16
MATERIALS FOR A DISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG,
satisfaction, to St. Paul's College to receive there a better education.' Another similar examination was held in summer (2 August, 1834) when $16 were distributed at St. Paul's College among 13 boys from 5 Go- vernment Schools. In two of these Schools (Victoria and Wonguaichung) English was taught throughout this year, The Govern ment spent altogether on education during this year $695.
1880. The records of the attendances at the Protestant and Catholic Mission Schools, during this year, are missing. But there is every reason to suppose that these Schools were continued as before.
The year 1855 marks a new departure in the history ut our loent education by the effort made by the European community, and successfully sustained for seven years— a longer time than snch waves of popular enthusiasm generally last to start the Public School of Hongkong.' The Educa tional Committee being generally considered an inefficient measure, and disliked owing to the clerical character it bad assumed, a Public Meeting was held (6th starch, 1855) to consider means for the establishment of a
• Public Sebool' on a new hasis. The mauve- ment was started by Mr. A. Shortrede (Editor of the China 3a), who stated at the meeting (Mr. Geo. Lyall being in the chai), that it was not very creditable to Hongkong that, though it had existed twelve years as
a British Colony, it was without a Public School for instruction in English, su that the children of uur Countrymen were less cared for, growing up is greater ignorance, than the Chinese.' Subscriptions to the amount of $1,555 having already been secured by Mr. Shortrede, the following resolutions, moved and seconded by the principal European merchants of the Colony, were unanimously agreed to. (1) That a Public School sup ported by voluntary contributions and fees be established at Hongkong for the educa- tion of children of whatever nation, religion, class or endition. (2) That the direction
of the School be entrusted to a Committee of laymen, elected by subscribers of not less than $25 each, (3) That the fees shall he small but no brauch of education shall be taught gratuitously. (4) That the Directors now to be appointed have full power to engage a teacher, rent premises, regulate the fees, determine whether or not Chinese shall be taught in addition to Eng- lish, and otherwise to manage the School according to their discretion except as expressly provided by the present resoln- tions. (5) That any two Directors or any three subscribers, of not less than $25 each, have the power of calling special general meetings of the subscribers. (6) That these restlutions remain in force for one year from the opening of the School, at the end of which period a meeting of subscribers will be held to receive the Directors' Report and adopt such measures for the future management of the School as may be deemed advisable. The following gentlemen were forthwith appointed Directors of the School, Messrs. J. F. Edger, M.L.C., A. Short- rede, James Smith, B. U. Antrobus, C. D. Williams, Douglas Lapraik, and F. W. M. Green, with Mr. Gen. Lyall as Treasurer and Dr. Harland as Secretary. Not one of them is now in the Colony. The Directors ap- pointed Mr. Shortrede, Mr. Lyall and Dr. Harland as a Working Committee, and the latter forthwith engaged the Rev. A. Taylor as teacher of the new Public School at a salary of $1000 (and quarters) and the School was opened a few days later under the name St. Andrew's School at the corner of Staunton, Peel and Elgiz Streets. The fees were fixed at $1 per mensem für read- ing and writing and half a dollar extra for arithmetic and geography. Mr. J. Smith, subsequently succeeded by Mr. Pereira, was engaged as writing master. The aver- age attendance rose from 19 scholars in April to 40 in December,
The Educational Committee of the Go- vernment Schools, roused into new activity by the opening of St. Andrew's School, new
were
17
MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG.
recommended (16th February, 1855) that the Government should build additional Sobool-houses, appoint paid apprentice teachers and assistant-masters possessing a knowledge of English, and au Inspector of Schools, These recommendations emphasized by the complaint that 'the Go- vernment has neither suitable buildings, nor suitable masters, nor suitable super- vision and has expressed no intention of organizing an efficient scheme and voting the requisite funds.' But the Government made no reply to this deliberate charge of educational apathy. The Committee also reported 250 children as being under in- struction in 8 private native Schools and obtained from the
Registrar General
the statistics shewing that
total of Chinese children (of school-going age) in the Colouy amounted to 8868, of whom 5210 were boys and 3658 were girls. In June, 1855, a teacher of English, Mr. Ho A-loy, a former student of the Anglo- Chinese College, was placed in charge of the Victoria School, and a new School was opened at Shaukiwan. The Committee now informed the parents of the scholars of Government Schools that no difference is made between English and Chinese, nor between one class of men and another, and if any one should make any objection to study Christian books, let him certify the same in writing and the School-master will emit this line of instruction in such case.' This notice, the drift of which becomes more apparent when compared with former notices of this kind issued by the Cora- mittee, indicates a change of front made by the Committee with regard to the small importance now attached to religious edu- cation and presages the early advent of the reign of secularism.
Chinese College, under Dr. Legge, though rising in public favour as an Anglo-Chi- nese School, and attended by 85 boys of whom about 40 were hoarders, was closed at the end of this year owing to the results not justifying its continuance,' The fact was, the Anglo-Chinese College was started, and its funds were annually raised in England, for the special purposo of training Chinese youths for the Christian ministry in connection with the London Missionary Society's work in China. There were always numbers of intelligent nativo youths anxious to go in for this training because the curriculum gave a prominent place to English studios, but as soon as any one of these youths had acquired a good grasp of the English language, he scorned the idea of becoming eventually a native Christian minister at $20 or $25 a month, seeing that there was a continuous demand for Chinese clerke in mercantile offices with salaries ranging from $25 to $100 a month and unlimited prospects of pickings. The experience of St. Paul's College was exactly the same. The two Roman Catholie Semi- naries succeeded in raising a native elergy, but they carefully abstained from exposing their students to that temptation and taught them Latin instead of English.
1856. In the absence of a tutor, St. Paul's College was conducted during this year by the Colonial Chaplain, the Rev. J. J. Irwin, at an expense of $100 (for the salary of the Chinese assistant-teacher), there being 30 boys in average attendance. The Anglo-
In place of the Anglo-Chinese College, Dr. Legge substituted, at the close of the year 1856, an Anglo-Chinese Day-School, which is said to have been continued until the close of the year 1858. The School for Chinees girls, now attended by 7 girls, was, since 1852, under the supervision of Mrs. Chalmers. Both Schools, the College and this Girls-School, cost the London Mission, in 1856, the sum of $1750.
St. Andrew's School, now removed to Gough Street, continued to flourish during this year, having an average attendance of 49 boys and 12 girls, of whom 3 boys and 3 girls were boarders, the total cost of the School being $3,000. On the first auniver- sary of the foundation of this School (18th March, 1856) a public examination was
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