Gladstone as an Eton Boy.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 298, 18 December 1886, Page 3

Gladstone as an Eton Boy.

Eto-S must have been what the English call a "queer" school from 1821 to 18231 William E, Gladstone was 12 years of age when he and his, two elder brothers, Thomas and Robertsun, got down from tha coach in 1821 at the Christopher Inn. Eton, and walked across the street to their boarding house

The two e.lder Gladstones were "old boys i" so that William was not a strangor among the six hundred inmates of the school. T,he fact of their boarding-house being juet opposite the inn, a' which coaches and post-chaises were continually stopping, was not favourable to study, and still less to good morals. It was easy for fags to dart across tho street and bring back a bo', tie of wine for a carouse ; and often the e'der boys, under the pretence of " s?6ing friends from L> ndon,"" would indulge in potations in the inn itself. Tho tutor of William Gladstone was a clergvmon of a type then not uncommon ; a good scholar, an agreeable man, but ex ceedingly fond of all mundane pleasures Ho and another master, with one or two if the elder boys, would go to London on a Saturday aftei noon .by post-chaise, attend the theatre in the evening, stay over Sunday, and ride back to Eton (20 miles) in time for school on Monday morning. On one of these expeditions the boys behaved so badly in the streets at night that they were arrested and locked up. One of the roysterers was the son of the Lord Chancellor, by whose influence they were released.

The boys received no education on the moral side. They lay in bed on Sunday mornings till ten o'clock, and got up in the wildest-haste to get to chapel at half, past 10. A great number of them would enter at the last stroke of the bell, rushing in pellmell, laughing, shoving, and making all possible noise. Noblemen's sons and the members of the highest class sat in special seats raised above the rest; and the first time these boys occupied the distinguished places they distributed packages of almonds and raisins, ■which were eaten during the service. Tho head mister, Dr. Keate.a Doctorof Divinity, was a capricious, violent, foolish man, who took pleasure in flogging. One Sunday fit prayers a boy accidentally knocked off William Gladstone's hat. " Playing at cricket with your hat, eh ?" roared the absurd little despot. Ho was about to flog the future orator, whon the victim succeeded in explaining to him the nature of the mishap. "Well," said the master, "I m"st flog somebody for this. Find me the boy who <ja*-o you tho nudge." In spite of these demoralising circumstances, there was a respectable number of boys who worked hard and behaved well. The majority were turbu'ont and gluttonous barbarians ; but n few stuck close to

their studies, kept themselves tree from the vices of the school, and even resisted the temptation to prevaricate, which the penee!ess tyranny or-the master daily created. In this honourable majority were tbo Gladstones, and particularly the youngest of the three brothers, win went to Oxford so well prepared that, without excessive exertions, ho graduated first-class in.olaafics and first-class in mathematics, " double first" of this year. Happily, Dr. Arnold has lived since that period ; and partly through his influence, but chiefly through the general amelioration of morals and manners, the worst abuse? of great English schools have been abolished.