THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS.THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
One of the most distinguishing features of the School was Music. The first resident Master was Mr. Charles Frederick Hyde, who came to the School in 1886, and for nearly seven years organized the music. With the help of Mr. L. Watkins all branches of the subject were developed, and, unlike the custom of most other Schools, music teaching was not cramped or regarded merely as an unfortunate necessity, but was given considerable opportunity. When Mr. Hyde died in 1893, his friends combined together, and, collecting £560, presented to the School Trustees a fine Organ, which was placed in Big School. This was a striking testimony to the appreciation that he had inspired after just seven years' work. Three men have up till the presentsucceeded to Mr. Hyde's place, and musical enthusiasm has been maintained at a very high pitch.
The School Library had been begun under Dr. Butterton in a room especially built for the purpose. But as the centre of the School life gradually changed and new Class-Rooms were built near the Hostel, the Library was transferred to its present position. For a time each boy paid a small terminal subscription to maintain it with a supply of books. Reading in the Library was never compulsory, but a number of boys would go there on wet afternoons or at other free times, and it proved itself very valuable. Among the Books in the School's possession there is a copy of the "Breeches" Bible; A Paraphrase and Note on the Epistles of St. Paul, by John Locke, the Second Edition, published in 1709; An Edition of Cocker's Arithmetic, and several of the first collected Editions of Charles Dickens.
The establishment of the Preparatory School had led Mr. Style to consider the question of providing a house for the boarding of younger boys, who should in time come up to the Hostel. Bankwell seemed a suitable building and was taken on a lease in 1887. Mr. G. B. Mannock was placed in charge. There was an excellent garden attached and the house had rooms for twenty boarders, while an adjoining field wasrented for games. Thus the boys living there were able to keep almost entirely apart from the older boys in the School, except in school-time. Two years later Holly Bank was also taken for the same purpose.
The Junior School had for a period of nearly forty years been in the charge of Mr. Arthur Brewin, who had succeeded John Langhorne as Writing Master in 1859. He had seen the complete development of the School and had watched each of the many schemes of management mature. His own department had been completely revolutionized. Formerly it had been a Writing School, in which generally he had been accustomed to give an elementary education, that in some cases was to be the only book learning that the boys were ever to get; but he eventually found himself teaching boys whose average age was under twelve and scarcely one of whom left the School before going into the higher classes. In July, 1897, he retired.
In November, 1896, what might have proved an irreparable disaster came upon the Laboratory. During the early hours of the morning a fire was discovered in the Chemistry Room and it spread to the rest of the building. Most fortunately the Class-rooms and Hostel, which were both separate from the Laboratory, were not injured and the fire was quenched by 6-0 a.m. Themisfortune seemed only to inspire the Headmaster and Dr. Watts to draw up plans for replacing what was already an excellent Laboratory with a still better one. In the following term both the Chemistry and Lecture Rooms were almost re-built and in 1899 a more extensive scheme was carried out by which two new Class-rooms, a Physical Laboratory and a Science Library were designed together with some smaller rooms, and the building fitly completed the appearance of the School.
An Educational Exhibition was held at the Imperial Institute, London, in 1900, and many of the Schools of England exhibited their ancient documents and summarized their schemes of work. Giggleswick was allotted a certain space and sent up a survey of its past history and a detailed statement of its curriculum. In the Sixth Form, the thirty-two teaching periods a week were divided thus: Latin was allotted six, Mathematics eight, English and Divinity one each, Modern Languages eight, and Natural Science eight. Boys who wished to take Greek omitted German. In addition preparation for the next day's work was done each evening and on Saturday nights an essay or theme was set. Drawing formed part of the regular work of the School below the first three Forms. Singing was taught to all the younger boys and a School Choir had been formed consisting of boys andmasters. Nearly half the School learned instrumental music, chiefly the Piano, and there were one or two School Concerts given every year and in addition concerts of classical music were held every fortnight.
The School Museum occupied the place of the Library in the Old School, and in it were some particularly interesting specimens. The Victoria Cave which had been discovered in 1837, was carefully explored by Mr. Tiddeman and other experts, and after five years' work the results were presented in 1878 to the School Museum. In 1893 Mr. J. Walling Handby sent a Collection of Forty-one Skins of New Zealand Birds, and Mr. Clapham, of Austwick, gave a valuable Collection of British Birds. In addition there were Collections of Minerals (notably the Keate Collection), Fossils, Eggs, and South Sea Shells. The Museum was open at certain times to the public. School Societies flourished. The Photographic Society was instituted in 1876, the Debating Society in 1877, and a Literary Society in 1879.
Cricket, Football, Golf, Fives, Swimming, and Athletic Sports, all found their place in the School year. The School Colours—Red and Black—were worn by most of the School, but, as is common, distinctive colours were assigned to members of the first two elevens in Cricket, and the two fifteens in Football. Inter-Schooland Dormitory Matches were also played.
BANKWELL.BANKWELL.
In September, 1897, an Old Boys' Club was formed under the presidency of the Headmaster in order to maintain a closer union between past and present members of the School, and to organize Meetings and Athletics. The Scheme met with considerable support, and from time to time meetings and dinners have been held.
For the most part of the last twenty years of the century the numbers of the School had been too great for the Hostel to include them all. In 1894 there were two hundred and eight boys in the School, of whom only twenty to twenty-five were Day Boys. Craven Bank had consequently been used as another Dormitory. Bankwell, and for a time Hollybank, were filled with some of the younger boys. The great difficulty under which the School laboured was the frequent change of Masters, especially of those who took the higher forms. It was therefore suggested that the House System as opposed to the Dormitory System should be given a trial. Hollybank was no longer needed in 1900 to take the overplus from Bankwell, and a Master was put in charge of it, in the hope that older boys would come. The attractions were twofold. In the first place it was intended to give the Master in charge of it an opportunity of marrying and theexpectation of a sufficient income to make him content to continue at Giggleswick. In the second place it was hoped that the fact of a man being married would tend to induce parents to send their boys more readily. Unfortunately the scheme was not wholly successful, and was soon abandoned.
Every boy in the School attended the Gymnasium, which since its opening in 1887 had been under the superintendence of Sergeant-Major Cansdale. Many boys also learned carpentry in the Joiners' Shop, which had been fitted with benches and lathes, and other necessary materials in the upper room of the Old School.
This brief summary of the School life was depicted at the Educational Exhibition and it was a worthy record for a small School. It will be seen that the main characteristic of the School was that it was amongst the first to adapt itself to modern needs. It is probably no exaggeration to say that at that period no school in England could approach Giggleswick in the practical teaching of Science; to this was due a great measure of its success. In every branch of school life excellence was attained, an unusual number of Scholarships were won and the Football Fifteen for two successive seasons in 1894 and 1895 never had a single point scored against them in any School Match.
Throughout the history of the School there have been very few signs of literary exuberance. Only one School song has been written, called "Now Reds" by Mr. J. R. Cornah for theGiggleswick Chronicle, April, 1898. TheGiggleswick Chroniclewas begun in 1880 but it was edited by Masters and was intended rather to place on record the terminal life of the School than aspire to literary eminence. As such it has achieved its purpose and is a valuable and interesting record. But apart from official matter boys have shewn themselves very loth to summon forth their energies and write. With one exception no paper, written by boys alone, has been published since theOliocaused Sir Walter Scott to smile.
The Boer War claimed a certain number of Old Boys, some of whom did extremely well. Captain H. H. Schofield distinguished himself at the Battle of Colenso, and helped to rescue two guns, for which he gained the Victoria Cross, while Lieutenant S. A. Slater was largely responsible for a clever and daring capture of Bultfontein. Altogether at least nineteen boys went out.
House of Commons Library,March 1, 1897.Dear Style,I have an idea in my head of offering to build the School a Chapel with a Dome as an architectural experiment, employing Jackson, the famous Oxford Architect. One would call it the Diamond Jubilee Memorial. Site the knoll in the Cricket Field. We have very few domes in England and it might give a hint to others.But I should like to hear any suggestions of yours. A Domed Building on the site should look well. It would need much thinking out as we do not understand Domes. The Round Church at Cambridge gives some hints.Yours truly,W. Morrison.Rev. G. Style.
House of Commons Library,
March 1, 1897.
Dear Style,
I have an idea in my head of offering to build the School a Chapel with a Dome as an architectural experiment, employing Jackson, the famous Oxford Architect. One would call it the Diamond Jubilee Memorial. Site the knoll in the Cricket Field. We have very few domes in England and it might give a hint to others.
But I should like to hear any suggestions of yours. A Domed Building on the site should look well. It would need much thinking out as we do not understand Domes. The Round Church at Cambridge gives some hints.
Yours truly,
W. Morrison.
Rev. G. Style.
This letter was received by the Headmaster on March 2. The effect of such news coming without any previous warning can be imagined. The difficulty of commemorating the Diamond Jubilee year had seemed overwhelming and this unexpected offer from Mr. Walter Morrison dissipated the troubles in a moment. In the second place a School Chapel had alone been wanting to complete the seclusion and privacy of the School, and hitherto the prospect of such a building had seemed unattainable. It was now offered as a gift.
WALTER MORRISON J.P.WALTER MORRISON J.P.
Mr. Morrison had recently returned from travelling in the East and had been greatly impressed by one particular feature of Eastern Architecture. The dome is almost universal in Palestine, and Mr. Morrison desired that an architectural experiment should be made in England. He wished to see the School Chapel built in the Gothic Style but with a dome. Mr. T. G. Jackson, R.A., was approached upon the subject and remembering that his former Master, Sir Gilbert Scott, had always hoped to undertake such a work, he gladly made his plans.
The aim of all the best Architecture is to construct a building of such a kind that it will withstand the ruin of the ages and will prove an opportunity for doing well whatever it is built for. The purpose of a house is that a man should be able to live in it. The essence of a church is that it should provide a place of worship. It is easy enough to construct a four-square building with accommodation for a required number of people but brick walls are not sufficient. Utility does not consist only in adequate space; it has many other features, closely inwoven with it. Fitness is the keynote of beauty. Taken by themselves there is little beauty to be seen in two parallel straight iron lines running through the country-side, but conceive of them as railway lines, adequately and without any unnecessary waste of materialperforming the office for which they were made, and few sights can be more charged with the very essence of beauty. The purpose that underlies the construction and the complete fulfilment of that purpose is beauty.
But a Church cannot be content only with a building sufficiently well-built to hold its worshippers and sufficiently in tone with its surroundings to express the unity of art and nature. It has a further form of expression that it must satisfy. It is a religious building, and as such its characteristics and its form must exemplify religious tendencies and thought. A barn can be supremely beautiful, but it does not radiate the atmosphere of worship. A Church must be characterized by certain great and instinctive elements of grandeur, it must breathe the spirit of reverence, it must, as Ruskin says, "speak well and say the things it was intended to say in the best words." Giggleswick School Chapel may justly be said to fulfil all these conditions. It is in harmony with its surroundings, and it is a structure of great architectural beauty, that is to say, it expresses its purpose in the best way.
THE CHAPEL EXTERIOR.THE CHAPEL EXTERIOR.
Every style of Architecture makes its own peculiar appeal to mankind. One kind of Church seems better adapted to the needs of Englishmen; Eastern peoples prefer a different style. Mr. Morrison proposed to take adistinctive feature of each and make them one. For the general building he chose the Gothic style because, though not native to England, it has imposed itself to an overwhelming extent on the Parish Churches and Cathedrals of the country, and to it he added a Dome. There is one feature that these two apparent opposites have in common. Gothic Churches vary greatly, but many of them are notable for their appearance of loftiness. The clustered columns seem to lead the eye upwards to the roof, as if men naturally went about the world cramped and confined, and were now bidden turn their gaze to the heights. A dome has a somewhat similar effect: it carries on the gaze and it gives an increased and unexpected vision. The bold union of the two has created a School Chapel, which satisfies every wish. It is suited to the surrounding country, it is possessed of great beauty, and it breathes the atmosphere of worship.
But there is another consideration. One of the most striking characteristics of boy-life is the feeling of personal possession. Everything that is of importance has a personal aspect. Whatever a boy sees belonging to his own School is at once invested with a curious sanctity and defended with all the armour of pride. It is of supreme importance that the side of school life, the religious side, whichsometimes appeals to a boy with a greater force than any other, should have a building of its own. The Parish Church can never lay claim to the same devotion, and therefore can never exercise the same influence. A School Chapel develops a feeling of unity and brotherhood; such unity is less possible in a Parish Church.
Buildings and surroundings have a power to mould character. It is the big, silent things of life that often really move a man: the walls that he can learn to love and know, and invest with life and memory. These feelings are not recognized at the time, and it is well that they should not be. Emotionalism and probing self-analysis are dread dangers. But the memories of school in after life are not in the first instance memories of friends, but of the places where those friends were met and the friendships made. A boy's life is made up of moments and impressions, and many of the indelible impressions of his youth are formed in the School Chapel. Hence the gift of a beautiful School Chapel is the greatest gift a man can give. Boys at Giggleswick have at their right hand the natural glories of the Craven District, they have now also a supreme example of the architect's skill and courage and success. Environment is the keynote to the development of character. These boys have thetwofold opportunity of profiting from Nature and from Art.
The mind must go back three centuries in the history of the School to find a parallel to this gift, and even then no individual example will stand comparison. The difficulties of the work were great, but were surmounted with complete success. The Chapel is a striking and beautiful landmark. The Building was begun in 1897, and the foundation stone was laid with some ceremony on October 7, by the Duke of Devonshire, and work proceeded for four years without interruption.
There are many interesting features about the building, and no expense was spared to get the very best material. In the interior all the fittings and seats were made of cedar wood imported direct from Tucuman, a Province in the Argentine. Two Bronze Statues, one of Queen Victoria and one of Edward VI were designed by Mr. George Frampton, A.R.A., and placed in niches over the west door. A cast of the one of Edward VI was given by the sculptor and placed in Big School. The main feature of the interior is one broad aisle in the centre, balanced on either side by two passage aisles, and the centre of the broad aisle is paved with black and white marble. At the West end are eight stalls with carved and pierced standards to the canopies.
The Organ was the last instrument built under the direction of Mr. Henry Willis—Father Willis—and its construction was superintended by Sir Walter Parratt. The outside pipes are made of spotted metal, and the organ has three manuals. The Pulpit was put in later standing at the North-West end of the Choir it is visible to the whole congregation.
The Dome was constructed in a way, hitherto probably untried in Europe, it was built without centering, on a principle of interlocking blocks of terra cotta. The outside is of timber covered with copper; inside on the lower part with a gold background are mosaics of sixteen angels. They are slightly over six feet high, and are represented as playing musical instruments; their wings cross one another and give a fine pattern of colour. In the pendentives are seated figures of the four Evangelists. These were all worked, not from the back as is usual, but from the face, and each was fixed on the vault bit by bit.
JAMES CARR.JAMES CARR.
THE CHAPEL DOME.THE CHAPEL DOME.
The glass has special interest. The East Window contains subjects from the Life of our Lord, and the South Transept Window contains figures of James Carr, Edward VI, Josias Shute, Archdeacon Paley, the Headmaster and Mr. Morrison. The Clerestory Windows contain in groups of threes, Christian worthies of various times.
The West Window was designed by the Architect, and is a very curious representation of the Creation, full of daring colour. The roof and part of the walls are decorated with sgraffito work. The Chapel was opened for use on October 4, 1901, by Dr. Warre, Headmaster of Eton, and dedicated by the Bishop of Ripon, and has since been regularly used for services on Sunday.
The generosity of Mr. Morrison did not stop with the Chapel, but at the same time he constructed a fine stone Pavilion at the West end of the Cricket Ground, and a Gate-house and Porter's Lodge at the entrance from the public road. The enthusiasm aroused by the sight of this open-handed generosity was so great that it was at once determined to open a fund for a portrait of Mr. Morrison and hang in Big School. The subscribers were nearly fourhundred in number, and many of the old masters and boys were among them. Sir Hubert Von Herkomer was commissioned to paint the portrait, and on July 28, 1903, it was unveiled in the presence of a large gathering of people. It is a striking portrait, and well suggests the kindliness, humour, and generosity that are the distinguishing features of Mr. Morrison's character.
It was close upon thirty-five years since Mr. Style had first taken over the charge of the School. The year 1869 had been a most unpromising one in the history of Giggleswick; the future was difficult and doubtful. But courage is one of the first essentials in a Schoolmaster, and Mr. Style had a full share. Every old School is steeped with tradition, but much of it at Giggleswick was bad, and Mr. Style did his best to eradicate and replace it. The boy of that period was a rougher boy than is common in public schools to-day, and he needed sterner treatment. Mr. Style was an awe-inspiring disciplinarian, but he was no Busby or Keate in his use of the rod. The temper of Schoolmasters had been rapidly improving, and there are no instances of the astonishingly unjust punishments that were common in an earlier day. In the early part of the century one of the masters had once thrashed a boy, and the apparent injustice of the punishment had been so indelibly inscribed upon the boy's mind that years afterwards he came back to the School, not with the feelings of affection common to most men when they revisit the scene of their boyhood, but filled with a fierce resentment against his former master, and vowing that if he were alive he would thrash him within an inch of his life. Mr. Style was of a different mould; he set before himself the ideal of absolute justice, and this fact was recognized by the School. On one occasion some boys had placed an elaborate "booby" trap, consisting of two dictionaries on the top of the door of the end "prep" room and awaited the arrival of their victim. To their horror the door opened and crash went the dictionaries on the Headmaster's top-hat. There was a moment of awful suspense, and he said, "I know that was not meant for me."
With the building of the Hostel it was necessary to build up afresh a complete system of school life. As the numbers increased he established a monitorial system, by which many of the lesser breaches of discipline were dealt with by the boys themselves. There was great opposition to the innovation on the part of the boys, and as a consequence the system never worked so well as it should have done. These head boys were called Praepostors, a conscious echo of the two "Praepositors" ofthe first Statutes of 1592. Fagging was allowed but was not unduly practised. It consisted chiefly of running messages or blacking boots or boiling water. Perhaps the most unpleasant duty of the new boy was the compulsion that he was under to sing for the benefit of his elders.
On the second Saturday of term the senior boys in the Hostel were assembled in the underground Baths and every new boy was put upon a chair in their midst and made to sing. The penalty for singing out of tune was a cup of salt and water but it is doubtful whether the penalty was often enforced; even so there is no continuous tradition; it was irregular and spasmodic. Another task for the new boy was to climb the Scars a quarter of a mile from the School and place a stone upon the cairn, called "Schoolboys' Tower."
CHAPEL, EAST.CHAPEL, EAST.
The Praepostors had also the power of punishment by giving "lines" or by thrashing but the latter was subject to proper control. Some years previously the monitorial system in schools had been given a new lease of life by Arnold at Rugby and it was in theory a legalised increase of the natural power possessed by the Sixth Form; but it was often found that intellect and strength of character did not always accompany each other. At Giggleswick no position in the School gave a prescriptiveright to be a Praepostor. The choice lay solely in the hands of the Headmaster and although more frequently those chosen were members of the Sixth Form, it was by no means necessary, and the captain of the Football Fifteen was almost always chosen among them.
In the early days the Athletics of the School needed much encouragement. The Schoolyard for generations had provided the only opportunity for games; Football and Cricket were in their infancy. In most matches against teams, other than schools, Mr. Style took a personal part. He was a keen wicket-keeper and a good bat and did not cease to play cricket till 1890.
There were other ways in which his personal character greatly influenced the boys. He spent a great part of each day, when not in School, in the Governors' Room at the South end of the Hostel and there he was always ready to see those who wished to speak to him on any subject. Many received special tuition from him after Evening Prayers and one great secret of the esteem with which the boys regarded him was the personal interest that he took in their life. There is the story of a boy who was particularly anxious to enter the School as a day-boy, but his attainments were insufficient for his age and he knew no Latin. He came himself to see Mr. Style and to press foradmittance and at last he was told that if he could learn some Latin before the entrance examination of the following term, his age should not stand in his way. At the same time Mr. Style advised him to come to him every now and then and tell him how he was getting on. After a while the boy came and said that he had learned the Latin Grammar as far as the dative of the relative. On being asked why the dative of the relative had been his limit, he explained that his teacher had not been able to pronounce it and so he could go no further. He was put through some questions and could not answer them but if asked to decline any word he would do it in this fashion:Mensamensaemensammensasmensaemensarummensaemensismensamensisand so on all through the Grammar until he came to the relative and at the dative he failed. Mr. Style considering that the memorising of the Latin Grammar in such a way implied some quickness of mind told him to leave the school that he was at and come to him at certain times each day. His time-table was however very full and he could only give the boy half an hour a day at 6-0 a.m. and 7-0 p.m. This he did and he found the boy extremely quick and intelligent. He passed him into the School the next term and seeing he had a distinct gift for Mathematics encouraged him in every way. Eventually hesent him up to S. John's College, Cambridge, with a Mathematical Scholarship and hoped that at last he had prepared a boy who would be Senior Wrangler. Unfortunately his health broke down and he came out seventh but some years later in 1889 was made a Fellow of the College.
CHAPEL, WEST.CHAPEL, WEST.
Mr. Style was an early riser. Every morning at 6-30, without fail, he was in the Governors' Room ready to talk over any necessary matters. He took very full duty in School, and made himself chiefly responsible for the higher Mathematical work; and in addition with some assistance from Mr. Mannock or Mr. Bearcroft, he undertook most of the laborious business work connected with the organization of the Hostel and the School.
His Assistant Masters always look back to their days at Giggleswick as some of the happiest they have ever spent. Mr. Style was naturally anxious to keep his staff with him as long as possible, but he realized that he could not expect to do this while the Trustees felt themselves unable to guarantee salaries sufficient to enable a man to marry. He gladly and generously helped them to find promotion. Many became Headmasters. Mr. J. Conway Rees, who for years had been the most painstaking and successful of men in making the Fifteen a match-winning side, left to become head of a school connected with the MohammedanCollege at Aligarh. Mr. Rhodes went to Ardingly, and so on.
Every Sunday, in the early days, Mr. and Mrs. Style would ask the whole Hostel and later, as the numbers increased, the upper forms to come into the Governors' Room and there they would be regaled with sandwiches and lemonade and a musical evening would be held. Bubble and Squeak the boys called these evenings and they were much appreciated. Delicate boys would sometimes spend a week or a few days living in the Headmaster's house, and sometimes boys would be invited who were suffering from colds or other slight illnesses, and thus in the middle of a term they would find a short reminder of home life. In innumerable ways the boys were made to feel that the Headmaster was no official pedagogue but a man such as their own fathers, and they felt a corresponding affection for him.
THE GATE HOUSE.THE GATE HOUSE.
Ascension Day was a whole holiday and for some years the Headmaster was in the habit of taking the whole School, after a service, out for a day on the hills. On one occasion they went to the top of Graygreth (near Kirkby Lonsdale) on a very hot day. In the evening four boys were found to be missing. The Headmaster taking two boys with him scoured the hills till darkness drew on, but in vain. At last they came to a wayside inn and made inquiries,at which a yokel remarked "You must be a fine Master, if you can't look after your own boys." As a matter of fact all four boys were in safe quarters at Kirkby Lonsdale, after losing their way in a thick mist. This was the last occasion on which the Headmaster ventured to take the whole School out. In future the boys went in smaller bodies with their House Tutors.
What was the secret of his power and his success? First undoubtedly was the keenness of his eye. "I have been all over the world and I have never come across a man with as keen an eye as Mr. Style" said one of his former pupils. He seemed to look quite through a man and there was no thought of evasion with him. Then there was his thoroughness. He was so absolutely devoted to his duty that his example was bound to affect those who came near him. It was noticeable in everything he did. He played a game of cricket as if it were the most important thing in life. Thirdly he had another most necessary quality in a Headmaster, the power of choosing the right Assistant Masters. Dr. Marshall Watts, G. B. Mannock, Douglas R Smith, S. P. Smith, C. F. Hyde, Rev. J. W. Chippett, A. W. Reith, are only a few among the many who helped him with every quality they possessed.
As a teacher he was sometimes unable to restrain himself with a dull boy. "Do youunderstand?" he asked a boy who was struggling with the intricacies of Algebra. "No sir." "My good man! My fine owl! Now do you understand?" But with the abler boys he was remarkably successful. In October, 1896, there were twenty-six old boys at Oxford and Cambridge and of these twelve were Scholars or Exhibitioners of their College, two played for the Cambridge Rugby Fifteen, one rowed against Oxford, and another gained his half-blue for Swimming. This year represented perhaps one of the latest successful years. Between 1880 and 1894 nothing could go wrong; numbers increased and Scholarships were gained but about the latter year the School suffered a serious set-back owing to an outbreak of scarlet fever and the numbers began to sink.
During the long period of growth Mr. Style was watchful over every detail of the building that was going on, and was projecting much for the future. "It is my opinion that the Headmaster is never happy, unless he can hear the sound of hammer and nails," an Old Boy once said. He was determined that the School should have the very best buildings and fittings possible, although he was never at a loss to carry things on when a makeshift was necessary.
"Some of the best Science work that has been done here was done in my scullery," were his words.
This absorbing love of the School was a tonic to every one who was under him. He came at a time when there was only a collection of boys with no unity and no sound traditions. He left it united and loyal. He came to a rich endowment, which was spending its resources with little visible result. He left the School prosperous, and possessed of a reputation all over England. He had been among the first Headmasters to acknowledge the value of a training in Natural Science, and he showed men that a thorough and efficient training in modern subjects could be given in one of the oldest of England's Public Schools. He did not wait upon time, he did not waver upon his path, but marched straight forward.
Prosperity grew step by step, buildings rose up, numbers increased, and distinctions were won, but behind all the outward success was the vitalising energy of the Headmaster, the inspiration of the optimist, the personality of the man.
IN January, 1904, the Governors of the School assembled to elect a new Headmaster. Their choice fell unanimously on Mr. William Wyamar Vaughan. Mr. Vaughan had been educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1888. Since 1890 he had been an Assistant Master at Clifton College, and had been in charge of seventy day boys there for four years. The appointment was in many respects a significant one. For the first time in the history of the School a permanent Headmaster had been appointed, who was not in Holy Orders. Since 1869 the statutory regulation on the subject had been changed, but this was the first occasion on which the Governors had exercised their freedom. In the second place, Giggleswick up till the last thirty years had educated a preponderating number of day boys, but lately this element had been so outnumbered by the boarders that there was considerable danger of a serious division arising between them. The election of a man who had been in charge of the day boys at one of the bigger Public Schools gave great hopes to those whohad the unity of the School at heart, nor were these expectations unfulfilled. Thirdly, Mr. Vaughan was a pioneer in the enthusiasm which directed the path of learning towards a greater study of English subjects.
W. W. VAUGHAN, M.A.W. W. VAUGHAN, M.A.Russell & Sons][17, Baker Street, W.
W. W. VAUGHAN, M.A.Russell & Sons][17, Baker Street, W.
W. W. VAUGHAN, M.A.
Russell & Sons]
[17, Baker Street, W.
The chief responsibility of the military side at Clifton had lain with him of late years, and at Giggleswick he lost little time in reorganizing the classification of the School. A scheme was carried through by which every boy was classed according to his attainments in English, and one hour a day was given to the study of the subject in its various branches of Scripture, History, Geography, Literature, and occasionally Grammar. The weekly theme or essay was retained. For all other subjects the boy was put into sets, which bore no relation to his Form, except in so far as the School was divided up for English into three parts—Upper, Lower and Junior, and for other subjects into A, B and C, Blocks. No boy was able to be in the B Block who was in the Junior School, or in the A Block, if he was in the Lower School. These big divisions were very rarely found to hinder the advance of a boy in any particular subject and when once he had obtained a position in the Upper School, want of capacity in English was of no impediment at all. The great ideal at which Mr. Vaughan aimed was a sound education in a varied number of subjects butall of them must be based on the study of English. Boys were not encouraged to specialize until they had attained to a position in one of the two top Forms and in later years not until they had gained the Oxford and Cambridge Higher Certificate. The School was inspected by the Oxford and Cambridge Board in 1906 and the reports were most gratifying. In the same year the Higher Certificate Examination was taken by the Sixth and Upper Fifth, and in future became a regular feature of their work.
The School suffered a severe loss in 1904 by the resignation of Dr. Watts. He had acted as the chief Master of Natural Science for thirty-two years and had superintended the building of the Science Block from its foundations. Mr. C. F. Mott a former Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a Lecturer at Emmanuel College was appointed to succeed him and no choice could have been more happy. A Scientific Society was soon formed with the object of giving a lead to the informal study of Nature and to promote a closer interest in the collections of various kinds at the School Museum. In the following year 1905 Speech-Day was celebrated for the first time for twenty-five years and was marked by the presentation of the "Style" Mathematical Prizes, which had been founded from a fund to which former pupils of Mr. Style contributed as a mark of their appreciation ofhis Headmastership. In 1906 the "Waugh" Prizes for English Literature were presented by Mr. John Waugh, J.P., who had been at the School under Dr. Butterton and had retained a strong interest in education. These prizes were to be awarded on the result of two papers, one on a specially prepared subject in English Literature and one on a general knowledge of the whole.
JOINER'S SHOP.JOINER'S SHOP.
ATHLETIC SHOP.ATHLETIC SHOP.
Many smaller changes were made in the School-life in the next few years. The four dormitories which had hitherto been known by letters A, B, C, D, were re-named in 1907 after four benefactors of the School—Paley, Nowell, Carr, and Shute, thus recalling to mind something of the traditions to which the boys were heirs. The Gate-house, which had been built by Mr. Morrison at the time of the building of the Chapel was further utilized as a Shop, where boys from the Hostel could at certain hours buy most kinds of food. Previously they had been able to buy what they required from a shop in the village but this had always been open to disadvantages and the opening of the Gate-house in 1906 under Mr. and Mrs. Parker, who had both been connected with the School for many years, obviated these disadvantages; it also secured a useful profit, which could be laid out by the School in what way they wished.
But one of the most important events of Mr.Vaughan's Headmastership was the foundation in 1906 of the Giggleswick Boys' Club in Leeds. The great danger of Public School life is the difficulty of realizing that the unit of the School is a part of a larger whole and that one aim of education is the inculcation of an active interest in all spheres of life. The aim of the founders of the Giggleswick Boys' Club was to provide a house in one of the poorer districts, where boys might spend certain evenings in the week in warmth and comfort. An excellent man was fortunately found in Sergeant-Major Baker, who was willing to take the whole responsibility of the internal management. The Club was begun at 2, West Street, Leeds, and at the end of a year the average attendance was found to have been thirty. Every Summer as many boys as possible come down to Giggleswick for a day, and a cricket match is arranged. There is a very noteworthy feeling of affection for the School springing up in the Club and its general success is assured.
Another departure from ordinary school routine was made in the same year. A Rifle Club was formed for the purpose of teaching boys to shoot. Mr. J. G. Robinson, a Governor of the School, presented a Sub-Target Rifle Machine, which was placed in the Covered Playground and under the direction of Sergeant-Major Cansdale a considerable number of the School practised shooting.
G. B. MANNOCK.G. B. MANNOCK.
The year 1907 was a very important one in the history of the School. On November 12, just four hundred years before, the lease of the plot of ground, on which James Carr built his first School, had been signed. The occasion was one which was fittingly celebrated. A Thanksgiving Service was held in the Chapel and Mr. Style, the late Headmaster, attended it and was gladly welcomed. Mr. J. G. Robinson, took the opportunity of presenting the School with two new covered-in Fives Courts at the back of Brookside, and, closely adjoining it, he built and fitted up a metal workshop, where boys could indulge their taste for engineering.
In the same year another inspection of the School was invited by the Headmaster and the Board of Education sent down three examiners. The result was most encouraging for they had come down somewhat prejudiced about the usefulness of the education received there but they went away convinced that Giggleswick was performing its duty in a way that merited the highest commendation. The Carr Exhibitions at Christ's College, Cambridge, which were reserved for Giggleswick boys, were still given but, owing to the decrease in the value of land, were at this time limited to one in every three years. They nevertheless proved a most useful means of helping those boys, who were unable to go up to the University without aid.
A year later, on May 26, 1908, Mr. G. B. Mannock died suddenly. Since 1874 he had been a Master at the School. He had taught the First Form during the whole of the time and had also in earlier days taken over the charge of the Drawing and Music. In 1887 when it was decided to lease Bankwell as a house for those boys who were too young to go immediately into the Hostel, Mr. Mannock, who had been previously a Dormitory Master for the younger boys in the Hostel, was asked to undertake the responsibility of being the Master-in-charge. He continued to do so till his death. The influence that he had exerted was a very remarkable one. No boy ever came away from Bankwell without feeling that for some time in his life at any rate he had lived under the protection of one of the most saintly of men. Friendship and sympathy were the very essence of his character and he taught every one with whom he came in touch, that gentleness and courtesy were weapons, stronger and more valuable than any others. A fund was raised to perpetuate his memory and it was decided to decorate the Class Rooms with panelling and hang them with pictures. In the Sixth Form Room Honour Boards were also erected. It was felt that this improvement in the decoration of the School would be a fitting tribute to one, whose joy in beauty was so deep and sure.
The close of Mr. Vaughan's time at Giggleswick was marked by two schemes of the utmost importance. A contingent of the Officers Training Corps was established under the direction of the Rev. C. F. Pierce. Mr. Pierce had enjoyed no previous experience of military training, but he threw himself into the work with enthusiasm. The Summer Term in 1910 saw its beginning, and within a year there had been a consistent average of between fifty-five and sixty boys in the Corps. They have two field-days a term, and go to the Public Schools' Camp at Aldershot or Salisbury each August. In 1911 the Corps went to Windsor to be reviewed by the King, and were members of a Brigade which was widely noted in the newspapers for its appearance and marching.