Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-08
QUEER ETON CUSTOM
FAGS AND TAGGING IN ENGtAND'S
LEADING BOYS SCHOOL.

Menial Work Performed by Sons of
Dukes For Their Schoolmates.
Duties of Fag-Term of Service.
Nearly All of the Mobility Have
Tagged.
Most people contemplating a debate
in the house of lords from the gal
lery would be surprised to hear that a
goodly proportion of those grave and
reverend seigniors engaged in settling
affairs of state on the very steps of
the throne were adopts at frizzling the
toothsome sausage and cooking the
homely bloater. Yet so it is, for close
on half of the peers of England are
old Etonians, and one of the oldest in
stitutions still cherished under the
shadow of the distant spires and an
tique towers sacred to the memory of
Henry's holy shade is that of tagging.
The first or second day of every
term, when the whole school has re-
turned, sort of slave market is held
in each house, at which the upper
boys have the privilege of choosing
from among the lower boys their own
particular fag for the next three
months or so. In some houses. where
the lower boys-that is, boys who have
not reached the fifth form-are numer-
Gus, an upper boy may have two such
servitors for his own exclusive use.
The right of selection is exercised
according to seniority, the boys known
to be the quickest and best servants
being snapped up first, except in the
case of new boys, when looks have to
be taken as credentials as often as
not, to the ultimate disgust of the flag
master, for the smartest looking boys
are very frequently the greatest buffers
at their work.
The duties of Eton fags are many
and various. Not few of them would
be declined by their fathers servants
at home as far too menial to suit the
dignity of the modern James de Is
Pluche. The flag is responsible for get.
ting his master out of bed in time foi
early morning school-a dangerous and
thankless task to perform on Il big boy
who is hard sleeper and free with his
fists and quick at throwing boots when
once awakened. School over, the fag
has to prepare his masters breakfast
He lays the cloth, makes the tea and
toast-woe betide him If the latter be
burned or cut too thick-boils the eggs
and fries any extra luXuries in the way
of rashers or sausages his master may
send him to purchase in the town.
The meal prepared, the fag is by no
means free to go and get his own
breakfast, as he has to wait at table
be ready to fetch hot water from the
kitchen and if ordered fly off "ul
town" TO one of the sock shops" for a
pot of jam or marmalade. He is
lucky boy if he can snatch a clear ten
minutes for his breakfast before the
chapel bell begins to ring.
The same round Of duty has to be
gone through again at teatime, the only
difference being that there is more
time to do it in, and flag masters are
generally in a better temper when
school for the day is over
But tagging at meals is by no mean
the only service which the lower boy
has to render. He has to scrape the
mud off his masters football boots. Il
put his change clothes away after
crcketing or running with the beagle
and take notes to other boys in othe,
houses.
1t is strange to think that if Lor,
Salisbury had only gone to Eton few
years earlier than he did he might hay,
had to clean Mr.. Gladstone's boots an.
run errands for his future rival Nj
Gladstone himself was somcwhu
lucky in his tagging when at Eton.
he tagged for his elder brother Thorn
as, and naturally got let down easiC.
than if he had been apportioned to som.
strange boy. The Marquis of Bland
ford and Lord Randolph Churchill hat
the reputation of being incorrigibl,
idle fags, but when they chose to eXerf
themselves they We're excellent cook
and as such were much in request. /
is equally difficult to imagine the dig
nilied Lord Chief Justice Coleridg
making toast and boiling eggs for his
master, but tradition has it that Ii,
was most exemplary fag.
In addition to their regular daily
work for their own master, the lower
boys have to fag in desultory way
for any upper boy who may want
them during the day At the cry of
Lower boy" shouted by any fellow
above the lower division of the fifth
form every boy below the fifth has t.
scamper out in answer to the SUMMONS
and the hindermost in the race is gen
orally ordered off for whatever duty
has TO be performed.
This is rather hardship when a boy
is busy preparing his lessons for school
but he would rather run the risk Of
getting into trouble in school than of
incurring the wrath of boy very lii
tie older than himself by "skulking.'
The head masters birch does not in
fllct such wounds as the vigorously ap
piled toasting fork of an incensed fag
master.
On the whole Eton boys don't seem
to mind tagging much and the system