The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-04

pressions for everyday things and con-
versation A. youngster on first com
ing to the college might be asked, after
the two weeks grace allowed in which
to shake down had elapsed, to ''go and
get his pempe" from so and so--some
senior at a house other than the new
comer's-and so, if still green, the bant-
ling would be sent from place to place
on a FOOLS errand. "Pempe," If he
only knew little Greek, simply being
the imperative of pompo, and convey
ing no other meaning than send thou"
or. in short, send the fool vet further on
his wild goose chase. The elder or SEN
ior boys of Winchester called projects,
had authority among their fellows far
beyond that at any other English school
or college They could, in fact whip
with a ground ash their juniors guilty
of minor offenses or breaches against
college rules or decorums This was
known as a funding" and some years
ago was the subject of considerable
controversy in the London Times.
Junior boys at Winchester had to flag"
for their seniors at stated times,
watch OUT (another American idiorn);
that is run after or field cricket balls
for them during practice hours; run
errands to the shops-a flag when as
signed to any special duty was spoken
of as having been mailed" to do this or
that.
For example, a project would say to
middle-class boy: Nail me two men
to toast" and forthwith a couple of
luckless wights would be given the
pleasant talk of toasting bread for their
masters tea. In some tutors houses
certain general flags with certain spe-
cial duties were known Familiarity as
water cad' boot cad" "stoker," eli
brary cad" and the like, their duties
being indicated by the title bestowed.
Doubtless his present grace of Marlbor-
ough when Marquis Of Blandford was
at some time library cad in Bramstone's
house, his duties being to take care of
the books in the house library.
Some of the Winchester notions were
inclined to be vulgar almost obscene in
their abrupt brutality. Words found
in common use in Chaucer's time and I
which gave virility to the Saxon poets
pages were also used freely by the
Winchester boys of a few generations
back, and are to-day, for that matter;
some of these words are also in COM
mon use by the vulgar tongues of
America, though in England they have
for the most part been hidden under
later nomenclature.
Winchester was founded in 1887. 1t
is the oldest great school in England
and aristocracy from generation to
generation, with language and customs
of centuries ago still surviving and in
active use-a peculiar mixture of bru-
tally and refinement this English pub
lie school education and Winchester,
perhaps the most pronounced of all in
its extraordinary contrasts-an educa-
ton as Cyril Arthur Pearson, the wide
awake owner of the Pearson publica-
tions, justly observes of little practi-
cal value"
In connection with the customs and
notions obtaining at this most conserv-
ative of colleges, it may be noted that
| the length of time a boy had been
| there usually governed his privileges or
| lack of them. To walk with ones coat
| open was not permissible till one had
been there two years; after a year it
| might be worn open except for the top
| button. To wear the hat on the back
| of the head was only allowed those
| who had been there four or five years,
| or who were "swagger men,"
| For the first year a boy was in full
servitude; by his third year he was en-
| tirely freed from fag service of any
kind. White straw hats We're the COM
| mon headgear winter and summer;
when you had been there four years a
black and white, /. e., 'speckled" straw
might be born. Projects alone might
affect round or derby hats. Any at
tempts at side" putting on airs, were
vigorously squelched. In truth, the
English public school is great leveler
"a democratic oligarchy, so to speak
|