208 When we Old Fogeys ivere Boys, 



the school; and, curiously enough, the Eector of Rew, 

 whom I had not seen for years, came and stayed with me 

 during the last Australian match at the Oval, by his own 

 invitation ; and my former foe, whom I had not seen for 

 twenty years, walked into my chambers most unexpectedly 

 as I was luriting this very article. 



It was a curio as life in past days, as boys were mostly left 

 to form their own characters ; and in those days Commoners 

 remained at school till nineteen very often, and College boys 

 who were of the founder's kin and waited for a New Collef^e 

 vacancy sometimes remained till twenty, and in known 

 instances one or even two years longer. One well-known 

 cricketer was at Lord's from the year 1839 till 1843, both 

 inclusive, and was captain for three years, and he had cut 

 all his teeth, as he was of the '' Founder's kin," over twenty- 

 two years of age, and was waiting for a fellowship at 

 Oxford. Every Wykehamist of that era will remember 

 that captain Villiers Chernocke Smith, the immortal 

 " Podder," so named after one of the champions in the All 

 Muggleton and Dingley Dell match. On reference to the 



list of men in Church and State, I think our ''output" 



to use a mining term— was equal to that of most schools. 

 The principle was self-government without masters' espion- 

 age. When not in school or chapel the whole discipline 

 was left to the boys themselves. There were eighteen 

 perfects in College and a few subordinates with limited 

 power, and the management was very much assimilated to 

 that of a regiment. Two things were certain — which was, 

 that the governors and the governed amongst the boys 

 knew what their powers and duties were, and the governed 

 knew that what had to be done must be done, and they soon 

 learned that willingness and good-humour saved them a 

 great deal of trouble and annoyance, and, without knowino- 

 it, they acquired habits of obedience and discipline which 



