A Silver Fork and Spoon

A recently acquired rarity of some interest is an 1814 prospectus for Ampleforth College, a school established near York, England, by the Benedictines in 1802, and thus more than a little comparable to Georgetown. Two sections of the text bear quoting at length, since they reveal a good deal about the value system under which Ampleforth operated:

"It is wished that parents would avoid, as much as possible, taking their children home; and, on this account, there will be no additional charge for those who leave them at theCollege during the vacation."

"The Terms for the same, Fifty Guineas per annum.---Clothes, Books and Paper, Medical Attendance, &c. also Music, Drawing, and Dancing, are extra charges. . . . Each young gentleman to bring with him a silver fork and spoon."