ד.
384
30
MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG.
master. The studies in the outside Schools were to consist of the same books as above, including books prepared by foreigners, but this was to be done warily but firmly.' While these rules, devised by Dr. Legge, were observed, the Central School turned aut youths as well grounded in their own language as in English, but of late years these rules have unfortunately become a dead letter.
The strictness with which the Board kept the Headmaster in their leading strings will be seen from the fact that not only was the whole organization of the School under Mr. Mackenzie's Memorandum and Dr. Legge's foregoing Minute imposed upon the Readmaster, but the latter, though graci- ously allowed by the Board (7th April, 1863) to appoint monitors at his own dis- cretion, could not admit new boys into the School except under Dr. Legge's approval. Yielding at last to the reiterated recom- mendations of the Board, the Government secured towards the close of the year, the engagement of an English Assistant-Master through the Colonial Office, which selected Mr. Willcox as Dr. Stewart's Assistant. A suggestion by Dr. Stewart (3rd Novem- ber, 1863) to require the parents of scholars to enter into bonds for their attending school for a definite period was disallowed by the Board. In their report, for the year 1863, the Board refer to the separate estab. lishment of Aided Schools in four villages and to the institution of a gradation of rank and pay among the Masters of all the Schools as having been found salutary measures. As the attendance of the Aided Schools is not reported now, the average attendance of the Government Schools in 1863 fell to 406 scholars, among whom there were but 20 girls in the Government Girls School which had been opened during the year 1863.
1864. St. Paul's College School, attended by 42 boys (of whom 5 were Europeans, the rest Chinese), was under the tuition of
Mr. Reeve, and cost $3,000 during the year
1884, At the Diocesan School there were 35 Chinese girls receiving an English educa- tion in the English language under Miss Euton (expenses not recorded). Miss Baxter placed her Staunton Street Schools, with 20 boarders, under the tuiton of Miss Oxlad, assisted by Miss Ainsworth. Her Chinese School, with 27 girls, was continued as formerly, at an expense of $840. In Bonham Road (at the house which has ever since been known as Baxter House and at present is used as a Police Station) Miss Baxter, assisted by Mrs. Thompson, 68- tablished her Eurasian Boarding School with 48 boys and 14 girls, costing her $3,600. The London Mission, having closed their Girls School, continued their two Boys Schools, one at Taipingshan with 40 Chinese boys, and the other at Wantsai with the same number of scholars, at a cost of $108. The Berlin Mission School now numbered 20 girls under Miss Heidsiek.
The three Roman Catholic Schools of the Propaganda Society in Wellington Street were continued as before. Mr. Terry had 45 boys in the English School which cust $840. The Portuguese School, under Mr. V. Pereira, was attended by 35 boys, cost- ing likewise $810, and Mr. Tuen Lau gave 30 boys a purely Chinese education at a cost of $144. But a new School appears to have been added, in 1864, by the Propagation Society, as Mr. Yadia Geu (P) taught a R. C. English School for Chinese boye in Wellington Street' at a cost of $210. The same Society continued also its Aberdeen School, with 18 boys under Mr. Stepbanns Chu, at a cost of $144. The two Seminaries were also continued. The one in Pottinger Street under Bishop Raimondi and Fathers Favini and Origo was attended by 11 studente, costing $600. The other at Sou- konpoo, under Fère Jacquemin, counted 16 students and cost $720. A new institution, which has come down to the present day, was added, in the year 1864, to the list of Roman Catholic Schools, viz. the Westpoint Reformatory, under Ignatius Ip Uen, James
MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HONGKONG.
How, Aloy Leang and Asam Wan. Here 45 Chinese boys were taught varions Chinese industries (shoemaking, carpentering, tailor- ing, bookbinding etc.), at a cost of $1,400. This is the first and, up to the present, the ouly industrial School ever started in Hong- kong. The Sisters of the Italian Convent continued their three Schools in Caine Road at a cost of $1,800. The English School under Sisters Aloysia and Antoinetta was attended by 24 girls. The Portuguese School included 53 girls under Sisters Virginia and Maria. In the Chinese School, Sister Mag- dalena had 50 girls under instruction. The same Convent continued also its Home in Spring Gardens as a Chinese School under Sister Cecilia Leang at a cost of $144. Under the direction of the Asilo de la Sainte Enfance, Sister Magdalena taught at Spring Gardens 50 Chinese girls at a cost of $600, whilst Sister S. Lucien instructed 55 girls at a cost of $624. We observe that Roman Catholic educationists had by this time out- stripped in activity their Protestant com- petitors, and the sequel will show that they continued to hold the first rank until the introduction of the Grant-in-Aid Sebeme revived the energies of Protestant Missions. During the year 1864, the Board of Edu- cation, virtually under Dr. Legge's inspira- tion, passed several resolutions of interest. In reply to a complaint by the Headmaster of the Central School, who had observed that sure of his most valued scholars left him to join the English classes of St. Paul's College and therefore made renewed suggestions as to preventing this defection, the Board resolved (5th January, 1864) that the prevention of boys leaving the Central School to enter St. Paul's College is beyond the powers of the Board and that the objects of the two institutions need not be regarded as dissimilar (a strange assertion, consi- dering that St. Paul's College was started to raise a native ministry-) or antagonistic and that the Board have no doubt but that the Central Sobool will ere long acquire a sufficient status of its own.' So it did, as
some
31
soon as it was out of the leading strings of the Board. A month later (2nd February, 1864) the Board resolved (and this resolution has remained in force to the present day) that the sum of $200 be set apart for the purchase of prizes to be given awong the Schools, and that such prizes be distributed after a public examination in the last month of every year, the appropriation of them being determined by proficiency in studies, general conduct and regularity of attendance. Another resolution (which has also remained in force ever since) was passad (13th July, 1864) to the effect that, in accordance with the Governor's suggestion, a system of fees should be introduced in the Central School and applied to all scholars attending the English classes from 1st January, 1865. Public interest in the doings of the Board appears to have been rapidly woning, for all through this year it happened frequently that no quorum could be obtained at the meetings of the Board. The Inspector of Schools was therefore informally asked to take a seat on the Board and was thenceforth its most regular attendant until the Board (12 months later) died of inanitian. In their Report for the year 1864, the Board recorded, besides 142 scholars in the Central School, a number of 469 scholars as attending eleven outside Schoola, shewing thus a great falling off as compared with the attendances of former years. The Board hardly recognized the significance of this falling off and at- tempted to explain it by referring to the low moral tone of many of the Masters, the extreme indifference (7) of the poorer classes of Chinese in this Colony to the education of their children, and to the prejudices they entertain against any change in their own system of education. The Board also point out that the more respectable Chinese seldom bring their families to the Colony' (a fact happily changed now), and that so long as this is the case, it is greatly to be feared that education will not make that progress here which those interested in it could wish to see." Our own opinion is that
Dril
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