Enclosure,
an account of
instant containing The ceremony of the opening of the
na home for women and
P
giris
reostly erected by the So Loung
Suct Society.
I have the honour to be,
Siv Your most diédient
humble servant,
Wian Rebisy
The China Mail.
HONGKONG, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1896.
THE PO LEUNG KUK SOCIETY'S HOME.
To-day the Po Leung Kuk Society's Home for Women and Girls, which has been erected from subscriptions raised amongst the Chinese residents, with the aid of a contribution from the Government, was opened in presence of a large attendance of European and Chinese residents. The Society originated about seventeen years ago for the protection of women and girls and of restoring those who had been kidnapped to their relations. The Chief Justice at that time called attention to the evilpractice of kidnapping, and the principal Chinese residents meraoralized the then Governor, and through him the Secretary of State for the Colonies, for permission to form an association for the purpose of suppressing the crime. Permission was granted, and the Committee of the Tung Wa Hospital kindly placed at thei disposal of the Po Leung Kuk Society a portion of their hospital for the temporary accommodation of the women and girls who had been rescued. The work of the! Society increased as years went on, and it was found that a new building was required to carry on the work. Accordingly the Chinese residents subscribed amongst themselves the handsome sum of $30,000, and Government added $20,000, while the Tung Wa Hospital Committee grant- ed the site on which the new buildings have been erected. The Fo Leung Kuk Society's Home is carried on entirely under Chinese management. The entrance to the new buildings is by a fight of steps from Po Yan Street, which leads into a stone-paved yard on to which the main door opens, At the bottom of the fight facing the street is a carved Chinese door-way. The main door and front elevation is of purely Chinese do- sign. The first thing that strikes the eye on entering the paved yard is the inscription in English and Chinese on ona of the stones set in the wallThis stone was laid by Sir William Robinson, K.C. M.G., Governor, January 18, 1896.' tering this carved doorway a large hall is reached which is to be utilized as the as- sembly room for the members of the Socie- ty. It is fitted up and furnished in Chinese style. To the right and left are doorways leading to the rooms for the officers of the Institution. The home proper is at the back of this building. It is reached through this assembly room by passing through a door on the left which enters into lane at
En-
the side or it can be reached without enter- ing this first building from the first paved court, through a gate which leads into the same lane. After traversing the lane and passing through some ornamental gates the inmates portion of the institution can be scon. A small yard separates the two buildings, which is bridged by two iron bridges from the first floor veran- dah. It is a three-storeyed building of European design, built of brick, with iron verandaks to each story. There are two wards on each storey, with kitchens, lava- tories, etc. Each of these wards is capable of accommodating fourteen persons. From the first floor verandah access is had by means of the bridges afore-mentioned to
two
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ུཡ;
two rooms on the first storey at the back of the front building, one of which will be occupied by the matron of the Institution. Access is also had from this verandah down a few steps to a large ward built at the side of the front building and providing accom modation for twenty persons. This ward is surrounded on the three sides by veran- dahs from which there is a pleasant out- look. Each ward is fitted up with handy receptacles for clothes, etc. These quar- ters are entirely shut off from the front building containing the assembly room and officers' quarters. The buildings have been erected to the plans of Messrs Denison and Ram.
THE OPENING CEREMONY. Extensive decorations were carried out for to-day's ceremony. A large bamboo porch, ornamented after the usual Chineso fashion with coloured lamps etc., was erect- ed in front of the main entrance. The passages and courtyards were lined with pot plants and Chinese figures. Every- thing was scrupulously clean. The cere- mony was fixed to take place at half-past three o'clock, and some time previous to that hour large crowds assembled along the route from Government House to the Home. The route from Possession Street, along Queen's Road West up Now Street and l'o Yan Street to the Home, was lined with over a hundred European, Indian and Chinese constables, under the charge of Chief Inspector Mackie, assisted by Ins peotor Baker.
Shortly after three o'clock His Excell- ency the Governor, accompanied by Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police, Captain Sterling, A.D.C. and Mr C. C. Platt, all in chairs, left Government House. The party were preceded along the route by a body of mounted police. On arrival at tlie entrance to the Po Leung Kuk Home the party were received by Hon. J. H. Stewart. Lockhart, President of the Society, and Hon. Ho Kai. They proceeded up the flight of steps and joined a group of pro- minent residents, including:-Chief Justice Carrington, Hon. E. R. Belilios, Hon. T. H. Whitehead, Commodore Hollond, Hon. Captain M. Rumsey; Mr Seth, Deputy Registrar; Mr Denison, the architect of the building: Ho Fook, Captain G. C. Ander- son, and a large number of the members of the Society.
Leung Ngan Pan said-Your Excellency, On behalf of the Committee of the Po Leung Kuk, I beg to thank you for the honour you have done the Society in com ing here to day. It is greatly due to your Excellency that this new honie for girls has been erected, and to your interest in its work the Society is indebted for many im- provements. It is hoped that you may be pleased to continue that interest. By so doing, Your Excellency will encourage the members of the Society to increase their efforts to protect the weak and unprotected, and to save them from a fate more cruel than death.
Dr Ho Kai-By request of the Commit- tee I have now the pleasure and honour of presenting to your Excellency this emble- matic key with which we hope your Ex- cellency will open this new building for the housing of the women and girls," and so launch it on a voyage of prosperity and uso- fulness.
Itis Excellency then performed the oere- mony of opening the door and the company passed into the assembly hall, whore cake and wine wore served.
His Excellency the Governor said-Mr President of the Po Leung Kuk Society, on the 18th of January last you and your Committee asked me to lay the foundation istono of this new building. I performed that interesting ceremony with a great deal of pleasure and in the presence of a great many witnesses. To-day you
have invited me to declare the Home
to
230
Kin
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