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MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG.
The Government Schools increased, during the year 1871, in number but not in attend- ances. At the Central School 234 boys. costing $20.19 per head, were in aver- age attendance, whilst 25 Village Schoola (which term, in Dr. Stewart's time, always included also the Schools in town outside Central School) had only 259 scholars, costing $3.84, in average at- tendance. Accordingly Pr. Stewart urges once more the introduction of a com- pulsory education law. For the Cen- tral School, moreover, he asked for an entirely new building, but it took nearly 20 years before this reasonable wish was fulfilled. Nearly all the nationalities in the Colony were by this time represented in the Central School which, small as it then was, constituled a perfect model of an Anglo-Chinese School in its organization, methods and discipline. Mathematical drawing had been added in this year to the extra subjects of the School.
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1872. As regards the Protestant Schools there was, in the year 1872, a slight sign of reviving educational energy, as a School (which has endured to the present day) was started by a new agency. The Basel Mission, in the person of the Bev, J. O. Loercher, established an admirably organized School, at a cost of $1200 only, with 62 Hakka girls under 3 Chinese teachers (50) of the girls being boarders). The Diocesan School under Mr. and Mrs. Arthur continued its work with 16 boys and 1 girls. (all Imurders), at a cost of $4500. The London Mission had 30 Chinese boys under instruc- tion at Taipingshan and 40 Chinese boys ut Wantsai, Each of these two Schools cust 806. At the Berlin Mission, Miss F. Schroeder, with the assistance of a Chinese teacher, had 18 Chinese girls under instruc- tion. The first Sunday School, on record, was opened at Union Church by De. Legge, where 18 boys and 20 girls, all un-Chinese and mostly English, received weekly in-
struction.
Among the Roman Catholic Schools, St.
Saviour's College maintained its ground with an improved staff (Messrs. J. Terry, J. Hanlon, J. M. S. Souza, J, Baptists, R. Pinto, Sam Mat-chi, J, MeDonald and thun Tar-nhi), there being 146 boys under in- struction at a cost of $3,660. The Industrial Schools of the Westpoint Reformatory, under the direction of Father Burghignoli, were attended by 55 boys and cost $3, 0. Three private Portuguese Schools were continned during this year, Mr. M. Callado having 20 boys under instruction, Mrs. J. Ferraz 10 girls and Mrs. M. Remedios also 10 girls. At the Italian Convent there were Infant Sebols in operation of which there are however no statistics available. In the three Girls-Schools, the Italian Sisters had 175 girls under instruction and moreover they now added a Boys School attended by 25 boys (ander 10 years). At Spring Gardens, the Italian Sisters contioned their Girls School with 20 girls under the tuition of Sister Matilda. In the same neighbourhood, the Propaganda Society continued their Boys School, now under Mr. Wan Fong, with 38 boys. The foregoing two Schools cost $840. The Pottinger Street Seminary, under Father Longe, was attended by 9 students, costing $18. No School of the French sisters is recorded as in operation during this year.
The Government Schools, now 30 in number, enjoyed at last a somewhat in- ereased attendance. At the Central School 281 boys, costing $22.06 per head, and, at the 29 outside Schools, as many as 674 scholars, costing $131 per head, were in average attendance. The total enrolment amounted to 1180 scholars. As regards the working of the Grant-in-Aid system, Dr. Stewart's illusion was now dispelled, as he says in his report, the giving of Grants- in-Aid to certain Schools, which at first gave promise of much good, is not proving so beneficial a measure as was anticipated.' As regards the Central School, Dr. Stewart was by this time so satisfied with its work- ing and with the appreciation it met with on the part of the public, that he indulged in
MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG.
the over-sanguine expectation that if a new building and additional masters were ob tained, the Central School might be made 14 supply all the educational wants of the Colony.' The fact that, in 1872, as many as 88 boys of non-Chinese nationalities attended the Central School may have originated this illusion, which present ex- perience has entirely dispelled.
Dr. Stewart's assertion, that the Central School might be made to supply all the educational wants of the Colony,' was direct- ly intended as an official contradiction of the views then entertained by a considerable section of the community, who, sharing the views formerly expressed by Mr. Shortrede in 1855, disliked sending their sons to an institution like the Central School where, among a promiscuous mixture of nationali- ties, the Chinese vastly predominated. The feeling at the bottom of this movement was prompted by a national bias and manifested itself in a decided objection to school as- sociations with Chinese in particular, but it was a feeling very natural in a British Colony and one that will never be satisfied until this Colony obtains at last the boon, at the present day still unfulfilled, viz. a Public School for European children of both BCXCS, On 29th April, 1872, the Hon. Ph. Ryrie stated in Legislative Council that the Community felt the need of a School for the education of middle class Europeans.' The Governor, desirous probably of testing the public character of Mr. Ryrie's motion, at once suggested that a public meeting should be dunvened to discuss the question, When that meeting was held (26th June, 1872), it appeared that a majority of the public did recognize the need for a School such as Mr. Byrie desired, but wished it to be a secular School. Accordingly a Com- wittee (Mesars. E. R. Belilios, F. Stewart, J. Greig, Captain Sands, Mudy, Rozario and l'h. Kyrie) was appointed, from which every missionary and clergyinan interested in the proposed School was carefully excluded. This Committee was instructed to collect
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statistion as to the probable support the School would receive from the public, to ascertain if St. Paul's College might be utilised for the purpose, and to report to the Governor stating what initial help, if any, would he necessary from the Government. This attempt to turn the very School (St. Paul's College) which for so many years had formed the centre of religions educa- tion, even for the Government Schools of the Colony, into a secular School, with the open approval of the head of the Govern- ment, is a characteristic evidence of the change which had come over the Colony. The attempt proved, however, futile and Mr. Ryrie's whole scheme miscarried. The only tangible result of this movement was the formation of a private venture School, called Vietoria English School, taught by Mr. and Mrs. Hanlon, which was for several years under the nominal management of Mr. Kyrie (as a Grant-in-Aid School) and then came un- der Roman Catholic mauagement which has preserved the School to the present day as a Roman Catholie Mission School. Such is the irony of fate; the only secular School, ever established by the Hongkong public, maintained its existence only by becoming a denominational School. As to the Chinese community, the former pupils of St. Paul's College held, a few days before that secular public assembly, a meeting of their own at which they expressed their view of the situation by resolving to erect a monument in memory of the late Bishop Staith.
1873. The year 1873 forms an important turning point in the history of local eduen- tion, as it witnessed the introduction of the Grant-in-Aid Scheme. Just when the secu- lar party had attained the zenith of their power in Hongkong, thought even of turn- ing St. Paul's College into a non-religious institution, and launched an imitation of Fuster's Grant-in-Aid Act (1870) expressly intended to bring the Mission Schools of Hongkong under the same secular bondage happened as the Government Schools, it so
that the upholders of the sccular system,
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