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THE PETERITE VOL. LVIII MAY, 1966 No. 372 EDITORIAL The tone of voice in which you heard the word "intellectuals" spoken nowadays would indicate the speaker's attitude to the best products of our educational processes: it might show a fear, whether disguised or not, of a more complex capability than his own ("too clever by half"); dislike and distrust of a man who has apparently thought out so rationally principles and convictions so different from his own ("these left-wing intellectuals"); or perhaps a feeling of the impropriety of the arrogance, real or apparent, of certain intelligent people whose main pleasure seems to lie in pulling to pieces and debunking. This academic occupation is in fact nothing new. In 1345 Richard Aungerville wrote: But scholars as a class are commonly not well brought up, and unless they are held in check by the rules of their elders, are puffed up with all sorts of nonsense. They act on impulse, swell with impudence, and lay down the law on one point after another, when, as a matter of fact, they are inexperienced in everything. 150 years ago, Coleridge had this to say about the bright young demolition experts of his own day : Instead of awakening by the noblest models the fond and un- mixed love and admiration, which is the natural and graceful temper of early youth, these nurslings of the improved pedagogy are taught to dispute and decide . to hold nothing sacred from their contempt but their own contemptible arrogance—boy-graduates in all the technicals, and in all the dirty passions and impudence of anonymous criticism. We know what they mean. It is not that we object to anyone criticising the existing state of things, but we in turn judge the worth of their comments by their manner and motives as well as their apparent knowledge; and if these are self-congratulatory and cynical, we react accordingly. It seems worth pleading that young people should respond more readily with admiration for what are generally reckoned to be the "noblest models", instead of automatic scepticism or outright rejection—with admiration, "the natural and graceful temper of early youth". It is easy enough to smile condescendingly and dismiss with a wave of the hand the Victorians, or those Greeks, or that classical music stuff, or all those statues with holes in the middle, and paintings that don't look look like anything. The result is probably a relieving feeling of simplification, at reducing the number of claims on our attention, and a not-unpleasurable sensation 1 CONTENTS PAGE Editorial 1 School Notes ... 2 Salvete 3 Valete 3 Careers Convention 4 House Notes ... 9 The Chapel 13 The Choir 14 "Samson" 15 Music Society ... 16 Debating Society 16 Senior Science Society 17 Junior Science Society 18 Modern Language Society 18 Russian Society 18 Russian Trip ... 19 Theological Society 22 Organ Society 22 Walking Club ... 23 Equine Club ... 23 British Ship Adoption Society 23 Chess 24 Young Farmers' Club 24 Ornithological Visit 24 C.C.F. 26 Scouts 29 Hockey ••• 30 Boating 33 Athletics 36 Rugby 41 Fencing 43 Squash 44 Shooting 47 Old Peterite News 48 Illustrations: The New Bridge. 7. Pawson, P.S.F.C. Senior Foil Champion. The School 1st VIII. Hockey: 1st XI v. O.P. XL of superiority which derives from our personal rejection of names that were once to be reckoned with. Reflection, however, will show that these are symptons of an unwillingness to grasp and understand what, may be different or difficult—or, to give it other names, bigotry, philistinism, and narrow-mindedness. In an age that prides itself on the honesty of its re-assessment of old values, we must be equally honest, about whether our judgments are in fact pre-judgments, about whether we have really made the effort to understand. In his Hints for Eton Masters of 1862, William Johnson showed some understanding of young people when he wrote: Why, they are bored by our voices, and our movements and our ways, bored by our recommendations of books, by our schemings for their good, by our warnings against their foibles, against their master-foible itself, their boreableness. It is a condition everyone knows well enough—satiation under bom- bardment from advice, preaching, being got at, and I-told-you-so's. But it is the best that any system of education can offer the new generations—to try to show them how to select and use the "best that has been thought and done in the world." SCHOOL NOTES At the beginning of term J. R. W. Thirlwell was appointed a School Monitor, and P. R. Hart and J. M. Mordue House Monitors. * * * We welcomed Mr. J. H. G. Shearman and Mr. S. Wroe for their teaching practice, and thank them for all that they contributed. * * * We congratulate Mr. C. P. M. Duncan and Miss Susan Grimshaw on their recent marriage, and offer them our best wishes for their future happiness. * * * The School attended the Epiphany Service in York Minster on 23rd; January; as usual, the Senior and Junior School choirs joined the Minster choir. * * * On 3rd February we were visited by a party of Commonwealth and Overseas Educationalists. * * * The Fleet Air Arm Presentation Team, which visited us in January, eventually found it safer to arrive by motor-car than helicopter, because of the weather; their lecture was well received. * * * The Montgomery of Alamein Prize was won by C. J. A. Smith, with his talk on T. E. Lawrence; R. B. Phelps and D. J. Emsley were the other finalists. * * * Queen's were unluckily prevented by the 'flu epidemic from staging their play. But later in the term the Rise put on "The Government Inspector", the Manor "It should Happen to a Dog", and School House "A Doctor in Spite of Himself". 2 Films shown during the term were "The League of Gentlemen", "The Devil's Disciple", "The Ladykillers" and "All Quiet on the Western Front". Our third Careers Convention was held on 18th and 19th March, Mr. Coulthard arranged an excellent variety of exhibits, stands, films and speakers. Accounts of the eight sessions appear later in this issue. During the Easter Holidays, J. Pawson won the Senior Foil Cup in the Public Schools' Fencing Championships. R. D. Harding reached the finals in the squash rackets doubles of the Lonsdale Cup. J. J. Vooght won the Northumberland Junior Squash Championships for the third year in succession. * * * Mr. G. M. Austin, with Mr. A. Craven, again took a party of boys to Russia. Inside report below. * * * The Clarion, a new school newspaper, made its first two appearances last term. An important announcement about this for all parents, Old Boys and friends of the School appears in the Old Peterite section. * * * The extension to the School Shop has now been completed; and the footbridge over the A.19 Thirsk Road should be opened by the time this appears. At the moment it only awaits the final trimmings. * * * The 1st VIII Shooting Team came 19th out of 160 in the Country Life "Landscape" Competition. SALVETE MANOR: R. A. Hodgson, S. Jinachitra. RISE: G. S. Yule. VALETE I. R. Gibson. 1959-66. Dronfield. U.VI. House Monitor. "A" Level (English, Latin, History). "0" Level (11). U. of E. House Athletics (School House), House Boating (Dronfield), R.N. Section Leading Seaman. Treasurer Russian Society. Committee Member Debating Society. Curia Committee Member; Theological Soc. (Rep.). Law. Queen's College, Oxford. 6 Trafalgar Crescent, Bridlington. Tel.: 3482. C. S. Godfrey. Queen's. 1959-66. Trans.B. "0" Level (6). U. of E. Junior House Cross-Country and Cricket. Chartered Surveying. 67 Heworth Green, York. Tel.: 25856. J. Harvey. 1959-66. Temple. U.VI. House. "A" Level (English, Latin, History). "0" Level (11). U. of E. Senior House Rugger XV; Senior House Cricket XI. L./Cpl. Army Section (1st Class Shot). Hull University Psychology. 12 Ridgeway, Acomb, York. Tel.: 71272. P. W. Wood. 1958-65. Queens. Lower VI.B. House Monitor. "0" Level (7). U. of E. School Swimming, 5th IV Boating 1964, Captain House Swimming, House Rugger, Athletics, Boating. House Colours. Cpl. R.E.M.E. Section, Marksman. Advertising. 29 Chestnut Ave., Stockton Lane, York. Tel. York 24195. 3 THE CAREERS CONVENTION, MARCH 1966 REPORTS ON THE EIGHT SESSIONS FIRST SESSION SOURCES OF CAREER'S INFORMATION AND ADVICE In the opening session, there were three talks, two of immediate relevance to any boy in need of advice about possible careers. The third speaker, Mr. R. Coxon, who is York Youth Employment Service Officer, outlined the national character of his concern, and its affiliations with the Ministry of Labour, and gave some idea of the main problems of fitting the right person to the right job; and he has two thousand a year to deal with. Many are already aware of some of the facilities offered by the Public Schools Appointments Bureau; Miss Joan Hills, B.A., the Administrative Secretary, gave full details of all that it can offer: 1. boys can be put in the way of practical experience from industrial courses, holiday jobs and visits; 2. they provide a steady stream of information from their bulletins, and technological and commercial publications; 3. their six interviewers can give about five thousand advisory interviews a year, and offer their wide experience as a supplement to schools' own careers departments to suggest occupations that will be congenial to a particular boy. Mr. A. A. Bridgewater, M.A., is the Director of the Careers Research and Advisory Centre, which he helped found only a few years ago. CRAG, as it is known, is already noted for a number of its publications, which give details on a wide variety of careers matters, such as courses offered by businesses and professions, qualifications required by different bodies, or perhaps information to business about what happens in schools.