Tossing the Pancake.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 June 1922, Page 1

Tossing the Pancake.

MIOIIItY SCENE AT A LONDON school. An Australian who is visiting London after describing the procession at, Princess -Mary’s wedding, gives Hie following interesting account of an ancient school ceremony At 2 p.m. I returned 1o Westminster School to sec an ancient and extraordinary ceremony—the tossing of the pancake—a custom dating hack to Elizabethan times, when the school was founded, hut whose origin is lost in obscurity. 'Wluit I saw was tin’s. The day being Shrove Tuesday the whole school assembled in Monk’s Dormitory, which is now the Assembly Hall. The hoys occupied one end of the hall, which is about 30 yards long and 12 wide, the visitors stood at the other end, about 200 in all. \\ itli the 300 boys the crush was considerable, but 1 got, a scat on a high radiator, and looked well into the space left in the centre. Into this space there filed 20 boys, one selected from each form. They were dressed in any old clothes, old blazers —no collars—and looked ready for a good rough and tumble. They lined up under an iron bar, which stretched across the room about Mlt in liehdit, and stood with their backs to the door by which overyonjg entered Punctually at 2 p.m. in came the head master, in cap and gown, followed by the beadle, carrying a silver. wand, and then came the. cook in white apron, carrying the pancake on a small fryingpan. The cake was about Klin in diameter, and about -Jin thick, and I be-1 lievc. had .horsehair as one ingredient to make it stick together. The school sergeant announced that all was ready for the “grease,” i.e., the scramble, and the head master gave the word ; with a mighty heave the cook throw the pancake over the bar, and the boys whose, backs had been turned to him, with one accord rushed to seize it, the- object being to get the biggest piece. One kid

cnlight it and fell to the floor, at ttic same time stuffing it up under bis sweater. All the rest promptly piled on top of him, and there they were for about, a minute and a half, pulling and diving in and trying to work their way underneath. The head master, who had been standing with a watch in his hand called “time,” and out came from beneath the heap a youth who looked as though he had boon through a cliatfeiitter. lie produced the pancake in a crumpled state, but, practically whole. 1 few bits had been pinched off the edges. Then the head announced that Mildiiy of the classical fourth, had won the guinea for 1922. He was marched off amid the cheers of all to the Dean o! Westminster, who gave him a golden sov., and a shilling—the first time a sov had been given for many years. At one time the whole school joined in, but as tho school grew—it is now 300 — this scramble resulted in too many casualties. I was very fortunate to have seen this quaint old rite. There are many such in England, and I hope to find out some more later on.