EMPSON MEMORIAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 89, 16 April 1938, Page 8

EMPSON MEMORIAL

DEDICATION TO-MORROW COLLEGIATE HEADMASTER A feature of the activities of th« Wanganui -Collegiate School during the present Easter celebrations HJ be the dedication of a panel commemorating the late Mr. W. Empson, a past headmaster of the school, b> tile Rt. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland, Bishop of Wellington. This take place during the Old Boys' evening service in the school chapel tomorrow.

; The late Mr. Empson, who died tn . 1934, was headmaster of the Collegiate School between the years 1808 and 1908. At the time of his resignation he learned that the Old Boys’ Association, in recognition of nis valuable services to tne school, were preparing a memorial to be erected in his honour. Mr. Empson demurred, and preferred that a school chapel should be built. The erection of trfjk present building was partly the out? come of this wish. At the time of his retirement Mr. Empsom wrote a letter, the following paragraph of which was characteristic of him: “There is one suggestion which f should like to make: on such occasions testimonials are generally the order of the day, and n would be absurd of me to pretend ignorance of such a possibility, f have a great dislike for personal testimonials, and if the old boys, and present boys, too, for that matter, wished to show any recognition ot the years 1 have spent among them, they could not show it in a form more gratifying to me than by subscribing to put up the new chapel that will form a necessary part of the new school." The memorial to be dedicated tomorrow takes the form of an archway at the entrance of the chapel, on the interior. The oak panelling was designed and carved oy Messrs. Harman and Gurnsey, of Christchurch, and the cabinet work entailed was executed by Messrs Fry and Treloa . of Wanganui. The carving is of ajk high standard, and has been the suK ject of favourable comment from all who have viewed the work. The archway is surmounted by the school crest, in colour, and the appropriate motto, "Corona Mea Christus.” Below this are the words, in a scroll: “Be strong and of good strength, for the Lord, they God, is with thee." There will be present at the dedication service Mrs W. Empson, widow of the late headmaster, who is staying with Mr and Mrs F. W. Gilligan. One of the most striking tributes to the memory of the late Mr Empson is provided in a few simple lines, penned by the headmaster on the eve of his departure, and framed in the school library. To boys who passed through his school Mr Empson always impressed six basic quotations, which to this day all pupils of the Collegiate School arc required to learn. They are: “Don't Squeal," “Sweat and be Saved," “Strength ot character is all-important; do what you ought to do at the time when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not,” “Do the hardest thing first, ’ “Selfishness is the root of all evil,“y and "Duty is the one thing worth liv- ’ ing for." These faded few lines hang beneath a life-size portrait of their author.