before i go on to a discussion of the latest, broadest, and most interesting phase of sanderson's mental life, i would like to give my readers as vivid a picture as i can of his personality and his methods of delivery. i have tried to convey an impression of his stout and ruddy presence, his glancing spectacles, his short, compact but allusive delivery, his general personal jolliness. i will give now a sketch of one of his scripture lessons made by two of the boys in the school. nothing i think could convey so well his rich discursiveness nor the affectionate humour he inspired throughout the school. here it is.

'scripture lesson

'delivered by f. w. sanderson on sunday, 25th may 1919, and taken down word for word[pg 73] by x and y, and subsequently written up by them.

'limitations of space and time have prevented them from including all the lesson. omissions have been indicated. they apologise for the lapses of the speaker into inaudibility, which were not their fault. they do not hold themselves in any way responsible for the opinions expressed herein.

'analysis

'of the portions copied.

'characteristic portions in the gospel of st. matthew.

'obstinacy of the oxford and cambridge schools examination board.

'character of the devil, according to some modern writers.

'first act of our lord on beginning the galilean ministry.

'empire day.

'subject of the scripture lesson:—st. matthew, chaps. iv and v.

('the temptations, the commencement of the [pg 74]galilean ministry, the first portion of the sermon on the mount.')

'(the headmaster enters, worries his gown, sits down, adjusts his waistcoat, and coughs once.)

'the—um—er—i am taking you through the gospel of st. matthew. i think, as a matter of fact, we got to the end of the third chapter. we won't spend much time over the fourth. the fourth, i think, is the—er—er—temptations, which i have already taken with you—a rather—er—very interesting—ah—very interesting—er—survival. that the temptation narrative should have survived shows that there is probably something of value in it or i do not think it would have survived. there are two incidents of very similar character of—er—very—er—similar character and—ah—different to a certain extent from everything else—er—ah— there is a boy in that corner not listening to me. who is that boy in the corner there? no, not you—two rows in front. i will come down to you later, my boy. there are two incidents in the gospel narrative which are similar in—er—character and which i have for the moment called "survivals"—very characteristic, namely, the somewhat surprising[pg 75] narrative of the temptation of our lord, and the other the account of the transfiguration. these are different in form and character from other narratives, just in the same way as the account of our lord sending messages to the baptist differs from others. er—yes—that last one. i should put them together as coming from a similar source (lapse into inaudibility—bow wow wow. unique in characteristic—bow wow wow—somewhat subtle—bow wow). one remarks that the temptations are always looked at from the personal point of view, which i have put down in my synopsis. has anybody here got my synopsis? lend it to me a moment. i don't think the personal significance of the gospel stories has importance nowadays. we needn't consider it. that's what i think about things in general. personal importance giving place to universal needs. we are not so much concerned with whether boys do evil or not. of course it annoys me if i find a boy doing evil. leading others astray. shockingly annoying. oughtn't to be. like continuous mathematics not enabling a boy to pass in arithmetic—bow wow wow—screw loose. see what i mean, k——? not referring to you, my boy[pg 76] (laughter). hunt me up something in plato about all these things. during the last generation—

'(half a page omitted.)

'just in the same way from another point of view shall we live for own advancement, which we are continually tempted to do? it's awfully annoying if you do certain things and people won't recognise them. i was pretty heftily annoyed myself at a meeting of the oxford and cambridge board. professor barker—great man—i nearly always agree with him. professor barker. they had made science compulsory for the school certificate. bow wow wow. i don't want boys turned aside from their main purpose to have to get up scraps and snippets of science. literary pursuits and so on. i wouldn't have it at any price. bow wow wow. modern languages are compulsory too. by looking at a boy's french set i can tell whether he can pass or not. bow wow. professor barker proposed that science should be voluntary. i seconded him, but i said that languages should be voluntary as well. he didn't see that at all. isn't it enough to make a man angry?

[pg 77]

'(half a dozen lines omitted from our note as incomprehensible.)

'now i am inclined to think that satan in this gospel is not intended to be the satan of our minds—the prince of evil. he is intended to be more like the satan in the book of job. he is the devil's advocate. he argues for the other side. for the opposition. he is put up to create opposition. this may in itself be a valuable thing. i don't know that i need go further into it. i would just like to tell you this, boys. some modern writers, especially bernard shaw, have a very high esteem for the devil. he[1] prefers hell to heaven. so he says. of course he hasn't been there, so he can't tell. so he is voted a dangerous personage because, dear souls, they don't know what he means. what he means is that heaven as it has been run down to and god as he has been run down to—everything placid and simple and inactive and non-creative and sleepy. people don't worship god. they worship (burble burble). they don't disturb their minds and think about things. that's what he means. yes. man and superman. activity of intellect. that's[pg 78] more or less what he has in mind. he prefers people doing something outrageously wrong than doing nothing at all. i don't know if it's true; it's all expressed in greek thought.

'(four pages omitted on running with the tide, lloyd george, the importance of french in examinations, and the correct way of getting a true national spirit.)

'well, our lord now proceeded to found his galilean ministry. and what was the first thing he did, l——? it's quite obvious. what did he do? obvious. were you thinking of what i said just now? no, sir. my stream of words goes over you, not through you. obvious. now what was the first thing he did? what is obviously the first thing he did? why, it's painfully obvious, even to l——. what was it? what? where are we, l——? l—— has lost the place. which paragraph do i mean, l——? read the paragraph i mean. no. i have finished that. next one. obvious. what is it about? yes, what is it about? what is it about? two or four? yes, four! now what is obvious? obvious! now you've just got it, and you're ten minutes behind. of course. the first obvious[pg 79] thing he had to do was to get a band of faithful disciples. very first thing he did. what did he call them to be? to be what? fishers of men. obvious.

'(five pages omitted on empire day, medical study, and cancer.)

'now the—er—the sermon on the mount. you have heard this ever since you were on your mother's knee. at least i hope so. beyond the historical times of your memory. for you, the sermon on the mount is as old as the ages. and yet i dare trespass on the sermon on the mount. "i've heard of it before," you say. "i'm tired of it. do something fresh." boys, you must go and read old things and breathe into them the new spirit of life. now what is that chapter in ezekiel, boys? do you know the number of the page, and the paragraph, and the chapter? no. what am i talking about? why, the valley of dry bones. never heard of it! no. is it in jeremiah, ezekiel, or where, or habakkuk? is it in ezekiel 1? no. 36? no. 37? yes. dry bones. bones. yes. that's what. i am going to take you to a valley of dry bones. dry bones. bones. it is your business to go into the dry[pg 80] bones of the past and cover them with flesh, and breathe into them the new spirit. i often read the sermon on the mount. it never bores me. i have more excuse to be bored than you. i learned it, gracious goodness, how long ago! beyond historic times. i loved it as a boy. dry bones.

'(three pages on the sermon on the mount.)

'now yesterday was empire day. why did you want me to put the flag up? rule britannia! britannia rules the waves! is not that it? (yes, sir.) dear boys! i wouldn't throw cold water on it for worlds. well, you had your flag. it didn't fly. there was no wind behind it. there was no devil to blow it. dear boys, you wanted that flag for a reason i think a shade wrong. it wouldn't be within the—what's the word i want?—suited for our modern gauges. the new world won't come until we give up the idea of conquest and extension of empire—no new kingdom until its members are imbued with the principles that competition is wrong, that conquest is wrong, that co-operativeness is right, and sacrifice a law of nature. now, how do the seven beatitudes read with rule britannia? now you say you believe[pg 81] in your bibles. you say you are christians. pious christians. you would be most annoyed if i called you heathens. well, if so, you believe that these are right:—

'blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. rule britannia!

'blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. rule britannia!

'blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. rule britannia!

'blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. britannia rules the waves!

'blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. rule britannia!

'blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see all that is worth seeing and living for. wave your flag! rule britannia!

'blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of god. rule britannia!

'blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness sake. rule britannia! it is incongruous....

'dear souls! my dear souls! i wouldn't lead you astray for anything. i can't explain it ... [pg 82]this national spirit of yours. beneath it all there is a spirit of great righteousness. i wouldn't tamper with it for thousands of pounds. but you must just see the other side....

'(starts on the salt of the earth, but is interrupted by time. sets a heavy prep., and goes.)'