The great theme of the 'scale of seniority' was the balance of privilege and duty, itself reflecting the more worthy side of the British Empire. But this was a theme to which 'opening the mind' came as at best an irrelevance.

资格和级别，权力和责任的平衡，这对于大英帝国来说，是更珍贵的东西。而「打开思维」这件事，顶多能算个细枝末节就不错了。

The Victorian reforms had made their mark, and competitive examinations played a part in public school life. Those who came as scholars had an opportunity to take on the role of an intelligentsia in the 'nation in miniature', tolerated provided they interfered with nothing that mattered. But Alan, who did not belong to this group, was quick to note the 'absurdly small' amount expected of him. And in fact it was the organised team games of rugby football ('footer') and cricket which for most boys would dominate the years at Sherborne and through which the emotional lessons were taught. Nor had the social changes of the Great War made any difference to the total, introverted, self-conscious system of house life, with its continuous public scrutiny and control of every individual boy. These were the true priorities.

维多利亚改革的影响之一，就是使竞争激烈的考试成为公学生活的重要部分。成绩好、听话的学生，就有机会成为这个小型国家里的知识阶级，艾伦不属于这个群体，人们对他一点指望都没有。学校里还教橄榄球和板球，这里的男孩们很看重这些游戏，他们在这些游戏中，学会控制情绪。世界大战引起的社会变革，对固步自封的公学没有产生冲击，这里的体制仍然是临视而控制着每一个男孩，这些才是舍尔伯尼真正的重点。

In one respect only a token concession had been made to Victorian reform. There had been a science master at Sherborne since 1873, but this was primarily for the sake of the medical profession. It was not for the Workshop of the World, stigmatised as too mundanely utilitarian in spirit to occupy the time of a gentleman. The Stoneys might build the bridges of the Empire, but it was a higher caste which commanded them. Neither did science enjoy respect for its enquiry, irrespective of usefulness, into truth. Here again the public school had resisted the triumphant claims of nineteenth century science. Nowell Smith divided the intellectual world into Classical, Modern, and Science, in that order, and held that:

在科学方面，舍尔伯尼只是在维多利亚改革中，做出了一个敷衍的让步，从1873年开始，引进一位科学老师。这主要是为了医学而设，并不是为了展示自然世界，而且一直因为「很庸俗」，而经受着绅士们的侮辱。科学不顾一切地求证真理，但并没有因此而受到尊重，正如斯托尼家为帝国建了大桥，但却有更高的阶级在指挥他们。公学坚定地抵制着19世纪科学的胜利，诺威尔.史密斯把知识界分成古典、现代和科学，他认为：