NEW HEADMASTER

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 17, 20 July 1931, Page 9

NEW HEADMASTER

CHRIST'S COLLEGE

MR. R. J. RICHARDS

VISIT TO HIS SCHOOL

(From "The Post's" Representative) LONDON, 4th June. A chain of interesting circumstances loads up to the appointment of Mr. R. J. Richards as headmaster of Christ's College, Christehurch. Mr. Richards, who is, the sou of tho Bishop of Dunedin, and who spent his early life in liawren.ee, was himself a pupil of Christ's College. He was the head ot the school in 1911-12. Mr. IP. S. Oktter, a Master of Clifton College, Bristol, went out to tho Dominion under ib« exchange scheme, and spent two 7«ara aa a master at Christ's College. After obtaining hia degrees at Canterbury College, Mr. Richards joined the Forces and came to France. He was eventually wounded through the neck in hostilities outside Le Quesnoy, and taken prisoner. The German Red Cross organisation was in a bad way at that time, so that his detention behind the German lines was not a very happy time. On returning to England, he met Mr. Carter, and eventually it was through his instrumentality that he became a House Tutor at Clifton College, working under Mr. Carter. Five years ago he married the latter's daughter, and had he not been leaving the school in the near future he would himself have become a House Master. A further coincidence was that at Clifton Mr. Richards came to the house in which his old headmaster, the late Rev. C. H. Moreland, had lived as a scholar, and where the present acting head of Christ's College (Mr. J. Monteith) was once the head boy. I have seen Mr. Richards to-day at Clifton. There is a half-holiday for sports on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. "I.have been very happy here," he said, "and I have made very many good friends. -1 shall miss them very much. But, after all, New Zealand is my home, and naturally I feel very proud t- be going back to my old school as headmaster." Mr. Richards mentioned that ho had had tho novrz of his appointment from the boys as the result of a newspaper message. The official communication came the day after. TRADITIONAL LINES. Asked if he had any special principles or theories he would like to inculcate in his new charge, he said:— '' My ideas run along traditional lines. I am very keen to keep a close connection with England, and one must maintain a certain percentage of English masters, and if possible, get young New Zealand masters to come over hero for teaching experience for a year or two. But that, of course, depends upon iinance." Mr. Richards's special subjects at present are Latin, history, and literature, but especially Latin. Ho is in charge of the Middle Fifth Forni. In public schools of this country the Middle Fifth- is the form from which the averago boy aims to get his School's Certificate. There are higher forms, but from the Middle Fifth those boys who pass creditably in five subjects are entitled to the certificate, which is looked for as a testimony of ability by business houses, and entitles them to entry to most universities. It was interesting to see the room in tho college in which Mr. Richards has his classes. It is called tho Crow's Nest, probably for two reasons. In the first place, you reach it by way of a spiral staircase,' which eventually leads to the tower. Secondly, it is an ornithological museum. A presentation of a most valuable collection of stuffed birds in glass cases was once made to the college, and these line the walls of tho room. From tho tower above there is to be seen a wide panorama of Bristol and the surrounding country. Probably no vantage point provides a, finer view 'of the several counties which converge upon Bristol. ALL-ROUND SPORTSMAN. Apart from ' his scholastic ■ attainments, Mr. Richards, who is of a fine physical build, should be a decided asset to Christ's Co'^jo and the town as an all-round spoitHian. He is not a specialist, but he hus played most games. Rugby is especially favoured at the school, and Mr. Richards has been a. Rugby player and continues to take an interest in tho school games. Clifton has done well at Rugby. Beside the local club games, they play each season against four other schools, Downside, Marlborough, Cheltenham, and Wellington. Not only is Mr. Richards' concerned with the boys' cricket, but he plays the game himself throughout tho season. For tho first six years at the college he was very keen on tho Cadet Corps, and held a commission as a Territorial Officer. There are three companies of four hundred boys, and the standard of efficiency of the corps is on a-very high level. Here, it may be said, that Mrs. Ri'ehards, brought up as she has been in the atmosphere of tho school, takes a very keen interest in the welfare of the boys. Her family of two—a girl aged 3} and a boy aged 2—havo not entirely diverted her attention _ from games. Last season she played in the county representative hockey team and also in the county tennis team. This latter is not up to Wimbledon standard, but they play fairly efficient tennis. THE COLLEGE. No doubt when Clifton College was built the hill suburb of Bristol did not encompass it as it does now, but its beautiful level, green playing fields still isolate it. It is■ ycry < near the, Downs which overlook the River Avon, and it has, in,addition, a- playing field of forty-eight acres across tho famous Suspension. Bridge. Here, there aro ten football grounds. It is not oue of the old schools of England, for it was founded in 1862 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1877. Its iirst headmaster was John Percival, and it was due to his energy and. ability that it owed its rapid development in prestige and numbers. At tho present lime there are 600 boys in the Upper School imd 200 in the Preparatory School, with a staff of over sixty. Pcrcival afterwards ' became headmaster of Rugby from 1879 to 1595, and finally Bishop of Hereford until his death in 1918. On the choir stops in the chapel is a plate bearing the information that John Percival is buried below. In the crypt is a largo compartment with a black marble stone over the grave of tho famous headmaster. Around the walls of the chamber are the arms of the various institutions with which he was connected. The school almost at once won its place among tho great schools of the country. In 1870 tho building of a second half was begun, and the last wing was added in 1880. All the stone has come from the same quarry, and th 3 building, although completed over a period of twenty years, is a uniform design. In what is called the Big School—a large assembly room —may'bo soon tho names of all tho boys who distinguished themselves in examinations and afterwards in the greater world. Earl Haig -v 1 Sir William Birdwood are among them. An examination report dated

December, 1877, is hung on tho walls of another classroom. The name at the top of the list is D. Haig. Perhaps tho most pleasing room in tho school is tho library. It extends the whole length of a wing and contains a remarkable collection of books. At certain hours boys may browse here or they may take a book away, and masters havo a custom setting an hour'? study for, any lad who is specialising in a certain subject. In tho council chamber wcro to be*scen the portraits of the headmasters since tho establishment of the school, and also of the old Cliftonians Earl Haig, the Right Hon. J. H. Whitley (now president of the council), and Sir William Birdwood. BROAD BASIS OF EDUCATION. It was the object of those who started tho school to preserve tho best traditions of the old public school course of educatiou and to combine with them some more modern features; especially more attention was paid than was then customary to subjects other than tho classics and mathematics, though without those being in any way neglected. This broad basis has continued to bo characteristic of tho education given at Clifton, and is no doubt one of the reasons for the great variety of fields in which old Cliftonians have distinguished themselves. The school has always had a closo connection with India and the Dominions. Many boys now in the Upper and the Preparatory Schools are the sons of officers and civilians serving overseas, and many old CHftonians are working in every part of the world. There are twenty-eight overseas branches of tho Old Cliftonian [Society. ' Mr. Richards is required to commence his new duties at Christclwreh on Ist February'of next year, so that he will not be leaving England until about the of December.