The Casual Ward: Academic and Other Oddments

"The Casual Ward: Academic and Other Oddments" by A. D. Godley, is a collection of funny writings from the early 1900s that pokes fun at life in schools and the world around us. The collection includes different stories that look at school life, important people from history, and things happening in society, often in a way that makes fun of them. These writings probably talk about the writer's own experiences and thoughts from working in education, including made-up stories and characters from schools and elsewhere. The book starts with a writing called "M. T. CICERONIS DE LEGE BODLEIANA ORATIO," where the author imagines a funny speech against the idea of banning bicycles from the Bodleian Library. This joking speech, written in a serious way, shows how silly it is to stop people from using bikes and argues for making it easier to get to important school resources. This beginning not only sets a tone of smart humor and school-related jokes but also shows readers Godley's view on the strange rules and systems of school management, setting the stage for the ideas and feelings that continue throughout the book.