VALEDICTORY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143672, 16 December 1911, Page 2

VALEDICTORY.

MR. AND MRS. E. PRIDHAM. A LARGE GATHERING. The ceremony arranged on Friday night in connection witn the breakingup oi the New Plymouth High School for the Christmas vacation was of more than ordinary interest, inasmuch as advantage was taken by present and past pupils of the opportunity oi making presentations to „ur. and Mrs. Pridham, who contemplate leaving New Zealand for England—Mr. Pridham having resigned nis position as principal ol the school, which he has held since its inception—and Miss Pridhair.. The proceedings were ol a very interesting character, and among the largo number oi present and old pupils present many wero visibly affected on bidding farewell to their old friend and teacher. FROM PRESENT PUPILS. The first presentations were to Mr. and Mrs. Pridham from the present pupils of the school, and consisted of a travelling-rug tor each. They wore presented by Master Norman Little and Miss Spence. Master Little said: “Mr. and Mrs. Pridham, —1 have been entrusted by the present gills and boys of this High School with the mission of presenting to you these two travel-ling-rugs as a small, and, 1 am sure, very inadequate, material embodiment of their esteem for you, and of their regret, or, rather, their great sorrow, that you are now leaving for good the school at which you have been so long; and 1 am certain that during the last thirty years, and more especially tho last two or three years, in no secondary school of the Dominion has there existed a truer feeling of esteem and loyalty of pupils to their headmaster than in the New Plymouth High School.”— (Applause.) FROM THE OLD GIRLS OF THE SCHOOL. Miss Clarice A. Douglas then read the following letter addressed to Mr. Pridham by tho Old Girls of the school: ‘■New Plymouth. New Zealand, December 15, l9il. Dear Mr. Pridham, —It with mingled feelings of sorrow and gladness that we, the Old Girls of the New Plymouth High School, address this letter to you. To us. schooldays are but memories, a part of our lives gone, never io return. Wo said goodbye to them easily and naturally, though regretfully, too; but to say farewell to you is not so easy, and to know that our beloved school will no longer be able to claim you for its head makes us ieel that another link with tho past is broken. For this we sorrow. But as wo look back, and remember that when our feet trod the steep and rocky road called •Education’ there was one at hand to guide and direct our faltering footsteps, one who never wearied of his outimes wearisome task, and that one you, our friend and teacher, we arc glad in the days that are gone. AVe realise now, as perhaps not then, how truly privileged wo wero. during those most receptive and impressionable years ol our lives, to come in daily contact with so cultured a man as yourself. Inasmuch as you led us to value aright thoroughness or work, logical reasoning. beamy of literary form—in short, all that is expressed by that inuchahused word ■culture'—you will ever have our grateful remembrance. But lor much more than all tin's do we now write to thank you. Always you held up before us tho loftiest ideal of character. and we learned, both by precept ami example, that honour and integrity are much more to be desired than learning, position, or wealth. Remembering nil these things, vvn are proud to call you teacher and friend, and gladly take this opportunity oi telling you some small portion ol what is in ouv minds. AVc can never torget one who has always been so true a friend, and we do not think you will torget us. whatever sens may divide. It was our first intention to a.sk your acceptance of a gilt cliomMi h\ ourselves, but as wo learned that you will shortly leave New Zealand, it seemed v iser to ask \ou to use the accompanying cheque in making tho choice for us on'your return to England. Whatever the choice may be, it is intended to represent the good wishes of tho Old Girls ol each year from tho foundation oi the school, and to he a token, though not a measure, of our respect and ai feet ion. Our earnest hope in that heiore you and Mrs. Pridham lie very many useful and happy years.—' Wo arc, on behalf of the Old Girls, yours sincerely, (signed) Gertrude M'Kellar. Agnes Wilson, Clarice A. Douglas. Grac-e Fookes, Bertha Webster. Gabrielle D. Shaw, Ina Dempsey, Freda Ferry, Ernestine Howell, May Arthur, Elsie E. .Miss Shaw, on,behalf of the old girls, handed to .Mrs. Pridham a gold bracelet watch, and Airs. Noble (nee Miss Bayly) to Miss Pridham a handsome photo frame. Aliss Douglas then handed the letter and cheque to Air. Pridham amid great enthusiasm. The contents of the letter had been nicely printed nml illustrated by one of the old girls, and therefore was really in the form of an illustrated address. The cover page was illus-' trated with the school motto and badge. FROM THE OLD BOVS. Dr. FookcS said lie was representing/ a large body of old boys of the school, and lelt proud to occupy the postion. It was with very sad feelings he stood there to say goodbye to Air. Pridham. but lie must to voice what was the very kind fooling of all those old boys who had been associated with tho school from its inception to its present age. In standing there as an old boy ho represented one of the families that had been more associated with the school than any other family in the district, for no fewer than nine of the Fookes’ family bad been instructed by Air. Pridham, and he was quite sure that Mr. Pridluun’s instruction had been very largely responsible for what measure of success they had achieved in life. (Applause.) Air. Pridham as a teacher they had all honoured and respected; Air. Pridham as a man they had all admired and aspired io copy, and lie was quite sure that what he was now going to do on behalf of the old boys was a tangible token of the very great regard and esteem felt for Mr. Pridham both as a teacher and a man, and ho felt sure he was only voicing the feelings of the old boys when he said how sorry they wore that they had to say goodbye to Air. Pridham as a citizen of this town. He would like to impress upon them that he (Dr. Fookes) was there purely as an old boy and also that it was the wish of the old boys that he should make these remarks. Tho ago that ho occupied in regard to the. old boys was rather young but unfortunately most of the older ones were so far removed from tho district that they had found

it impossible to be present. He read letters and also a large number of telegrams received from old boys to give some idea of the regard they had for their teacher, and then expressed pleasure in handing to Mr. Pridham some small token of their regard, and just as the old girls of the school had decided, the old boys had also thought it best not to encumber him with anything he would have to carry away from New Plymouth but rather to give him the wherewithal to purchase something himself in memory of the old boys of the school to remind him of their very great regard for him. Ho then handed to Mr. Pridham a purse of sovereigns amid applause. In addition to this presentation from the old boys here and in other jvirts tho old boys in Auckland had also requested him on their behalf to present Mr. Pridham with a small address and a case of pipes. Dr. Fookes then formally handed over these gifts. The text of the address was as follows; Auckland. Nov. 26, ISU. Ernest Pridham, Esq., M.A., New Plymouth. Dear Sir, — Having learnt with sincere regret that you are about to retire from the position of Principal of the New Plymouth High School after pleasant and useful hours spent at your school, we trust that’ Mrs. Pridham and yourself will long continue to enjoy good health during your well earned rest, and ask you to accept the accompanying small gift as a slight token of the esteem in which so successfully conducting that school since its inception thirty years ago. Wo, your old pupils now residents in Auckland and Hamilton, cannot allow this occasion to pass without expressing _to you our appreciation of your tuition and of the way you are held by your old pupils.’’ There were fifteen signatures attached to the address. Mr. Austin Bewley, as one of the younger ok! boys than Dr. Fookes, also made a few appropriate remarks. He spoke of their regard for Mr. Pridham and said how deeply sorry they were not only that ho was leaving the school,, but also that die was leaving New Plymouth. They would all have liked him to remain among them. —(Applause.) Air. Norman Ford, another old boy on a visit to New Plymouth, said it was 29 years since he left the school, and since then he had been away until the present time. He was not ashamed of the position to which he had attained, and he was proud to say that he had still got the prizes he won whilst a pupil of the school. The speaker was visibly affected, particularly when he referred to Mr. Pridham and to the fact that of the six boys in the top form, when he was a pupil of the school he was the onlv one that was left. The Chairman endorsed everything that had been said by Dr. Fookes. The latter had said that nine of the Fookes family had passed through the school. He could not say that nine of his family had passed through tho school, but seven had. The school owed him nothing. He was very thankful for the education that his boys had received at the school and felt that he could say the same for most of the parents present.— (Applause.) MR. PRIDHAM’S REPLY. Air. Pridham, in his reply, said he was sure none of them would expect a speech from him, for they all knew perfectly well that among the many things he could not do, public speaking was one. But ho thought oven if ho wore an orator ho might find it difficult to get words to express his feelings at the kindliness shown to Airs. Pridham and himself. It was no small thing to pull up roots that had been growing for thirty years in one soil. He was not so conceited as xo suppose that he was appreciated by all who knew him, and ho had no doiibt that he had made some official enemies in New Plymouth, as well as some official friends. He did not, however, think that he had ever made a personal enemy in New Plymouth. and was quite sure he had made several personal friends.—(Applause.) Vie thanked them most heartily on behalf of Airs. Pridham and himself for. their very kind and handsome gifts—exceedingly valuable in themselves, but much more valuable to him as a token of their goodwill.—(Applause.) He should watch with very keen interest the careers of all those lie had known as pupils of the school. He would add one final word to the past and present pupils, and he wished his words could reach the future pupils also—“Be loyal to your school.” And he would say to the parents of Taranaki —and would promise never to say it again—“Bo loyal to your headmaster; trust him, consult him, and complain to him it necessary. but do not let the school be the subject for outside gossip.”— (Laughter and applause.) Ringing cheers wore then given for Air. and Mrs. Pridham and Aliss Pridham, after which the' gathering sang "Lor he’s a jolly good fellow,” At the request of Air. Pridham cheers were also given for tile High School, the Board of Governors, teachers, and pupils. During an interval in tho proceedings Airs. Basham (nee Daisy Taylor) sang a solo, for which she was heartily encored. After the singing of "Anld Lang Syne,” these present were entertained to refreshments by past and present pupils.