ht have a chance of giving
public expression to the kind feeling of respect they entertained for Mr.
Thring, the masters, and scholars of Uppingham School before they left
Borth, after a twelve months' sojourn there. (Cheers.) When some twelve
months ago a rumour came to Borth respecting the advent of Uppingham
School, a few old women and nervous people, in the innocence of their
hearts, were afraid they would be swamped by an inundation of Goths and
Vandals. (Laughter.) The meeting would, however, agree with him that
kinder-hearted gentlemen than the masters, and better-behaved boys than
the scholars, could not be found. (Hear, hear.) There had been no town-
and-gown feeling existing similar to what prevailed in places of greater
pretensions. The people of the village and the School had pulled
together in a friendly manner, and everything had gone on quite smoothly.
(Hear.) After referring to the progress of the School under the
headmastership of Mr. Thring, and remarking that the older schools would
have to look to their laurels, as Uppingham was treading close upon their
heels, the Chairman said that in some fifteen or twenty years to come
many of the boys would be in Parliament, some of them officers in the
army or navy, fighting the battles of the nation, some of them would be
barristers, seeing that the people got fair play in the courts of law,
others would no doubt be eminent merchants, importing the produce of
foreign countries, whilst others would be surgeons, like Dr. Childs--(loud
cheering)--and physicians. They would therefore exercise an influence
over the destinies of the nation. (Cheers.) The people of Borth were
exceedingly sorry that the school was going away. Its members would be
missed very much indeed. He owed the Uppingham people no ill-feeling,
but if a case of smallpox, the cholera, or some other virulent disease
broke out in that place and prevented the return of the school, he was
sure that Borth people would not feel at all sorry. (Laughter and
cheers.) There was the name of a gentleman whom he might mention. That
gentleman had earned the gratitude of the Borth people perhaps more than
anyone else. He referred to Dr. Childs. (Applause.) He had acted the
part of the Good Samaritan thoroughly, responding as readily to the call
of the sick and suffering at midnight as at noon. (Cheers.) He would
detain them no longer, but ask Mr. Lewis to submit a proposition to the
meeting.