JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18158, 1 February 1921, Page 2

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS.

OTAGO GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL.

THE OFFICIAL RECEPTION

HISTORIC REVIEW BY THE PRINCIPAL.

The bleak, wot weather yesterday, though the min held off in the afternoon, was decidedly disappointing for the many taking part in tho Otago Girls’ High School jubilee celebrations; but it was soon evident that nothing in the outside conditions was to be allowed to mar the enthusiasm and heartiness of the proceedings. The two main events of the day were the reception held at the school in the afternoon and the gathering for historical reminiscences in the Bums Hall in the evening. The school ground* were decorated wiu flags and greenery, and inside the gallery of the assembly hall was draped with the school colours of blue and white. Tne reception was not strictly limited to pupils and ex-pupils, and a sprinkling of male friends of. the school, some of whom have played a large part in its history; ' found place among the large audience, rix-phpns of the school brought with them,' by '-request, cards recording the facts of their association with tho school, to be filed for record purposes. The invited guests present included the Mayor (Mr W.; Begg), and Mayoress, and a number of leaders in local educational affairs.

The Lady Principal (Miss F. M. Allan) presided, and was accompanied on the . platform by Lady Stout, Mrs W. H. Reynolds, Mrs R. S. Allan, Mrs Wm. Johnstone, and Mias B. M. Watt. , Miss Allan read a large number of apologies for absence, and stated that, in addition, many telegrams expressing. good wishes and congratulations had. been received. Of these she read the two following:—“The 'Christchurch Girls’ HigJ. School sends greetings and very hearty congratulations to its elder sister, the Otago Girls’ High School, and wishes it all prosperity.” “Wellington College Old Girls’ Association sends hearty greetings and congratulations cm the occasion of the school jubilee.” In a choicely-worded speech, which ably and aptly summarised the significance of the occasion. Miss Allan went on to say that they had assembled there to celebrate officially file jubilee of the school. In any scholastic institution it was a momentous epoch in its history when it nua completed 60 years of existence, and in that time it had increased the number and extent of its buildings, the number of pupils, mac took advantage of the instruction that it offered, the scope and direction of its activities, and its usefulness to the community generally. It had survived tho difficulties of its inception, justified its foundation, and was able to look forward to a period of calm and of unbroken prosperity. The Province of Otago,” she said, “had been founded for lb years when the Boys’ Higu School was established, and eight years later it was decided to found a Girls’ High School—a forward movement, in the education of girls—for this school, of which, we celebrate the jubilee to-day, can make the proud boast that it was the first High School for girls opened south of tho line. It was in the mind of a woman that the idea originated. Miss Dalrymple, of Port Chalmers, eager that girls should enjoy the benefits of higher education, worked quietly and persistently to this end for several years, discussing the matter with her friends, notably with Major (afterwards Sir John) Richardson, till at last a committee of citizens was formed to further the scheme, and ultimately commissioners were appointed, and after some little delay tho school was established. To these men of 50 years ago, large-brained, clearsighted, imbued with lofty ideals, ever true to their watchwords of ‘Religion’ and Bducation,’ both of which they deemed essential to the sure foundation of the State, inspired by a noble selflessness and a vision of the future that they ’ themselves would never see, we owe a heavy debt_ of gratitude for the wisdom and foresight that induced them to strive to obtain for tho girls of this province the same facilities for acquiring knowledge as their brothers enjoyed, Mid by this means to give them a wider and a deeper outlook on life.

“But the women of these days were no whit behind the men in their desire to help on the movement. A ladies’ committee was formed, which worked hard and rendered signal services to the cause. Only two of this committee remain, Mrs W. H. Reynolds and Mrs Johnstone, of Port Chalmers, who are with us on the platform, and who are still, in spite of their advanced years, full of good works. But what contributed most to the success of the school was the admirable woman selected by the Board of Governors to hold the position of its first lady principal, and to guide and control its destinies in its earlier and more troublous days. “Mrs Margaret Gordon Burn, a Scotswoman, born and educated in Edinburgh, an excellent teacher and organiser, a strict disciplinarian, with broad and liberal views of education, a strong personality, deeply religious, a character of absolute rectitude, diemified in appearance and bearing, and capable of inspiring her pupils with respect and even awe, was well fitted to grapple successfully with the difficulties of administration of the first few years. Under Mrs Bum, who held office till the end _ of 1884. the school gained a high reputation, and pupils flocked to it from various parts of the dominion. After a few years girls at the close of their school career passed on to the University, where they showed that they wore quite capable of competing on equal terms with the male undergraduates, and even of outstripping them in their classes. . At a later stage of the proceedings this afternoon there will be an opportunity to speak in fuller detail of Mrs Burn and her work. “ Mrs Bum was succeeded by Mr Alexander Wilson, M.A., a member of the staff of t#e Boys’ School, with whom was associated as vice-principal Miss J. J. M'Kean, after , wards Mrs W. L. Scott, whose death we had cause to deplore in 1918. Mr Wilson conferred great distinction on his office. An experienced and successful teacher, a thorough master of the English language and literature, cultured, polished in speech and manner, with a vein of not _too unkindy sarcasm and. a humorous cynicism, he cast a spell on his pupils who. with youthful enthusiasm, invested him with all the qualities of a hero of romance. As president of the local Shakespeare Club, he’ delighted his audiences at the public readings with his introductory speeches, full of originality and whimsical charm. His surplus energy was devoted to his garden, where_ he specialised in bulbs, and made it a veritable paradise of beauty. His somewhat reserved manner gave strangers the impression that he was cold and critical, but his friends knew well the kindness of his heart, and to any that had fallen on evil days his benefactions were as generous as they were studiously concealed. Of Mr Wilson also fuller mention will be made later. Miss M'Kean assisted him ably in the direction of the school. She was a most competent teacher, with a clear and logical mind and mathematical ability rarely found in a woman, a personality strong yet very gracious, and an affectionate nature that won for her the love even of those pupils that had neither ability nor liking for the subjects that she taught. The brass tablet banging on the wall of this hall was dedicated in 1918 to her memory hy her nupils. “ On Mr Wilson’s translation to the rectorship of the Boys’ School, Miss M. E. Allman-Marchant, M.A., was appointed to the lady principalahip, which she held for sixteen years. Her early years in office were marked by_ a great change in the method of admission of pupils. Fees were abolished, and girls that had passed the proficiency examination were eligible to enter as free pupils, the Government paying capitation for each. “Miss Marchant, a graduate,,©! the New Zealand University, wag a gifted and versatile woman, energetic, of varied interests, a fluent and attractive public speaker. It was owing to her efforts that the ex-Girls’ Association, which had been defunct for many years, was revived, and to her suggestion waa duo the presentation in 1919 by the association of the new brass dux board that hangs behind the platform. On her resignation at the end of 1911 she devoted herself to work in connection with the Anglican Church till her sudden and lamented death at Invercargill towards the close of 1919. “Of the men and women that were on the staff of the school during these SO years, I cannot stay to apeak. Many will doubtless be mentioned in the historical speeches this evening. But of one name I make an exception, that of Mr J. H. Pope, afterwards inspector of Native schools, who acted as a valued coadjutor to Mrs Burn

in the early years of the eohooi, and whose name is held in grateful memory by all his pupils. Since its foundation the school has been fortunate in having men of standing and worth as its governors. I "just note the following who have held the position of chairman: Dr Stuart, Dean Fitchett, Dr William Brown, Mr J. F. M. Fraser, the Hon. J. R. Sinclair (now Sir John Sinclair), ■the Hon. Thomas Fergus, Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., and the present chairman. Dr ft. V. Fulton. The secretaries have been few — Mr Colin Macandrew, Mr P. J. Ness, with 35 years’ service, and the present secretary, who assumed the office in 1920, Mr C. R. M'Lean.

“The old school which had sheltered at first both boys and girls was, after the building of the present Boys’ School, given over entirely to the girls and occupied by them until it became dilapidated and insanitary. The new school ■was begun in 1910, and entered in 1911; the hall was added in 1914, the temporary school rooms were built in 1918, and the new wing which completes the building will shortly be ready for occupation. During these 50 years the school has, done good work. It has provided for its pupils a soUrtd and liberal education, taken due care of their physical development and inculcated the highest and noblest ideals. Its motto, “Recti oultus peotora roborant“ is no dead. letter, but the expression of the aim of all its teaching —that the thorough training of the mind should be but a step in the development of a strong, true character and a beautiful soul. Its pupils are scattered far and wide through the dominion and over the world, holding educational positions as head mistresses of girls’ secondary schools, members’of the staffs of high schools, district high schools, technical schools, private schools from Auckland to Invercargill, as doctors and nurses, members of the public service, social, philanthropic and church workers, in the commercial world, and other walks of public life, and as countless wives and mothers and daughters whose lives are passed, in the safe security of homo. _ There are few of these that are not willing to acknowledge how much they owe to the influences brought to bear upon them in the days when_ they were pupils of the Otago Girls’ High School. “To-day our hearts are_ filled with mingled joy and sorrow. We rejoice at these days of jubilee and give thanks to' Almighty G-od'for the success and prosperity He has granted to our school since its foundation, and for permitting so large a number of us to assemble here to-day. We wish to express our gratitude to those men and women that gave of their time and thought and labour in their zeal to raise the standard of education for the girls of this province, to: ! Our patents and guardians for giving us the opportunity of receiving a good education, to our teachers, who unrolled to our eyes the ample page of knowledge. Blit in-this hour of joy and pride our hearts are touched with sadness when we think of thoJong roll of the members of the Boards of' Governors, the principals, teachers, classmates, and companions that “have drunic their cup a round or .two before, and one by one crept silently to rest’*—some in the flower of their youth, others in the prime of their manhood and womanhood, some in the weakness of old age, —men and women and girls with whom we came into dose contact, who influenced us by precept or by example, or simply unconsciously by their presence sharing with us the ordinary happenings of everyday life in school. We cannot but remember them to-day. Fellow-pupils, I welcome you all most cordially back to your old school, lyhere you have spent a few of the most plastic years of your life, and made the friends that always seem the dearest and most intimate. Let ua make this day—memorable for us all —on© that will impress the present pupils with a deep sense of the privileges they enjoy and the responsibilities they incur by forming an integral part of this institution. The school has done much for the greater part of us, let us do something for it in return. Let us be loyal to it, let ua give it our service, our money, our support and sympathy, our kindly thoughts —whatever it is in the power of each of us to give—; and let us, widely differing as our circumstances and positions in life may be, because of our common relationshin to it! bo linked together in a bond of unity, and be ready to stretch out to one another a helping hand in time of need. May our school flourish! Of it let us say, in the words of the poet: “Our hearts, our hopes, are all with' thee. Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, Our faith triumphant o’er our fears Are all with thee—are all with thee,” The unveiling of the memorial tablet in honour of Mrs M. G. Bum was performed by Lady Stout, who thanked her old schoolfellows, the committee of the M. G. Burn’s Memorial, for the honour they had done her in asking her to unveil the memorial to the first lady principal. Mrs Margaret Gordon Burn, As one of her first pupils and one who loved, honoured, and respected her, She wished to add her tribute to the splendid work she accomplished under difficulties and discouragements which no one could realise who did not know their old school and the prejudice which had to be overcome at the _ inauguration of the new movement for higher education for girls. Her organising ability bad been recognised by all those who contributed remnisoences to the Daily Times and Star. Her energy and devotion to duty and her cultured mind and intellect inspired her pupils and gained tho loyal co-operation of her colleagues. No doubt she was sternly strict and at times very caustic in her reproofs, but strict discipline was always accompanied by strict justice and impartiality. They of the early seventies must, after their experience of life, acknowledge that the discipline was required. Mrs Bum’s teaching and example Sad borne good fruit in the continued success of the school under many of her able pupils, and many women who were now domg splendid work all over the country as teachers and doctors owed to her their early training. The ready response to the Empire’s call from tho sons and daughters of the women who were under that discipline showed that the traditions and ideals of school life were not forgtten. The ideals which Mrs Bum instilled into their minds of duty and honour and the rules of conduct which she set before them, as befitting ladies, were devoid of all snobbery and were founded upon a clear estimate of the value of character and strength of purpose necessary to the attainment of true womanhood. To nor wise guidance, though they might have fallen far short of her ideal, they, her old pupils, owed much which had helped them in their long journey through life. They all felt deep regret that their revered teacher and true friend was not,with them that day to see the crown of her labours. After an arduous life—-devoted to duty and service to others —she passed away honoured and respected by all. They trusted that the tribute which that day they record on that tablet to her example ana great lito-work would keep her memory green and bo a guiding light to the present and future teachers and. pupils of me school. On behalf ot Uie Aiaigaret Gordon Bum Committee she asked Miss Allan to accept tho memorial tablet for the Girls’ High School.

In, accepting the gut, Miss Allan said it was only fitting that the work clone by Mrs Burn, the first lady principal, should be recognised in some tangible way at the jubilee celebrations. Airs Burn laid the toundations of the school, and because these were well and truly laid her successors found it easier to build upon them, and what they built was more than stable. Ihey who were Mrs Bum's pupils thanked Lady Stout for voicing so welt their feelings towards her and lor the just appreciation of her character and her work that she had given. iSbe had much pleasure in accepting for the school this handsome memorial tablet, which would perpetuate Mrs Bum’s work and her memory. The presentation of the enlarged photograph of Mir A. Wilson was made by Miss B M Watt, of Timaru. She was there, she said, as the representative of the many pupils of Mr Wilson, who held him in affectionate remembrance when they'looked back on the days spout in that old school. It was just 36 years since Mr Wilson came down to them irom the Boys’ High School, and they wore sad at parting irom the personality of Mrs Bum. They were inclined to look upon Mr Wilson as something of an interloper, but he very soon won them to enthusiastic devotion. Their hours of Engfish became ihe happiest hours oi the day. Grammar, that bugbear of meet school children, and even of many educational authorities, was even interesting in Mr Wilson’s hands. She would like to run round some of her contemporaries whom she saw there, with a ruler in hand, painting to them in turn and asking what it waa that Grimm’s law asserted. It was over 30 years since they used that knowledge for matriculation and junior university scholarship, and yet she oelieved mere were nearly 100 old girls there who could give them that information about Grimm’s law. His lessons on itarature were a pure delight. His beautiful reading brought out the full force of the passages; and he had a delightful way of inviting the opinions of the class on difficult passages that kept their minds alert and keen. Not only in English and history was his teaching a pleasure, but they also enjoyed his lessons in Latin and .French, which were much more seldom given. In their one lesson a week in French from Mr Wilson she believed they learned as much as in all tue others; and it was not until Mr Wilson took them for Latin that they realised that Latin was a literature. They had a very fine old gentleman as their teacher, Dr Bulau, with the® did gtpte musttwh m 10

or 12 lines of Virgil in a day. At the end of 40* lines or so they returned and revised it all, so that, naturally, it was a little aitticuit for them to understand that it was literature. Mr Wilson probably understood something of this, for he took them once or twice a week after school and ran through it quickly with them. When she 1 bought of Mr Wilson she did not thin.. only of the lessons through which he took them, and which they • enjoyed. She t hought, also,' of the lectures in tho morning, after prayers, when his somewhat sarcastic remarks were thoroughly appreciated by all the girls except the culprits. She remembered the historic occasion recently refeired to in print when some girls who had been in conversation with a High School boy were likened to bo many scullery maids round a butcher boy. She remembered, also, the many games of fives and tennis Mr Wilson had with the, girls, for, although their physical health was attended to, games were not made so much of as they were to-day. It was Mr Wilson, so far as she remembered, who was the first teacher to take any interest in the games of her contemporaries. She remembered a very pleasant aftecaoon at tho end of the middle term, when their budding social talents were given some opportunity of being exercised. They admired Mr Wilson for his very great literary powers, as seen in the books he had written. They venerated him as a great teacher and) “head,” and they loved him for his kindness. It was with very great pleasure that she unveiled that permanent record of their great “head” and dear old friend, and asked Miss Allan, on behalf of the present girls to accept it. Miss Allan, in accepting the portrait, said it was a happy thought of •Mr Wilson’s pupils to present his portrait at_ the time of the jubilee; and now that his portrait was there her three predecessors were represented, Miss Merchant's portrait having been kindly given last year by her' father. Miss Watt had spoken very eloquently about Mr Wilson from the point of view' of a pupil. Might she say a word from the point of a member of his. staff?' She had taught under him for five years, and gladly bore testimony to the great kindness and consideration with which he treated every member of his staff. He also was most careful to support their authority, and she could well remember the incisive and scathing rebukes he gave to any girls that fell short in rendering the deference and politeness that he considered was due to their teachers. • It was an honour to have that photograph on the walls, and it would be an incentive and a lesson to the present girls. The school choir, under Mr Wolf, twice took the platform, and rendered part songs with charming effect. On the first occasion they gave the three-part songs “Happy Birds” and “Bowl of Roses,” and on the second the four-part songs “Indian Mountain Song” and “The Two Clocks.” After tho more formal part of the proceedings was over an adjournment was made for afternoon tea, which was served from the gymnasium. The weather had improved considerably, and groups of the present pupils gave a graceful exhibition of Morris dancing in costume and of physical drill. A museum room upstairs attracted a great deal of attention. It contained numerous specimens of artistic work of pupils at all periods of the school’s history, samples ot map work, botany notebooks, shorthand and bookkeeping, sports trophies, qld school and camp magazines, two venerable desks from the old school, and many old photographs, including about ISO photographs of pupils attending the school in Mrs Burn s time. One of the chief centres of interest was an enlarged group photograph of the original pupils attending .the school in 1871, among whom could be picked out the faces of many who have since become well known throughout the dominion.