HADFIELD MEMORIAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 43, 14 November 1907, Page 5

HADFIELD MEMORIAL.

COLLEGE AND HOSTEL. ■■ FOUNDATION STONE LAID. The laying of the foundation stone of tho Hadfield Memorial College and Hostel'by His Excellency the . governor yesterday afternoon marks a distinct step.towards the future realisation of established residential colleges throughout the Dominion. Intimately associated with the intellectual benefits conferred upon a. University student is the influence exerted upon his development by intercourse with his fellows, and this influence is deepened by the closer relationship which'life in a residential college implies. This was tho keynoto struck by most of tho speakers yesterday afternoon.

The Hadfiold Memorial College and Hostel is the outcome of an original bequest of =£360 in I&9 from the late Mr. Thomas Cudbort Harrington, secretary of tho Now Zealand Land Company. The amount was vested in the control of the Anglican Bishop of Wellington for educational purposes, and through the course of. years has grown into a respectable sum, somewhere in the neighbourhood of .£I7OO. Private ' subscriptions havo contributed to "still further augment the fund, and the laying of the .memorial stone represents the beginning of the material realisation of its purpose.

At i p.m.. His Excellency, accompanied by Lady Plunket and Captain Lyon, A.D.C., arrived at the site-oh South Terrace, Kelburne. There were present at the ceremony, in addition to'their Excellencies and staff, the Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Wallis), Hon. G. Fowlds (Minister for Education), Hon. C. C. Bowen, the : Ven.-Archdeacon Fahcourt, the Bev. T. : H.. Sprott (vicar, of St.. Paul's), and others. There was,a modest attendance of .^the public, probably accounted, for by the keen southerly wind and'the elevated position of the gito. ■.•;'-' ■ "■' .' '■'. '■■"'" • ■ ' ■

~ .THE .BISHOP'S SPEECH. The •■ Bishop,, having. offered up appropriate prayer, gave somo . account of the work of the lato Bishop.Hadfield, and contrasted tho work of the Wellington Diocese in the past with its changed character in tha. present. Three score years ago, he said, the'late Bishop Hadfield commenced work in the Colony; Since that time many changes had taken place, irath. with, regard.to'the Colony.itself, and. the conditions of .Church'work in its various districts. Bishop HadfiehL had been the first deacon e in the Anglican "Church in Australasia, the first priest to bo ordained in New Zealand, and the first bishop to be consecrated in this dipcese. -In those days the work of the diocese, .was. difficult , and arduous, f and, travelling was' of. the most • primitive kind. Nowadays,, the work was very much easier. Every'corner of the diocese cound be visited withont any difficulty. .The ; late Bishop Hadfield, by- : his : diligent efforts and steadfast adherence to tho Truth, had done, monumental work,.not.only for his own district, but for the Anglican Church as a.whole.' When he (the epeaker) first took up his duties in' tho Wei-' lington diocese, he had found in-Bishop Hadfield a: warm sympathiser and adviser upon any question relating to tho : welfare and extension, of 'the Church.' ;.. "•'■'■

Tho'Bishop then referred to the object of the.College and Hostel. Its purpose was two--11 V, j, nt ho' first place, it was intended that the College should provide accommodation for students who. were preparing for work in tho Anglican Church. But -their purpose in erecting the building went further than that. 1 It was hoped -that - other students ■ would .find it advantageous., to • take" up their, quartens in tho Hostel. He was-a,,sfrong believer in.'influences for good,:which a'-residential'college' held out-.to. students... This Hostel would be of valuable, service in inducing young men to take, up Church work." They wanted Colonials to cotne forward, and'he hoped in time to see that the Church was. worthily represented by l/Olonial-uorn clergymen. . . REMARKS BY THE GOVERNOR. His; Excellency'was' then" !&&& a 1 •'silver wowel, and proceeded to lay the stone, using these, words:—'[To , the glory of God, and in memory of Octavius Hadfield, formerly Bishop of this .Diocese, I.ilay this foundation stone in theNamedf. the Father, and o£ the: Son,, and of. the; Holy' Ghost. ■" Amen." ,;His Excellency then referred .to the/object of the College, and emphasised the value to'students of such an institution. The ' country was becoming a n i at ?°"> an< l the spirit; of natio'nalitv was ■ steadily growing. Hence, it was becoming more and more important that they should, themselves, train .their young men. The influence and .discipline of life in a residential college could, not be-overrated. This was the beginning of the college system of the Home universities,,.and he .heartily approved of it. tie looked back with .very great pleasure to his own student days, and he realised that he owed a.great deaUto the influences and friendships of those (hfi;s. .". '•■■.. , : ; OTHER "SPEAKERS. ,TJio Ven., Archdeacon Pancourt read apologies for - unavoidable , absence from Sir Robert Stout (Chief Justice), the Mayor.(the Hon T iW. Hislop), and Mr. Moore (of Carterton). He regretted very Much the alisence of Mrs. Wallis, who had taken such ii prominent part in the work of. the girl-students Hostel recently •Ine money in hand for the Hadfield Memorial College was barely sufficient to pay for the contract, for this wing, which was'to called the Harrington Wing, in commemoration of the donor.of the original bequest. The speaker eulogised the late Bishop Hadfield,"; of whom he could speak with intimate knowledge of his early work as an Anglican' missionary. tie had % come out'.to the' Colony a-poor man in frail health, in the ■ days •of >'its earliest settlement, and amid peril, and. hardship-had achieved a marvellous influence with the Maoris, and on. more. than one occasion had used this influence for the pacification of many or-the early troubles between' the Natives'and the settlers. He,used to cross Cook Straits in a Maori canoe, in order to visit the Southern portions of his extensive district. He (Archdeacon I'ancourt) considered that the 'missionary _ career of. tho late .Bishop furnished' the most remarkable chapter of his life The lion. G. Fowlds (Minister for Education) said that it gave, him great pleasure to 'be present on. this occasion. It, was nearly 70 years since the Bishop landed in New Zealand, and the Colony:had derived.great benefit from his life . and work.,'.lt was hichlv essentiaTto the best interests of education that residential colleges should be established He trusted that the, building, perfect, in all its parts, Would be of-material'.assistance in laying the foundation , of national character ' The Hon. C. C. Bowen said that this was the first residential college in', Wellington if not in,tho.Colony.. He paid a high tribute to the late Bishop Hadfield, and referred to the timeJwheri the Bishop's residence consisted of one fairly large room in a Maori pah. He reiterated, the remarks of: previous speakers regarding the advantages' of a residential college. He-thought it probable that provision would be made for carrying out the same idea at St. John's College, Auckland, Christ's College, Christchurch, and also at Dunedin, and the distant future, no doubt, contained the possibility of four great university colleges in the Dominion. '•■".' The proceedings, concluded with the singing of the Old Hundredth, and the Benediction.' A collection taken up amounted to ,£l6 18s. .There are two inscriptions on tho memorial 6tone. The. first reads:— ■->,'' -ft? memor y °f Octavius Hadfield, Bishop of • Wellington, 1870-1893." The- other reads:— ■ the memory of Thomas' Cudbert Harrington, Secretary of the New Zealand Company, to whose, gift, in 18-19, this portion of the Wing is mainly'due."