Eton

an English village on the east bank of the Thames, opposite Windsor Castle. It follows the windings of a single street, and contains about 3,500 people. Its celebrity is due to Eton College, a school for boys, established by Henry VI in 1440 under the name of the "College of the Blessed Virgin Mary Beside Windsor." The course is chiefly classical. About 1,000 boys are in attendance. The school was established originally for poor boys; but it is now the most aristocratic school in England,--a condition fostered, no doubt, by the royal residence at Windsor. Although there are a number of fine buildings, the accommodations of the school are limited. To make certain of securing admission, the names of young scions of nobility are entered not infrequently at the time of birth. The poet Gray has written an Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College. "Ye distant spires, ye antique towers," and "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," are familiar quotations taken from this poem.