St. Michael's College Magazine, HITCHIN. VOLUME X. No. 2. SUMMER, 1932. EDITOR : REV. ANDREW BECK, A.A. EDITORIAL. Though language, race, environment and culture may differ, there are some gestures and some actions which have the same significance for all the members of the human race. There are some sentiments which go deeper than any difference of nation, colour or people : for they belong to all humanity. The open palm at all times has been a sign of peace and salutation, and some form of kneeling with upraised eyes and hands has seemed to all mankind properly the attitude of prayer. Man can think himself to religion ; for if he reads the universe, the wonders of nature, or his own soul, the truth comes home to him that behind all that exists is the Supreme Being ; that there is a God to Whom he owes all that he is and does. Man, unspoilt, takes naturally to the attitude of adoration which all races have seen in the bended knee and upraised hands. Every race, from the dimmest depths of the Babylonian and Egyptian past, has had its priesthood and its solemn ritual for the more perfect service of the Author of all things. Every race has sought to adore God in its own way. Yet, to one race alone was it given to adore God in the way that He had chosen. He it was who gave to the Jews their liturgy and ceremonial. He—as was right—deter- mined the way in which His creatures should adore Him. The Old Law gave place to the New, and with the Redeemer came into existence the Christian Priesthood. That Priesthood is unique. The sentiments of Man, his adoration, aspiration and sorrow have been caught up in it, and their form has been determined and fixed for ever. In the world to-day there is one way only of paying to God the fulness of all that religion implies : it is the way of the Catholic Priesthood and the Sacrifice of the Mass. The Priesthood must endure for ever. And to every Catholic the knowledge that another priest has been ordained for the offering of the Holy Sacrifice should be a cause of joy and congratulation. Such is the joy that should be in the hearts of many of us at St. Michael's, in Hitchin and in Baldock ; for another priest Las achieved his ideal and takes his place at the Altar of Sacrifice. To Father John Scott we offer in the name of the College and of many genera- tions of Michaeleans all that the Catholic spirit can offer in con- 2 gratulations to a newly-ordained priest. May his ministry and service be one of long-lived value and holiness. To his family, too, must congratulations be offered for the high honour which God has given them ; and to Baldock, whose first priest he is, since the dark days of the Reformation. Thus does the work of the Church go forward in this country ; and justly can St. Michael's feel a glow of pride at the tiny but not unsuccessful part she is taking in that work. Modern man has forgotten God, and has been educated out of the normal and natural attitudes of life. To kneel, he will tell you, is a sign of slavery and submission ; and he has blinded himself to the fact that it is humanity's attitude of prayer. Catholicism has its work to do in re-educating Man from this folly, and the growth of the priesthood is a promise that the work shall not fail. There were days, before the blight of the Reformation struck us, when this country could truly be called Catholic England. Perhaps the days are not far distant when the words will evoke less a memory of the distant Past than something which is more than a vision—a promise of the Future. CHRONICLE. April 13th. The Boarders return. What a deal of romance and tragedy this bald statement hides—weeping children torn from the arms of their mothers, grim walls rearing up around the luckless prisoners; a lady novelist would glory in it. One could dilate at length on such a subject. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to be in the best of spirits—even the new boys. We wish them luck and hope they'll -take their fences like good 'uns." " 14th. The school assembles—and dissembles about the holidays. " 15th. We hear that the tennis courts are being made " ship- shape." Personally I find they're always rather shipshape. We hope they will be more like tennis courts this year. " 18th. The New Field bears less resemblance to a jungle than it has for a long time. We are grateful to the Sports' Master for the hard work he has put in here during the holidays. Preparations are in full swing for the Cricket season, the net is up on the School Field and there is quite a respectable table in the New Field. What an idiotic expression, that " in full swing." Perhaps they spoke of highwaymen being in " full swing " at the conclusion of their careers, or of cats, when the denizens of Grub Street tried to measure their apartments. But, preparations—no. Those of Guy Fawkes refused even to end in a swing. 3 April 24th. A gem from to-day's Observer. St. George 'e was a Bishop of somewheres in the East; 'E slew a norrid dragon, a most repulsive beast, With mailyfisted talyons and flammenwerfer gorge : " I 'olds with no such insecks," says 'is 'Oliness St. George. St. George 'e was a Bishop, and as such dispensed the Word To Greeks and Jews and Infidels, the Arab and the Kurd. They raged together 'orful ; their souls was 'ard to save ; But George 'e learned 'em Christian ways, and taught 'em to be'ave. May 1st. During this month verses of the Lourdes hymn will be sung in English after night prayers. Some lines are really pathetically bathetic renderings of the French. If, as Mr. Chesterton declares, Browning should be hung for making " from mice " rhyme with " promise " —well hanging, drawing and quartering is hardly good enough for one who makes " -ve " rhyme with " aye." „ 3rd. Being only boys, and knowing the vagaries of that jade Fashion even in such matters as cookery, we are naturally chary of entering in on such discussions on this gentle art. But when, when was it ordained " chic " to serve up that homely fare, rice pudding, with pins, large pins, hat pins ? Good Lord ! what awful visions present themselves to our harassed mind as we think of cutlets, robed cap-à-pie in suits of finest armour, or salmon in an imposing ensemble of steel top hat and cast iron shirt. 5th. The feast of the Ascension. The day was gloriously sunny—for about five minutes. There has been very little Sports Practice up to now. Convinced, as we are, that the adage, " Practice makes perfect " is false, we are now trying to disprove the contrary. 8th. Feast of St. Michael. Some unkind, but by no means sleeping, fate dogs us this term ; there is the awful weather and now the feast of St. Michael falls on a Sunday. „ 13th. The marks for last month were read by Father Deydier. „ 16th. Sport's Day was marred by rain. Nevertheless de- spite this and the poor racing, there were some remark- able personal achievements. W. Brown did very well in both jumps. Among the juniors M. Hollingshead deserves mention. Moreover, this young man seems entirely to have escaped that giddiness, from which a number of 4 his contemporaries are suffering ; though it was once mooted abroad that he wooed Barrie's lady not wisely but too well. May 17th. At the request of Mr. Kenworthy-Browne who presented the prizes, the President granted a holiday to-day. The only thing some people find more tiresome than this kind of holiday is class. The swimming season started. „ 19th. Glorious sunshine. There seems little else to write about, whilst most of the seniors seem to be talking about it ; though after " sunshine " continually crops up the little word " Susie." The members of the first net continue their big game hunting at the New Field. As yet the bag is confined to frogs. Still there's no need for discouragement ; from frogs it is only a short step to hogs. What a vicious circle ! „ 20th. Practice at the nets has begun in earnest—of what ? —some decent cricket we hope. Great cause for wonder is the gust of laughter which greets a professor's joke. One is minded of Goldsmith's " Full well they laughed with counter- feited glee. At all his jokes, for many a joke had he." One versed in the psychology of class intelligence will have noticed that the heartiness of the laugh varies. At the beginning of the week the class roars ; about Wednesday there is a decided moderation ; towards Friday there are polite noises, and on Saturday the quip modest is greeted with the look churlish. On the other hand, especially if the person is a master he will not have to notice this. „ 25th. The first eleven opened the cricket season with great promise by defeating Shefford Town by 6 wickets. Although the weather was rather gloomy, the wicket was true and some very bright cricket was seen. For our opponents, Bryant played a fine innings of 54, while Fr. Andrew carried his bat for 69. The fielding is better than has been seen for some years.