CHAPTER XIII.THE JUNIOR IN STANDING-UP WEEK.Standing-up—Commoners—Pealing.
Standing-up—Commoners—Pealing.
The last two weeks of the Long-half, which ended about the middle of July, were called respectively “Standing-up” and “Election-week.” The former was rather a time of trial for the Juniors, the latter for the Præfects and Senior part.
Standing-up is an institution peculiar to Winchester, I believe. During the whole of the proceeding year all the boys below Senior part were expected to learn a number of lines by heart; there was a minimum limit assigned to each part, but any boy was allowed to take up as many as hechose,—more than ten thousand have been said by one boy. We were allowed to take up Greek prose, one line of which counted for five of Virgil, and one of Latin prose or Greek verse for two; Horace’s Odes, three for two. These lines had to be said in eight lessons; and the marks given had a very decided effect on the relative position of the boys, as it very often happened that the boy who at the beginning of the week was well ahead of the others in his part, when Standing-up was over found himself nowhere, andvice versâ. Every boy had to provide himself with a “Standing-up paper,” which was divided by lines into eight partitions, in each of which he wrote out a description of one lesson, and as each was said to the Master, he signed his name at the bottom, with a particular mark to define the style of the performance, both as regards the construing and repetition. These marks were as follows:—For supreme excellence, “Quam optimè;” for great merit, “Optimè;” for a tolerably good performance, “Benè;” for an indifferent one, “Mediocriter;” for failure,“Malè.” A certain number was added to each boy’s account in the Classicus paper for each lesson, calculated according to the number of lines and the marks obtained; but a “Malè” precluded him from having any score for that lesson. There were no other lessons during this week, and it was a time of great excitement.
I remember one boy having an inflammation of the eyes just before Standing-up week; to his great disgust it was getting rapidly well, and knowing that if it was allowed to continue improving he would be called on to say his eight lessons, of which he knew but little, he held his eyes to a key-hole, through which there was a strong draught, and then administered a pinch of snuff to them. The plan succeeded; he certainly had no Standing-up to read over, or anything else for a long time; and if he ever recovered his sight it was more than his friends expected, or he perhaps deserved.
When I was at Winchester there were twin brothers who were so exactly alike that if theythemselves knew which was which it was more than any one else did. On one occasion they turned this likeness to account in a very ingenious manner. They were both in the same Part, and both took up [in one lesson at any rate] the same Standing-up. One of them, who knew his tolerably well, went to the Master and got through successfully; on going out he met his brother, who was just going to say his, in great trepidation, as he was not prepared; however, a bright idea struck the more fortunate brother, he changed his neck-cloth, tousled his hair, put a bit of sticking-plaster on his nose, went back, and said his lesson a second time, on his brother’s account, with greatéclat.
When Standing-up was over the Commoners went home, as their Præfects and Senior-part had nothing to do with the examination in Election week, which was solely for competition for scholarships at New College, which were not then open to them. This leads me to mention some peculiar solemnities which took place in Commoners towards the end of the half. About six weeksbefore that happy period, for three consecutive Fridays, a victim was chosen who had made himself unpopular in the school, and immediately after breakfast he had to mount on the Toys (which were in the dining-hall) and quietly submit to be pelted with Pontos, (balls made of hot bread,) the ceremony being commenced and ended with chaunting a “Peal,” which was, on the first Friday, “Locks and Keys;” on the second, “Boots and Leathers;” and on the third, “Gomer Hats.” The senior Præfects appointed the sacrifice the first day, the junior the second, and the Coursekeeper the third.
Immediately after dinner on the last three Sundays, Commoners exercised their lungs with the following peals: On the first “Party Rolls,” after which the senior Præfect made out a list of the routes to be taken by the different boys; on the second, “Money and Direction Rolls,” when each boy had to write on a piece of paper his governor’s address, and the amount of journey-money he required; and on the last “Packing up.”