CHRIST’S COLLEGE CENTENNIAL

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26244, 16 October 1950, Page 8

CHRIST’S COLLEGE CENTENNIAL

SERVICE HELD AT CATHEDRAL

ADDRESS BY ARCHBISHOP WEST-WATSON

An appeal to those associated with Christ’s College in the future to work towards making the school more like the old English grammar schools, on whose model it was founded, where the clever sons of burgher and squire sat side by side, was made by the warden of Christ’s College and the Primate of New Zealand (Archbishop West-Watson), speaking at a special service connected with the college's centennial celebrations at the Cathedral yesterday morning. It had been a matter of reproach to the Church that the school was available for only one class of people, said the Archbishop, but he would say that this was no desire of the Church, but rather result of the pressure of economic circumstance. Archbishop West-Watson also appealed for a growing sense of public duty on the part of pupils of the college, and he urged also that it should increasingly become, as a church school, the source of leaders in the Church. He read a telegram from the Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie), who said: "Many of us here in Parliament are glad to acknowledge the service that is being rendered to the Dominion by a splendid band of young men. all of whom owe their training and experience in large measure to the college. I doubt whether any other single school has so many representatives in Parliament as Christ’s College is now supplying.” Big Attendance

Hundreds of old boys of the college, members of the staff and present pupils of the college and students at College House paraded to the Cathedral, where the attendance at the service was estimated to be about 1500. Prayers were offered by the Dean of Christchurch (the Very Rev. A. K. Warren), the principal of College House (the Rev. Martin Sullivan». and the school chaplain (the Rev. P O. C. Edwards), and Lessons were read by the retiring president of the Old Boys’ Association (Archdeacon W. W. Averill) and the head prefect of the school (T. C. Henshall). After the service, a wreath was laid on the War Memorial by Archdeacon Averill and Mr E. D. R. Smith, the new president of the Old Boys’ Association. During the service the school sang the hymn "God of Our Fathers.” The organist at the service was Mr Guyon Wells, an old boy of the school.