LONDON LINCENSED VICTUALLERS' SCHOOL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 703, 27 August 1903, Page 22

LONDON LINCENSED VICTUALLERS' SCHOOL.

I There was great enthusiasm at the Palace last month, the cccagriph being the centenary festival of that admirable institution, the "lacensed Victuallers’ School. What a object lesson this festival would <'jsfford. to jtltose who hold that nothing gW can come'out of the l^dc— to Mr for instance, who, to qUote’ frdni his last utterance, “ verily ■'Wiihvef.' that the Trade has done more to •quander the wealth and retard the physi«ud, .njiepigl, and moral growth of the 7Britisti race .than any other single evil influence with which our people has at Mtiy other single evil influence with which our people has at any time had to contend.” What w.ould he have thought of happy faces of the boys and girls who «apg and recited tp the company after dinner,' and who drew forth the hearty pl&Udits of all present ? What would he have thought, after the enormous amount njjf spent .during the past six months in defending Trade interests, ot •the magnificent subscription list of over 4£10,0Q0 ? In the cause of charity the wholesale apd retail trader have ever ibeen [found side by side, and at this present gathering were to be seen around the board many w.ell-Jcnown represfenta£sB. ,pf the: lea/hhl? and distillery ts, as. as a large number of metrotan licensed victuallers and hotel pro--jkrietors. Major Hubert Barclay, director of< Barclay, Perkins and C.Q., who occupied chair, was’ supported by several of his Colleagues on the board, including Mr lEdwyn F. Barclay, Mr John T. Turner, jfcp Charles C. Perkins, Mr Edward W. the indefatigable managing direc■<or, and Mr Henry Haslett, the popular S~ ?r- There were also on the dais H. Bailey (Bass, Ratcliff, and i, Limited), Mr Oscar Gridley Cattley, Gridley and Co.), Mr T. >rp.e (Mann, Crossman, and Paulin, 1), Mr R. C. W. Currie .(Tanqueray, i and. Co., Lijpited), Mr H: D. Rawunge, Mr C. Howard Tripp (Ind, Coope and Cp., Lipiited), Mr H. R. D. Hooper, chairman, and M r A- L. Annett., secretary, .Ihoepsed Victuallers’ Asylum; Mr E.

Johnson, chairman Central Board ; Mr Joseph W. Oake, governor of the institution ; and other gentlemen. The toast of “ The King ’’—patron of • tho Institution—having been duly honoured, the .National Anthem was sung by some of the children, and great was the cheering when it was. announced that the Prince of Wales had also consented to become a patron. Amidst vociferous ’cheering, alike -from the guests and the children, the president rose, and in a speech full of good points gave the toast of the day : “ This is our one hundredth birthday, our centenary year,” he said, and he went an to describe how from very small beginnings in the year -1803 the school had grown to its present proportions, now maintaining and educating 250 children, while since its inauguration close upon 3000 had passed through its doors at an expenditure approaching half a million of money. The annual expenditure, he mentioned, was between £7OOO and £Booo.' Taking up one ,of the of the festival —which, by the way, were the gift of Messrs Meredith and Drew—he called the attention, of the guests to the excellent examination report of Mr Pinches, of the College of Preceptors, and complimented Miss Byles, the head mistress, Mr Wallis., the head master, and the whole working staff, on the excellence of their work. But the governing body soar to still higher things, and he put forward a scheme for technical education, which he hoped to see accomplished during his term of office. Such education, of course, meant more money, but bad as the times were • through which the T ra de had passed, and was passing, he felt certain that they would find the necessary money to advance the curriculum of the school which they had kept going for one hundred years. The cheering which followed this remark left no doubt in the ipjnd of the president as to the future intentions of this institution, and he gave with evident satisfaction “ Continued Prosperity io the Licensed Victuallers’ School,” which was

drunk with the utmost enthusiasm. After the children had sung- a centennial ojde, specially written by Mr Walter

Pelham, and set to music by the singing master, Mr Wingroye Ives, and two of the seniors in the school —a boy and a girl

—had delivered an address entitled “ A ■Hundred Yeats Ago,” the secretary, Mr E. Grimwood, read out the list of subscriptions, which turned out to be —with one exception—the highest on record, the total amount being £10,353. How hard the president, his firm, and the officials of Barclay, Perkins, and Company, Limited, must have worked to make the festival a success is shown by the fact that the total of the president’s list was £5,819 19s 6d. The president headed the* list with 100 guineas, the firm gave 500 guineas and a special centenary donation of 100 guineas,, in addition to their annual subscription of 50 guineas, and each director gave 50 guineas. The enthusiasm when the result was announced was immense, the children joining heartily in the cheering.