Becoming C. S. Lewis (1898–1918) by Becoming C S Lewis (retail) (epub)

Author:Becoming C S Lewis (retail) (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO018000/REL108020/BIO000000
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2019-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

6

War and Romance

1915

In January 1915, Kirkpatrick suggested to Albert that Jack had the potential to win a classical scholarship to Oxford, but that his exceptional intellectual abilities might hinder him. His literary judgments and his unerring instinct for literary quality marked his advanced mind, but the examiners for the scholarships looked more for strong memory work, attention to grammatical norms, and receptivity to instruction. Jack’s critical and original mind could be his greatest handicap in preparing for a scholarship examination, and Kirk wanted Albert to realize that the task of preparing Clive would be a challenge.1 Kirkpatrick did not want Jack wasting time with the study of French and German. Jack’s greatest strengths lay in his proficiency in Greek and Latin; therefore, his greatest opportunity for a scholarship lay with the literae humaniores or ancient classics. He would read French with Mrs. Kirkpatrick more to give him exposure to the language than as a serious subject of study. He could do the same with German as time allowed, but not in a way that would take away from his real study.2

The Realities of War

Jack had delayed returning to Gastons at the end of the 1914 Christmas break because his father feared a German invasion of England.3 Kirk had nothing but contempt for the near panic over fear of invasion. He reasoned that an invasion by the Germans would require a confrontation with the British fleet, which would quickly put an end to German aspirations. The last thing the Germans would want was a massive encounter of their navy with the might of Britain.4 The war had taken on a grimmer tone since Jack had arrived at Gastons the previous September. One of the first people he met upon his first arrival at Gastons had been Oswald Smythe, a former pupil of Kirk who had come for a weeklong visit. Smythe returned in January 1915 with the news that his brother, who had lost an arm in combat, would soon return to France. The use of severely wounded and crippled men suggested to Jack that matters might be worse than previously imagined. Smythe also contradicted the reports of the splendid performance of troops from India, whom he criticized as “worthless, and absolutely unfitted for trench fighting,” and to make matters worse, in the habit of not burying their dead.5 This report seems odd, since both Hindus and Sikhs cremate their dead. The story suggests the extent of the power of rumor during war. Relating this report to his father, Jack allowed that it was only one man’s story and that as the war went on, everyone would grow less credulous.

Mr. Kirkpatrick, in contrast to Smythe, continued to make humorous comments on the course of the war at home as well as on conditions at the front. Kirkpatrick appears to have enjoyed performing for an audience, especially when he had a foil. The best of all foils was the local curate. Normally, Kirk did not take tea, but he made an exception when the curate came.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.