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back of his head towards them? or when he is making love does he present the nape of his neck to the girl of his heart? Is Mr. Gladstone when addressing enthusiastic multitudes at the railway stations irresistibly compelled to turn his back upon them? Is it the custom of constant friends to drift down upon one another stern foremost? Cowardice, we admit, does make a man a turn tail, but we humbly submit that this is more likely to be due to the fact that the coward is afraid to face danger, than to the position of the organ exercised at the back of the head.

We trust that we have shown to some extent the absurdity of this system. The reasons for the favourable acceptance with which it has met from. many people are not far to seek. In the first place the Phrenologist has numberless loopholes for escape. If he is proved to be wrong in a particular case he says that the quality of the individual's brain must be different to that of most people's and that therefore his faculty cannot be judged by the quantity or size of his brain: or else some organ is diseased: or the faculty is balanced or modified by some counteracting or restraining faculty. Next it is very difficult to say for certain what a man's character is: some men are such utter hypocrites that no one really knows their character: few men really know their own. Again, a Phrenologist is much more likely to be judged by his hits than by his misses. It is not difficult for a man of acuteness to judge a man's character and tastes by his face. We do not mean to say that Phrenologists are of intention impostors, though doubtless there are some amongst them. A professor of this so-called science once came to this very place, and made an egregious fool of himself by mistaking for a master a stupid boy about 17 years old, who was in one of the lower forms of the school, and by committing all sorts of blunders in consequence : 66 he was a very interesting lecturer, but that he should take care that the boys did not presume too much on his kindness, etc." This did not tend to make his audience converts. We trust that such men are rare. We believe that there is some slight truth underlying all the extravagances of this system of Phrenology, but at the same time we cannot help thinking that the time and energy of many able men have been fruitlessly and unprofitably expended upon a subject which may be almost considered outside the pale of human investigation.

MONA.

"Now they break down all the carved work thereof, with axes and hammers."

The wild wind whistles through the trees

On Mona's lonely strand,

And 'mid the crannies of the rocks,

That tower on either hand.

The white sea-horses dash and foam
Upon the rugged shore;

And strive to drown the howling wind,
With endless sullen roar.

At times the pale moon's transient gleam
Gives forth a fitful light;

The fleeting clouds sweep o'er again,
And darkness shrouds the night.
Upon the cliff a figure stands,
A solitary form;

He cares not for the foaming surf,
He recks not of the storm.

Of old, a priest of Britain's gods,
Before their altars dread,
Enwreathed with mistletoe, he bent
In prayer his aged head.
The altars of those ancient gods
Are all deserted now;
No sacrifice upon them smokes,
No knees before them bow.

The foeman came with fire and sword
Across the seething main;
The temples huge are battered down
The worshippers are slain.
And he alone, alone is left,

Among the oaks and pines,
To wander through the mystic groves,
And tend the ruined shrines.

THE INQUEST.

"She died from cold and hunger," 'Twas thus the doctor said; And the jury went a moment To gaze where she lay dead. A girl of sixteen winters, With a woman's careworn face, Yet something still remaining

Of girlhood's modest grace. The long night she had wandered, 'Mid hail, and sleet, and snow; Her heart was riven sorely, With agony and woe. She heard the joy bells ringing, To welcome Christmas morn; When Christ the Lord of mercy And peace and joy was born. A homeless hapless orphan,

Friends, kinsmen had she none; And none would give her shelter, For love of God's own Son. Rebuffed with cruel insults, She crept from door to door, For Christmas joys are for the rich, Not for the friendless poor. The snow fell fast and faster,

She knew not where to hide; And so, in Christian England,

She laid her down,-and died.

C.

VERITAS.

MR. WOOD'S LECTURE.

On Saturday, October 25th, we listened with pleasure to another interesting lecture from the Rev. J. G. Wood. The subject this time was the Horse, and directly after chapel there was a closely packed audience gathered in the Bradleian, cager both to hear and see. The subject was popularly treated, but illustrated with Mr. Wood's usual skill and rare scientific knowledge. It was in fact a plea for nature, and a protest against all attempts to improve on her handiwork. We were reminded of an old saw about food and the cooks, as creations of two antagonistic powers. We saw the Horse as he should be, and we saw what men's stupidity would fain make him; none but man's evil genius can it be that suggested such instruments of torture as shoes, blinkers and bearing reins, and the lecturer's imputation of "happy thoughts" to the blind fatuity that invented them was excessively humor

ous.

It is difficult without diagrams to give any idea of the main topic dealt with. In order to assert the proposition that we ruin our horses by ignorance of their natural history, the Hoof was wisely selected as the most important and most vulnerable point in the marvellous structure of this living machine. A horse lives in its normal state to the age of 40; it ought therefore to be able to work till past 30, and yet most horses are used up in their teens owing to damage to the hoof. We know a case however where horses properly cared for are well able to work at 36, and that in spite of goodly iron shoes. Without them therefore it is hard to see why such cases should not be common. The hoof is intended to act both as a protection to the extremity of the limb, on which the weight of the body must fall, and as an elastic cushion to reduce the shock and avoid concussion. It must be hard, light and flexible. This nature has made it in an eminent degree; the outer horn or crust is naturally too hard to be cut by a knife; it is of a porous texture and very light; and it is delicately constructed so as to allow of great expansion both laterally and vertically. But we protect our horses' hoofs with iron; this makes them soft, as Xenophon of old could tell us; we hang heavy shoes upon them, which not only increase the labour thrown on the limb, and speedily wear out its powers, but also prevent all

expansion; and we contrive by dint of judicious cutting and paring and the use of rough nails so to injure the structure of the organ as to check its action and arrest its growth, thereby engendering disease, such as the painful and nauseous affliction known as the thrush.

These

This seems a heavy charge. Lovers of horses exclaim that some form of protection is required in order to preserve the hoof against the tender mercies of parish roads. But the horse is, in its wild state, a native of rocky regions, and many instances prove conclusively that the hoof contains in itself all that is required to replace the heaviest wear and tear and to provide ample defence against damage. The harder the road the harder does the hoof become, and horses have been taken with hoofs cruelly maltreated and diseased, and restored to strength and soundness by merely disestablishing their shoes and disendowing the farriers. facts should be better known, but they are not new. Local prejudice will dispute them, and even insists on solid shoes and plenty of nails. Many years ago, however, a gentleman in Exeter, by way of confounding professional tradition, agreed to drive certain horses of the Quicksilver mail, which ran daily to London, a distance 172 miles, in stages, with only three nails in each front shoe. Their shoes were constantly coming off under the many nail system. He was to lose a heavy bet, if one was cast; and for the period agreed on, some three weeks, not a shoe was lost. Room was given for proper expansion, and the heel was allowed free play. How he would have rejoiced to hear Mr. Wood tell us of the uselessness of all shoes. The outer horn is far better than iron. The frog, which farriers love to cut away, naturally projects to form a yielding cushion, and the sole or under surface of the hoof is a beautifully shaped arch or series of concentric arches, interlacing internally with the plates of the horny layer, so as to carry the animal with ease and safety as on a natural spring. Waste is speedily replenished by a bountiful supply of arteries and blood vessels, and man has yet to learn that a horse is as uselessly provided with iron shoes as a Chinaman, such as may have been seen in the Health Exhibition in London, is uselessly provided with brazen nail protectors. And worse than that, shoes make the horse in time unfit for work. Let us in conclusion thank Mr. Wood for his most entertaining lecture

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Oct. 16th, at St. Barnabas Church, Kensington, Dacre Lennard Barrett, Lieut. Royal Marine Light Infantry, to Maud Mary, youngest daughter of Henry Charles Hart, Esq., of 31, Russell Road, Kensington.

Oct. 20th, at the parish Church of Mottistone, Isle of Wight, Arthur Sotheron Estcourt, to Helen Mary, only daughter of Benjamin Temple Cotton.

Oct. 26th, at the Parish Church, Bradford, Wilts, Robert William Collett, M.R.C.S., to Emily Maria, only daughter of Thomas Bush Saunders, Esq., J.P., of the Priory, Bradford.

Oct. 28th, at Wimborne Minster, the Rev. W. H. Onslow Parson, eldest son of the late Rev. W. H. Parson, Lynchmere, Sussex, to Gertrude, youngest daughter of the late Right Hon. Sir William Gibson Craig, Bart.

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I beg to forward you the Statement of Accounts of the Fund for the past year.

I regret that the receipts should amount to so small a sum-the income last year not having been sufficient to pay the Scholarships.

The fund was originally started in the year 1861, and there are now three Scholarships for which the sum of £100 is annually required-there being one of £50 per annum given for classical subjects and tenable for three years, and two of £25 per annum each given for modern subjects and tenable for two years. The Scholarships are given to boys leaving the School, and are tenable at Oxford, Cambridge, or Woolwich, or at such other place of education as the HeadMaster may approve.

I shall be glad to receive at your early convenience your contribution for the present year by cheque, or Post Office Order, made payable at the Victoria Street Post Office. I am, dear Sir,

Yours faithfully,

SAMUEL T. FISHER. Hon. Sec. pro tem. Amount of Stock now standing in the names of the Trustees -£1386 3s. 1d. Reduced £3 per Cent. Annuities.

Dividends on Stock

Balance in Bank from end of 1882

Printing Postage, &c.

PAYMENTS.

Paid to Scholars... Balance

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40 11 10 36 7 5

£136 15 3

£. s. d.

4 10 0 638 100 0 0

26 1 7

£136 15 3

Examined and found correct,

J. ELLIOTT FOX,

Auditor.

SAMUEL T. FISHER,
Hon. Sec. pro tem.

Occasional Notes.

THE first foreign match of the season was played on Nov. 1st against a strong team of O.M's, captained by J. P. Cheales. The School were defeated by 2 goals and 2 tries to 1 goal and 2 tries. The appearance of a second team was a welcome innovation, which we hope will be considered an institution henceforth. Against this team we were more successful, winning by 2 goals to one.

IN the first ties of House Match Littlefield scored 5 tries against Gould's (Star) after two days' play. By mutual agreement Littlefield remained victors, though no goal had been obtained. In the second ties Hart-Smith's (Mitre) defeated Littlefield in less than an hour, and Way's (Crescent) Baker's (Fleur-de-Lys) by two goals and 4 tries to nil. Horner's (Cross Arrows) drew the bye.

In the first ties of House Ground matches, Way's defeated Gould's, Ford's Cotton House, Baker's Horner's Hart-Smith's, and Preshute Littlefield.

drew the bye. In the second ties, Ford's have defeated Baker's, Preshute have drawn Horner's, and Way's the bye.

THE annual association match between the School and Common Room, played on Thursday, Oct. 30th, was won by the latter by one goal to nil.

It gives us much pleasure to be able to record the fact that at the last meeting of the Rugby Union of All England F. Innes Currey, the President of the Nomads Club, was elected President; and VansAgnew on the Committee. We must also congratu

late the Club on its glorious victory over the LondonScottish.

THE only Penny Reading this term will take place on Saturday, 29th Nov., the evening of the Nomads Match.

OLDER generations of O.M.'s will be sorry to hear that one of the original servants of the College, John Southwell ("John the Gasman ") who has for some time been a pensioner of the College, died only a few days ago.

ON Saturday, Oct. 25th, Rev. J. G. Wood delivered a lecture on the Horse before a crowded audience. A full account appears elsewhere. We wish the lecturer all success in his crusade against Horseshoes.

THE Conversazione given by the Art Society took place on Wednesday last, in the Art Class-room and the adjoining rooms. It was even a greater success than the last. A striking feature was the number of pictures lent for the occasion by O.M. artists.

MR. Browne, we are sorry to say, has suffered from a slight attack of congestion of the lungs, and consequently for some time was unable to carry on his form-work, which was taken for him by A. F. Hort, Esq., O.M. We are glad to say that Mr. Browne has now recovered sufficiently to resume his duties.

ELSEWHERE we publish the Balance Sheet of the Old Marlburian Scholarships. We are sorry to see that the subscriptions are so much below the average.

THE thanks of all fives' players are due to the authorities for an improvement effected during the holidays. The four courts in the field have been refloored, as the old flooring was found to be detrimental to temper, balls, and shoes. The courts are now universally allowed to be as good as those in Court.

THE building of the new chapel is now proceeding rapidly. It was originally intended that the contractors should hand over the building by next Easter, but we can hardly hope for such good fortune.

As a memento of the old chapel, a stone angel from the porch has been affixed to the wall of the Bradleian facing the Racquet Court.

THE familiar tones of the old chapel bell will no longer awake the drowsy slumberer from his downy couch. Rev. W. M. Furneaux has promised us a new bell of more melodious note, by Taylor of

Loughborough. We are much gratified by this proof of the interest he still takes in his old school.

We beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of the following contemporaries :-Horae Scholastica Radleian, Lorettonian, Haileyburian, The School Magazine (Uppingham), Meteor (Rugby) Reading School Magazine, Tonbridgian, Ulula (Manchester Grammar School), Highgate School Magazine, Elstonian, Columbian, Bromsgrovian, Leamingtonian, Newtonian, Junior Democrat, Barrovian, Shirburnian, Eastbourne Cliftonian, Wellingtonian.

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Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Marlburian. DEAR SIR,-Allow me, as another well-wisher of Marl borough, to enter a very strong protest against the opinions and language of one of your correspondents signing himself well-wisher."-As it appears to me, and doubtless to many other of your readers, he writes in total ignorance of his subject. I am surprised to find a person in such a place as Marlborough, who could calmly write such a totally absurd and ignorant tirade against a species of football, whereof apparently he knows not the elements.

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A well-wisher" must either be a knave, who perverts the well-known fact that Association football produces accidents ten times as numerous and ten times as dangerous as Rugby, or he must be the other thing. In any case he attempts to foist a gigantic fraud on what he takes to be an unwary public and in doing so apparently, like a greater man than he, becomes intoxicated with the exuberance of his own verbosity.

His periods comparing the two games are no doubt wellbalanced, but if any of your readers will take the trouble to analyse them, he will find therein not only nonsense but perversion of facts.

I fancy, however, that a Marlburian decision on the matter can be but to one effect. Marlburians, as I know them, seem to prefer the "brutality" of Rugby Union, whereby is obtained healthy and invigorating exercise combined with a wholesome esprit de corps, to the "bracing activity" (why bracing?) of Association, wherein each man goes for his neighbour with a personal exacerbation and a personal design on his shins unworthy of an English schoolboy.

No, if "a well-wisher" funks Rugby Union, let him ask his house-captain if he may go "sweats," but let him keep his opinions out of print. I remain, yours faithfully,

Oxford, Oct., 1884.

O.M.

To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR, -I write to propose a change which will probably, like so many other proposed changes, be received with howls execration. Already I seem to hear murmurs of "good old custom," ,” “doesn't do any harm," "always wanting to do away with something," and other equally inane and irrelevant

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observations.

The change to which I allude is the abolition of the meaningless farce called "Upper School singing." Perhaps in some prehistoric ages it may have deserved the name of "singing"; but for some time it has been degenerating into a series of unsuccessful and discordant attempts at melody, which are very painful to those who are unfortunate enough to hear them. Doubtless some one will say "Why not restore it to its former excellence rather than abolish it?" I reply, firstly, because it entirely precludes any attempt at work in its vicinity; secondly, because it is a snare to members of the choir, and all others who profess to have any "voice" at all; and thirdly, because the delight with which any profane passage is received clearly indicates that it exercises a bad moral influence on the school.

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DEAR SIR,-Let me raise my voice to protest against the silver plates stuck on to the bats of some of our Eleven. They are not useful or ornamental: many people-of whom I am one-think them vulgarly ostentatious, especially when the bats to which they adhere are left face-downwards on the table in the pavilion at Lord's. A bat is a handsome prize enough, in all conscience, for a score, however long, without the meretricious ornament of a glaring, staring, flaring plate, to call forth the well-merited and ill-concealed sneers of bowler and wicket-keeper, when its owner gets out. My attention was especially attracted to this by the plate on the average bat, now on view in Potter's window, which is about the size of the seven-fold shield of Ajax. Let the Committee

spend the money saved in the purchase of some seats for the Eleven, of which there is a painful dearth.

Yours obediently,

SIMPLEX MUNDITIIS.

To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR,-A more startling and irrational proposal than that made by "Well Wisher" in your last number has rarely been made in your columns. Apart from the relative merits of the two games he cannot have realised the full effects of such a violent innovation. Marlborough both past and present holds a prominent place in the world of football, it has produced a Club which can hold its own against the foremost Clubs of the kingdom, it is represented in the highest offices of the Rugby Union, and is generally well represented in all university and international teams. Such is the position to which Marlborough football has been raised, and it should not be lightly sacrificed. This proposed innovation must temporarily at least utterly destroy our football prestige, it must sever the connection between the football of the past and the future, it must destroy one of the most prominent Metropolitan Clubs, and for a time at least degrade Marlborough to a third-rate position in public school football.

And why is this change to be made? Because in a slight matter affecting only a portion of the players we have deviated from the Rugby Union Rules in our housematches.

Personally, I regret that there should be any difference in our rules; but it is surely somewhat hasty to assume that the whole excellence of Rugby football as compared with Association lies in the forwards being allowed to pick up the ball, for surely that is the meaning of "Well Wisher" when he says that the fact of our forwards not being allowed to pick up the ball removes the whole objection to the change of rules, Surely so trifling a point does not call for such monstrou s innovation.

But it is not on the intrinsic merits of these two games that this question should be judged. Most liberal minded players are prepared to allow the respective excellencies of both games, but "Well Wisher" shows a degree of prejudice and ignorance in his abuse of Rugby rules which can only be accounted for by supposing that he has never seen a first rate Rugby Union match, far less played in one; or if he has tried his fortune under Rugby Rules, let us apply to him the famous definition of a critic, and suppose him to be "a disappointed" football player. I will not attempt to convince him that Rugby Union football does require as much and even more head and skill than Association inasmuch as it is more varied. But the statement that it is more interesting to the spectators is given the lie direct by the fact that, as is well known, when a Rugby and an Association match of equal importance take place on the same day in the Parks at Oxford, the Rugby game numbers its thousands of spectators, the Association its tens or even units. That Rugby affords quite as much exercise as Association, "Well Wisher" may easily discover by the evidence of every muscle of his body after a Rugby game early in the season if he play up. But this question should rather be judged on the relative merits of the games as school games, as affording exercise to the greatest number. Not only does the fact of Rugby employing more men at a time-30 instead of 22-render it more suitable to a school by requiring fewer games at the same time, but many Association players have admitted its superiority as a school game on the ground that especially in junior games it allows less loafing. That accidents of a serious character are as common or more so in Association is well known.

Hoping I have shown sufficient reasons for disregarding entirely such suggestions as that of "Well Wisher," and apolo gising for the great length of my letter,

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