THE LATE MR. TURING.
[To THE EDITOR OP THE SPECTATOR:1 Sue,—Will you allow one who sympathises with Mr. Abbey's concern for the credit of his old master, and who is acquainted with the facts, to point out that the reference in your article to "rebellion" and "unruly boys" need convey no disparagement of Dr. Holden ? He had left for Durham weeks before Mr. Thring reached Uppingham; the school had been under a locum knells whose health and nerves broke down; if in these circumstances discipline for the moment went to pieces, especially with the youth of thirty•four years ago, no experienced person will be surprised, or infer that Dr. Holden was to blame. It is perti- nent to remark that Mr. Thring himself has often acknowledged the improvement of the school by his predecessor.
On the other hand, Mr. Abbey need not connect the unruli- ness with discontent at the radical changes under the new regime. Squibs let off outside the schoolhouse windows at prayer-time on the night of the new Head-Master's arrival, can
hardly have been a demonstration against his reforms ; and when the school turned up for first lesson half-an-hour late, and -explained that "they thought it didn't matter," they were not entering a protest against radical changes. I may venture the guess that these young gentlemen were "trying it on" with the new master, and add that the experiment was short, sharp, and
Previous page
