New College

Fredag stod to voksne og to 2-årige med lange ører bag en tung dør, den lød så smukt (sangstemmen på den anden side), men indenfor var børnene ikke velkomne. Vi holdt os til de udendørs arealer, pustede McBigger McBetter sæbebobler, sparkede bold og beundrede bygningerne omkring os. Lidt om New College fra deres hjemmeside og wikipedia:

The name of the College sometimes strikes visitors as odd in an institution more than 620 years old... Its official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary," or simply "New College."

The College's motto, created by William of Wykeham, is 'Manners Makyth Man'. The motto was in many respects fairly revolutionary. Firstly, it was written in English, rather than Latin, which makes it very unusual in Oxford, and is especially revolutionary considering the College's age; even St Catherine's College, founded in 1965, has a Latin motto ("Nova et Vetera": "the new and the old"). Secondly, the motto makes a social statement. While it might initially seem to be suggesting that it is beneficial to have good manners, this does not really capture its full scope. What it really means is that it is not by birth, money, or property that an individual is defined, but in how he (or she) behaves towards other people.