CHRIST'S COLLEGE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume 1, Issue 7, 13 February 1914, Page 5

CHRIST'S COLLEGE.

HEADMASTER'S REPORT. THE YEAR'S WORK. The gyimnasium of Christ's College Grammar School was filled last evening "with a gathering of parents, pupils and old boys who assembled to witness the annual prize-giving.,, r . ... His Excellency the Governor <ind Lady Liverpool were present and the Eight Rev. the Warden, Bishop Julius, presided. A guard.. Of honour was formed from the school corps, and his Excellency remarked on their excellent turn out. The headmaster (Mr E. A. Belcher) in presenting his annual report offered a very hearty welcome to their Excellencies on the occasion of their first visit to the college. STAFF CHANGES. Reviewing staff and other changes, tho headmaster referred to the year's leave of absence granted to Mr Merton, and said that he had every confidence that the Lower School would in no way suffer during the headship of Mr Jenkins, who would fill the temporary vacancy thus created. It was his intention, the speaker added, to gradually change the character of the Lower School and turn it into a purely preparatory school for the College. No boy would be admitted to the Upper School in future-under the age of thir-

teen. His purpose in doing this was to separate very much more definitely t"he work and play of younger and older boys, and to provide in the lower department a really good preparatory school. Touching on the appointment of the.. Eev. Mr Bryan-Brown to th£ staff of the college, he said that this •was in a sense the important appointment of the year. It was no light task to succeed a man of the force and personality of the late Canon Hare, whose life was bound up with more than half the history of the school. EXCHANGE SYSTEM. Mr Belcher continued that educationally the year had also been marked by an important departure in the organisation of the staff. Nearly ten vears ago, he said, Mr E. B. Sargant, of Rugby and Trinity, Cambridge, who was then educational adviser to Lord Milner in South Africa, propounded a scheme of public school extension by j which, amongst other things, it might

be possible to effect from time to time an exchange of masters between certain public schools in the Dominions and the Old Country. The speaker; had to express his very sincere thanks to the Governors for their faith in the scheme, the success and continuance of which was assured. They were, of course, only at the beginning of things, and there were financial difficulties to be overcome in effecting these changes, which would never be successfully met I until such time as some wealthy Imperialist would establish a trust fund. The time, was not yet ripe to make any- formal appeal, but he did not think he was betraying confidence when. ;he stated that the committee were prepared to find an English Imperialist who would double any fund created, in New Zealand. Mr Luslc would probably return to the staff some time next year, and when that time comes they would be ready to send Home a second New Zealander. Meanwhile, he was trying to arrange a further exchange with the most famous of Ganadian schools. SUCCESSFUL WORK. The work of the school during the past twelve months, he continued, had given him much satisfaction, the results of the University examinations last December constituting a record for Christ's College. Referring to College House, Mr Belcher proceeded:—"The bulk of our boys who take a university course must take it in New Zealand. I hope that parents will realise that, in connection with our original foundation, we have a University College. i A University course loses half its value if it is divorced from the

Collegiate system of the older universities. The modern English Universities are realising this more and more every year. Why should New Zealand be behind? It was certainly the dream of the Canterbury settlement that the upper department of Christ's College would develop into a University College on Oxford lines. I should like to see, each of the great religious denominations have its own University College. Canterbury College would become the centre of university teaching, and each hostel would become the centre of university life. I believe this would give a great impetus t-o the intellectual and religious life of this country." The speaker added that he had made arrangements whereby any boy who was going to Oxford or Cambridge might take his college entrance | examination out here, the Oxford delegacy had agreed to accept the New Zealand matriculation. He believed the Cambridge Syndics would shortly follow suit.

RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS. 1 ' In common with most Oxford men, *' said Mr E. A. Belcher, at the Christ's College commemoration last night, "I much deplore the present system of electing Rhodes scholars. I have the best of reasons for knowing that the Rhodes scholarships were never intended by the late Mr Cecil Rhodes to be a post-graduate course. I believe the Sfact that in so many cases these scholarships were awarded to colonial graduates instead of to school boys, arose in a very curious way- I was on the original committee that framed the regulations for' one colony, and when we came to do this is. was pointed out very properly that to' confine them to school boys meant making them close scholarships to two or three schools. Such a difficulty need never . arise in New Zealand, because the admirable system of higher education in this country makes it possible for the poorest boy to continue his education to a university age. I hope the whole question may engage the very serious attention of educationists in New Zealand this year. The junior scholarship, as a qualifying, and not a competitive examination, would make an excellent test for the first clauses of MiRhodes 's will.'' HOME WORK. "I am convinced that in the case of young boys, only a very small amount of home Avork is necessary. If they are taught properly during the day/ and have an adequate amount of exercise ' out of school hours, the proper place for , them in the evening is in bed, and I hope parents will co-operate; with me in ' seeing that their sons get at least ten hours' sleep, or even more." ; INTRODUCTION OF "CIVICS." ! "In these days of overloaded curri- ; cula," the head master proceeded, "I i hesitated very much before deciding to introduce a new subject in the school, s but I am convinced that there has been • one thing lacking in many public " schools both at Home and out here, I which it is within our power to remedy. •' I am anxious that boys at Christ's Col; ' lego should not only be alive to thd > Civic and Imperial responsibilities which ! will soon be theirs, but should leave ' school with, at all events, an elemen- ! tary knowledge of what these responsir bilities mean. I need hardly say this ■ is not a question of politics; honest and ! able men will be found with all shades ' of political opinions, and it will be a r bad day for this Dominion when any 5 party can claim a monopoly of wisdom ' or patriotism; but I want boys here to [learn something of how their country

is governed, and I want them to realise that whatever their future careers maybe, it is a positive duty which devolves on them when they leave school to take some part, however humble, in the government of the country. We cannot all be members of Parliament — perhaps we do not all want to be members of Parliament: —but there is a vast field for honest and unselfish work \n local government. We should be entirely failing in our duty here if we did not try to prepare our boys to meet some of the complex problems of modern life which the next generation have to solve. Duiing the holidays I was fishing one day in a North" Island stream, in company with a boy of eleven. I asked him what he wanted to be, and he replied without the slightest trace of self-consciousness: "I want to be a farmer, but I should like to do something for my country.'' That is the true spirit of an Imperial race. Scholarships and games are both good, but just in so far as we can inculcate that spirit in the school, so ought our ultimate success or failure to be judged. A systematic course of instruction in what, for want of a better term, we shall call "civics," will be given, throughout the school this year. In the educational -stage we want facts far more than theories. Boys are not interested in the practical problem? of local government and social organisation, because of their ignorance. They do not care, because they do not know. I believe it is quite possible by a systematic instruction to stir them to a real intelligent interest in these questions. I believe that our greatest and most pressing public duty is that we should do so, and I believe that,, until w.e do this, we shall never get them to take an active part in their solution." THE MILITARY SIDE. Mr Belcher went on to say that the lately-created military and engineering side has not been long enough in existence to prove its success, but the school would have several candidates for Duntroon at the end of this year, and he hoped that the experiment of dealing with these boys separately might jus- , tify itself. He was glad to see that . the public was becoming- alive .to the career which the New Zealand Staff : Corps offered. It was a career which had the unique merit of being open to ■ rich and poor alike, and for the ultimi ate success ©f the defence scheme, it would, he hoped, attract a share of the i best brains of the country. While the , organisation of our Defence forces must, naturally, be the first care of i every loyal New Zealander, he hoped i New Zealand would never cease to add ■ its quota to the Imperial forces. One

practical difficulty la£l always "been the question of exajnxna&m, "bat lie tob glad to announce that in oiie respect this difficulty "was gring to "bfi overcome. Hie Army Council had agre&d to certain proposals made to them by the New Zealand Government dining the past year, aM would, assign three Sandhurst cadetsMps each half year to ISTew Zealand candidates. These candidates' would "be examined in New Zealand. They would go through the same course as other cadets do at Sandhurst, "but at the end of their time will have' the option of entering the Imperial Army or of returning to New Zealand. He regarded this concession as a highly valuable one—it was, in fact, one of those links of Empire which ought not to be lightly cast aside. A NEW RECORD. In concluding, the headmaster stated that the entry of sixty-two new boys this term constituted a record, and the present total of well over three hundred was the highest in the history of the school. In athletics, the year was not barren in results, and victories had been gained. He gratefully acknowledged the large share which so many of his colleagues took in the active life 6f the school. "We have all of us a great deal to learn,'' he concluded, 11 and the process, even when it is pleasant, is certainly not very easy, but -our ideal has been expressed very finely, and many years ago, by a great writer, in words far nobler than any I can employ. 'I call a complete and generous education that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfully, and magnanimously, all the offices, both public and private, of peace and war.' " HIS EXCELLENCY'S SPEECH. Lord Liverpool was heartily applauded on rising to address the school: "I want to thank you for the hearty welcome given to myself and her Excellency, not only as the representative of the Sovereign but, I think also, from a personal point of view. I want to congratulate the guard of honour on the way they turned out; how still they stood, and how smart they were.'' His Excellency endorse the headmaster's remarks as to public life. When boys left school they should make it their business to do something for their towns and districts, in the civic institutions connected with them. Athletics as well as study should receive a fair share of attention. To those leaving school he would say: "Love righteousness and hate iniquity. Carry that tradition with you. It is the best watchword that a' man can carry through life. It is the best epitaph when he has left it. And now," concluded his Excellency, "I have asked your headmaster for a holiday, and he has given it to you." (Loud and prolonged cheering.) His Excellency then presented the prizes won during last year. The following is the prize list:— Form prizes: C. E. Carrington, E. W. J. Millton, H; L. Jenkins, F. E. Humphreys, W. S. Averill, D. M. Stitt, G. N. Fairhurst, H. L. Wise, 0. P. G. Moore. Star prizes: 3a, J. D. Buchanan, A. E. Ault, E. W. Hunt, J. T. Irving, W. L. Dearsley; 3b, 0. F. J. Gilby, J. R. Wilford, O. A. Johnston, D. O. Whyte; Il.a, H. M. Cocks, E. K. Vincent, C. F. Woodhead, E. T. Shore; Il.b, G. S. G. Bennett, H. F. Ault, W. B. Harris; 1., G. Y. Smyth, C. T. Ballantyne. Mathematics: E. A. Eowe, M. F. Woodward, W., G. Rich, I>. M. Stitt,- J. Orbell, M. B. Grant, L. H. Garland, W. E. Minty, G. E. Mulcock, 0. P. G. Moore. Scienco: E. A. Rowe, M. F. Woodward, F. E. Humphreys, S. H. M. Mannering, M. A. F. Barneft. Greek: J. E. Wanklyn, L. C. Averill. French: E. A. Rowe, G. Y. Gerard, A. 0. Robinson, G-. . Musgrave, P. P. Boulnois, L. H. Davison, A. D. Poulton, , Tancred prizes: English literature —Class. A, R. E. F. B'arnett; Class B, H. C. R. Rendle. English history—Class A,' E. A. Rowe 1, D. A. Mackenzie 2; Class B, B. G. Blunt; Class C, R. S. W. Owen; Class D, G. D. Macdonald. Mr Orford's prize for English, M. B. Grant. Chapel choir prizes: C. B. Marshall, J. T. Pritchett, R. K. L. Tapley, G. L. Tapley. Lower school: Music prize, F. H. Dixon. Divinity: "Balfour prizes—E. A. Rowe, 0. E. Carrington. Form prizes—H. C. R. Rendle, R. B. Johnson, W. L. Free, H. W. Atack, T. D. Macdonald', J. T. Pritchett'. Tyndale prizes—ll.a, 11. M. Cocks; Il.b, G. S. G. Bennett; 1., F. E. Wait, H. J. Williams.