Tom Brown’s School Days

Children’s Classic Read 2019 August

Tom Brown’s School Days is an 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes. The story is set in the 1830s at Rugby School, a public school for boys. Hughes attended Rugby School from 1834 to 1842. The novel was originally published as being “by an Old Boy of Rugby”, and much of it is based on the author’s experiences

When researching for books to read for my Children’s Classic Read 2019 I stumbled upon quotes from this book that peaked my interest.

“I want to leave behind me the name of a fellow who never bullied a little boy, or turned his back on a big one.” 
“He who has conquered his own coward spirit has conquered the whole outward world;” 
“…so bear in mind that majorities, especially respectable ones, are nine times out of ten in the wrong; and that if you see man or boy striving earnestly on the weak side, however wrong-headed or blundering he may be, you are not to go and join the cry against him. If you can’t join him and help him, and make him wiser, at any rate remember that he has found something in the world which he will fight and suffer for….”
 

This was a delightful read. I very much enjoyed it. So much so that I am going to look into getting a few copies for my son’s classical learning style school. It’s a timeless tale of growing up and the morality of it all.

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