We hope that time will be found to organize a school concert at Christmas. We have several singers, one or two violinists and quite a number of pianists in the school as well as several who should be able to recite.
We have the Challenge Cup for the Town v. Country matches every season. With the coming term this idea will be developed. Every boy in the school will be assigned either to Town or Country. Football, Cricket and Swimming contests will be arranged, and also other competitions added as time goes by. At present we shall be content with Town and Country, but immediately the number of boys in the school becomes sufficient a third House will be introduced.
Mr. Piper asks the school to accept his best thanks for the gift of a clock on 10th July. A clock is a very acceptable and appropriate birthday gift. May it tell many successful hours in the life of the school and also to those who so kindly-presented it!
The usual collections for the West Kent General Hospital and for the R.S.P.C.A. have been made. The boxes have not yet been opened, but they feel a good deal heavier than usual. The tin-foil box is full and overflowing. Our special thanks are due to Betts who brought in a huge quantity. Several others have also brought good amounts.
We wish all our readers a very pleasant holiday, fine weather and success in all holiday expeditions.
F. H. TOLPUTT.
CRICKET.
At the beginning of the season A. Harman was elected captain, W. Beale, vice-captain, S. Reynolds, secretary, and R. Ashby and P. Hinton on the committee. Harman was unable to play in a number of games and resigned the captaincy in favour of Beale.
Difficulty in obtaining a suitable pitch was experienced and finally we made use of a pitch in Lushington's Park. A number of enjoyable games have been played and four matches with outside teams have resulted in one victory, two losses and a draw. The draw was a virtual victory, for the school had declared at 100 runs with one wicket in hand, and then dismissed the opponents for the same score. Had the other team batted first the probability is that we could easily have secured the extra run necessary.
RESULTS.
1st June. - Boxley Scouts, away, match abandoned through rain.
4th June.-Alcomb's XI, home, lost, School-15, Alcomb's XI-39.
14th June.-Boxley Scouts, away, won, Scouts-17, School-31.
4th July.-St. Michael's Chair, home, draw, School-100 for 9 (dec), Choir-100.
11th July.-St. Peter's Choir, home, lost, School-67, Choir-91.
We still have fixtures arranged for games with Boxley and St. Michaels.
THE TOWER BRIDGE.
The Tower Bridge is perhaps one of the most wonderful bridges in the world. It cost over a million of money to build and no other country can show anything resembling our Tower Bridge, the last under which the Thames flows before reaching the sea.
It was built to relieve the traffic crossing the celebrated London Bridge, half a mile higher up the river. A bridge being required lower down the river, it was a problem how to construct one beneath which big ships could pass into the Pool of London to discharge cargo.
Ships had penetrated as far as London for a thousand years and an ordinary low-span bridge would hold them back and so cause tremendous dislocation to the river traffic.
It is an easy matter to build a bridge to swing open in order to allow the passage of shipping, but the new bridge had to be one which would not delay the foot-passengers of London.
The Tower Bridge, was accordingly designed with a roadway which would split and lift together with a roadway over which pedestrians could travel.
A. T. CROUCHER.