THE

SHIRBURNIAN

No. CLXXXXVI. MARCH, 1899.

MYTHOLOGICAL JAPAN.

VOL XIX.

~HERE are many theories as to the origin of the Japanese,"QlJ but it is not quite clear which one is correct. Dr.

I Kaempfer has discovered legendary proof of their Chineseorigin, but does not himself think it is to be relied upon, sincethe early language, religions and customs of the two nationsare entirely dissimilar. Therefore he puts forward this rathersurprising theory, that they originally were some of the buildersof the far-famed Tower of Babel, and that Japanese was one ofthe languages by which Providence thought fit to render theefforts of the builders futile. He says that they then migratedeastwards through Persia, India and China, and thence acrossthe sea to Japan; but this theory seems a little too wild to beaccepted. Another theory is that they are descended from theAinos, a race of men who lived at one time on the main islandof Japan, but which is now confined to the northern island ofYezo. But" the short round skull, the oblique eyes, theprominent cheekbones, the dark brown hair and the scantybeard all proclaim the Manchus and Koreans as their nearest

congeners*." But whichever theory is right, one thing is verycertain and that is that the Japanese are a considerably mixed

'" Mr. W. J. Aston, M.A.

The ShirbllrnialJ. [MARCH,

people, as may be noticed in the very different types of headand face, which types are sometimes even restricted to villages.In the rural districts of Japan the men ar~ quite, if not ahovethe average height; the women when young are often very

. pretty, but the old custom, which is now dying out, of blacken­ing the teeth and shaving the eyebrows after marriage mayaccount for the ugliness of the middle aged and older women.Japan has a mythology which is just as large as that of Greece,hut few know anything about it, and those who do differ sadlyamong themselves. The study of it may perhaps be retardedby the fact that the ancient Japanese divinities had suchenormously long names, take for instance Amashi-ashi-kabi-hiko­ji-no-kami which is comparatively brief to some. Anotherthing about the ancient gods is rather perplexing, and that isthe delightful habit they had of changing their sexes, a godwould become a goddess with the greatest ease, and vice versa.

Sometimes one god was worshipped as two or more gods underdifferent names; and sometimes two or more gods appearunder one name as one god. There are two sacred books ofJapan, viz. the Kojiki which is chiefly historical, and theNihonki which is chiefly mythological. There is someobscurity respecting the creation of the world from a Japanesepoint of view, some very eminent scholars affirming that therewas "chaos" and others that there was "void space," whileDthers think that in the beginning that there was one God, whowas Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi-no-kami, or more simply, the" Lord of the centre of heaven," and that he was soon afterjoined by the" Lofty Producer," and the" Divine Producer."Round these gods a nebulous matter was formed, part ofwhich sprouted upwards and extended out at the top into the" High Plain of the Heaven," from this two other gods wereproduced, and afterwards the Sun itself. An off-shoot alsosprouted downwards and formed the Moon. The five godsthus formed existed separately and were known as the "Godsof Heaven." Then fourteen other gods and goddesses were

r899·] The Shirbllrlliall. 3

produced from this nebulous matter, the chief of whom werethe last two, viz. lzanagi-no-kami the" Male-who-Invites,"and lzanami-no-kami the "Female-who-Invites," these twocreated the sea, the land, the elements, and the eightislands of Japan. Now as at first they made the sea, theynaturally had no land to stand upon, so standing on theBridge of Heaven they thrust down a spear into the plain ofthe sea and stirred it round and round, when they drew it upag-ain the drops of water from the spear as they fell congealedand formed the island of Onogorojima. They then descendedon to it and planting the spear in the ground, point downwards,they built a palace round it with the spear for the centreroof pillar. Nmv the spear was the axis of the earth whichhad been set rotating by the stirring; but as the .island mustin that case have been situated at one of the poles, and as ithas been indentified as one in the Inland Sea, one can butsuppose that the gods finding the climate too chilly removed itto warmer parts. \Vhen neVi gods were wanted lzanagi hada wonderful simple method of producing them, for instance,one day he was bathing in the se.a and by blowing as he divedamong the shoals he produced gods, then by the washing ofhis left eye Amaterasu was produced, and by the washing ofhis right eye Susanoo. The former was made queen of thesun, and shared with the two creator-gods the government ofthe universe. She afterwards gave the government of theearth to Ninigi-no-mikoto her grandson, whom she proclaimedsovereign of Japan for ever and ever, at the same time present­ing him with the Three Divine insignia of the imperial powerof Japan, namely the Sacred Mirror, which is to this dayworshipped in Ise as the goddess' representative, the SacredSword and the Sacred Stone. He, in company with someinferior deities, after scattering rice in the air to drive away the

darkness, descended to earth by the Floating Bridge ofHeaven. This is sometimes called a bridge, and sometim~s aboat, therefore some poetically minded individual suggests that

The Shirburnian. [MARCH,

it is a mountain, as when one sees it rising into the blue sky it

looks like a bridge for the gods, from heaven to earth, andwhen its base is surrounded with clouds it looks like a boatfloating in a cloudy sea; be that as it may, Ninigi descendedto earth by it and became the ancestor of the Emperors ofJapan. The ancient emperors were worshipped thereforeas men of godly descerit; if not as being actually gods them­selves. Their line of ~escent is very remarkable and is worthyof notice, Ninigi married and had a son to whom the delight­fully simple name of Amatsuhitakahikohohodemi-no-mikoto,was given:. this gentleman married the daughter of theSea-God, and their son was the father of Jimmu-Tenno thefirst Emperor. It may be interesting to some people to knowthat of these three gentleman, Ninigi, according to Japanesechronicles, lived to the age of 310,000 years, while Ugaya thefather of Jimmu died at the remarkable age of 836,041 years,an uncle of his died aged 637,893 years. But these ages can­not be relied upon as they most probably have been" importedinto the Japanese chronology since it came under the influenceof Chinese Scholarship." At one time the world was plungedin darkness because a younger brother of Sun-Goddess,Susanoo,had slain the goddess Okemochi-no-kami for offeringhim foul things to eat. When the Sun-Goddess sent to see ifOkemochi was really dead, the messenger found the goddess'head turned into a cow and a horse, while out of her body asilkworm, mulberry tree, rice seeds, and barley were growing.The Sun.Goddess, grieved at her brother's conduct, hid herselfin a cave and rolled a big stone in front of the mouth so thatthe world was in darkness. But the gods devised this plan,they bid the God of Metals make a big mirror of Gold inthe likeness of the Sun-Goddess, then they repaired to thecave and by means of bonfires, drums and songs, they soexcited the Goddess U zume that she leaped on to a big drumand danced in such a way that the assembled gods roared withlaughter. The Sun-Goddess curious to See what made them

1899] The Skirburnian. 5

so cheerful peeped out of the cave, immediately a god thrustthe mirror before her saying "Behold one more beautiful thanthee." When the goddess saw herself reflected in the mirrorshe thought that it was a rival, so she came forth from the cave;they then passed a rice rope across the cave mouth thereforeshe dare not go back again, but consented to be led to a palacebuilt for her. It might be noted here that at one time the Sunand Moon shone together, but that the Moon insulted the Sun, sowas condemned as a punishment to shine at night while thesun slept! The women folk of eleven-hundred years ago wereremarkably faithful to their husbands, for instance, about thattime there lived a man who was exiled as a punishment forsome disobedience to the Mikado, and his wife was forbiddento accompany him. But one day unnoticed she crept out ofRioto to the foot of mount Hi-yei, she lived here for a time,and then in company with a blind man set out for the Shrinesat lse to intercede with the gods for her husband. On the waythere, she, being tired, asked a man she met how long it wouldtake her to get there: he replied" twenty days," which was agreat exaggeration. However, it so discouraged the poorwoman that she turned aside into a grove, and hanging upsome coins on a piece of string to a pine tree, she begged thegods to consider her journey accomplished, or at least to con­sider the remaining part non-existant. The good woman thenmade her request and started on her way home, but theman perceiving her hang up the money, thought that it mightbe useful and began to take it down, when the string suddenlyturned into a fire-spitting serpent. The man repenting ofhis misleading answer, caught the lady up and led her him­self to the Shrines of lse, where the good lady again prayed.vVhere she hung the money up a Shrine was built and the pinetree gained a great reputation for its healing properties, sinceif any sick or diseased person ate the bark they wereinstantly cured. The Shrine is still standing and the priest ofit wilIshow you a very antique piece of wood with coins hang-

6 The Shirb2lYltiall. [MARCH,

ing on it. The' original tree however died three hundred

years ago, so they planted another to keep its memory green.About two thousand years ago another woman set out to seekher husband who had left her on some divine errand. On theway she met a Samurai (i.e. a gentleman or soldier who wasallowed to carry two swords) who fell in love with her, but asshe did not reciprocate his affection he killed her. But shehad just given birth to a child; the Goddess Kwannon took itand named it Otahachi, and fed it on rice-toffee, and when itgrew old enough apprenti~ed him to a sword grinders. Butlest the memory of the murder might be forgotten she com­manded a big stone lying near and a pine tree to incessantlycry out.· One day the Samurai came to have his swordground, when he was recognised by the boy, who challenged himto a fight and slew him. The main tower of N agoya Castle issurmounted by hvo golden fish, which a man desired to get sohe made a big kite and on a stormy night managed to reachthe top of the tower by its help, but the gods made the fishcry out,and the man was caught and boiled in oil for his pains.Before this time there lived a terrible pheasant with wings andtail made of swords, this bird used to carry off the children andgirls of the neighbouring village. But the bird was doomedto meet its death in a poor sort of way, for one valiant manarmed with a bow and arrow and a bamboo screen shot itwhile it was slep-ping. But the ghost of the bird haunted awell in which a bell was. Now whoever desiring to be re­venged struck this bell, gained his desire. But a certain oldman named N arinobel came and lived near here, and was oneday met by a young man to whom he was very insolent. Thisyoung man was the son of a Samurai and so desired to berevenged. But his father perceiving his wish hid the bell,and the young man being of rather a basty temper burnteverytl~ing he could reach in the hopes of one day finding it.Among the things he burnt was a temple, but the god of it wasso enraged that he hurled the youth over a precipice. "Mark"

1899·J Tlte SltirbltrJtiall. 7

says the native narrative, "the power of a God." And whocould fail to do so ?

The reverence with which a sword was regarded by theJapanese arose in the first place from the legend of the sacredsword. This sword was once stolen from the goddessTensho-Daijin by a serpent with eight heads, her brotherSusanoo too!{ it from the serpent after slaying it. IOO A.D.

Yamato-Dake, son of Mikado Keiko, led the army in waragainst the savage inhabitants of the eastern part of thecountry, and was allowed to carry with him the sacred sword,he used it to stop a brush-wood fire that the enemy had kindledby cutting away the grass before it, and driving it back to thediscomfiture of the enemy. He, on his victorious return,placed the sword in the Shrine at N agoya, and it is to this dayone of the three Imperial insignia.

Swords were of various kinds and were all, more or less,

highly ornamented. The oldest known form of Japanesesword was a long straight double-edged weapon called a "ken."The" wakizashi " was a short sword which was quite recentlyworn with the" katana," the modern sword as a sign of gentlebirth. The" katana," a sword with only one edge is slightlycurved especially towards the point. Persons of the fourthand fifth ranks, and artists and doctors wore a dirk without aa guard called aikuchi. N obles sometimes wore stilettosabout eleven inches long known as touito instead of the"wakizashi." The large tv.iQ-handed sword, "jintochi," ,vasusually carried by a sword-bearer if not in actual use. Swordsof medium size worn on hunting expeditions, were of twokinds "nodatchi," and "tatchi," of which there were severalvarieties. "Men of the highest birth were often trailied tomake swords, as it was considered a very honourable pro­fession. The ornamenting and engraving of swords embraceda wide range of art. On the hilt there were usually four orna-

8 The Sltirlmrnian. [MARCH,

mental metallic pieces, namely, the ferrule On the head ofthe hilt, the ring next the guard and two pieces cover­

mg the rivet holes, these two pieces were partly covered by

the silk binding of the hilt. The ring and ferrule were veryhandsomely made, often being inlaid with gold and silver.

The guard is usually a detailed picture in gold relief, illustrat­ing a chase or a battle. A narrow knife less than a foot long, theblade of which is often beautifully shaped and chased, and thehandle is very richly decorated with gold figures to matchthose of the hilt passes through the guard. The angle at whichthe sword was carried indicated rank, and sword etiquette wasvery complex and particular. "To enter a friend's housewithout leaving the sword outside was a breach of etiquette,

and to exhibit a naked sword was a gross insult, unless when agentleman wished to show his friends his collection"."

* PFOUNDES.

BATTLE OF OMDURMAN.

An O.S. has written home the following account of theBattle of Omdurman:-

Before I write you a description of the battle, I willlead up to it by describing our march from \Vad Habeshi toOmdurman, which was most trying and in which many a manfell out, I regret to say. On Thursday August 25th, weleft Wad Habeshi at 4.30 p.m. and marched into the desertuntil 8 p.m. when we bivouacked for the night and threw up aZareba. vVe started again next morning the 26th. at 4.30a.m. and arrived at our next camp at 8,30 a.m. vVe left thesame day at 4 p.m. and stopped in the middle of the desert at9 p.m. There was no water except what we carried in ourwater bottles, and my servant drank most of the water in mysecond bottle although I had provided him with one of hisown.

1899·J The Shirbttrnian. 9

August 27th. we started at 4- a.m. and marched to a placecalled Isabe1 by the river, where we halted all the day. I wason Zarebafatigue in the afternoon for three hours in the burningsun with no shade and on patrol for two hours at night.

On Sunday 28th. we did not start until the afternoon, sowe had Divine Service and arrived at our next camp late atnight. There was an awful dust-storm all that night and mostof the next day, so that sleeping or getting any sleep was outof the question. It also rained very hard at night and in themorning I was wet through and shivering, with no change ofclothing, for we started at Reveille 4 a.m.

September 1st. Marched at 5 a.m. in the rain andhalted for breakfast at 2 p.m. at a village three miles fromOmdurman. About 4 p.m. we marched 500 yards outside thevillage, threw up a Zareba and formed for battle. During allthese marches we had no food before starting and very oftennot a bite until evening. VI!e never had more than two mealsa day-if you can call them meals-and often only one. Onthe march I carried "Sam Browne" with sword, loadedrevolver and cartridges in pouch, very heavy haversack, waterbottle and field-glasses-no small weight in the burning sun,and the braces of the" Sam Browne" burned into my shouldersand left great scars.

The evming before the Battle. I was on fatigue most of thenight, but anyhow there was little sleep as the Cavalry broughtus news that the Dervishes were in force only three miles off andsome expected a night attack. Reveille sounded at 2 a.m. andwe silently stood at our arms and lined the Zareba. Thus wewaited for three hours until the artillery opened fire. This was thehardest day's work I have done in my life, for we were hard atit all day without a mouthful of food and very little water.The only shade I got from the sun from sunrise to sunset wasonce about 3 p.m. when the fighting was over; when I sat forten minutes in the shadow of some mules.

The Battle. At 6,30 we both saw and heard the wholeDervish Force-60,000 strong- advancing in one perfect lineabout three miles in length with much shouting and waving ofbanners. I watched them with considerable interest for somemoments until my attention was directed to a man on my rightin A Company (my Company is B) who fell shot through thehead about IQ yards from me. Then the bullets whistled aboutour heads and the work began. I will not trouble you with a

to The Shirburniall. [MARCH,

plan of the battle, as you will probably have seen it far betterexplained in the papers than I could draw; but I will just showyou a small section of the Zareba where my Company wasstationed ;-

Lincoln Regiment.B Company I A Company I Maxim Battery I lOth Soudanese

Soon after the first casuality of the battle, viz. the man inA Company, a man in my Company fell at my side, shotthrough the stomach. We then fired sectional and half­company volleys, the men kneeling and the officers standingbehind their respective units. One bullet hit the ground aboutten yards in front of me, ricochetting over my head and sendingthe sand flying in my eyes. Some Dervishes, with a whitebanner, came quite close to my Company and we finally broughtthem down with a volley.

The battle lasted for about an hour and a half and theDervishes then began to retire. \Ve then advanced to theattack, moving out to the left of the position and working roundthe Dervishes' right flank. We arrived only just in time toprevent the Camel Corps being cut up by some Cavalry, butwe kept them off with our fire. We then marched in foursacross a fire-swept space to the support of a Gyppy Regiment,who had run out of ammunition and were all but cut up. MyCompany was leading and we opened fire first and kept onadvancing until the battle was over. I know very little of whatwas happening elsewhere in the field during the day and youwill find all about the charge of the 21st Lancers in the papers,described by men who saw it; I only saw the result of thecharge afterwards as I passed over the field of battle.

Marching over the field of battle was the worst part of theday; heaps of dead and dying lay all over the place and wehad to climb over the heaps of slain in some places where theMaxims had been doing their work. And one's sword andrevolver had ever to be ready as the wounded constantlyjumped up and either let off a rifle or slashed at one with asword.

I got a good deal of loot which my servant carried, andsome I picked up next clay: several large spears and severalsmaller spears; 3 jibbehs or Dervish coats which are rathervaluable; these 1 obtained from prisoners the day after the

1899.] The Sltirburllialt. !1

battle; a hand-written Koran and a small book of Mahdi'sprayers; these books are worth several pounds. Six swordsvery sharp and a knife. Also a charm with pieces of the Koranin leather.

I did not feel a bit nervous during the battle, but the strainon one's nerves the night afterwards was rather great. Everysound wakened one and the rattle of the musketry and Maximswas hard to get out of one's head. On the evening after thebattle we marched into Omdurman and bivouacked there.The stink of the bodies was awful.

. Saturday, September 3rd. \Ye marched to a place out­side the city by the river and bivouacked. The dead wereburied in the afternoon. I went for a stroll round Omdurman.

Sunday, September 4th. Started for Khartoum in steamerand had memorial service outside Gordon's House, and wehoisted the Union Jack and Egyptian flag over Khartoum, butyou will have heard of the ceremony. The troops were thenallowed to fall out and examine the Palace and Gardens, whichalthough in ruins are very fine and we saw the remains of thesteps where Gordon met his death. I was on picquet allSunday and on Monday we marched round Omdurman ; thestink was awful as rotting bodies of men and horses, mules anddonkeys were lying all over the place.

On Tuesday, September 6th. \Ve left Omdurman ineleven small sailing boats; all the barges were very crowdedand there was not even sitting room for many of us, to saynothing of lying down. This was the worst experience I havehad during the campaign, for we were on these boats fromTuesday, September 6th, until Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Idon't think any of us had a sleep and we ate bully beef andbiscuits and drank Nile water.

On Thursday, September 8th. \Ye stopped for a fewhours at Nasri Island where I discovered to my horror thatevery bit of my kit had been washed from Nasri Island andlost. It consisted of two camel bags with all my kit in them,and I have only what I wear, one shirt and my valise left. Inthe camel bags were all my new silk underclothing, my writingcase with cheque book and everythmg as they ,vere packed inthe case. All my khaki was in the bags-in fact I have nothingto wear in Cairo when I get there. I am going to put in a

12 The Shirburntan. [MARCH,

claim for £40 but I am not sure if I shall get anything. Bothmy new pyjamas were in the bags and my smart fatigue cap isalso gone.

On Saturday 10th. We arrived at Dakhela and the righthalf battery went off by train at once, but I remained with theleft half. There are thirteen of our officers here and I amacting Mess President. I think we start North to day, Sundaynth September. I dined with Villiers the War Correspondentand gave him a description of our trip down to Dakhela, andhe made notes of it. You will most probably see the accountin the Standard. I think I have received all letters up to dateas I got'several on arriving at Dakhela.

BOOKS ADDED TO THE LIBRARY.

SECTION A.Wisden's Cricketers Almanackfol' 1899.-The gift of Messrs.

] ohn Wisden & Son, the publishers. 1 vol.

A thmae Oantabrigienses; Oooper, Cambridge, 1858.-2 vols.

SECTION C.Hellmic Studies, vols. xvii. and xviii.-The gift of the

Head-Master.

SECTION H.Greek Literature, Ancimt; G. Murray, London, 1898.-1 vol.Frmch Literature; Dowdm, London, 1898.-1 vol.English Literature, Modern; Gosse, London, 1898.-1 vol.Italian Literature; Garnett, London, 1898.-1 vol.Spanish Literature; Kelly, London, 1898.-1 vol.

These five works on Literature are the gift of the HeadMaster.

1899,] The Shirburnian. 13

THE JOURNAL OF HELLENIC STUDIES.

A notice has already appeared in the Shirburnian callingthe attention of readers to this very interesting journal, in thehope that rising scholars may be induced to take a keenerinterest in the archa:ology of Hellas. But readers with notaste for archa:ology will still find amusement and possiblyprofit in studying the vigorous controversy, which has latelytaken place between Mr. G. B. Grundy and Mr. R. M.Burrows, touching Pylos and Sphakteria. Both parties holdthat Sphagia is Sphakteria, but the dispute is mainly about theexact lines of fortifications onPylos and Sphakteria during thefirst part of the Peloponnesian War, and no one need be sur­prised to learn that there is some difference of opinion on thismatter.

There is in volume xviii. a very amusing paper by Mr.W. J. W oodhouse on ' The Greeks at Plataiai.' It seems thatMr. G. B. Grundy has made a careful survey of the battlefield and in consequence of this survey Mr. W. J. Woodhousehas described what he regards as a new scheme of themanceuvres which preceded the decisive battle there in B.C. 479.We regret that we have not seen this survey by Mr. G. B.Grundy, but if it resembles the map which Mr. W. J.W oodhouse has based on it our regret need not be very pro­found, for Mr. Woodhouse's map is practically worthless forthe object he has in view, viz. ; elucidation of the Battle ofPlataca. There are no controvers and no scale; and yet Mr.Woodhouse writes as a Tactician. Now how are we to knowwhat part of this country represented on Mr. Woodhouse's mapis practicable for formed bodies of cavalry to work over andwhat is not, and how are we to judge whether something like400,000 men (3°0,000 thousand on the Persian side and wO,oooon the Greek side) could be manceuvred on this patch of country?

Mr. Woodhouse has come to the conclusion that theoperations about Plataea occupied 13 days which he describesas a campaign. He declares that in the second position whichthe Greeks occupied there' could be no lack of water becausethere were two wells ; We wonder if he has realised the spacewhich a bivouac of wO,ooo men extends over and how muchwater such a force needs per diem. He makes no mention ofthe brooks, which flow near, as a water supply, but perhapswe are to infer that they are what are called in Dorset,winterbournes. He talks of Hoplites fighting in extended orderand of the Greeks making a turning movement by the left when

I{ The ShirbllYltiall. [MARCH,

he means from the left The Persian cavalry would have madeshort work of the Roplites in extended order. Re declares itvery improbable that Alexander of ~'Iacedon could have passedat night through what he calls the' Persian Sentinels' withoutbeing discovered; this leads us to suspect that he has too higha notion of the way in which outpost duties were then carriedout.

Mr. W. J. \Voodhouse, who has a low opinion of theAthenians, proceeds to give an explanation of the story whichso surprised Mr. Grote, the story which describes how theSpartan regent Pausanias suggested to the Athenians that theSpartans on the right wing of the Greek position should changeplaces with the Athenians on the left. \Vhatever we maythink of this story, the explanation given of it by Mr. vV. J.\Voodhouse is still more absurd. 1\1r. VVoodhouse remarksthat" Mr. Grundy justly calls attention to the fact that themilitary capacity of Pausanias is universally underated." \Vecertainly do not think this is the case, if Pausanias actuallypromulgated the plan \vhich Mr. \Voodhouse thinks he did.It is this plan which Mr. \Voodhouse thinks accounts for thestory, and it must be remembered that Mr. vVoodhouse con­fesses that this supposed plan was never carried out. Mr.\Voodhouse thinks that Pausanias proposed that the wholeGreek line of Battle of 100,000 men, nearly 40,000 of whomwere Roplites, should move to the left in column along thePlataea-Thebes road and cross the Asopns at one point, thatthe head of the column (the original left of the line) shouldthen wheel to the right, and that all the rest of the columnshould form up detachment after detachment on the left of it.Thus the original left wing would become the right and theright the left. But this flank-march is impossible within 2

miles of an enemy, especially if well served by cavalry as thePersians were, and moreover it would bring the rear ranks ofthe phalanges in front, \vhen the new position was taken up.This of course could be set right in time, but there would begreat risk in presence of hostile cavalry. In short if Pausaniasever put forth such a scheme, he was as little acquainted withtactics as Mr. \Voodhouse. Mr. \Voodhouse also muddles upthe terms Brigade and Division, and altogether forces us toconclude that he has not studied Infantry Drill 1896 and thatif he entered for our Sergeants' Proficiency Examination hewould certainly be ploughed. yve are forced to add, that aftera study of Grote and Rawlinson we cannot find that either Mr.Grundy or Mr. \Voodhouse has really found out anything newabout the manceuvres at Plataea in 479 B.C.

1899·J The Shirbllmian.

OLD SHIRBURNIAN DINNER IN CALCUTTA.

The Old Shirburnian Dinner in Calcutta, which owing toa variety of causes, and chiefly perhaps, to the absence of anorganizer of victory, has been in abeyance for a considerabletime, was revived this year, and was duly held on Tuesday,January 3rd, 1898, in the United Service Club's rooms at 56,Park Street. The chair was appropriately filled by the Rev.Henry Whitehead, Principal of the Bishop's College, Calcutta,who was supported by ten Old Shirburnians. The numberwould have been greater, had not several who promised toattend been prevented by unavoidable circumstances fromputting in an appearance. Letters and telegrams wishingevery success to the Dinner and many happy returns of it weresend from C. \V. Carbery (\Vilsoll's 1887-1889) who is in theBank of Bengal at Hyderabad (Deccan), F. C. Legge, (SchoolHouse, 1886-1892) who is Assistant Traffic Superintendent onthe East Indian Railway at Sahibgunge, Captain A. F.Stevens, 1.M.S. (Rhoades', 1885-86), who wrote from Dinapore,F. K. Rawlins (Rhoades', 1879-1884) who is indigo-planting inTrihoot and wrote on behalf of himself and other O.S. inBehar, and H. O. Pugh (Price's, 1888-89). Lieutenant ColonelE. H. Fenn, C.1.E., Royal Army Medical Corps, was anotherenforced absentee, owing to his duties as Surgeon to LordCurzon of Kedlestoll, the new Viceroy. with whom he had thatday arrived from Bombay. The O.S. who were present were,however, very representative of the many channels in whichEnglish energy and enterprise directs itself in India. OfGovernment officials, there were F. R. Upcott (School House,1863-64), Secretary to the Government of India, in the Public\Vorks Department, E. Maconochie, 1.C.S., (School House,1882-85) and J. J. Cotton, r.C.S., (School House, 1882-88),Assistant Accountant General, Bengal.. The legal elementwas furnished by H. E. A. Cotton (School House, 1882-87)barrister at law and \V. H. Edwards (Rhoades', 1885-88) whois a solicitor amI assistant in the firm of Orr, Robertson andSurtOl1. H. Pedler (Price's, 1880-82) who is a surgeon-dentist,in Calcutta, represented the learned professions, and themercantile community sent C. \\T. Gray (Curteis', 187°-75),the manager of the Bengal Coal Company, G. L. Smallwood(School House, 1886-89) and C. L. Smallwood (School House,1887-90) who are both brokers. H. Whitehead (SchoolHouse 187°-73) worthily combined the Church and Educationin himself, and H. \V. Stevens (Town, 1851-55), the patriarchof the evening, represented civil engineering as one who for

16 The Shirburtlian. [MARCH,

more years than perhaps even he can remember, had beenDistrict Engineer of Durbhunga in Behar. Not only was Mr.Stevens positively the oldest boy present, but he and GeneralHammond, V.c., are the only survivors of the last O.S. Dinnerheld in Calcutta. This event occured in 1869, and wasorganised by Mr. Stevens. Among those then present wereC. F. Hall, LC.S., G. Pothecary of the Public Works Depart­ment, A. F. Hammond of the Bengal Police, H. S. Beadon,LC.S., Colonel Richard Beadon of the Bengal Cavalry, andE. Beadon, the last three all sons of Sir Cecil Beadon, K.C.S.Lonce Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal. Mr. Stevens' reminis­cences delivered during dinner proved most interesting andwere highly appreciated. It was a novel experience to listento one to whom the School House dining room was the BigSchool, and the Lady Chapel the Head Master's house.Almost the only link between him and C. L.Smallwood, theyoungest Old Shirburnian present, was, in fact, the immortalTuffin, which was as much an institution in his day as it is nowfifty years later.

The toast of Alma Mater was proposed after dinner bythe Chairman, who spoke of the deep debt of gratitude theSchool owed to " Dan "Harper. His name would never beforgotten so'long as Sherborne endured and so long as therewere Shirburnians who remembered the days they had spentin its Courts. To him the School owed its proud position, and,there was not a boy who had been at the School under hisheadmastership who did not feel he had sensibly benefited byassociation with so striking a character. Mr. F. R. Upcottreplied on behalf of the seniors and cordially re-echoed theChairman's eulogy of" Dan." He expre3sed his great pleasureat the revival of the Dinner and hoped it would become anannual event. Nothing was more calculated to promoteloyalty to the old School, if such incentive was required, or tobring together all generations of Shirburnians. Mr. H. E. A.Cotton replied on behalf of the juniors and added his tribute tothe memory of "Dan" Harper whom he had known as thePrincipal of his College at Oxford. He reminded the companyof the many Old Shirburnians who had done and were stilldoing good service in lndia and upholding the honour of theSchool in different capacities. In the Mutiny they had furnishedtheir quota of heroes, and now they could boast of a hero in theperson of Travers of Dargai. He referred also particularly toSir Douglas Forsyth and Sir Charles Pritchard as able ad­ministrators whose names were not yet forgotten, and to Mr.Upcott himself whom all were glad to see as a living falsifica·

1899,] The Shirburnian. 17

tion, as it were, of Rudyard Kipling's gibe that" none but aColonel from Chatham could manage the railways of state."They were peculiarly fortunate in having both Mr. U pcott andMr. Whitehead there that evening, for both were members oftypical Slrerborne families, and wished Colonel Fenn's dutieson the new Viceroy's staff had permitted him to act in accord­ance with his inclinations and be with them also.

Mr. E. Maconochie proposed the health of the OldShirburnian Society and of its indefatigable Secretary, Mr. H.R. King who although a Cliftonian and a sort of hereditary foe,yet made himself ipsis Shirburniensibus ShirbtwlIiensior, and heurged all present to join the Society and to get as many othersto do so as possible. The toast was received with tremendousenthusiasm. The Carmen was then sung and after Auld LangSyne the party dispersed, with cordial acknowledgement of theefforts of Mr. J. J. Cotton to whose energy much ofthe successof the Dinner was due. Thus ended a most pleasant eveningand one which it is hoped will be the precursor of many similarones in future years.

FOOTBALL.

SHERBORNE SCHOOL v, CREWKERNE.

The return match against Crewkerne took place on theSchool ground, on December 10th. Play was fairly even atthe start, but the School play was not of a very brilliantdescription, and there was a lack of dash. After about a quarterof an hour's play, some good passing among the Crewkerneoutsides resulted in Unwin scoring, the School three-quartersmaking but a feeble attempt at stopping him. Vernon converted.At this point Ley was unfortunately hurt and had to leave thefield, and henceforth the School had to play seven forwards asKemp took Ley's place at back. After this the School pressedr.ard a:;d at length Hawley-Edwards broke away and gaveStanger-Leathes a very good pass so that the latter easilyscored; the kick at goal was a failure. Half-time was thensounded. On resuming the School had much the best of theplay, and Stanger-Leathes soon scored a second try which hefailed to convert. A good forward rush headed by Lambertnearly enabled the School to score again, but Crewkernedefended well, Morgan's kicking being excellent. After the

18 The Shirbltr1iian. [MARCH,

School had been pressing for some time, Stanger-Leathessucceeded in dropping a very neat goal. Unwin next lookeddangerous but was collared by Kemp, and though the visitorspressed nothing further was scored, the School being leftwinners of a rather poor game by a dropped goal and two triesto a goal. The School play was not so good as usual and themargin between the two teams should have been a greater one.Sunderland, Lambert and Jeudwine were the best of the Schoolforwards, while both the halves were good. Vemon was byfar the most noticeable of the Crewkeme team, and he madesome very well timed kicks. Of the rest Morgan and U nwinwere good. Teams:-

School.L. H. Ley (back); C. F. Stanger-Leathes, P. Eglington,

L. G. Horsfall, Browning (three-quarters); E. W. King,S. F. Hawley-Edwards (halves); L. G. Sunderland, A. E.Catt, F. W. Kemp, J. G. Jeudwine, A. D. Radford, J. F.\Vindsor, S. W. Lambert, W. F. Pothecary (forwards).

Crewker11C.P. Holderness (back); F. Casebourne, P. H. Unwin,

E. Morgan, J. Morton (three-quarters); B. \Veller, C. Stroud(halves); Rev. C. J. Vernon, F. Pearce, G. Rousell, A. Slade,G. Gale, T. Rendall, T. Gale, A. Rawe (forwards).

Referee: T. A; Bell, Esq.

--:0:--

SCHOOL v. OLD SHIRBURNIANS.

This 'match was played on Saturday, December 17th.The O.S. brought down a very strong team and the ,School

, were out-played all round, particularly outside. The O.S. wonthe toss and elected to play withthe wind towards the NationalSchool. Kemp kicked off for the School and the ball wasreturned, finding touch a little past half-way. Scrums nowensued about the centre of the ground, and after a few minutesthe ball was passed out to the O.S. three-quarters, who scoreda try. The attempt at goal was a failure. On re-starting theball continued chiefly in our half of the ground, and Winchsoon scored another try for the O.S. which was not converted.King now had to retire from the field not being well andDouglas took his place. Soon afterwards from a scrum in ourtwenty~fiveDevitt got the ball and after a short run scored

1899·J .The Shirburnian. 19

between the posts. The try was converted. One more un­converted try was added to the 0.5. Score by Powys, andsoon after half-time was called. In the second half the gamewas rather more even, and several times the School forwardstook the ball down to their opponents end of the ground butfailed to score. Winch now added two more tries for the 0.5.both of which were unconverted. The School played up hardbut could not prevent the 0.5. from adding a third try to theirscore which was also converted. Shortly after this the whistleblew for time and the O.S. thus gained an easy victory.Teams :-

Old Shirburnians.

L. Partridge (back); 1. G. Winch, J. E. Stevens, M. S.Douglas, A. J. Crawford (three-quarters); H. P. S. Devitt,F. W. Sopper (halves); G. M. Carey, L. C. Powys, J. F.Cunningham, N. Partridge, A. H. Moberly, H. F. Metcalfe,H. V. Fletcher, H. V. Temperley (forwards).

School.L. H. Ley (back) ; C. F. Stanger-Leathes, H. C. Pinckney,

P. Eglington, L. G. Horsfall (three-quarters); E. W. King,S. F. Hawley-Edwards (halves); L. G. Sunderland, A. E.Catt, F. W. Kemp, J. G. Jeudwine, C. A. Radford, J. F.Windsor, S. W. Lambert, A. D. Wood (forwards).

--:0:--

SHERBORNE SCHOOL v. CHANNEL SQUADRON.

Played in fine football weather on the School ground onThursday February 16th, resulting in a win for the ChannelSquadron by 2 goals 2 tries to nil. Sunderland kicked off forthe School and Donkin making a poor return, play settled downin the visitors twenty-five, but the three-quarters were wellmarked and could not get away; however, Stanger-Leathesmade a good punt and following up nearly scored. At lengthby some good punting on the part of the Channel Squadronouts:des, play was transferred to the School twenty-five andthe visitors scored twice in succession through Parker andPendleton. Moorshead converted both goals. After this somegood work by Lambert and Pothecary enabled the School togain some ground, but just before half-time, a third try wascleverly scored by Murray which was not converted. Onre-starting play was more even. Hawley-Edwards madea goodrun but was not backed up by the three-quarters and a chance

20 The Skirburman. [MARCH,

of scoring was lost, but the School continued to press and gooddribbles by Sunderland and Radford nearly enabled the. latterto score, and the Channel Squadron were forced to touch down.At this point of the game Moser was hurt and had to retire,Douglas going back. Play continued to be very even, till justbefore time Murray made a good run and scored for theChannel Squadron. The whistle then blew, leaving thevisitors winners as stated. For the School, Radford, Sunder­land, and Lambert seemed the best of the forwards, andHawley-Edwards of the outsides, while of the visitors Moors­head whose punting was very useful and Murray were perhapsbest of the outsides, the forwards being on the whole superiorto their opponents.

SherbI"Jrne School.Moser (back); L. G. Horsfall, C. F. Stanger-Leathes, P.

Eglington, K. J. Douglas (three-quarters); E. W. King, S. F.Hawley-Edwards (halves); L. G. Sunderland (capt.), J. G.Jeudwine, C. A. Radford, J. F. Windsor, S. W. Lambert,A. D. Wood, W. F. Pothecary, and Pullman (forwards).

Channel Squadrolz.Moorshead (back); Donkin, Parker, Murray, and Goodier

(three-quarters); Hallett and Pendleton (halves) ; Molleneaux,Watson, Thomas, Darley, Crawford, McKean, Fargus, Rotham(forwards).

Referee: G. M. Carey, Esq.

--:0:--

OLD SHIRBURNIANS v. CLIFTON CLUB.

Played at Westbury 20th December, before a smallattendance. Clifton had a good team out, and we also werewell represented being captained by G. M. Carey. Cliftonkicked off, and the ball being poorly returned, the first scrumtook place just outside our twenty-five. The home teamstarted passing, which broke down, but the attack wascontinued by the forwards, Clissold scoring after a good dribblein a favourable position, Beloe converting. Loose play, in whichour forwards showed to advantage, followed, but Cliftonattacked again through their backs, and from a grovel Beloethrew out to Taylor, who rounded the back and scored, thehome captain again adding the extra points. The a.s.s.brought off a splendid forward rush immediately following thekick off, Clifton retaliating with some good passing. From a

1899.] The Shirburnian. 21

free kick given against them for off side Clifton touched down,but play was soon transferred to our half, mainly through agood kick from Thomas. Our forwards relieved with anotherdribble, Cunningham, who played a very good game at centrethree-quarter stopping them in first-rate style. We were notto be denied however, and Winch obtained a try, and alsoconverted. There was no further scoring up to half time.Immediately on re-starting Beloe got over, but the pass wasruled forward. The same player spoilt a good opening a littlelater by holding too long, with his outside men well placed.Our forwards continued to play with vigour, and took the ballto the other end, where, following a rush, Powys and Wright, theClifton back, touched down together, a save being given. Cliftonattacked in turn, and J. W. Baker was pulled down just out­side the line. The same player also had an excellent openingmade for him by Beloe, but he hesitated, and was collaredwith the ball. The O.S.S., despite good work by their forwards,could not clear their lines, scrum after scrum being formedin their twenty-five. From one of these Beloe stole away andscored, practically unopposed, near the posts. The Cliftoncaptain had no difficulty in kicking another goal, thus placinghis side IQ points ahead. N othwithstanding this reverse,we again attacked hotly, but our efforts were unavailing,and a fast and interesting game ended in favour of Clifton bythree goals (IS points) to one goal (S points). The teamswere :-

ClijtolZ.W. R. L. Wright (back); J. W. Baker, E. W. Baker,

E. V. Cunningham, and C. Taylor (three~quarters); C. W.W. James and G. H. Beloe (Capt.) (halves); H. Clissold, A.Board, J. Shanks, P. H. Thomas, J. Davidson, VV. W. Parr,B. A. Blenkinsop, and H. B. Saunders (forwards).

Old Slzirbumiaus.J. E. Stevens (back); R. VV. Langhorne, H. C. Pinclmey,

1. G. \Vinch, L. Partridge (three-quarters); F. W. Sopperand H. P. S. Devitt (halves); G. M. Carey (Capt.), L. C.Powys, N. H. E. Partridge, J. F. Cunningham, A. H. l\Ioberly,A. R. Chichester, H. V. Fletcher, and L. G. Sunderland(forwards).

--:0:--THE OLD SHIRBURNIANS v. THE OLD I'AULINES.

This match took place on the St. Pauls' School Ground,on January 14th. The ground considering the state of the

22 The Shirburnian. [MARCll,

weather was wonderfully good. Luck again did not favour theattempts to get a strong side together: an excellent XV hadpromised to play a week before the match, but then came theusual excuses for being unable to play-at the last moment insome cases. Notable among the absentees were Carey andDixon: Carey of course would have played had he been able,but illness detained him in Scotland. Eventually the O.S.S.entered the field with about the weakest XV that we ever gottogether, whereas the Old Paulines had the very strongest XVthey have ever had. We lost the toss, they elected to play withthe wind (a half gale was blowing) and sun. Powys kicked off,Harris returned and Ley failing to gather the ball, let inFordham. ,Barry converted. From the kick off a scrum wasformed in mid-field, and the ball being heeled out, Schwarz gotoff, and on being tackled by Pinckney passed to Harris, who inturn passed to Bailey who scored far out. Barry did not con­vert. The game was more even now, although the Paulineforwards repeatedly broke away, but were each time broughtup by our three-quarters, Pinckney stopping rush after rush ingrand style. A free kick to the O.S.S. did no good as Ley lethimself be collared with the ball, and Harris got in, andSchwarz ran round a scrum shortly afterwards. Neither tr.ywas con verted. Half-time: Paulines I goal 3 tries, Shirburniansnil.W,e, now had the wind, but it had to a great measuredropped. Barry kicked off and Pinckney was collared beforehe could get his kick in, however N. Partridge, Fletcher andPowys broke through in fine form and took the ball to thetwenty-five, where we got the ball for the first time,Pindmey passed to Winch and he kicked grandly into touchclose in goal. From there the Paulines broke away but werestopped by L. Partridge, but Schwarz getting away from ascrum passed to Harris, who on being- collared passed toBailey, and he again scored far out. Barry made an excellentattempt at goal, the ball hitting the cross-bar. From thekick-off the O.S. rushed the ball into the O.P.s' twenty-fivewhere some passing among the three-quarters ended in L.Partridge being brought up by Walker. Schwarz again gettingaway let in E. S. Bailey. Barry converted. 'With 5 minutesmore play the O.S. made great efforts to score, and Powys andN. Partridge breaking away ended in Powys dribbling overand scoring. N. Partridge made a good attempt at goal.Score: Paulines, 2 goals4 tries, O.S. I try. Forthe PaulinesSchwarz was great at half, making grand openings for histhree-quarters. although he lost many opportunities by notpassing. Their forwards were very well together. For us,the forwards really did their best; they were out-weighed to

1899.] The ShirDUY1Itan.

the extent of at least a stone a man, and had never played to­gether before. Powys, N. Partridge, Fletcher and T. D.Stanger-Leathes were about the pick. Outside we never hada chance, but there was lots of good collaring; Pinckney wasperhaps the best. Teams:-

Old Shiroltrnians.L. H. Ley (back); B. Pick, 1. G. Winch, H. C. Pinckney,

and L. Partridge (three-quarters); H. P. S. Devitt, and F.W. Sopper. (halves); L. C. Powys. N. H. E. Partridge,H. F. Cunningham, T. D. Stanger-Leathes, A. H. Mobedy,H. V. Fletcher, L. G. Sunderland, and H. E. Stanger-Leathes(forwards).

Referee: G. H. Harnett.

--:0:--

OLD SHIRBURNIANS v ST. THOMAS' HOSPITAL.

This match was played on Wednesday, th·e 18th January,at Chiswick. A very even game resulted from the meeting ofthese teams. The O.S. were weakened by the absence ofG. M. Carey, H. Devitt, and F. Cunningham, the last namedelecting to play for St. Thomas' as the hospital cup-ties wereat hand. N. Partridge, who again captained the team, lost thetoss as usual, and kicked off. Play for the first ten minuteswent rather in favour of St. Thomas', a good bit of passing byHanbury enabling Harwood to get very close to O.S. linewhere he was smartly collared by Pinckney. Brilliant playby N. Partridge and Powys relieved the pressure, and the ballwas again taken to the centre of the field. Praise is due tothe St. Thomas' halves for the way they kept opening out thegame for their three-quarters, and had it not been for thecapital tackling and saving of Pinckney and Douglas, St.Thomas' must have scored more than once. It was not until aftera quarter of an hour's even and fast play that Hanbury scoredthe first try for St. Thomas', but the kick, a very difficult one,was not succe::.sful. After this reverse the O.S. forwardsplayed with considerable dash and, in the loose for a time quiteoutplayed the home forwards. A fine rush by the forwards,headed by Powys and Partridge took the game into S1. Thomas'

. twenty-five, and Powys was rather unlucky in not scoring, butshortly afterwards Douglas passed the ball neatly to Winch,and the latter with a good run scored between the posts; thekick was taken by Winch and converted. At half-time, theO.S., who were leading by a goal to a try continued to pressand Sapper again crossed the St. Thomas' line; the kick failed.

The Shirburnian. LMARCH,

From this point the St. Thomas' had the best of the game, thethree-quarters being particularly good, and after a fine piece ofpassing Pinckes got in for them. The kick was a failure butSt. Thomas' continued to press almost unto the call of time,when N. Partridge and Stanger-Leathes rushed the ball to thehome hyenty-five, and nothing further being scored the O.S.won an interesting game by eight points to six. For the O.S.,besides N. Partridge and Powys, Cheatle played well in thegrovel, and Douglas, Pinckney, and L. Partridge outside.Cunningham, Hanbury, Harwood, Thorpe, and Downesplayed well for the losers. Teams;-

St. Thomas'.

C. M. Bemays (back); H. M. Harwood, L. F. Hanbury,H. C. Pinckes, A. N. Smith (three-quarters); A. R. Bateman,H. Wheelwright (halves); F. Cunningham, H. C. Thorpe,R. 1. Thomson,F. Vl. Downes, G. H. Latham, H. N. Stephens,J. Little, and T. Glasgow (forwards).

Old Shirburllians.B. Pick (back); L. Partridge, M. S. Douglas, H. C.

Pinckney, 1. G. Winch (three-quarters); F. W. Sopper, J.Jameson (halves); L. C. Powys, T. D. Stanger-Leathes,H. E. Stanger-Leathes, L. G. Sunderland, C. T. Cheatle,A. H. Moberly, N. Partridge, A. N. Other.

MUSICAL SOCIETY.

Whatever may have been thought otherwise of theChristmas Concert it was at any rate a genuine production ofSherbome. The piece de resistance was 'Young Tamlane'for the second time at these concerts-by Mr. Parker. Thiswas followed Py the Christmas Carol, Mr. Parker. Thenafter a short interval of Mendelssohn we resumed with Yule­Tide, Mr. Peile and Mr. Thome. Then a short interlude bythe band, the concert closing with 'King Alfred,' Messrs.Peile and Thome, and the Carmen, Mr. Parker. The authorof so large a part of the entertainment was seated, we mayadd, in the body of the room as "no better than quite anordinary person" with a pleased expression of face, variedoccasionally by an inscrutable one, but whatever the ex­pression, no man is more heartily welcomed to Sherbome

1899.] The Shirburnian.

than he. It is no disparagement of Sherborne to say, thatMendelssohn's Part Song 'Oh, fly with me' was the gem ofthe concert. The tender and delicate music was beautifullysung and, strange to say, seemed highly appreciated by anaudience not yet entirely devoted to the joys of street-organmusic. The fact deserves notice, so let Mr. Hodgson takecourage.

We have to thank Mr. Broadbent again for coming tosing in ' Young Tamlane: His voice is refined and pleasantand his singing sympathetic, but the volume of sound is notexcessive just now, and, except when he is in good voice, hefinds it difficult to fill the Schoolroom, when the room is full ofpeople. Still gratitude is the predominant feeling when we thinkof all he has done for the Concerts. The treble soloists weredecidedly above the average. Neither of them knows whatnervousness is and this is half the battle. The Cantata generallyis bright and melodious and a great favourite with the Choir. Wethink it decidedly superior to 'Silvia '-an old favourite withSherborne cl1oirs-and in Part H. especially the gifted com­poser has had illumination of no common kind into the secretsof Fairy lanj, the mysterious Elfland of which alas! so manyof us lose sight wholly when we cease to be children.

As to the rest ofthe concert we hope that the Carol willalways hold its own at Christmas as long as the Concertsthemselves. We welcome also, the new School Songs,especially King Alfred, O.S. Both composer and author havereally enriched the song book by this rousing and amusinglittle song, perhaps a more genuine &hool song than any wepossess.

And so, as Mr. Pepys says, to House suppers or bed.

PROGRAMME.

Overture Le Chevalier Breton

YOUNG TAMLANE,BY

LOUIS N. PARKER.

IItrlllan.

CHARACTERS.

Fairy, Ley, mi. ] anet, Everington. lamlant, Mr. Broadbent O.S.

The Shirburnial1.

INTRODUCTORY CHORUS.

SOLO (Tamlane)CHORUS

SOLO (Janet)CHORUS

DUET (Janet and Tamlane)CHORUS

RECITATIVE (The Fairy)SOLO AND CHORUS

QUARTET

CHORUS

SOLO (fanet)FINALE

PART 1.

o I forbid you.A land that is fairer than light.

Then up and spake sweet Janet.If I were a cloud, a cloud.

She kilted her coat of green satin.Why do ye pull my flowers, Janet.

An elfin stood Tamlane beside.Come haste ye.

Drug her with honey.

PART n.

The night is dark.Gloomy, gloomy was the night.

Storm, cloud and tempest.About the dead hour of the night.

SOLEMN CAROL FOR CHRISTMAS-TIDE

PART SONG o fly with me

(j.R.lL.1I'.P.

J'y[C1Idelssolm.

Everington, Abbott, Wordsworth, Fletcher mi. Bond ma.Kemp, Mr. Hodgson.

YULE-TIDE

MARCH

School Song

(First time)

Duke Albert

King Alfred, O.S.

CARMEN.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

llB.F.P.(B.G.J:Schneider.

{1.Il.F.P.B.G.T.

Instructor of the Orchestra

Organist

At the Piano

Conductor

Mr. Regan.Mr. Thorne.Carey, ma.

Mr. Hodgson.

1899.] The Shirburnian.

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

We stated in the December Shirburnian that there wouldbe a brief review of School Magazines in every succeedingnumber; but on glancing through the Magazines received thisterm we were afraid lest it should be so brief that there wouldnot be any review at all. The Magazines seem so entirelydevoted to School News.

The Alleynian. The February number appears in a greatlyimproved cover; it is artistic and certainly unique among theother School Magazines. There is an account of an oldAlleynian's adventure in the Argentine Republic, a nativenamed Acosta attacked two Englishmen with a revolver andsucceeded in killing one and seriously wounding the other,before he was shot; the latter we are glad to note is recovering;but the peculiar part of the affair is the feeling exhibited by thenative press, which refers to it as "The assasination of a nativegentleman by two blood-thirsty Englishmen." There is anarticle on " Dulwich as it was (1858-1867)" which is interestingshowing the way in which the School has gradually· grown.They played we read, hoops and marbles! and it was not till1865 that their football club was formed, but now they win ordraw eleven matches out of thirteen!

The ClfJtonian. This Magazine has some good poetry inits December number, the Heritage of the Sea is a very goodone of the patriotic description. The Christmas Rhymes arealso well worth reading. There is another suggestion for thesetting of the School Song.

The Dovorian. \Ve grieve that the Editors of the Dovorianshould be so overcome with the task of editorial writing as tomake the strange remarks they do in the December Dovorian.They start with the odd sentence" Here we are again," as theclown says in the christmas pantomine(which by-the-byare draw­ing near), we presume they mean' pantomines,' but even then theremark seems strange. Next follow two verses and a riddle, andthen some more rambling though facetious remarks which wesuppose refer to Louis de Rougemont. There is a supplementconsisting of eight small views of the college, most of whichare very good. The Hockey suggestions are worth reading byany who take an interest in the game.

28 The Shirburnian. [MARCH,

l'he Tonbridgian. The School has by now lost its "belovedand respected' Head-master' Dr. Wood," who has been appoint­ed Head-master of Harrow. His place is to be filled by the Rev.Charles Tancock, M.A., who is an Old Shirbl1rnian, and there­fore has the heartiest good wishes of all Shirburnians. Thereis an account of H.M.S. Sans Pareil as seen at ChathamDockyard which is really interesting, and an article on Cruisersis promised in a future number. There is an account of avoyage" From India to Ceylon" in native craft, from whichwe gather that the narrators voyage was supposed to takefrom two to three days, but it took actually, eight; and allthis time he had sheep, oxen and Malays for his companions.After the manner of all stories running through two or threenumbers it stops in a most aggravating way just as one isgetting interested.

CHARACTERS OF THE XV.

L. G. SUNDERLAND.-(I897-8-9). A very energetic andpainstaking captain. Knows the game well, being far the mostscientific forward in the XV. Though on the light side alwaysworks his hardest in the scrimmage, and is a very fine dribbler.Fair out of touch. Weight, lOst. Slbs. Is leaving. (S.H.)

A. E. CATT.-(I8g7-8-9)' A strong and clever forward, isalways on the ball and collars well, equally useful in the tightor loose work. Weight, lIst. Has left. (S.H.)

F. W. KEMP.-(I8g7-8-9)' A vigorous and hardworkingforward, plays always for all he is worth: is rarely conspicuousin the open, except in a sensational tackle. Weight, lIst. Isleaving. (S.H.)

H. C. PINCKNEy.-(ISg7-8-9)' A splendid defensive three­quarter, and on occasions is individually brilliant in attack, butis too erratic for a centre, and is a very moderate kick. Hisvigorous and sure collaring is worthy of imitation throughoutthe School. \Veight, lOst. 61bs. Has left. (Hodgson's.)

J. G. JEUDWINE.-(I8g7-8-9)' A strong and useful for­ward; at the beginning of the season was rather slow, but inthis respect has improved greatly, and dribbles very fairly. Toomerciful in his collaring. Always follows up well. Weight,list. 21bs. Is leaving. (Hodgson's.)

C. F. STANGER-LEATHES.-(I8gS-g). Proved rather dis­appointing as a wing three-quarter. Kicks splendidly and runsstrongly; but his tackling has been often weak, and he lacks

1899.] Tht Shirburnian.

judgment. Has improved greatly since the holidays m allrespects. Weight, r2st. 6lbs. Is leaving. (Blanch's.)

L. H. LEy.-(r898-9). Began the term in good style atfull back, collaring finely and kicking with fair accuracy. Felloff considerably towards the end of the season, probably owingto an accident. Weight, lOst. Has left. (S.H.)

C. A. RADFoRD.-(r8g8-g). A painstaking forward whois rather handicapped by short sight. A poor dribbler butworks honestly in the scrimmage. Is the best of the forwardsat the line out. Will improve all round with increased strengthand experience. Weight, IISt. (Blanch's.)

E. W. KING.-(r8g8-g). By pluck and determination hasmade himself into a very fair half-back. Lacks ability inattack and opening out the game tor his three-quarters, butstops rushes and collars fearlessly. Weight, 9st. 6lbs. Isleaving. (S~H.)

J. F. WINDsoR.-(r8g8-gJ. A light and dashing forward,who always does his best. Dribbles very neatly and is especi­ally prominent on muddy grounds. vVeight, lOst. Is leaving.(Wilson's.)

S. F. HAwLEY-EDwARDs.-(r8g8-g). A very promisingyoung half who with more strength and experience will developeinto a really fine player. Very neat with his hands and dribbleswell and fast. Must learn to kick and to collar more vigorouslyWeight, 9st. 8lbs. (S.H.)

S. W. LAMBERT.-(r898-9). A greatly improved heavy­weight who should do well in the future, as he is strong, fast,and dashing. His chief fault is waiting offside for chances,instead of getting at once behind the ball. Weight, r2st. 6lbs.Is leaving. (Wilson's.)

W. F. POTHECARY.-A heavy and somewhat clumsy for­ward; works very hard in the scrimmage when he is oncethere, but is very slow in getting in, and hardly watches theball sufficiently. Weight, r2st. (S.H.)

P. EGLII>GTON. - An improved centre three-quarter,dodges well and feeds his wing judiciously; but is at presenttoo slow to prove really dangerous. Must learn to kick andwork his opposing three-quarters more closely. vVeight,9st.2lbs. (Wilson'S.)

L. G. HORsFALL.-A young and neat three-quarter, whoshows much promise. VI/ould be admirably adapted for a centrethree-quarter, ifhe would learn to kick with either foot. Weight,9st. 8lbs. (S.H.)

The Shirburnial1.

CAMBRIDGE LETTER.

[MARCH,

Dear Mr. Editor,My hope in writing this letter is that it may possibly call

forth a similar contribution from Oxford. In this the mostuneventful of all Cambridge terms-there are naturally fewerdoings of Cambridge 0.5.5. to record than usual-but we givethem such as they are.

The first thing to note is that W. E. Lutyens (dJ repre­sented the L.A.C. against the University. Of other athletesG. A. Cooper (f) running for New College v. King's and 3rdTrinity at Cambridge succeeded in winning the hurdles, out ofthe two events won by New College, and R. W. B. Langhorne(a), represented University, Oxford, against Clare, Cambridge.

In football, C. Dixon (a), captained Blackheath, whichproved victorious over the University by a point, and H. P. S.Devitt (a), played a very good game for Lennox v. the Uni­versity. In the match of Queen's v. Worcester, four 0.5.5.appeared, A. C. Temperley (a), M. S. Douglas of Cambridge,and C. Ransford (a), and C. Martin ("), of Oxford. H. W. V.Temperley (d), also represented King's v. Balliol, but we weregreatly disappointed at the absence of A. E. Ward (a), thoughvarious namesakes of his appeared for the Balliol team. Weunderstand that a large number of 0.5.5. had assembled to seethe play of A. E. Ward-or at any rate to have the pleasure ofseeing him act as linesman. Owing-no doubt-to his absence,the Balliol Team suffered defeat by I goal and 3 tries to a try.H. F. Metcalfe (/) has played throughout the term for Cam­bridge Devonians and H. W. V. Temperley (cl), has secured aplace in the King'S Hockey Team.

In intellectual pursuits we have to record the Scholarshipof A. M. Janes (d), at 51. Catharine's, and we understand W.,. Bensl(y (a), has been offered, and (we believe) has accepteda Mastership at Giggleswick. A. C. Temperley (a), is Presi­dent of the Queen's Debating Society, and M. S. Douglas hasbeen known to speak at the same gathering.

This is about all the news which we can at present pro­vide, but we shall hope to communicat€ with you again whennews is more plentiful.

Yours etc.,

CAMBRIDGE 0.5.

1899.] The Shirburnian.

SCHOOL NEWS.

31

The following have been presented with their colours :­First XV.-S. W. Lambert (c).

Second XV.-L. G. Horsfall (a).

Towards the end of last term, there were two very suc­cessful "Penny Readings" given in the big Schoolroom.The first on the lOth December was given by Members of theSchool, while several O.S. took part in the second on the 17th.

We are glad to say that A. M. Jones (d) has successfullyupheld the honour of the School by winning an open Scholarshipat S. Catherine's College, Cambridge. We congratulate himon his success and are sure that he will carry with him thehearty good-wishes of the School.

The Games Committee has been constituted as follows :­L. G. Sunderland (a), Captain of Football; C. F. Stanger­Leathes (/J), Captain of Cricket; C. C. Cunningham (I); F.W. Kemp (a), J. F. Windsor (c), A. D. Wood, R. M. A.Whitaker (d), G. L. Leigh-Clare (to) Captain of Gymnasium.

On Thursday, February 23rd, the Headmaster gave amost interesting Lecture on his experiences in Egypt lastholidays. His experiences in the Channel he passed over insilence. On reaching Alexandria he travelled by rail to Cairo,and there visited the famous Museum, seeing Rameses theGreat, with whom however he did not shake hands. Havingbeen seized hy the inevitable tourist agent, he ascended the Nileas far as Luxor, seeing the ruins of ancient Memphis and theHundred-gated Thebes. On his return he ascended the greatPyramid and saw the Sphinx, and returned to England aftera most enjoyable trip.

The Longmuir Exhibition has been awarded this term toR. G. McDonald (d)

The House Matches have been drawn as follows :-­Seniors.

Blanch's v. Dayboys. Wilson's v. Wildman's.Hodgson's a bye.

Tu Shirburniall. [MARCH,

Juniors.Wilson's v. Blanch's. Wildman's v. Hodgson's.

The following left last term: -G. W. Williams, VI.;H. C. Pinckney (f), XV., XI.; A. E. Catt (a), XV., XI.;L. H. Ley (a), XV.

We are asked to state that it is proposed to erect a ")Memorial in Chapel to the late Mr. Aston-Binns. ~ybod~,

willing to assist should send his subscription to the Heaamaster.

O.S. NEWS.

The following have been playing Football:­

C. Dixon (a), for Blackheath.A. C. Temperley (a) and M. S. Douglas for Queen's College,

Cambridge.H. W. V. Temperley (d), for King's College, Cambridge.C. Ransford (a) and C. Martin (b) for Worcester College,

Oxford.

We are glad to state that the Rev. C. C. Tancock (d) hasbeen elected Headmaster of Tonbridge School. Mr. Tancockwas at Sherborne from 1864-1870 and then went to ExeterCollege, Oxford. He took a First in Moderations and a Firstin Litterae Humaniores, and after holding a mastership atCharterhouse for some years was elected Headmaster of RossallSchool in 1885. He resigned from ill-health in 1896. A shortrest in a small country Vicarage near Kirkby Lonsdale com­pletely restored him to health, and we wish him a long andprosperous tenure of his new post.

G. R. Williams and G. T. B. Hext (c) were successful inthe W oolwich Examination last holidays. We beg to con­gratulate them both.

The 0.5. Triennial Dinner will be held in town on the12th April. The' Archbishop of Canterbury has promised tobe present.

1899.] 17u Shirburniall.

CORRESPONDENCE.

33

Dear Sir,Though I did not quite agree with anti-badge that the winning league

should have a cap, still I did hope that the glaring badge of last year wouldbe replaced this, by some neat and modestly coloured device. But alas! thenew one which embodies black, green, red and yellow, is if possible morehideous than the former. Oould not a rational badge be substituted forthe present one next year? it would I am sure be an improvement.

Yours truly,B.G.R.Y.

ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION,WHITEHALL, LONDON, S.W.

Dear Mr. Editor,I shall be much obliged if you will give me space in your columns to

say that it is proposed to arrange a match between the School Eight andan eight of Old Shirburnians, preferably those who are in the Regular orAuxiliary· Forces.

Captain Wildman has been good enough to express his approval ofthe IJ"a and I shall be very glad if any Old Shirburnians willing to helpinthe composition of the team will communicate with me at this address.

The n12..tch is proposed to take place on the School Range on a Satur.day either at the c"d of June or beginning of July, the day to be hereafterfixed. .

Yours truly,HAROLD D. PUCKLE.

1St Snrrey Rifles.

Dear }\:[r. EdilOr,May I enquire whefler the Chapel Choir in future is going to be quite

monopolised by masters? This I have no doubt would be a very good thing,but may I ask wheth~ the masters in the Chapel Choir follow the commonrule and receive (aceor ling as they are upper or lower School }\:[asters)their one penny or three pence per week?

Believe me, Yours truly,CHORISTER.

Dear Sir,Perhaps you may know that it is extremely difficult to raise an Old

Shirburnian XV to play matches during the Christmas Holidays. Thisis mainly due to two facts. 1. That many of us live at a distance. 2. TheIndividual Expense. Shirburnians are so patriotic that the distance iseasily overcome, but the expenses come very hard on many of us. MayI suggest that the Old Shirburnian Society which I believe is in a veryflourishing condition, should pay playing members reasonable railwayexpenses? \Vith regard to hotel expenses, since there are so many O.S.in London, who are only too willing to put anyone up, there need be none.I am sure that if a part of our expenses are paid we shall be able to placea mnch stronger XV in the field next Christmas.

Yours truly, ... KEEN BUT POOR."

34 The Shirbumian. [MARCH,

Dear Sir,Would it not be a good thing if the 'Two Cock' match was played before

it has been decided which is the Cock Out-house? it would make the Out­house team much keener, and if the Out-houses win, the final afterwardswould be even more exciting than it is usually. The Captain should be thesenior house-cap and the team should be made up by the senior colour.

RADICAL.

Dear Sir,May I point out through your columns a small point which has been

more than once remarked on : I mean the slackness shewn by onlookersin fetching the ball when it has gone into touch? Frequently the halvesthemselves have to fetch it as though they had no better object on whichto lavish their

ENERGY.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

CHORISTER.-We do not quite ut:derstand this Letter..P~rsoncJly. "·'edo not think that the Choir is so good that it can g,~t Ca v.'ithout theassistance of Masters. Perhaps" Chorister" is ?n,jous to get the.. penny a week." Might we suggest that he ,.hould pay moreattElntion to punctuation?

RADICAL.-If this plan were adopted, may w~ ::";, how a house beaten inthe first round, could challenge for second pb:c ?

The Editor acknowledges with th~mks the receipt of thefollowing Magazines :-Alleynia1~ (2), Bri!.ifield College ChronicleBra11lptonian, Carthusian, City of Londo I School Magazine,Cliftonian, Dovorian, Haileyburian (3), Lancing College Magazine,Lorettonian (2), Marcian, Ousel (4), Reptonian, St. Michael'sChronicle, Tonbridgiml, Wellingtonian, Wycombe Abbey Gazette.

(a.) Schoolhouse, (b.) Blanch's, (c.) Wilson's, (d.) Wildman's(f) Hodgson's.