Undergraduates in a Worcester College Room

by Edward Irvine Halliday

In a strange, sad way, the most painful losses of the cultural revolution are the ones that are least justifiable. The relaxed, chummy, brotherly atmosphere of the scene that this picture portrays has now, of course, completely vanished. Everywhere you go in any Oxford college now there will be shrieking women, contemptuous ethnics, pop music and ugliness - everyone dressed in horrible clothes, thinking horrible thoughts, making horrible plans for a horrible future. And other universities will no doubt be even worse.

And to what end? Why did they have to destroy even these small havens of calm and learning and civilisation?

Because at the heart of Marxism lies nihilism - the worship of nothing, the love of nothing, and the hope for nothing but inevitable the decline and destruction of everything.

We must remember what has gone, and always hope for a better tomorrow.

Two to Watch Out For!

Will Kirkham as Don John and Arthur Handscomb as Claudio in Cranleigh Prep School's 2013 production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing at the Leatherhead Theatre, as part of the British government's Shakespeare Schools’ Festival

There can't be much doubt that we'll be seeing more (in every sense of the term, alas!) of these two handsome little devils in the future.

'In the Troops’ Quarters outside Paris'

by Anton von Werner

This is actually a really beautiful picture.

We can see the lady and daughter of the house in the background, obviously and understandably concerned that their home (not to mention their country) has been invaded by German soldiers. And yet at the same time the artist gives us every reason to be optimistic. Though they are making a bit of a mess, as soldiers (and young men generally) tend to, and though they are apparently helping themselves to the firewood, the men here come across as cheerful, well-meaning fellows who have not smashed the place up. (The ornaments on the chimney-piece are still clearly intact.) A couple of soldiers are relaxing and having a drink, one is singing, one is making up the fire, and one is playing the piano. (”We are not all barbarians!”) And one, perhaps most “relaxed” of all, seems to have changed into the tunic and cap of his old university fraternity, as if in expectation of further singing and beer and fellowship - though for now he is content with a quiet smoke next to the fire.

Another soldier, in the background, seems to be apologetically explaining to their hostess that all this is only temporary, and things should be back to normal soon…