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The other bad boys of school life so graphically described by school story tellers are the braggart, the truant, the liar, the toady, and worst of all, the cad. This looks a formidable list; but the feminine mind consoles itself with pointing out that bad boys are almost invariably friendless. They may have their tools, or their slaves, but they have no friends." There is even at times a faint gleam of hope that the rampant horrors of bullying may some day be suppressed. "Let it be thoroughly understood that bullies will be sent to Coventry,' or that their misconduct will be summarily and righteously chastised, and then we may hope that this revolting cruelty will at length disappear from our Public Schools."

Before leaving the topic of these School stories, we must draw attention to the ludicrous pictures they always give of school games. Here is a typical account of a cricket match. "It was a glorious spring day, and a hundred lads and more were on the cricket-field, and twice as many spectators; for it was a match between two schools, and created no little interest in the neighbourhood. And now the match begins, and there is good sport, for both sides do well, and the players score large numbers, and it is impossible to tell on which school fortune will smile. There is fresh interest as each new player takes the bat. Your innings now!' 'Make the best of it!' The game depends much on you!' Such are the stirring words which greet each one as he stands by the wicket. 'Well played, William!' 'Now next best man to take the bat!' 'Well scouted, Thomas!' 'Well run;' 'Hurrah!' and clapping of hands are often heard as the friendly strife goes on, and not till nightfall is the great battle of the Schools decided."

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But we pass on to a mistake which is very general among the uninitiated, and which seriously affects the happiness of schoolboys. We allude to the idea of fond parents and aunts that it is so nice for their boys to go to a school where they will have relatives and home acquaintances among their school fellows. It needs actual experience to prove the reverse; but we feel sure that the general verdict of those who have tried it will agree with us when, in the words of Charles Lamb, we say that a relative at school is "the most irrelevant thing in nature,―a piece of impertinent correspondency, and odious approximation, a haunting conscience,-a preposterous

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shadow,lengthening in the noon-tide of our prosperity, -an unwelcome remembrancer,-a perpetually recurring mortification,-a drain on your purse,—a more intolerable dun upon your pride,—a drawback upon your success, a rebuke to your rising,-a stain in your blood,- a blot on your 'scutcheon,—a rent in your garment,- -a death's head at your banquet,-Agathocles' pot,-a Mordecai in your gate, a Lazarus at your door, a lion in your path-a frog in your chamber,-a fly in your ointment,—a mote in your eye,‚—a triumph to your enemy, an apology to your friends, the one thing not needful,-the hail in harvest, the ounce of sour in a pound of sweet." The commonest and most disagreeable relative to be harnessed to at school is a brother. Two brothers prevent one another making friends, they are always in each other's way; they are often ashamed, or what is still more disastrous, jealous of one another. The greatest misfortune of all is when the younger brother is cleverer or more successful at games than the elder. In a public school where there is so much keen rivalry and competition, a junior must often cut out a senior in some way, and it requires the very sweetest possible temper to bear such a mortification without harbouring jealousy. And success at the expense of his brother is unwelcome to the younger, if he has any brotherly feeling. Living together all term time as well as the holidays, they must necessarily get somewhat tired of one another, and it is to be wondered at if squabbles do not result.

A cousin or a more distant relative at school is a lesser burden. You hear from some friends or relations that they are just going to send their boy to the school you are at. They are sure "you won't mind saying a kind word now and then to their little Tommy, who is so timid and soft-hearted, to prevent his feeling too homesick and lonely," After infinite trouble you find the little imp, who of course does not in the least want you, and is quite happy with his peers; you ask him if he is all right, and how his "people at home" are, and then, having nothing more to say, go away. Next holidays when you see the imp's relatives, a series of questions is fired off at you, whether you think he is getting on well, whether he is popular with his school-fellows, whether you like him yourself. To all such interrogations of course you return enthusiastic affirmatives. Again, perhaps the cousin is your contemporary,

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