And now, boys all, three words before we quit the subject. I have put in this chapter on fighting of malice prepense, partly because I want to give you a true picture of what every-day school life was in my time and partly because of the cant and twaddle that's talked of boxing and fighting with fists now-a-days. Even Thackeray has given in to it; and only a few weeks ago there was some rampant stuff in the _Times_ on the subject. Boys will quarrel, and when they quarrel will sometimes fight. Fighting with fists is the natural English way for English boys to settle their quarrels. What substitute for it is there, or ever was there, among any nation under the sun? What would you like to see take its place? Learn to box, then, as you learn to play cricket and football. Not one of you will be the worse, but very much the better for learning to box well. Should you never have to use it in earnest, there's no exercise in the world so good for the temper, and for the muscles of the back and legs. As to fighting, keep out of it if you can, by all means. When the time comes, if it ever should, that you have to say "Yes" or "No" to a challenge to fight, say "No" if you can--only take care you make it clear to yourselves why you say "No." It's a proof of the highest courage, if done from true Christian motives. It's quite right and justifiable, if done from a simple aversion to physical pain and danger. But don't say "No" because you fear a licking, and say or think it's because you fear God, for that's neither Christian nor honest. And if you do fight, fight it out; and don't give in while you can stand and see. PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES NOTE.--The pronunciation of difficult words is indicated by respelling them phonetically. _N_ is used to indicate the French nasal sound; _K_ the sound of _ch_ in German; _ü_ the sound of the German _ü_, and French _u; ö_ the sound of _ö_ in foreign languages. AGINCOURT, _aj' in kort_, or _ah zhaN koor'_ ATHELSTANE, _ath' el stane_ AYTOUN, (Wai. E.) _ay' toon_ CAERLEON, _kahr le' on_ CHEYENNE, _shi en'_ DUQUESNE, _du kayn'_ FROUDE, _frood_ GALAHAD, _gal' a had_ GHENT, _gent_ GRANTMESNIL, _groN ma neel'_ GUINEVERE, _gwin' e veer_ HOUYHNHNMS, _hoo' in 'ms_ LEIODES, _le o' deez_ MARACAIBO, _mahr ah ki' bo_ OTAHEITE, _o tah he' te_ POITIERS, _pwaht ya'_ SEINE, _sayn_ SIOUX, _soo_ SKALD, _skawld_ End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5 by Charles Sylvester