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Quorn Grammar School - Pupils' patriotic spirit 1915

Loughborough Herald - 16th December 1915

The story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin has many lessons for the present day, and Browning's descriptive and clever riming account of how even in the year thirteen hundred and sixty-five the Germans could not keep their pledged word and thus lost their children has something of a parallel with the situation of today, when Germany is losing her children by the thousand.

The call of the piper also has its lessons, as the Rev W A King, on behalf of the trustees of the Rawlins Grammar School, was able to show on Wednesday evening in the Quorn Village Hall, when the pupils gave a well-performed entertainment for the benefit of the YMCA and the Red Cross society. The pupils have given up their prizes this year and were also willing to give a concert. The particular incident which brought the Vicar of Woodhouse on to the platform during the interval was the impending departure of two masters of the Rawlins School , Mr P Lidster and Mr F C Andrews, who were that very morning gazetted as second-lieutenants in the Sherwood Foresters. They will be much missed by all, and out of the school Lieut. Lidster's absence will be a sad thing for the Church Lads' Brigade.

The Vicar of Woodhouse, in commenting on the performance of "The Pied Piper," said all had enjoyed it, and the singing reflected the greatest credit on all, and especially on Miss Reynolds, the trainer. A piper had been passing through our land this last year or more and a good many had heard the music who had never listened before, It had been calling young men, middle-aged men, women and girls, and it seemed that people in their ordinary course of life, when they heard that music, were conscious it sang of something they had not perhaps heard before. It sang a song forgotten by some, and the music thrilled, and they began to follow. The piper's name was Duty, and his songs were threefold - of freedom, justice, and of sacrifice. These were the great strains which in some men had died down, but as they listened the selfish thoughts passed away and those of country came to the front. There were many who had followed - a good many from Quorn School, boys, young men, and, he believed, girls. And while they followed the piping led them into strange places, into munition works, into hospitals, into the trenches, and it had also led some of them to death. Yet they all followed; they could not keep away. The call was irresistible, and they were following still. Even those who were too young or too old the piper called, and their figures became a little straighter and their lips set firmer. Masters and teachers were called to do more duty, the children gave up their prizes, and their entertainment was for the YMCA and Red Cross (Applause).

The piping had even touched a body of trustees (Laughter). The trustees had been asked to release two teachers, and the claims of country had prevailed over the claims of education. They felt that this was certainly not a time when education should be allowed to go down, but they had to say "Go.". He would assure the parents they were not forgetting the education of their children, and it would not suffer very much. We were being educated by war, which was bringing home lessons to a good many of us which he was afraid many were in danger of forgetting.

To revert to the entertainment, which was listened to by a large and attentive, and particularly appreciative, audience, Browning's "Pied Piper" occupied the first part. Winifred Burrows narrated the story which was filled in by the Pied Piper. B Storer (who made an excellent fellow in red and yellow), and the Mayor (C Orton), while the young Wesley was capital as the big old rat who got safely out of the river Weser. The songs by John Farmer were excellently sung by the children attired as the townspeople, &c of Hamelin with the children. Miss B Butler was the stage manager, and Miss B Reynolds LRAM., the music teacher, accompanied. In the second part the various forms sang unison songs - Forms I and II., C Vincent's "The Snow." And "Buttercups", and the Welsh air, "The Bells of Aberdovey". Part songs by the higher forms included the delightful "Merry June," by Vincent, and the same composer's "Morning Song," with Forms IIIb to IV in Mozart's song "The Violet".

Miss Reynolds play the well-known Novelette in F by Schumann, and the American composer, MacDowell's curious "Brer Rabbit". Recitations by Ida A Lovett, "The Wise Men of Gotham", F B Weatherley's "Bravo!" recited by Constance M Mills, and "England" by B Storer, added to the attractive nature of the programme.

Submitted on: 2012-12-24 Submitted by: Kathryn Paterson Artefact ID: 1745 Print: View artefact in printer-friendly page