n. Yet so long as sixth form orthodoxy is classical scholarship
work, the majority will rightly be found among the heretics, and that
is the "specialists." The remodelled sixth form time-table made at
least a move towards the recognition of the principle that, over and
above specialisms, there were certain subjects that were the common
concern of all educated men. A heterogeneous body drawn from all
corners of the school time-table met together for Modern History, for
Outlines of World History, and for General Principles of Science, and
(with some regrettable abstentions) for Political Science and
Economics. Some day it will appear ridiculous that these last subjects
should not have been deemed a necessity for all the "specialists" alike.

The real test of an educational system is not what the masters do for
the boys, but what the boys do for themselves, and in this matter only
one large undertaking fell within the scope of our previous book,
namely the paper, _The School Observer_, therein described and largely
quoted. The idea of this paper, a political journal on the lines of a
high-class weekly, published twice a term, with "Notes on Current
Events," political "leaders," literary and philosophic "middles," a
poem or so, and correspondence all complete--this laughably magnificant
idea came entirely from a little group of boys, and one at any rate of
the present writers was at first frankly sceptical. Well,--enthusiasm
has a way of beating scepticism, at any rate when youth is thrown into
the scale. We were quickly harnessed to our task as members of the
editorial committee. Our literary contributions were confined to a
part of the "Notes on Current Events," the portion of the paper that
naturally attracted least outside notice, and was rarely singled out
for praise. It is true that a discerning schoolmaster from another
school remarked that these notes displayed "restrained strength even
more remarkable in boys than the qualities of the other parts of the
paper." I am ashamed to say we smiled and held our peace.

Five of the six issues of the paper appeared, and we had already
contracted with our advertisers for a second volume when the crash
came. In general, of course, the paper was much less important than
the _Politics Class_. The class was a necessity to political
education; the paper was a luxury. But it is a man's luxuries that
give the clue to his character, and it was the very fact that the pape