A History of Giggleswick School from its Foundation, 1499 to 1912Bell, Edward Allen
History
A History of Giggleswick School from its Foundation, 1499 to 1912
Bell, Edward Allen
Giggleswick School (Giggleswick, England) -- History
During his Headmastership everyone connected with the School seemed to
gain a closer and more personal interest in its fortunes. He treated men
as if they were themselves possessed of more than usual individuality.
No one was expected to be a mere automaton, useful but replaceable.
There was a special part of the School organization which each man was
made to feel was precisely the part that he could play. Dormitory
Masters were given greater independence, boys, especially the older
boys, were made to realize that they also had a deep responsibility in
the welfare of the School. The great features in Mr. Vaughan's character
were his insight into the best qualities of all who surrounded him and
the generous optimism of his judgment. It was a difficult task for any
man to succeed to the work of Mr. Style, who had built up the School
afresh through many arduous difficulties, but Mr. Vaughan realized that
the passing of the period of rapid enlargement laid upon him the
responsibility of fostering the slow and unostentatious work of
profiting by the past and of seeing that the reputation of the School
was maintained and increased. He was essentially an idealist, a dreamer
of dreams, a visionary, but he never lost sight of the practicable.
Organization was his handmaid.
Parents, Masters and Boys were quick to recognize the sincerity of the
man. He was often impetuous but he was always candid. His decisions were
firm, but he never shirked an argument. His sermons in Chapel were not
steeped in oratory but the directness of his appeal, the persistent
summons to the standard of Duty and the obvious depth of his emotion
gave them power. Largeness of numbers never appealed to him, and he did
not in any way strive to call the attention of the world to the School.
He wished for success in Scholarships and in Athletics but he regarded
the School as he regarded the individual. Distinction in work or games
was no passport to his favour, but he continually looked only for the
right use of such capacity as each one possessed. Frequently he would
take boys from the lower part of the School and himself give them
private tuition. Character was more than intellect. The boys learned to
know him as their friend and he would go into their studies in the
evening and be gladly welcomed. The unity of the School was much
increased, the Hostel had no special privileges and at the close of his
Headmastership the six years had witnessed a steady growth in the
effectiveness of the School. No one ever forgot that he was Headmaster
but at the same time he never failed to encourage others to act for
themselves. He had a single-minded desire for the good of the School and
he inspired others with it. His contempt for outworn conventions, his
sincerity, his generosity of heart, even his impetuous nature impressed
all alike with the feeling that they were dealing with one, who was
essentially a man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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