CHURCH EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20595, 20 June 1930, Page 8

CHURCH EDUCATION.

HISTORY IN AUCKLAND. RISHOR SELWYN'S EFFORTS. / BEGINNING MADE IN 1843. / In view of the importance of a transaction which is to bring under tho control of tho General Synod of tho Church of the Province of New Zealand, through tho St. 'John's College Trust Board, a school of tho standing of King's Collego, it is of interest to review the earlier efforts mado from time to timo in the Auckland Province to establish public schools on a religious foundation, like thoso of England. The survey begins with St. John's College, which was founded by Bishop Sehvyn at W&imato North, tho headquarters of tho Churcli Missionary Society in tho Bay of Islands, in January, 1843. In a letter sent to, tho society in the preceding the bishop said he proposed to form "a collegiate school, under my own superintendence as visitor, in connection with an institution of a higher kind, for tho education of candidates for Holy Orders. In July, 1843, there were nino students in tho collego and nine boys in tho collegiate school. Owing to differences on questions of administration between himself and the Church Missionary Society, tho bishop in 1844 removed tho collego, and his own place "of residence, to Auckland. It is worthy of note that a prospectus published in 1846, describing tho -whole scheme and system of the college stated that in tho collegiate school the general plan of education was Jar to that of an English public school. A Collegiate School. Tho college, the collegiate school and native school, which formed part of the establishment, continued in operation until tho beginning of 1853, when it wasdocided that tho college, as such, should be discontinued, and that the buildings should bo used for tho purposes of an English collegiate institution. .... i i The collego and the collegiate school ■were reopened after an interval, and wero carried on with varying fortunes until 1872, under Archdeacon Abraham, the Rev. S. Blackburno and his successor, the Rev. (afterwards Dr.) j Kinder. From 1858 to 1860 and from 1868 to 1870 tho institution was closed. From 1872 onward St. John's College was conducted as a college for training candidates for Holy Orders, and in no sense as a collegiate school, although for a period boys resident in the neighbourhood were given elementary instruction there. In 1884 the college was removed to Parnell, where it remained untifr 1895. Subsequent to 1901 it was reopened at Tamaki, ■where its work has been maintained ever since. Mr. Smallfleld's School. After tho removal of the collego to Parnell, the buildings at Tamaki wero used for the purposes of a private school by the Rev. T. F. King. On tho of Mr. King the trustees entered into an arrangement with the Rev. P. S. Smallfield, who was granted the uso of the buildings from January 1, 1891. No rent ;was charged, as the occupation of tho College premises for tho purposes of what was practically a church school was considered to be in accordance with tho wishes of the founder, Bishop Selwyn. Mr. Smallfield carried on his school at Tamaki under tho uamo of St. John's Collegiate School until April 50, 1901. The school I a;; conducted thcro was not under the control of the St. John's College Trust ■Board, but was a private -venture belonging to and conducted by Mr. Smallfield. Much misconception has existed with regard to the foundation of the Church of England Grammar School, Parnell, known familiarly as the Parnell Grammar School. The school, it has been stated, was founded by St. John's College or in connection therewith, but this is not the case./ The collegiate school opened at Tamaki on the closing of St. John's College in 1853 did not meet tho needs of Auckland parents, owing to its remoteness from the town. Bishop Selwyn, who Was then about to visit England, was commissioned by a number of residents to engage a clergyman as headmaster for a school to be established in or near Auckland, and to be conducted on the principles of the Church of England. The Site in Parnell. The Rev. J. Kinder, already referred to as /warden of St. John's College, was selected, and arrived at Auckland in 1855. The school is believed to have been established in Karangahape Road in the preceding year, under the control of a board of governors, of which tho Rev. F. THatcher was secretary. It was in some Ecnse a boarding school, as an advertisement of 1855 refers to certain arrangements which the governors had been able to make for boarding pupils. There is no record of the steps which led to the school being brought under the control of the trustees of St. John s College, but tho connection between tho two institutions dates from 1859, when the site in Parnell occupied by the school •was transferred to the college trust. The Grammar School site was purchased by Bishop Selwyn in 1843 as part of the area at Parnell which he intended should form the Cathedral Trust. Its later history is of importance in view of the fact that tho accumulated funds arising from its sale, and amounting to some £15,000, are now to bo used for the p'urposcs of King's College. In the "terriers" of church lands published annually from 1846 to 1858, the land is described as "endowment land," but in that for 1859 the purpose is changed to " Grammar School." Headquarters of School.

It is a matter of history that Bishop Sclwyn obLtiined from the Colonial Legislature an Act empowering liini to convey tho lands vested in him to trustees appointed by the General Synod. The synod made tho appointments in 1Q59, and in doing so set up a Cathedral Trust to administer the cathedral property in Parnell, with .the exception of tho land reserved for the Grammar School. For this property tho members of St. John's College board were appointed trustees. Tho school was removed to Parnell somo time previous to this, probably in 1858. Dr. Kinder was succeeded as headmaster by Mr. James Adams, 1872-80; Mr. A. de Lislo Hammond, 1880-83; Mr. Pycroft, 3-883-86; Mr. Pcrcival, 1886-91; and Mr. New combe, 1892-93. In 1893, for reasons entirely financial, the school was closed.

King's College (races its connection with St. John's College through its founder and first headmaster, Mr. Graham Bruce, who like his successor, Mr. C. T. Major, taught under tho Rev. P. S. Smalliield nt Tamaki. King's College in 1912 absorbed Mr. Smallfield's school, which had been removed from Tamaki in 1901 to Thp Pah, Onehunga.

' The article yesterday dealing with the agreement for the sale of King's College contained a reference to a reported statement by Archbishop Averill in December last regarding the liabilities to be taken over by the St. John's College trustees. It was stated on behalf of the trustees yesterday that the figure mentioned, nearly £60,000, does not correctly represent tho position at tho date of tho agreement.

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