SAD RECOLLECTIONS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 26 November 1927, Page 7

SAD RECOLLECTIONS.

THE EGuMONT TRAGEDY. HEADMASTER’S TRIBUTE. “This year will, alas, go down in the annul® of the school history a® the jear of the Egmont tragedy, and pamiul as it is for me to speak oi it; no levieiv of the year Avou.d be complete without some reference to it, ’ said the Kev. C. F Pierce, headmaster or the n anganui Collegiate School, at the animal prize-giving function on Thursday evening, stated the “Wanganui c hronicle. ’

Proceeding Mr Pierce said: “Into the details which led to that tragedy, •so far a® ive know them, 1 have no intention of entering, but it deprived us of two invaluable and highly esteemed members of tlie staff —nob to say lavo very dear friends —and as a secondary result it deprived u® further of the able services and congenial company of a third.

“The late Mr Latham had been here for fifteen years during the last six of which he was the kindly elficient and the very popular housemaster of Hadfield. It is impossible in the time at my disposal to do justice to his memory and his services to the school by any Avords I might frame. Me avus a man; he Avas a gentleman; he avus a Christian. Perhaps 1 cannot pay him Higher tribute than this bare assertion suggests. He lived for the school and lor the boys, and lie brought to it- and to them' his oavh boyhood’s experience and the great traditions of what in my humble opinion is England’s best public school, Winchester. ‘Manners maketh the man,’ is the motto of that school, and in I.Mt Latham she had a son who Avortlrily bore out the motto in his own life, and left this school the richer because of it. Let us be grateful that* were Afere privileged to count him as one of our number.” The late Air Baines had been with u® but a short time, some three and a hall years. He, too, Avas closely associated with Hadfield ns its House tutor. He. too, brought to the school high ideals of taste and culture. 1 le, too, had grown to love, the place and to give of his best, to it. In token of his affection for the school he boqueather to us his pictures'' and his books. He, like Mr. Latham, was a real schoolmaster, i hold stronglj to the opinion that there is a. vast dit lerence between the schoolmaster and the school teacher: the former type is much the rarer and infinitely the more valuable—he lives for the boys, not merely for the classroom. T feel sure that all of us, both boys and masters, who have come within the influence of these tAVo friends Avho have passed on will as long as they live echo the sentiment expressed in Vergil’s Avell-knoAvn words (one of which 1 have taken the liberty of altering: “Hos oiim meminisse juvabit”—“lt will ever be a pleasure to think of them.” I am pleased to report that the present boys have subscribed a sum which Avill enable us to erect memorial tablets in the Chapel to these two masters and friends. “It is a matter for congratulations and joy that Mr. Percival Taylor, Avho was so grievously injured in the accident, has made such a Avonderful recovery, and has been able to carry on bis work Avitk us this term. YVe do indeed regret that he feels it necessary to resign office at the end of the year, though we can quite understand, and even admire the motives Avliich have influenced him in taking [this step We hope and believe he [has before him many year® of useful ■ uork in the profession he so ably rei presents, and our good Avishes go with I him, together with happy memories of our association with lum here.”