But, Sir, on one morning, and that morning the very one on which one least expects to be subjected to the buffets of fortune, in short, (as Mr. Micawber would exclaim in a sudden gush of confidence), on Sunday morning, far, far, different was my fate! When I look back upon that morning with the coolness of that reflection which I am able to exercise, when, having listened to my Form Master's rebuke, and suffered the linear penalty, I have once more recovered my equanimity, and can sit down with pious resignation, and say with the Mahommedan, "It is Kismet;" when I now look back on that morning, I feel convinced that my better angel knew of the fearful doom that hung over me, and used all his en. deavours to avert it: for, Sir, on that morning, in spite of the fatigues consequent on the Penny Readings, the night before, I rose from my bed of down full one minute and three-quarters earlier than had been my custom for the preceding week. In vain! I occupied my usual thirteen and a half minutes in dressing, and was ambling across the court at a gentle canter, secure, as I thought, of two minutes and a half to perform the journey; when, exactly as the clock struck halfpast eight, there also struck upon my astonished ear another sound, far less expected, far less welcome; a sound which rang the knell of all my hopes of unlimited enjoyment on Chapel Half-holiday, in short-THE STROKE ! Yes, Sir, the stroke. In defiance of all precedent, in defiance of the custom which has obtained at Marlborough College ever since it was Marlborough College, the most reprehensible official who had charge of the bell-rope on Sunday morning, rang the stroke simultaneously with the sound of half-past eight on the College clock. Sir, I am making this grievance public, not because I think that there is any intrinsic harm in the mere fact of ringing the stroke punctually; on the contrary, I think it in every way advisable that strict punctuality should be maintained; but I feel it to be a deep grievance that the official in question should have suddenly assumed habits of punctuality without giving due notice of his intention to those members of the School who, like my unfortunate self, are in the habit of combining the enjoyment of remaining in bed as long as possible, with the self-respect and satisfaction which is produced by the consciousness of having faithfully attended Chapel every morning, and having gained Chapel Half-holiday; and I wish to suggest to the above-mentioned official, through the columns of your powerful organ, that he should in future, whether he rings the stroke punctually, or unpunctually, observe a strict consistence in the time at which he does ring it, so as to avoid causing to other Members of the School the same disappointment which has befallen myself, and called forth this remonstrance in your pages. DRAGON. To the Editor of the Marlburian. DEAR SIR,-I am writing to appeal in favour of those who, perhaps, with some trouble have obtained the privilege of wearing a Zephyr trimmed with their house colours. The privilege, I have no doubt, some will object is but small, but this is no reason why this small privilege is to be usurped by others who have no claim to it. It is but one more sign of the growing decay of our Conservative feeling, one more sign of the ever increasing desire "for some new thing," that new jerseys and new caps are being eternally produced. The new jersey which at present is exciting my indignation is a Zephyr trimmed not with house but with school colours. I do not object to the jersey per se; it may be a very becoming and a very useful jersey; but I quite fail to see why members of the school, who have not succeeded in obtaining their own house gymnasium jerseys, should have a right to this newly-invented one. The characteristic of house gymnasium jerseys is the way in which they are trimmed, and therefore to trim another jersey in exactly the same way but with slightly different colours is certainly an encroachment. But even if such jerseys are to continue, fellows will remember one thing that to wear them will be the clearest and most unmistakeable method of blazoning abroad that they are not in their house eight and that they do not represent their house either in fives or rackets. But besides this I have another objection to the jersey. By whose authority was it made? In the matter of caps and jerseys is a fellow to have free scope to indulge his own fancies, or a tradesman to exercise his ingenuity? Such matters fall within the province of the race committee, and before a new cap or a new jersey is introduced, their consent ought to be obtained. I believe I am right in saying that this was not done in the present case, and therefore this new introduction can at any moment be stopped by the race committee. Lastly, let me again add that it is not to the jersey but to the spirit of encroachment that I object. Those who have a right to their house gymnasium jerseys have a right to any jersey trimmed in the same way, to which the race committee do not object; but it seems a little absurd that fellows who have escaped all the labour and trouble of obtain. ing their own house jerseys should practically obtain the same privilege for nothing. CONSERVATIVE. PENNY READING, MARCH 16th. The programme of the last Penny Reading, which we have to record, must have been generally considered an attractive one, to judge by the numbers who attended; indeed the School paid a fitting compliment to the Committee, and showed its sense of the efforts they had made to produce such a novelty as the "Jackdaw of Rheims." The pianoforte duet, which was to have opened the proceedings, was prevented by the illness of one the performers, and Kite's pianoforte solo took its place. Coming first in this way, before the audience had got settled, the performer hardly received the attention which his careful, if not brilliant, execution deserved. He was followed by Arkle, who read a selection from Mark Twain's "Innocents Abroad"; the reader did justice to the humour, such as it is, of the piece, though we confess that its humour did not strike us as being of a high order. The encore that followed Peake's song, which came next, was not only deserved, but it enabled the singer-a rare event-to show to greater advantage in his second essay; with more confidence and more repose of manner Peake should make the best solo singer we have had for a long time. The trio (Philipps' " Crows in a Cornfield") which followed, should have had more dramatic spirit thrown into it; the alto, too, was occasionally painfully out of tune. The Scene was capitally done; Fowler was excellently sententious as Dogberry, and the rest backed him up well. Last came the most ambitious attempt of the evening, George Fox's Cantata, the "Jackdaw of Rheims." Our best thanks are due to the Committee for introducing this Cantata, and we congratulate them heartily on the measure of success they attained. The idea was good, and for what they tried to do, quite as much as for what they did, we owe them gratitude. Nevertheless, things did not always go quite as they should have done, and it is just because we appreciate the value of an attempt, however slight, at dramatic music, that we venture to make certain suggestions for the better conduct of the performance, should the same or a similar attempt be made again, as it certainly should. First, a conductor, who does not join himself in the singing is absolutely necessary. No tenor or bass can attend to his own part, and watch the altos and trebles at the same time, nor can so many voices be kept together without a leader and guide, to say nothing of the necessary changes of time and expression. Secondly, a better instrument for accompaniment is essential; at least a better piano, and, if it can be got, an arrangement for strings to help out the orchestral parts. The "Dead March," not a bad imitation of the Handelian manner, was spoilt by its thinness. Thirdly, the solo and recitative parts should be as far as possible taken by the same performers; unity in a matter of this kind is much to be preferred to multiplying chances for individual display. And this will help towards the next point; recitative singing must be studied much more carefully, else either the music will seem flat and uninteresting or the humorous effect will be sought at the expense of the music. But enough of suggestions; a pleasanter task is to point out the happy hits that were made, and for these we would select the opening chorus; Furneaux's humorous rendering of "Six little singing boys, &c.;" the vigour of the "Curse;" and Peake's singing throughout, especially in the little bit of recitative after the "Curse." The other soloists did their best, we hope, but were not successful. D. M. Wauchope, E. M. R. Cox, P. H. Eliot, A. L. Rich, L. R. Furneaux, E. M. I. Davies. Recit, Quartette, and Chorus E. M. R. Cox, A. W. Hunt, E. Peake, L. R. Farneaux. Aria Buffa and Chorus-W. S. Goddard. Recit E. Peake. Chorus. Air, "Andante lacrimoso" (Tenor)-E. Peake. Concerted Piece (Quartett and Chorus P. H. Eliot, A. W. Hunt, E. Peake, E. M. I. Davies. A. W. Hunt, A. W. Arkle. This match was played on Saturday, March 16th -the weather was all that could be wished, and the ground in firet rate order. The visitors won the toss and elected to hit down the hill. The moment the ball was started it was evident that the school were likely to be out-paced. W. B. Richardson took the ball down his side and passed it across to Lavers, who scored the first goal-time 2 minutes. The school now rallied and took the ball up into the strangers' quarters, but Smith of Charterhouse, whose singularly finished play was not surpassed even by the brilliant performance of Macpherson four years ago, made a grand run the whole length of the ground, and scored the second goal-time 7 minutes. But before this a disaster had happened to the visitors-that safest and hardest of hitters, Taylor, had strained his leg, but although unable to do more than hobble, he maintained a most stubborn defence against all attacks for the rest of the game. This misfortune was however partly counterbalanced by a stroke of luck. Leaf hurt his leg too, and was so injured that he had to retire to goal, where his extraordinary skill saved the match for Surrey. For standing on one leg he met rush after rush from Vassall, Yetts, and then Vassall (again five times over, and without stooping (in either sense of the word) to stop the ball, he took it full pitch, long hop or half volley, and drove it away hard and strong in a way that robbed even disappointment of its sting. By this time the school backs were beginning to feel more at home and some level play followed. The effect of a run by Smith was neutralised by a splendid piece of dribbling by Womersley, but the visitors took the ball down again and secured a corner hit for the third time; the goal was well saved by Oakley. Then a good run and try by J. T. Richardson was answered by a general rush on the part of the School, which was well met by Taylor, and shortly afterwards Way hit a third goal out of a bully. Vassall and Williams next working admirably together got right by every one but the infallible goalkeeper, and J. T. Richardson, who was continually to the fore at critical moments with a useful charge, removed immediate danger, but Womersley made matters serious again by a remarkably good run, and Vassall middled the ball to Peake, who hit it through the posts off the goal-keeper, but the goal was disallowed as it was hit from outside the 15 yards. After change things remained even, thanks to a run of Furneaux and several smart dashes by Peake, the very quick hitting of Leach, a long run, one of many, by Vassall, and two good ones by Williams, till the ball passed through the Surrey goal, but from a kick. Surrey now pulled themselves together, and Smith, J. T. Richardson and Burrows working admirably in concert kept the backs constantly alive, till at last W. B. Richardson middled the ball hard to his brother, who sent it on through the posts with a flying shot. Fourth goal to Surrey. But condition spite of the was now beginning to tell, and in determined rushes of the forwards and the clean smart hitting of Ruck and the brothers Brookes, whose coolness it was a treat to watch, the School began to pen their opponents. A good piece of middling by Womersley resulted in a goal by Peake, the first score for the School. But the next moment Smith, by the prettiest piece of play in the match, ran past all his opponents and scored a fifth goal for Surrey. But the ball was quickly returned, and after being thrown in, was neatly hit through by Womersley, second goal for the school, a third success shortly followed by a goal by Arkle; but the hour and a half was up, and so the visitors won a most enjoyable game by five goals to three. Mr. Horner kindly undertook the task of umpiring. MR. BRANDRAM'S READING. On March 20th, the whole School and a considerable number of visitors assembled to hear Mr. Brandram read a selection from the Merchant of Venice. Few probably of his audience ever heard him before; still fewer it may be hoped will miss the pleasure of hearing him again. After a prolonged experience of "entertainments," we can aver that we never before enjoyed ourselves in the Upper School so much as between 8 and 10 p.m. last Wednesday. Mr. Brandram's performance might be criticised from many points of view, and at far greater length than would be appropriate to these columns. But we venture to say that no one would pronounce an unfavourable verdict, either on his elocution, his facial play, or the power of duly individualising the characters which he represents. In this last respect we think his presentment of the drama infinitely superior to the combined forces of any company of actors we have ever seen. A woman might well interpret Portia's part better. An older man might possibly have been even more natural in the part of old Gobbo. Some common-place Jew might have converted the nonentity, Tubal, into something more than vox et præterea nil. But in a multitude of actors there is not perfection. If the leading parts are well played the minor ones are generally played poorly, though as often as not the reverse is the truth, whereas Mr. Brandram is a company in himself, and a company every member of which is a true artist. We can quite understand the saying that to a manager Shakspeare spells ruin, but we are persuaded that were all the parts in successive plays of Shakspeare studied as intellectually as Mr. Brandram studies them a theatre might never exhibit anything else but Shakspeare, and yet be always full. We never saw a play of Shakspeare acted in London without seeing many of the spectators yawning continually, and without feeling sure that if they would tell the truth they would far sooner be at a good melodrama or farce. Last Wednesday, we observed during the whole evening one, and only one yawn. Merely as a tour de force Mr. Brandram's performance is extraordinary. He has no book, no notes, no prompter. But from the first line to the last he not only never paused for a word, but never, as even a fluent extempore speaker will at times, dragged his The words so as to suggest that he might halt if he did not take care. How such absolute mastery of his subject commands the admiration of the audience and enlists its sympathy from the outset can be easily conceived. Mr. Brandram objects, we are told, to his audience having books, and well he may. play of his features so strengthens and is so accurately timed to his words that not to see the one would be to miss half the force of the other. The art with which, by a slight change of position, or a little lowering of the head or eyes, he unerringly changed his appearance as fast as the speakers in the dialogue changed, was in itself worth seeing. One moment with arms akimbo and waist a little puffed out, he showed us the blunt jovial Gratiano, the next there was a slight contraction of the eyes and stoop of the head, and the senile accents of poor sand-blind old Gobbo, seemed quite in keeping with the figure before us, and then in a trice we saw the Jew, the warp in his moral nature suggested by a slouching gait and lowering brow. The same art was equally noticeable in the character of the Duke and Launcelot Gobbo, and though it may seem incredible we can assert that when Portia confessed herself the author of the trick about the ring, we beheld on the stage, not the smile of a grey-haired gentleman, but the arch moue of a coquettish bride. are like Mr. People who object to a study of the morbid side of human nature, by art however consummate, object we suppose on principle to the dramatisation of such passions as are depicted in characters Macbeth, or Lady Macbeth, or Shylock. Brandram's impersonation of the Jew would tend to correct such timid squeamishness. There Shylocks. we believe two traditional The first great Jew of the stage, Marlowe's Barabas, is a mere monster of iniquity. Shakspeare's Jew is human, but it has been considered doubtful whether he is meant to inspire some pity as well as repulsion. For our part we think that Shylock would have had no sort of doubt himself on the subject, and would have spurned pity as much as he steeled himself against mercy. He laments his daughter's loss it is true, but only as the loss of a useful household chattel, and in talking to Tubal only twice uses the word daughter while five times he brings in his beloved ducats. He was in short a savage wolf and Mr. Brandram was true to Shakspeare when he accompanied the words "If you tickle us do we not laugh" with something like the snarl of a wolf at bay. The great scene in Court was admirable. Mr. Braudram, having previously assumed a feminine voice as Portia, in this scene managed to engraft a more masculine tone on it while it still retained something of its old ring. The Duke's grave and courtly manner, Shylock's grisly triumph and subsequent collapse, Gratiano's irrepressible jibes at the Jew, Portia's thorough appreciation of her own share in bringing about the dénouement, were all thoroughly good. But after all Shylock does not present the chief difficulties to an actor. We feel we have a right to expect that Shylock shall be well acted. Excellent though Mr. Brandram's Shylock was, and though the famous speech "If you prick us do we not bleed," sent a thrill through the audience, this was not the oleverest part of the performance. The soliloquy of Launcelot Gobbo fairly brought down the house, and for combined perfection of voice look and bye-play, we must award the palm to the scene between the old father and his irreverent son. We cannot conclude without noticing what a good lesson Mr. Brandram gave us in mere reading. To declaim is comparatively easy, but it is very hard to keep hold of an audience in speeches like some of Antonio's and Bassanio's, where there is little antithesis or emphatic sentiment to compel attention. By clear enunciation, and a simple delivery, Mr. Brandram was effective in such passages, because he never strained after effect. As a good dog points when wanted while a bad one is always pointing when there is no call for it, so a good reader is emphatic only when emphasis is appropriate, while a bad one by gratuitous employment of vocal italics becomes grotesque. A play writer of necessity manufactures points for the actor; and many an actor who can hold his own well enough with such marks to steer by fails utterly when they cease. Not so Mr. Brandram. Almost the only blemish we could detect was that the last word of every one of Antonio's speeches was delivered in precisely the same key. And now what more can we say? Only that the reading of much of the play was quite a revelation of Shakespeare to us. Let our readers turn to |