A Schoolmaster's Diary: Being Extracts from the Journal of Patrick Traherne, M.A., Sometime Assistant Master at Radchester and Marlton.Traherne, Patrick
General
A Schoolmaster's Diary: Being Extracts from the Journal of Patrick Traherne, M.A., Sometime Assistant Master at Radchester and Marlton.
Traherne, Patrick
Traherne, Patrick, 1885-1917
We have had two wonderful addresses given us here, one on Speech Day
by Lord Dunnithorne, in which he implored the boys to keep up their
ardour and energy not only in games, but in every side of life, in
keeping an eye while still at school on public affairs, and developing
a sense of proportion as to the relative values of the spiritual and
the material, the other by a Fellow of All Souls from the pulpit on the
hypocrisy that is so rampant in Public Schools. He asked us to think
for ourselves, to set ourselves against any tradition, however strong,
when and if we felt clear that it was against the principles of Christ
and Liberty. He dwelt not on the greatness of the Public Schools,
but their failure to produce the big men of the day. He brought out
name after name of men who are now leading the world in politics, in
science, in religion, in every department of life who owed nothing
to the Public Schools. He accounted for this by telling us that we
always tried to level up the many and so levelled down the few who
really mattered, that our general level was far too low and meant a
crushing of that Divine spark which alone could help us to do our duty.
It was like a breath of inspiration from another world to hear this
fine exponent of the best Oxford spirit trying to rouse us to a sense
of our shortcomings. The Head was furious about the sermon, as were
quite half the members of Common Room. I made it the text of pretty
well all my discourses for the rest of term. Most of the boys of course
didn't know what he was driving at; those who did were divided into
two great camps: the upholders of tradition and those who agreed with
him. I am afraid we who agreed with him were in a minority. Montague
and Jimmy Haye refused to speak to me for weeks. Poor devils. Probably
before very long they will come to understand what the preacher meant
and metaphorically sit in sackcloth and ashes because they heeded
not his warning. How the old men hate individuality: they fear it as
Shakespeare feared and hated the mob.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account