Floreat Etona

Amid the cloistered books & beams of the Provost's Lodge at Eton College, most famed of Britain's swank public schools and academic nursery of England's royalty and peerage, sat last week the newly appointed Provost of Eton, the Rt. Hon. Lord Hugh Richard Heathcote Cecil, fifth son of the third Marquess of Salisbury, alumnus of Eton and Oxford, Member of Parliament for Oxford University for 26 years. Ever since Henry VI, who founded Eton in 1440, appointed one of his chief advisers to preside over the College's governing body as Provost, this office has been the most coveted and glorious in

Britain's academic world. The Provost, who holds the office for life, is appointed by the Crown, must be a Master of Arts in the University of Oxford or of Cambridge, must reside in Eton College during the whole of every school term. Reputed to receive a stipend of some $25,000 per year, he must hold no other money-making job.

In tune with ancient tradition Lord Hugh was installed last week in the presence of the genial and patriarchal Dean of Windsor representing King Edward VIII, Eton's Fellows, scholarly Eton Headmaster Claude Aurelius ('The Emperor") Elliott, and 1,100 top-hatted Etonians. Up to the outer doors of School Yard walked Lord Hugh with stately, processional steps. His three knocks on the great oak door significantly implied that the Fellows of Eton need not admit the King's nominee unless they wanted to. The Fellows, though, had decided that they wanted Lord Hugh, admitted him. Crossing School Yard to Upper Chapel he produced his royal warrant to prove he was no impostor, listened to addresses in Latin by Headmaster Elliott and the captain of the school. Lord Hugh, as was fitting, replied in Latin, but probably not 50 of the 1,100 aristocratic youths present knew what he was talking about. For many of them their knowledge of Latin begins and ends with the school motto Floreat Etona ("May Eton Flourish").

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