Magazine 1956

28 The Penang Free School Magazine 7. 220 Yards Low Hurdles Class I: 1. Abd. Aziz (Pin.); 2. Kumarasingham (Ch.) ; 3. Lim Wee Keat (Wu.). 28.7 secs. 8. 50 Yards Class Ill: 1. Chew Kok Hoe (Wu .); 2. Lim Thean Siew· (Pin.); 3. Elias b . Hashim (Pin.). 6.4 secs. 9. Long Jump Class I: 1. Ng Hon Leong (Wu.); 2. Oh Siew Theam (Pin.) ; 3. Cheah Kim Swee (Har.). 19 feet 6 ins. 10. 100 Yards Class III: 1. Md. Ismail b . Omar (Har.J; 2. Yeoh Khee Nam (Wu.); 3. Abdul Hassan (Oh.). 12 secs. 11. 100 Yards Class II: 1. Abd. Wahab b. A. Karim (Ch.) ; 2. Khoo Kay Hin (Pin.); 3. Lee Eng Tatt (Har.). 11.5 secs. 12. 100 Yarcls Cla,;s I: 1. Ng Kim Seng (Har.); 2. Md. Hussain b. Yusof (Har.); 3. Aziz b. Ibrahim (Pin.) . 10.8 secs. 13. ¼ Mile Inter-School Relay (Feedc1· Schools): 1. Francis Lig h t School; 2. Westlands School; 3. Hutchings School. 55.1 secs. 14. ¼ Mile Class II: 1. Govindasamy (Wu.>; 2. Syd Omar b . S. Jalar (Wu.); 3. Hashim b . Sheriff (Pin.). 59.1 secs. 15. ¼ Mile Class I: 1. Kumarasingham (Ch.); 2. Md. Said b . Salleh (Pin.) ; 3. Lim Wee Keat (Wu.). 55.9 secs. 16. 220 Yards Class Ill: 1. Md. Hassain b. Yunus (Wu.); 2. Zainuddin b. A. Bakar (Pin.); 3. Lee Ewe Chua (Ham. t. 28.6 secs. 17. 220 Yarcls Class II: 1. Govindasamy, S . (Wu.). 2. Lee Eng Ta LL (Har.); 3. Khoo Kay Hin (Pin.). 26.4 secs. 18. 220 Yards Class I: 1. Ng Kim Seng (Har.); 2. Md. Hussain b . Yusof (Har.); 3. Kumarasingham (Ch.) . 24.9 secs. 19. 100 Yards Handicap Old Boys: 1. Mr. Khaw Eng Chuan; 2. Mr. Lim Bian Leong; 3. Mr. Khoo Huat Hin. 10.8 secs. 20. Hurdles Class III: 1. Argus Ari tr (Pin.); 2. Koe Eng Ghee (Har.) ; 3. Md. Ali b. Hassan (Har.). 15.5 secs. 21. Hurdles Class II: 1. Ahmad Jalaluclin (Ch.); 2. Loh Soon Choy (Pin.). 18.8 secs. 22. Hurdles Class I: 1. Abd. Aziz (Pin.) : 2. Ng Hon Leong (Wu.); 3. Ko Boon Chen (Ch.>. 18 secs. 23. Tug-of-War Class I: 1. Wu Lien Teh; 2. Hamilton. 24. Hop, Step & Jump Open: 1. Ng Hon Leong (Wu.); 2. Cheah Kim Swee (Har.); 3. Wong Tuck Chong (Pin.) and Oh Siew Thiam (Ch.). 40 f.cet 1 1 . ~ ins.

The Penang Free School Magazine 29 25. ~:. Mile Relay Class III: 1. Wu Lien Teh ; 2. Pin horn and Hargreaves. 54.8 ins. 26. ¼ Mile Relay Class II: 1. Pin horn : 2. Cheeseman ; 3. Hargreaves. 51.6 secs. 2i. ¼ 3. Cheeseman. Mile Relay 49.9 secs. Class I: 1. Wu Lien Teh; 2. Hargreaves; 28. 1 .f.? Mile Class I: 1. Md. Said b. Salleh (Pin.) ; 2. Lee Chong Ghee {Wu. l: 3. Khoo Kay Sar (Ham.). 2 mins. 19.8 secs. 29. 1 ,f! Mile Relay Class II: 1. Wu Lien Teh; 2. Pinhorn; 3. Hamilton. 1 min. 50.4 secs. 30. 1 M.ilc Relay Class I : 1. Cheeseman; 2. Pinhorn; 3. Hargreaves. 4 mins. 2.6 secs. Cham1Jion Athletes: Ng Hon Leong 28 pts. (Wu Lien Teh) & Md. Said b. Salleh 28 pts. (Pinhorn). Runner.up : Cheah Kim Swee 24 pts. (Hargreaves). Winners of Hongkong University Old Boys' Tro))hy for Athletic Sports: (Wu Lien Teh House) 174 points. Winners of University of Malaya Old Boys' Trophy for Additional Sports: (Cheeseman House). INFORMATION REGARUING IC.ElJUKU INt'KUVEl\IENTS 1956 I. Throwing· the Javelin: Record broken by Ch'ng Eng Keat (Pin.) 130 feet 3 ~f! ins. 2. 100 yards Class I: Record equalled by Ng Kim Seng (Har.) 10.8 secs.

30 The Penang Free School Magazin0 - - ---- I.Editor's note : We take great pleasure in editing this article, which is in honour of the Old Frees, who have attained ihe distinction of be~ng made Knights. I BIOGRAPHY OF HIS HIGHNESS. THE RAJA OF PERLIS His Highness the Raja of Perlis, Sir Syed Putra bin Syed Hassan Jamalullail, K.C.M.G. was born on 25th November, 1920 at Arau, Perlis. He was educated at the Penang Free School. He was made heir to the throne of Perlis in April, 1938. In 1940 His Highness, then as Baka! Raja (Heir presumptive) served in the Magistrates Court, Kangar for 4 months. His Highness went to Kuala Lumpur to study local law and was attached lo the Land Office for one year and in the Courts for another year. His Highness remained in Kuala Lumpur until the outbreak of the Second World War. During the Japanese occupation His Highness was engaged in business of his own. His Highness ascended the throne on 4th December. 1945 and was inst,alled as Raja of Perlis on 12th March, 194!>. He was made the Companion of the Order of Saint, Michael and Saint George on the same day. His Highness visited England during the Festival of Britain in 1951 and then toured Europe. In 1954 His Highness went on tour to Hongkong and Japan. His Highness was conferred with the Honorary Knight Commander or the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in May, 1956. MESSAGE FROM SIR HUSEIN H. ABDOOLCADER, Kt., CBE. It gives me great pleasure to give a short message to the Penang Free School through the School Magazine. I have been and always will be proud of the fact that I was educated in the Penang Free School and no words can express what I owe to the old School. It is not only the academic side of education that counts but also the training that inculcates a sense of leadership. Malaya will need leaders in the t,ue sense of the word to march with and before her in her progress towards political maturity in the very near future. I am confident that not the least of the sources for such leaders Malaya can look forward to will be the Penang Free School in her past; present and future pupils. I wlll lastly stress to the pupils of the Penang Free School ever to be mindful of two of the not least important attributes of leadership-self-confidence and perseverance.

SPOJR.1['§ DAY Right: Heave! Middle Left: Hc'S' won. Middle Right: The PrizeGiving. ; ' ... ·. ,..-(.';{ \ -~· _ . • ' --~~t ~ . .. _,, - .... ~ t I Bottom: (Left) : Whoops! (Right): Hurdling, and out of breath, too.

THE THREE KNIGHTS R HAJI MOHAMED SHERIFF, K .O,.M., K.B.E., C.M.G. H.H. THE RAJA OF PERLIS, K.C.M.G. SIR HUSSEIN H. ABDOOLCADER, Kt., C.B.E. ' I

'The Penang Free School Magazine 31 ------------------- May the School always flourish and may she never fall short in answering Malaya's call to her for leaders. SIR HUSEIN H. ABDOOLCADER, KT., C.B.E. ADVOCATE & SOLICITOR. MESSAGE FROM SIR HAJI MOHAMED SHERIFF K.O.M., K.B.E., C.M.G. It was a saying of Disraeli that the secret of success in life is for a man -to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. The truth of this statement is obvious, and it is reasonable to suppose that every one of you aspires at a success'- ful and prosperous life when you leave school. The question is how you are to set about preparing yourself for that hour of opportunity. Now let me tell you that apart from certain correct habits which you must acquire, there is one factor in the achievement of success which you should not ignore. You must formulate, as early as possible, a definite aim in life. You must stop drifting so to speak; it leads you to nowhere. When you have made up your mind and fixed your heart upon a definite life plan, you should proceed to analyse yourself carefully and see if your aim in life harmonizes with your native ability. If it does, then set your mind to work in earnest to study ways and means to attain your desire. The best in you will exert itself and you will be amazed to find opportunities everywhere about you. In fact you will soon be making your own opportunities to secure your ambition. [Editor's note: The letters K.O.l\'I. stand for Kedah Order of M-erit. which is the highest honour which the Ruler of Kedah can bestow on a person. It is restricted to three persons living at the same time, and up to the present it has only been awarded to Sir Haji Mohamed Sheriff.l

32 The Penang Free School Mag-n.%inc Special F ea lure RE'1. ROBERT SP ARKE HUTCHINGS - FOUNDER OF THE PENANG FREE SCHOOL I Editor's note : It is a highly lamentable fact that the1·e is such a dearth of material concerning the Founder of our School, the Rev. Robert Sparke Hutchings. lt is our 1uivilege therefore, through the courtesy of the Headmaster, to rectify this discrepancy by ()resenting this edited letter to the Headmaster from Sir Robert Hutchings who is himself the great.grandson of our Founder:! Dea r Mr. Tod, Amberley, Hill Wa ye, Gerrards Cross. 30th December, 1955. My son, Lieutenant Commander Brian Hutchings, R.N. has passed Lo me your letter of the 2nd November, 1955, asking for further particulars of the Reverend R. S. Hutchings, the founder of the Penang Free School, and I gladly send you these notes. The Genealogy of Rev. R. S. Hutchings The na me Hutchings is of Saxon origin and very common in the S. W. of England. My ancestors were Devonshire people. The earliest comparatively respecta ble one I know of ls John Hutchings, a merchant of Dartmouth in Devon a nd here I quote from a letter from my great aunt, Elvira Maclean e, da ted " La Bigoterie," Guernsey, June 4th, 1879. " He (John Hutchings) was evidently a man of some position a nd wea lth, or he would not have sent his son to Christ Church, Oxford, which wa s t hen as now (1879) the favoured College for aristocracy and wealthy commoners. Also he pw·chased for this son, a life interest for two generations in the living of Dittisham, near Dartmouth; this was worth £1,000 a year and must have been an expensive .purchase. "The Rev. John Hutchings of Christ Church, Oxford, a nd Rector of Dittlsham, (the son referred to above) married Sarah Sparke of Dartmouth . Her family in those days were at the head of the Society of Lhc Town, which was then a very thriving place, and carried on an active trade with America and Newfoundland." It is recorded that the Rev. John Hutchings, fath er o f the principal subject of this letter "lived rather too fast and too well, a nd did not save much money, though he brought up sixteen children !" However. h e was able to send his youngest son, the Rev. R. S. Hutchings, born in 1783, to Christ Church, Oxford. Rev. R. S. Hutchings-At Home and Abroad The Rev. R. S. Hutchings, Chaplain of Penang and founder of the Penang Fr ee School, succeeded h is father as Rector of Dlttisham. He built a new Rectory house there in a beautiful situation, and made t he first roa d t o

The Penang Free School lVhlgazine 33 --------------------- enable carriages to drive from Dartmouth to Dittisham. There are fine memorial windows in Dittisham Church to him and to his father. Possibly, owing to financial difficulties, and while still a bachelor, he decided to leave Dittisham a nd "accept ed a chaplaincy in Bengal." I am not quite sure of the date he left England or whether Penang was his first station, the island was, of course, at. that time in the diocese of Calcutta, as was Australia!, but he appears to have succeeded the Rev. Atwell Lake, who was the firs.t Chaplain of Penang, in 1814. From a note by the Rev. Keppel Garnier, a former Chaplain of Penang. I quote, '! The Rev. Robert S. Hutchings arrived in Penang in 1814 as the successor of the Rev. Atwell Lake who was the first Chaplain of Prince of Wales Island. There was no Church when he arrived and he was mainly instrumental in getting the Church built at the cost of $60,000- the cost being defrayed by the East India Coy. Mr. Hutchings also founded the Penang Free School in 1816 which, as you know, is still the premier school of the Colony. " The Free School authorities issued a short history of the school in 1916. "Mr. Hutchings left Penang and returned to India in 1817 when a Mr. Henderson came to Penang, but he returned in 1820 and remained here till 1827 but I am not sure whether he then died or retired. I will try and find out about this. The Church was complet ed in his absence , and when he returned in 1820 it had been consecrated the previous year and he must have been pleased and proud of the Church which he had been instrumental in building and of the Free School which then existed on a plot of land alongside the Church Compound. " His wife's name was Elvira, and there is a Mt. Elvira in the Island and I imagine that it is true to say that there is not a single family in Pznang of the Old Eurasian and protestant community which does not poss::!ss one or more members who are also named · Elvira.' Mrs. Hutchings seems ta have stood Godmother to nearly every baby- legitimate or illegiLimate- during her stay in P enang which speaks volumes for the estimation in which she was held. I sh ould much like to know what h er maiden name was. I do not think- I am in fact pretty sure that they were not married in Penang. " The School which still exists alongside the Church has been rechristened Hutchings School when the " Free School " was moved to new buildings in Green Lane." In 1818 as stated above he married Elvira Phipps who, again, to quote my great aunt, " was the younger child of Mr. Constantine Phipps, Grandson of the Earl of Mulgrave and first cousin to the Premier of England in the r eign of George III previously First Lord of the Admiralty." However that may be. she must have been a sweet and lovely woman and I shall have more to say about her and how he came to marry her. The Malay Bible ancl the Rev. R. S. Hutchings There can be little doubt that Robert Sparke Hutchings had the gift of tongues, and it is recorded of him that he compiled the first gramma r of the Malay language, a dictionary, "and all the elementary books for the schools." In the Sixth Report of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society, 1816, we r ead :

34 'J.'he Penang Free School Magazirt.__: The Committee are happy in being able to report that, through tne aid and exertions of the Reverend R. S. Hutchings, and Major Mcinnes, lJ revised version of the New Testament is now in the Press. It was also in this year, 1816, that R. S. Hutchings founded an AuxiliarY Bible Society in Penang which was welcomed and recognised by the Calcutl3 Auxiliary. I Editor's note : At this juncture, Rev. R. S. Hutchings was compelled by indisposition to visit Bengal. He took with him a revised co1>y of the Gospel of St. Matthew and presented it to the Committee on the 30th November. As the copy was comparatively accurate, the Committee 1·esolvecl to take immediate measures for printing 3,000 copies of his translation as part of the intended Edition of the Malay Testament. By the encl of 1817, the Testaments were J>ri.nted and distributed. The readiness, zeal ancl proficiency which have been evinced by Rev. Hutchings and his helper, Major Mcinnes, brought about his detainment at Bengal that he might prepare and see through the 11ress a new edition of the Old Testament in the Malay L'\nguage and the Arabic characters. As a result, the Rev. Mr. Henderson held the post of Rev. Hutchings until the latter's return to Penang in 1820. The reproduction of the letters exchanged between the Calcutta Au.xiliary and Rev. Hutchings is most illuminating as to the calibre of Rev. Hutchings I From the President, (G. Udny, Esq., Members of Council) to the Rev. R. S. Hutchings. 1820 Calcutta, 24th February, 1820. "The Committee of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society, mindful of the expenses you have incurred, and of the reduction of allowances to which you have be.:in subjected by a residence in Bengal c1urine- the last two years, to devote them, as you have so assiduously done to the service of the Society, have, in consideration thereof, resolved, that you s hall be res11ectfully rcquestecl to accept the sum of Sicca Rupees Two Thousand, (2000) which although it m ay fall short of the sacrifice you have made, will S·<!rve to s hew that the Committee have not been entirely inattentive to it. " .As 1Presiclent of the Calcutta Auxr.liary Bible So.cicty, I have the pleasure to enclose an order on the Treasurer, in your favour, for the a bove amount, and wishing you all prosperity, I remain, My clear Sil-, with much esteem Your faithful, humble Servant, (Signed) G. Udny."

·The Penang Free School Magazine 35 - ----------------- From the Rev. R. S. Hutchings to the President. Off Kedgeree, 26th February, 1820. "'I have not tim~ to state the reasons why I ought. not to accept the kind offer of the Committee, but I am fully assured and feel that I ought not. I am not however less sensible of the obligation, and but too sensible of my own inadequacy to the task from which my mind would have shrunk altogether, if any other person could have been found; and if an humble reliance on the Divine Being, who seems to have placed me in this work, had not supported me, believing assuredly that his power might be manifested in the weakness of his Jaboure1·. The satisfaction arising from such an cmr,loyment is a blessing from above, infinitely surpassing every fancied desert; and to receive a recompense for any tri.ftillg pecuniary sacrifice, would in such a case be ingratitude. " I must ret111est you to make my most grateful acknowledgments to the Committee for their great liberality and kind intentions. As I cannot think of encroaching, and so largely too, on the funds of a Society whose interest I have deeply at heart, and by whose exertions this money may be the means of doing so much good, I trust, therefore, I may be excused for s,~nding back the draft with my grateful acknowledgments. I remain, My dear Sir, with great regard and esteem, Your very faithfully obliged, (Signed) R. S. Hutchings" His Return from Bengal, His Subsequent Demise and the Eventual Fate of His Pro1>erty. After his return to Penang in 1820, but at what exact date I am not sure, Mr. Hutchings acquired an estate on one of the two main peaks of the island, built a substantial bungalow. and cleared and planted the slopes wit h " nutmeg· a nd other spices." But alas " ague" or malaria was to make the estate uninhabita ble. The elder children all got it and had to be sent off to Macao and Mr. Hutch ings himself was a sufferer a nd was absent on sick leave for a long period round about 1826, In the end it killed him, a nd Robert Sparke Hutchings died of Mala ria in P enang in April, 1828. It is r ecorded that a fter his deat h the house was let to the Commanding Officer but he, poor man, and his wife , his son and ayah, ·• all died of the virulent fever." The esta te fell into decay and nothing of it now remains but its name. Rev. R. S. Hut chings called it Mount Elvira after his wife, so lovely, so spirited and gay but the name and t h e place are now connected in one place only, the Admiralty Chart of the island and harbour of Penang, where the name " Mount Elvira" is still boldly printed to mark one of the principal Peaks of the island. Elvira Phipps- Widow of R. S. Hutchings So, I must return to Elvira Phipps that Robert Sparke met in C~lcutt a or more likely in Barrackpore when he was working on the Old Testament. In her daughter's letter of 1879 we get these glimpses : " From old residents who

3H The Penang Free School Magazine remembered my father (R. S. Hutchings) I gather that he was a grave thoughtful man, carefully rebuking the· careless and even gross language that prevailed in those days. He must have been a great contrast to my mother, who was evidently a merry young woman and fond of fun," and again, "My mother was born at Caen, Normandy, or rather at the Chateau d'Harcourt near it. My grandmother kept her daughters very strictly. She would pull their bonnet:; over their noses in church if they ventured to look about them, and made my mother a .prisoner in her room because she had formed an attachment to an officer. As a consequence my mother's high spirits rebelled and she joined her brother Pownoll in Bengal where she met and married my father about 1818.'' They had eight children. When Rev. R. S. Hutchings died she (Mrs. R. S. Hutchings) returned to England via China in the East Indiaman " Atlas " Capt. Hine. She did not remain in England long but left on a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope where she was to marry a Colonel Cameron. Her daughter writes "'The voyage was very tedious: the only other passenger was Mr. James Carey, the eldest son of James Carey, Esq., of Guernsey, Jurat of the Royal Court. This young man was only 24, very handsome and susceptible. His father saw him on board and returned rubbing his hands and saying " There is not a single young lady on board for James to fall in love with." But the first letter from him announced his intended marriage to the widow. This event caused much excitement and scandal. A duel was fought at the Cape and the trouble and annoyance were serious." In this marriage she had three sons and two daughters. In Conclusion It is fascinating to trace the thread that runs through this simple story of life and love and service. Perhaps it is the thread of God's purpose so fine we can barely see it, yet stronger than life and love and stronger far than death. I see it first in 1804 when a small group of good and determined men in England formed the British and Foreign Bible Society. The very next year, Nelson was given the victory at Trafalgar in 1805, which meant that freedom of the seas was in safe hands for the next century, when movement by sea was of paramount importance. Men like the Founder of the Penang Free School and their brave wives could move about the face of the earth freely, and well they used their opportunities. Would it have been so if we had lost Trafalgar? I am writing this letter because once more a British Frigate has been into Penang, busy on this same business of the freedom of the seas. One of her Officers is the greaL great grandson of Robert Sparke Hutchings. I courted and married his mother where the Founder met and married his sweet Elvira over a hundred years before. On the chart as the ship comes in, the Navigator can read the name "Mount Elvira" when he checks on his leading marks. How clear the leading marks stand out in those lives of long ago! Yes, and there is fragrance too, sweeter than the scent of "nutmegs," tender as t.he faint perfume of an old lace handkerchief. Yow·s sincerely, R. H. HUTCHINGS, (Sir Robert Hutchings, K.C.I.E., C.M.G.) J . E. Tod, Esq., M.A., Penang Free School, Penang.

·The Penang Free School Ma_g-azi.ne 37 Verse : ------------------ ON BEING BLIND Is it the distant wailing waves I hear, Dear sister, is the crawling sea so near, That we can hear the tempting Sirens' calls From Neptune's lands beyond those crystal halls? So riding and skiing on the watery sea, I hear, I hear their glee, their calls to me. What glares so bright upon my vacant eyes? Is it that stranger light from yonder skies? I hear the distant church bell loudly toll, And on the sands the plaintive ripples roll, Does day or night so rule our weary way Forbid to tarry or yet longer stay? Say sister dear, nor light's nor night's great joy Must I now feel, albeit but a boy? Cheong Weng Yeang, Upper VI (Arts). FAREWELL, FARE"\-VELL, 0 EVER IMMORTAL NYMPH Farewell, farewell, O ever immortal nymph, The joys you brought foretold my earthly pain. Your sweet and luscious lips, your body trim, Are but delights which die, and what disdain. The pearl of precious tears is now a stain, Nor thy melodious voice rests now a spell. It tolls the end of this so amorous vein ; The tale bears grief, tis known so much so well: And what the wine I drank I cannot tell. To pain and sorrow I was never knownWi thin the vale of vernal joy I'd dwell, Where your soft charms pervaded- none did moan. But as the rose that witnesses your woe, Your thorns are left to pierce where love did grow. Wong King Wah, Lower VI (Arts).

38 The Penang Free School Magazine Prose: THE MOON Who are you that ls so high in the sky? Don't you like to be as playful as I? Why are you sometimes as round as a ball? From your starry home to the earth, can you fall? Who gives you light to make the earth so bright? Why do you only shine during the night? Are your little sisters, the twinkling stars? Or to the sky, they are but healed scars. You give happiness to the world at night, It will say, "Thank you, bright moon, for your light." But what are you when the sun shall arise? Are you still there, high up in the barren skies? When dawn shows her rosy fingers, whence goes thee? Children will ask, " The moon! The moon! Where is she?" Tan Cheng Yew, II C. HI-HO HI - HO WHEN OFF TO ANT3 WE GO (THE TERMITE PROJECT) WITH all our examinations over, the Upper Six Science 1956 of the School began to slacken their tempo in work so that we were being dubbed as- ' the lazy blighters.' One of our masters then told us to " go to t,he ant . . . . . . . . consider her ways and be wise. " So, to the (white) ants we went and with this t he Te1mite Project of the cla~s began. Plans were drawn up and we were divided into various groups a nd each of these groups was supposed to look out for a particular aspect of termite life when we finally went into the field. The first operation of this proj ect was one of reconnaissance- the object being to locate an area in which there were termite nests. The various groups fanned out from the Biology lab. in all directions, and within the hour w1::re back with various information regarding their finds. One group had located a small piece or previously cultivated ground NE of the school field and only just outside its fence. This place had a bout seven big termite nests quite near each other and after some consideration this was chosen as the area in which further operations of the Project would be carried out.

The Penang Free School Magazine 39 Next day we came to school with prismatic compasses, steel and canvas tapes, marker pegs and boards. Armed with such instruments we proceeded to systematically map out the respective areas under study. A correlating officer was appointed and his duty was to amalgamate all the facts and figures of this second operation of the Project and put them onto one big white sheet of paperthe ' Map of Termite-land.' So with an air of militaristic precision about it, t.he Termite Project got well under way. The group which was supposed to deal with the layout of the nest, began next to break open certain outlying nests as a preliminary operation in order to determine the best possible method in the breaching of the nest. The others watched other aspects of the operation. The people responsible for getting facts on the food supplies of the termites began to look for food stores within the nest; the group detailed ,to look into the life history of the termites began by obtaining specimens in their various stages of development. So far the operation had progressed very well and there were no casualties yet- no one had been treated for termite bites. But this state of affairs terminated when we proceeded to open a huge nest situated near the roots of a coconut tree. Here the 'soldiers' of the nest-big black termites with enlarged jaws-' defended' the nest with utmost vigour and in the midst of our work we heard shouts of "Wow" and " Ouch " quite a few times. So at last the termites had struck back at the meddlesome Upper Sixth students. But undaunted by this 'showdown' of termite power, we went on with our job- opening more nests and collecting more facts about the little insects who live in a colony of their own, ruled by- a royal pair-which consists of the most immobile egg-laying Queen and the rather weak king (did I hear somebody say henpecked?) As more nests were broken open we began to get a clearer picture of the termite community. We found out that these insects grew a certain kind of fungus for food and also had huge (from the termites' point of view that is,) food stores all round the nest so that food was available at all times. We also found that there was a kind of caste system within the community. There were the royalty (already mentioned); the soldiers (who fought the enemies of the nest and defended the nest against them) ; the workers (who slaved all their lives to better the condition of the nest); and there were also the nymphs-the young of the nest who ran about until they were old enough to be workers, soldiers or the future kings and queens of future colonies. Further we also noted that the queen of the nest together with the king were incarcerated in the queen chamber- a sort of flatish chamber with very smooth walls. So day after day, in the mornings and afternoons, the Upper Six Science went on searching for facts about these little creatures. Then the final operation of this Project came. This consisted of the breaking open of a particular nest systematically and the photographing of the various vertical sections of the nest for future r eference. But a snag confronted us-where were we to get a photographer? However after some search in the School's Photographic Society, we managed to get one who was interested enough to do some snapping in the hot afternoon sun. So armed with flashbulbs, close-up lenses and other gadgets

40 The Penang Free School Magazine (not forgetting the various photographic tables) the cameraman joined forces with the class and out we went again for the last time into 'Termite Territory.' With the help of a spade and a chungkol, a previously selected nest was carefully dug open. Vertical "slices" were taken off the nest and wherever necessary, photographs were taken. This .operation took nearly the whole afternoon and all the 'lazy blighters' of the class became ' eager beavers' as the hot work became more interesting. Even the girls of the class (whom we thought were rather squeamish over those 'horrid little creatures') worked alongside us from start to finish and a tremendous amount of information regarding the layout of a nest was obtained in this final operation of the Termite Project. So after roughly two months of field work, the Upper Sixth Science had been to the ants and had studied their ways, and we hope, been made wiser! PO"\VER Teoh Soon Teong, Upper VI (Science). T HE lives of men all through the ages have been subjected to many influences some for good, some for evil. Men in the course of history have fallen slaves to their overweening ambition, lust for power and greed with their attendant ill consequences. But there have been others who have been able to conquer their internal weaknesses and have risen stronger and better prepared for the battle of life. One of the most prominent factors that have influenced mankind from time immemorial is power. Power has played a great part in the course of history. The desire for it has even been in the hearts of men since the world began and today more than ever is this desire in evidence. More and more people have come to the conclusion that life would only be worthwhile if it were lived in a blaze of glory and that to live In obscurity is indeed to live in misery. Little do they realise the blessings of a quiet peaceful life; little do they know the comforts of a happy home Immersed as they are in a world of secular desires and hopes and blinded as they are by the bright prizes that seem to lie in wait for them in t he near future if they relax not their efforts. Ambitions of men have done much for the progress of mankind and many a man has brought much good to the world by his search for power but power has been more a curse than a blessing to humanity. Many a man blighted by this curse has striven after the golden prize only to find it crumple to dust in his hands! He has devoted all his time and talents to the attainment of this ambition for power, only to find the prize not worthy of his efforts. Alone he stands in his power bereft of love, peace of mind, happiness and comfort and constantly haunted by the phantom of fear, greed, suspicion and remorse. He stands by himself isolated from all the blessings of life and crying out like Alexander Selkirk on the desert island, Society, friendship and love Divinely bestowed upon man O had I the wings of a dove How soon would I taste thee again - Cowper.

The Penang Free School Magazine 41 ·- - -- - ------------------- Power indeed endows a man with external glory but fills him internally with misery. He has stepped over the bodies of his fellowmen in his relentless pursuit of power and steeped in the blood of his neighbours as he is he finds that love is far from his grasp. Power has been the curse of humanity. Because of power men have thrown away all the bonds of loyalty and true friendship ; because of power men have debased themselves and sunk into the lowest depths of degradation : yet in spite of all the many examples in history men still insist on falling prey to the clutches of this terrible desire for power. Real happiness and prosperity cannot be the due of man until he realises the need of changing his attitude towards the desire for power. Man will be contented and happy and live at peace with his neighbours only when the desire !or power ceases to be the main interest of life to him. ON PANTUN Tan Kim Leong, Upper VI {Science). QF all the forms of Malay poetry, viz "Seloka,'' "Bait," " Shaer," " Gurindam" and "Sajak," none is more famous and none, I think, has permeated so rootedly into the lives and imaginations of the Malayan peoples as the "pantun." Long before they could read or write, Malays had already known the art of expressing to each other in pantuns. This strengthened all the more the al-sertion that this verse form is the Malays' own creation- contrary to the last mentioned which are either Persian , or Arabic (if not Indian) in origin. The Malays have been deservedly reputed as lovers of metaphors, riddles, similes and satires. And if these qualities brought about anything at all, they certainly did play a great part in the development of the pantuns. Here is a beautiful illustration of what I mean when I say that Malays love metaphors, etc. In the "Tempest" when innocent Miranda ask.;, " Do you love me?," Ferdinand- like any young man would do, broke into a wild passionate yes. Similarly circumstanced, however, a Malay lover would simply utter this as answer. Terang bulan terang ka-paya Anak gagak makan padi Kalau tuan tidak perchaya Belah dada lihatkan hati. In structure, style and convention, Orientalists have discovered some i;triking resemblance between the pantuns and the Chinese Odes. Further research brings to light {in certain respects only, of course) a parallel in this form of poetry with the Batak's "leaf-language." For instance, when a Batak lad sends his lass the leaves of the "sitarak," "hadundung," "sitara," "sitanggis," "padom-padom " and " pahu," she knows at once that the love-letter or message . reads, "Since our parting I cannot sleep but have been in tears." The name of each leaf rhymes with a word, thus "sitarak" with " marsarak" meaning divorce, part, "sltanggis" with "tanggis "-weep and so on until a complete expression is thus formed.

42 '.!.'he Penang Free School l\'lag-azine The popular conception that pantuns mean quatrains is, strictly speaking, quite incorrect, because there are pantuns which consist of only two lines, Lain dulang lain kati-nya, Lain orang lain hati-nya. And there are too, those with six lines, eight and even more, besides those wilh four. But notwithstanding the number of lines that they are composed of, all pantuns adhere closely to the principle that the first half of the verse represents a poetic thought with its beauty and meaning veiled (pembayang maksud) while the latter half expresses the same thought in all its unveiled beauty. In sum, the first is the sentimental Introduction of the second. Let us take this verse as an example, Permat.a jatoh di-rumput, Jatoh di-rumput -gilang : Kaseh umpama embun di-rumput, Datang matahari hilang. or I love a pearl amidst the grass It keeps its hue though low it lies I love a girl, but love will pass A pearl of dew that slowly dies. Apart from conforming to the principle just explained, this verse also represents the best illustration of the Malay poet's ingenious use of assonance. The sound of the whole of the first line suggests the sound of the whole of the third and the sound of the whole of the second suggests the sound of the whole of the fourth. The first couplet thus prepares the reflection, sensation and state of mind for what to follow. It is due to such style and structure perhaps that the Malays soon developed a new kind of pantun commonly known as "pantun berkait-kait " or the verse sequence, where the verses are connected to each other: the concluding lines (2nd and 4th) of the first verse being taken up again and used as the opening lines ( 1st and 3rd) of the second verse : To Bandan the vultures fly, In Patani their feathers fall On many a lass have I cast an eye Never like this a lass of them all. In Patani their feathers fall Two score tail of doves Never like this a lass of them all To steal hearts' loves.

The Penang Free School Magazine :13 This category · of pan tuns is often employed in marriage ceremonies, dances, and to-day in sing-songs where male and female vocalists take their respective parts. During the "ronggeng ciance" for instance the dancer-singer amidst the tempo flings a well-known sally at lhe partner, who employing the principle of the verse-sequence invents a suitable retort- in case he fails to summon to memory the appropriate one amongst the hundreds crammed in his head! . Excellent examples of such contest· of wit are to be found in the story of "Awang Sulong Merah Muda" especially in verses banded between the Hero and the Princess Dayang Sri Jawa and again between the Hero an::! the Princess Mayang Mengurai. A great bulk of the pantuns are "simple, sensuous and passionate," and llke many of Wordsworth's lyrical verses not hard to comprehend. Specially so are those belonging to the Young Men's verses or Pantun Muda and its train viz. "pantun dagan, pantun nasib, pantun jenaka, pantun berkenalan, pantun berkaseh, pantun bercherian and pantun beriba hati." They all have love as their central theme. There are, however, pantuns of a complex and baffling nature and far beyond the reach of the ordinary wit--like Browning's poetry. This latter type draws memberships from those belonging to Pantun Tua (The Ancient's Verses) and its train, viz. " pantun nasihat, pantun ugama, and pantun 'adat." Here is a verse from " Sejarah Melayu," the Malay Annals : Chau Pandan anak Bubanga, Hendak menyerang ka-Melaka Ada chinchin berisi bunga, Bunga berladong si-ayer mata. One cannot expect a Malay and for that matter an Englishman untrained in the history of his country to understand a verse of such nature. For to discover the connection in the above pantun between the proposed attack of a Siamese Prince on Malacca and a "ring stuck with a posy of flowers bedewed by tears " one has to know that the young prince Chau Pandan died in h:..; heyday on the eve of the expedition. Thus fully to understand the relevancy between the two couplets a complete knowledge of contemporary circumstances is required. Let us take another verse from the same source. This verse was composed on the fate of a certain Tun Java Khatib who came " a rolling stone'' (as we would say) from Pasai to Singapore. Seeing the Raja's wife stare at him from the palace window our friend demonstrated his witchcraft by splitting an arecanut in two- by his gaze! Whether he was a Don Juan out to win the "Permaisuri," or whether he merely wished to impress her, we do not know. What we do know is that on his being found out the Raja had him decapitated : dying thus at Singapore he was, according to one source, buried on the Langkawi Island. The verse · runs, Telor itek dari Singgora, Pandan terletak di-langkali. Darah-nya t!tek di-Singapura, Badan-nya terhantar di-Langkawi. The famous Malay scholar, Pijnappel explained that the first two lines typify the distance between the scene of the victim's death and the scene of his

4-1 The Penang Free School Magazin~ burial. R. o. Winstedt further elaborated this in greater detail, saying that, the duck's eggs represent the rolling stone, and " pandan " (a plant of the screwpine family) represents something sacred or untouchable. Having understood all the implications, the translation would then be, A rolling stone from far he wandered. Was broke for bold offence he gave. In Singapore his blood was squandered Remote Langkawi holds his grave. Since Malay is being made the most important language besides English in Malaya and in Indonesia to-day a genuine fervour to seriously study it has manifested itself especially among those wishing to domicile here. This is an encouraging sign. But it is one thing to learn a language and it is another to comprehend the range of passion and soul and the faculty for ideas of those speaking that language. A student in Malay may not appreciate the language unless he understands the Malays as well. Just as one would not appreciate Punjabi unless one understands the Sikhs and their religion, Sikhism. And no one would attempt to consider the mental history of England without the study of its literature, of the Scots without the study of Burns; and no one can estimate the mental scope of the Malays nor appreciate their language without an understanding of the pantun, the love-verse and lampoon of the Malaysian peoples. ON THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING Omar b. Hashim. Upper VI (Arts> . AND DISADVANTAGES YOUNG BEING young is an adventure in itself. And like all adventures it has its thrills and spills, its climaxes and anti-climaxes, its fulfilments and disappointments, Its ups and its downs. Joseph Conrad, the eminent author, says, "Oh youth! The strength of it! The faith of it! The imagination of it!" Yes, youth has strength, for youth is the symbol of health, vitality and endurance. In his book entitled "Youth" Conrad tells of a man who, because he was young, endured his disasters with good cheer and did not succumb t,o them. A youth looks forward to the future with boundless confidence. A very young boy says to a very young girl, " When I grow up, I'm going to live in a big house and have a big car and . ... . . . . and will you marry me, please?" One who has acquired worldly wisdom knows that life ls not as simple as that. But to one who is young, tomorrow is always a day of promise, achievement and romance. One very great . advantage of being young is the imagination that appertains to youth. A boy with a dirty patch over one eye, a broken, wooden sword In hand and an absurd paper h a t perched in a perky manner on his head

The Penang Free School Magazine is lost in the realms of buccaneering and treasure hunts. The essential part of being young is seeing things not at their intrinsic values but as they are created by an Infinite imagination. To an elderly person a ship is a ship, an orchid, an orchid and a t.iger, a tiger. But to a youth, a ship may convey the world to him, .an orchid, the exotic lands, and a tiger, the beckoning call ot adventure. The disadvantages of being young arise chiefly from immaturity. The very fact that a youth is oblivious of the pitfalls or the mature world is his undoing, for when he does fall, he falls hard. He becomes bewildered, and -afraid and deeply discouraged until he receives reassurance from an outside .source or draws it from the well of his own sporting spirit. Because he has no experience of life he is easily hurt and feels that when he fights the fight of life, he has to fight it all alone. Those who have been young (and who has not been?) will remember the heartaches that have resulted from the impulsiveness and hot-headedness of youth. \\'hen a person is young he brooks no opposition and repulses advice, and because of this he finds out in later life the hurts he has inflicted on others and the hurts others have inflicted on him. Furthermore, youth lacks the dignity that comes with age- that dignity which is attained by the accumulation of philosophy and wisdom. Another disadvantage of being young is the dependence that goes with it. It is one thing that a young person cannot dispense with, no matter how hard he tries. He is dependent on his elders for money, knowledge and experience. The fanaticism and fantasy of youth lead to another disadvantage of being young. The youth is again and again made the unconscious expedient for the furtherance of any harmful and undesirable movement. Once the young are indoctrinated to a certain trend of thought or action they will invariably . .adhere to it for right or wrong. Be what they may, the advantages and disadvantages of being young correlate. The lack of experience, for example, enables the youth to look towards the future with the spirit of hope and endeavour. Again, because of impulsiveness, all things, favourable or adverse, come in the light of an enterprise. Thus it is the combination of the advantages and the disadvantages, rather than acceptance of one and the rejection of the other, that makes being young an enviable adventure. Chee Mooh Lan, Lower VI (Science> . AT JUBILEE CAMP ,VITH MOTHER NATURE THE bus moved on the winding road that led to Jubilee. Every now and then I looked out through the barred window to gaze at the various shapes or trees, the varigated clusters of flowers and the twisted clumps of bushes that lined the way. My younger friends were all beaming with anxiety, but for m e it was just another camp. There was nothing exciting nor interesting about that. It turned out to be otherwise.

46 The Penang Free School Magazine Tweet, tweet. Kree, kree, kree. The birds dashed out from the cashewnut trees which were scattered all over the camp. Apparently they were disturbed by our presence. Sparrows, crows and drongos flapped their wings energetically and rose in an airy flight. Their black outlines appeared as ink blobs against the clear, bright sky. Only the kingfisher stood his ground. He was busy swallowing the last remains of a savoury prey. He was too engaged in eating to worry about the world around him. I stared in puzzled amazement at him. trying to think out the significance of the sight. My mind ran through the last few issues of the • Nature Magazine ' and only then did I realise that I was seeing the picture of 'Nature's essential healthfulness.' Even with impending danger around him, the bird was continuing to keep up his strength and to conserve his .energy: he was satisfying his hunger. That evening I took a stroll along the beach. It was low tide and the boys were scooping up platefuls of sand from the sea edge. They were catching aquatic isopods. I asked for one of these creatures and when I grew tired of looking at the animal I placed it on its back against the sand. Almost immediately it stretched its legs, kicked the ground with one foot so that it was again on its own feet and before I could catch it, the animal burrowed into the ground. I quickly dug into the sand where it had disappeared, but dig as hard as I could I did not even catch a glimpse of my ex-captive again. Consequently, 1 had to be contented with the past momentary glimpse of its rapid burrowing movement. But that glimpse was not a fleeting sight; it was an impellin1; e>..-perience that reminded me of the 'means to survive' by the development of special features through the course of evolution. Just then a boy came running up from the sea with a blackish, jelly-like mass of something that looked not very· different from the tentacle of Hydra under a few thousand times magnification. He gave his repulsive clammy find to me and when I examined it closely I saw that it was composed of black rounded globes admist which were clear, transparent spheres of jelly enclosing young, swimming squid emhryos. Verily, this was a fine example of the melhods Nature employs to protect its young. Ugliness was the embryo's protection. The small moving squids would almost fall easy prey for some hungry fish had it not been protected by its 'repulsive,' albuminous jelly. The large numbers of the animal that survive to complete their infant development is indeed a tribute to Nature's resourcefulness. Late in the evening I trudged my way along the rugged path that led to the camp kitchen. All around, across the green field of tall lallang and love-grass, among the thick clumps of heavily-foliaged trees and from the scattered, staggering palms of coconut, a slow and incessant chatter of gossiping insects arose. One prominent sound, pre,valcmt and continuous, resembled the sound of a distant, fast moving car. Another suggested the drops of bags loaded with sand. A third was like the ticking of a watch: it seemed to go faster and faster every second; then, without warning, it came to a full stop. There was a short relapse but soon it started its slow ticking. All throughout there was a soft continous flow of rhythymical music- the song of approaching night. Truly Tennyson might have said that here there was : "Music that gentler on the spirit lies, Than tir'd eyelids upon tir'd eyes."

The Penang Free School Magazine 47 These musical sounds were made by the raised wings of the male crickets vibrating rapidly from side to side. During this period, I am told, one might see the female place her head close to the base of the male's wings as though she wanted to have the full benefit of every single note of the music. Actually, it was not to hear this strange song that she was striving to get to the base of the wings: she was not so much enjoying the music as enjoying the feed that she was getting out of the gland secretions from the exposed pits of the male insect's back. In the rawness of Nature, food came first: music and other sensory amusements were secondary, if they were of any importance at all. It was night when I next vi~iteq the_ shore. The place was dark and only very faint traces of light came from the thousands of tiny, glittering stars, the lighthouse's searching beam and its reflection on the silver, shimmering sea. I shone mY torch in order that I might see the track along the sand. However. instead of seeing the sand, I saw vast assemblies of crabs running helter-skelter back into the refuge -of the sea.· There was, nevertheless, one poor, little fellow who could not run away. He was the hermit crab. He continued his leisurely pace, with calmness and apathy, ignoring the stalking human form. Perhaps he was then still unaware of my presence. However, when I was just about to lift it up, it suddenly withdrew into its shell, at the same time blocking up the entrance with its large armoured claws. I tried to get the animal out of its shelter but all my efforts were to no avail-I could not even get a grip on the curved surface of his protective claws. No wonder it did not scramble for the sea when I shone the torch. It had already provided for its own safety the day it took over the whelk's shell. I overturned the shell and waited to see the crab come out of it. It was a long wait but finally the crab put forward its legs and began to grope for the ground. When it had been assured of its footing a leg was put below the shell and, by a clever twist of the body, the animal was again on its own eight feet. I cannot possibly describe the grace of its movement but I can certainly say that the beauty of its movement was far, far beyond the reach of any tipsy, terpsichorean 'artist.' If you want to see beauty just look at Nature; the creations of Man would seem poorly matched against hers. I retired to my tent and there the fanning breeze brought me the melodious sound of splashes of water as the waves, dashing their foaming heads against the rocks, resounded with mighty crashes. The coolness of the air and the mellow sound of marine melody carried me into the realm of speculative thought. Dreams passed before my sight as blossoms fell. I seemed to see invincible Man and a tiny weevil climbing up a ladder. Man was continually killing the weevil that was below him and every time he did that he rid himself of competition. Every time Man stretched forth his. arm a weevil fell dead but there were others, many other weevils, that came crawling over the dead bodies of their predecessors. Man had always won against, t,he individual weevil but did he have success over the race? Hardly. One day. when his energy is all spent Man will fall down from that ladder. Then the weevil, so many times pressed down, will move over him and rise to the top or the ladder. The insect had a history longer than Man's. He had lived when Man was still a fanciful idea in Nature's evolving mind. He had fought many battles against many envious enemies and he had died a thousand deaths, but. to-day, when Man is King, he still lives. Perhaps when Man's glory is all gone.

48 The Penang Free School Magazine when the label ·EXTINCT' is affixed against the name 'Homo sapiens ', th•~ weevil may take over the world. Perhaps . . . . . . . . who knows? Man had killed and plundered. He had violated the sanctuary of birds and massacred the most beautiful of them. He had tried to keep all his things to himself: all man thought of was of Man. Nothing else had seemed to be itnportant to him. He had closed the entries to his large stores of food but still Nature has been able to open the doors to her poor suffering babies. She feeds the tiny insects, the worms, the protozoa and all the others. Nature seems so unbiased. She swells the fruits and pods for us but she also swells them for her other children. Man had tried to prevent all the invasions from those outside the human circle, but he has failed. In fighting everyone else but himself, he has been fighting himself; he has denied himself freedom fo;:- he always kept his hands full with fighting. Yes, it is strange that the most intelligent of Nature's creations should try to fight against her. I had often wondered why the intellect of Man does not make him realize that Nature always wins. It is only too true that ' what has so marvelously bloomed thus late, so long escaped devastating winds and far-drifting rains and the blight of the sea, will pass in a night.' But then, to repel what is natural is, I suppose, the ' natural instinct' of Man. The wheel of life goes round and we all follow it. Who will be the last survivor? The nervous crab? Or the happy-go-lucky cricket? What about the weevil? Man? Nobody knows. I certainly will not. I only know that Nature has her ways. Teoh Eng Soon, Lower VI (Science). MALAYAN SCOUTS VISIT AUSTRALIA AS usual, Scouts often like to stay away from their homes and their bzloved parents. They find the countryside and unknown places more interesting than their own homes. That is why, on the 10th. of December, 1955, thirteen Scouts from the Federation of Malaya boarded the "Charon" in Singapore. Their main object was to look for new adventures in a land far, far away from home . . . . . . . . to attend a Scout Jamboree in Australia. All of us felt very excited and to wait for the ship to set sail was really a torture. However we had some companions from North Borneo. So we were quite busy making new friends and almost forgot all our sufferings. The hours of waiting became minutes and the minutes became seconds. Time was getting shorter and shorter as the ship's engine became warmer and warmer. Yes, we were on our way now. The pier got further and further away, while everyone waved good-bye. Most of the contingent were leaving Malaya for the first time in their life. We thought that an eight-thousand-ton liner would be as comfortable as home. Indeed it was at the beginning of t.he long voyage. When we looked out of the portholes, it seemed as if a dream had come true. It was no dream at all. The city of Singapore was disappearing below the horizon together with the sun. Night was approaching fast. On the next day it was really "Water,

The Penang Free School Magazine 49 ---·- ·-------------- ------ - water, everywhere . . . . . .. . " Once we got into the open sea, things began to change. The comfortable boat turned into a menace as it rolled and rocked. Things seemed to be able to move by themselves . . . .. . . . no, it was just the seasickness that nearly all of us were suffering from. Putting on the Scouting spirit, we gave everyone on board an impromptu concert before leaving the boat. It was as if some one had cast a magic spell on us when Fremantle was sighted. We were so anxious to set foot on dry land again that we forgot that we were sea-sick. We stayed two nights at the 69th. Sea Scout Den by the Swan River, in Perth. Those two nights could never be forgotten as they were extremely cold. It was Australian summer and not winter. On the 20th. of December, we started on the second part of our journey. It was by rail this time. We took four trains to cross the continent and at some places we -passed through the waterless desert. On our arrival at Melbourne, the weather was very unkind, because it was raining and this brought the intense cold to us. We were taken to the Brighton Townhall and from there we were then billeted in homes in that suburb. Everyone of the 17,000 Scouts moved into the Jamboree Campsite, Clifford Park, on the 28th of December. It was raining and the ground was covered with mud .. .. . _ .. only six inches deep and knee-deep at some places! However the canvas city was up and everyone was happy. The opening ceremony was postponed from the 30th. to the 31st. of December, owing to the very bad and unreliable weather of Melbourne. At the march-past during the opening day, all the visiting contingents took part. The Governor of Australia was there to take the salute. The grand march-past was about one-and-a-half miles long and this lasted for slightly less than one hour. The Governor then declared the Jamboree officially open. Swapping was one of the biggest problems that occurred not only during the Jamboree, but also before and after it. This was really a fair exchange of different things that each boy had brought there. Badges, penants and scarves were among the most favourite items. One of the many items on the official programme was tours. There were many organised tours to the country and the various other places of interest in Victoria. However the Malayans preferred to go cut of Victoria. So each of us agreed to pay a short visit to Sydney, the capital of New South Wales. It was again the first experience for some of us to fly. It took us quite some time to get anywhere within the Jamboree camp5'ite, not because we did not know the way, but because we were too popular since we were foreigners. There were gangs of autograph-hunters and photographers along the paths, in fact, everywhere in the campsite. So we were stopped by them wherever we went. The days of enjoyment and friendship went on from one to another in next to no time. We could forget some of the autographs we signed, but the one thing which is still fresh in our minds i:, the weather. During the twelve days we spent in camp, eight of them were wet. When the sun came out, it was also not comfortable. The many flies which came out with the sun were un-

fiO The Penang Free School Magazine welcome because they were too tame. We could catch some of them alive! on the last day of the Jamboree, we saw hail for the first time in our life. To feel it was like being stoned with small pebbles continuously. The next unpleasant thing that came together with the hail was the end of the Jamboree. The canvas city was destroyed and evacuated much faster than it was built. In a very short time all the happy voices and the lovely melodies had died down. Everything was quiet, except the occasional singing of the kookaburra upon the old gum-tree. TRADITIONS, SUPERSTITIONS Khoo Thean Chin, Lower VI (Science). AND CUSTOMS E VEN as far back into the dim past as the pensive mind can dip into, traditions, superstitions and customs have always exerted an incredibly r emarkable influence upon the lives of men. The Commandments which Moses received from God soon beca.me the religious as well as the civil laws of the Jews. Then the Scribes and the Elders translated the Old Testament, simultaneously adding to the translations their own opinions and ideas, which often contradicted the original word of God. As the years merged into decades and as the decades passed into centuries, there grew up the oral " Tradition of the Elders " which they came to regard as equal in importance to the word of God. For example, the Law stated, " Honour your parents"; but the Pharisees by the "Tradition of the Elders" legalised the institution of " corban." Again, it became the J ewish tradition to keep the Sabbath day one of rest and prayer and anyone found breaking it, even if it was by healing a very sick person, was declared to have broken God's commandment! The tradition of the House of Lords limits the title of " Lord " to either the eldest son or, if there is no son in the family, to the next of kin. Family traditions also exist and are most jealously guarded and though some appear ridiculous in the eyes of others they are often kept with great dignity. When a forefather was a philanthropist and had, in his life time, given strong financial support to certain public schools, hospitals or homes for the aged, his direct descendants are expected to keep the family traditions and, accordingly, ils reputation by continuing to give assistance. Every nation, school and family has its own traditions. which build up a high wall of dignity and pride around it. It is a great misfortune indeed to inherit no traditions for they serve to remind people of their duty towards their families and countries, and help to cultivate in them a sense of responsibility. In every respect traditions influence man's thoughts and actions. But, perhaps, the greatest influence upon the lives of Easterners, especially, is superstition, which governs and dictates their every move. As soon as a baby is born Into this world his young life is at once dominated by superstition. A Chinese mother will not be very pleased, but will be in quite great consternation if someone comments how chubby and healthy her baby is, for who knows what jealous roaming spirit may have overheard it and do ha rm to the mother's joy?

The Penang Free School Magazine 51 A pen-knife opened by one friend must be closed, after use, by that same person, else the friendship between two friends will one day be severed. Should a piece of crockery be broken three days prior to a wedding, then woe betide the couple! Happily, bad luck thus incurred can be averted by putting the tr.:iken pieces in some remote corner with as much secrecy as possible, until after the wedding ceremony is over, but if this is not done, there would be an unquiet household indeed! An expectant cat, whatever her colour, causes great consternation among mourners if she should stray into the house to satisfy her curiosity as to what the shrieks, moans and cries are about; for there is always the possibility that she may suddenly take it in her mind to practise hurdle-jumping over the cotnn. The corpse will surely stand bolt upright and Heaven knows what its next move will be! Such is superstition. It is excessive credulity in whatever is mysterious and supernatural. A supercilious person may raise his eyebrows at it, yet when he enters into some of life's weird and ghostly experiences, does he not shudder involuntarily, and does his heart not know an instinctive, if short-lived, stab of fear? To avoid the risk of the unpleasant influences, the taboo has survived through the ages. Custom, on the other hand, is not associated with that irrational dread of the supernatural as is superstition; its fundamental sense is to follow one's own ways. It comes through performing the things, which the race or family has been do!ng for so many years that they have become established habits or customs, without the purpose behind them being questioned. It was customary of the ancient Chinese bride to wear a heavily veiled head-dress. Few know specifically the significance of this custom though many are able to tell a curious foreigner that it is to give the bashful bride a means of protection against the prying eyes of on-lookers. Some people still adhere to the idea of child marriages which used to be arranged between two families in the East. In this, custom stints p!·::igress and buries individualism and is usually stronger and more persistent in primitive rather than in modern societies. Nevertheless, custom is the guardian of etiquette for, should there have been no customs, human beings would have no etiquette; and if they had no etiquette, they would remain as savage barbarians. The younger generations try to rationalise their feelings towards superstition and custom. They attribute inexplicable happenings to mere coincidences: they strive to conquer superstition with the help of science while their spirit of enterprise seeks to break away from the ties of tradition and custom. Still. these three great influential forces have sometimes carried even the most dogged antagonists into realms of romance and adventure that few can resist. Condemnation and cynicism are easy but traditions, superstitions and customs die hard. Cheang Oi Heng, Lower VI (Arts) . ON LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE JT is a pleasant business this- looking into the future. It is like standing on the edge of a vast ocean gingerly dipping eager feet into the cool waters of

52 The Penang Free School Magazin~ time, fearing to take the first step, yet straining to look beyond the distant horizon. The future lies before us like the new land beyond the blue - it is a vague shimmering picture- hazy and ethereal but viewed in t he light of youthful fervour, it stands strongly alluring. We dip one foot-the waters are strangely inviting; we lift our eyes .. . . there it still stands beckoning incessantly - a challenge to be faced-an ephemeral haze to be substantiated. The sheltered shore lies behind us cool and calm. Its very tranquillity exerts a restraining quietness over us. We look back lingeringly: for years it has harboured us, now that we are leaving its sheltered bowers a disquietening sadness settles on us and we wonder, ' Would we miss it?' V.'ho knows but the storms may come- the sea whipped into lashing fury-the black clouds frownthe thunders roar. Who knows but storm-tossed and weary we may one day wish for this quiet shore again once more, to rest our weary limbs and to heal our bruised spirits. But then the future must be faced, the path must be trodden and as we look up again it brightens and shimmers in exquisit e hues and our hearts are gladdened. For some of us, we still are unable to take that step. Waiting perhaps is tedious but the day will come and meantime we can dream on- gaze on at those misty hues and hazy shapes- and let our imagination roam on finding new pastures to browse in, new attractions to stop by, till reality dawns and we leave this "looking into the future" with a sigh. BIRTHDAYS Tan Boey Geok, Lower VI (Artsl. WHAT a wonderful word this is; what delightful memories it brings. My birthday had just come and gone. Never mind precisely how old I am; let it suffice to inform the reader that I am still a lad, still pursuing my studies in the Penang Free School. Age makes absolutely no difference to a birthday, certainly not to mine. I trust you would think as I do, that birthdays are really splendid. Oh, what excitement there is weeks beforehand, trying to decide what presents we would llke to have. How often does one's mother say, " What do you want for your birthday, dearie?" or again, "Have you not decided yet?" How eagerly, we look forward to " that day," wondering too, if we shallas we often do- receive a surprise parcel. Is it not great fun when we get an unexpected one from an uncle or aunt, or a friend ? A card from a close friend would just be as welcome. Then on the day itself, instead of tossing idly in bed, we are up quite early and ready to hurry downstairs- usually still in our night gowns- to open our parcels and letters. How we love to be greeted again and again with these pleasant words, " Many happy returns of the day."

The Penang Free School Magazine ------------ -- Somehow the weather even seems brighter and more cheerful than usual, ·and certainly smiles and happiness are around us without any sign of discord -or annoyance. Buds of flowers open to welcome the sunshine and the birds at our window or on the tree-top seem, also. to sing far more merrily than on other days. Although it may be term time and we have to go to school, we do not mind because we are looking forward to our special birthday party and the cake which mother has made specially for the happy occasion. There is no way of doing justice in words to the pleasure of a birthday cake. How pleasant jt is to light and later to blow out the candles placed on the cake. Entertainment is provided after tea. With boys, conjuring is lhe first favourite . Hunt the Slipper, Hunt the Thimble, Musical Chairs, General Post, .and Blindman's Buff are favourites too. Forfeits give a "party" feeling but unfortunately they are an agony to sensitive children. Now just in case you, my dear reader, are invited to a birthday party, here are a few tips which you might find useful to "store away " in your "mental luggage." On the occasion of a birthday, it is not usual to send birthday cards to other than relatives and close friends. It is better to send none rather than lo send one of the wrong type, or you can buy a really attractive post-card- -one, for instance, published by the various museums and art galleries-and write your own words of greetings on it. For a small extra expenditure a " Greetings : Telegram " may be sent. These are popular with the younger generation, but be careful not to send them to those older people who still have a prejudice against telegrams as bringers of bad news. As regards presents, I would say that, if you have gifted fingers. a present of your own making carries a double message of affection. Oh yes, a birthday can be, and should be, a wonderful day. Tan Tiong Liang. VA. A BOOK I SHALL NEVER FORGET I T was past my bedtime hour and yet I could not find enough strength to go to bed. I sat reclining by the open window on a deck-chair. The cool night breeze wafted in the dead fragrance of sleeping flowers in the shadowless garden; a great sea of black clouds swallowed the moon into its vast emptiness. The breeze began to die down and the moon ceased to shine. The portentous silence was menacing. The feeling that some great evil was in the proximity was alanning. " Wake up! wake up! " My subconscious mind in desperation seemed lo scream to me. In the distance the town clock chimed twelve times. At the _twelfth stroke lhe sound seemed to pierce my ears and I awoke with a start,

The Penang Free School Magazine dropping the book that I had been holding in my hand. I picked up the book and one look at the cover instilled in me the same fear which had made me imagine things. I could not tear my eyes from the cover. It read " DRACULA " by Bram Stoker. The cover illustration showed a tall dark man wearing a sinister cap, with round protruding and fiery eyes and_ gleaming white tezth. He resembled a carnivore with those terribly long and sharp canine teeth. He was bending over a woman, whose beauty no poet could ever put in words, lying fast asleep and from two small white punctures on the woman's tender neck flowed freely her red precious blood. There was blood on the lips of the 111onster. Unconsciously my hand was raised to my neck and it was wet. Blood? I looked at my hands. Beads of perspiration! I tried to wipe out all these wild fancies and was almost in control of myself when I heard flapping noises from behind me. All at once the frightening thoughts returned. In the story, Dracula, a blood-sucking vampire often turned into a bat to prey upon women and my unnerved mind tock the noise to be the flapping of a bat. Maybe it was a bat or a vampire? Or Dracula himself? My sweat trickled down my ashen face and rolled into my gaping mouth unchecked. I dared not look behind me, lest what I behold should kill me. I would drop dead at once at the sight of a bat or of a tall dark man with a cap. In front of me was a mirror. I slowly opened my eyes to see what was behind me by looking in the mirror. There was nothing and still I could hear t11e flapping. Slowly . . . . ... . .. slowly .. .. . ... .. slowly . . .. . . . .. . faster and faster and faster. . . . . . . . . . I fervently hoped its wings would break beating at such a pace. Then I remembered. I covered my eyes with my hands. My body went cold. The strength was sapped from my body by fear. Vampires, so mentione:l the book, could not be seen in a mirror. They had no images because they wer::! unearthly. I could not move a muscle as I lay there insensible. Unconsciouness came as a relief and I fell into a frightful slumber. The next morning my parents found me by the open window.· I was as cold as a shellfish and severely cramped. I could not get up. A doctor was called to attend to me to calm my mother's frantic anxiety. My temperature was taken and it showed 93° F! I must have been frozen with terror the night before. The doctor noticed the book on the side-table and he examined it. He asked if I had been reading it. On receiving an affirmative answer he smilingly put his stethoscope into his bag and said that I was suffering from shock. He left after advising my mother to bw·n some books he nolicecl in my book case. My mother thought this to be a very strange prescription. When I recovered I found out that my book case had been rifled. All my "horror-story" novels were missing. I suddenly realised the situation and argued that it was for the better. And as to reading "horror-stories " at nightnever again! Tan Kheng Huat, VB.

The Penang Free School Magazine 55 - - -- BAD LANGUAGE BAD language is used habitually by many poor people of the lower classes. They grow up as boys in bad company and naturally learn the bad words and the profane oaths they heard. Such people are to be pltied rather than blamed for using bad language. They know no better, and often do not even know the meaning of the bad words they use. They often say dreadful things; but this does not mean they are angry, or irreverent. It is simply their ignorant way of talking. All the same, such talk is very objectionable; and we should always try to teach these ignorant people to drop the use of such ways of speaking. Others use bad words to express their irritation and bad temper. Tpey have no self-control and get angry at the slightest thing. When this happens, they ease their feelings by abusing everyone and calling them bad names. If such men know how others despise them for their lack of self-restraint, and condemn them for using foul language when they should know better, they might try to cure this bad habit. In other cases the use of dirty words is the proof of a dirty mind. Those who like bad language because their thoughts are bad, are bad people. Nothing will cure such men of their bad habits but a change of mind. Finally, we must remember that it is a mark of a real gentleman never to use bad language. A gentleman is one who tries to consider other people's feelings; and so his speech is always polite and his words well-chosen. Md. Khalil b. Md. Noor, Form IV A_ 0 PENANG, PARTING IS SUCH S\VEET SORROW IT was an ordinary afternoon and I was seated at my desk, writing. Feeling tired, I deferred doing my work for a few minutes. I leaned back in my chair and stared blankly at the wall opposite. My eyes encountering a calendar hanging on it, I noticed that that day was the 15th March. The 15th of March! It suddenly dawned upon me with a great shock that this was my last month in Penang, before leaving for a land both strange and new. Instantly the prosaic room and objects about me vanished, and into my mind, -irresistibly. inexorably like the floods of a mighty river, came pictures, shadowy and indistinct, but oh, how sweet and pleasant, of places which I love and incidents which have occurred in my short life of fourteen years in this beautiful island_ O Penang, lovely island that is my home, I, who shall be leaving you soon, will t.reasure the delightful reminiscences I have of you. I saw my:.elf once again walking along a lonely, winding road in Penang Hill. On one side was a steep bank, covered with shrubs and ferns in great exuberance, and on the other, the land fell steeply away, likewise covered. Trees, lofty, august, and majestic, grew on the margins of the path, and their foliage, locked and interlaced above, shut out all vestiges of sunlight while dead leaves littered the path. The atmosphere was pregnant with a

56 The Penang Free School :Magazine feeling of peace and tranquillity. The cacophonous noises of the jungle were absent. All was quiet, save for the intermittent cry of wild birds and the swe_et, distant murmur of some swift mountain stream precipitating itself downhill; all was still, save for the rustling of the leaves overhead and the hasty scampering of some startled animal. The scene slowly shifted and I found myself leaning against a railing and looking down upon a magnificent view of Georgetown, shining brightly in the sun. Beyond, the flat, undulating plains of Province Wellesley were visible, after which were ';)lue mountains, reaching high up to the sky, with light, wispy clouds, encircling their summits. The sea was calm, serene, and blue, though crowded with multitudinous vessels. O Penang Hill, you loveliest of all Penang's lovely resorts, I shall never forget you but shall miss you with pangs of nostalgia. I shall always remember you, you and your dark, siient paths through which there is no greater pleasure than to wander, and your n"lagnificent views, lovelier t.han which there is none in Malaya. The scene changed again and I found myself swimming in a dark blue sea. The surf slowly rolled in and thundered against the shore. The sun was shining brightly, giving everybody a bright and gay demeanour and every plant a fresh and healthy appearance; even the obnoxious lallang grass growing luxuriantly behind the beach, which was a long stretch of shining, yellow sand. Princely coconut palms, silhouetted against the horizon, leaned towards the sea, t.heir leaves waving gracefully in the air. On the high bank, a road wound along and finally disappeared round the brow of a hill. I remember as vividly as if It were yesterday; my first day at the Penang Free School. I remember how lost I felt in this great school, and how timid I was at first, regarding the school masters as irascrible and truculent monsters who punished any trivial offence with asperity. But more moving than these vivid recollections of my first few days in a school which I will leave soon; more enduring than the memory of the frightening traits peculiar to various teachers I know, more impressive than any other building I have yet seen, is the .school building itself, an embodiment of the traditions and greatness of the Free School. Looking at this edifice from the opposite side of the field, one sees a high building extending for some distance, with a portion jutting out at the centre. There are arches at regular intervals and through these, one sees the dark brown of the classroom doors. Planted along the length of the building are trees, forty to fifty feet high, the brilliant green of their leaves enhancing and throwing into contrast the greyish white which is the colour of this building. Out in the field, at both ends are bigger trees, reaching as high as the roof on which in the centre is a dome. 0 Penang, the memories of my life spent within your shores are indelibly fixed in my mind. I shall remember the splendid scenery and the cool, bracing air of the Penang Hill, loveliest of all your lovely resorts; I shall remember your Jong, enchanting beaches of shining, yellow sand; I shall remember the Penang Free School, to me the most beautiful building in Malaya. Till we meet again, Penang, lovely Island home of mine, farewell! Ooi Oon Seng, III A.

The Penang Free School Magazine 57 THE DAY I WOKE UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF MY BED HOW exasperating! Just when I had managed to summon up enough courage to ask my girl friend to accompany me to the pictures, she turned me down with the stupid excuse that she was expecting a telephone call. I gnashed my teeth and tried- to console myself with the thought that there were other girls <Quite a thought!) . However, I persuaded myself to believe that it was much better lo attend the pictures alone and so, there I was, shuffling along at a snail's pace at the rear of the queue. My turn came and I faced the girl at the ticket booth. Her reply? Yes! you guessed it! " Sorry, but all the tickets have bezn sold.'' Grrrr! So I strolled out of the cinema hall looking as black as thunder. I came up to a bookshop and decided to turn to it for my entertainment. Almost immediately, I became deeply engrossed in a novel until a not very gentle tap on my shoulder startled me. I glared at this disturber-of-the-peace but he appeared most unruffled·· and inquired (in a seemingly too polite manner) whether I wished to purchase the book as I seemed so interested in it. I all but yelled the affirmative in his face , paid him his silly money and stalked home to read it in peace. But no sooner had I settled on a comfortable deck chair than my sister came up and asked me (very sweetly) if I could run an errand for her! I must have made a tart rejoinder for up came mother and reprimanded me severely for having no respect for my elders. So I, a big grown up boy already. had to cycle to Tong Aik and Co. to get some ribbons. Imagine that! Well, having completed this most embarrassing job, I arrived home and discovered my elder brother enjoying himself on the deck chair with my book! One could have knocked me down with a feather then. But suddenly remembering my respect for my elders (I am a good boy really) I was saved from another reproof from mother. Instead, taking this as the last straw, I went to a corner to sulk and a: I leave you dear reader, I am still there. Cheang Kok Hoong, III A. LUCKY JOHNNY J OHNNY was on his way home from school, and as he passed a toyshop, he gazed at a beautiful model aeroplane in the window. "Ah! " he sighed happily, " If I save my pocket-money this week and next week . . . . " He stopped speaking and did some mental arithmetic. " Yes! " I shall just have enough to buy it." Johnny moved away from the shop window and he went off to tiffln_ Two weeks later as Johnny woke up for his breakfast his mother asked him what he was going to give his Uncle Dick for his birthday. Johnny stopped in the middle of a bite of bread. "Give Uncle Dick? " he asked. " But-but-,.

58 The Penang Free School Magazine He confessed that he had forgotten about Uncle Dick's birthday which will fall on the day after to-morrow. "Oh, Mummy," he replied. " I have completely forgotten about it. I wanted to give him a pocket-boo~." "Well, why don't you? " queried his mother with a laugh. "You have got lots of money saved up." The boy nodded. " Yes Mummy," he agreed. And he went on with his tea. After the n1eal was over Johnny went up to his bedroom and there he counted out all his money in his money-box. He found that he had just enough to buy Uncle Dick that beautiful leather pocket-book. But if he did that, of course, it would mean that he wouldn't be able to buy that beautiful model aeroplane. "Oh dear," said Johnny sadly. "It might be sold before I could save up more money. What shall I do?" Johnny, thinking that it would be wise to buy Uncle Dick a present, bought the pocket-book for him and had it wrapped up in some new white paper. As he was returning home he glanced at the model aeroplane but. it was gone. Poor Johnny was upset. Next morning he rushed to his Uncle's bedroom with the present. He wished his uncle many happy returns of the day and as he was going to tell what the present was, he was stopped by his uncle. His uncle told him that he would unwrap the present himself so that he could get a surprise. He found it was lovely and he thanked Johnny. Then Uncle Dick took out a present for Johnny. Johnny unwrapped the present. and do you know what it was? The model aeroplane! Yeoh Jin Kooi, THE GENERAL PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE MODERN DETECTIVE NOVEL (A condensation of the essay which won the Dr. Lee Tiang Keng Senior Literature Prize) I B. Reading, being a meeting of minds, demands for its greatest success, effort exerted from two directions. Psychology therefore plays a conspicuous role in any form of reading. A certain class of fiction consists merely of fabricated facls, but in lhe detective story we have fiction authenticated. Characters and plot may be concocted but all the paraphernalia of science, criminology, mechanical invention and sociology are factual. Detective stories infuse Into the general reader a feeling of being intelligent. They were, at one time, merely stories of action of the melodramatic type and the readers' interest centred entirely on what happened. Nowadays more attention is devoted to the characters in the story as well as to plot technique. We are .particularly fascinated by the mechanism of the human mind and we insist on fathoming the idiosyncrasies of our fellow-men. The writers of detective fiction must therefore bring into play psychology and science in order to give ·us an authentic portrayal of real people. The murder mystery has now carried finesse in plot design to perfection. An author may model his story after one of the several stereotyped detective story patterns. His plot may revolve round an amateur sleuth scoffed at by the police, a police detective attached to Scotland Yard or a private investigator.

The Penang Free School Magazine 59 A departure from the above three patterns is the type which provides a staunch companion for the detective. For an example of this type, we have Dr. Watson. As the colleague of Sherlock Holmes, he is in no way better than the reader so that our admiration for the detective's astuteness is therefore heightened. The· progress of the amateur sleuth is usually followed with breathless interest by the reader. His failure is the reader's failure; his success is the reader's success. We are determined to see him, the underdog succeed in his case. to see him outwit the police whom we have come to regard with some suspicion. The detective story is an artfully contrived tale-a mirror of life with an entertaining and intriguing element in it-a diving board into a pool of dreams. The absence of limitations constitutes part of its charm. A "private eye" may find himself in Chicago and later in the Riviera within the space of twenty· four hours. The tidy problem and neat solution are antithetical to the apparently inexplicable dilemmas that beset us in the work-a-day-world. The yearning for life is seated deep in the hearts of each and every one of us, and it is this craving which the reading of detective thrillers seeks to gratify. To discover, to recognise, to comprehend, is one of the primary inherited wants of every normal man and woman. It is part of the explanation of our enjoyment of fiction, both in the novel and on the screen. The inherent desire to see what subsequently befalls in the story is strong in every individual. The reader is unaware of what the next moment will bring forth. The unexpected is bound to happen and this Is to come very close to the experience of living. The reader's innate flair for incorporating the given clues and chain of circumstances in order to unravel a typical murder mystery can be traced down to the the youngster in his attempt to piece together a jigsaw puzzle. Many scientists enjoy reading detective thrillers. Perhaps their analytical type of mind functions in about the same deductive manner when they are observing a microbe as when they are puzzling out a murder mystery. Often a "whodunit" leads the reader along, allowing him just enough clues to make him believe he has all the answers in his grasp and then turns up with a surprise ending for the armchair detective. · In what ot.her way does the detective novel impel the reader to read on? It ls the swift, automatic manner in which one's ideas arrange themselves around some new illuminating conjecture. The reader will only be able to substantiate his suspicion if he continues reading the novel. Did any celebrated author of detective fiction ever try to secure the sympathies of the reader on to the side of evil? How can you interest yourself vitally in a murder plot unless you believe that the murderer should be brought to justice. In detective fiction the worker of iniquity must ultimately succumb to the long arm of the law- Why? A novel monopolised largely by callous characters generally fails to arrest the reader's interest, because it offers him no centre of spiritual rest. Apparently the characters do not command sufficient emotional integrity to induce the reader to get deeply interested in their lots. Moreover we dislike the villain because he constitutes a menace to the hero on whom we have focussed our attention. The man who resorts to murder and robbery for easy money is instantly despised, thus establishing another psychological aspect of our prejudice towards the villain in the detective .story.

GO The Penang Free School Magazine At heart we are decent, law-abiding people who harbour a repugnance for killing, and who find it difficult to justify the taking of human life. You, the reader, have you ever realised that you are a potential murderer? Circum,. stances may make murderers out of decent, ordinary, law-abiding even deeply religious, citizens. Consequently, if circumstances should drive a regular reader of detective novels to intentional homicide, his subconscious self would be capable of carrying out a perfect felony. Nevertheless, detective fiction normally deters the layman from crime. Perhaps some may protest that the villain should have eluded the Law under normal conditions after having disguised his felony in such an ingenious fashion. They may go away with the uneasy sense of having been tricked. Cheap American detective literature has swamped the local bookshops in recent years-a result of the constant demand by Malayans. American detective thrillers are typically fast-moving with brutal murders, sadistic villains and burly and amorous private investigators. Violence and sex- these are " musts " in American detective fiction. Malayans have taken to such detective fiction probably on account of the influence of the films and of the • WeekEnder ' which is the most widely read magazine in this country. There have been various schools of opinion as to whether novels of the Mickey Spillane category are suitable for young Ma layans. In reality most pornographic books do not find a ready place in the book-market and among those which do. many cannot be classified under the term pornographic. The inexperienced reader should bear in mind that a book is not necessarily obscene because it depicts lewd characters or immoral conduct. Anyhow, the immature reader who is incapable of distinguishing between the good and bad facets of life should be discouraged from reading such novels lest he be corrupted by them. The producer of detective fiction has to conform to the aspirations of his readers. Detective fiction is a deliberate and successful attempt to please the people; it is perhaps as reliable an index to that controversial subject of popular opinion, tastes and impressions as the sociologist can suggest. The demand for sensationalism by Malayans reflects the sense of insecurity existent among the masses. Only thrillers can satisfy their unconscious urge for ruthless violence. No doubt the familiar theme, the terse dialogue, the thrills and, above all, the ingenious twist, offer a diversion from the criminal cases undertaken by the Malayan Criminal Investigation Department. Tied down to his wife, bound by conventions and denied excitement in his. own life, the novelist compromises by projecting a series of pictures upon the screen of his imagination. In this imaginary world, he fulfils the needs which life leaves ungratified. The author records his flight of fancy in black and white whilst the armchair detective under the influence of the author's imagination reads of what has been penned. The successful detective story writer is able to perceive and appreciate intelligently the significance of the life that goes on around him, and to convey verisimilitude to the minds · of his readers. His foremost object is to share life-not to convince, to disprove, to incite, or to instil, but to dispense life, to disseminate solely a sense of experience, and with no ulterior aim in view. It may be something that the writer has encountered, or it may be something that he has Imagined. The author will continue writing with gusto, without enter-

The Penang- Free School Magazine 61 taining the slightest desire of undergoing the adventures related. The detective story writer caters not for the individual but for the multitude. In the "whodunit" everything is casual and convincing; even the chaos and complexities of life are there. The underlying motive for reading detective fiction is to break oneself loose from humdrum life. Evidently the desire to dislodge oneself from Reality is strong in many capable people and they retreat into an imaginary world between the covers of a detective novel-into the worlds of Wallace, Doyle, Christle and Charteris. A schoolboy engrossed in a gripping story of a daring detective is undoubtedly identifying himself, in his imagination, with the hero. " Empathy connotes the state of a reader who has lost for a while his personal self-consciousness and is identifying himself with some character in the story." Think of the schoolboy rapt in his detective story. In real life he is a nobody ; but by identifying himself with the hero he becomes the cynosure of all eyes. I may enjoy a detective novel because it brings into mind past incidents which have remained indelible through the vistas of bygone days. I may enjoy it because it deepens my experience and widens my outlook. Past experiences, environment, psychology and the capacity to comprehend and respond to lifethese come into play when the layman immerses himself in a detective novelwhen he assists justice to prevail by identifying himself with Sherlock Holmes, Simon Templar, Inspector West and Hercule Poirot. Ong Ie Min, Lower VI (Arts).,

G2 The Penang Free School Magazine REPORTS FROM SCHOOL DEPARTMENTS BOARD OF PREFECTS School Captain Deputy Head Prefect - Secretary Treasurer Senior Prefects Junior Prefects Teoh Soon Teong. Kee Yong Tau. Lim Say Wan. Mohideen Abdul Kader. Abdul Rahim b. Haji Mohammed, Wong Chung Kin, Tan Kim Leong and Khoo Teik Huat. Ng Hon Leong, Abdul Aziz b. Ibrahim, Teoh Eng Soon, Ch'ng Eng Keat, Ko Boon Chen, Paul Wang, Cheah Kim Swee, Abdullah b. Abdul Rahman and Mohd. Said b. Salleh. What concept of the Board of Prefects does the average pupil of this school hold? Does the sign emitting the warm notes, "Prefects' Room," signify to him an out-of-bounds area where trespassers are dealt with deadly precision and fury? Is his picture confined to dull-eyed "old-timers"? Or is it to him some society of fanatics whose only aim is contriving at draining up the Suez Canal? Needless to say, the individual impressions of the Board will extend through a wide and diverse range almost as complex and infinite as the personalities that hold them. 'Dispel all fears ' is the assurance from the Board to the newly-arrived, starry-eyed Form I pupil. A prefect may resemble the boy's fairy-book tyrant superficially, but certainly not when he metes out justice. The prefect is also not a lethargic automaton, who dispenses "lines" with cold hostility, but he is an understanding being capable of seeihg the boys' point of view. In fact, the everpressing aim of the board is to maintain peace and harmony in the social relations of the school. The bringing about of better co-ordination and understanding amongst the school's staff and pupils is also striven for. To the achievement of this goal, ponderous responsibilities are borne zealously. The board was fully engaged in recre~tional activities in the past months. Splendid afternoons resulted from the exciting games afforded at the various " Prefects' Monthly Games." The Annual Hockey match against the Masters saw some very thrilling play. The teams were so evenly-matched that ten minutes from time, the match was still anybody's game. However, the crafty Masters managed to sneak in the decisive goal to win by an odd goal in three. On the last day of the Second Term, the Board was set on having their revenge in the Cricket encounter against the Masters. However, our boisterous spirits were soon dimmed by the persistent rain. What ill luck! Anyway, we were consoled by an excellent lunch, into which we delved with as much zeal as we would have flogged the Opposition's satirical efforts at bowling. At the time of writing, the strength of the board is down to seventeen members from the original twenty-two at the beginning of the year. In March,

The Penang Free School Magazine 63 the morale of the Board was badly hit when Mr. Lee Teng Chye, our popular " head " proceeded to Australia for further studies. Our ex-captain was very well-liked for his amateurish clowning which greatly helped to relieve the prefects from their rather serious and tense mood. Mr. Johan Ariff, who had served the board very capably for many years, was appointed Act ing School Captain. He helped much in restoring normality to the board after Messrs. Cheah Eok Guan, our deputy head prefect, Choong Cheng Hock, Lim Teik Oon and Gnoh Chong Hock had accompanied Mr. Lee Teng Chye out. To all these esteemed persons go our heartfelt gratitude. By the time Mr. Teoh Soon Teong stepped into the School Captain's shoes, normal activities had been resumed. Our resourceful " head," a constant source of inspiration, helped greatly in relieving the handicap imposed by the lack in numbers of the board. Congratulations to Mr. Said b. Salleh who received an " on-the-spot" appointment to the board in reward for his meritorious service on the sports field. On his readmission to the school, Abdul Rahim b. Haji Mohammed was reinstated as Senior Prefect. The Board would like to wish those members who will be leaving us soon success in whatever sphere they may endeavour in. In their own way, they haveupheld the prestige of the board and proved themselves worthy in all respects~ Secr~ta_ry.

64 The Penang Free School Magazine SCHOOL SOCIETIES P ARN ASS US SOCIETY Advisers Mr. J. R. P. D. de Turville, Mr. Tan Seng Chye and Mr. R. Nath. Chairman Chua Kooi Yong. Vice-Chairman Kee Yong Tau. &cretary Quah Tjeng Leng. Asst. Secretary Cheang Oi Heng. Treasurer Md. Yusof bin S. A. Rahim. Asst. Treasurer Teoh Wee Teong. Although we try to be as sensational in our choice of programmes as possible, the idea being to teach the Science Society a thing or two, the most important aspect of our meetings is the papers read by the members themselves. Even then, we could not help but be sensational. The papers read, range from Astrology to Psychology and from Malay Royalty to Hantu-Hantu. During this year we had one guest speaker, Mr. C. S. Wong, of the Chinese Secretariat. He gave an Informal talk on Chinese Art. At the end of his talk, as at the other meetings when papers were read by the members, question sessions were held. Usually the question sessions were very lively for the members have inquiring minds- very healthy, it is supposed !- and some of them even delight In pinning the speakers to the wall, metaphorically only. Prior to the Malayan University Entrance Examinations, we had a quiz as the students of the Upper Sixth Form thought it might be of help to them. At certain stages the members were so excited that it did not appear like a solemn congregation of cultured Arts students. The two winning teams were presented with books and bars of chocolates. The members seemed to appreciate the latter more. It was said that the students should be entertained, and so they were entertained-to music from Dixieland jazz to grand opera. At the beginning of the first term there was an informal meeting in Mr. de Turville's living room. The members were treated to the following pieces: " Jesu, joy of man's desiring," a sonata by Beethoven, and selections from "Lucia di Lammermoor ·• and "Porgy and Bess." . Mr. de Turville supplied the running commentary. Late in the second term, there was another musical session. This time, the members chose the tunes. that were played. Judging from their choice, Sigmund Romberg and Benny Goodman were more popular than Chopin. At the suggestion of the Headmaster, the members of the Science and Parnassus Societies got together for one day and tried to enjoy themselves. They seem to be on excellent terms. Al1d here Is one last word- on at,tendance. We do not seem to have all of the members all of the time. Secretary.

PARNASSUS SOCIETY Slttin~ (L. to R.)- Md. Yusof bin S. A. Rahim (Treasurer), Quah Tjeng ~ng {Secretary), Chua Kool Yong (Chairman), Mr. Tan Seng Chye {Adviser), the Headmaster, Mr. Rajendra Nath (Adviser), Kee Yong Tau (Vice-Chairmen), Cheang 01 Heng (Asst. Secretary), Teoh Wee Teong (Asst. Treasurer). SCIENCE SOCIETY-1956. Sitting CL. to R.)-Miss Yeah Saw Ai, Mohideen A. K ., Teoh Soon Teong, Miss Chee Mooh Lan, Tan Kim Leong (Chairman), Mr. W . V. Hobson (Adviser), Mr. J . E. Tod {Headmaster), Messrs. Lee Eng Leong, Yeah Chong Bok (Asst . Advisers), Khor Chin Poey (Secret ary) , Khoo Heng Choon Lim Khaik Liang, Miss Teoh Siew Beng. '

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY-1956 ART SECTION OF 'l'HE ART CLUB

The Penang Free School Magazine 65 THE SCIENCE SOCIETY Advisers Chairman Secretary Committee Member:; , Mr. Hobson, Mr. Saunderson and Mr. Lee Eng Leong. Tan Kim Leong. Khor Chin Poey. Teoh .. Soon Teong, Miss Teoh Siew Beng, Lim Khaik Liang (till 5-3-56), Miss Chee Mooh Lan and Mohideen. At the beginning of the third term we had to say goodbye to our Upper Six members. They han done a Jot for the society and we take this opportunity of wishing them every success in their various University careers. Left with about 50% of the total enrolment, the society, however, continued to function as usual. Programmes were planned which included talks by internal as well as external speakers, and visits to places of scientific interest. For our first, meet.ing we visited the Guillemard Reservoir, this was followed by a tall{ by Mr. Teoh Eng Soon. On October 28th we had as our guest speaker Dr. H. I. Williams, Pathologist, Branch Laboratory, Institute of Medical Research, Penang who gave a lecture on "The Role of the Pathologist in Everyday Life." His talk was most instructive and those students of biology who attended the talk profited by it. At the end of his talk Dr. Williams invited us to visit his laboratory. We accepted his kind invitation and on November 9th we visited the Laboratory. In this connection we would like to thank both Dr. Savoor, the Senior Pathologist and Dr. Williams for showing us round the laboratory. Early this year we had to say goodbye to our adviser Mr. R. A. Wilson, who left us to become the Senior Science Master of the Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur. We are very sorry to lose him. During his stay in the school he had endeared himself to all of us. In his place we are glad to welcome Mr. Hobson. At about t,he same time our ex-secretary Lim Khaik Keong, left us to further his study in the U.K. We wish him every success In his study. For the year of 1956 we have an enrolment of 61. This number is made up from Upper 6 125), Lower 6 (26) and Form 5 B (10). At the first meeting of the year, Miss Milly Koe, Mr. Saw Chwee Guan and Miss Teoh Gaik Choo gave us talks on "Arachnids," "The Invertebrate World" and "The Life of a Scientist" respectively. This was followed by a talk by Mr. Young, the Engineer in charge of Waterworks who spoke on "Hydraulics." Then we visited the Standard Vacuum Oil Company at Bagan Luar. On the 3rd of March 20 members visited Taiping. On our way there we paid a visit to the Government Rice Mills. at Bagan Serai. While in Taiping the members visited a tin dredge belonging to the Larut Tin Fields. Secretary.

66 The Penang Free School Magazine ---------- - - -------- -----~-------- --'=----- THE LITERARY AND DEBATING SOCIETY Advisors Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary Treasurer Auditor Group Leaders Messrs. Tan Chong Bee, A. Paul and Tan Thean Kee. Lim Kim Boon. Tan Tiong Liang. Tan Teng Nam. Ang Thoon Seng. Loh Hun Yu. Thong Kar Cheong, Nah Soo Leong, John Wang, Low Ngiap Jin , Cheah Kim Swee. The Society carried on smoothly under the charge of Mr. Yeoh Aik Hooi in the first term. Frankly speaking the Society is not as it was in t he past few years. This may be attributed to the fact that the existence of the Parnassus society, exclusively for Sixth formers, has deprived the Society of the invaluable services and support of the members of the Sixth Form. We sincerely regret that Mr. Yeoh Aik Hooi is no more with the Society. Our good wishes follow him to the St. George's Girls' School and in his place we extend our warmest welcome to Mr. Tan Chong Bee, in whom we have the greatest confidence. With a gratifying number of members, 135 in all, the Society hopes to make a turn for the better, and before this report is out, its members hope to have been worthy of their predecessors. This Society caters for a large percentage of the School and its object is to make out of its members the future leaders of the School in literary circles. The Society is divided into two sections; the senior section comprises boys from Forms 4 and 5, and the Junior Section, boys from Forms 1, 2, 3. Toe Sections hold their own meetings under their own chairmen. Once a month a combined meeting is held with the Senior chairman presiding. It is thought that in this way the younger members can take part in the activities of the Society without being under the constant and too criticising watch of the senior members. Meetings begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday mornings. The heavy responsibility of planning an interesting programmz for each term falls upon the shoulders of the members of the Senior and Junior Committees and Group Leaders. This .programme includes debates, discussions, elocution contests quizes, ' Brains Trust • and talks by guest speakers. The Headmaster encourages Societies to invite guest speakers to address them. Talks by guest speakers have always been very popular with the members but guest speakers are not easy to find. The Society takes this grand opportunity to thank Mr. Hobson, who recently joined the staff, for his interesting talk which benefitted all the members, in particular the science students. Mr. Hobson was our guest speaker and he lectured on 'Heredity'- a subject which presented no difficulty to a biologist. Last year the Society organised an inter-school debate. The a ttendance at this debate created a 'seating-capacity' problem. There was hardly any standing room. It is hoped that this idea of inter-school debates and other inter-school functions is continued as it has proved to be an excellent way to get students together in an atmosphere of fri endly rivalry and to widen their social contacts. Secretary.

'rhe Penang Free School Magazine 67 ----·------------------ THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY President Advisers Chairman Secretary Asst. Secretary Treasurer Committee Members - The Headmaster. Messrs. Tagar Singh, Cheah Gynn Seong. Yong Boon How. Koe Eng Jin. Khoo Beng Jin. Ong Kim Chooi. Chuah Kooi Yong, Tan Kim Leong, Marina Merican, Lim Phaik Har, Lim Kok Min, Oh Seong Tit, Tan Soon Cheng, Eu Kim Wah. Seeing is believing, so the saying goes and this is no exception with the Geographical Society for we believe that the best way to learn this great subject is to venture forth to see for ourselves what we have learnt in theory. It was with this in mind that twenty-two members of the Society, under the charge of our adviser, Mr. Tagar Singh, left Malayan soil for the first time, last December for a very interesting and educational tour of Bangkok and Chiengmai. Among the many places visited on the tour were the Ruins of Ayuthia, a tobacco factory, an alcohol distillery, the many temples of Bangkok, a cement factory and also a shutUe-cork factory. We hope that this visit will be the beginning of many other such enterprises. This year, the Geographical Society has a total of 170 members, comprising students from Forms Five and Six. As a result of having so many keen Geographers, the number of members attending some of the outings had to be cut down by allotting limited places to the various classes. The sum of a dollar is collected from each member for the use of the Society when out on excursions. During the first term, the Society paid visits to the Agricultural Station, the Botanical Gardens, Taiping, Port Weld, the Mount Erskine Reservoir, the Batu Ferringhi Filtration Plant, Pulau i.erejak and Pulau Rimau. The Taiping trip was a real and pract,ical Geographical venture. The places visited on the trip were not only very interesting, but also supplied first hand knowledge concerning Malayan geography. At the Bagan S~rai Rice Mill and the Ban Hock Leong Rice Mill, the Society had an insight to the running of a factory which produces what is Malaya's staple food. At the tinmines, we studied amidst difficult and rainy conditions, the various methods of tin-mining in this country. We felt a bit historically inclined when we visited Port Weld and the first Malayan Railway tracks to be laid. At this tiny town, we also visited a charcoal kiln. Then we visited the Merchiston Rubber Estate and oh! what a pleasant surprise we had when the manager, the brother of one of our teachers, treated us to tea and cakes. We must not forget to thank him heartily for his most kind hospitality. The programme for the 1st term was pleasantly rounded up with a most enjoyable and interesting trip to the Pulaus (Jerejak and Rimau) .where we visited the Leper and T.B. Hospitals in P. Jerejak before proceeding for a picnic

68 The Penang Free School Magazine - ----- in P . Rimau. The trip was made more interesting, exciting and memorable when one of our boys being over eager, fell overboard and had to be rescued most heroically, by one of the sailors. · At the time of writing, we have planned visits to the Fraser and Neave, the Straits Echo, the Bagan Dalam Slipway, the Prai Power Station, Muka Head, Glugor and a trip round the island by launch. Though we do not have the pleasure of knowing the names of the following gentlemen, nevertheless, we take this opportunity of thanking them n1ost heartily for their kind help and co-operation in making all our visits possible: the Agricultural Assistant, the Horticultural Officer, the Water Engineer, the Harbour Master, the Cruef Medical Officer and the Medical Officer, Leper and T.B. Hospital. So far, members of the Society have given their fervent support where attendance of excursions is concerned. We hope that in the ensuing months, they will continue to show their enthusiasm by making it a point to be present at future outings whenever possible. Secretary. ART CLUB (PAINTING SECTION) Advisor Chairman Secretary Asst. Secretary Treasurer Class Representatives Mr. G. S. Reutens. Lim Tong Juan. Tan Teng Nam. Khoo Ewe Jin. Ho Seng Hong. Yong Boon How, Lo Cheng Teik, Cheang Kok Iioong, Tan Kok Ki. For the first time the Painting Section of the Art Club is having its own elected cabinet to increase the efficiency of this section. Now we can really hope to improve the standard of art and to make more progress in the various branches of art. Under the guidance of our advisor, Mr. G . S. Reutens, and with the co-operation of 60 " budding" artists, we have no doubt that we will achieve our aim. We have drawn up an ambitious programme for the year and we are glad to see that, so far, we have been able to keep to it. Visits to places of artistic value, to art exhibitions and talks by prominent people of art are some items in our programme. In the first term we visited the Khoo Kongsi at Canon Square. Besides being one of the oldest Chinese temples in Penang, it is a treasure-house of art motifs and Chinese design. We always try to be present at every art exhibition because, in the words of our advisor, "You learn much more in an exhibition than in ten art lessons. What is more instructive than discovering for oneself from real paintings the beauty of composition, form, tone and texture in a rt? " We have been lo

The Penang Free School Magazine 69 exhibitions of paintings by Miss Sunyee, a renowned artist, by Mr. Tan Choon Ghee, an art-master, the Local Artists' Exhibition, the Milo Art Competition Exhibition and several others. We are glad to announce that we have won three first prizes in the Milo Art Competition in the age-groups of 9--13 years, 13- 16 years, and 16-20 years. We warmly congratulate the prize-winners and hope for the same success In the future . We have been still more successful in winning two prizes in the Worldwide International Childrens' Drawing Contest for 1956 in Tokio sponsored by the UNESCO Association in Japan. In this competition we competed against over 2,700 entries from all over the world. We also had the honour of hearing a talk by Mr. Tay Hooi Keat who is the Art Supervisor of Penang Schools. After reviewing some of our paintings, he mid that he was, on the whole, pleased with the standard of art in our school. Since the second term, we have been coming back every Tuesday afternoon to begin work for the school exhibition. Mr. Reutens has expressed the desire to st age a really good exhibition of our paintings and models this year, and with our busy activity and recent success we can certainly look forward to a successful attempt. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY President Master-in-Charge Chairman Secretary Treasurer Cnmmittee Members - Headmaster. Mr. A. Saunderson. Chew Yuen Heng. Oh Siong Tit. Chong Sun Yit.. Teh Eng Chye. Lim Tong Juan. Khoo Beng Jin. Toh Teik Boon. Secretary. The beauty of photography has captured the hearts of the boys with its fascination during its brief history of four years. The enrolment of the Society has been increasing year by year, so much so, that a record enrolment of eighty members is experienced this year. Undoubtedly, the Society will experience a bigger membership next year as there are still scores of boys yearning to join the Society, but because the membership has passed well beyond its limit, they were not taken in. There is only one available dark-room for the members, so a large enrolment is not desirous as the Society finds difficulty in coping with the great demand for the dark-room. The boys do not join the Society just to add it to the long lists of societies in their report books, but they are fascinated by the beauty of photogra phy and are going deep into the pursuit of this art.

70 'l'he Penarig Free School Magazine To get the members acquainted with the intricacies of their cameras, an outing was arranged at· the beginning -of the year so as ·to offer them ample opportunity in practical knowledge. The response to the outing was very encouraging and more of such outings will be arranged in the _near future . It is the desire of the Society to obtain the services of some renowned local photographers to relieve the members of their problems which they will encounter in the course of their pursuit of thi_s -fascinating art. To encourage the members in their work, they are offered the opportunity to display their hard work_ at the exhibition organised by the Society annually. The success of last year's Annual Exhibition was tremendous, and this year the Society is planning to have more than one exhibition apart from the Annual Exhibition, so as to offer the members adequate opportunity to compare their work with their fellow members. The excellent work put up by the former committee which contributed much to the success of the Society is unaccountable and thanks should go to them. . Master-in-Charge Chairman Secretary :· - Committee ~.Members - R. S. P. C. A. Mr. Goh Eng Khuan . Tan Kheng Huat. Chandra Rao. Secretary. Chan Kian Hin, l:>aid Salleh and S. Govindasamy. Th_e P.F.S. branch of R.S.P.C.A. has been. on its toes ever since its birth in 1956. The society has a membership of 135 boys. All are keen A.D.'s and take much Interest in the society. Last term the society sent in a . team of twelve boys to partake In the Combined School Quiz sponsored by the Penang R.S.P.C.A. The team came out first beating the St. Georges Girls School by one point. Now they are trying hard to gain the 'Lisa Anthony Memorial Shield ' from_ the present holders by saving the lives or" ma1:iy_ sti~ay dogs and cats and doing kind deeds to animals. . The society runs its own quiz and outings besides taking part in the Penang R.S.P.C.A.'s programme. The members have much fun and enjoyment and also learn a great deal by visiting places of interest to the society. They make · their outings on bicycles. · This year every boy gets his share ·or the R.S.P.C.A. magazines. The <;:mly regret is that they get them a bit late as the magazines are ordered from -~~ngland. The boys help the society by giving common stamps, selling flags, on Flag Days and by co-operating with the society in every possible way. They have worked_ hard and .are anxiously awaiting for the annual Combined School Christmas _Party. Secretary.

THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY-THE COMMITTEE 1956 THE mSTORICAL SOCIETY-1956 i r .·._"THE LITERARY & DEBATING SOCIETY- 1956

HAMILTON CUP CHAMPIONS 1956 SCHOOL HOCKEY TEAM -1956 . ;·~ ~ ~ . ~;:~ .i"' ·, • .. .... . ~ .. .·. ' -- -, ~~~~ ~-~~~

The Penang Free School .Magazine THE CHESS CLUB President Master-in-charge Chairman Secretary Treasurer The Headmaster. Mr. V.' . V. Hobson Koe Eng Jin. Khoo Teng Lake Tan Seng Huat. 71 When the old members and the Committee left School in October last year everything came to a standstill, and for a time the Chess Club we n t int o hibernation. Also in October, Mr. R. A. Wilson, the then Adviser, left us on transfer to Victoria Institution : we regret this Joss. With the arrival of Mr. Hobson, however, a new interest in the club was brought about and ear:IY in January, the boys got together to hold a general meeting. However, there was a short age of funds but our treasurer, Ta n Seng Huat, was ready to replenish the monetary supplies. With the money thus acquired, we were able to introduce · Chinese Chess ' to the members. We hold our meetings in the afternoons and we have attempted to boost up the attendance by providing drinks at t hese meetings. A keen interest has been shown during the first anci second terms. We are thankful for the initiative and interest shown by our master in charge, Mr. W. V. Hobson, which had prevented the Club from being ' checkmated.' Secretary. HISTORICAL SOCIETY Masters-in-Charge Messrs. Lim Boon Hock and Teh Khcng Chooi. Chairman Tan Tiong Liang. Secretary Tan Kheng Huat . Photographers Oh Seang Tit, Lim Kiri1 Boon and Cheah Keong Chye. Committee Members - Choong Sim Poey, Chan Kian Hin and Cheah Kim Swee. The Society was formed in 1955 and since then it has been under the watchful care of the masters-in-charge. Several efficient and industrious students have held the reins as chairmen, secret aries and committee members and under their inspiring a nd excellent leadership it has become what it uudoubedly is now-a well administer ed and organised society wh ich, a lthough of a tender age, is r ecognised a s one of the important societies of the sch ool.