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My Early Life

By: Kinhomchan

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I had scarcely passed my twentieth birthday when I entered the inhospitable2 regions of examinations. The subjects which were dearest to the examiners were almost invariably3 those I fancied least. I would have liked to have been examined in history, poetry and writing essays. The examiners, on the other hand, were partial4 to Latin and mathematics. And their will prevailed. Moreover, I should have liked to be asked to say what I knew. They always tried to ask what I did not know.

When I would have willingly displayed my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance. This sort of treatment had only one result: I did not do well in examinations. This was especially true of my entrance examination to Harrow. The headmaster, Dr. Welldon, however, took a broadminded view of my Latin prose: he showed discernment6 in judging my general ability. This was the more remarkable, because I was found unable to answer a single question in the Latin paper. I wrote my name at the top of the page.

I wrote down the number of the question "I". After much reflection71 put a bracket round it thus "(I)"- But thereafter I could not think of anything connected with it that was either relevant or true. I gazed for two whole hours at this sad spectacle; and then merciful ushers8 collected my piece of foolscap9. It was from these slender10 indications of scholarship that Dr. Welldon drew the conclusion that I was worthy to pass into Harrow. It showed that he was a man capable of looking beneath the surface of things: a man not dependent upon paper manifestations. I have always had the greatest regard for him. In consequence of his decision, I was in due course placed in the lowest division of the bottom form. My name was in fact only two from the bottom of the whole school; and these two, I regret to say, disappeared almost immediately through illness or some other cause. I continued in this unpretentious situation for nearly a year. However, by being so long in the lowest form I gained an immense advantage over the cleverer boys. They all went on to learn Latin and Greek and splendid things like that. But I was considered such a dunce" that I could learn only English.

Thus I got into my bones the essential structure or the ordinary British sentence — which is a noble thing. And when in after years my schoolfellows who had won prizes and distinction for writing such beautiful Latin poetry and pithy Greek epigramshad to come down again to common English, to earn their living or make their way, I did not feel myself at any disadvantage. Naturally I am biased in favor of boys learning English. I would make them all learn English; and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honor, and Greek as a treat. But the only thing I would whipthem for would be for not knowing English. It was thought incongruous that while I apparently stagnated16 in the lowest form, I should gain a prize open to the whole school for reciting twelve hundred lines of Macaulay's17 of Ancient Rome without making a single mistake. I also succeeded in passing the preliminary examination for the army while still almost at the bottom of the school.

This examination seemed to have called forth a very special effort of my part, for many boys far above me failed in it. I also had a piece of good luck. We knew that among other questions we should be asked to draw from memory a map of some country or other. The night before by way of final preparation I put the names of all the maps in the atlas into a hat and drew out New Zealand. I applied my good memory to the geography of that dominion. Sure enough the first question in the paper was: "Draw a map of New Zealand." I was now embarked on a military career. This choice was entirely due to my collection of soldiers. I had nearly fifteen hundred, organized as an infantry division with a cavalry brigade. My brother Jack commanded the hostile army. But by a treaty he was not allowed to have artillery. Very important! The day came when my father himself paid a for-mal visit of inspection.

All the troops were arranged in the correct formation of attack. He spent twenty minutes studying the scene with a keen eye and cap¬tivatingsmile. At the end he asked me if I would like to go into the army. I thought it would be splendid to command an army, so I said "Yes" at once; and immediately I was taken at my word. For years I thought my father had discerned in me the qualities of military genius. But I was told later that he had only come to the conclusion that I was not clever enough to go to the Bar. He himself had only recently resigned his position as Leader of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and he still towered in the forefront of politics. However that may be, the toy soldiers turned the current of my life. Henceforward all my education was directed to passing into Sandhurst26, and afterwards to the technical details of the profession of arms. Anything else I had to pick up for myself.

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