For a School with over 400 years of history, things are bound to change. Change is constant after all.
When it comes to a School Motto however, in Latin, you don't expect it.
So when did DE MIEVLX EN MIEVLX PARTOUT become De Mieux en Mieux Pour Tout?
From Good, to Better Everywhere.
Often mentioned, but I have yet to see a full explanation. Forder wrote his History of the Paston School and published it in 1934. My Second Edition, 1975, has the Crest and 'Pour Tout'. The Latin/Franco origin might be described within, but I have not yet found it.
The Pastonian magazine is another great clue. It changed in Summer 1948 there, to Pour Tout. But why?
Could it be that a Latin Master changed in that year, as did the printing of the magazine, and it was 'corrected'. It had been the 100th edition of the magazine in Easter 1947. The whole School was re-decorated/branded that year with 'gallons of white and green paint' and even the Pavilion on the School Playing fields had a new thatch. John Bloomfield was School Captain that year - I should ask him what happened! The Pastonian was termly in those days, and it changed to annual in 1951 (51-52) 'because of the rising cost of material and labour'.
So post 1948, the motto change stuck. But still no explanation as to why it was changed.
If anyone has access to the Summer 1947, Winter 1947 or Easter 1948 editions, this might contain a reference to it (ed; now sourced)
Any thoughts?
-John Dring
Footnote: The 1946 Pastonian, edition 99, mentions the new motto, in passing in the opening editorial page. Whilst the front cover remains the older. So it must have been a variant already at that time.
Further - the motto changed, definitively, on the cover of the Summer edition of The Pastonian 1948, edition 103. The was NO Spring edition. So the magazine went from Winter 1947 edition 102 straight to the Summer one. A certain J J Atkinson (later, Voco) joined as Master of Latin in January 1948. There had been a competition to design the new cover of The Pastonian, and someone made sure it had the more modern motto format. But still no written mention of it. The search continues.
Footnote: Oct 2023
Here is a picture of the tomb of Sir William Paston and the motto he is credited with is Pour Tout. So I think that is the definitive use, and any use of partout was an error or attempt to de-french it !
When it comes to a School Motto however, in Latin, you don't expect it.
So when did DE MIEVLX EN MIEVLX PARTOUT become De Mieux en Mieux Pour Tout?
From Good, to Better Everywhere.
Often mentioned, but I have yet to see a full explanation. Forder wrote his History of the Paston School and published it in 1934. My Second Edition, 1975, has the Crest and 'Pour Tout'. The Latin/Franco origin might be described within, but I have not yet found it.
The Pastonian magazine is another great clue. It changed in Summer 1948 there, to Pour Tout. But why?
Could it be that a Latin Master changed in that year, as did the printing of the magazine, and it was 'corrected'. It had been the 100th edition of the magazine in Easter 1947. The whole School was re-decorated/branded that year with 'gallons of white and green paint' and even the Pavilion on the School Playing fields had a new thatch. John Bloomfield was School Captain that year - I should ask him what happened! The Pastonian was termly in those days, and it changed to annual in 1951 (51-52) 'because of the rising cost of material and labour'.
So post 1948, the motto change stuck. But still no explanation as to why it was changed.
If anyone has access to the Summer 1947, Winter 1947 or Easter 1948 editions, this might contain a reference to it (ed; now sourced)
Any thoughts?
-John Dring
Footnote: The 1946 Pastonian, edition 99, mentions the new motto, in passing in the opening editorial page. Whilst the front cover remains the older. So it must have been a variant already at that time.
Further - the motto changed, definitively, on the cover of the Summer edition of The Pastonian 1948, edition 103. The was NO Spring edition. So the magazine went from Winter 1947 edition 102 straight to the Summer one. A certain J J Atkinson (later, Voco) joined as Master of Latin in January 1948. There had been a competition to design the new cover of The Pastonian, and someone made sure it had the more modern motto format. But still no written mention of it. The search continues.
Footnote: Oct 2023
Here is a picture of the tomb of Sir William Paston and the motto he is credited with is Pour Tout. So I think that is the definitive use, and any use of partout was an error or attempt to de-french it !
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