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THE HỌNGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 4TH FEBRUARY, 1880.
GOVERNMENT EDUCATION, HONGKONG.
AS OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR AT THE CENTRAL SCHOOL, 30TH JANUARY, 1880.
The following is extracted from the Report in the "Daily Press."
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The suunal public examination of the scholars attending the Central School was to have been held ay morning, but none of the public attended to question the boys. At noon His Excellency HESSESSY, C.M.G.. arrived, attended by Major PALMER, R.E., A.D.C., and proceeded to te the prizes; having done so, His Excellency said-..
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ses and gentlemen, it is the usual custom on these occasions for the Governor of the Colony athy review any changes that may have occurred respecting the public instruction of the Colony the previous year. When I distributed the prizes in the Central School in January, 1879, Dr. Car was absent in Great Britain, and on his return important changes were made. During his m his own country, the head master of this school obtained from the University where as a had studied a high recognition of his ability, character and learning, for he then received ancient University of Aberdeen the ad eundem degree of Doctor of Laws. It is fitting on this when he has returned to the Colony and is presiding over this flourishing institution, that at. i I should congratulate him on the honour he thus received. Dr. STEWART received, I think I ak it, another honour though it was in the practical way of official business, in the Colony itself. after his return. He has been for many years one of the most eminent officials in the Government
But, last summer, for the first time in his carcer, he was placed upon the Executive the Colony, and for three months filled the responsible post of Acting Colonial Secretary. sles are aware how able is the staff of officials that I have the advantage to be assisted by, căn what will call the substantial honour that was conferred upon Dr. STEWART by placing otre Coameil and putting him, even for the short space of three months, at the head of the vil Service of the Colony. I will only say this much, that, though he did his work ab, yet, in the ordinary routine of official business, not a week has elapsed since then ave cone before me which enable me to judge how far the acting appointment I had made gerene, and 1 un bound to say that Dr. STEWART performed the high functions of Coloniał
to my entire satisfaction, and to the credit of the Colony.
year 1879 is in other respects also an epoch in the history of public instruction in Hongkong. Sur, during his absence in England, was requested by the Secretary of State to express lly to Her Majesty's Government his opinion upon one or two subjects of paramount It is known to all of
you that the Government scheme of education, as far as the grants- a. re concerned, was a scheme which did not commend itself to the universal approval of those in cineation in Hongkong. The part of the scheme that was particularly objected to was a this effect--that no school could get a Government grant in which there had not been four ry day of purely secular instruction. From papers laid before the Legislative Council, it is Letter of notoriety that various religious bodies in the Colony took objection to that clause in -in-aid scheme. It was objected to by Bishop RAIMONDI; it was objected to by our late haplain, the Rev. Mr. KIDD; it was objected to by Paster KLITZKE, of the Berlin Mission: case the objection took this form: they said, "We object to the word 'secular' being in the aid scheme. We object especially to the word 'secular' being in that part of the scheme ti mlates to the books we are to employ. We have no objection to have, as in other parts of the a system of examination in secular subjects by independent Government Examiners testing the education, but we do desire to have the Bible, or to have religious teaching, made a part dy school life; and, that being so, we cannot accept the Government restrictions." Now, this of such importance that I think it was most fortunate that my friend Dr. STEWART had an ty of stating at length his own views on the subject, and of representing also the views of an portion of this community. I will read to you a sentence in which Dr. STEWART dealt set in his report to the Secretary of State, and I think you will at once admit that, in thus question as a high question of policy, to be decided by the Secretary of State and on the dality of Her Majesty's Government-he took a wise and proper course. I find that, in a letter STEWART, written in November, 1878, to the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Le said:
text objection is to the word 'secular' wherever it occurs, and to the provision that religious *must be either before or after the four hours of secular instruction required by the code.' already explained in what sense the word 'secular' is used in the scheme. To remove it and to s instruction to be given during the time required for the subjects of the standards would a sacrifice of the principle on which Government grants for education are now allowed. If, as shop claims, distinctive Catholic teaching must pervade the whole work and time of his schools,
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