PRESENTATION TO MRS M. G. BURN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2201, 7 May 1896, Page 55

PRESENTATION TO MRS M. G. BURN.

A presentation to the first principal of the Otago GirU 1 High School (Mrs M. G-. Burn) took place on Saturday afternoon at the Girls' High School. Some 120 ladies and about a score of gentlemen were present. Letters of apology wero received from Mr J. F. M. Fraeor (chairman of the High School Board of Governors) and Dr Brown, who expressed regret at not being able to be present to do honour to Mrs Burn. Among those present were the Yen. Archdeiicon Fenton. Lady Stout, Dr Hislop, Mr A. Wilson (principal of the Bajs' High School), Mr M. Cohen (chairman of the Edocfttion Board), and Mr P. G. Pryde (secretary of the Education Board). In the absence of tbe chairman of the Board of Governors of the school Mr Wilson was requeued to preside. Mr A, Wiison, on. taking the chair, aaid : Ky part in the proceedings is a sin-pie one to-iisy. I am very glad to see my friend Mrs Bum enabled to be out to-day, for I know she has net been well lately. lam sure she will be delighted to fee such a large gathering hare to do her honour, and large as it is I am sure that it is not nearly so Urge as the cumber that it really represents ; m»ny who have taken part in this movement being at prerent not resident in Dui<e<Ha. I will not say more but will call Upon Mr Thomson 'to open tbe proceedings. Mr Thomson : Ladies and GentUmen, — We •re nr.efc here to-day, as friends and ex-pupils of Mrs Burn, to present to her a small token of our respect and esteem and to bear record to the gcod educational work which she has done during a long and busy life. It is desirable that in. the first pkee I should give- some brief •ceonnfc.of the movement which hn« culminated inlo day's meeting. With tbe break-up of this school' last December the iir*fc 25 years of its existence came to an end, and with it terminated tbe rectorship of our friend Mr Wilson, who, after doing many a translation here, was himself translated, if not to a higher sphere of work, at least to a higher level of life. The thought was in the minds of several who were present on that occasion thtt it would have been an appropriate and -a pleas nt .thing to have made si me refeience to the wo»k of the organiser and first teed of (he school, but in the press of other maU era this was overlooked— pefhapp, as it now tnrns out, fortunately. Mr Wilson at once took •steps to remedy the oversight by a letter to the press, and bis sugge-tion that some public TecOgriifcion of Mrs Bum's long connec•with the school should be made was seconded by Mrs Malcolm Robb. The intervention of the Christmas and New Year holidays prevented any immediate action being taken, but as soon as possible afterwards a few of Mr* Burn'a ex-pupils met to&ftbre and resolved to canvass their former Ecln'olfVLws with the object of presenting her \riih a testimonial. This necessarily took ap a gre*l ilirttl of time, even tbough the committee limited their range of inquiry to this colony and to AUBt'alin. Ex-High School girls ara not perhaps quite so widely scattered as ex-High School boys, for on a- recent oco-<s;oo, when asking nbonfc some o!d pupils of the Boys' Sohool, I learned that, while one ms in Johannesburg, m d a second u< Siam, a tbird — in whim 1 am particularly interest* d — was sb&epfarmng ia Tietra del Puego. But expucils of this' Eobool are in various parks of Eu:ope and America, in Japan, India, and elsewhere, wbile many, alas, in the course of these five and twenty year*, have crossed that bourne from whence no traveller returns. Still, though tbe field was thus somewhat circumscribed, I know that the committee have reason to be gr&ti&d with the rtsioiue which their appeal met with, and with the m>-.uy expressions of warm estbeni and friendship for Mrs Burn "which were at tbe same time called forth. You vj'M pethfcpß pardon me if I refer briefly to the circuffistancps and conditions of the Girls' School in 1871 as contrasted with those in j 1696 In tlioce days there was no outside com-, petition, but there was a very decided want, both in town and country, for the means of higher education for girls. The examination fiend was not so rampant as it is to-day, and in consequence teaching was not so hampered by restrictions as it is now. Teaching methods «re more highly organised, and the majority 'of teachers aro batter trained to-day .than th^y ver* 25 ytars »go ; but with this gain— aud ib is a decided one in some directions— there has beeu a- c-rbaiu loss in this respnet : that the iaciividuality of teachers tends to be reduced to a dead !evel of uniformity. While this is particulaily true of tbe primary schools, ib also affects those of us who are in the secondary schools. But when Mrs Burn assumed charge of the ne*!\-f«<ined sohool in 1871 sho had carte ilonchelo introduce her own methods and to Jr^me all the teaching according to her own ide»s. Ib must be remembered that the standard aimed at hi the highest part -of the school dhen wee very .different to what it is to-dajr ; there ' was no -university junior scholarship examination to goad teachers and pupils along. But the intelligence and ability of pupils remain pn toy much the same in succeeding generations, a-iwi are alwaja eqnaDy ready to, respond to the. jteaoher wbo can call them into active exercise. J. have often heard Mrs Burn's pupils deolare that she possessed this power of drawing them onb to a great degree, and that subjects qrdinsrily considered dry became full of interest and luminous in her hands — (Applause.) But tenohing was not alone her forte in this school — she had the powe v of organising, which is so essential to the Bucce>*ful conduct of a school ; and as one who sorted under her for many years I can bear testimony to the oxcellenoy of her rule. Then, again, her personal influence pn the life and character of her pupilp, those especially who game ir ost into touch with her, was inspiring and e'eva'ii-g. All these faebs are commonplaces to th«.-. wl.o bad to do with Mrs Burn whensho v?i<>- in charge of this sohool, but one is gl*d of tbe opportunity of recalling them now apd of putting tb.Mii on record for the benefit of the xisirg generation. While the work of the school has altered greatly during this quarter of * century, J can assure Mrs Burn that the character and conduct of tbo pupils retain the £x<*iapj*ry status which it was her ambition lo ke<-p it &t. The moral tone of the school always was hj'gbi and this standard is sustained. The continued of the school under Mr Wilson's reoßbrship was always, I bslieve, a cc-urce of gratification to Mrs Barn ; and now jkbat it has passed under a new regivic I look forward, with confidence to a continuance of this success, beoanse I feel sure (and I hope it will not be considered presumption on my part l to express this feeling) that Miss Marcbant will justify the wisdom of the Bo»rd of Governors in appointing her to the position of lady principal. When I think back on the old times, i'l recall with pleasure pian; a memory of former teachers and pupil?,, end feel almost tempted to relate spmo reminiscences of those days days. Blessed thought, $bat memory enables as to remember the pleasant anoT to forget the disagreeable things of th« past. But 1 shall spare you these, and only ssy that amoDg the many absent friends in this and tba niighbonring colonie* who ar» with oj to^»y in npirit &9 eno t»k« ft more liuly

interest in what is being done than Mrs Barn's old friend and colleague, Mr J. H, Pope, of the Education department, Wellington, round whose genial personality so many pleasant memories cluster.— (Applause.) Mr Pope's enthusiasm and genuine nobility of oharacter won the esteem and affection of colleagues and pupils alike. His ufcter freedom f-om conventionality was dear to the couvtnti mal female mind, while his capacious side pockets used to receive a miscellaneous tribute of toffy, apples, cakes, and biscuits, from his devoted pupils. Bub Mr Pope was here before the days of the junior scholarship examinations. Only yesterday I was looking over the last report of the Otago Education Board, and I find nob onlythat numbers of Mrs Burn's old pupils are in various schools in the 'board's service, but that those especially whose names figure in tbe scholarship lists are now spread far and wide, m»ny of them centres of that culture and intelligence which saoh a sohool as this, under good, and able management, ia fitted to inculcate and to spread. ' The presence, too, of several of her former pupils ■on tho staff of this school, bofch at present and in past years, is another testimony to the good work which was done in Mis Barn's time. It is a matter of rejoicing to all of us to see Mrs Burn once more among us, and we trust that her health, which has been sorely shaken of late, is now in a fair way to complf be recovery. Mra Burn, I have now much pleasure, ou behalf of many friends both here and elsewhere, in asking you to accept this purse and accompanying letter as a token of our regard and affection for you, and in wishing you a large measure of renewed health and happiness. — (Applause). The letter was as follows :— Dunedin, May 2, 1896. T3ear Mrs Burn,— On behalf of your old pupils and other friends we bog your acceptance of a small gift as a mark of their appreciation of the services you have, in connection with the Otago Girls' High School, rendered to the cause of education in this province. We ausure you that your numerous pupils have not forgotten tha great obligations unaor which they lie to you, and that, .though you no longer take an active part in public education, youi - valuable services in successfully organising and carrying on the Mrls' High School aro not forgotten by those who interest themselves in education. Maby Macdonald. (Signed) Forrest Rosa. JtLLIE I'ENNISTON. Tho purse contained 160 sovere'gns. Mrs M. G. Btjbn, who was visibly »ffected, snoUs so qatebly an nob to be fully heard, excptfng by those who were near. Addressing the auditors as kind friends and dear girls, ! she said the task they had seb her was i difficult. Since leaving tho sohool she had, she said, had many proofs of the deep affect'on with which she was regarded by | her old pupils. Referring to her work in I the sihool she said that when appointed ?hehacl bten pub as queen in hec own realm, being allowed a hen hand, and having nil the help that could be given by the education authorities. The school grew and prospered, for in addition to these advantages and 6uch afsUbance from Mr Pope as to merit her undying gratitude, she found the pupils responsive, ar,d in many instances enthusiastic. Subsequently some of i those who had beeu her pupils took their -places las her assistants ; and mora faithful helpers could not have; been desired. After a time bhe woik gob into line with tbe course of study at the Boys' High School. Presently the university begtn to loom in bhe dietince, and ib was a red letter day to her when one of her pupils firßb gained a university scholarship. Mrs Burn here referred to a number of ex-pupils who had taken responsible positions in the scholastic world, and *rv\ thafe numbers more were good wives and mobhera scattered through-jut the colony. In concluding Mrs Burn said she had only bo express her gratitude at this movement among her old pupils. Often in times of difficulty and care she had experienced comfort in the consciousness that she had left her mark on her school work, acd in the hearts of the girls with whom *. she hsd then come in contacb ; bub the present demonstration of esteem on the parb of her old pupils was more than she had ever thought of. She had pleasure in knowing that when she laid the work down, 11 years since, it had passed into the able hands of Mr Wilson, and now that the school had entered upon bhe third | stage m its history shs could say that; ib was her sincere wish that it should have the great success in future that ib had enjoyed in the past. — (Applause.) Mr Thomson then, on behalf of the com mittee, presented tbe school with an excellent enlarged photograph of Mrs M. G. Burn.

Mr Wilson, onbebalf of the board »nd of Miss Marohaut, accepted tho gift, and said he w&a sure the portrait would be hung in a plico of honour, and th*t pasb, present, and possibly future pupils would regard ifc with the greatest respeob, as being that of th» lady who had successfully conducted tbe first public High School for girls in the southern hemisphere. '■ Dr Hislop, in tbe course of a short speeoh, remarked that he had been officially associated with Mrs Barn in the opening of -the sohool and daring tho earlier years of its existence, and that he had always admired the ability, devotion, zeal, and skill in organisation Mrs Barn had displayed. Ho moved a vote of thanks to the committee that had brought about the presentation of the testimonial.

Mr M Cohen seconded the motion, and in doing so said that one of the best proofs of Mrs Burn'a success, according to his judgment, lay in the fact that she bad given to certain of the citizens of tho colony the best helpmeets they could have— good wives. The motion was carried by acclamation. Mr Wilson, in conveying the vote to tbe committee, said that without desiring in aay to depreciate the services of other members of the committee he thought that thanks were most largely due to Mrs Malcolm Ross. Afternoon tea brought the proceedings to a closo.