Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen

At the age of thirteen, Philip officially entered the Royal College of Canterbury.The school is quite proud of its long history.It was originally a monastery school, founded long before the Normans conquered England, with only a few very simple courses taught by monks of the Augustinian order.This school, like others of its kind, was rebuilt after the destruction of the abbey by the officials of His Majesty King Henry VIII, from which it takes its name.Since then, the school has adopted a more practical approach to education, targeting the children of the local elite and people from all walks of life in Kent, providing them with an education sufficient to meet practical needs.One or two students became well-known literati after leaving school. At first, they galloped in the literary world as poets. In terms of their talents, they were second only to Shakespeare. It even affected Philip's generation.The Royal College also produced a handful of outstanding lawyers, but it's no surprise that there are so many great lawyers in today's society.In addition, there has been a soldier with great military exploits.However, in the three hundred years after the Royal College broke away from the monks, it mainly trained a large number of talents for the church: priests, bishops, senior pastors, members of the pastorate, especially rural pastors.The fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers of some students who have studied here are all now rectors in the Diocese of Canterbury, so when these students first stepped into the school, they were determined to inherit their ancestors and become priests in the future.Still, there are signs that something is changing even among these people; some children carry into school what they have heard at home, that the church of today is not the church of old.The problem is not that the salary of the church is meager, but that there are good and bad people in the church industry, and there is a mixture of good and bad.Several of the curate's fathers, so far as the children knew, were businessmen.They'd rather go to the Colonies (in those days when people who couldn't find a way out in England still put their last hope in the Colonies) than be curate under some low-born kid.At the Royal College, as at the Vicarage at Blackstable, we speak of buyers and sellers who are cast in the wrong womb and who have no ancestral inheritance (here there is a distinction between landed squires and ordinary landowners). nuances), or people who do not engage in the four specialized occupations (for people of status, they always choose among the four occupations when they want to find a job).Among the day students of the Royal Public School, about 150 parents were local high-class people or military officers stationed in the military depot. As for those children whose parents were businessmen, they felt that their status was low and they could not hold their heads up.

Those old masters in the school can't tolerate any new ideas in education. Sometimes they see some in "The Times" or "Guardian", and they don't take it seriously.All they wanted was for the Royal College to preserve its old traditions.Those dead languages, the teachers teach them so well that children often think of Homer or Virgil in the future, and they will inevitably feel a sense of disgust.Although there is a daredevil character who hints at the growing importance of mathematics over meals in the faculty common room, most people feel that the subject is not on a par with the highbrow classics.Neither German nor chemistry is taught in the school.As for the French class, it was given by grade teachers, who were more effective in maintaining order than foreign teachers; besides, their knowledge of grammar was by no means inferior to that of any Frenchman.As for their restaurant in Boulogne, it seems irrelevant that they would not have even had a cup of coffee if the waiter hadn't known some English.In teaching geography, the main thing is to let students draw maps.The kids love it too, especially when it's about some mountainous country, because drawing the Andes or the Apennines kills a lot of time.The teachers were unmarried clergymen, Oxbridge graduates.If any one of them occasionally wanted to marry and start a family, it was at the disposal of the clergyman, and accepted some lesser-paying office.In fact, for many years, no teacher has been willing to leave such a refined circle of life in Canterbury (which, in addition to the devout religious atmosphere, has a certain martial color because of the local cavalry station), and has gone to the country. The monotony of parish life; and the school teachers are well past forty now.

The headmaster of the Royal College, on the other hand, is obliged to marry; he presides over the affairs of the school until he is too old and feeble to see.When the headmaster retired, he was not only rewarded with a generous salary that ordinary teachers can't even imagine, but he was also awarded the title of honorary member of the priesthood. However, just a year before Philip entered the Royal College, a major change took place.It was noticed a while ago that Dr. Fleming, who had been the principal for twenty-five years, was already deaf and dazzled, obviously unable to continue to serve God.Later, a fat vacancy at six hundred pounds a year happened to open up in the outskirts of the city, and the vicarage suggested to him that he should accept the job, which in effect implied that it was time for him to retire.Besides, relying on such an annual salary, he can rest comfortably and live his life to the fullest.There are two or three curate priests who have been coveting this fat vacancy, and they will inevitably complain in front of their wives that such a parish needs to be presided over by a strong young man, but it has been handed over to a man who knows nothing about parish work and only knows how to make money for himself. It's unreasonable to be so old!But the murmurings of the unordained clergy did not reach the ears of the lords of the cathedral chaplaincy.As for the parishioners, they had nothing to say in such matters, and so they were not to be consulted.And the Methodists and Baptists had their own little churches in the villages.

The matter of Dr. Fleming was thus settled, and it was now necessary to find a successor.It would be against the tradition of the school to choose from among the teachers of the school.The faculty unanimously wished to elect Mr. Watson, headmaster of the preparatory school: it would be difficult to count him as a teacher at the Royal College, and besides, we had known him for twenty years, and there was no need to worry that he would become a distasteful character.However, the pastor's decision took them by surprise.The chaplaincy had chosen a nobody named Perkins.At first, no one knew who Perkins was, and the name Perkins did not make a good impression on anyone.However, when they were astonished, they suddenly realized that this Perkins was the son of the draper Perkins!Dr. Fleming did not formally inform the faculty of the news until just before lunch, and, judging from his demeanor, he himself was alarmed.Those teachers who stayed in the school to eat, just absorbed in eating almost silently, did not mention the matter at all, and waited until the workers left the room, and gradually discussed it.It doesn't matter what the surname of those people present is, but it doesn't hurt the overall situation if they don't say it. Fortunately, generations of students know their nicknames as "Chang Sigh", "Tar", "Sleepy Bug", "Squirt Gun" and "Little Tuantuan".

They all knew Tom Perkins.In the first place, he was not a gentleman of distinction.His past situation is still fresh in everyone's memory.He was a small, dark-skinned little boy, with black hair like a haystack, and big, round eyes. He looked like a gypsy.When he was studying at that time, he was a day student and enjoyed the highest standard scholarship provided by the school, so he didn't even spend a penny during his studies.Of course, he is also really talented.At the annual awards ceremony, his hands are always full of prizes.Tom Perkins became the school's living gold-lettered signs.Now the teachers recalled with poignancy how they had feared that he would leave them behind and take a scholarship to one of the larger public schools.Dr. Fleming even went to see his father who owned a drapery shop—teachers remembered the "Perkins-Cooper" drapery shop in the Rue St. Catherine—and wished Tom Oxford has been able to stay with them. The Royal College is the largest customer of "Perkins and Cooper's" draper, and Mr. Perkins is of course willing to comply with the other party's request, and he has guaranteed it. Tom Perkins continues to rise He was the top student in the classics that Dr. Fleming could remember. When he left, he took with him the highest scholarship offered to him by the school. He got another scholarship at Magdalen College, Then began a glorious career at the University. The school magazine recorded the various honors he received year after year. When he was first in both subjects, Dr. Fleming himself wrote a few eulogies, which were published in the The title page of the school magazine. The school teacher was very satisfied when he celebrated his outstanding academic achievements, because the "Perkins-Cooper" drapery shop was in bad luck at this time. Cooper was drunk and crazy. Drinking too much; and just as Tom Perkins was finishing his degree, the two cloth merchants filed for bankruptcy.

Tom Perkins was ordained in time to be a clergyman, and he was indeed a clergyman.He has successively served as deputy headmaster at Wellington College and Rugby College. Then again, it's one thing to praise him for his accomplishments at other schools, but quite another to be at his own school and to work under him. Mr. "Asphalt" often punished him for copying books, and Mr. "Squirt Gun" even slapped him on the ear.It is inconceivable that the clergyman could have done such absurd things.No one could forget that he was the son of a bankrupt draper, and Cooper's drinking seemed to have put another layer of dust on his face.Needless to say, I know that the Dean of Canterbury naturally enthusiastically supports Luo, the candidate he proposed, so maybe he will hold a banquet to welcome him.But would the pleasing little banquets in church grounds retain the same taste when Tom Perkins was the guest?How will the depot react?He did not expect at all that the officers and men of society would admit him into their circle of life; if he did, the harm to the school would be incalculable.Parents will certainly express their displeasure, and it would not be a surprise if large numbers of students suddenly drop out.Besides, it would be too disrespectful to call him "Mr. Perkins" then!The teachers really wanted to collectively submit their resignations in protest, but if the higher-ups took it easy and accepted their resignations, wouldn’t it be self-defeating? !Thinking of this, righteousness had to give up.

"There is no other way but to keep the same and deal with the ever-changing," said Mr. Chang Sigh.He has been teaching fifth grade for twenty-five years. As for teaching, there is no one more useless than him. After meeting the new principal, the teachers may not feel at ease.Dr. Fleming invited them to meet the new principal over lunch.He was now a man of thirty-two, tall and thin, and his slovenly appearance was exactly the same as the little boy the teachers remembered.A few poorly made clothes were put on indiscriminately, looking shabby.The shaggy head of hair was as black and long as before, and he had evidently never learned how to comb it; with a wave of his hand, a stamp of his foot, the locks fell over his forehead, and then he raised his hand abruptly , brushing her hair back from her eyes.The beard on his face was unshaven and black, almost growing to the cheekbones.He talked to the teachers with ease, as if he had only parted with them a week or two.Clearly, he was delighted to see them.He doesn't seem at all unfamiliar with his new role.People called him "Mr. Perkins," and he didn't think there was much fuss about it.

When he was saying goodbye to the teachers, a teacher who had nothing to say said casually, "It's still early for the train to leave." "I'd like to go round and see the shop," replied Perkins cheerfully. Those present were visibly embarrassed.They secretly wondered how this guy could be so stupid; and the Dr. Fleming couldn't hear Perkins clearly, and the atmosphere became more and more awkward.His wife yelled into his ear: "He wanted to go around and see his father's old shop." All present recognized the humiliation in the words except Tom Perkins.He turned to Mrs. Fleming:

"Do you know who owns the shop now?" She almost couldn't answer, she was so annoyed. "It's still in the hands of a draper," she said gruffly. "The name is Grove. We don't shop at that store now." "I don't know if he will let me go in and have a look." "I think he'll let you see if it's clear who you are." It wasn't until after dinner in the evening that no one in the teachers' common room mentioned the matter that had been held back for a long time.It was Mr. "Often Sigh" who started it.he asks:

"Well, what do you guys think of our new boss?" They thought about the conversation at lunch.It wasn't really a conversation at all, but a monologue, in which Perkins sang to himself incessantly.He spoke eloquently, eloquently, and his voice was deep and sonorous.He grinned, showing his white teeth, and his laugh was short and queer.They listened to him with difficulty and without getting the point.He talked about this for a while, and said that for a while, and kept changing the topic, and they often couldn't grasp the connection between his words and his words.It was only natural that he talked about pedagogy, but he gave a lecture on a modern German theory that he had never heard of before, and the teachers were all terrified.He talked about the classics, but then he said he had been to Greece, and then he talked about archaeology, saying that he once spent a whole winter digging for antiquities.They really don't understand how useful this thing is for teachers to help students prepare for exams.He also talked about politics.The teachers were baffled when they heard him compare Lord Bergensfield with Archivizes.He also spoke of Mr Gladstone and Home Rule.It dawned on them that the guy was a Liberal.Everyone's hearts suddenly turned cold.He also spoke of German philosophy and French novels.The teachers believe that a person who dabbles in and enjoys everything will definitely not be very academically accomplished.

In the end, Mr. "Sleepy" summed up everyone's thoughts into a brilliant punch line with the finishing touch. "Sleepy" is the grade teacher of the third grade senior class. He is cowardly by nature and his eyelids are always drooping.Tall and thin, weak, with slow and dull movements, giving people the impression of being listless all day long, the nickname others gave him is really penetrating and apt. "This man is an impulsive fellow," said Sleepy. Excessive enthusiasm is a sign of lack of education.Enthusiasm and impulsiveness are definitely not the demeanor that a gentleman should have. It reminds people of the noisy scene of the Salvation Army.Enthusiasm means change.These old masters can't help but get goosebumps at the thought that the traditional habits that are desirable are at stake.The future is simply unimaginable. "He's looking more and more like a gypsy," someone said, after a moment's silence. "I doubt the patriarch and pastor knew he was a radical when they selected him," another grumbled bitterly. It was difficult to continue the conversation.Everyone was confused and speechless. A week later, Mr. "Tar" and Mr. "Sigh" went together to the parsonage for the annual awards ceremony.On the way, the sharp-tongued Mr. "Asphalt" sighed to the colleague: "It's not rare for you and me to participate in the award ceremony here? But who knows if this is the last time?!" "Chang Sigh" is more frowning than ever. "I have nothing else to ask for now, as long as I can arrange a decent place to go, I don't care if I retire sooner or later."