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MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG
addition to Medhurst's Christian Sam-teze- king, Bishop Boone's Episcopaliau catechism (in Chinese) had to be committed to memory by all the scholars. The Chinese boys and their parents did not in the lenst objret. The more books are read, the better for the bors, was the verdict of the parents who did not believe that any amount of Christian teaching would pervert their boys from ancestral worship.
1851. The annual grant of $1200 which the Superintendent of British Trade in China used to give to the Morrison Ein- cation Society was this rear transferred, with the approval of the Foreign Office, ta St. Paul's College and thenceforth punetuslly puid every year until 1-68 after which year it was withdrawn. The College had now an average attendance of 30 Chinese students under the tuition of Bishop Smith and the Rev. E. T. R. Moncrieff. But to the original aim of training up a native clergy, there was now added, as a condition con- nected with the above-mentioned annnal grant of $1200, the further aim of training student interpreters, for which purpose the Governor of Hongkong received power an- unally to nominate six students. The first students so nominated were two European lads, Henry Collins and Robert Collins, who were recommended for the purpose by Mr. Hillier (August, 1851). The College Buildings were completed this year and all the surplus funds invested with Dent & Co. Miss Mitchell's European School continued a precarious existence, attended by 3 boys and 4 girls, but was closed before the end of the year for want of public support.
The Anglo-Chinese College, under Dr. Legge and Mr. Ho Poi-chi, was attended hy 50 Chinese students, serving the purpose of a public school rather than that of a theological seminary as originally intended and costing the London Mission $1776. The Girls School under Mrs. Legge num- bered 10 Chinese girls learning English.
The Roman Catholic Seminary in Queen's Bad, under the tuition of Bishop Raimondi
and Father Rizzolati, was continued as be fore, with 14 students, at a cost of $960, The B. C. Purtuguese Boys School in Wellington Street, numbering now 30 Por- tuguese boys, was taught by Mr. J. J. da Silva e Souza and east $240. At the same time Mrs. J. J. da Silva e Souza taught a Girts School, also in Wellington Street, attended by 12 Portugnese girls, at a most of $240. The R. C. Chinese School, in which Mr. Chang Ki-chan taught 28 boys, received the nsual Government Grant of $120, but as to the other School, in Tai- pingshan, where Mr. Hau A-wan taught 18 Chinese boys, there is no information as to whether the east of the School (stated to have been $120) was paid by the Govern ment or by the Mission.
With regard to the Government Grant- in-Aid Schools, the Committee (Mr. Hillier and the Bishop's Chaplain) stated (6 April, 1851) that there was (in 1830) an average attendance of 93 scholars in 4 Schools (viz. 30 in Victorin, 18 at Stanley, 20 in Aberdeen and 25 at Wongnaichung) but complained that the atten-lance was very fluctuating. The Committee informed the Government that all the teachers are prodessed Chris- tians, receiving their whole pay from Ga- vernment and, as far as the Committee knew, no compensation from their scholars. The report mentions the following list of hooks used in the Schools: the Sam-tsze- king. Ts'in-tsze-man, the Confucian Four Books and Five Classics, Medhurst's Sam- tsze-king, Bishop Boone's catechism, and the Bible. The Committee suggested (5 April, 1851, that the School Committee should be remodelled and that to the Bishop of Victoria should be accorded the entire superintendence of the Schouls or at least a joint superintendence.' But the Government was in no hurry acting upon this sugges tion. Ou 24th December, 1851, the Com- mittee (Mr. Hillier and Mr. Moncrieff) re- ported that a new School had been opened at Little Hongkong, and that the average attendance in the four Schools was 113 (viz.
MATERIALS FOR A HIS ORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG,
28 in Victoria, 20 in Wongnaichung, 24 at Aberdeen. 14 at Stanley and 27 in Little Hongkong). To free the teachers to exert themselves to secure a larger attendance of scholars, the Committee deducted from the salary of each teacher a certain sum for each scholar less than 30, and used the money thus saved for the purchase of Chinese books on Astronomy and Geography. The Committee also hinted that they were weary of the work by expressing a 'regret that they cannot give more effectual supervision to these Schools.' Selections were also made during this year of the most promising baye of these Government Sokools and the boya so selected were transferred to St. Paul's College,
1852. During this year the Protestant Schools of the Colony consisted only of St. Paul's College with 34 students (mostly Chinese but now including a few European boys), and the Anglo-Chinese College with 45 Chinese boys and 10 Chinese girls in Mrs, 'Legge's School, both together costing the London Mission $1080.
The Roman Catholic Mission started, in addition to their Seminary under Father Rizzolati which, with its 16 students, cost. $960, another Ecclesiastical School' at Sookompoo, with 13 Students, under Father Ch. Jaquemin. As the former continued to furnish, from time to time, native priests for the Italian Mission (De Propaganda Fide), so this new Seminary commenced to the same work for the benefit of the French Missions des Etrangères. The Portuguese Boys School was continued as before by Mr. J. J. da Silva e Songs, teaching 48 hoys at an expense to the Mission of $240, whilst his wife continued to teach the Portuguese Girls School numbering 8 girls and costing the Mission the same amount. The Roman Catholic Chinese School, taught by Mr. Cheung Ki-chan, continued to receive the Government Grant of $120 (number of scholars not noted), whilst the other Chinese School in which Mr. Hau A-wan trught 15 boys, oost the Mission $12).
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As to the Government Geant-in-AM Schools, Mr. Hillier reported at the begin- ning of the year (30th January, 185) that Mr. Moncrieff hud withdrawn from the Committee (for reasons not stated), that he himself was now the only member of the moribund Committee and he recommended
therefore, once more, that the Bishop or Warden of St. Paul's College be appointed Visitor of the Government Schools,' Mr. Hillier explained that he could not say whether the Bishop would accept the offer, His Ledship having never spoken to him on the subject, hut he argued that, as the Bishop received in aid of the College a Government Grant of $1,200 a year, The would naturally be anxious to reu- der thuse elementary & vernment Schools efficient as nurseries :rom whence promising pupils might be chosen for the higher course of education obtainable at St. Paul's College.
Accordingly the Government re- quested (March, 1852) Bishop Smith to act as permanent Chairman of the Educational Committee, with Mr. Hillier and Mr. W. B. Medhurst (Chinese Secretary to the Government) as members of the Committee, At the same time, the Bishop's new chaplain, Rev, M. C. Odeli, gave his aid to the Com- ittee in visiting the Schools under their charge at irregular intervals. Soon after (20 July, 1852), Bishop Smith as represent- ing the Committee for superintending Government Schools' recommended that the Government should build School-houses at a small outlay. The average attendance at the Schools amounted, during this year, to 136 boys (viz. 40 in Victoria, 28 at Wong- naichung, 13 at Stanley, 28 at Little Hong- kong, and 27 at Aberdeen). Half-yearly examinations were introduced, partly to test the quality of the teachers' work and partly to ascertain the fittest boys to be drafted intu St. Paul's College. Prize distributions were held at the Bishop's residence and eleven boys were transferred during this year from the Government Schools to St. Paul's College.
1853
During the year 1853, St. Paul'»
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