Sermons at Rugby

A window into the moral imagination of Edwardian Britain's elite, these sermons were delivered to young men at Rugby School in the years before the Great War shattered that world. John Percival, speaking from within one of England's most prestigious public schools, weaves together Christian devotion and fierce loyalty to the school community, urging his listeners to see their years at Rugby as a sacred formation of character. Using Psalm 122 as his touchstone, he proclaims 'religious patriotism', the idea that loving one's school with spiritual fervor prepares the ground for loving God and nation. These are not hollow exhortations but carefully reasoned addresses that take adolescence seriously, acknowledging the challenges of growing up while insisting on the dignity of moral commitment. For readers interested in the forgotten world of early twentieth-century British education, or anyone curious about how religion shaped the ruling class's sense of duty, this collection offers both historical insight and a poignant reminder of an era that believed profoundly in the transformability of young souls.