound in characters of a more or less eccentric type. In the former case there is nothing grotesque behind which the performer can conceal or disguise any possible crudity of execution. Better praise cannot be given the St. Peter's actors than that their interpretation made the various characters alive, and impressed crowded audiences with the dramatic points, both humourous and pathetic. As Benjamin Goldfinch—the character popularised by Sir John Hare—Mr. Toyne tackled a part demanding much fertility of resource and smoothness of technique, and the way in which he achieved his task won the heartiest approval. He acted with ease, and em- ployed the right amount of emphasis to convey the author's meaning effectively over the footlights. Perhaps he illustrated the humourous side of the character somewhat better than the pathetic ; but the whole result was a very human and delightful impersonation. The Rev. F. H. Barnby was admirably fitted for the role of Uncle Gregory, and gave a definite and incisive, and in some ways original exhibition of the hard-headed, close- fisted cynic. The two sons, Percy and Dick (K. H. Rhodes and H. L. Hannam) acquitted themselves well ; but the palm must be given to Percy, who showed considerable ease and assurance SCHOOL THEATRICALS. 7 for so young an actor. Joyce caused no little amusement as a butler ; but of the smaller parts Bartholomew was perhaps the best. S. P. George, as Lorimer, a merchant, was obviously " much more younger than he looks," but his delivery and manner made amends. Mrs. Goldfinch was played by Mrs. B. Dods- worth with verve and singular grace, her elocution being clear and telling. Miss Mildred Evelyn had a small part, but played with great fascination. Besides the artistic merits briefly touched on above, the performance had the primary quality of being thoroughly enjoyable, as was attested by frequent and hearty applause. The Fulford Ladies' Orchestra gave the following programme of music which was greatly appreciated :- " The Girl in the Taxi " (Gilbert), " Tipperary Land " (Pot- pourri), " Little Grey Home in the West " (Lohr), " Scotch Airs " (Traditional), " Betty " (Rubens), " To-night's the Night "

(Rubens), " Gipsy Love " (Leha) . The stage management, which was again in the hands of Mr. Yeld, was very ably carried out and especially noticeable was a new and elaborate proscenium, the work of Mr. Sharpe and the scene-painters. The stewards, who were distinguished by their tasteful rosettes, did all they had to do with tact and efficiency, while the scene-shifters and prompters also did their work thoroughly. A collection upon Monday and Tuesday even- ing in aid of the Public Schools' Base Hospital realised 2 los. Donking, on behalf of the monitors, presented Mrs. Toyne with a most beautiful bouquet. DRAMATIS PERSONIE. Benjamin Goldfinch S. M. TOYNE, ESQ. Uncle Gregory (his brother) REV. F. H. BARNBY. Percy (his son) K. H. RHODES. Dick (his nephew) H. L. HANNAM. Lorimer (his friend) S. P. GEORGE. Bartholomew (his shoemaker) G DE R. DOOLEY. Joyce (his butler) W. G. YEOMAN. Another Shoemaker P. G. RUSSELL. Charlotte (a parlourmaid) F. J. MANN. Mrs. Goldfinch (his second wife) MRS. B. DODSWORTH. Lucy Lorimer (Lorimer's daughter) • • • • MISS MILDRED EVELYN. 8 SCHOOL THEATRICALS

Stage Manager, G. VELD, ESQ. Scene Painters, Decorators, &c., MRS. TOYNE, A. SHARPE, ESQ., F. R. TOVEY, J. H. SERGEANT, W. A. PRITT, F. H. BUTTER- FIELD, H. L. B. BRYNING. Prompter, D. NoRwooD. Stewards : J. C. STAINTHORPE, F. R. TOVEY, J. H. SERGEANT, G. N. STORRS-FOX, R. C. CALVERT, J. M. FERGUSON, M. R. JONES, L. E. CUTFORTH, K. G. CHILMAN, W. A. PRITT.

The prologue, written by Mr. Yeld and delivered on Monday and Tuesday nights by J. C. Stainthorpe, was as follows :- Kind friends, we thank you heartily for coming to our play, There is, we know, but one thing that fills all minds to-day, Britain once more for Europe hold Freedom's flag unfurled, And calls her sons to battle from the corners of the world. They come in eager thousands from lands beyond the foam, To stand for law and justice beside the ranks of home ; Not of our seeking is the war, that calls us now to fight, We stand for honesty and truth, for liberty and right. And readily has this old school responded to the cry For steadfast hearts and stalwart arms prepared to do or die, Three hundred and three score have gone—and some will ne'er return— They gave their lives for Britain's love, those heroes whom we mourn. The deathless laurel wreaths the names of those whom nobly died, We sorrow for them deeply but our sorrow's mixed with pride, Pride that they did what heroes do, unyielding and elate, And left a noble memory for us to emulate. God rest their souls, and give us grace to follow where they led, For so best shall we vindicate the-honour of our dead. Of Cricket and of Football we have not much to say, With one old " Colour " in our team Our Fifteen faced the fray, " Victor from vanquished issues," the poet says, " at last," So we hope that future victories will blot out failures past. SCHOOL THEATRICALS. 9 Three hundred for three wickets was our highest Cricket score, With Mr. Toyne and Chilman still good for many more. We possess a new pavilion with our Archbishop's benison, A truly " lordly pleasure-house "—to quote the words of Tennyson. We've gained a fine new Football Field that quite fulfils our dream, And twenty boys at Clifton Grove to help recruit the team ; We've a very useful armoury, we've got a transformed garage, And a guardian to look after it whom no one can disparage, September's entries brought us this year a record crowd, Of which—I'm sure you'll sympathise—we feel a little proud. The O.T.C. already has its camp and field traditions, And all its officers of age have got themselves commissions. Sergeant's success and Hussey's were excellent—you'll agree, And Calvert's play was in its way a pretty jeu d' esprit. On Bishop Browne's delightful book the critics pour out praise, We too find quite entrancing its tales of olden days, And when we read the bishop's life—at home, at school and college, We thank him very heartily for giving us the knowledge Of how against opposing ills he proved a stalwart fighter, And full of wise experience grew fit to wear the mitre. The Bishop still is with us a vig'rous man—but one Like him a famous Peterite—alas ! his race has run, George Eyre, strong man, fine sportsman, and loyal friend combined, Will still be cherished in the hearts of those he's left behind. For Bernard Matthews too we mourn with sympathy sincere, Who made so many friendships in his short stay with us here. In Mr. Richards we have lost our well-known science master, May every happiness be his in his new life as pastor. On Mr. Swift in his new home may fate all good gifts pile, And on his famous camera—the sunshine ever shine. Observe our new Proscenium with its black and golden linings, Mr. Sharpe's design and Tovey's work, Pritt's, Sergeants Butters', Bryning's. I0 O.T.C. NEWS.

To our orchestra of ladies, so skilled and sweet, our attitude I'm sure, you'll join us in it is one of heartfelt gratitude. And- for the thousand gracious ways in which she's lent us aid, Let now our very warmest thanks to Mrs. Toyne be paid. Now to conclude, as preachers say, if foes or troubles vex, Sweet Friends you'd better borrow Ben. Goldfinch's old ' specs,' And then there will occur to you strong arguments in plenty Why the Public Schools' Base Hospital but verbum sapienti.

O.T.C. NEWS. The Corps has continued its activities this term with two uniform parades a week as usual, and in addition there have been many parades at 12-3o for rifle cleaning and musketry. On Tuesday, March 3rd, after a short route march, a scheme of attack was carried out upon the School, which was gallantly defended by the band. The assault was carried out by Platoons I. and II., under Company-Sergeant-Major Sergeant and 2nd Lieut. King respectively, and the plan of campaign was that the attack of Platoon II. should precede that of Platoon I. by ten minutes. This was carried out to the minute, Platoon I. advan- cing from the river under cover of a blinding snowstorm, and Platoon II. attacking from Clifton Grove. The School was taken, a small party of Platoon I. penetrating right through the School. There have been, besides, two short route marches, one by the longest run and the other by Gillygate and Bumper Castle. During the latter some distance judging was indulged in. Shortly after half-term an awkward squad, consisting of the worst members of the corps, was formed under Lce.-Corpl. Gedge. They are smarter in the field than on the parade ground, and on the Skelton Field Day they showed great promise. The awkward squad has, however, made some of the other sections of the corps so deficient in numbers that they cannot exist alone, and have to combine with one or other of their neighbours. O.T.C. NEWS. II

The Army has provided us this term not only with blank ammunition, but also with ball, which some members have been using on the range. We had almost despaired of getting any blank, which would have greatly diminished the eagerness of the corps on Field Days. Each rifle and each carbine is now stamped with its respective number. This will eliminate all difficulty as to which rifle belongs to whom, especially among the Derby Recruits, to whom rifles are lent regularly. PROMOTIONS Lce.-Corporal Ferguson to be Corporal. Lce.-Corporal Ash to be Corporal. POPPLETON FIELD DAY. On Friday, March 17th, a half-holiday was granted in honour of the work done by senior members of the corps in the training of Derby Recruits, and advantage was taken of this to hold a Field Day. The corps began operations by marching about 4i miles along the Skelton Road and this march was considerably enlivened by the singing of various songs, especially " D.P. 49." It would be a good thing, however, if before the next route march some members of the corps learnt up-to-date songs, since some of them came out with " The Galloping Major " and other songs reminiscent of the dim past. But now to business. The general scheme was as follows :—A Brown Army was evacuating York and had sent forward a small party (Platoon II.) to blow up three railway bridges, marked A.B.C. on the map. A bridge was considered blown up if a party of Brown Army could stay there 30 minutes. A White Army was advancing upon York and had thrown out a patrol (Platoon I.) to save these bridges, expecially the bridge at C. The plan of attack was to make a feint attack with one section upon A at 4-15 p.m., and then at 4-30 p.m. to make the main attack upon C. The attack upon A with one section of Platoon I, under Sergt. Dooley, succeeded in drawing the main armies of the defence against them, but, unfortunately, they were put out of action for 10 minutes, and the bridge was blown 12 O.T.C. NEWS. up. On the right, however, the remainder of Platoon I. under C.S.M. Sergeant and Corporals Stainthorpe and Yeoman ad- vancing round by Hall's Farm with great dash succeeded in breaking through the defence. They pushed on the attack with amazing energy and succeeded not only in saving the bridges B. and C. but also in rolling up the defending forces under Corpls. Chilman and Ferguson. In the words of the umpire" not many of the mothers of the defenders would have seen their sons again." The remaining defending forces were driven across the railway and, to use an Irishism, " their position was such that they were surrounded by floods on all sides, and where they were not surrounded by floods they were surrounded by the enemy." The booty and prisoners captured by the attacking forces were enormous, consisting as they did of the entire cyclist and signall- ing equipment of the enemy. After a most successful Field Day w e then assembled and marched homeward, tired, but not downhearted as we asserted in the words of the popular song. On the return journey we halted for a pow-wow at which the events of the day were discussed.

DERBY RECRUITS. The activities of the Officers' Training Corps have been considerably widened since Christmas. The War Office gave them the opportunity of training Army Recruits, Class B, before their groups were called up. A regular syllabus of train- ing was laid down and a certificate is given by the Officer Com- manding the Corps showing the stage of proficiency which the Reservist has reached on rejoining the colours. Instructors of the Voluntary Training Corps volunteered to help and a Training Company about 160 strong has been working extremely hard at St. Peter's and at the Colliergate Drill Hall. The whole system has been carried through on strict Military lines, and some of the results have been most gratifying. All the officers and, Sergt. -Major Sergeant, Sergt. Jones, Sergt. Dooley, Corporal NOTES AND ITEMS. 13

Ash, Corporal Ferguson, and Lce.-Corporal Tendall have been detailed for various duties in their instruction course, whilst a very smart squad under Corporal Yeoman has -set them a standard in rifle exercises. The cleaning of Colliergate Drill Hall has fallen to the lot of another fatigue party, which has learned one more important point of interior economy— the cleaning of billets. By the time this article has reached the printer's hands the Company will have been inspected at its work by Colonel H. D. Robson, and it is hoped that the time and work, which have been bestowed on this movement, will not be considered to have been fruitless. Besides giving preliminary training, it is hoped that Officers Commanding new Battalions will be able to pick their non- commissioned Officers from these enthusiastic Reservists.

NOTES AND ITEMS. Now that the Sports' fervour is upon the School, we think that the publication of the School Sports' records will be of interest to many of our readers. This publication will enable the athletes amongst our readers to know what standards they will have to attain to set up fresh records, and will also enable their less athletic friends to gloat over their failure (or success) to do so. The records (correct since 1879) are as follows :- Putting the Weight. 1883. L. E. Stevenson. 37 ft. 9 in. no Yards' Flat Race. 1881. R. F. Wood. 3o1 secs. 120 Yards' Hurdle Race. 1903. L. M. Cadle. 181 secs. 1908. A. A. Phillips. 182 secs. 1-Mile Flat race. 1880. A. P. Chadwick. 54 secs. 1898. E. J. Walton. 54 sees. Mile Flat Race. 1895. J. W. Ford. 4 min. 45 secs. Throwing the Cricket Ball. 1901. H. S. Leonard. 105 yds. 6 in. High Jump. 1892. F. M. Bingham. 5 ft. Sin. 14 NOTES AND ITEMS.

Long Jump. 1887. J. E. Gofton. 19 ft. 4 in. High Jump (under 15). 1882. W. Ford. 4 ft. 7i in. Long Jump (under 15). 189o. C. J. N. Carter. 17 ft. 2 in . This term, on account of the weather stopping games, there have been two paper-chases, and an abnormal number of runs. The running has revealed the presence in the School, especially in its junior sections, of a large number of long-distance runners, and it is very hard lines upon these persons that a motion for a five mile race was thrown out by the Sports' Com- mittee. It must not be thought, however, that in these paper- chases a breach has been made of the Government's appeal for economy in the use of paper, for only foolscap, written upon both sides of the paper, was used. This economy in the use of paper has been carefully regarded by the School as is testified to by the minute pieces of paper upon which exercises are written. We have, indeed, heard rumours of impositions being done upon old newspapers. But whilst the School has followed the Government's lead in this paper economy campaign, it has set a splendid example by readjusting its organisation to allow the under porter— Fletcher, to join the Army. His duties are undertaken by various squads. An N.C.C. squad has Seen formed of the few members of the School who are not members of the Corps, and in future their consciences will be relieved by the knowledge that they are " doing their bit." Thus whenever the Corps are parading, the N.C.C. squad may be seen scavenging the grounds under the command of that stern martinet, Private Hardcastle. Although it may be somewhat surprising to those not in the secret, the School has quite a competent squad of bill- deliverers, and it is rumoured that detachments of hawkers and sandwich-men are being formed. By this we refer, of course, to the delivery of bills in York advertising the fact that the Corps had been authorised by the War Office to give preliminary instruction to Derby Recruits. During the holidays the discovery was made that the School had a most valuable possession in the old oak pannelling DUMP. 5- of the Big Hall. Sinners of a past generation, however had hidden this fact under a coat of black paint, but now the shadow (and the paint) has been removed from our minds. In conclusion we congratulate F. B. Crowther, J. C. Stain- thorpe and P. G. Russell upon receiving their School Hockey Colours, and also H. L. Walker upon receiving his School Boating Colours.

DUMP. We publish below a few extracts from " Dump," a magazine published at Christmas, 1915, by the 23rd Division in France. For this magazine we are indebted to Captain C. L. Armstrong (0.P.) . " Then generally generals Come round if there's no strafe, Like shepherds shepherding their sheep And leaning on their ' staff.' " THE SECRET OUT. 1704-1915. In Flanders our ancestors fought well of yore, In Flanders we, too, shed our blood ; And at last we all know what we wondered before, That the reason " the army so terribly swore " Was because of the terrible mud ! THE CIVILIANS GUIDE TO KNOWLEDGE. Censor (Deleted by Censor.) Fascine • • I don't know what that means. Correspondent, War. See Air Hot. Gabion • • • • See Fascine. Dug-out • • A place which leaks. See under water. Drain • • • • See Trench. Redoubt • • See Gabion. Der Tag • • An excuse for a drink IO THE TRIBE OF TOMMIZ.

THE TRIBE OF TOMMIZ. (A few extracts from an Ancient Manuscript recently discovered). And it came to pass in my travels that I came to the land of the Tribe of Tommiz. They are a strange and wonderful people, for they make unto themselves holes in the ground, even as the beasts of the field, and lo ! their garb is like the sands of the desert. And their war cry, which they utter thrice a day, is this : " Hoo, hoo, hoosia lay defren !" And there came one with the face of a child, who commanded two score men of the tribe, and they stood before him with strange weapons of wood and iron. And he cried unto them and said : " Form spekshun port Hipe !" And behold, with one accord they raised their weapons in their hands. And I fell upon my knees, and besought him to spare me from death. But he laughed and spoke and said : " Yewara funni blita." And then, though I understood not his words, I knew that he had heard my prayer. And as I marvelled at these strange things, I heard a wondrous noise in the heavens. And I looked up and behold a mighty dragon fly. And thereon all the men of the tribe hid themselves in the holes which they had digged. And of a sudden the dragon- fly turned in its flight and one cried " Nowfer shelz." And immediately the air was filled with a mighty shout and a roar as of ten thousand devils, and behold a house rose up and was no more. Then did I turn to flee in terror, but the men of the tribe laughed aloud. Wherefore I spoke to one and said " 0 men of strange ways, do ye laugh in the face of winged death ?" and he answered and said " Ooia gitnat ?"

Truly they are a strange people ! MUNITIONS. 17

MUNITIONS.

One I a.m. February Morning a middle aged gentleman, wearing an anxious look and his shabbiest clothes, entered a Motor Garage at a South country Technical College, for a fort- night's training in munition work. Before coming he had schooled himself into a submissive frame of mind, for he had long been his own man, and trouble at the hands of a fierce foreman, set in a horrid maze of whirring machines, seemed as certain as anything could be. As usual, reality proves to be the Antipodes of Imagination, and he soon sees that, though he is in for eight days' hard labour, it is the very hard labour of doing nothing. There is a variety of electric driven machines for turning and cutting steel, with trimmings in the shape of drills, grindstone and forge, and double the number of men to use them. The result is that we new arrivals must watch and wait and ques- tion for six days, whilst the veterans of last week do the work under the supervision of a fat, genial little engineer. Uncomprehending, we watch during that first hour, think- ing enviously of present day Peterites, with a lathe to amuse such lost moments as still remain to them in these strenuous times. In the second hour we notice, with joyful surprise, premoni- tory symptoms of intelligence strung within, and long before the day is out, we turn in relief from the solemn contemplation of machines, working with the deliberate inevitableness of Fate, to a closer study of the men in charge of them. One is a young Indian, obviously of high caste and probably a prince, fresh from Oxford and destined for the Bar. He tells us cheerfully that we shall know all that watching can teach us in three days at the outside, and that the next three will be the saddest of .our lives. What he knows he explains well, as does a clean-shaven young British Columbian, with an American accent and a kindly manner, who really knows things and gently pulls the leg of his friend the Scot, who thinks he does. He has a wood turning lathe away at home on the little Ranch which his wife runs in his absence, and he tells us that he considers the slower working steel lathe the easier to manage. MUNITIONS.

At the next machine is. a ruddy Fishmonger, hard hit by the unconscionable price of plaice and cod. He sweats with anxiety lest he should make an involuntary dig, and ruin his day's work by shaving off a thirty-second of an inch instead of a sixty- fourth. Then comes the silent gentleman in spectacles, toiling on unceasingly, and grunting at questions. Rendered speechless by responsibility, we think, but no ! The instructor comes and goes. " I did not quite grasp what he told you about that lever," ventures our persevering novice. " Neither did I," replies the silent one. But when he tells us later that one of his sons was killed at Gallipoli, and another wounded, we understand and sympathize both with his silence and his grim concentration on projectiles. His neighbour is a Bantam Soldier, with seventeen months service at the front to his credit, including Mons and Neuve Chapelle. He recently had nine pieces of shell in his stomach and now has his discharge papers in his pocket, where, as he says in a few picturesque words, they will certainly remain. Last week an ex-Butler was of the party. Everything he touched he spoiled, and report says that Saturday evening witnessed his return home with an iron cross securely pinned to his unsuspecting back, as a reward for service done. On the second day the prospect brightens. A number of horse shoes are brought in to be drilled, and are greedily scrambled for by the novices. They also fashion weird looking lathe tools at forge and grindstone, only to be decapitated by the electric saw and re-made next morning. And so slips away the ninety-six hours which we imagine may be the prelude to our entry into a National Shell Factory, less numb both in brain and touch than we should have been otherwise. Thus imagination. The Reality, experienced by recent students—in spite of official advertisements—is that you must either be a skilled mechanic or else a labourer prepared to fetch and carry heavy weights at sixpence-halfpenny an hour. If so, why this constant cry for unskilled as well as skilled munition workers, and why Government aid to Technical Institutions to train them ? L.T.C. CONCERT.

LECTURES. On Saturday, March 4th, Mr. A. J. A. Woodcock delivered an extremely interesting lecture, entitled " Pond Life." It was Mr. Woodcock's first lecture in the School, and most of the School were present. The lecture was profusely illustrated by means of the new Lantern which was ably worked by Mr. Featherstone (and F. B. Crowther). On Saturday, March i8th, Mr. Yeld gave a lecture on " Syracuse " where he has himself been with the late Dr. Tempest Anderson. At the end of the lecture one might almost have believed one had been there oneself, so vivid were the accounts of the places depicted on the screen.

CONCERT. The burden of a most enjoyable concert, given on Saturday, March nth, fell on the shoulders of Miss Wyatt and Mr. A. Guibara. Rarely has a concert been more appreciated, and rarely has the standard been of such a high level. That one singer should sing fourteen songs and leave us asking for more .speaks well for his skill and versatility. That is what Mr. Guibara did. He was really great in his singing of the prologue to I. Pagiellt and very happy in his singing of songs in lighter vein, especially " The Drum Major." Miss Wyatt's singing of " The Slave " pleased us most, but her sweet and well-trained voice carried her audience with her in all she sang. Jones and Wright made their debut as " Broken Voicers," acquitted themselves well and showed much promise. 20 O.P. NEWS.

NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. During the present term there have not been many meetings, but apart from this the Society has no cause to complain. The addition of a very fine lantern to the School equipment has given greatly increased opportunities for demonstration, and members of the Society spent an interesting evening in examining its possibilities. On other occasions some of us have met to become more acquainted with several pieces of apparatus in the physics laboratory, e.g., the spectroscope and Whimshurst machine ; incidentally we have been able to overhaul some of the apparatus which required attention. We have also had a most interesting lecture on " Pond Life," kindly given by Mr. Woodcock, and hope soon to have the fresh water aquarium restocked with a good deal of interesting material. A beginning has also been made in the arrangement of the valuable collection of British insects which the School Museum contains. One cabinet of butterflies and moths has already been completed. Indoor meetings will be suspended next term, but we anticipate that the Society will not be idle and that there will be frequent opportunities of open-air study in the various branches of our activities.

O.P. NEWS.

BIRTHS. 2nd December, 1915, the wife of Rev. A. M. Sullivan (O.P.) of a son. 17th January, 1916, the wife of S. W. Penty (O.P.), a daughter. 21st January, 1916, the wife of C. P. Wadsworth (O.P.), a son. 7th February, 1916, the wife of Captain D. Wrangham (0.P.), a son. O.P. NEWS. 21

23rd February, 1916, the wife of J. E. Pulleyn (0.P.), a son. DEATHS. 7th December, 1915. Fred William England (O.P.). Entered March, 186o. 31st October, 1915. Francis Edward Burr (O.P.), aged 61. Recently. Thos. Stephenson (O.P.), aged 83. Entered March, 1845. A distinguished naturalist and contributor to scientific journals. MARRIAGES. October 2nd, 1915. P. G. Hendley (O.P.) to Gertrude, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Smith, London. October 1st, 1915. At Bombay, A. A. Phillips (O.P.), Indian State Railways, to Lucy, daughter of George Osborn, of York. December 4th, 1915. J. Willis Gray (O.P.) to Hilda Mary, daughter of Wm. Rustling, of Hamilton Road, Lincoln. January i6th, 1916. Captain R. M. Wood (O.P.) to Edith Hedley, daughter of J. A. Stewart, of Kirklea Gardens, Glasgow. 29th February, 1916. Lieut.-Col. A. H. Lane (O.P.), only child of the late James Robertson, of Cape Town.

APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS- W. Ingham (O.P.) to be temp. Lieut. R. E. A. M. Daniel (O.P.) and Y. Anderson (O.P.) have taken their seats as Magistrates for Scarbro'. 2nd Lieut. W. G. Wilson to be temp. Lieut. York and Lancaster Regiment. E. B. Laughton (O.P.) to be 2nd Lieut. West Riding Brigade (Terr.) R.F.A. Lieut. C. B. Alexander to be Capt. R.A.M.C., attached to unit other than Medical. 2nd Lieut. G. Hillier has ceased to serve with the School Contingent O.T.C. 22 O.P. NEWS.

A. G. Wilson (O.P.) who went to France as Corporal in April, 1915, has received his commission. Rev. A. Chadwick (O.P.) to be Rector of Denbury, Newton Abbot. 2nd Lieut. S. Dobson from Service Battalion to be 2nd Lieut. (temp.) Yorkshire Light Infantry. Lieut. A. D. Foster (O.P.) to be 2nd Lieut. Royal Sussex Regiment. 2nd Lieut. E. H. 0. Keates (0.P.) to be temp. Lieut. Yorkshire Light Infantry. Lieut. G. H. Mills (O.P.) West Riding Divisional Train A.S.C. to be temp. Captain. Major E. J. B. Buckle (0.P.) West Yorkshire Regiment to be Lieut.-Col. Lieut. W. H. Haynes (O.P.) Yorkshire Regiment to be temp. Captain. Lieut. J. A. Kirby (O.P.) Sherwood Foresters, to be temp. Captain. Lieut. R. M. Wood (O.P.) West Yorkshire Regiment, to be temp. Captain. 2nd Lieut. W. G. Wilson, from Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, to be temp. Lieut. Service Battalion Royal Fusiliers. Lieut. E. A. Pollard (O.P.) 5th Battalion (Terr.) West Yorkshire Regiment to be Captain. Major R. E. Key (O.P.) to Command 32nd Service Battalion Royal Fusiliers and to be temp. Lieut.-Col. Lieut. B. Dodsworth (O.P.) Terr. Reserve to be General Staff Officer, 3rd grade. Brev. Lieut.-Col. N. Malcolm (O.P.) to be Brigadier-General temp. while serving on the General Staff. His services in- Gallipoli were mentioned in recent despatches with approbation. J. C. Lyth (O.P.) to be Acting Lieut. (temp.) H.M.S. " Carnarvon." Captain F. Mitchell (O.P.), West Yorkshire Regiment, to be temp. Captain West Riding Divisional Ammunition Column, and to be temporary Lieut.-Col. O.P. NEWS. 23

2nd Lieut. G. McTurner (O.P.) to be seconded for duty as flying Officer with Royal Flying Corps., Military Wing. Captain E. A. Pollard (O.P.), West Riding Regiment, to be temp. Major. Lieut. R. Creyke to be temp. Captain while commandant of Grenade School. Major C. E. Cobb (0.P.), East Yorkshire Regiment, to be temp. Major Lieut. W. G. Wilson, York and Lancaster Regiment, to be temp. Captain. Temp. Lieut. A. Arrigonie to be temp. Captain. Captain I. M. Sunter (O.P.) from General Staff Officer to be Brigade-Major. Lieut. G. D. Shann (O.P.) to be temp. Captain R.A.M.C. F. S. Newall (O.P.) has been appointed Member of the Appeal Tribunal for Recruiting in Co. Durham. Captain C. P. Metcalfe (O.P.) has been appointed to H.M.S. " President " for duty at the Admiralty. Rev. A. G. Wilton (O.P.) to be incumbent of Nenpuett Thrubwell. Captain H. H. F. Stockley (O.P.) from Reserve of Officers R.M. to be temp. Major. 2nd Lieut. M. W. Peters (O.P.) is confirmed in rank. Lieut. A. S. Robertson, R.E., to be temp. Captain while commanding a Labour Co. 2nd Lieut. R. D. Foster (O.P.) to be temp. Lieut. 2nd Lieut. J. C. Foster (O.P.) to be temp. Lieut. Major R. M. Johnson (O.P.) to be Lieut.-Col. R.A. 2nd Lieut. B. C. Connor (O.P.) is confirmed in rank. 2nd Lieut. H. S. Haworth (0.P.) . to be temp. Lieut. Captain E. V. Howgate (O.P.) to be Staff Captain attached to Headquarters. 24 LIBRARY NOTES. 2nd Lieut. D. C. Anderson to be temp. Captain Royal Fusiliers, City of London Regiment. J. R. Sale (O.P.) Assistant Paymaster R.N. to H.M.S. " Victory."

KILLED IN ACTION. Captain G. J. Scott 5th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Lieut. W. H. Bouman 7th Battalion Durham L.I.

MILITARY CROSS. Captain W. A. K. Fraser. .Adjt. 39th King George's Own Central Indian Horse.

MENTIONED IN DISPATCHES. Brigadier-General N. Malcolm. Lieut.-Col. J. Mortimer. Lieut.-Col. R. M. Johnson. Captain G. J. Scott.

MISCELLANEOUS. We are pleased to see the name of Lieut. R. R. Taylor (O.P.) amongst the prisoners recaptured in the Cameroons.

LIBRARY NOTES.

THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A BISHOP. BY THE RIGHT REVEREND G. F. BROWNE (LATELY BISHOP OF BRISTOL).

LONDON.-SMITH, ELDER & CO., 1915. This is a book to be heartily commended to all Peterites, Old and Present. It is full of interest from beginning to end. Acute judgement of men and things, ripe experience, and a LIBRARY NOTES. 25 delightful humour which bubbles over in innumerable good stories, have won the praises of the critics. To Peterites the Old Peterite endears himself at once. His account of the School days, and of life in the neighbourhood of York when his father lived at Nun Monkton make very pleasant reading. The Bishop tells how twice when he was at Church there a man came in and spoke to the minister, who on one of the occasions was in his sermon. " The minister stopped at once and said the Grace, and then made the traditional announcement, which had a curious quickening ring about it. Nidd is out. All hands to save the hay.' " Some seven years ago the editor of one of the daily news- papers wrote to ask the Bishop for his rule of life, as he had heard that he had reached an advanced age and was still vigorous. The Bishop replied that his rule was threefold :- " 1. To have had healthy parents. 2. To have been brought up in the country.

3. When things . look black as night, turn on the electric light." For the full explanation of Rule 3 the book itself must be consulted (see page 15). On pages 37-40 we read of the foundation of St. Peter's, of Alcium, and how the Bishop wrote our ' Carmen Saeculare.' A reference in the ' Carmen ' to Charles Hudson introduces us to the Alpine Club, of which the Bishop was president when the Club celebrated its Jubilee. After taking his degree from St. Catherine's College (or Catherine Hall as he prefers to call it) the Bishop accepted a Mastership at Glenalmond, of which he gives us many interesting memories. He became a notable fisherman with a richer fund of stories than most members of the craft. In 1911 he was invited to preside at the Annual Dinner of the Fly Fishers' Club. He was presented with a beautifully dressed salmon fly in a green velvet jewel case, lined with white silk. The skilled fly dresser who creates the fly is also a skilled versifier and the lid of the case contains stanzas written by him. Here. are the stanzas for the 1911 dinner. In a corner of the 26 LIBRARY NOTES. case the artist puts his fecit, as artists should ; it stands thus in best Latin. F. C- W. tidit.

As a symbol of fishing in which is delight, Here's a fly we present to our Chairman to-night, From the hue of his name, and the shade of his gown, It seems right to dress it with Purple and Brown. It's a fly for a fisher right Reverend and true, Who has fished many waters as fishermen do, Some were easy and shallow, some rapid and deep, In turn he's attacked them his harvest to reap. When we fish 'Tis of salmon and trout we take toll, When he casts his line 'Tis to garner a soul, We fish lake and river and streamlet, but he Devotes himself mostly to working a See. Contentment will harbour with everyone here Who sticks to his job without favour or fear, It's a fisherman's guerdon, especially when He's that best of all fishers, a fisher of men. F. C- WEMYSS. 2 1st February, 1911.

Having thus whetted the Peterite's appetite (we have only reached Chapter IV. and there are XIX. Chapters in the book) we must leave him to imagine the many good things that are contained in the last fourteen chapters. They give a delightful account of the Bishop's vigorous life at Cambridge, where he was Disney Professor of Archwology. Of his many activities as Canon of St. Paul's and Bishop of Stepney, and of his enegetic work as Bishop of Bristol. May he live long to enjoy the repose which he has so thoroughly earned ! VALETE. 27

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE LIBRARY THIS TERM :-

B. 131, 132. Naval and Military Despatches I. and II. B. 133. Sir Ian Hamilton's Despatches. G. 167. Anthology of Patriotic Prose. G. 168. Pageant of English Prose. G. 169. Fringes of the Fleet.—Killing. H. 59, 6o. Our Home Railways. Presented by R. C. Calvert (0.P.) D. 82. Handbook of Greek Scuipture.—Gardener, B. 134. How Wars were Won.—Townsend Watner. G. 17o. On the Art of Writing.—Quiller-Couch. FICTION. R. 342. The Card.—Arnold Bennett. 345. The First Hundred Thousand.—Ian Hay. 347. The Amateur Gentleman.—Jeffrey Farnol.

. 348. The Crime Club.—Froest & Dilnot. B. 135. Stonewall-Jackson.—Col. Henderson. 2 VON. 136. Cromwell .-C. H. Firth. • 137. Ian Hamilton's Last Despatch. 138. Musketry. 139. War Manual.—Lieut.-Col. Anderson. Vols. i and 2. 140. -- The Science of War.—Col. Henderson. 141. Staff Rides and Regimental Tours.—Brig.-Gen.Haking 142. Musketry Lectures.—Q.M.S. Price.

VALETE. F. R. Tovey. Lower Vth Modern. School Monitor. Head of the House. Q.M.S. in the O.T.C. Head Librarian. R. C. Calvert. Upper Vth Classical. Monitor. Head of Clifton Grove. School IV. 1915. Played in the 2nd XV. 1915. Editor of the Peterite. Librarian. 28 CONTEMPORARIES.

F. R. Waddington. Lower Vth Modern. School House. Hockey XI. 1915. Played in 2nd XV. 1915. G. A. Appleyard. IVth Modern. School House. Played for 2nd XV. 1915.

SALVETE. Upper Vth Modern. Fourth Modern. W. A. Macfarlane. P. Rowland. Fourth Classical. Third Form. F. G. Borrows. G. L. Elliot-Smith. J. B. Gedge. C. G. Martin.

CONTEMPORARIES. The Editors beg to acknowledge the receipt of the following contemporaries, with apologies for any inadvertent omissions :— Malvernian (2), Haileyburian (3), Giggleswick Chronicle, Hymerian, Leodiensian (z), C arliol, Barrovian, Hurst Jonian, Eastbournian, Cuthbertian, Pocklingtonian.