New-York tribune., 1902-05-07
NEW PUBLICATIONS
AN AMERICAN AT oXFoRD-FRAGMENT
BY MR. HERBERT SPENCER
BIBLICAL TRANSACTIONS.


BY MR. HERBERT SPENCER
BIBLICAL TRANSACTIONS.
Mr.. John Corbin has set forth in an interesting
little volume. An American at Oxford" Hough-
ton AIifHin & Coz, the impressions Of sym
pathetic observer of life at the famous English
university. He has shared in that life AS a
student at Baliiol. and his survey is compre-
hensive. He portrays the oxford freshman and
describes day at oxford college; he treats
of dinner in hall" and of the things with which
the students manage to fill their evenings. The
out OF door life is discussed less than the
purely educational side of the university. The
author refers in his preface TO the will of Cecil
Rhodes. and especially to that part of ii which
provides for the representation of this country at
Oxford by two carefully selected undergraduate
students from each Of the United States. He
looks with hopefuness upon the prospect be-
lieving that universities well afford,
having accepted the influence Of German ideals.
10 make similar draft on the best educational
spirit in England" He enforces this point in
more than one passage of his text But Ameri-
can students who hope some day 20 go TO OK
ford under the terms of the Rhodes bequest,
and others who interested in the subject,
will value Mr.. Corbins book less for any of the
general ideas advanced in It than for the
glimpses he gives of what he has observed. He
is at his best and most useful when he gives
notes like the following:
The dons at high table. like the British peers,
mingle judicial with legislative functions All
disputes about sconces are referred to them, and
their DEGREES are absolute. A sconce is a penalty
Tor a breach OF good manners at table, and is
an institution that he traced far back into
the Middle Ages. The offences that are sconcible
may be summarized as punning swearing talk
ing shop. and coming TO hail after high table is
in session. Take, for instance. the case of a
certain oarsman, who found the dinner form
her ton Tfrri7 ErCF dow aGli1 1iDfr
seats By way of comforting himself, he re-
marked that the Lord giveth and the Lord
teketh away. Who is to decide whether he is
guilty Of profanity? The master of course and
his assembled court OF dons. The remark and
the attendant circumstances are written the
back OF an order slip by the senior scholar pres
ent, and scout is dispatched with it. Imagine,
then. the master presenting this question to the
cons; is II profanity 10 refer by means If a
quotation from Scripture to the cuticle one loses
in college boat? Suppose the dons decree that
IL is. The cuprit has the alternative of paying
q shilling to the college library ordering a
tun of hitter beer. If he decides for beer. a
ond alternative confronts him: he NAV drink II
down in uninterrupted draught or he may
kiss the cup and send IL circling the table II he
tries TO floor the sconce and fails. he has TO order
more beer for the table; but il he succeeds. the
man who sconced him has TO pay the shot and
order a second tun for the table I never knew
but one man TO down a sconce. He did II he
tween soup and fish, and for the rest Of the
evening was drunk ever was the Restora-
tion lord who presented the silver tankard 10
the college
After hall the dons go to the senior common
room for the sweet and port. At Trinity they
have one room for the sweet and another for
port The students, meanwhile in certain of
the colleges, may go for dessert to the village
store; that is 10 say. to a beneath the hall,
where the fancy groceries of the college stock
are displayed for sale. There are oranges from
Florida and Tangiers. dainty maiden blush
apples from New-England figs and dates from
the Ievant. prunes and prunelles from Italy,
cendsed apricots from France. and the superb
English hothouse grapes, more luscious than
Silenus ever crushed against his palate There
are sweets, cigarettes and cigars. All are spread
upon the tables like a Venetian painting uf
abundance; but at either end of the room stand
Two Oxford scouts. with account books in their
hands. fellow takes tangerine and with
u proom gesture, tits TO the as If TO say
I'll Here's looking toward you. landlord; or Il
III drink TO your bonnie blue eyes" But he is not
confronted by a publican barmaid; only
grave underiing of the college bursar who si-
lenty records, Brown, orange. ID" and looks
up, TO catch the next item Two other fellows
are nlpping for cigars, and the second scout is
gravely watching their faces to see which way
the coin has fallen, recording the outcome With
out sign Some one asks. How much are
chocolate creams, Higgins?" Three ha'pence
Tor four. sir" is the answer and the student
urges three neighbors TO share his penny'orth
The scout records, Jones, c. c. HID