The record-union., 1891-03-29
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS.
The School Life and Games at Old
Rugby.
Description of the Noble Old Town
and School Made Famous In the
Fascinating Novel, ''Tom Brown at
Rugby,

Fascinating Novel, tom Brown at
Rugby.''
| Especial Correspondence OF the SUNDAY
| UNION. Copyright. 1871
RUGBY, England, March 9, 1891.
My hosts, guides and companions at
Rugby have been one of the marshals and
a young English friend, lad in the
Lower Middle' form, Modern Side; and
some of the things learned about the fa-
nous school are worth telling.
All boys at Rugby School must enter
between the ages of II and Is years, and
must leave the school at the end of the
next term after they have reached the age
OF 10 years. They are SO boys who are
schooled free, or partially so, on behalf of
the Laurence Sheriff Foundation Fund.
These So boys form three classes known
as observation-disclosures" (" ''major'' and "mi-
nor" foundations" The old-founda-
TONERS number so, and they must be the
sons OF persons who have lived in. or
within five miles of, Rugby since 1868.
! These receive instructions free of all
charge. The major-foundationer are
twelve boys selected, on examination,
from the townsfolk and people living
within the fve-mile limit, and qualified
by attendance at the subordinate school,
who, like the observation-disclosures, receive
| their instruction free. The "a minor
| 1oundatloners must have the same quail
hcatlons as to residence and preparation
as the majors. These secure their tuition
Tor one-half the usual fees. The SO foun-
dationers may compete with all other stu
dents for the many Rugby prizes.
Probably no other boys school in the
| world offers so many and such varied
prizes. To name them in the briefest
manner would require moro than a col
| umn's space in this paper. Aside from
the Queens gold medal prize for an Eng
lish essay on some historical subject, 1
have had counted out to me by my COM
panlons upwards of rs prizes, the value of
the lowest Of which Is two guineas. On
the line of excellence in scholarship there
| are numberless gradings and distinctions.
The great goal to be reached in Rugby
school-life is the 'iSixth Form" Of the
upper school, and the life of prepostor
in that There are fifteen prapostors.
These constitute the upper bench" of
the upper, or highest school in Rugby.
The dignity and privileges obtaining are
alone secured through splendid scholar
| ship; and all Rugby traditions warrant
the lad who has reached this eIflinence
| through intellectual pluck in the free and
ungrudged exercise of his rights to 'fag'
those beneath him to the very limit of his
| inclination. 1t is not carried to the same
extent it was in ''Tom Brown's'' time;
| but his experiences, though somewhat
exaggerated, give the best description ex-
tant of the every day workings of the
system in Rugby School. The next and
the highest reward bestowed upon supe-
rior scholarship at Rugby is that of ''Ex-
hibitioner." 1t is not only great honor
in English school-life to be known as a
Rugby Exhibitioner," but it is by no
means an empty honor. There are two
| ola major and minor GEv
and three ''majors" and four "minors''
are awarded each year, on election by
external examiners" appointed by the
Rugby Governing Board. Every major
exhibitioner receives EGO, and every mi
nor exhibitioner ESQ per year; each Eek
after election-prOvided the holder leaves
Rugby and pursues his studies at any
university of the United Kingdom, or at
other approved place of preparation for
profession or occupation. They are prac-
tically $500 and $3.50 per year scholarships,
good anywhere that proper use may be
made of them for four years; their full
value therefore being respectively 81 200
and 5000. Oxford and Cambridge secure
these splendidly-trained youths in about
equal numbers.
In investigating all these more serious
matters about Rugby School, the most
delightful thing which everywhere i'm
presses one new to its government and
policies is the utter absence of what we
Americans term iunkeyism and aristo-
Scratic exclusiveness. It's trustees and
governing board comprise great and
| titled men, but the patronage of the
school, and the actual practical regime
and discipline which have been enforced
from the days of the famous DR.. Arnold
to the present time under its equally wiss
and answering Head Master, Dr. Perci-
val, have been grandly democratic to the
core. Among the thirteen trustees are
three earls, one marquis, three lords, two
right honorables, two members of Parlia-
| ment, one archdeacon and one canon;
while the Governing Board of twelve
comprises equally as many from among
the great and titled of England But
Rugby students are from English middle
classes, the backbone of the realm. l per-
sonally know many whose parents, while
not people of poverty, are very humble
| folk indeed. Occasionally lord or an
earl may send STRIPPING down here to
Rugby for the very discipline afforded;
but these finelings cannot form ''set;'
are in nowise toadied to; have never vet
cowed their interiors in wealth and sta
ton; and in every instance where they
have not Immediately adjusted them
| selves to the ''fair-play,'' equal rights at
mosphere of the school, they have had
the overtime skin kicked from their
lordly little shins and the superfine hau-
faces in very short order; with genial
and dreamful inattention on the part of
the masters, inexpressibly dear and de-
licious to every Rugby boy Of the fright
sort"
In what we would term the Faculty"
Of Rugby School there are twenty-seven
resident masters or professors, as we
would call them, exclusive of the Head
Master, the Rev. j. Percival, LII. D. Be
sides these, there are seven resident tu-
tors. Every school has its ogres-beings
dreaded, hated, preyed upon, endlessly
the but of all devilish ingenuity in boyish
malevolence. These are known at Rugby
as ''marshals;'' and there are two of
them. "Mr. Blake (our companion) is all
right-that is, for marshal!''-concedes
my Rugby-boy friend in an explanatory
whisper; "but 'old Patey' the tother ones
a reg'lar old grump, he is. He hates to
have boys live, he doesr' These mar
shals are sort of bailiffs, or high consta-
bles, who keep very sharp eyes ON the GO
| ings and comings of these hundreds of
lads. They secretly report misconduct,
and are the dread bearers of the awful
summons ''to the Doctors chambers"
As was noticed in my preceding article
on Rugby, DR.. Arnold, as long ago as
1923, removed all the irresponsible board
ng-house vampires who fattened upon
Rugby scholars and put in their places
masters of the school. This not only cre-
ated direct responsibility, but insured
| good treatment to the boys. The more
| popular master made his house, the
higher he stood socially in Rugby with
the students, with the Governing Board;
| and besides il increased his Drofifs