FULFILLING A TRUST

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20987, 16 October 1933, Page 8

FULFILLING A TRUST

$ : Duties of the Great Public Schools BISHOP'S ADDRESS AT CHRIST'S COLLEGE

The responsibilities of the great public schools in fulfilling a trust placed with them were referred to by Bishop West-Watson in his sermon at the old boys' service in the Christ's College chapel yesterday morning. The bishop spoke particularly of Dr. Arnold, whose influence changed the face of education all through the public schools of England, and whose great spirit had inspired the founders of Christ's College to bring to New Zealand one of the greatest of England's national institutions. He discussed also the stage at which the public schools at present stand. The service in the chapel was conducted by the chaplain, the Rev. O. W. Williams, and the lessons were read by Mr D. Sinclair Murchison, president of the Christ's College Old Boys' Association for the last year. The bishop's text was from Timothy ll.—"That good thing which \vas committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us."

The school's motto, "Bene tradita; bene servanda," could be taken to have two meanings, Bishop WestWatson said, the great one of which was "something to be kept in trust." The school had been given to hold in trust the great principles and traditions of the English public schools which had been brought to New Zealand by its founders. The men who founded Christ's College in 1350 had a magnificent conception of what the school ought to be. They planted in New Zealand the public school tradition at its very best, bringing here one of the most characteristic of England's national institutions. Dr. Arnold's Influence. It was only in 1823 that Dr. Arnold went to Rugby School as headmaster, and in less than 10 years his spirit had had its great influence. It must have been an inspiring factor for those who founded Christ's College. Lyfton Strachey had given a concise and incisive summary of what Arnold's ideas and ambitions were. When Arnold went to Rugby there were three principles which he considered most important in a public school; first, and absolutely first, the school must teach religious and moral principles. Second came gentlemanly conduct, and third intellectual ability. With this great teaching in his 13 years at Rugby he certainly did change the face of education all through the public schools of England. It was amazinf what that one man succeeded in doing, by, of course, his inspired personality. It.was easy to criticise him for not forming a curriculum, but such criticism had no power. Those who planned Christ's College had Arnold's great principles, and the school and its old boys had nobly to maintain them. There was an old French saying, "the more it changes, the more it remains the same," which meant that there were changes that must come: but the main thing was that the spirit, the essence, of the thing must be preserved. So in all the changes that the school must go through, the traditions and principles of its founders must be dearest to it. School Institutions. The bishop discussed the present stage of public schools and the institutions within them. He mentioned first the prefectorial system. It was amazing what the delegation of authority by this system could do for a boy. An effort should be made always to keep a boy at school until he learned something of this responsibility. Even if he were not clever and bright a person who had this experience at school could be trusted in after life with responsibility. The system in a school by which a boy was given responsibility also gave him-the ability to feel his way among men. We should if possible keep our boys at school until they learned something of that responsibility. "Good form" and discipline had been an essential in public schools, but there was a danger in that it was apt to encourage formalitv rather much. A point of criticism had been the system of compulsory games. The modern system helped a boy considerably; it gave him a chance of finding sociability, corrected the morbid tendency, and developed manhood just at the right time. There was the question whether it was altogether desirable to fill uu a boy's time with games when he might in another occupation be fitting himself for the use of the community. It was hard to say, weighing both considerations, but probably the present system was the best we could devise.

It was necessary to keep as closely as possible in touch with the public schools in England, and it' there was any development for good there, make use of it. It might be that public schools would go through another transition to a finer stage. Religious and Moral Teaching. The introduction of religious and moral things into the whole school life made every boy feel the tremendous reality of the moral struggle. Arnold had established a kind of theocracy and spread a better and wider knowledge of the Bible. In a Christian school, and this school was essentially a religious one, were to be sought not only Johnsonian rewards and punishments, but. the joy of turning to Christ. This experience might not be put off until after leaving school. Here in the school Christ was with the boys and they should be for Him. If this spirit grew some of our problems would be solved. One of the biggest things the school had to do was to give the boys some idea of applying the spiri 1 of Christ to problems personal. social, national, and international.

I The spirit of the school should be i to send boys out in the service of I God. Old boys of the school were ! carrying out that spirit of concen- ■ traling themselves in the service o.f ! God and were always seizing their ! opportunities for helping, in the work of Christ's spirit. It had been one of the desires of the founders that, yhereyejf ftbgtet's Cplleg©

might be there should be iound the i-pirit of Christ. The bishop expressed the desire that more and more from this great school men should fcel the call of Christ in their midst. U boys could do their best service by ordination to the ministry then they should have placed beiore them the opportunity to do so. "On this old boys' day,'' he concluded, "remember 'bene tradita; bene servanda,' and let us maintain our trust in God's Holy Spirit."