but the cost was met with an eagerness astonishing to the boys
themselves when they reflected that, a few months before, So-and-so
"had never cared about anything but the tuck shop."

Other houses began to catch the spirit of the thing--a trifle
reluctantly and tentatively, it must be admitted, for there is a good
deal of improper pride about a school house, and imitations have not
quite the glamour of originals. Also the whole movement was by this
time falling under a cloud, and it is now time to give some account of
the collapse.

[1] A brilliant "depreciation" of Arnold and his school has recently
appeared in Mr. Lytton Strachey's "Eminent Victorians."

[2] Something more is said on this subject in Chapter X.

CHAPTER II

THE COLLAPSE

"Teachers though they are, Mr. Gollancz and Mr. Somervell do not seem
quite to realise ... what obstacles have to be overcome before the advice
given in their little book is generally taken."--_The Westminster
Gazette_.

Our account of the collapse of our experiment has to be written, as the
reader will easily understand, with a good deal of reserve. "The rise"
was the work of ourselves and our pupils. "The collapse" was the work of
others. It is not a question of "Dora"; it is not a question of the
common law of libel; there are certain older laws of courtesy and
forbearance which we would fain observe, for he who has not learnt to
observe these has hardly made a beginning with political education. So
let it be said to begin with that no one was to blame. Things followed
their predestined course, and every actor in the drama played the part
that was natural and proper to him. It was natural that the movement
should be destroyed by masters as that its success should be made by
boys. If any one is to blame it is ourselves. It was we who chose to
pour new wine into old bottles--the preference for old bottles is
explained in Chapter VI.--and when the custodians of the bottles awoke to
the fact and hastily poured the wine out again, fearing disaster, they
certainly thought they were acting for the best. Needless to say, we
have often discussed the question whether, had the movement run on other
lines, had we been content with rather less to begin with, had we
considered principle rather less and prudence rather more, had we added
the _role_ of diplomatist to the _role_ of missionary, had we hardened
our hearts against some of the best boys in order to soften