RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30221, 28 August 1963, Page 25

RANDOM REMINDER

OUT OF SCHOOL RULES

From years of bitter experience comes the knowledge that it is now time to offer younger readers a few Rules for School Holidays. August holidays are not often used for family vacations, the iittie horrors are around the house all day, and there is an urgent need to remind them to channel their natural energies into proper and reasonable pursuits. Bows and arrows must not be used in enclosed premises, by night or day. William Tell and Robin Hood here set a good example, which should be followed. But that does not afford licence for indiscriminate sword fighting, in which Robin Hood and William Tell get a very bad ex-

ample. Arrows and swords can cause untold damage, especially if driven through the cushion supporting someone’s claims to be Friar Tuck. Model railways, set up in the middle of the kitchen floor, can cause untold confusion to the restaurant staff. The tidal basin in the bath used for naval manoeuvres must be kept at least one foot from the top. And it should be remembered that this is war, and that efforts to convert the battle from an Arctic convoy to a Caribbean cruise through the addition of a steady stream of hot water are not likely to get past the Commander- in -Chief. Indoor golf, if confined

to putting, is often permissible. but it is advisable to remember that the ball should be rolled into the receptacle—an empty tin is better than a crystal glass—and not slammed in like a goal in ice hockey. Wrestling and boxing are definitely out, and so is Rugby football, even if played with an old sock rolled up. It is not the season for toffee making. Nothing left to do, some will say. But there would be rewards in studying some old chess problems, making a neat inventory of one’s books, re-sorting the stamp collection, perhaps learning a few of the simple knitting stitches. Never mind. The rotten old holidays will be over soon.