The Prize Poem is about choosing the best poem submitted by St. Austin's College's Sixth Form. The annual event honours the best poet. A rich man's will requires this competition.
A rich, misanthropic man wanted to immortalise his memory after death. In his will, he left money for an annual prize for the best poet. The poem could only be written by St. Austin's College's Sixth Form. This tradition lasted 27 years. The story describes how the practise ended.
The Headmaster announced the annual competition, 'An Ode to the College,' as usual. Smith, Montgomery, and Morrison submitted poems. The poem's acquisition is interesting and funny. Smith's one-remove visit to Reynolds changed the mandatory contest. Reynolds was recovering from German measles. In the hospital, Smith visited him. Smith told Reynolds about 'An Ode to the College,' the prize poem. Reynolds, who had tried to publish verses unsuccessfully, immediately joined.
Reynolds composed a poem. He wrote four lines, then four more. But quickly crossed. He copied another paper's first four lines. He copied his lines, with minor changes, onto a third paper titled "An Ode to the College."
Infirmary head Mrs. Lee brought Reynolds tea. When she entered, she opened the door wide and the papers flew outside. He didn't recover the papers because he remembered everything he'd written. Montgomery, another Sixth Form student, got Reynolds' poem in the afternoon. After adding his own lines, he used it for the competition.
Evans' Morison's friend got Reynolds' second sheet of paper two days later. He gave it to Morison, who'd asked for help. Morison used the lines, too. On the following Sunday, Smith visited Reynolds' and admitted he could only write four lines.
Mr.Wells evaluated all competition entries. In his letter, he said only Rogers' entry was good, and three other boys had the same four lines.
Headmaster called three boys. He deduced from their statements that each got four lines. They said they used this unfair method because they couldn't write poems for the competition. The headmaster stopped this Prize Poem Competition convention by making it voluntary.
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