Page:VCH Rutland 1.djvu/357

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SCHOOLS published in 1867 at a dead loss, and The Theory and Practice of Teaching, first published in 1883, were in great demand, and he kept up a busy- correspondence with admirers in all quarters of the giobe — in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, and Hungary. He was constantly being requested to address education societies or institutions, in quarters so remote as to preclude all possibility of his personal atten- dance, and he always helped gladly. Upping- ham and its head master in this way could claim as most enthusiastic pupils many who had never attended the one or sat under the other. Even those of his professional brethren who had smarted under his scathing condemnation of things which they could not help had long since come to treat him with respect ; and the wo- men teachers, whose conference was held at Uppingham in 1887 at his invitation, openly acknowledged him to be the first man who had treated them as fellow workers. It was just at this time when his ideas were beginning to meet with wide acceptation that the end came. While reading the communion service in chapel on Sunday, 16 October 1887, he was seized with sudden illness, which just left him strength to walk to his death-bed. He lies buried in the ancient churchyard, close to the Old School in which he commenced his labours at Uppingham. A fine statue by Brock has been set in a me- morial chapel to suggest to future generations what sort of man in physical presence the second founder was. To give a list of the distinctions achieved at the universities by Thring's pupils would be beside the mark. ' What have we to do with results ? Hang results ! ' are the words in which he showed his contempt for tests which are not tests of character. No doubt the recollection of this saying gave piquancy to the pleasure of the examiner who could ' make hash ' of one of his favourite pupils. Success of this sort was as nothing to Thring compared with a good deed done or a bad deed undone in some obscure sphere by a dull man through the stimulating or restraining influence of the name of Upping- ham." Yet distinguished pupils he had, and it must have been with great satisfaction that he saw some of the most distinguished of them become distinguished teachers also. Thring's successor was the Rev. Edward " * His praise as master has always seemed to me to be this, that he yearly sent out into the world so great a proportion of boys with sound characters.' Yet 'neither by superannuation nor by less formed and visible methods did he think it right to get rid of . . . " unpromising subjects " ' (J. H. Skrine, A memory i^c, 235-6. Contrast Arnold's attitude towards this problem (A. P. Stanley, Life ofT. Arnold, cap. 3). Carus Selwyn, D.D., like himself an Etonian and scholar and fellow of King's. He was Newcastle scholar at Eton, and at Cambridge he gained the Carus prize, and was Bell scholar, Browne's Medallist, and sixth classic. He came from the Principalship of Liverpool College, which he had held since 1882, and stayed until 1906, being followed by the Rev. Harry Ward McKenzie, M.A., of Keble College, Oxford, who graduated in 1874 with a second class in the final classical school. He had had a wide experience, having been assistant master at Loretto, tutor and bursar of Wellington College, head master of Lancing (1889-94), and then second master and head master in succession of Durham School. Under Selwyn considerable ad- ditions and alterations were made to the buildings. Among the former may be mentioned a new head master's house, three boarding houses (the Hall in 1891, Meadhurst in 1894, and Farleigh in 1896) in place of two which were closed (Red House and the house at the corner of School Lane), new class-rooms, science laboratories and lecture rooms, the ' David ' concert-room, a gymnasium, new rifle-butts, and a new water- supply ; and among the latter the conversion of the Old Schoolhouse or Hospital into a beautiful library by throwing the two floors into one, leaving the front untouched. There are at present thirteen boarding-houses, each taking 33 boys ; the school numbers have been well maintained, or rather increased, since Thring's time, now totalling about 400. The average per form is 20, and there is a staff of 30 masters. In the lower part of the school the aim is to give an elementary general education, the subjects emphasized, apart from Divinity, being Latin, English (including history and geography), French, and elementary mathematics; drawing and natural science are also taught. The upper division is organized into a classical and a modern side. There are special army and engineering classes, both working extra hours, as well as a class pre- paratory for the London University Matricula- tion examination. The charges are : ^6 en- trance fee, and, for boarders, ^^42 a year for tuition and ^^73 for the house. The tuition fee for day-boys is ;^30. There are six entrance scholarships, two worth ^^70, two worth ^^50, and two worth ^^^30 a year, all tenable for four or more years. Three school exhibitions to the universities, tenable for three or more years, the founder's exhibitions, are awarded annually, of ^^60, ;^50 and ^40 in value. There are still four exhibitions at each of the four colleges at Cambridge, also established by Archdeacon Johnson, now worth £27. a year. A member of the founder's family, Mr. A. C. Johnson, is chairman of the governing body. 297 38