WELL AND TRULY LAID.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17189, 5 November 1923, Page 7

WELL AND TRULY LAID.

NEW BOYS* HIGH SCHOOL. THE FOUNDATION STONE. The foundation atone of the new Christchurch Boys’ High School which i.s being erected in Straveu Rond Riccarton was laid this morning by his Excellency . t-he Governor-General. Vis sem-o of a largo gathering oonsiting of members of the Board ot Governors of Canterbury College masters, old boys and present, boys of the school and parent* and friends. There were also lepresen tatives of other secondary schools present. Mr M. I>. Aclaml, chairman of the Board of Governors, presided and amongst those present were. Mr (i .1. Lam aster (headmaster of the school), Mr C. E. Be van Brown (late head maAter), Archbishop Julius, his Honor, Mr Justice Adams, the Rev E. C. CVosse (head master of Christ’s College), I>r i>. E. Hansen (director of the Christ* church Technical College). Dr R. Erwin <of the Board of Governors of St Andrew s College), the Hon D. Buddo, M l*., the Mavor (Mr J. A. Flesher), Mr A. D. Ford (Mavor of Ricearton), Messrs 1.. B. Wood. H. Boyd, James Deaus. A. T. Donnelly, C. 'l'. Aschman. J. J. Dougall. Vf. Brock, A. K. Flower, J. R. Cuningham. Hon G. -T. Smith. M.L.C.. and the Rev S. Lawry < members of the C anterbury College Board of Governors), Colonel R. )ounp; (O.C. Southern Command), Messrs R. Speight and O. T. J. Alpers (past masters of the school). Mr H. H. Hanna (president of the Old Boys' Association) and Mr L. A. Stringer (Registrar of Canterbury College). His Excellency was received a-t the gate by Mr Aclaml and other members of the board of governors and a company of the High School Cadets under Captain W. Hoar noted as a guard of honour anti gave the royal salute. His Excellency inspected the guard and complimented them on their smart appearance. The ceremony in connection with the laying of the stone opened with the singing of the hymn. ** O God Almighty, King of Kings” after which a dedicatory prayer was offered by the Rev S. Lawrv. Mr Acland said that the board wished to thank his Excellency for the great honour conferred by his consenting to lay the foundation stone of the school. They appreciated the fact that the* stone was to be laid by His Majesty’s representative, but they appreciated more the fact that it was to bo laid by Viscount flellieoe of Seapa (Applause). The people of New Zealand, living as they did in an island country thousands of miles from any othercountry. fully realised the value of Great Britain’s sea power, and they appreciated the fact that with his Excellency personally the safety of their country had rested during the late war. (Applause). Mr Acland said that the Boys’ High School had long ljeen identified with Gkristchurch. The school was established by Act of Parliament in 1878, and opened in* 1881. For the new school, the foundation stone of which was being laid that day. they had acquired twenty-seven acres of land. The buildings to Iks erected would cost £50,000. Halt’ of this money was being: found by the board and half by the Government. Mr Acland said that the Christchurch Boys’ High School had a great record and great traditions. During the late war no fewer than J 45 Old Boys had made the supremo sacrifice, and in all about 800 had served at the front in one capacity and another. The great traditions of the school and the high place that it occupied amongst similar institutions of the Dominion were due in a large measure to Mr C. E. 13ovan Brown, who for about thirty-six years was head master. (Applause). For another fifty years Mr Be van Brown would be remembered- by living men as the man who had set the traditions of the school. Mr Acland then called upon his Excellency to perform the ceremony. His Excellency announced that the stone was well and truly laid with, the words “To the glory of God and the future welfare of this cliool, I declare this stone well and truly laid.” In place of the usual trowel his Excelency was presented with a mallet of kofffr?* wood. The stono bears the following inscription : •* This stone was laid by his Excellency, Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe of Seapa. G.C.8., 0.M.. G.C’.V.O.. Governor-General of New Zealand. November 5, 1923. H. I>. Acland, 8.A.. chairman of the Canterbury College Board of Governors. G. J. Lancaster, M.A., headmaster. J. ft. and M. J. Guthrie, architects. I*. Graham and Son, contractors.” A glass bottle containing copies of Christchurch daily newspapers, a copy of the School magazine and a programme of the ceremony signed by his Excellency. Mr Acland and Mr Reran Brown, wore placed beneath the stone. Addressing the gathering, his Excellency said that he felt it a groat honour to have been asked to lay the founda tion stone of a school with such a great record and fine traditions. They had fearnod from Mr Acland that this record and these traditions were due to the late great head master of the school. (Applause.) It was a matter of gratification to all present that Mi Be van Brown was with them to see what was reallv the commencement of a new era for the school. Ho was sure that the spirit of the school under Mr Reran Brown wuld be maintained and upheld iu all its glory by the present bead master. The boys of the schools of New Zealand had great traditions to Keep up, the traditions of the pioneers, it was the spirit and enterprise of the pioneers that had made Now Zealand and Christchurch what thev were today. and if that, spirit, and enterprise were carried on New Zealand and Christchurch would continue to increase jn greatness and prosperity. The previous dav he had been reading about The early pioneers, and how one. Mi John Studholmo, had walked from Christchurch to Dunedin in order to buy cattle. One could realise the spirit of * the man when one read that, when lie got to Dunedin and found that his cheque was not acceptable because there was no bank in Otago, ho tossed up with his brother as to who should walk nark to Lvttelton to get the money. History did not record who made the journey back to Lyttelton, but one oi the brothers did. and returned to Dunedin with the money. His Excellency said that this was a typical story of the courage and enteprise of the piom,iv he school song, ‘‘Altiora Peto ' was then sung. Mr (4. J Lancaster (beau master) said that his Excellency had identified mmself with many departments of eivio nfem the Dominon. and especially with Th« schools. They were also pleased to nave Mr Reran Brown and the representatives of sister schols present It was fitting that* the new building for ihe ISovs' Hi(sl' School, wlii.li had been . .h.i.'cti’d with the- rity for forty years.

should be erected on such historic ground— land which had belonged to the Deans family. But the school was more closely connected thau that with the Deans family. The highest honour a boy could gain at the school was the winning of the R. G. Deans Memorial .Medal, given in memory of one of the finest boys who had ever attended the school. The school was also connected with the pioneers through the present chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Acland, who belonged to a wellknown pioneer family. It was due to tho foresight and energy of Mr Acland that the land for the new school had been acquired and a start made on the building. He hoped that the hoys who passed through the new school would always be worthy of Die traditions of the pioneers, would ever be jealous of the freedom for which the Old Boys had fought and died in the Great W ar, and would uphold the spirit of the school, expressed in the motto, *■ Altiora Pc to ” (1 seek higher things). Mr Hanna, chairman of the Old Boys Association, said that the building of the new school had been contemplated for some years and the Government had at last given consent for a. start to lie made with the work. Mr Acland had never lost sight of the project and lie had been given every assistance by that not uninfluentiaJ body, the Old Boys’ Association. The Old Boys looked upon the now school not only as a school but also as a memorial to those old boys who had died doing their duty during the Groat War. It was intended to erect a memorial arch at the school and every day tho boys of the school would pass under this arch. Mr Bevan Brown had ably guided the destinies of the school and had made it what it was to-dav. (Applause). Mr Bevan Brown was to the CJhrisfcc.hurch Boys’ High School (what I>r Arnold was to Rugby. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the National Anthem