DEATH OF MR H. L. FOWLER

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18924, 12 February 1927, Page 16

DEATH OF MR H. L. FOWLER

Cable news was received in New Zealand yesterday of tho death in Sydney of Mr Harry Lewis Fowler, formerly Principal of Nelson College. Ho had left Wellington on Friday with Mrs Fowler, on a pleasure trip to England. Mr Fowler was educated at Ifugby and Oxford (Kalliol College), specialising in classics. He went first to India, after a period of European travel at tho end of his University career, and in India held Homo important educational appointments, until his lionlth failed utulor tho stress of tho Indian climate, and ho came to New Zealand. Ho was appointed headmaster of a big school in Madras in 1885, and in the following year was Acting-Professor in History, and an examiner in Clreck and Latin for tho University of Madras, His lirst appointment in New Zealand was as languages master in the Southland High Schools, being appointed Hector in 18113. Ten yenrs later ho went t'i Nelson College aa Principal, which post he held until his retirement in 1921.

Many of Mr Fowler's boys who bad seen him recently will hoar of his death with a shock of surprise. His outstanding characteristic as a schoolmaster was his ability to maintain discipline, and to extract from boys real effort. Ho disciplined himself no less sternly than liia scholars, working always, and taking regular strenuous exorcise, even in tho years of his retirement, bo that he kept his middle-aged appearance, and his almost youthful vigour and alertness of mind until his last years. In bis school and University days ho bad l)oen prominent in athletics, a "Bluo" at Oxford in cricket and ljugby football.

Many middle-aged and young men in New Zealand to-day havo causo to remember and bo grateful to Mr Fowler for tho lessons they learned of him which only incidentally had to do with Latin on the other subjects he taught them. Chiefly they should remember his thoroughness. In school his rule was stern, but those scholars favoured to know him after their school ycari were stimulated by his kindly interest in thorn, and felt real affection for the man as well as the admiration and respect which they had always held for the schoolmaster.