No 453
St David’s day March 1st was an early play as usual, but there was no ditch leaping.
O Salvin. Prin. Opp.
St David’s day March 1st was an early play as usual, but there was no ditch leaping.
O Salvin. Prin. Opp.
The subject for the prize essay is this year “Mithridates” for the Latin Verse “Etruscan Tombs” and for the Greek Iambics Shakespeare Henry V Act I Se. 2.
The subjects for the Sixth at the general Examination at Whitsuntide are
Plato, Apology of Socrates
Sophocles, Ajax
Cicero, Murena
St Luke’s Gospel
Shepwell’s Greek, Roman & English
History to the End of James II
Euclid, Algebra, Arithmetic.
O Salvin.
Prin. Opp.
There has been a change among the masters again this half as Lloyd has gone to Oxford to read for orders & there remains until he is ordained & in his place an Oxonian of the name of Addams has come to take the fourth form & to correct the Sixth exercises.
O Salvin.
Prin. Opp.
Amongst the rest the form with John Dryden house cut upon it has been removed.
O Salvin
Prin. Opp.
Liddell has during the holidays carried his alterations up School still further by painting all below the gas pipes which was plastered last Bartholmy & also adding an extra coat of paint to the old Coat of Arms over the shell.* The Sixth Forms have also been removed & oak ones put in their stead corresponding with the rest of the forms, & instead of sitting in his former place as of old Liddell has removed his chair and table to the middle of the Sixth, round which is a sort of octagon shaped form matching the rest of School & behind his chair is a sort of wooden canopy painted oak which looks as if it could be a door and is not. To add to all this the old examination table has been placed I suppose to make it look new; and all the names on the top most of which were, as will be remembered, exceedingly well cut, have been demolished by putting a new board covering the whole of them. What the meaning of all this unnecessary trouble and expense is not at all evident, for if our predecessors were able to sit at the old forms why should not we? The only trace of the old forms is the upper shell, the humanities table, & the last boy which I have no doubt will soon share the fate of the rest, and undergo the same renovating system which has destroyed so many old names of Old Westminsters. When this will stop I cannot venture to assert but I am afraid not until the whole of School has had and perhaps of everything else pertaining to Westminster has been converted into a sort of “Private Academy for the Education of Young Gentlemen.” I for my part, & I hope my readers will sympathise with this, like to see old customs kept up and old memories both of forms & houses to be left as they have been for so many years.
*now being sort of gingerbread coloured shield supported by green dragons
O Salvin. Princeps Oppidamus.
List of Sixth Town Boys after Xmas
Salvin Prin. Opp.
Lane
Morton, B.B.
The play acted this year was the Adelphi, and on the whole went off very well. The acting was much praised in the Times of Friday December 17th, especially Twiss’ Syrus. The Epilogue was the Gold Mines of California.
O Salvin. Prin. Opp.
Last night all the Seniors and Sixth Town Boys dined at Liddell’s. December 1st.
O Salvin. Prin. Opp.
Thursday November 18th being the day appointed for the funeral of the Duke of Wellington, we had leave out the night before, but Rev. James hired a house top in Piccadilly for all those who had not been able to obtain a place.
O Salvin. Prin. Opp.
The 5th November was an early play but not as it has been for several years past with leave out the previous night, Liddell did not give us this because he said we had had too many holidays lately.
O Salvin. Prin. Opp.