MENTAL GYMNASTICS 95 



(Jet. i^th, 1866. 



I hope to get into the Sixth at Xmas at least to get my place 

 kept in it, for I sha'n't be old enough to go into it before next 

 Midsummer ; but, of course, when your place is kept in the Sixth 

 it goes up just the same as if you were in it, and may be ever 

 so high by the time you are old enough to enter. 



The hope expressed in the above was fulfilled, and I 

 did get into the VI th at the end of that term, being second 

 in the Twenty to Warner's first. We both had to wait 

 until after Midsummer before we could take our places 

 hi the VI th, as no one under sixteen was supposed to have 

 sufficient personal authority to be entrusted with Vlth 

 form powers. When we did ultimately go to the places 

 appointed for us, Warner found himself twenty-first in 

 the school and I was twenty-second, out of a total of 

 forty-nine in the Vlth form. That was in the winter 

 term of 1867. 



Mr Wells and others think little of Public School educa- 

 tion, and they may be right. At any rate, I am sure we 

 set far too much store in those days on subjects of very 

 little practical importance. Treating the matter, however, 

 as simply one of mental gymnastics, I had done something 

 like a record by walking through four forms in four terms, 

 and reaching the Vlth form when I had still three and a 

 half years to pass at Rugby. As places in the Vlth go 

 up automatically as the older division, who are above you, 

 leave, it was, of course, obvious that without any further 

 trouble on my part I must rise to near the head of the 

 school, but Warner, being as young as I was, would always 

 keep his lead. The arrangement seems to me to have 

 been an unwise one, for the stimulus of competition 

 ceased, and it was very tempting to look forward to three 

 years of having a good time while doing only just so 

 much work as would keep you out of absolute trouble 

 with the authorities. 



While there was still something to be fought for I had 

 put in my best efforts, and in saying I " walked " through 

 the Twenty, I am far from claiming that it was in the nature 



