Now it reaches Eton

[graham]

I’m thick, so I don’t understand Sejintenej’s aphorism at the end of his contribution. Please explain? Thanks. TB

I think I'll leave it to David to explain !!

a collection of crows is called a murder. Don't ask me why

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[sejintenej]

It's the same as he knows that Jeremy Corbyn would have been a good Prime Minister with sensibly thought-out and fully funded policies if only the ignorant masses could just see what's good for them. He hasn't said it for a while but at the height of the anti-Semitism scandal in the Labour Party he was posting about a Jewish lobby in this country which, when challenged, he was quite prepared to defend. What next - Covid-19 is the result of of biological warfare experiments that went wrong - American experiments obviously?

Bottom line - his nonsense needs to be refuted but nothing anyone says is going to change his mind. These are articles of faith!

That is the line spouted by one of the senior Chinese ministers saying it was imported by American doctors attending a conference in Wuhan. I think it is all bats

[jhopgood]

There are some very interesting articles in recent Guardian Weeklys, some of which point to part of the reasons for these viruses jumping from animals to humans, is our encroachment into their environment. One also suggests that it is highly unlikely that it is man made.
I prefer to believe the scientists than the conspirators, led by DT.

[bakunin]

The problem with all your comments is that, despite all the benefits you received at Christ's Hospital, you have this massive chip on your shoulder and it colours absolutely everything you post.

I don't know what benefits I received at CH that I wouldn't have received at a day school, I never got any extra attention for being strong at science like someone who was good at music or sports would. As far as I can tell the only difference was extended bullying hours.

[loringa]

I don't know what benefits I received at CH that I wouldn't have received at a day school, I never got any extra attention for being strong at science like someone who was good at music or sports would. As far as I can tell the only difference was extended bullying hours.

I am very sorry to hear that. Any child's suitability for a particular type of education will depend on the character of the child as well as the character of the institution. For many, the type of boarding education offered by Christ's Hospital is a good fit; for others, clearly it is not. After six different primary schools, one of them twice, in four different countries, the continuity it offered was what I needed. It gave me a good, rounded academic grounding, sufficient not only for me to embark on my chosen career, but to permit me to explore other disciplines in my own time. Without ever really excelling (no buttons here) I had plenty of extra-curricular stuff for my CV, and I learned to cook! I don't know when you were there but it's very disappointing to hear both that you were not encouraged and helped to achieve your academic potential and, worse, were bullied.

The comment was, however, aimed at Mr Redshaw. He clearly did benefit from his Christ's Hospital education, and he even more clearly has an enormous chip on his shoulder.

[Fitzsadou]

Thanks. To quote the late Duke of Windsor, while he was an undergraduate at Oxford, “The knowledge I lack would fill volumes.” TB

[sejintenej]

I am very sorry to hear that. Any child's suitability for a particular type of education will depend on the character of the child as well as the character of the institution. For many, the type of boarding education offered by Christ's Hospital is a good fit; for others, clearly it is not. After six different primary schools, one of them twice, in four different countries, the continuity it offered was what I needed.

Especially those from violent or highly disorganised homes or those whose parent was in the armed forces or similar

It gave me a good, rounded academic grounding, sufficient not only for me to embark on my chosen career,

In my case my home life "downstairs" and CH's ban on outside contact left me totally unknowing of anything outside - even buses, shops, jobs, money ...... A very definite disservice and the total lack of employment information (let alone advice) made it difficult to fit in - took me many many years and even now there are serious remnants. (I have to laugh now; I almost got sacked because I had been heard talking in Spanish to a Spanish employee at the company hostel)

Without ever really excelling (no buttons here) I had plenty of extra-curricular stuff for my CV, and I learned to cook!

Far from sure about this. The only "organised" non-school activity I found was piano but apart from actual lessons i was prohibited from practicing by Jones. Not sure where the cooking came from and shortwave wireless would not have been my thing. Even the library seemed out of bounds; I was escorted out for not having a library pass or housemaster's permission. Cricket I could do without though rugger did qualify me for playing even up to representative level. (I won't swear about the OBRC, three miles from home - I seem to have been persona non grata so I played for my then employers the other side of London)

[Foureyes]

sentinej says: "Even the library seemed out of bounds; I was escorted out for not having a library pass or housemaster's permission."
I find that very odd. I was at C.H. 1948-55 and was a regular user of the library - in fact, it was one of my favourite places and I spent a lot of time there. But, I have absolutely no recollection of needing permission or a pass - if they did exist, were they introduced after 1956, perhaps, and, if so, why?

Secondly, he says: "CH's ban on outside contact" Again, I have absolutely no recollection of such a 'ban' which would, in any case, have been unenforceable. I would agree that it was difficult to make or maintain friendships at home, because one was away for most of the year, but that surely was not intentional on C.H.'s part?
David

[Mid A 15]

I have no recall of any restrictions to access of the library. Indeed it was a place I regarded as a 'safe haven' when times were bad. You were left to your own devices which suited me fine.

[Katharine]

I never got any extra attention for being strong at science like someone who was good at music or sports would.

I can certainly relate to this comment, if you replace the word science with maths. However after I left I discovered that in some other houses I was well regarded for my ability in the subject.

In my first years I gained stability in my life from CH, 1959 had been a very bad year in my family with my father dangerously ill in the early part of the year and then the death of my brother about a month before I started. I left a home in turmoil to start a new life where I had to stand on my own two feet. I don’t know how my parents coped.

[rockfreak]

Just to track back a bit regarding the debate about how we perceive people's characters, and with reference to the character witnesses for Karim. Back in Prep B in the 1950s you wouldn't have thought that our housemaster Gordon Pink was anything other than a caring guy. Even his slipperings were half-hearted. He could have his English class in fits of laughter. Elsewhere someone has mentioned the little rubber bone that he would throw at dunces in his class - all in good spirit.
He appeared to be caring and in many ways he was. When my parents came down to visit my father (a cricket loving Yorkshireman) complimented him on how well mowed and rollered the Prep first team pitch was. "We have to," replied Pink, clearly worried about short pitched balls rearing up at the batsmen. My dad commented later how he didn't understand how such a well-qualified teacher (gown n' all) confined himself to teaching 9 to 12 year olds. Well done Dad. A touch of suspicious worldliness that seems to evade so many that go through the boarding school system.
As Evelyn Waugh once commented about his time at Lancing, some teachers liked little boys not at all and others too much. Unfortunately Pink had a habit of sliding his hand up small boys' shorts and sometimes more than that. It went on for ages until someone blew the whistle. But he was such a nice guy. No-one could quite understand it.

[rockfreak]

sentinej says: "Even the library seemed out of bounds; I was escorted out for not having a library pass or housemaster's permission."
I find that very odd. I was at C.H. 1948-55 and was a regular user of the library - in fact, it was one of my favourite places and I spent a lot of time there. But, I have absolutely no recollection of needing permission or a pass - if they did exist, were they introduced after 1956, perhaps, and, if so, why?

Secondly, he says: "CH's ban on outside contact" Again, I have absolutely no recollection of such a 'ban' which would, in any case, have been unenforceable. I would agree that it was difficult to make or maintain friendships at home, because one was away for most of the year, but that surely was not intentional on C.H.'s part?
David

Yes, I can back up Banker Brown here, certainly between 1955 and 1960 a housemaster's pass was needed for use of library. I remember a mate of mine getting fed up with the restriction and forging NTF's signature. As far as a ban on outside contact goes, there was a telephone (I think) in the corridor between Col B and Col A but I'm not sure whether we were encouraged to use it. I never did because I always imagined that if a master had happened along he would have demanded to know who I was phoning, in the manner of Stalin's thought police. The seclusion from the outside world was not so much physical as psychological.

[J.R.]

I can't recall a phone between Col A and B.
I regularly used the one in the corridor by the dining hall.

Neither do I recall ever getting permission to go to the library which I did often. Teddy Edwards (?) was in charge of the library.

[3078260061]

Like J.R. I often freely used the phone in the corridor behind the Dining Hall, once my parents had a phone installed at home.

There was a phone by the central entrance to Coleridge during my time at CH, 1944-53. Outside office hours calls to the School Office were diverted to this, and normally one of the 4 housemasters would answer and deal with the call, but if there was no master available a senior boy would be expected to do so. I have a vague memory of having to answer it a couple of times and pass a messge on.

The Librarian was indeed "Teddy" Edwards and the library was freely available to UF and above. I made good use of it

[Foureyes]

rockfreak says: "...I never did because I always imagined that if a master had happened along he would have demanded to know who I was phoning..." [My italics]

The key word in that quote is 'imagined' which proves absolutely nothing. In other words not once did the young rockfreak put this conspiracy theory of his to the test of making a call and seeing whether a master would interfere or not, so it is actually a pointless allegation.

David