From a Special Correspondent
On Saturday, July 2, St. John's, the Junior School for Beaumont College. celebrated its golden jubilee, having been opened originally in July, 1888. 1 went to the festivities at the kind invitation of the Rev. Fr. Sharkey, the headmaster, and spent a very happy afternoon among a large gathering of Old Boys, friends and parents of the present boys. It was interesting to realise as one went over the building what surprising ability the architect Bently, of Westminster Cathedral fame, had shown in his designs.
It would be difficult to find anywhere school buildings planned with such attention to generosity of light and ventilation, space and harmony. Few modern buildings could compete with it in all those details which we call so distinctively modern. The chapel is indeed a gem. Mrs. de l'Hopital—Bently's daughter—who was an honoured guest, must have felt very proud of her father's genius.
When I left town after lunch it was raining in torrents, but St. John's was bathed in sunshine. (How do enthusiastic small boys arrange these things?) Sports were in progress on the cricket field when I arrived. It was pleasant to forget the city, settle oneself comfortably on the grassy slopes that border that peaceful field and watch the grim seriousness of the contestants.
They were getting so much more fun out of their energy than the busy city men that I had just left. The city men, lawyers, doctors, architects and others whom I recognised among the crowd had a gaiety and lighthearted air that they do not usually show in city hours. The sports ended with a display of physical fitness which was really quite remarkable. It cannot be an easy task to train sixty small boys, who, I suppose, vary in quickness of uptake much as we did when we were small, to such remarkable rhythm and timing as those youngsters showed. Modern P.T. is full of life and freedom. I envied the youngsters their suppleness, but I was glad that the parents were not expected to join in, even to the music to which it was all done.