Houghout-
//5.
4th February 1800-
Governo
John Pope Benuchy, C...
to
Le Right Honnath
Sir Michael Sicks Bench
Mt M.P.
Purorting the reopening of St Paul's College School. JE Transmitting proceeding, of public buceting the subpet-
Suclame / in Governa Pore Hennepy's Despatch. 1. 15 of 4th February, 1880
The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, DECEMBER 5TH, 1879.
THE PROPOSED PUBLIC SCHOOL.
A meeting of the subscribers and friends in- terested in the proposed Public School was held in the Library of St. Paul's College yesterday afternoon. There were present His Excellency the Governor, the Right Rev. Bishop Burdon, į Hou. Sir John Smale, Chiof-Justice; Hon. P. i Ryrie, Hon. W. Keswick, Hon. H. H. Gibb, Rev. - Dr. Chalmers, Rev. Dr. Eitel, Rev. J. Henderson, Mossrs. T. C. Hayllar, Q.C.; W. H. Forbes, N. J. Edo. D. R. Crawford, A. Lister, G. Tomlin, W. M. Morgan, &e.
On the motion of the BISHOP, the GOVERNOR was voted to the chair.
His EXCELLENCY said this was, as they were aware from the torms of the advertisement, a purely business meeting, and therefore without any preface, he would ask His Lordship the Bishop to state the object which had brought them together.
The BISHOP-When I was waiting upon your Excellency the other day on an entirely different | subject from that which brings us together now you were good enough to offer to be present at oar meeting to-day with the objent of kindly as sisting us. It afterwards struck me there might be a peculiar fitness, perhaps, in the Governor presiding over our meeting, for some seven or sight years ago there was a public meeting held in the City Hall, under the presidency of the then Governor, and the general fesling of the meeting was perhaps rather unfriendly to St. Paul's Col- lege. It was considered that St. Paul's College had failed in its duty in not establishing or car- rying through the very scheme we are now wantį - ing to carry through. There were some rather hard things said, which it is just as well not to bring up again. Now, I think, the feeling is different. It is seen and known that the object of St. Paul's College is entirely missionary, and the Bishop, whoover he may be, is tied down to use its funds entirely for missionary parposes. This scheme, therefore, if it is to come about, ainst come about by voluntary subscriptions of the community. I have very little to say! further. I rise to ask permission for the provisional committon to rotire. The committee was provisional; it was appointed for a particular purpose, that purpose has been answered, and we now ask you to accept our re- siguation. But before sitting down I would like to say a few words with reference to the nature and object of the scheme we are try- ing to set on foot, and perhaps this may be best explained by mentioning the objec- i tions I have hasrd to this scheme. It may be well to do away with whatever difficulties may be in the mind of any one in reference to it. I bave, as perhaps some of you have reason to know, writteu a good many notes iu reference to this rustter, and I have received a variety of replies. One reply was that it was not con- sidered as likely to be a very efficient scheme, and therefore the gentleman who wrote would not be willing to assist it. Well, I think it a pity a wrong view of our efforts should be taken. I don't suppose any one is wanting to make a Rugby or a Shrewsbury; in fact the material does not exist. We are simply trying to do the best we can, and if we were not to enter on the scheme unless we saw it was going to be the very host I doubt whether we would enter on it all. I don't suppose that objection occurs to the minds of meny. Another objection was that the persons for whom we are taxing urselves, are able themselves to supply for their children the education we propose to give. This, too, is founded on a mistake. Our object is to supply education to those children whose parents cannot afford to send them home for education. or are in such circumstances it is not expediout for them to do so. I dare say some of you know it is not so much the difficulty of supplying education to children at home that forms the difficulty, as the finding of a home for them. It might be easy if our friends were at home in England to find a school suitable to their position and means, but out hers how is it n order to send their childrou to the cheapest school they could they would have to
spend a large sum to find a home for them-such" ! a home as wold be in every way adapted to them
and there are very few of those whom we i hope to benefit in this way who could afford tris. The third objection is one I should like to clear away altogether, and that is, that anything done in St. Paul's College is in any way in opposition to anything that exists now. When I began the school five years. ago for Chinese and Europeans at first for Chinese only-there was an idea I was trying to open an opposition school to the Central School, It was nothing of the kind, aud certainly if there was nothing of that kind in my idea then there ! has been oven less of it in the scheme wo want to establish now. We can each work on in our own sphere and I don't suppose the taking away of twonty or five and twenty boys from the Central School would be likely to interfere with that! school in any respect. Aud, moreover, the children we want to bring bare are these whor parents do not like to send them to mix with! such a number of Chinese as there are there. It is suitable for the mass of Chinese and other re- sidents here; it is not suitable for our own children if we can possibly provide them with one more suitable. The last difficulty I have heard of is that this school is supposed to be a sectarian school. Now. I would auter my good humoured protest against the Church of England being considered a sect at all.-- (Hear, hear)-but the idea over sutered ray bead to make the school, I will not say sectarian, but. exclusive. I never deamt of excluding any children, or taking the distinctive doctrines of one churok or another as the basis of the religious lessons.(Hear, hear.) The Bible would be my solo text book--the facts of the Bibla and the lessons derived from it, and where there can be any narrowness or exclusive- ness in such a scheme I fail to see.--Hoar, hoar) These remarks will show the nature of the school. It is designed chiefly for our own ohildren, whose parents are in difficulty as to what to do. There are schools hore, say in connection with the Christian Brothers, bat I am sure, in presence of His Excelleney, I mean nothing offensive when I say Protestants prefer to send their children to schools of their own, just as Roman Catholics prefer to send their children to theirs.(His Excellency--- Hear, hear.)--We would not exclusively keep it to such children. If the committee found they could admit others, that would not interfere with the general principles of the school. I don't think i of anything else I have to say, but if any gentia. man likes to ask any questions, I or any of the committee will be very glad to answer them. I now move that the resignation of the provisional committee be accepted and a permanent com. mittee be appointed.
The CHIEF JUSTICS-Before we disonss that question I think it would be right, sir, that you should state what that committee has done, and what progress has been made for there has been some progress made, as I understand, with regard to pecuniary and other matters connected with it. You have not stated here. and probably some of us do not know, what the precise scheme is that is launched, and parti- cularly how far we have got with regard to subscriptions.
The BISHOP-I am sorry I forgot to report prograss in this matter, but the fact is we havƏ got the sum we thought necessary for the first year, that is, $2,000. It has been raised in rather small subscriptions, in order to make it as general as possible. Beyond that I don't know that there is anything else to state, except that our plan is to open a day school, that it shall be carried ou here under the saperin. tendence of the committes to be sppointed, aud there will be a teacher from England. A teacher has already been asked for. The provisional committee thought it best not to wait to see what amount of money we ware likely to raise, but that we should proceed at once, seeing we are so far from England and things take. so long to manage. I therefore wrote two months į ago for a teacher, and I am expecting a telegram to say one has been engaged.
The CHIEF JUSTICE-I desire to see where we stand and the lines that have been laid down. As far as I understand it the lines on which this thing has been arranged is this piece of paper which I hold in my hand in the circular already published and that has been the principle on which the $2,000 has been raised.
The BISHOP-A oopy has been sent to evory one who has been asked for a subscription.
The CHter Jusrics-I am asking this in
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