MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 178, 30 July 1932, Page 6

MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPH

LATE MR. C. H. WARDEN AN UNVEILING CEREMONY THE WANGANUI EAST SCHOOL > “1 hope that whatever this fine gentleman did, said or thought which was fine, will be reflected in thc tivei of those grown up, and doubly reflected .in the lives of the little children for whom he cared so much.*' said Mr. F. C Tannings yesterday in unveiling a memorial photograph of the late Mr. C. H. Warden in the assembly hall of the Wanganui East School. The photograph is an excep tional likeness, and shows the late Mr Warden, pipe in hand, sitting at a table looking into the school of which ho was headmaster from August 1, 1924, to July 31, 1931. All the children of the school were gathered at the main doors, speakers addressing them from the steps. Several of Mr. Warden’s family were present. “Character Builder and Man’’ “The committee thought that they would like to pay some tribute to Mr. Warden, and considered it would be best in the form of a photograph,” said Mr. C. Goldsbury, chairman oi the school committee. The older boys and girls, he said, would remember Mr. Warden, and those younger ones, in looking at the photograph, might hear of him from thc older children at the school and thus know him better. Mr. Warden had been a great character uuilder. He had been a great idealist. Air. Warden had left behind him f reputation for being a teacher wh< thought a lot of his school and th( children under his care, and also i reputation for being a man. He hat ueen noted tor his high ideals, and lo his efforts to build in the minds o the children a desire to always do thright thing. At different times there had bee) photographs unveiled in the school photographs of men of whom thej were proud, but on that occasion there was being unveiled a photograph of one who had been proud of them, siiid Mr. R. N. Wilson, present headmaster. He hud been proud of the children proud of the school, and proud of al* who had to do with the school. On one occasion, said Mr. Wilson, he hud been conducting a lesson oi Lord. Shaftesbury, “the children'i friend,” and had asked the pupils whe had been the children’s friend. One answer received was “Mr. Warden.” What greater tribute to the luve h< had borne the children could bo giver than that? Thc speaker quoted from a set of ideals for the school made ou by Mr. Warden, iu which aims wen make citizens rather than scholars, to consider the child before the subject, to lift the child of this generation higher in love of home, country, Empire and in moral worth than the child of the past generations. “Set Example of Citizenship’’ Speaking as one who as a Loy ha* known Mr. Warden, and who hau iate worked with, him, Mr. F. C. J aiming said he had been a very close inenc of Mr. Warden’s. He had known Mr. Warden both in his life within the school and outside the school. Mr, Wardell had been a man and a citizen of the world. He had not con* fined his activities to merely one sphere of life. He had always dune those things he considered right and proper, and had done them without reference to others. He had made his influence felt wherever he had gone, and had set an example of sound and fine citizenship. Those who were grown up might know what a very sweet thing friend ship was. Those among Mr. Warden’l friends had been fortunate indeed, be cause they had come in touch with hn high ideals. As a school master h< was a leader and he had led is children in te right direction. He hoped that when the younger children grew older and reached an age when they might think, they would remember Mr. Warden and the ideals which he had borne. Mr. Jannings unveiled the photo graph and Air. D. Fraser, a close rela tive, replied on behalf of those oi Mr. Warden’s family present. Th* children filed past the photograph be fore leaving the school.