A VETERAN TEACHER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7039, 29 January 1910, Page 14

A VETERAN TEACHER

Amongst arrivals by the Manuka from 6ydney this week was Mr Walter Patereon, father of Mr Adam Paterson, of Paterson and Barr, Dunedin. Hi PaterBon, senr., who is now, 82 years of age, and who looks hale and hearty, was a teacher in iHokitika school in 1868, and was afterwards connected for many years with the Dunedin Boys' High School. Since earliest times Mr Paterson has been a great friend of the Chinese race, of which he saw a great deal in the old digging days on the West Coast and In Otago. He translated several works into Cantonese for them, and two' years ago set out on. a, mission to China in .connection with' the' translation of -the Bible into Cantonese per medium of the Boman characters. This was found a more sure and certain means of reaohing the masses than the original method of using Chinese characters, as so many of the poorer classes and almost all the women had no schooling in even their own written and printed vocabulary, and the Soman characters meant o speedy means of education in comparison. On reaohing Sydney, however, Mr Paterson fpund some 10,000 Chinese, mostly from Uantpn, in like need of instruction and decided to settle amongst them instead. After a brief visit to Dunedin this wonderful old scholar intends resuming his work amongst them, finding both the work land the climate congenial. Mr Paterson has been looking up old scholars, and found, amongst others, Mr J. B. Virtue, of D. W. Virtue and Co., who Bat under him in the good old days on the West Coast.