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Article THE COMING FESTIVAL OF THE BOYS' SCHOOL. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE COMING FESTIVAL OF THE BOYS' SCHOOL. Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC PORTRAITS (No. 32). "OLD MUG." Page 1 of 2 →
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The Coming Festival Of The Boys' School.
and this higher standard makes our school more costly . This , however , is by no means the limit of our tether . A system of education must be judged by its fruit . If our boys went forth into the world ill-fitted in respect of knowledge and moral character for the duties of their station ,
we should say at once to our readers , To give your money to onr School is only waste , so far at least as the mental training of the pupils is concerned . It is a great misfortune there are so many orphans for us to look after , but as it is onr duty to provide for them
according to our ability , let us find them schooling elsewhere . We shall not then waste a great part of our annual income in the maintenance of a large establishment . We shall have no costly managerial expenditure , we shall havo no costly educational staff , which is worse even than useless :
Bnt this is not the case . Our boys go forth into the world admirably well trained , both in knowledge and morals , for the positions they are likely to fill . The staff of masters , with Dr . Morris at its head , acquits itself ably of its most important and , at the same time , most onerous duties . In
evidence of this , we have the reports of the examiners , who have spoken in the highest terms of the system of education and the fruit it bears , and , we think our readers will admit , they ought to know . They speak with an authority based on a long and vast experience , not only of our school ,
but of hundreds of schools throughout the kingdom . Many of the pupils have passed the local Universit y examinations , and some have done so with " honours . " This is proof that the training we give them is a sound one , or we should not have it in our power to record a fact so gratifying . Not only ,
then , do we educate our boys , but we do it well . We have a good soil to begin with . We work it admirably , and the tree of knowledge we have planted bears excellent fruit . Here , then , is a fourth reason why funds are always necessary . Let us recapitulate them . ( 1 ) We are educating more boys
than formerly ; ( 2 ) there are more boys requiring to be educated than can at present bo provided for ; ( 3 ) our standard of education is higher , and , therefore , more costly than it was ; ( 4 ) our system is a most efficient one , our money is well spent .
Let us glance for one moment at another batch of reasons . We commenced by citing one to the effect that this school , unlike our other institutions , has no invested funds , and is absolutely dependent , therefore , for support on the beneficence of the Craft . This let us put down as No . 1 of the
second category . Reason lSo . 2 is the following . For more than twelve months the management of the school has been the subject of most violent animadversion on the part of certain brethren in one of our most considerable provinces . A series of pamphlets , in which the conduct of the officials
was seriously denounced , was published . We said at the time these appeared , the charges they contained were of a very grave character . We said also , that a very grave responsibility rested on those who published these charges . The conduct of the Secretary was impugned . The conduct
of the House and Audit Committees was impugned . It is easier perhaps to enumerate who were not , than who were charged with a most terrible array of high crimes and misdemeanours . The pamphlets , one and all , denounced the conduct of the School authorities one and all in language
truly formidable . It was a departure from the ordinary practice to make public such terrible charges , but we said nothing could justify such departure but the most momentous considerations—nothing short , in fact , of proof
positive , that all the school authorities were worthless , and the whole managerial system utterly rotten . We are almost ashamed to quote Horace , but a well-known line of his is very pertinent to the
case" Partnriunfc monies , nascetur ridiculus mna . " The tremendous mountain in labour gave birth to the most absurdly ridiculous little mouse . Just a few trifling errors , easily capable of being rectified , were shown to have been made . These affected not the credit of the management in
the slightest degreo whatever . The money which it was supposed could not be properly accounted for was proved to have been expended in a legitimate manner for legitimate purposes . The office expenditure is just and necessary . This , indeed , is a head of expenditure which is
usually in an inverse ratio to the strength of a school : the fewer the pupils , the greater the office expenditure per head . Doubtless , were the School doubled in point of numbers , the present amount would not be perceptibly increased . A very slight additional outlay would meet all requirements . Thus a most elaborate—we were almost on
The Coming Festival Of The Boys' School.
the point of writing , a most vicious—attack resulted in proving one thing , that the School was well and economically ( we do not use the word in a cheese-paring sense ) managed . We admit that frequent changes in tho educational staff are always deplorable , but here it seems to havo been a case of Hobson ' s choice : either the educational or
the managerial staffs must have been changed , and the former was rightly sacrificed in preference to losing the tried and long experience of the latter . In short , the Special Committee appointed to inquire into , the allegations which the pamphlets contained , emphatically ruled that tho
conduct of the management had been worthy of all praise , and would always continue to command , most certainly the respect , and most probably the implicit confidence of the Craft . But satisfactory as it was to be told this , the pamphlets had already -borne fruit . The School suffered
temporarily , and can hardly yet be said to have recovered wholly its former place in the general estimation . The idea that it was not being well managed once bruited about , brethren fought shy of contributing to its funds . True , in the very height of the conflict there came that grandest of
all subscriptional ( we hope the word is allowable ) achievements since our charities were first originated , namely the collection , last July , of over thirteen thousand pounds . But the Craft hardly knew at that time more than that the Masters and the Secretary were at loggerheads . The first
blow had been struck , but there had been no time to mark its effects . Other blows followed ; in fact , the battle of the pamphlets was long and severe , and victory did not declare itself as emphatically and decisively as it has done on tho side of the Management till the last General Court of
Governors . Thus the School must have lost , temporarily , some ground , and the only just return the Craft can make for any momentary misgivings it , or a section of it , may have allowed itself to feel is , to subscribe more liberally than ever to the funds of this splendid and well-managed charity .
This , then , is onr second category of reasons why the efforts of this year ' s Board of Stewards should produce a more abundant yield . The first is that the School has no invested funds , and therefore no permanent income : the second that the recent onslaught on its management , though
perfectly unjustifiable as it turns out , must have exercised an unfortunate influence on the minds of the Craft , and havo prevented many from subscribing who would only have been too happy and willing to contribute . Let West Yorkshire in particular , who may be said in a measure to have endorsed the action of one of its most
conspicuous officers , behave handsomely , after the manner of West Yorkshiremen . Its Grand Master is President of the Buard of Stewards . It is clearly impossible he can retain any sore feeling on account of the evident mistake that was made by his subordinate next in rank to himself .
Let tho West Yorkshire brethren renew their youthful days . Let them indulge in a glorious bout at the good old-fashioned game of " follow my leader . " It is very certain Sir Henry Edwards will lead them nowhere where
they will have need to be ashamed of themselves . Let them follow him loyally into the very thick of that far nobler contest—who shall serve best the cause of the Orphan ! In that case , the more tremendous their efforts , the more welcome will they be .
Masonic Portraits (No. 32). "Old Mug."
MASONIC PORTRAITS ( No . 32 ) . " OLD MUG . "
" I can profess , I never writ that piece More innocent or empty of offence . Some salt it had , but neither tooth nor gall ,
Nor was there in it any circumstance Which , in the sotting down , I conld suspect Might bo perverted by an enemy ' s tougne . "
WHO is there in the ranks of the Craft who does not know "Old Mug ? " If there be any brothers unfortunate enong-h to be without the honour of his acquaintance , we can say for their consolation that " Old Mug " might exclaim , in the language of Milton : —
" Not to know me argues yourselves unknown ! He is one of the kindliest and best of men , the most pertinacious of beggars in the cause of Charity , and one of the most skilful of Masons . Thousands of the brethren have learned tho precepts of the Craft from
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Coming Festival Of The Boys' School.
and this higher standard makes our school more costly . This , however , is by no means the limit of our tether . A system of education must be judged by its fruit . If our boys went forth into the world ill-fitted in respect of knowledge and moral character for the duties of their station ,
we should say at once to our readers , To give your money to onr School is only waste , so far at least as the mental training of the pupils is concerned . It is a great misfortune there are so many orphans for us to look after , but as it is onr duty to provide for them
according to our ability , let us find them schooling elsewhere . We shall not then waste a great part of our annual income in the maintenance of a large establishment . We shall have no costly managerial expenditure , we shall havo no costly educational staff , which is worse even than useless :
Bnt this is not the case . Our boys go forth into the world admirably well trained , both in knowledge and morals , for the positions they are likely to fill . The staff of masters , with Dr . Morris at its head , acquits itself ably of its most important and , at the same time , most onerous duties . In
evidence of this , we have the reports of the examiners , who have spoken in the highest terms of the system of education and the fruit it bears , and , we think our readers will admit , they ought to know . They speak with an authority based on a long and vast experience , not only of our school ,
but of hundreds of schools throughout the kingdom . Many of the pupils have passed the local Universit y examinations , and some have done so with " honours . " This is proof that the training we give them is a sound one , or we should not have it in our power to record a fact so gratifying . Not only ,
then , do we educate our boys , but we do it well . We have a good soil to begin with . We work it admirably , and the tree of knowledge we have planted bears excellent fruit . Here , then , is a fourth reason why funds are always necessary . Let us recapitulate them . ( 1 ) We are educating more boys
than formerly ; ( 2 ) there are more boys requiring to be educated than can at present bo provided for ; ( 3 ) our standard of education is higher , and , therefore , more costly than it was ; ( 4 ) our system is a most efficient one , our money is well spent .
Let us glance for one moment at another batch of reasons . We commenced by citing one to the effect that this school , unlike our other institutions , has no invested funds , and is absolutely dependent , therefore , for support on the beneficence of the Craft . This let us put down as No . 1 of the
second category . Reason lSo . 2 is the following . For more than twelve months the management of the school has been the subject of most violent animadversion on the part of certain brethren in one of our most considerable provinces . A series of pamphlets , in which the conduct of the officials
was seriously denounced , was published . We said at the time these appeared , the charges they contained were of a very grave character . We said also , that a very grave responsibility rested on those who published these charges . The conduct of the Secretary was impugned . The conduct
of the House and Audit Committees was impugned . It is easier perhaps to enumerate who were not , than who were charged with a most terrible array of high crimes and misdemeanours . The pamphlets , one and all , denounced the conduct of the School authorities one and all in language
truly formidable . It was a departure from the ordinary practice to make public such terrible charges , but we said nothing could justify such departure but the most momentous considerations—nothing short , in fact , of proof
positive , that all the school authorities were worthless , and the whole managerial system utterly rotten . We are almost ashamed to quote Horace , but a well-known line of his is very pertinent to the
case" Partnriunfc monies , nascetur ridiculus mna . " The tremendous mountain in labour gave birth to the most absurdly ridiculous little mouse . Just a few trifling errors , easily capable of being rectified , were shown to have been made . These affected not the credit of the management in
the slightest degreo whatever . The money which it was supposed could not be properly accounted for was proved to have been expended in a legitimate manner for legitimate purposes . The office expenditure is just and necessary . This , indeed , is a head of expenditure which is
usually in an inverse ratio to the strength of a school : the fewer the pupils , the greater the office expenditure per head . Doubtless , were the School doubled in point of numbers , the present amount would not be perceptibly increased . A very slight additional outlay would meet all requirements . Thus a most elaborate—we were almost on
The Coming Festival Of The Boys' School.
the point of writing , a most vicious—attack resulted in proving one thing , that the School was well and economically ( we do not use the word in a cheese-paring sense ) managed . We admit that frequent changes in tho educational staff are always deplorable , but here it seems to havo been a case of Hobson ' s choice : either the educational or
the managerial staffs must have been changed , and the former was rightly sacrificed in preference to losing the tried and long experience of the latter . In short , the Special Committee appointed to inquire into , the allegations which the pamphlets contained , emphatically ruled that tho
conduct of the management had been worthy of all praise , and would always continue to command , most certainly the respect , and most probably the implicit confidence of the Craft . But satisfactory as it was to be told this , the pamphlets had already -borne fruit . The School suffered
temporarily , and can hardly yet be said to have recovered wholly its former place in the general estimation . The idea that it was not being well managed once bruited about , brethren fought shy of contributing to its funds . True , in the very height of the conflict there came that grandest of
all subscriptional ( we hope the word is allowable ) achievements since our charities were first originated , namely the collection , last July , of over thirteen thousand pounds . But the Craft hardly knew at that time more than that the Masters and the Secretary were at loggerheads . The first
blow had been struck , but there had been no time to mark its effects . Other blows followed ; in fact , the battle of the pamphlets was long and severe , and victory did not declare itself as emphatically and decisively as it has done on tho side of the Management till the last General Court of
Governors . Thus the School must have lost , temporarily , some ground , and the only just return the Craft can make for any momentary misgivings it , or a section of it , may have allowed itself to feel is , to subscribe more liberally than ever to the funds of this splendid and well-managed charity .
This , then , is onr second category of reasons why the efforts of this year ' s Board of Stewards should produce a more abundant yield . The first is that the School has no invested funds , and therefore no permanent income : the second that the recent onslaught on its management , though
perfectly unjustifiable as it turns out , must have exercised an unfortunate influence on the minds of the Craft , and havo prevented many from subscribing who would only have been too happy and willing to contribute . Let West Yorkshire in particular , who may be said in a measure to have endorsed the action of one of its most
conspicuous officers , behave handsomely , after the manner of West Yorkshiremen . Its Grand Master is President of the Buard of Stewards . It is clearly impossible he can retain any sore feeling on account of the evident mistake that was made by his subordinate next in rank to himself .
Let tho West Yorkshire brethren renew their youthful days . Let them indulge in a glorious bout at the good old-fashioned game of " follow my leader . " It is very certain Sir Henry Edwards will lead them nowhere where
they will have need to be ashamed of themselves . Let them follow him loyally into the very thick of that far nobler contest—who shall serve best the cause of the Orphan ! In that case , the more tremendous their efforts , the more welcome will they be .
Masonic Portraits (No. 32). "Old Mug."
MASONIC PORTRAITS ( No . 32 ) . " OLD MUG . "
" I can profess , I never writ that piece More innocent or empty of offence . Some salt it had , but neither tooth nor gall ,
Nor was there in it any circumstance Which , in the sotting down , I conld suspect Might bo perverted by an enemy ' s tougne . "
WHO is there in the ranks of the Craft who does not know "Old Mug ? " If there be any brothers unfortunate enong-h to be without the honour of his acquaintance , we can say for their consolation that " Old Mug " might exclaim , in the language of Milton : —
" Not to know me argues yourselves unknown ! He is one of the kindliest and best of men , the most pertinacious of beggars in the cause of Charity , and one of the most skilful of Masons . Thousands of the brethren have learned tho precepts of the Craft from