SCHOOLS 



assistant master at Marlborough College 1862-4. 

 A favourable account of the school was given 

 by Mr. H. W. Eve, afterwards head master of 

 University College School, to the Endowed 

 Schools Commissioners. 63 



' No provision, then, is made for a high second- 

 grade education, such as is necessary in a town 

 like Newark. Under the late head master the 

 system was as follows : The English usher had 

 a separate room, in which, besides teaching 

 English and Greek writing to the classes under 

 the head and second masters, he gave an English 

 education, with the rudiments of Latin, to 

 the junior boys. The second master kept up 

 the English subjects to a certain extent, and 

 devoted himself chiefly to classics ; the head 

 master taught classics and mathematics only. 

 Under this system the school was very full, and 

 produced several good scholars. Both the head 

 master and the English usher had boarding 

 houses. 



' The present head master has entirely changed 

 the plan of the school. Instead of the English 

 usher he has appointed as mathematical master 

 a graduate, whose salary he augments from his 

 own profits. From the same source he in- 

 creases the stipend of the second master, and 

 pays the whole salary of a fourth. They all live in 

 his house, and assist in the management of the 

 boarders. Writing is taught at fixed times by 

 a person living in the town. The partition 

 separating the English schoolroom from the 

 other is thrown down. 



' The classical teaching appears to be in a satis- 

 factory state. The upper boys are very few in 

 number, and necessarily divided into small classes. 

 The standards are fixed so as to correspond as 

 nearly as possible with those at Marlborough. . . 

 This classification gives two boys in the sixth, 

 four in the middle fifth, four in the lower fourth. 

 There is a separate classification for mathematics, 

 which are efficiently taught. One boy did a 

 creditable paper in conies and trigonometry ; 

 none of the rest were very advanced, but several 

 passed a fair examination in Euclid and elemen- 

 tary algebra. They would bear comparison with 

 most boys of their age in public schools. French 

 is taught to most of the boarders, and to such of 

 the day boys (at present two) as desire it ; they 

 are not accurate in grammar. ... A good deal of 

 time is given to English subjects in this [i.e. the 

 second] and the first form. It appears to be 

 difficult to keep boys in the upper forms ; many 

 of the boarders go to larger schools at about 

 thirteen. 



' The discipline is good, and the relation be- 

 tween masters and boys is very cordial . . . 

 The boarders' bedrooms are practically part of 

 the head master's house, and are kept in excel- 

 lent order. Six or eight of the boys sleep in a 



ScA. Inj. Rep. xvi, 403. 



dependance on the opposite side or the street, 

 where one of the masters is also quartered. A 

 detached house, about 100 yds. from the school, 

 is rented ... for cases of infectious sickness. 

 Except the small playground, the school pos- 

 sesses no land adjoining. . . . 



' About half the day boys, that is, one quarter 

 of the school, are sons of tradesmen, a small 

 number considering the population. The zeal 

 and kindness of the head master and his assistants 

 are universally appreciated ; but there is a feeling 

 that the system is adapted rather for the boarders 

 and the higher class of day boys, who now con- 

 stitute three-quarters of the school. If a capi- 

 tation fee was imposed, or the income of the 

 school otherwise increased, it would be easier 

 to meet the wants of the town ; under exist- 

 ing circumstances it is almost impossible to work 

 the school efficiently without a large supply 

 of boarders. The school is in high repute 

 among the neighbouring clergy, more especially 

 for young boys ; in fact, . . . the school has 

 tended to become a preparatory school for the 

 public schools, with a few upper boys. . . . 



'The head master has had some difficulties 

 with the town, especially at the beginning of 

 his mastership. One incident is worth quoting. 

 A boy had been kept from school by his father 

 without permission for the sake of a holiday. 

 The head master, of course in accordance with 

 a rule he had made, detained the boy after 

 lessons next day. The father protested, and 

 finally kicked the schoolroom door open. An 

 action for damages was brought, in which the 

 head master gained his point. Since then 

 parents have conformed better to the rules of 

 the school. . . . the religious instruction, it is 

 said, ... is distinctively High Church in ten- 

 dency, and sufficient respect has not always 

 been shown to the opinions of Dissenters. Boys 

 were, in fact, withdrawn on that ground. . . . 



' At present the number of boys going to the 

 universities is very small. 



' The song school is entirely separate from the 

 grammar school. ... At present [the song 

 master gives] instruction in singing to a general 

 class for two hours in the week. . . . The 

 appointment of organist, which is in the gift of 

 the vicar, . . . has usually been held by the 

 song master. ... A new house has been re- 

 cently built for him, with a singing-room, 23 ft. 

 by 1 5 ft., attached. It is, perhaps, worthy of 

 remark that the salary of the song master, who 

 is able to hold the office of organist, and whose 

 duties leave him plenty of time to increase his 

 income by private pupils, is fixed by the scheme 

 at j5 higher than that of the usher of the 

 grammar school.' 



There were in 1864 85 boys in the school, 

 44 day boys and 41 boarders. 



On the passing of the Endowed Schools Act, 

 1869, which was the result of the Schools 



213 



