THE CHINA. “MAIL,
ETON UNDER FIRE... and significantly
this time from old Etonians
IT is the world's most
famous public school. Its influence 'on English lifo down the centuries has been enormous. But growing volume
of críticism rises against it. A China Mail writer has now boon taking a close look at this remarkable institution. This is his second report.
THERE is no doubt that there is a strong body of criticism of the present situation at Eton. And the strongest criticism is coming from Old Etonians. There is nothing new in this. All the great crises at Eton have generally been within the family. Not that this has stopped them being conducted with an almost fiendish vehemence.
NOW
G
There are fathers whose families have been going to Elem for generations who are saying that if things do not change they will not send their sons to the school.
Alternatives-like Radley, rim by a former Eton hisvinaster- ure being spoken of
I know that a group of power- ful Old Elonins, including former Cabinet Minister who is lant Industrial w head of a concern, are thinking of malting representations to Robert Birley the headmaster.
The feeting in: they have got to realise at Elan that they will no longer be able to stroll in at the top when they leave.
Another prominent Etoninn sald to me. "Are they bridging the gap between the old tradi
form of leadership and ilonal the new life that is opening up tt Us and humanity as a whole?"
Mystery
Yet another Old Etonian said: "know this problem is before Elon. I don't know whether They are going to deal with it
.or even then if they know how to deal with it."
pronun Eton has always had a special attitude towards Icarning. Perhaps the attitude of the Oppidans, the "town boys," towards the Collegers exemplifies the spirit.
Flon scholars.
Whe
#
foundation
By DONALD EDGAR
very important--the animosphere these grandee Oppidans gave is sull the dominant factor in the Kien tradition of mind.
The thought behind the atti- tude of mind is 18th century:
You arrive at Eton with your futor and your horses and your Jew dogs. You are spending
away from the family rars
You are conscious that estates, degree you will inherit them one day.
You treat the masters urith mixture Bf affection ttrid contempt.
You
can compare it with Oxford in the days when, if you were a nobleman, you had special privileges and look a without an examination.
79
The Collegers at Eton-around in sumber-are no longer in the original "peor scholars"
they meaning, Bu!
still live something of a life apart,
The Collegems, or schciaes, ploy their games apari, except on *occasions. The Wall special Game is their game and only once a year-on St Andrew's day dnes the school put up tearn them in that esoteric against extreise.
You are going later on the. You may trouble Grand Tour, to go on to Cambridge or not. You may take one of the family interested in Homer. seats in Parliament. You may be You may
translate him.
Boring
But your main topies conversation will be market, the shooting and Keneral plasticas of Hanoverian royalties.
►
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1900.
ARAGE
ES. REPAIRS SPARES PLINE
"We souldn't get the right spares, we had
to use what we hail in stock,”
Jahn Lyon
I'm worried about my hue hand, they've" bren ke Bat
for ball
hour."
AQUARIUM
The Deathless
Piano...
RUSS CONWAY, back
in Britain from his first holiday in five years, heard news that would chord in any strike a pianist's heart: his year's record sales and topped 5,000,000:
**She's not level TOI
Free. let ant a bit more
air."
"Siky quite mill.. Fred-
don't think he's seen saua,**
SOMETIMES UPRIGHT, OUT OF TUNE...
BUT ALWAYS WITH KEYS OF GOLD
frvlig. Berlin, skummed it up
in 1913 when he wrote:-
"I love a plano, I love a plano,
I love to hear somebody play
BY DINAH KERR
Upon a piano, a grand pisno Jac
Curr; "Fingers"
al
Now, apparently, they That simply carries me away Columbia, fuss Conway; at the real thing.
M.G.M., Andre Previn and
of Seven
of his records have New-made the Top Twenty lists in the Britain-"Side Saddle," his own I do not wish to exaggerate.
those composition, held оп for 30
weeks. As scholars and Oppidans grow there are many
Winifred Atwell, who has more senior,
And, of course. You may have to go out and been known to appear at the vein contacta.
scholars have achieved govern one of those
minst bering plano trailing a £3,000 many
colonies that thost middle stole, returned three months positions of great eminence.
class sailors and even lower-class | ago from a 13-month Australian Elon merchants are acquiring all over tour. She was £120,000 richer, (And that little number was a David Roso; at H.M.V., Samprim But there is a word at
world. But you know Three of her records have hit hit too). used to describe a
sclioiar. It the ix Tur." And the term carries you will do it well. with it a certain contempt.
You may be, in fact, very brilliant and become the greatest on lepi- expert in the world daptery or medieval Latin poets, but you would never talk about these things.
Brilliant
the million mark.
is
The key
Their access, at Bret glance,
The piano hos out- lived many musical upstarts the mouth organ, the accordion, the ukulele, the Jews harp. Right now it is under attack by the, guitar.
"The
Д arouse
plano
Plano sules are on
too. Sold.
was and
Conway
Charies
ԱՄ
through the yellowed stocks of sheet
whose
music: Norman Long.
trademarks from
"tweniles to the forties
want Layton
Western
an
л
Record
the
WIS
the
"a song, smile, and a plano";
and Johnston,
Brothers, who intro- duced the era of the double act, the in- centred, of course, around the
Douglas and Ken Morris; at Gala Steve grease Race.
Brasted, sales director for piano Pinno. And all the time making corner in the completo
marloa!- classics Why does the publle buy their manufacturers W. G. Eavestaff "popular
Challen: records?
"Russ Rawiez and Landauer. has given
boost. His success always a focal point of the home," Bunny Lewis said. cuormauy unaccountable. Both are
with the делети But still it stands upright, eminently easy to listen to. But
"Everyone had a crack at play coupled
Five years ago a young song- out of tune, and irrepliccable. ing It. Now, in many cases, it's prosperity of the country in- each plays a better tune on
with a musical cash register than keyboard. Sald Norman Newell, artists riven way to the gramophone creased cur output by 30 per writer named Julian Slade hit
for and television set, but it can cent last year. It could have the big time Conway
and recording has never had a
mannger Columbia and MGM sull
tremendous been greater, but the manufac- called "Salad Days." Tonight it lesson. And in the words of HMV,
turers just weren't uble to meet passes "Oklahoma's" world m- Bunny Lewis. impresario records: "There isn't a com- feeling of nostalgia,
cord for performances. Its plot: the demani,” recording manager "He's
a magic plano named Minnie pany anywhere that would dare
Through the years a lot of atrocious player-always make-
rcts
and everyone dancing people have found their fortune throws the lown in a tizzy. mistakes," Miss Atwell, lists, It's always been a very though better technically, rellen commercial property.”
"When you hear one of these through the piano.
Today the biggest dividenda Dr Conway on a honky-tonk style that
In the twenties, Billy Mayeri Every company has a "ame" corny
and Henderson. touches only top and bottom of planist, who can be counted on Atwell, it takes you back. You set a new style syncopation are going to Conway, Atwell
10 produce hits. the keyboard ("the middle,"
At Pye, it's close your eyes and it sounds and at 18 was the toast of the
The plano-ascully, bouncy, said her advisers, "is muddy"). Joe "Mr Plano". Henderson; at just like your own upright-a Savoy Hotel..
carelessly gay-is making moro Neither, if equally,
There was Carroll Gibbons, of money than over before. talented Decca, Winifred Atwell; at bit out of tune maybe, and not on the violin, would have got London, Roger Williams; at far off the way you Used to course, who arrived here from Who would have thought at
Massachusetts, and all the time the turn of the century, front Brunswick, Carmen Cavallero; play yourself."
A year ago, most people were in the past two doentes there they were raising the roof with #1 Capitol, George Shearing and The key to their success Is the
content to put on a record, tean was Charlle Kunz-all selling "Martha
Spania the Grand back and pieture "I Love a Plano," plano. It is always with us.
themselves although he died in 1958.
Planner," that the keys n few old And, unlike the
fingering through
Other names, other acts that turn to gold? acknowledgments to the poor, it
comic favourites
1b mind lishers, Irving Berlin Ltd.
you leaf always popular,
ing
an
This. I believe, is the origin of There have been many cases when a boy has won a scholar- the unique attitute of Elonians. ship, but his parents have pre- It is a casualness, a godlike is still something of a
indifference to the normal worries mystery how the Cppidons, who ferred him not to take it up.
It is based on an now runstite the overwheim- They have preferred him to jom of mankind.
record leave the piano of its school, a house with the Oppidans. For assured future of privilege and ing majority of the
wished him 10 have o power, started to arrive at Elon.
They they
life both at The trouble is that now few were, by and large, the sons of successful social
of them can really look forward noblemen and
Anancial Eton and later. the
to that assured future. magantes. Over the centuries
This is what is worrying those It would be ridiculous and they
in came
and #renter
utterly wrong to think that who wish to make the school greater numbers.
mong the Oppidans there change faster. were not many brilliant boys.
Is important to re- But what member is that as soon as they enter their house they enter an atmosphere in which intellectual energy or brilliance is not par- Bulthis is Beularly prizel.
In more spacious days, they came with their own futors, their servants, their horses and their
Hounds.
These trappings of privilege have disappeared.
Tomorrow
WHO RUNS ETON?
--(London Express Servle#),
much further than the
parlour.
William Hickey
The man who was so happy
THILE he has sat in his
Woice Whitehall the other morning
in
and pondered the problema of defence, or the Navy, or whatever high position he happened to be holding, one spectre has always confront- ed Earl Mountbatten Burma.
He
published + book for picte family trev for Prince private circulation called "The Charles to see, Houatbatten Lineage" in which
Queen Victoria
of
Through all this, the Queen he wrote with pride of those remained two months when the Queen respect. She could never see clid in fet reign as a Mount- the name of Windsor, chosen batten.
by her grandfather, abandoned by the royal house,
Ort
in steadfast
ono
Edward VII
That his family name should finally die out,
For he himself has
doughters, now both married Lady Patricia Brabourn
Lady Pamela Hicks.
Devotion
iwo
Suggestion
That regime ended on April 9, 1952 "on the format and Insis and tent advice of the Prime Minister" [Birthen Mr -- Winston Churchill];
Since then, within the con-
the family,
Lord He has a nephew who is the clave of
raised the Marquis of Milford Hayen, And Mountbatten has
who
than holds perhaps matter moro another
once sug- greater honour and respondi- gested that even if the name of bility than any other member Windsor be retained, the naine of Mountbation might also be hip ancient family -
Included: Pilnce Philip.
Prince Philip himseil was less Small wonder then that Lord Mountballen, whose devotion to concerned thinn his uncle in the his heritags is little short future of the name, Though he years look puine to see that the fanatical, has for many
That Prince of Wales should know of nursed a secret wmbition, one day, the name of the ruling his heritage.
Britain might
of
house of Mountbatten,
of
He sent over to' bo
penealogists to
TO MAKE # ull a little clearer, I prosont a segment of the Royal family tree that highlights the Queen's docision to allow future gonerations of her family to use tho name of Mountbatten-Windsor.
*
The treo shows plainly the ironic pozi tion of Earl Mountbatton.
Since his father, Prince Loule of Battenberg, married Princess Victoria of Hathe Prince's cousin arid Queen
German Kecura com-
the other hand, sho Sympathised with her husband's feeling and more particularly with' the overtures of his uncle,
compromise So, be
Her descendants though not those who stond in direct line to the
Throne-clintl carry the name Mountbatten-Windsor.
Sons
And (assuming that Prinsu Charles or the expected baby, hould it be a boy, have suna) Lord Mountbatten can rest easy that ble name will go on,
Will Lord Mountbatten be a happier man in his offee now? I suspect so. Though he may well be dremming still of things that might have bexa.
London Express Service).
Victoria's granddaughter-his family has moved inexorably alotar to the vary contro of the Establishment.
Yot now Lord, Mountbatten' finds there is no mala lino to carry on the family
namio.
It was Prince Louis of Battenborg who changed the family Harris Mountbatten in 1917. -
to
with pub
{{dcart
牌
Demand
tunes by
骂
when
would
-London Repriza Beròtesi,
Queen Victoria's Children
DOMALIK EN NA Mayen
Suddenly he turned up
a goldmine
Toronto. YOUNG Canadian whose
A prospector
hobby is browsing through old mining reports notted a fortune when he found that a neglected mine in Nor- thorn Ontario still has lots of gold in it.
Cordon Lellover, 27 revived the property of Timmins, col- locted £6,510 in cash and other £14,014 in shares from a big_exploration company;
****
Abandoned
reports showed that Cameron Poncupine Gold Mines worked the mine for gold and eliver between 1921-24. Thien they abandoned it for Some renson unknown," he mid.
Lellover went up to Timmins |and found the old ming hidden....
by bush.
"A consultant geologist came klong to have a lote, "and well, wo, discovered we'd fand our- selvao a gold mine," he said.
-{London Express Serulcej.
Echoca
George V
Edward VIII
George VI
Queen Elizabeth It
Anna
Charles
Phing
ป
DESIGNED BY MICHAEL HAND, AND RAYMOND HAWKEY
Końdbh sedema surtion,
مالك
TALKING
POJNTA
Common propte de sist pray. They beg.
-BERNARD: SHAW.
Happinean? Good‹‹ hamilby
bad methdry.
HALBERT SCHWÄYTIKA.