Schools and Colleges in Colonial Era Hong Kong

Submitted by lausanching on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 20:06

Overview

I am starting this dedicated thread to act as a central discussion hub and directory for all schools, colleges, and educational institutions established in Hong Kong during the colonial era (from the mid-19th century up to 1997).

While Gwulo has excellent individual pages for major institutions like Central School, King's College, and the University of Hong Kong, early vernacular schools, small missionary academies, and private neighborhood schools are often scattered across various threads. The goal here is to consolidate our collective knowledge, track down elusive school locations, identify unknown student photos, and map out the evolution of HK's colonial education system.

Key Areas of Research

I hope we can collaborate on exploring the following areas:

Early Government & Vernacular Schools: Tracking the locations and development of early government-aided schools (such as the Saiyingpun School under its first headmaster, Mr. Fung Fu, in 1879).
Missionary & Convent Institutions: Documenting the early days of St. Paul's, St. Joseph's, Diocesan, and the various Catholic and Protestant missionary schools.
Post-War Expansion & Technical Colleges: Researching mid-20th-century vocational schools, rooftop schools in resettlement estates, and the growth of higher education.
Unidentified Photographs: Helping members identify mystery school uniforms, badges, class photos, and campus backdrops.

How You Can Contribute

If you have a passion for Hong Kong's educational history, please jump in! You can contribute by:

Sharing Links: Linking existing Gwulo "Place" or "Organisation" pages for schools so we can build an organized index in this thread.
Uploading Media: Posting historical photographs, graduation certificates, old school magazines, or maps showing school sites.
Sharing Memories: Contributing personal or family recollections of schooling in Hong Kong during the pre-war or post-war colonial decades.

To kick things off: What do you consider the most architecturally unique or historically overlooked school building from the colonial era? Let's compile our findings below!

Ying Wah Girls' School 1933

Hong Kong Daily Press 1934-02-08

Ying Wah Girls' School held its annual Speech Day last evening at Hop Yat Church Hall. Mrs. S. W. T'so presented the awards. On her behalf, the Hon. Mr. T'so thanked the school for the invitation, remarking that the headmistress's report indicated a year of truly satisfactory work. He congratulated the staff and pupils on their splendid efforts.

Miss Hutchison, the headmistress, took the opportunity to thank the school's friends for their support throughout the year, particularly acknowledging the staff of the Alice Memorial and Affiliated Hospitals for their readily given service in times of sickness and emergency.

**Headmistress's Report**

Addressing the gathering, Miss Hutchison said: "Before presenting the report of the work of the year 1933 to the parents of pupils and to the friends of the Ying Wah Girls' School, I should like, on behalf of the School, to welcome you all here this evening and to thank you for your presence and for your interest in the school."

The year 1933 was marked by no outstanding events, though it opened on a note of change. In January, the school regretfully said goodbye to five members of the Chinese staff. Miss Wong Wai Kei left to prepare for a course in agriculture; Miss Woo Lai Yung gave up teaching to devote herself to directly evangelistic work; Miss Wong Sam Ts'ing went to take up evangelistic work in the country; and Miss Au Yeung Shuk Yuen and Miss Kwong I Wa left to take up other teaching posts. Their places were filled by Miss Woo Siu Ch'oh, one of the school's own old girls, Miss Woo Wing Shi, Miss Ch'an Ho Taan, Miss Poon Wai Kuen, and Miss Kom Laai Kwong, who came to take charge of the Kindergarten. In October, the school reluctantly parted with Miss Ip Pat Tsan, who had to give up her work as drill and games mistress, and with Mrs. Garrod, who resigned due to ill-health. In October, the school also had the joy of welcoming Miss Silcocks back on her return from furlough.

During the year, the average monthly enrolment was 400, and the average daily attendance was 387—just over 95 per cent.

**Change in School Year**

A recent decision to abolish the Junior Local Examination after 1932 and the Senior Local Examination after 1933, substituting them with a School Leaving Examination to be held for the first time in June 1935, necessitated a change in the school year. The school decided to make the long term—January to July—one school year and to commence a new school year in September. This provided two clear years before the first set of girls would sit for the School Leaving Examination in 1935. With the exception of the senior class, who were preparing for the Senior Local and Matriculation Examination in November, all classes were promoted in September.

In July, fourteen girls completed the Lower Middle School course; twenty-four girls completed the work of the Primary School; and seventeen little girls and boys passed the first milestone in their school life, graduating from the Kindergarten. In November, one girl entered for the Matriculation Examination of the Hong Kong University and was successful. Five entered for the Senior Local Examination; of these, four passed, with two qualifying for Matriculation.

It was interesting to discover—and worth mentioning—the number of years members of this class had been in the school: two for thirteen years, one for twelve years, and two for ten years. Miss Hutchison expressed hope that an increasing number of girls, not only in Ying Wah but in other schools too, would follow this example. She believed that when a girl is prepared to give her full loyalty to one school and contribute at each different stage of her school life, she is best able to receive what her school has to give, not only in lessons but also in the wider training of character that will fit her to take her place in the community.

In September, three girls entered for the Pianoforte Examinations held by the Trinity College of Music. In the Preparatory Division, one gained an honours certificate and one passed, while in the First Steps Division, one passed with honours.

It is right and fitting on a Speech Day like this that special mention be made of results gained by girls who have completed either their whole school course or one stage of it, and that the presentation of certificates should have an important place on the programme. While congratulating those who received certificates this evening, Miss Hutchison also remembered those who, in the success of their pupils, saw the fruit of their labours. She took the opportunity to express her most sincere thanks to all members of the staff, both Chinese and non-Chinese, for the loyal and efficient help they had so ungrudgingly given during the year.

**School Life and Activities**

Miss Hutchison had no doubt that the girls enjoyed both the work and play of school life. Observing the various classes at work and watching the faces of scholars and staff, she was sure that the teachers were not just performing a duty but were keenly enjoying their work. This mutual enjoyment fostered much real happiness and greatly helped in overcoming difficulties.

During the spring term, Miss Ward gave a course of lectures on "Principles of Health" and "Home Nursing" to the second-year class of the Upper Middle School. The girls greatly enjoyed these, especially the practical work classes.

Early in the year, at the request of the girls, an English Society was formed, with membership open to girls of the Upper Middle School. Meetings were held regularly for debates, storytelling, or play reading. Members also enthusiastically participated in a scheme organised by the Local Branch of the League of Nations Society, promoting correspondence between schoolgirls of different countries.

The School branch of the Young Women's Christian Association, the Wa Kwong Group, continued its work. The fact that it had to struggle for its existence during the first part of the year helped the girls to realise afresh the group's value and what they would miss if it failed. Consequently, the work of the autumn term was tackled bravely and with much enthusiasm. The Wa Kwong Group is indeed an excellent training ground for leadership in social and church work, and girls who have left school bear witness to the benefit they received from learning to plan interesting meetings, handle committees, and practise Christian service in various ways. Some senior girls found a further outlet for their desire to serve in Sunday School work, helping teachers to carry on the Primary and Junior Departments of the Hop Yat Church Sunday School on Sunday mornings.

In November, the Annual Harvest Thanksgiving Service was held, with Rev. C. D. Gousins of the London Missionary Society in Canton as the speaker. Afterwards, the girls greatly enjoyed taking some of their gifts to the Sam Kwong School for the Blind at Pokfulam, while a large number had the privilege of taking the rest of the gifts to the Nethersole and Hoh Miu Ling Hospitals and explaining the meaning of their visit to the patients.

During the year, collections were made on behalf of the Chinese Home Missionary Society for its work in Yunnan, and for the fund for Street Sleepers. The school also had the privilege of sharing in the Pound Day organised by the Alice Memorial and Affiliated Hospitals in March. At the Christmas meeting, the school had the pleasure of a visit from Dr. Allen of Kowloon, who gave the address.

**Old Girls' Society**

The Old Girls' Society held two successful meetings. At the spring meeting, a visit was paid to Chau Shau Shaan village, where the annual business meeting was held. The summer meeting took the form of a bathing picnic to Repulse Bay, to which the present girls were invited and responded in considerable numbers.

**Conclusion of Report**

"Before I close this report," Miss Hutchison stated, "I wish to express our thanks to friends to whom we are indebted for help: to the members of the London Missionary Society who have given assistance in various ways; to the staff of the Alice Memorial and Affiliated Hospitals for service readily given in time of sickness and emergency; to the Hop Yat Church for granting us the use of this Hall this evening; to Rev. Cheung Chuk Ling for help and counsel given on many occasions and for his presence with us as chairman at this meeting. And, in the name of the School, I would extend a very warm welcome to Mrs. T'so and express our gratitude to her for coming to present the certificates this evening."

Mrs. T'so then presented the awards, after which she was presented with a beautiful bouquet.

St. Paul's College 1915

Hong Kong Daily Press 1915-02-11

The annual prize distribution in connection with St. Paul's College took place at the College last evening, the presentations being made by the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Victoria (Dr. Lander). There was a large attendance of students and friends, who, previous to the distribution of prizes, were entertained with a Chinese play, a short sketch, and a further Chinese play at the conclusion of the distribution. These were performed entirely by the students, displaying remarkable histrionic ability by all the artists.

The report of the Principal, Rev. A. D. Stewart, was as follows: "As we bring to a close the sixth year of this school's existence, it is with feelings of deepest thankfulness that we present a report which can record steady progress in each department of the school's activities."

Regarding attendance, despite the alarm of war, numbers have remained steady throughout the year. The largest enrollment at any one time was 282, almost exactly the same as last year. Of the original handful of boys who entered the school six years ago, eight are still with us. Chung Ue Kong has further added to his record by completing a full six years without missing a single day. Overall attendance has been good, with twenty-five students not missing a single day throughout the year, and many others only just failing to attain that record.

Steady progress has been made in the work of each class, with marked and rapid advance in several cases. The results of the Oxford Local Examinations, held in July, have quite surpassed anything achieved before. Of twenty-six candidates who sat for the examination, twenty-three passed. In the Senior Division, three out of four passed, with two securing Distinction in Chinese. In the Junior Division, nine passed out of eleven. All three candidates eligible for Honours obtained Third Class Honours, while four Distinctions in Chinese and one in Religious Knowledge were also secured. In the Preliminary Division, all eleven candidates passed. Special mention should be made of the Distinction in Religious Knowledge. Early in the year, an old boy of this College, who wishes to remain anonymous, offered a prize of $50 to any student who secured a Distinction in Religious Knowledge in the forthcoming Oxford Examinations. Ng Ka Kun is to be congratulated not only on his $50 prize, but also upon obtaining a distinction rarely won by a Chinese boy in Hongkong. Another boy who did remarkably well was Chan Hing Wa, who was over-age for Honours or Distinctions. Detailed results show he obtained marks sufficient for Distinction in one section of Religious Knowledge, in English Text, English History, and Chinese. A further success was won by Ma Tsung Cheung, the only student from this school to enter for the Hongkong University Matriculation, who carried off the King Edward Scholarship. In addition to the usual school subjects, shorthand and typewriting were offered during the past year, which the school believes will be of real value to those entering business.

The examination results are a testament to the excellent work of the staff, who deserve to be heartily congratulated on their efforts. There have been the usual changes during the year. At midsummer, Mr. Upsdell left for work in Canton, and his place has been taken by the Bishop's Chaplain, the Rev. W. T. Featherstone, who has considerable experience in educational work in England. Another experienced master, Mr. Lam Shui In, has also joined the staff. It is with much regret that we relinquish the services of Mrs. Claxton, who has rendered invaluable help to the school during the two years she has been on the staff. We are glad to know that the Rev. N. C. Pope will again be able to give some help in the teaching, as he did some two years ago.

The past year saw the school, for the first time, with a Sixth Form. After the summer holidays, several of these students joined the staff as pupil teachers. Since then, several more have joined in the same capacity, giving invaluable help both in this school and at our Junior School in Hollywood Road. We now have altogether twelve of our old boys on the staffs of these two schools.

Again this year, there have been many successes in the athletics department. Swimming, tennis, and volleyball were fully indulged in during the first half of the year. The school aquatic sports were held in July, producing a larger number of entries than ever before, with the Championship easily won by Li Kai Tsung. During the season, 32 boys passed the swimming test. The school was second in the team race open to all Hongkong schools at the Queen's College Annual Aquatic Sports. Last year, the school was in the final of the Schools Football League, and the Principal expects the same this year, as there has so far been an unbroken series of successes on the football field.

In such a school, the building up of character is considered of first importance, and it is cause for much thankfulness that efforts in this direction have not been in vain. There has been an increased willingness and desire to study the Holy Scriptures. A voluntary Bible Class, held on Sunday afternoons, has had an average attendance of over twenty. The Scripture Union has nearly trebled its numbers, with a membership of close upon ninety. A recently started Sunday School has about fifty scholars, with five of the senior boys as teachers. In more active directions, a small band of senior boys has been going week by week to a preaching hall in the city centre, addressing gatherings of men, often numbering close upon two hundred. Contributions have also been made during the year towards the support of a Foundling Home and country schools.

A new venture last year was the opening of a hostel in Caine Road. It has quite fulfilled expectations, having had an average of over twenty boarders since it opened. Its object is to provide a healthy home, both physically and morally, for boys who might otherwise find themselves in very undesirable places.

Before closing this report, the Principal wished to express thanks both to the liberal donor of the $50 prize and to His Lordship the Bishop of Victoria for a generous gift of prize books, and for his kindness in being present tonight to distribute the prizes. The school will reopen on Thursday, February 25th.

Previous to the presentation of prizes, a pleasing ceremony took place when Chan Hing Wa, the head boy of the school, presented Mrs. Claxton, who is about to leave for England, with a silver rose bowl and a casket of silk, together with a beautiful bouquet of roses. The presentation was made on behalf of the scholars who, said the head boy, much regretted Mrs. Claxton's departure and hoped that ere long she would return to them with restored health and once more occupy her position in the College.

Before presenting the prizes, the Bishop referred to the fact that Dr. Wu Ting Fang was to have filled his position that evening but had been unable to do so because the boat conveying him to Hongkong had not yet arrived. Dr. Wu Ting Fang was an old St. Paul's College boy, and the Bishop expressed the hope that many other old boys would become equally as eminent as Dr. Wu Ting Fang. Dr. Lander congratulated the C.M.S. on the excellence of the report and added that the continued success of the College was a standing witness to the great and good work of the Rev. A. D. Stewart, his sister, and brother. He also congratulated the prize winners and urged those who had not won prizes to work hard and secure prizes at the next prize-day.

庇理羅士女書院 1912

香港華字日報 1912-02-10

本督在庇理羅士女書院演講

回顧過去，目力所及，能蒸蒸日上者無幾，振興女學之風仍有待努力。自二十八年以來，本人極力鼓吹本女書院重建校舍，以期日益發展。此風近年亦自行興盛，是諸位女生亦知女學之重要性，今務致。

女書院學額不足，遂使一百二十名女生暫留外間，令人嘆息。幸而擴建書院的經費已籌措，本人日前亦見其屋宇，來年將大興土木。深望將來之書院能容納三百二十名學生。此院之規模，必能與本港最大之男學互相伯仲。若能容納七百七十名女學生時，求學者不致向隅，亦可免如去年之遺憾。然而，書院擴充後，教員席位必多空缺。若能有更多學生置身師範之科，他日教員之能稱職，此乃人之厚望也。

本人尤喜者，期間佈告指出，學生之英文程度一年內大有進步，現在已達豐收，且牛津之考試合格者亦佔七名。至於報告內容，學務之日增其功，乃歸功於庇理羅士君。此在今適在座中，本人極喜見之也。（眾鼓掌）此君極注重學術，書院之興旺，皆因有此君之故。書院亦因而命名，以誌不忘。深望此君能將本港大學堂與此書院齊觀。（眾鼓掌）

昨日本人將書院之報告，至最後一份，即持之奔赴內子臥榻，以告之。內子雖十二星期前至今為小恙所苦，然亦極樂聞諸女生之佳績，並慨然撥款濟貧困患難之人。內子尤喜見此書院將為兒童行善會提供支持，並擔任監督一職，諸生亦知之。故內子今日將數項情形佈告，並於今日下午歡迎諸生至校督轅門。內子現在居所，不堪坐於床上。

本人曾對皇仁書院學生講述，將來學業既成，將為國家之柱石等道理，深入淺出。今對諸女生亦欲闡明一二。明眼人皆知，國民進步之基，在於有道德之婦人善理家庭，教育兒女，此乃唯一之辦法。故女生對於國家之天賦責任，比諸男子更為重大。望諸女生切不可逾越本分，為男子所為之事，致失天賦權勢。現在世界人口，男女各佔一半，想諸生亦知之。是故男子專理男子事業，其勢力已足。由此觀之，婦人應善用其天賦之權，以助男子之不足。男子既以掌管政治公益為己任，而女子則以改良家庭教育為要務，以助之。如此，則能成就道德典範之家，以風化世人，其功不朽矣。此是鄙人之意見，亦是鄙人所期望者。想諸生在此書院範圍內，必不忘之。

然鄙人之說已盡於此矣。惟未給諸生獎品時，本人祝諸生期內所遇皆順利，並於今日下午歡迎兒童行善會支會諸生於督轅也。（眾鼓掌）

**CATECHISM CONTEST: 1935

THURSDAY, JUNE 20. 1935

**CATECHISM CONTEST: Full Results**

The following are the results of the Catechism contest held by the Diocesan Catechetical Commission among all the Catholic Schools of the Colony for pupils of Class I on May 14, 1935.

**St. Joseph's College**

Pupils: 51. Entered: 43. Passed: 17. Honours: 1.

Results: Carlton Ahway: 75, B. Sexto Kwong: 60, Joseph Fong: 80 (Honours), Louis Heung: 60, Ismail Kitchell: 60, Ricardo Tavares: 62, Chin Sit Kee: 60, Chong Phang: 60, Chua Sui Hoo: 60, A. Harteam: 60, Ho Shing James: 63, John Kee: 65, Peter Lam: 70, Louis Lou: 63, Mark Leung: 60, Paul Wu: 67, Ye Eng Song: 60.

**La Salle College**

Pupils: 62. Entered: 37. Passed: 20. Honours: 1.

Results: Honours: Wong Chong Tai: 82. Agon Manolo F.: 63, Allaye Louis: 60, Gotlaney Joseph: 60, Leitao Jose: 46, Ong Liu Hong: 60, Ozorio Albert: 67, Poon Frank: 68, Quiroga Robert: 60, Remedios Louis: 60, Rozario Jorge M.: 70, Da Silva Augustus: 62, Soares Roland M.: 70, Ulrich Peter: 65, Xavier Jose: 62, Silva Henry Armand: 60, Ong Ching Kiat: 68, H. Marr: 60, Tan Chin Thong: 60, Richard Marr: 60.

**Wah Yan College**

Pupils: 71. Entered: 18. Passed: 8. Honours: 1.

Results: Honours: Young Raphael: 81. Chan Kwok Man Joseph: 60, Kan Sheung Shun Simon: 60, Lim How Ping Paul: 60, Tam Po Wo Joseph: 62, Wong Edward Donald: 60, Wong John: 60, Wu Chu Kong William: 60.

**French Convent School** (St. Paul's Convent School (SPCS), located in Causeway Bay)

Pupils: 10. Entered: 10. Failed: 3. Passed: 7. Honours: 1.

Results: Honours: Angeles Lezama: 180. Josephine Choa: 67, Catherine Fong: 75, Pauline Trinh: 60, Suzanne Marty: 66, Margaret Wong: 60, Lily Sadik: 61.

**Italian Convent School**(Sacred Heart Canossian College (SHCC))

Pupils: 21. Entered: 19. Failed: 5. Passed: 14. Honours: 1.

Results: Honours: Ellen Chow: 87. Alice Ko: 60, Annie Lee: 62, Annie Lo: 60, Dolly Leong: 75, Fanny Lo: 60, Gloria Lau: 72, Lily Tso: 60, Marie Leitao: 60, Mabel Chen: 70, Nora Kew: 75, Ophelia Tavares: 65, Violet Tsang: 60, Theodora Asome: 60.

**St. Mary's School**

Pupils: 9. Entered: 9. Passed: 9. Honours: 1.

Results: Honours: Helen Keong: 80. Marie Britto: 74, Lily Chu: 70, Lucy Ho: 74, Annie Lee: 73, Florence Lee: 75, Ismeria Ozorio: 68, Irene Silva: 71, Alzira Yuanovich: 65.

**Holy Spirit School** (Maryknoll School)

Pupils: 2. Entered: 2. Passed: 2.

Results: Edith Kong: 65, Laura Luk: 70.

**Maryknoll Convent School**

Pupils: 2. Entered: 2. Passed: 2.

Results: Phil. Gonsalves: 70, Marie A. Ribeiro: 60.

**Challenge Cup**

The Challenge Cup, kindly presented by His Lordship Bishop H. Valtorta, to be allotted to the school whose three best pupils have achieved the highest total of marks, has been won by the Italian Convent School. The winning pupils are Miss Ellen Chow (87), Miss Dolly Leong (75), and Miss Nora Kew (75).

**LOCAL AND GENERAL**

Mrs. H. F. Crapnell, of 557, The Peak, was bitten yesterday by a dog belonging to Mr. L. E. Lammert, of 556 The Peak. The dog was sent to the Kennedy Town depot, whilst Mrs. Crapnell received medical attention.

A railway engine, while shunting out of the Kowloon Railway Station yesterday morning, was derailed at Catch Point. However, the breakdown gang was soon on the scene of the mishap, and the engine was put into commission shortly afterwards. No delay was caused to the service.

A dinner dance will be held at Repulse Bay Hotel tonight. The last bus leaves Repulse Bay at 1:00 a.m.

Mr. G. R. Sayer is to distribute the prizes at the annual speech day of the Diocesan Boys' School at 5:15 p.m. on July 12. The chief speakers will be the Director of Education and the Hon. Dr. R. E. L. Kotewall.

There was a clean bill of health in the Colony for the 24 hours ending on Monday. During the week ending June 15, one case of smallpox, one case of diphtheria with two deaths, three cases of enteric fever with one death, four cases of cerebro-spinal fever, and 58 deaths from tuberculosis were recorded in the Colony.

Hong Kong Daily Press 1907…

Hong Kong Daily Press 1907-10-30

The annual prize distribution at the Italian Convent took place yesterday afternoon, presided over by His Excellency Sir Frederick Lugard, who was accompanied by Lady Lugard. It was a wet, miserable day, and the weather must have dampened the hopes of the good sisters regarding the success of the gathering. Notwithstanding the heavy downpour which occurred around the opening hour, however, there was a large attendance. Notable attendees included the Rt. Rev. Bishop Pozzoni, Bishop Clemente of Fukien, Consul-General Romano, Chevalier Volpicelli, Mr. Brackenbury, Captain Ogle, A.D.C., Rev. Brother Sylvester, Rev. Father Pade, and Mrs. F. H. May.

His Excellency and Lady Lugard were met at the Convent entrance by the Mother Superior and the sisters. They were then conducted through lines of schoolchildren to a prettily decorated hall, the stage of which was adorned with bouquets and potted plants, while red, white, and blue rosettes and ribbons, large palm leaves, and bunches of flowers adorned the walls. At the appointed hour, a carefully arranged musical program commenced. After the rendering of a few items, Mr. J. P. Braga expressed regret that Father de Maria, the manager of the Convent Schools, was unable to attend due to illness. The Reverend Father, however, wished to place on record his thanks to His Excellency and Lady Lugard for their kindness in being present. Mr. Braga then read the report, which was as follows:

"Your Excellencies, My Lord Bishop, Ladies and Gentlemen, our annual prize-giving day has been delayed beyond the midsummer holiday this year. This delay has not been without its advantage, for by it we can claim the honor of being privileged with the distinction of Your Excellencies' presence here this afternoon. It also happens that this is the first occasion Your Excellency has been approached and graciously pleased to consent to preside at a school prize-giving since your arrival in the Colony. I have to thank you on behalf of the management and of the Italian Convent Schools for this singular honor.

"There are two divisions of the Convent Schools: the English and the Chinese. For the scholastic year ended June 3rd last, the average attendance of the English school was 206.07, and that of the Chinese school was 75. Besides these two divisions, which are conducted under the Government Grant-in-Aid Code, there are the industrial classes. These latter are attended entirely by orphans, specifically 66 Portuguese and 115 Chinese girls. The Infant Classes, not embraced within the classification of the Grant-in-Aid Schools, are attended by fifty children, all Chinese. It is hoped that this latter class may be made to conform with the requirements of the syllabus provided under the Grant Scheme.

"The Inspector of Schools conducted the annual examinations of the English and Chinese divisions of the school. The English school is reported as being 'again thoroughly efficient.' In the examination on Hygiene, a subject in which your Excellency's Predecessor evinced much personal interest and for which Sir Matthew Nathan awarded special prizes, the Inspector reported as follows: 'Very good.' In the elementary course, the team of this school took second place. Good marks were also obtained in the advanced course. It is with regret that I have to state that Sister Melanis, who taught the subject with so much efficiency and was honored by our late Governor with a special souvenir for her zeal, died in July last. As to the other subjects, the remarks and suggestions of Mr. Wolfe, as embodied in his report, have been carefully noted. The teaching staff will devote attention towards improvement in those subjects in which, upon examination, certain standards appeared to have been weak. Standard VII has been disappointing in composition and history. Realizing the practical benefits a knowledge of these special subjects would be to the pupils, an endeavor will be made to secure a higher standard of efficiency in future examinations.

"Important as the literary education of the girls is recognized to be, another branch of practical instruction merits, and has consistently received, the careful attention of the Sisters of the Convent. I allude to the industrial section of the school, with especial reference to the needlework department. The products of the labors of the orphan girls were recently exhibited at the annual bazaar so kindly opened by Lady Lugard. Through this special branch of the schools, not only are the children benefited by profitable industrial employment, but they are also initiated into a branch of art that contributes significantly to the maintenance of the hundreds of children brought up with moral, physical, and religious training within the Orphanage School under the self-sacrificing charge of the Sisters, thus making this institution partially self-supporting. It is one of the aims of the school management that the moral and religious aspects of their instruction should be integrated into the school curriculum, proportionate to their importance.

"It is my pleasant duty to report that the health of the scholars has been good throughout last year. Physical instruction is taught, and the girls take to the drills with much interest and pleasure. In conclusion, I have to thank Your Excellencies, Mgr. Pozzoni, ladies and gentlemen, for your presence here this afternoon, and also the donors of the prizes. Some friends have conceived the idea of presenting small money prizes to the orphans with the object of encouraging thrift. The recipients of these will, I trust, appreciate the kindly wishes of their generous benefactors, among whom must be noted Messrs. Sin Tak Fan, Ho Tung, Ho Fook, F. X. Kwok, and Yew. I will now ask Your Excellency to present the prizes."

HIS EXCELLENCY: "Ladies and gentlemen, before I present the prizes, I would like to say a few words. It affords my wife, Lady Lugard, and myself the very greatest pleasure to be here this afternoon, and to testify by our presence the profound interest that we feel in the noble and self-sacrificing work which the ladies of this convent are carrying on. Where all is so admirable, so essential, and so good—thanks to those who are devoting their lives to the work—it would be invidious for me to compare the utility of one section with another. We have the expert testimony of the Inspector of Schools as to the success achieved in the educational department which comes under the grant-in-aid. I am sure that our Chinese friends will testify to the great good being done by the Infant Classes, who are not yet under that code.

"But the section which appeals to me most personally, and in which I confess I have the greatest interest, is the industrial section where the orphan girls are taught a means of livelihood that may be useful to them hereafter, and by which they are able to help forward and contribute towards the maintenance of the school in which they are being cared for. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, very much in self-help and self-reliance. I think that a system of education and daily surroundings in which those qualities are inculcated upon every boy and girl is the greatest boon that can be bestowed upon a child. My predecessor, as the manager of the school has just reminded us, gave a prize for hygiene, and I am very glad to hear that it has been effectual in promoting the study of that most important branch of education.

"I shall be glad if the Lady Superior of the Convent concurs in my suggestion to present a memento to the Convent upon which shall be engraved each year the name of the pupil who has obtained the highest marks, month by month, for unselfishness, integrity, and self-reliance. I said just now that I believed the surroundings and the education which produced these qualities are the greatest boon that can be conferred upon a child. I think that if they recognize that falsehood and dishonesty are not merely detestable because they involve punishment, but that they are in themselves mean and below the standard of life they have adopted; if they learn to realize that unselfishness and self-sacrifice are not merely good because they are praised, but that they bring to those who pursue them higher reward and greater satisfaction than any external praise, and that their reward is in the love of all those who surround them, they will for the rest of their lives become better in whatever surroundings they may be placed. In addition to the souvenir which I would like to present to the Convent and which would permanently remain in it, and on which the name of the successful student would be engraved each year, I propose to present a small souvenir to be given to the successful student at the half-yearly midsummer distribution of prizes." (Applause)

The Governor then presented the following prizes:

**INFANT CLASS**

**1st Division:**

1. Thelmet Remedios: 1st for good conduct, politeness, reading, dictation, and sums; 2nd for writing and mental arithmetic.

2. Olga Carvalho: 1st for writing, mental arithmetic, and sums.

3. Lizzie Comar: 1st for object lesson, dictation, and regular attendance; 3rd for reading, writing, and application.

4. Lizzie Wilkinson: 1st for recitation and drill; 3rd for writing and sums.

5. Maria Theresa Pereira: 1st for dictation; 2nd for conduct, application, and sums.

6. Angelita Puerte: 2nd for recitation; 3rd for reading, dictation, and writing.

7. Helen Clarke: 2nd for reading, dictation, recitation, and sums.

**2nd Division:**

1. Anna Ogilvie: 1st for reading, dictation, object lesson, and sums.

2. Elea Carvalho: 2nd for reading, dictation, and sums.

3. Willie Wilkinson: 3rd for reading, dictation, and sums.

**3rd Division:**

1. Idalia Maria da Luz: For reading, dictation, and writing.

**STANDARD I**

1. Soline Hung: 1st for conduct, application, geography, dictation, and needlework; 2nd for religious instruction, grammar, reading, and arithmetic; 3rd for recitation and object lesson.

2. Mercedes Veloso: 1st for religious instruction, composition, and object lesson; 2nd for dictation and grammar; 3rd for reading and recitation.

3. Mary Leong: 1st for reputation and order; 2nd for arithmetic, geography, and needlework.

4. Alice Kwok: 1st for conduct, application, geography, and needlework; 2nd for object lesson.

5. Emiliana Aberasturi: For writing and arithmetic; 2nd for composition, dictation, and object lesson; 3rd for religious instruction and grammar.

6. Alda Basto: 2nd for dictation; 3rd for reading, arithmetic, and needlework.

**STANDARD II**

1. Carlotta Ribeiro: 1st for composition, grammar, dictation, object lesson, and arithmetic; 3rd for reading and geography.

2. Mabel Lawrence: 1st for religious instruction; 2nd for grammar and object lesson; 3rd for application, dictation, writing, and order.

3. Maria Baptista: 1st for writing and order; 2nd for conduct and arithmetic; 3rd for politeness.

4. Consuelo Elizage: 1st for reading and recitation; 2nd for religious instruction; 3rd for composition and geography.

5. Emma Ai: 2nd for reading and writing; 3rd for grammar and composition.

6. Angelina Carvalho: 2nd for religious instruction and arithmetic; 4th for reading, composition, dictation, and object lesson.

7. Angela Hyndman: 2nd for recitation; 3rd for geography and object lesson.

8. Branca Hyndman: 3rd for recitation and object lesson; 4th for composition and politeness.

**STANDARD III**

1. Celeste Remedios: 1st for geography, arithmetic, dictation, and order; 2nd for reading and grammar; 3rd for religious instruction and history.

2. Milagros Veloso: 1st for application, grammar, and object lesson; 2nd for religious instruction and recitation; 3rd for composition, history, and arithmetic.

3. Jenny Lawrence: 1st for reading, recitation, and writing; 2nd for composition and dictation.

4. Cissy Gardner: 1st for religious instruction and arithmetic; 2nd for object lesson.

5. Kathleen Krugloff: 1st for composition; 2nd for history; 3rd for reading and recitation.

6. Alicia Carvalho: 1st for history; 2nd for arithmetic; 3rd for grammar and geography.

7. Beskie Ai: 2nd for geography; 3rd for dictation.

**STANDARD IV**

1. Lily Reach: 1st for reading, hygiene, history, composition, and geography; 3rd for dictation.

2. May MacMallar: 1st for writing, composition, history, and geography; 2nd for hygiene and recitation.

3. Aurora Fanlo: 1st for conduct, application, politeness, and needlework; 2nd for religious instruction, geography, and object lesson.

4. Susan Mugford: 1st for dictation and object lesson; 2nd for composition, history, and mental arithmetic; 3rd for hygiene.

5. Casilda Carvalho: 1st for recitation and politeness; 2nd for reading, dictation, and arithmetic; 3rd for history and composition.

6. Robertina Baptiste: 1st for arithmetic and religious instruction; 2nd for grammar, writing, and needlework; 3rd for geography and object lesson.

**STANDARD V**

1. Dolores Hyndman: 1st for religious instruction, history, and arithmetic; 2nd for geography; 3rd for hygiene and dictation.

2. Alice Brandt: 1st for composition, hygiene, and geography; 2nd for dictation; 3rd for religious instruction, grammar, and history.

3. Adele Klingemann: 1st for dictation, reading, and recitation; 2nd for history; 3rd for grammar and geography.

4. Elvira Felices: 2nd for hygiene and composition; 3rd for reading, recitation, and dictation.

5. Kate Raymond: 2nd for reading, grammar, recitation, and regular attendance.

**STANDARD VI**

1. Maria E. Gutierrez: 1st for arithmetic; 2nd for writing; 3rd for geography.

2. Mary White: 1st for dictation and writing; 2nd for history.

3. Carmelita Gardner: 1st for history; 2nd for arithmetic and writing.

**STANDARD VII**

1. Mary Ahwee: 1st for music, history, grammar, geography, and application; 2nd for religious instruction, composition, arithmetic, and hygiene.

2. Jessie Pestonje: 1st for hygiene, history, geography, conduct, and politeness; 2nd for grammar and arithmetic.

3. Cissy Kennedy: 1st for religious instruction, history, arithmetic, and geography; 2nd for grammar, hygiene, dictation, object lesson, and politeness; 3rd for composition and conduct.

**SPECIAL CLASS**

1. Maria Gomes Silva: 1st for conduct, hygiene, and arithmetic.

**Prizes for NEEDLEWORK**

1. Regina Velarte: 1st for needlework, presented by Mr. Sin-Tak-fan ($10).

2. Victoria Manso: 1st for embroidery, presented by Mr. Sin-Tak-fan ($10).

3. Catherina Peres: 1st for drawn work, presented by Mr. Kwok ($10).

4. A-Lan-fan: 1st for needlework, presented by Mr. Ho-Tong ($10).

5. A-Chee-Chia: 1st for embroidery, presented by Mr. Ho-Tung ($10).

6. Mei-Kwai-cheng: 1st for lace work, presented by Mr. Yew ($7).

7. Yut-Ho: 2nd for needlework, presented by Mr. Sin-Tak-fan ($5).

8. A Ho-aun: 2nd for embroidery, presented by Mr. Ho Fook ($5).

9. A-Kew-cheng: 2nd for lace work, presented by Mr. Yew ($5).

The musical program then concluded, with the proceedings ending with the singing of the National Anthem. Before departing, most of the visitors partook of the hospitality of the Convent Sisters.

(In 1907 Hong Kong, a 12-year-old Chinese girl would most likely be placed in Standard IV or Standard V.

the typical age group for students in Standard I was 7 to 9 years old.)

To the Editor of the "CHINA MAIL."1877

To the Editor of the "CHINA MAIL."

Hongkong, Dec. 4, 1877.

SIR, The opponents of the Hongkong Central School have at last put their case into good English and presented it to the Hongkong public. An anonymous pamphlet has appeared, the writer of which, in his first sentence, states that there is an uneasy feeling abroad that the Central School is in danger. We are assured that this uneasy feeling is not caused by anything Governor Hennessy has done or left undone, but that it is the natural outcome of the conviction in men's minds that the Hongkong school system was bad in itself and unjust in its working to large classes of the community.

The writer of the pamphlet is particularly severe on the Hongkong public and the newspapers for crediting rumors concerning Governor Hennessy and his policy, but he evidently forgets that in the small community of Hongkong, a rumor concerning the policy of the Government is very quickly either confirmed or shown to be baseless. Governor Hennessy has been in Hongkong some time, and if the community had hastily formed a wrong opinion, they would long ago have found out their mistake and repented accordingly.

The pamphlet's writer argues that it is not "the duty of a Government as such to educate the people over whom it holds away." Instead, it asserts that "it is the duty of the parent to educate as well as to feed his children." The State, according to the pamphlet, should provide asylums for the insane and gaols for the criminal, and arrange that the useless and helpless members of the community do as little harm as possible. It should also provide ships of war to defend its coasts and armies to fight its battles, but "it must not undertake to teach its children reading, writing and arithmetic." That duty, the pamphlet concludes, "is sacred to the parents and the Churches."

Many years ago, everyone believed that the Church, and the Church only, should educate the people. But that was long, long ago. We have come to believe now that the Church and its ministers have other and better employment than teaching infants to read the primer. It is even said that in England they compel them to come in. Where has our author been during the last few years? There is no compulsion in Hongkong.

I am inclined to wish that a Compulsory Education Act existed here, as it exists elsewhere. In that case, there would have to be compulsory inspection in order to determine the amount of efficiency that each school possessed. Parents might then send their children either to the government schools or to the efficient private schools. If the children did not go to either, they would be considered uneducated, and the parents would have to "show the reasons."

HONGKONG, DECEMBER 8TH, 1877:

We hope that the views enunciated by the anonymous author of the pamphlet just issued, "The Central School: Can it justify its raison d'être?", are not a reflection of those entertained by His Excellency the GOVERNOR. In briefly noticing this effusion, we will pass over the introductory portion, which is scarcely relevant to the question at issue. We would, however, remark that we have never stated that His Excellency "had been heard to swear that he would never put his foot inside" the walls of the Central School. Neither have we, even in the most distant manner, made any allusion to the faith professed by Mr. HENNESSY. No one has any right to assume that a Governor will allow his religious convictions to influence his administration, and to do so would be most unfair. The pamphleteer seems to be labouring under the idea that, because His Excellency is a Roman Catholic, his policy with regard to education is mistrusted. This is not the case, at least as far as we are concerned. But his total silence on the question, coupled with the fact that he has never visited the Central School, is certainly sufficient to raise a doubt as to whether he approves the system carried on there. It must be admitted, certainly, that Mr. HENNESSY has devoted a great deal of attention to other matters, but he surely could have found time, had he been so inclined, to pay a visit of inspection to so prominent an institution as that over which Mr. STEWART presides. However, we trust that the GOVERNOR will take an early opportunity of giving publicity to his views on education, and letting the Colony know what his intentions are. He can, if he chooses, do much toward developing the work of education, by supporting the Central School and increasing the grants-in-aid to the denominational schools, of course continuing the system of payment by results for secular work only.

We soon encounter a gross absurdity, of which, judging from the able manner in which other portions of the pamphlet are written, we would have imagined the author incapable. When the question is sectarianism versus secularism, to speak of secularism as a sect is a piece of casuistry that would hardly mislead a child, and is as ridiculous as to speak of the Peace Society as a belligerent in a war against which it raises its voice. It seems almost necessary to remind our author that a negative is not a positive. Sectarians and secularists are at one as to the value of secular teaching, but sectarians claim State aid for religious teaching as well as secular, while secularists contend that while it is the duty of the State to afford an opportunity to all of acquiring such an education as is acknowledged to be valuable by persons of every or no sect, it has no right to trespass on the domain of conscience. No man's conscience can be offended by his children learning the three R's, while many might be offended by the teaching of the Church of England Catechism—our author himself, for instance. Religious education ought to be effected by voluntary effort alone, especially in a place so circumstanced as Hongkong. The native population contributes to the rates out of which educational grants are made, and to ask them to pay for the work of proselytism would be a gross injustice.

The great grievance felt by the pamphleteer is very manifest. The Roman Catholics do not obtain sufficient assistance in their educational efforts to please him. Now, we are perfectly ready to allow that the Roman Catholic clergy have done and are doing a great deal of work in this direction, and that they are doing it under difficulties. But it must be borne in mind that with them the inculcation of grammar and religious dogma are inseparable—that the school is, for the Catholic priest, the nursery for the propagation of his faith. The British Government should resolutely decline to pay for the propagation of any faith in the colonies; all religions should be placed on a level—alike free from control or patronage. The Catholic community here is not wealthy, we know, but it is surely not absolutely necessary that the children should learn their arithmetic and grammar where they learn their catechism. All that they can fairly expect is an increase in the grants-in-aid. As for the Reformatory and kindred institutions, everyone knows that they were established in connection with the Catholic Missions and are part of the machinery by which the Church of Rome hopes to convert the heathen to a purer faith. And while we wish them success in their work, they cannot expect the Government to make any contribution towards it without having a voice in their management.

The remarks about the inability of the Central School to supply a pupil capable of passing the recent examination for a clerkship in Government service apply equally to the other schools in the Colony, and really only go to show that the education acquired is not too high but is simply not continued long enough. It is a common source of trouble to the ministers, we believe, and has been lamented by Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, that parents will not allow their children to remain in the school a sufficient time to get thoroughly grounded in English. The Central School, however, has done a great deal of good in supplying English-speaking clerks, and may be rendered still more widely useful. Two or three years' instruction in the best of schools would not qualify a Chinese youth to pass the examination recently conducted; such a knowledge of English is only acquired by time and experience, joined with teaching. As for the Jury List, the number of Chinese on it might very well be increased. There are more Chinese in the Colony who speak English fluently than our pamphleteer seems to imagine, and many of them are ex-pupils of the Central School.

St. Paul's College did much service in old times, and it is to be hoped will do so again; but the Central School is now turning out better and riper scholars than those trained in the former institution, and all they need is experience. This they will acquire in due course, and the fruits of the education imparted will become more apparent in a few years' time. It is absurd to expect raw schoolboys to suddenly leap into prominence. They are at once too diffident and too young to do so. The scholars of St. Paul's College have grown into men who in course of time have risen to positions of trust, and thus come in some measure to the front. By and by the same thing will happen to the pupils of the Central School. The result of the instruction there given cannot be justly estimated at present. Time must be allowed. Meantime, we reiterate the remark quoted from our columns by the pamphleteer, and which he has taken for his text: that if an investigation into its working be conducted without prejudice, the Central School will “be able to vindicate conclusively its raison d'être.”

HONGKONG, DECEMBER 5TH, 1877.

The Anonymous Author of the pamphlet on the Central School takes objection to our pointing out the absurdity into which he fell by reason of his singular confusion of terms and objects. In all discussions, if any definite result is to be attained, it is absolutely necessary that the meaning of each term should be clearly understood and that the term should be used as signifying only its own object. Our pamphleteer claims that secularists are really and truly a sect; if a sect, they must necessarily be sectarians; but the pamphleteer himself finds it necessary to use the word "secularists" as an antithesis to "sectarians," which in truth it is. This is simply what we pointed out, though apparently not with sufficient clearness, for our author returns again to the charge, still urging that sectarianism and secularism are one and the same thing. Little good, however, can come from the discussion of words, and we should not have opened the question had not an argument been sought to be established on the misuse of a term.

In a letter to the editor dated December 3rd, 1877, the Anonymous Author defends his position, stating there is nothing absurd in speaking of secularism as the teaching of a sect and of secularists as sectarians. He defines a sect as a section or portion cut off from a more numerous body, distinguished by holding some particular doctrine or opinion not held by others. This doctrine need not be affirmative; most sects, he argues, arise from denying a proposition affirmed by the body to which they originally belonged. Protestants, for instance, are sectarians because they deny Roman Catholic doctrine; Presbyterians, by denying episcopacy; and Unitarians, by denying the divinity of Christ. Secularism, like Protestantism or Comteism, denotes the holding of a certain set of opinions, some negative, some positive, and its holders form a sect in respect of those opinions. Secularists affirm that religion and science should be kept apart, thereby denying the contrary proposition. He asks if secularists are not belligerents in the great contest now waging all the world over on the education question, claiming that until recently, all the world combined religious and secular training. The "new lights" (secularists), he asserts, dissent, provoke the contest, wage the war most bitterly, and refuse concessions, insisting that children be educated only their way. He adds that Christians are content to let secularists go their own road and have their fair share of State aid for their secularist schools, if only the same freedom and help are granted to Christian schools.

Arguing from the dictionary, it is of course easy to show that any party may be termed a sect, but any particular subject of discussion generally gives rise to a particular use of terms. In the present question, there are but two parties concerned, respectively called "sectarians" and "secularists." The opponent of the Central School seems in effect to hold out the right hand of fellowship to the secularists, saying, "You are one with us, brothers, you are a sect and no longer secularists, wherefore the cause of difference?" The calling of an object by a different name, however, will not change the object. Our correspondent is equally unfortunate in his letter. Protestants, Presbyterians, and Unitarians would hardly assent to the proposition that they owe their existence only to a negation, and it savours sorely of sectarian self-assumption to make the assertion; but this is merely by the way, and does not directly affect the question at issue.

Our correspondent says secularists value instruction in the arts and sciences for itself; religious bodies, he claims, regard it as a source of mischief to the State and to society when divorced, as the secularists would have it, from religious and moral training. Secularists certainly do value instruction in the arts and sciences for itself, but so far from objecting to religious and moral training, they are not less eager than sectarians to provide this training. However, they assert that it should be provided by the voluntary efforts of the different religious bodies, while the State may fairly aid, and is in fact bound to aid, instruction in secular subjects. The Anonymous Author further argues that sectarians, or rather the advocates for religious education, do not ask for State aid for religious teaching itself, but only in respect of the secular education they give, and in proportion to its amount. They ask that they should not be refused their fair share of the State endowment because they combine with secular instruction an amount of moral and religious training which they conscientiously believe is of more value to the State and to the well-being of society than almost any amount of instruction in science and art apart from religion and morality. His pamphlet raises two entirely different sets of questions: one dealing with denominational schools, especially Roman Catholic, and the other with the Central School as a purely Chinese Government school. He asks: "Can the Government justify the expenditure of the bulk of the educational endowment of the Colony in giving, gratis, a pagan education to five hundred boys whose parents can well afford to pay for their instruction, while 12,000 children, whose parents cannot afford to teach them even the elements, are growing up in ignorance to furnish the gallows and the gaol with a never-ending supply?"

The education supplied at the Central School is not pagan; the offensive and unfair assertion that it is was probably written in a moment when "the Anonymous Author" allowed his zeal to outrun his discretion. As for the number of children left uneducated, we should be glad to see it reduced to nil, and as one step in this direction, we have never ceased to advocate the erection of a more suitable building for the Central School so that fewer candidates for admission would have to be turned away than is at present unfortunately the case. We should also be glad to see more native schools established by the Government. The Anonymous Author, however, we believe, considerably exaggerates the number of children without education. In his pamphlet, he states: "Twelve thousand children, and those the poorest, who, if education is of any value, need it the most and have least chance of getting it, have absolutely nothing done for them; not even industrial training offered them." He appears to derive these figures by taking the number of the whole juvenile population and subtracting the number at any one time attending school, with the remainder being taken as the children of the poorest parents who have absolutely nothing done for them. This mode of calculation is manifestly inaccurate and misleading. Of these twelve thousand, a large number no doubt have attended school but have left early; an equally large number, no doubt, although old enough to attend school, have not yet commenced to do so but will be sent by their parents for a term, even though a short one, before they are fairly launched on the world; some are absent from school only temporarily; and others again are probably educated by agencies of which neither the Inspector of Schools nor the Anonymous Author have cognisance. Making allowances for these, the number, although still lamentably large, would be found to be far less than twelve thousand. But even taking it at that figure, we fail to see the force of the argument that because twelve thousand are left uneducated, therefore five hundred ought not to be educated.

To quote once more from the pamphlet: "The Imperial Government has never established schools of its own but to supply a recognised want, when there was no other available agency, and then only to provide that minimum amount of education which was essential. There may be, and probably are, as in India, exceptions to this rule, but they are only exceptions, each justified, if justifiable at all, by the special circumstances of time and place." We dissent from the qualifying clauses in this paragraph, but taking it, for the sake of argument, as it stands, we say that Hongkong is precisely one of the exceptions justified by the special circumstances of time and place. His Excellency the Governor hopes that by inducing Chinese merchants to establish their family houses here, much may be done towards securing the greater stability of the Colony. How much more may not be done by opening up to the native youth of the Colony the stores of Western learning, and thus instilling into them the spirit of progress which their country so greatly lacks, and the absence of which is so often deplored by all who wish well to the ancient empire on whose borders we reside. To impart a good English education to as many of the native children as we possibly can is a course dictated by sound policy. We would have the Chinese residents our fellow subjects in more than name, both for their own sakes and our own

Flogging and Class Legislation 1877

Hongkong, June 8, 1877.

SIR,

I have read your article commenting on the action of His Excellency Pope Hennessy in reference to flogging, and also the letter under the signature of "Diner Out" on the same subject. I think there are points both for and against your comments and the action of the Governor, and I shall proceed to adduce my reasons for saying so.

The subjects of Flogging and Class Legislation are too formidable to be treated together, and I shall therefore divide them into two heads, dealing first with flogging. I quite coincide with you as to the undesirability of abolishing flogging entirely. There are crimes of such a violent nature which render the use of the whip indispensable in order to have a deterrent effect. The degrading nature of flogging may have influenced the mind of His Excellency in wishing to abolish it, but he must remember that the universal mode of punishment in the Chinese Courts is the bamboo, and whenever anyone comes within its clutches, be he what he may—whether a rough or a gentleman of education—he invariably enjoys the benefit of the rod. It may be said it is a barbarous mode of punishment, and if the Chinese people choose to be barbarous, that is no reason why their example should be followed by a more enlightened people. This, I say, is only a question of sentiment, and sentiment should not be imported into the administration of the law, which necessity for the safety of the public requires to be sternly carried out. It may be a very humane thing to abolish flogging altogether, but is flogging entirely abandoned for heinous crimes in England? If not, why should it be so here? And can we do without it? I think not; and for these reasons, I fancy you and your correspondent must have mistaken the views of His Excellency. Before dismissing this branch of the subject, I may add that, although a Chinaman, I for one would not like to see flogging done away with altogether, but I must say it should be very cautiously administered, and should be reserved for very serious crimes only and for cases where justice and protection to society demand its infliction.

As to the stoppage of the flogging on Wong Apo, who was convicted at the last assizes of burglary accompanied with violence, I believe it is true that His Excellency has prevented the law from taking its due course. I believe His Excellency did wrong in this instance. He might be right in principle, but he is certainly wrong in justice when the merits of the case are considered. Some even say he is wrong in principle because he has no right to interfere with the administration of the law. It is not so, however; he has not interfered with the judicial functions of the Chief Justice; he is simply exercising a prerogative of the Crown, and he has the right to remit any portion of a prisoner's sentence.

Returning to the merits of the case in question, the burglars, of whom Wong Apo was one, had wounded, if I remember aright, the arms of a woman while attempting to rob her of a pair of bangles. In addition to this, the prisoner hurt a Sergeant of Police severely by nearly biting off one of his fingers when he arrested the prisoner. If double violence of this nature is not visited with corporal punishment, criminals of the prisoner's class will be emboldened, and as your correspondent says, we shall have to be "armed to the teeth." Three or four years ago, "knock-down" robberies were so numerous that I believe you said at the time you would have to open a new column in your paper to record such occurrences. But, thanks to the "cat," such crimes have not been heard of within late years. One of the last cases I remember was that of a sergeant in the army who was attacked before dusk while taking his evening walk in the much-frequented thoroughfare of Caine Road. He was found lying insensible in a pool of blood near the Reservoir there, and had a narrow escape of his life. Now, if crime of that kind was not to be visited with the "cat," great injustice would be done to society—nay, the safety of the public demands that mode of castigation. The security, peace, and quietness of the good, law-abiding people should not be undermined by any sentimental feelings for a few of the roughs. Society is not made for bad men, so that no injustice would arise were they driven away from it by reasonable chastisement. His Excellency, I suppose, has not seen a Chinese prison or the administration of the bamboo during his recent visit to Canton. If he had, he might have modified his views.

Reverting to Wong Apo particularly, I happened to be in Court when he was sentenced and heard him ask the Court to award him a flogging of thirty lashes and then deport him from the Colony, in lieu of sending him to gaol for any lengthened period. Now, if His Excellency had stopped the flogging to which the prisoner was sentenced, he would be denying what would appear to be a boon to the prisoner himself. I do not remember whether the prisoner's request was made known to the Court or not at the time, but I can vouch for the truth of it. So far, I have said all that I can at present say in favour of flogging; and I shall proceed to advance the grounds upon which flogging, when improperly awarded, should be abolished.

Extreme legislation in one direction or the other generally defeats the object for which it is intended, so that while entire abolition of flogging is undesirable on the one hand, to confer indiscriminate power to administer the whip is objectionable on the other. Turning to the latest Ordinance which defines the duties of the Police Magistrates, No. 16 of 1875, I find that they have power to flog in a great many offences, and taking together the provisions of former ordinances, there are only a few in which they cannot flog. I do not say that the power so indiscriminately conferred has been indiscriminately availed of, for we cannot have a more discreet Bench of Magistrates than that which we possess at present, but we cannot vouchsafe that future Magistrates would be equally discreet, so that the power thus conferred might be arbitrarily used. In addition to the power of flogging juvenile offenders (minors under sixteen) for simple larceny, Section VII. gives power to flog generally any male offenders of any age under the following circumstances: Whenever any male offender is convicted by a Magistrate under the powers herein conferred of any of the following offences, a second time, or under aggravated circumstances, that is to say:

* Indecent assault,

* Indecent exposure of person,

* Assault with intent to rob,

* Common assault, committed in a brothel,

* Common assault, committed at or in connection with any riotous assemblage,

* Malicious injury to property.

Before going into the different classes of offences enumerated above, let me ask what constitute "aggravated circumstances"? The term is too vague and too indefinite, and in the absence of any explanation, a Magistrate is as likely to err, from any whimsical notions that may get into his head, as any other mortal. As to the advisability or otherwise of allowing flogging for indecent assault or indecent exposure of the person, I shall leave the question untouched, it being a matter of refined morals; nor would I say anything regarding assault with intent to rob, merely observing that in another Ordinance, assault with intent to commit a felony (robbery is a felony) renders the offender liable to imprisonment only. As to flogging being allowed for common assault committed in a brothel, that I think is certainly objectionable. Why should there be a difference in the punishment for an assault in a brothel compared with an assault anywhere else, say the Theatre or a grog shop? Why should there be more protection for the one than for the other? It is also impolitic. It gives the appearance that Government must do all it can to encourage the establishment of such institutions of ill-fame which dire necessity alone induces it to countenance. The term "riotous assemblage" is also likely to be misinterpreted. It may be a very serious one which renders the proclamation of the Riot Act necessary, or it may be simply a faction fight wherein a number of partisans may be engaged in mauling each other with bamboos or brick-bats. To confirm my assertion that the term is likely to be misinterpreted, I remember a former case where a Magistrate ordered a man to be flogged for an assault in connection with what the presiding judge called a riotous assemblage, or at all events for what he considered malicious injury to property, because in the course of a faction fight, the man broke a few pots and basins. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, and that part of the sentence which referred to corporal punishment was disallowed. The next head of offence, "malicious injury to property," is likewise a term of ambiguity. Malice by law may be express or implied, so that a Magistrate sitting as judge and jury may infer malice from the acts of a man brought before him. I have known a late Magistrate to flog a horse-boy charged by his master with ill-treating a racing horse, on the ground that the ill-treatment was a "malicious injury" to property.

Coming back to juvenile offenders, the Ordinance says, "whenever any male offender, whose age appears to the Magistrate not to exceed sixteen years," etc. Now mark the word "appears." Is this not throwing too much responsibility on a Magistrate who sits, as I have said before, as a judge and a jury? Or is it not taxing his discretion too much? Appearance generally belies a man, and I submit that in so important a matter as that which affects the character and future career of an offender, strict proof of his age, unless he himself admits his minority, or unless he is so palpably under age, should be insisted on. Apart from this, I think it is wrong to degrade a boy by flogging, which once inflicted may cause him to disregard his future character, because when it is once lost, he has none to maintain.

As to flogging by magistrates for other offences under former Ordinances, I find Ordinance No. 12 of 1856, Section 6, the first clause, includes, "The felling, cutting, destroying or injuring of any standing or growing tree, shrub or underwood, and grass-sod, or turf, or any fence or portion thereof," (malicious injury to property, I presume, so far as the fence is concerned); and clause 4 includes "The obeying the calls of nature on any way or in any public, exposed or other improper place, to the annoyance of others." Offences of the above description render the offenders liable to a fine not exceeding $100, nor less than $1, but Section 7 modifies this and confers more arbitrary power. It reads thus: "It shall be lawful for the Court (the Petty Sessions Court, abolished since 1863, is meant, I think) or Justices before whom any person shall be found guilty of any offence against Division 1 or Division 4 of Section 6 of this Ordinance, to order him, in lieu of all other punishment, to be once or twice publicly whipped, yet so as that no offender shall receive in all for any one such offence more than fifty blows nor less than five." The italics are mine.

Now let me ask where is the necessity for flogging in these offences? In the first class, it would appear that a shrub or a handful of turf is of greater value than the flesh and blood of a human being. I shudder to think of the idea. The commission of any offence under the second class is generally caused by a certain amount of natural necessity over which the offender has probably no control, and to punish a man for that with stripes is cruel, although the result of the offence is not of a pleasant character.

Referring to Ordinance 8 of 1858, Section 23 says, "Mendicancy in the public highways or streets is hereby forbidden," and this section is supplemented by No. 28, clause 9, which reads thus: "For every offence against section 23, a sum not exceeding five dollars: or the offenders shall, at the discretion of the Court, receive not more than thirty-six blows nor less than five blows, with a rattan, and be deported to his native country, or with the consent of such offender, to any other place, if His Excellency the Governor shall so decide." It is true that so far as the flogging part of the provision goes, it has never been inflicted, I believe, since the ordinance was passed, but there is nevertheless the power for it, and a Magistrate has a right to exercise it at any moment. Now, admitting the worst consequences that can possibly be said of beggary and the presence of beggars, I must say it is inhuman to flog decrepit or half-starved men, and as no distinction is made in this particular law of sexes, I presume a female mendicant is just as liable to the "rattan" as the male. This provision is so obviously wrong, both as against principles of law (which I understand means "common sense") and against the dictates of humanity, that I need not elaborate on the subject.

Again, Ordinance 9 of 1857, Section 8, provides that every person whomsoever required by the Superintendent of Police to co-operate with any Fire Brigade, whether consisting of volunteers or not (so that the same be approved by His Excellency), or in the working of Fire Engines, or in the suppression of fire, shall be bound to obey such requisition under the penalty, for every case of disobedience, of not less than ten dollars nor more than fifty dollars, to be imposed by any Justice or Justices of the Peace, (or if such Justice shall think fit, and the offender shall be a Chinaman) of not more than fifteen nor less than five blows. The justice or otherwise of this law speaks for itself and requires no comment.

Another section of the same ordinance provided for the punishment of Chinamen by flogging for being out without a pass, but I am glad the authorities had foreseen the wisdom of repealing it, otherwise there would have been more grounds for complaint against flogging as well as class legislation. As my letter is already too lengthy, I shall reserve the treatment of the second branch of the subject, that of "class legislation," for a subsequent letter, but I may be allowed to mention that it seems singular to me that the titles of the two ordinances referred to, No. 12 of 1856 and No. 8 of 1858, are thus given: "An Ordinance to regulate Chinese Burials, &c.," and "An Ordinance for the regulation of the Chinese People, &c." However, I shall not go into that subject just now, but beg to subscribe myself,

A CHINAMAN

EXHIBITION DAY AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL.1877

China Mail 1877-01-26

EXHIBITION DAY AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL.

The Annual Public Examination of the pupils attending the Government Central School took place today, when the boys acquitted themselves very creditably. His Excellency the Governor Sir Arthur Kennedy presided, as usual, at the ceremony of distributing the various prizes, which was held at noon. There were present, besides His Excellency, the Hon. J. G. Austin, His Honor Mr. Justice Snowden, Capt. O'Callaghan, A.D.C., Rev. Mr. Kidd, Rev. Dr. Eitel, Mr. A. G. Romano, Father Carvalho, Messrs. J. W. Torrey, Hanlon, and others.

His Excellency addressed a few words to each of the juvenile "prizemen" as he handed to him the prize awarded.

We append the PRIZE LIST.

**Special Prizes:**

1. **Best Scholar:** Chan Kai Ming, Morrison Scholarship, presented by Morrison Trustees.

2. **Translation:** Lo Ming Kun, Watch, presented by Hon. C. C. Smith.

3. **Chemistry:** Frank Hazeland, Watch, presented by Hon. W. Keswick.

**Ordinary Prizes:**

* **I. Class:**

1. Hung Kam Shing, Watch, presented by Hon. J. G. Austin.

2. Leung Man Piu, Gold Pencil Case, presented by Hon. J. G. Austin.

* **II. Class:**

1. Ho Tung, Watch, presented by Mr. Russell.

2. Wai Chi, Mathematical Instruments, Silver Pencil Case, presented by Second Master.

* **III. Class:**

1. Yeung Bin Tsing, Watch, presented by Mr. Kwok Taung.

2. Mok Tong, Gold Pencil Case.

3. V. Curreem, Ivory and Gold Pencil Case.

* **IV. Class:**

1. Wong Ching Ki, Watch, presented by Mr. Kwok Taung.

2. Li King Pan, Silver Pencil Case, presented by Third Master.

3. U Cheak Kwan, Silver Pencil Case.

4. U. Ramjan, Webster's Dictionary, presented by Mr. Hyndman.

* **V. Class:**

1. Chan Mei, Watch.

2. Lal Pat Leing, Silver Pencil Case.

3. R. Gomes, 2 Books, presented by Old Scholars.

* **VI. Class:**

1. Pun Shing Lam, Watch.

2. Chan Ping Hang, Silver Pencil Case.

* **VII. Class:**

1. Mok Yat Tung, Watch.

2. Lettag Hi, Dial, presented by Fourth Master.

* **VIII. Class:**

1. Chad Shad, Gold Pencil Case.

2. Chan Pui, Gold Pencil Case.

* **IX. Class:**

1. Hung Mung Cho, Thermometer, presented by Mr. Kwok Tsang.

* **X. Class:**

1. Wong Chim Fui, Ivory and Silver Pencil Case.

2. Leung Fai Kit, Ivory and Silver Pencil Case.

3. Tani Teol Hi, Knife.

**Chinese Classes:**

**Fortnightly Examinations:**

* **I. Class:** Kwok Hung Kwai, Binocular, presented by Head Master.

* **II. Class:** U Lal Chouk, 2 Books, presented by Mr. Romano.

**Ordinary Prizes:**

* **I. Class:**

1. Wat Ying Cho, Watch, presented by Mr. Wong Tao Leung.

2. Yau Wai Cheung, Ivory and Silver Pencil Case.

* **II. Class:**

1. Kwok Shing, Ivory and Gold Pencil Case.

2. Ho Fak, 2 Books, presented by Mr. Soares.

* **III. Class:**

1. Tang Wing Shing, Denny's Handbook.

2. Ld in, Ivory and Silver Pencil Case.

* **IV. Class:**

1. Lau Yuk Tsing, Silver Pencil Case, presented by Mr. Gerrard.

2. Lam Wing Kwong, Knife.

**Chinese Class for Europeans:**

* **I. Division:**

1. A. Ramjan, Binocular.

2. Ram Sammi, Silver Pencil Case.

3. T. Namiki, Silver Pencil Case.

* **II. Division:**

1. Alarakia, Thermometer.

2. F. Machado, 2 Books, presented by Mr. Romano.

* **III. Division:**

1. F. X. Jesus, 2 Books, presented by Old Scholars.

His Excellency said: "I observe that the numbers present on the 26th January in this year were, in the Upper School 89; in the Lower School 99; in the 7th and 8th classes 76; in the Preparatory class 120—making a total of 884 actually present; and the number on the roll for the month was 897. This shows a very good attendance; there is no great difference between the numbers on the roll and those actually present. I have here before me a list of the boys who left the school during the year 1876, and I think that if there was any argument needed to show the very great use this school has been to the community generally, and to the Chinese community especially, we have it in simply looking over this list. I see that no less than twenty-three have gone in one batch, I believe, to the Foochow Arsenal. The parents of those boys must know very well that their sons would never have been selected and accepted for employment in that place but for the education received in this school. I am reminded that this is really the only institution in China—in this vast country containing a population of some 400,000,000 of inhabitants—where people at the Arsenal could have found boys competent to undertake the duties which have been assigned to these twenty-three boys. This fact speaks volumes for the utility of the Central School.

"Looking down the list I see that some have gone away to discharge the duties of clerks in mercantile houses, banks, and so on. Other entries include 'clerk to storekeepers,' 'assistant in his father's shop,' 'clerk to his uncle,' 'clerk at the Civil Hospital,' and 'clerk to merchants at Shanghai;' clerks in various places. Very few of them left without a reason, and I observe with great satisfaction that few have been dismissed, and I am sure that where that extreme measure has been adopted, it has not been without sufficient reason.

"Probably this will be the last opportunity I shall have of saying a word to the boys, and I do not like to leave the school without saying a last word to them. If I have not myself taken a very practical or active part in connection with the school, I have done that which I think is much better—I have encouraged and supported, and left it to those who are much more competent than myself to perform such work, and I believe that in doing so I have done much more good than any intermeddling on my part in the details of the school could have effected. The support which the school has received and continues to receive from the public generally in this Colony, including all classes, is the highest praise; and the satisfaction of the parents, which is obvious from the attendance of the children here, is an undoubted proof, in my mind, of the efficiency of this school. The parents should be able to judge, and they ought to be the only judges, of the education required by their children; they are satisfied, and that I should think ought to be a source of great gratification to the conductors of the school. The large attendance of boys here, and the numbers who desire still to come, is sufficient proof that the parents and the community of Hongkong in general have complete confidence in those who conduct the school, without which confidence I believe no good can be done.

"There are of course, and ever will be, differences of opinion as to some matters connected with the conduct of the school. The broad principle laid down, in which I always agreed with Mr. Stewart, to whom this Colony is greatly indebted, and the masters that assist him, is that there should be no interference here whatever with perfect freedom of conscience in religious matters. Mr. Stewart and myself and all Christian people, I hope, are glad to hear and know that Christianity is taught, but we do not think the school is quite the right place, or the schoolmaster quite the right man, to inculcate it. The Government helps liberally and heartily all denominations of Christians who choose to teach their own doctrines under the sanction and approval of the parents of the children. We make no distinction; and I am happy to think in leaving this Colony I shall leave an educational system here in progress which works better and more systematically than any with which I am acquainted elsewhere. I do not know any denomination here who can complain of anything like want of fair-play. We give alike to all, and the results of the recent examinations satisfy me, as compared with those at the commencement, that the system of payment by results is a good one. I must confess I think that probably the assistance already given to the schools is sufficiently liberal; I would be persuaded to give more for results, but nothing else. At this school we do not interfere in any way with denominational teaching; we only claim the right here to do what we believe to be best for the great bulk of the community. The Chinese community especially ought to be greatly beholden to this Government as the instrument of her gracious Majesty for disseminating education—such education as we can give.

"I am perfectly satisfied that the English-speaking boys who leave this school will carry with them and inculcate upon their fellows quite a novel opinion of free England, where we really can do good actions without any selfish or sectarian motives. This school is perfectly free of any suspicion of that sort. If any parents here desire their boys to receive a religious education at school, they have ample means at other schools in the Colony to realise their wish; but I think that in this school, maintained, as it is, solely at the expense of the Government, we have no right whatever to enforce any particular doctrines upon those that attend. The parents of the Chinese boys who attend this school fully appreciate, I think, the adoption of this principle, and the consequence is that our numbers are steadily increasing, and when there is increased accommodation I have no doubt we shall double the number of boys we have here at present. I think the good that will be derived by the Chinese from the education that has been and will be afforded them in this Island is incalculable. Hongkong, which once had an ill-repute, will, I believe, be an atom to leaven the whole mass of Chinese sooner or later, if a sensible educational system be persevered in here. To the masters and those who take an interest always in these schools I cannot say how much I am indebted personally, for they enable me, with a quiet mind, to see things done as they ought to be done, and to leave this Colony with the reflection that as regards the schools and educational department, I have done no harm to the boys. I would only say to you all, persevere, be industrious, make use, in your future life, of the principles of honour, truth, and manliness, which you have learnt in this school, and which will stand you in good stead. I wish you all prosperity and happiness." (Applause) "I should be glad if Dr. Eitel or any other gentleman present would say a word of encouragement to the boys. I think it desirable they should do so, as they have not often the opportunity afforded on the present occasion of addressing the boys in bulk."

Dr. Eitel said: "I am very glad to avail myself of the invitation of His Excellency to say a few words to you, not on my own part, but on behalf of the trustees of the Morrison Scholarship. Today $120 have been given to two scholars of this institution out of that fund, and I think it will be well for me to explain once more to all of you what are the objects of the scholarship, and how it came to be established. Its principal object is to commemorate the name of Dr. Robert Morrison. Dr. Morrison was a native of the North of England, but of Scottish descent. He was educated in several colleges in London and sent out to China as a Missionary of the Congregational churches, by the London Missionary Society. On arriving in China he found that the laws then in force would not allow his remaining in Canton as a missionary, so he took service with the East India Company, and having soon mastered the Chinese language, the written especially, he was appointed their principal translator, and he served the East India Company 25 years, in that capacity. He was also some time Chinese secretary to Lord Amherst and principal translator to Lord Napier. He died in Canton in 1884, having gained for himself the admiration of all those who knew him for his sterling character, and also, I may say, the admiration of the whole scientific world by his labours as a Chinese scholar, by the compiling of the first and best Chinese dictionary, and especially, also by his translation of the whole Bible. In consequence of these merits of Dr. Morrison, and as a general acknowledgment of the fruits of his labours, the foreign communities of Canton and Hongkong subscribed a sum of money in order to perpetuate his memory and to, so to speak, continue his labours.

"The result was the Morrison Educational Society, which existed from 1856 to 1873. That Society, for a long time, maintained a school for teaching Chinese in English, and afterwards started Chinese schools in various parts of China. In the year 1873 the Society came to a close, and the money in hand was funded for the purpose of establishing a scholarship in connection with the Government Central School. The remaining trustees of the Morrison Education Society knew full well that the Central School here teaches no sectarian religion; nevertheless they wished the Scholarship to be established, deciding to act in accordance with the views expressed by His Excellency, and making no stipulation whatever as regarded religion, but simply providing that the Scholarship should be given to the best scholar in the School, without any condition. In doing this the trustees knew that they carried out the trust imposed on them, but also the principal aim of Dr. Morrison's own life. Dr. Morrison, as I said before, was the representative of the Congregational churches in England. These churches would subscribe to every word that His Excellency has just uttered as to the propriety of confining religion to the different churches and teaching in Government schools only secular subjects. I believe Dr. Morrison himself would have approved of this, because he knew the only safe means of propagating Christianity is to propagate knowledge.

"You are taught here all those subjects which I, myself, as a missionary, would consider the preliminary course for any one to go through who is to be taught Christianity. You are not merely taught to read and write here, but the discipline of the school, the moral principles inculcated here, and the elementary religious principles which no teaching can be without, are an excellent introduction to Christianity. At the same time I must warn you that what you receive here, what you take away from here, is not the knowledge, is not the truth. All that you can get in this school is merely the means to attain the knowledge, the means to attain the truth. Many of you may look upon this school as simply a help to get on in life, as simply an assistance to obtain an honourable or comfortable position in this life, as a place where you may learn secular truths; but I believe that in this school not only secular truths may be obtained, but that many seeds may be sown in merely moral teaching which may ripen into eternity." (Applause) "Truths are not only secular truths; there is not only present life but a life to come. His Excellency said to me a few days ago in the course of a private conversation that he might have wished that the Government had not sent him to another place, but allowed him to retire, so that he, in private life, might have had some time to set his house in order and think of the life to come. You boys also, we know you have as much need to think of the life to come as His Excellency. I would say that what you are taught here is not only to be made use of by you for the purposes of this life, but you should also find in it the means to enable you to die happily and not without hope. I believe that this school, although it is not a religious school, will help you to live honestly and comfortably, and to know something of the life hereafter, and if any one of you in course of time learns something about Christianity he will find himself with what I have said is truth." (Applause)

The Rev. H. H. Kidd said: "During the six years of my life in this Colony on not more than one occasion have I missed the opportunity of coming to this annual prize gathering. I hope to go home soon for a time, and I should not like to go away without saying how heartily I sympathise with the work in this school. Dr. Eitel has spoken to you from his point of view, and I of course do not forget that I stand up here now as Colonial Chaplain, the head of the ecclesiastical department in this Colony, and I wish to bear my testimony to the value of what is taught here. I believe in the principles which His Excellency the Governor and Dr. Eitel have enunciated. I think that a Government School, and this is essentially a Government School, more so than any school in the country from which I came, for this is wholly and entirely supported by Government—under these circumstances, and remembering from whom the Government funds are derived—I think there could be no other system adopted here than that already in vogue, namely, the giving of a simple, secular, education. In England as well as in Hongkong I was and I am now of opinion that is the way in which to begin the work which has been begun in this school. We as parents can give a religious education to our own children in our own homes; we can give this instruction in our Sunday Schools, which are opened here as well as in every place in England, and then if we are not satisfied with that, there are denominational schools belonging to various sects in the colony. I am quite sure, boys, that you are receiving here such an education as will fit and prepare you for the duties of life. We, now, follow after truth, seek after it; do not be satisfied with what you know now. The truth is that for which you must look, and if you do that you will find it, spiritual as well as temporal. The Central School in Hongkong will be and I believe it has been a blessing to the place. I am quite sure that His Excellency will look back with pleasure and comfort on his administration in Hongkong so far as this School is concerned, and when I go home I shall be able to give a good account of educational matters here. I say that in regard to these matters we may thank God and take courage." (Applause)

Mr. Stewart said they were very much indebted to His Excellency for his kindness in presenting the prizes on that occasion, and for the encouragement he had given to the boys. They were also very grateful to him for the interest and aid he had extended to the school throughout his administration of the Colony. It did them all, both masters and boys, a great deal of good, coming among them on occasions like this, especially after the hard work they had gone through. His Excellency's name and kindness would not be forgotten.

His Excellency then announced to the boys that their holidays would commence on that day, and continue until the 1st March. He urged them not to entirely neglect their studies during the period, but to devote a short time each day to them, so that what they had learnt might not be forgotten. He also reminded them that there was no real happiness in absolute idleness, and that they could forget as much in one month as they had learned in six. He hoped they would enjoy their holidays, and return to their studies in health, with happy minds and happy hearts.

native houses in the Colony 1878

**HONGKONG, TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 1878.**

When the Chinese petition relating to the structure of native houses in the Colony and the reply of His Excellency to the same were published in the Government Gazette, we expressed our surprise that His Excellency should have approved of the prayer of the petitioners, and went on to say that, if there was one matter in which reform was urgently needed in the Colony, it was in regard to the manner in which the poorer class of Chinese lived, or rather existed, here. That manner was, we stated, a disgrace to a British Colony and to British civilisation. The houses were constructed totally regardless of sanitary requirements, and were overcrowded to an extent that would seem absolutely incredible to others than eye-witnesses; drainage and cleanliness were scarcely thought about; windows were commonly turned into chimneys, and, generally speaking, the dwellings of the Chinese coolies in the Colony were somewhat less healthy and sweet smelling than piggeries, where there was at least a considerable amount of ventilation.

We observe with very considerable satisfaction that this abominable condition of things was brought in a most forcible way before the Legislative Council yesterday by Mr. Keswick, and the very sensible argument advanced that, as the prisoners in the Gaol enjoyed at the present moment infinitely better sanitary regulations and arrangements than honest people outside, it was desirable that before more ventilation and air were provided for the former, something should be done to ameliorate the condition of the unfortunate people who are sufficiently unsophisticated to obtain their living by legitimate means. The rumour, mentioned by Mr. Keswick, that the report of the Commission on the sanitary state of the native parts of the Colony was of so frightful a nature that it was thought desirable by the Administration not to order its publication, is no news to the bulk of the foreign residents on the Island. It is certain that such a report was prepared, and for some reason or other never published, while the results of the examinations of native houses quoted by Mr. Keswick shows that, if the Report of the Commission was an honest one, it must have been of the frightful nature indicated.

Mr. Keswick did not quote the whole of the instances of abominable sanitary arrangements he had detailed in the document before him, and as we were kindly favoured with the loan of the same for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of a report of the proceedings of the Council, he will probably excuse our giving the remainder of the instances of the way in which the poorer class of Chinese live here:

* **No. 7 Upper Lascar Row:** The cookhouse used for boiling pork-fat, 12ft. by 7ft. and 7ft. high. 16 large tubs of pork-fat standing at back of house and 91 pans of the same and pigskins. Rice pounding carried on in a small room alongside and a chandler's shop in front, $13 rent; Chinese owner; 14 men living in the place, no women or children; in occupation for fifteen years. Water carried from a hydrant—say 10 or 12 loads a day.

* **Yu Yuen Lane next to No. 2 East Street:** Big well on the left, used for washing and drinking, a filthy drain 2ft. away from it. An open brick gutter, with holes through into another drain, 13ft. below, adjoins. There is another well at the turn of the yard, and then another drain 8ft. distant from it, with a dirty narrow gully, into which run brick downspouts reeking with filth. The water of the last mentioned well is 15ft. down and only 1ft. 6in. deep. There are wooden cookhouses adjoining at back of some coolie houses, which have open spouts discharging into the gutter which runs under the floor of the end house through a grating, where an old woman is constantly employed to stir it up to make it run. The lane narrows up towards the end which is 11ft. 4in. by 13ft. by 4ft, with a roof over; 3 people sleep under this and two more at the entrance. It is full of their beds and their food and firewood, and so dark that they cannot see each other.

* **Yu-po Lane East, First Street, Syingpoon:** A dry shallow stinking drain in middle, and an empty well forming a filth receptacle at top of lane. These houses form the basements of those in Second Street. One is a bean-curd maker's and has a loft above and a well in corner all open, 44ft. long, 11ft. 4in. wide, 10ft. 8in. to loft; 5 people sleep below, 18 more in the loft. Below all is soaking wet. Two pitch-dark wooden partitions are at the back part having a grating leading up to Second Street and a kind of ventilating shaft, down which everything disgusting is thrown from the 2 floors above. The chimney of the bean-curd stove blocks up the only window leading out only just clear of its cell into the street above.

* **Shing Hing Lane, Syingpoon:** Down a wooden stair, a room at one side containing 6 people behind a boarded partition against which they cook. In one house three pigsties remaining, formerly 70 pigs were kept here. This house is 22 ft. 8 in. by 13 ft. 8 in. and 14 ft. high. It has 4 holes for light and air into a lane. It is the basement of a house in First Street. The people have been 3 or 4 years in possession, during which the stopping up of a hole in the flat roof of the cookhouse by a door is all the repairs done. It has a mud floor which is very wet and water comes through from the floor above. The kitchen is 13 ft. 8 in. by 5 ft., no chimney, a drain hole in corner, that and a downspout discharging into the street. There are 24 houses in the street like this. The men use a public privy in the street above, but the house privy frequented by women and children is only emptied once in 3 days. In one house 3 doors off, in which is a well having 2 ft. depth of water, the filth streams from above out of the wall and filters through.

* **Lane out of Eastern Street, Syingpoon and parallel with Queen's Road:** The main drain down this lane has been stopped up for several years, when opened it revealed 6 ft. deep of solid filth. The lane ends in a Court, where the filth swelters up from another drain whenever you tread on the stones. In the houses of a neighbouring lane it is usual for the women of the house to carry the night-soil to a ship 500 yards distant. The drain runs under the steps, within 1 foot of the well, out of which the water is sold for drinking.

Such information, we are told, might be multiplied ten-fold. What, on the other hand, are the regulations at Home? As long ago as 1848 the Public Health Act, long since superseded by a more complete system, enforced the following points. Upon the petition of the householders of any house accommodating over 20 persons, or on the death rate of a district being more than 28 per thousand, a local enquiry is to be held. It is noteworthy that the Chinese death rate in Hongkong has seldom been below 28 per thousand. According to the rules at Home, a perpetual local enquiry should, under these circumstances, take place. Then no house can, at Home, be built over a sewer. The contrary seems to be the rule in Hongkong. No new house can be built without drains. After twenty-four hours' notice (or without in emergencies) the district surveyor is to enter the premises and clean the drains even to the ash-pits, and a penalty of 10s. per day is to be paid. On the certificate of any two medical practitioners legal notice to whitewash, cleanse and purify is served. Cellars are not to be let as dwelling rooms unless of certain dimensions, and having an area in front; also unless a drain is provided one foot at least below the floor; a fire-place and an external window of a certain superficial area, made to open.

His Excellency, having disclaimed all knowledge of the report of the Commission, has, perhaps, some excuse for permitting this state of things to exist here unchecked in any way during the year and a half he has occupied Government House, although it is almost impossible to conceive he has been in entire ignorance of the horrible and disgusting way in which the Chinese have been herding together in this Colony. Indeed, His Excellency went so far yesterday as to say that the system under which the Chinese manage their domestic affairs is altogether different from ours, and subsequently appeared to intimate, although the language was somewhat ambiguous, that he did not think any changes were desirable, or at least he did not evince any willingness to undertake any.

What a parody this is on the fuss being made over the providing of 1,000 feet of cubic air for each criminal in the Prison. The "gaol birds" must have their 1,000 feet of cubic air per man with ample ventilation; the misguided individual, on the contrary, who is content to earn an honest living by the sweat of his brow must be satisfied with 160 feet, while as to ventilation, "the essentially Chinese style of dwelling, while economising space to the utmost" (to adopt the words of Mr. Hennessy's reply to the Chinese petition) "admits of a certain amount of light and ventilation through the small square spaces left at the back, called smoke holes." If the general principles entertained by the Chinese in regard to sanitation and ventilation be deemed by Mr. Hennessy best fitted for the good of the Colony, why does he apparently view so favourably the proposals for the application of the advanced ideas of Western science to the arrangements for the lodging and care of Chinese criminals? His Excellency spoke pretty strongly in some of his earlier speeches with respect to the small amount of cubic space enjoyed by the native prisoners in the Gaol.

Mr. Hennessy paid his first visit to the Central School

HONGKONG, TUESDAY, JAN. 8, 1878.

It is satisfactory to learn that Mr. Hennessy paid his first visit to the Central School on Saturday, because it was regarded as rather singular that while His Excellency could honour the Convent with his presence, and busy himself over that unfortunate mirror at Wanchai, the Central School—the chief Government educational establishment of the Colony—should be left out in the cold.

The author of the recently published pamphlet on the Central School was pleased to write of this neglect of the institution in Gough Street as a "silly rumour." We regarded it as a serious fact.

Some particulars may be found interesting at the present moment of the system of grants-in-aid, by which the Government here endeavours to promote elementary education, and to which priestly intolerance, even in its poverty, is not willing to stoop. We defy any parent who recognises the right of a Government to obtain some assurance that the public money it devotes to educational or other purposes is fairly earned, or who desires some guarantee that his child is not stuffed at school with religious dogmas to the exclusion of a useful education, to find any serious flaw in the merits of this scheme.

Before any grant can be made to a school the Government must be satisfied that (1) the school premises are healthy, well lighted, drained and ventilated, properly furnished, and contain sufficient internal space for the average attendance; (2) the master is competent; (3) the average attendance is not under twenty; (4) the time devoted to secular instruction is not less than four hours daily; (5) the school roll is carefully kept and proper discipline maintained, and that (6) the organisation is good.

The Government does not interfere in any way with (1) the religious instruction of a school; (2) the hours for such instruction, provided they are either before or after the hours of secular instruction required by the code; (3) the appointment of a teacher, provided he is competent, or (4) the school books, provided they are sufficient as regards the secular instruction they contain. If the Inspector reports defects in the teaching, the accommodation, the organisation, the discipline, or the books and apparatus, the school still receives the grant, but a reduction of five per cent. is made in each case of a defect of this kind. Due regard is, however, in all these cases, paid to circumstances.

A school receiving a grant must also, at all times, be open to Government inspection, and the basis of examination is two hundred daily attendances of not less than four hours each, at secular instruction, in the course of the year.

The grants are of a liberal nature, ranging from five dollars to sixteen dollars and a half for every child passing the annual examination. In addition to these sums there is also a capitation grant of one dollar given to each child who has attended school the stated number of times, and also extra grants of from one to two dollars for passes in algebra, geometry, physical geography, needle-work, and the natural sciences. The grants at Home on the results of the instruction of the artisan classes in 1875 amounted only to, on the average, 16s. 1d. per head. The lowest grant out here, that for schools in which merely a Chinese education is given—is $5, exclusive of the capitation grant of $1 for attendance.

It is really most astonishing to us that any person engaged in the work of education in this Colony, be he priest or presbyter, should choose to hold aloof from such a liberal and excellently conceived scheme as this. That a priest, fresh from shores where Popish influence, should make some show of resistance to a scheme which does necessitate some official interference in his schemes, is a matter we could very well understand; but surely the head of the Roman Catholic Church in this Colony has been here long enough to perceive that the Government of a British Colony can hardly venture to treat Romish schools on a different footing to others, or make grants of the public money without some enquiry as to the results.

It is the part of a Government to care for the education of its people, and the Government that would hand this duty over to priests, without taking some trouble to assure itself that the work was properly performed, would be neglectful of its duty. Whether Government aid is received by a school or not, we are inclined to believe the Government would only be discharging its duty to its subjects generally in taking measures to assure itself that all educational establishments were really efficient and did the work they were supposed to be doing.

It is not the duty of the Government to devote the funds, raised from all classes of religionists, to the propagation of any particular dogmas, or any dogmas at all. The State ought not, as the author of the pamphlet on the Central School, prominently asserts, to become a priest. As a matter of fact our scheme of Grants-in-aid is arranged on exactly the same principles as that in practice at Home, where the heads of Roman Catholic schools do not appear to be so independent of Government support.

HONGKONG, MONDAY, FEB. 11, 1878.

SEVERAL features in the Prize-giving Exhibition at St. Joseph's College on Saturday call for passing remark.

It must be admitted that the Managers of that College are much better versed in rendering such ceremonies interesting and effective than is the Headmaster of the Government Central School. In such displays Mr. Stewart is apparently hopelessly behind the age, and he may hide his diminished head with the becoming modesty which is natural to his disposition and character.

It was, however, the policy of the Roman Catholic Bishop to present his school in as favourable a light as possible before His Excellency the Governor and the public; and he has done it. We see no reason whatever why he should not have done so; and there is not the slightest necessity that we are aware of why the fact should not be frankly admitted, that the College known as St. Joseph, conducted by the Christian Brothers, is an institution which satisfactorily fulfils the object of its existence, viz., to impart a plain commercial English education that will enable the Portuguese youth of the Colony to obtain their livelihood in the employment of foreigners here and elsewhere.

As friends of education generally it is our pleasing duty to congratulate Bishop Raimondi upon the success of his efforts to introduce the Christian Brothers into his College; and now that the College has made so much progress that every pupil who leaves the school is able to speak English more or less. His Lordship may now fairly claim the fullest support to which he is entitled under the Grant-in-aid Scheme of our Colonial Education system.

It certainly cannot be said that the Governor was stinted or straightened in his praise of the institution, while it must be noted that he said much more about his Educational policy at this meeting than he did at the Central School. But, as we have formerly observed, we do not begrudge the Roman Catholic party one iota of its laudations or congratulations. It is only when the interests of truth and fair play appear to be somewhat overlooked, and when things are knowingly or unthinkingly said against the Central School, to the detriment of the latter and the glorification of St. Joseph, that we feel disposed to hazard a remark.

The Governor himself has asserted that the Education question has been under his careful consideration for the last four or five months; and although he has altogether avoided the Central School and its head in his course of study, he is generally supposed to have mastered the details of the work carried on under Mr. Stewart. Mr. Francis has also been credited with a large amount of writing and a superfluity of activity concerning the same subject, while he is said to have done much to enlighten the public on the "failure" of the Central School.

The two leading speakers, therefore, at the Prize-giving ought to have been thoroughly well up in their subject; and in the present state of feeling on that question, it is reasonable to presume that they would have followed the example of their Bishop and dealt with the matter in a fair and impartial spirit. Those who profess to know all about education in Hongkong, and who are openly opposed to the system as adopted by Mr. Stewart at the Central School, ought to have seen the unfairness of drawing an invidious comparison between the results at a College, whose pupils are foreign and seek only to learn English to fit them for life's duties, and those of a school composed almost entirely of Chinese whose difficulties in acquiring English and Chinese are far greater in proportion and who must learn Chinese to enable them to find employment in the Customs, as well as in commercial and other native services.

This, however, is pardonable; but what can be said of the misrepresentation made by Mr. Francis regarding the teaching of English in the Government School? His words are: "I was astonished to find that, at the recent examination of the Central School, only forty or fifty of the boys had been learning English, or were able to speak any English at all."

Now, it seems to us that here the speaker's legal education and habits ought to have prevented him from so grossly misunderstanding the answer given by Mr. Stewart to the Governor at the Prize-giving in the Central School. "I asked my friend, Mr. Stewart, this morning [said H.], how many of these spoke English, and he said 'fifty or sixty,' - meaning, of course, that of the 600 boys attending school during the year fifty or sixty were competent to speak our language, in contradistinction to the jabbering of broken English so common amongst boys of a certain age."

How the impression could possibly have been taken from this remark of Mr. Stewart's, that only forty or fifty boys were being taught English, is more than we can explain—in fact, we would rather not explain it. The real truth is, that every boy who enters the Central School is, from that hour, taught English four hours a day, as regularly as the clock strikes the hours, until he takes final leave of the school! And yet the false impression here noted is not only assiduously circulated, but is flaunted triumphantly before the public—to the detriment of the Government School, and as a reason for doing something great on behalf of St. Joseph's College.

Surely the Catholic party, with all their eagerness to obtain as much support as they can from the Governor, cannot expect to further its best interests by blundering statements like these.

Of the Governor's speech—which was in some measure tainted with the same fallacy—we must speak more at length at another time. It seems very strange that he did not see fit to correct the unfair and unjust impression which he could not have failed to see was made by the misleading remarks of Mr. Francis.

Perhaps his speech was constructed upon the same false basis, and it may be that he did not himself know what was taught and what was not taught in the Government School. His Excellency appears to be strangely fascinated with this desire to extend the teaching of the English language, and as the head of the Government he is bound to encourage English speaking as much as possible, in accordance with his other principles.

He must, however, continue to teach Chinese as well, and he must also deal fairly with those who desire to learn both Chinese and English. We have grave doubts regarding the statement that there is less English speaking amongst the Chinese in Hongkong at the present time than there was in 'the days of Sir John Davis' (thirty years ago).

In fact, we do not believe a word of it. Our respect for the admirable and encouraging results of the teaching in St. Joseph's College forbids the ridiculous notion.

THE JEWISH CLUB IN LONDON.—The Jews are more liberal towards their women than many Christians are. For instance, the Jewish Club in London contains women as well as men, whole families, in fact; and there are 250 women to 600 men. The experiment has been found thoroughly

沙巴都士昨日擊敗世安

谷哥報導的潘世安在1938/03/06 之役有些出入, 現經核實以下:

香港華字日報 1938-01-06

匈牙利乒乓冠軍抵港在港逗留期間

世界乒乓冠軍沙巴都士及其助手基倫，均為匈牙利籍。匈牙利素有「世界乒乓霸主」之稱，沙巴都士曾於一九三一年代表匈牙利，榮獲世界乒乓單打冠軍，並與塞倫君合拍奪得世界雙打冠軍。此後，兩人轉為職業球員，在歐洲各地巡迴表演，聲名遠播。有感於遠東乒乓運動發展潛力，遂萌生遠遊之念，先後到訪日本、上海，近日抵港，並將前往澳門獻技。

香港華字日報 1938-02-10

世界乒乓冠軍沙巴都士返港有期乒乓聯會遴選名手作表演籌賑賽最後勝利杯單人賽提前截止報名

本港乒乓聯會日前曾與沙巴都士及基倫接洽，擬於兩人南返時，再度舉辦表演賽，並將收入撥作籌賑之用。沙基兩氏已首肯。據悉，兩人行程已定：本月十日離日赴滬，約十三日抵滬，在滬逗留一星期後，於二十日啟程來港，預計廿三或廿四日抵達。為配合此次籌賑賽，聯會特將「最後勝利杯」單人賽報名截止日期提前至本月十一日（星期五），團體賽則押後至廿號截止。

香港華字日報 1938-02-26

世界乒乓冠軍沙巴都士今日抵港，即夕將與港、滬、澳選手舉行表演賽。

世界乒乓冠軍沙巴都士及同行者，已於昨日由日本返港。預計今日下午五時抵港，當晚八時將在華人青年會舉行表演賽。屆時，中、港、滬、澳選手將進行表演賽，以饗港僑耳目，並由永星音樂社奏曲助興。預料屆時將盛況空前。

香港華字日報 1938-02-27

世界乒乓冠軍昨晚表演精彩異常潘世安力戰勝沙巴都士今晚再在港僑中學表演

日前，世界乒乓冠軍沙巴都士及基倫抵港，於乒乓聯會健身室舉行表演賽。由於沙基兩氏抵達時間較晚，賽程有所調整。現場氣氛熱鬧，各場比賽均甚精彩，其中一場焦點賽事，潘世安力戰舟車勞頓的沙巴都士，以二比零（廿一比十一、廿一比十八）連勝兩局。據悉，這些表演賽旨在為傷兵難民籌募善款。

香港華字日報 1938-03-03

澳門乒乓界得知消息後，亦派員邀請沙巴都士及基倫來澳表演。兩人欣然應允，並定於本月四日下午八時，在澳門利宵學校健身室與當地名手切磋。澳門乒乓球隊自榮獲全國冠軍後，實力強勁，去年曾以五比零擊敗來訪的香港選手。此次世界冠軍到訪，預料將帶來一場精彩絕倫的賽事。

香港華字日報 1938-03-05

世界乒乓大王沙巴都士及其助手基倫，今日下午乘渡輪前往澳門比賽。其在港的臨別表演，經乒乓聯會定於今日下午二時，在中華百貨公司五樓舉行。是日節目，由沙巴都士對本港名手潘世安；潘世芳將與基倫對壘；上海名手貝安邦亦於是日一顯身手。日前勇敗葉倫的上海健將容今武，亦由廣州趕至。

省港同義研究會體育部屬下的球隊，昨夕與乒乓協進會女子隊在該會球室進行友誼賽，結果同義隊以六比一奏凱。該會小型足球隊昨日下午五時，與月星隊在修頓球場進行友誼賽，雙方表演異常賣力，結果同義隊以三比一獲勝。今日下午三時半，該隊將在同一個球場迎戰九龍區勁旅鐸地青年團。雙方實力相埒，屆時或有精彩表演。

太古足球隊定於本星期日下午，應扶輪會之約，會師於西灣河太古球場。月星小型足球隊，應天然隊及籃白隊之約，於本星期日下午四時，分別在何文田球場迎戰。貼佬閣小型球隊，為切磋球藝，於本星期日下午五時，特約九龍城小型球隊，在九龍城兒童遊樂場舉行友誼比賽。貼佬閣隊由體育界先進組成，實力不弱，屆時定有一番精彩表演。

香港華字日報 1938-03-06

沙巴都士昨日擊敗世安

昨日，沙巴都士與其助手基倫再度與本港名手較量。首場由基倫對潘世安，潘氏先以廿一比十七取下首局，基倫奮勇扳回一城，最終以二比一反敗為勝。次場焦點戰，沙巴都士以二比一擊敗潘世安。第三場，港選手鄭國榮以二比一勝基倫，勝來甚覺容易。第四場，沙巴都士對潘世芳，潘氏雖與其弟潘世安球藝不相伯仲，惟因疏於練習，未能發揮水準，終以二比一敗於沙氏。第五場，沙巴都士與基倫表演各種抽、掃、切、截球術，時而忽快忽慢，亦莊亦諧，引得觀眾掌聲與笑聲不斷。

英皇書院排球、籃球均告捷。

香港華字日報 1938-01-26

英皇書院排球、籃球均告捷。香港英皇排籃球隊趁便征澳，此行圓滿結束。昨日首次出師對陣『怒吼』隊，排球、籃球均告勝利。是日觀眾百餘人，戰況亦頗精彩。英皇隊為久戰之師，技術常勝一籌。『怒吼』隊雖得健將之助，然因聯絡未得當，終告敗北。排球賽以零比三慘敗後，籃球賽繼續開戰。『怒吼』隊開始一度佔優勢，但後勁不繼，終以四十二比四十七失利。英皇隊全獲勝利。

培道學校通告：本校已遷港，新校址為九龍區華街安至十號。現招收高初中各級轉學生，並歡迎學生報告返校。報名及取閱章程時間為即日起至二月四日上午九時。報名地點：街盱四號嘉華儲蓄銀行。臨時辦事處設於九號窩打老道青年會。

光華中學招生。分校地址：雲咸街七十七號。校長：黃燕語。

立正學校招生：初小、幼稚園各級插班生。定於二月五日(舊曆正月[日期不明])招生。男校地址：般含道[號碼不明]，電話：22595。女校地址：巴內街[號碼不明]，經何文田廳立案。

育學學校招生，電話：2158。

金陵中學招生：初高中附小各級新生。辦事處設於便臣道五號中寶坊四號。正校位於廣州，可容納學生二千名。學校董事包括孫科、陳立夫、鄒魯。取閱章程及報名處：南北行街[地址不明]、歧縠玉酒庄、永安街[地址不明]、上環大[地址不明]。

旺角洗衣街。電話：5023。

本港英文學校去年學生人數大幅減少

天光報 1936-05-30

本港英文學校去年學生人數大幅減少。本港的英文學校制度，引起不少人的批評，認為必須改善，才能提高教育效能，符合一般水準。其學制分為八年，課程多注重英文，中文則相對淺薄，導致學生轉學國內後往往不及格，且學費高昂。因此，近年來其發展停滯不前。

據教育司報告，去年全港英文學校的學生人數，由一萬八千零三十六名減至一萬七千零八十六名，減少了九百五十名。該報告書亦指出，全港華人學子共五萬八千三百九十四名，其中肄業於英文學校者為一萬七千零八十六名。

香港華人公開長途賽跑

天光報 1935-03-03

昨日，一場轟動一時的香港華人公開長途賽跑於下午二時舉行。開賽前，現場人潮湧動，盛況空前，實屬罕見。

賽跑結果，男子組冠軍為大坑青年團的楊華生，亞軍為中南體育會的徐煥光，季軍為文廣南。女子組冠軍為中南會的伍煥英，亞軍為個人參賽者周潔，季軍為黃景莊。

頒獎典禮於昨晚在合一堂舉行，由胡文燦主禮，場面熱鬧非凡。

---

（專訪）香港油麻地小輪公司的過海月票，其效力僅限於午夜十二時前。超過此時段，即使小輪營運至凌晨二時，月票亦無法使用。然而，尖沙咀小輪公司則不然，該公司在延長服務時間後，小輪營運至凌晨一時三十分後，持有其月票的乘客仍可通行無阻。

同為過海渡輪公司，但對待乘客的待遇卻如此懸殊，引發外界不滿。記者昨日就此事詢問香港油麻地小輪公司總經理劉德譜先生。他表示，此事西方報章亦有報導，但外界不了解本公司內部情況，因此產生這些言論。他解釋說，其實敝公司與尖沙咀小輪公司的負擔完全不同，敝公司每年須向政府繳納稅餉，而尖沙咀小輪公司則無需繳納。這便是兩者不同之處。

nnual distribution of prizes for the Anglo-Chinese District Gove

1906 Prize Distribution Day

Hong Kong Daily Press 1906-01-20

The annual distribution of prizes for the Anglo-Chinese District Government Schools was held yesterday at Yaumati, with His Excellency the Governor presiding. Among those present were Mr. R. A. B. Ponsonby, His Excellency's private secretary; Mr. E. A. Irvine, Inspector of Schools; Rev. Bro. Sylvester, director of St. Joseph's College; Mr. G. H. Piercey, principal of the Diocesan School; Messrs. W. H. Williston, Ho Tung, and others. The programme was arranged to combine business with pleasure, with items interspersed with the day's business. The principal of each school read his annual report, extracts from which follow.

**YAUMATI SCHOOL**

Mr. W. Curwen said: "Your Excellency, Inspector of Schools, Ladies and Gentlemen, in presenting this, my third annual report on the work of this school, I hope I may be allowed the privilege of classing this prize distribution as an auspicious occasion for the peninsula of Kowloon, as it partakes of the nature of a double function. It celebrates the opening of the New Government School for the education of Chinese youths in English ideas, and it is the first distribution of prizes to Chinese scholars in a Government School in the peninsula of Kowloon by H.E. the Governor of the Colony. Since my last report, the staff has been increased by the appointment of two additional assistant Chinese masters. The work of my entire present staff has been performed in an exceedingly satisfactory manner. The fees and attendance have increased from $1,200 to $1,800, and the average daily attendance has risen from 84 to 95, being an increase in fees of 50 per cent and in attendance of 15 per cent. This, I think, can be considered evidence of a desire on the part of Chinese parents and guardians for a sound and thorough English education in Kowloon and the district.

"Hygiene has been added to our syllabus during the past year. As you are aware, I reported very favourably on the teaching of history in my last report, and my further experience teaches me that it can be taught, though I am more than sorry to say the experiment must now terminate owing to the reorganization scheme. Under this scheme, we have to eliminate history from our curriculum due to the fact that the upper classes are to be abolished. In doing away with these classes, I am not fully convinced that a right course is being adopted. In saying this, I do not wish to be thought cantankerous, but the end and aim of the District Schools cannot altogether be looked upon as feeders of Queen's College, as the greater majority of pupils who attend our schools do so with a desire to qualify for positions in firms at salaries, say, from $25 to $40 per mensem, and the education given at our schools is ample for that purpose. I have personally inquired into every case in which a boy has left this school from the upper class in order to discover his destination and work. This is the result: 16 boys have left from the upper classes; four of them have gone to Queen's College; only one cannot be traced; the remainder are working in various situations."

**WAN CHAI SCHOOL**

Mr. Young Hee's report was as follows: "Your Excellency, Mr. Irvine, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with much pleasure that I present my annual report. On January 1st, 1905, there were 98 names on the School Roll. During the year, there were 104 applications for admission. Of these, 90 were enrolled (the remaining 14 failed to pass the required test in Chinese), thus bringing the total number on books up to 188. From various causes, 49 left. The number on roll at the end of the year was 139. The school has been open for 238 days, and the average daily attendance was 14.08, which is considerably higher than any previous year. The fees collected amount to $2,349, which is an increase of $758.50 upon last year's revenue, and I think that the school is now in a most flourishing condition.

"There have been a number of changes in the staff due to promotions, and at the present time, it consists of myself and five assistants. The recommendation made by the Inspector of Schools in his last annual report on the 'Notes of Lessons' has been carried out satisfactorily, and the assistants now keep all 'notes' in suitable books. Hygiene has been consistently taught throughout the year, and the boys have applied themselves with much energy to a most useful branch of study. The Inspector of Schools has paid several visits for the purpose of testing the progress of the school, and speaking generally, the results are most satisfactory. Mathematics, the English subjects, and hygiene appear to the best advantage, especially so in the junior classes. Translation is exceedingly good. Possessing as I do a profound knowledge of Chinese literature, I take great interest in the teaching of this subject, and the results are most gratifying. The school has on several occasions been visited by teachers from some of the grant-in-aid schools in the Colony, and by representatives sent out by the educational authorities of the Philippines for the express purpose of studying the methods of teaching English in practice in the District Schools. The normal class has been held at my school (under the supervision of the District Head Masters) on Saturday mornings, when the assistant teachers have been instructed in the modern methods of teaching. The lessons and criticisms cannot fail to have had a most beneficial effect."

**SAI YING PUN SCHOOL**

The Head, Mr. A. Morris, said: "Your Excellency, Mr. Irvine, Ladies, and Gentlemen, my term of office as Head Master of the Sai Ying Pun District School dates from the end of June. At the commencement of the summer vacation, I submitted a report on the unsatisfactory condition in which I found the school. The staff includes three Anglo-Chinese assistants, one vernacular master, and myself. The number in attendance throughout the year has been very poor, the highest monthly average being 49 and the lowest 35, while the average for the year was only 44. The fees collected were small, amounting to $745. On the general results of the work, there has been steady and constant progress, and I have every reason to believe that the school is now in a satisfactory state of efficiency.

"I have, with the consent of the Inspector of Schools, tried several innovations, which have been unqualified successes; these included launch trips, walking excursions, and swimming and drawing exercises. The excursions, numbering about 30, were to the most important factories and chief places of interest in the Colony. They were well attended by both teachers and pupils, and I feel confident the boys derived much benefit therefrom, both mentally and physically, as well as morally. During the excursions, specimens were collected, and these have gone to swell the contents of a museum of objects which have been further augmented by the presentation of most useful and valuable cases of specimens from different English manufacturing firms. Drawing has been taught for the first time, and the syllabus includes freehand, geometry, and brush work. During the summer months, bathing parties were arranged, and the boys taught swimming. I think the initiation of an inter-schools contest in swimming, somewhat similar to the football and hygiene competitions, but with more restrictions so as to place the weaker schools on a more equal footing, would give a great impetus to a most useful, healthy, and popular exercise. Owing to the small number in the school, we were unable to compete in the hygiene shield contest."

His Excellency then distributed the prizes and said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the erection of the building where we are assembled today for the first time is due to the generosity of Mr. Ho Tung, who I am glad to see present. Mr. Ho Tung consented to present to the Government of Hong Kong that school which is lower down Robinson Road, and which was built at his expense, so that it should be maintained for British children instead of, as he had originally intended, for children of all nationalities. He made it a condition to his consent that an equally good school should be provided for the Chinese boys of Yaumati, and this building has been erected in part fulfilment of that condition. I don't think the Yaumati boys have lost by the substitution of this building for the other. It is certainly as good a schoolhouse and has the additional advantage of a big playground, and is also more centrally and conveniently situated for residents of Yaumati. It is like the other school on the Robinson Road, the 100-foot road that will eventually go from Tsim Sha Tsui to old Kowloon Point. We propose to make a part of the road in front of this house immediately, and to the north, and later on to cut through the hill you see out of the window in order to join it to the present termination of the road near the Chinese theatre, so that you may understand not only the geographical position of the school, but also its position in the general scheme of Government education.

"I propose to give you a few facts with regard to that scheme. There are altogether 81 Government and Government-aided schools in the Colony, and the average attendance, which is, of course, very much lower than the total numbers on the roll, is about 5,000. Of this number, about one-third are trained in the eleven Government Schools, by far the most important of which is Queen's College, where an average of over 1,000 boys are instructed. Next, after Queen's College, come the three principal Anglo-Chinese Schools where the boys are assembled this morning. One is the Wan Chai School, situated on the east side of Victoria; another is the Sai Ying Pun School, situated at the west side; and the third is here at Yaumati. Then there are other Chinese schools at Tang Leung Chow, in Victoria, at Aberdeen, on the southwest side of the Island of Hong Kong, and at Ng Lung, the principal market town on the west side of the New Territory. Then there is the small vernacular school, which I hope eventually will become an Anglo-Chinese school, at Shek Ho, on the southeast side of the island of Hong Kong. We are going to start this year an Anglo-Chinese school at Taipo, a market town on the east side of the New Territory. For special purposes, an Anglo-Indian school has been started in Victoria, the Victoria school for British boys and children, and the Kowloon school for British girls and children, while for Chinese girls there is the Belilios School in Victoria with its English and vernacular classes.

"I don't propose to increase the number of these schools, but I hope we shall be able to add to their extent and to their efficiency. In order to carry out this idea, we propose in the first place to start evening continuation classes at Queen's College; next, to raise the general standard of that establishment and make the three principal Chinese schools feeders for that College. It seemed to me that there was a waste of teaching power in having larger classes for a higher standard in the Anglo-Chinese schools where there were only one or two boys in each class, who would do better if they had greater stimulus in the higher classes of Queen's College. I hope in time that Dr. Bateson Wright's best scholars will be those who have been through Mr. Young Hee, Mr. Curwen, and Mr. Morris. I see no reason why we should not be able to raise the other Anglo-Chinese schools, those on either the island or in the New Territory, to the same level as their principal one, so that they also shall become feeders of Queen's College. In the Anglo-Indian School, there is room for considerable development, and I know with regard to the British that Messrs. Williams and James are doing their utmost to push them on, while at Belilios School, Mrs. Bateman's successor will find work in front of her in training the future mothers of the Colony.

"I thought these general remarks on education in the Colony would be of more interest to the ladies and gentlemen present than any detailed criticism of the Head Master's reports. With regard to those reports and the work of the boys, I have only to add that I think much has been done in the past year by Messrs. Curwen and Young Hee, and that Mr. Morris has made an excellent start in his school. I will give my special prize on this occasion, the occasion of the opening of the Yaumati school, to Young King Fuk, the head boy of that school." (Applause.) "I wish now to express the thanks of the Government to Mr. Ho Tung for his generosity, and to declare the school opened." (Great applause.)

Mr. Ho Tung briefly acknowledged the thanks, and Mr. Curwen, on behalf of masters and scholars, conveyed a hearty vote of thanks to the Governor

Annual Speech Day of the Vernacular Government School 1935

Hong Kong Daily Press 1935-01-28

The Annual Speech Day of the Vernacular Government School was observed on Saturday, with a large number of parents and friends present at the school hall, which was tastefully decorated for the occasion. Mr. H. K. Woo, LL.B., presented the certificates, scholarships, and prizes to the successful candidates. Among those present were Messrs. J. P. Lau (Inspector of Vernacular Schools), War Yul Sing (Inspector of Chinese Schools), Fung Ping Shun, Fung Ping Wah, Chan Ping Woon, Chan Kwan Po, Loh Hee Tong, and others.

The Headmaster, Mr. Li King Hong, B.A., in his report, stressed that despite the increase in school fees and the pinch of depression, the enrolment remained steady without substantial change. This fact alone serves as ample proof of the community's demand for this vernacular form of education.

Continuing his report, the Headmaster said, inter alia: "In the sphere of sports, we had a very active year. In June, for the first time in the history of our school, we sent a team of about 20 boys to participate in the inter-school aquatic and field sports. In July, four Normal students sat for their final examination. On account of two shortened consecutive school years, only one candidate passed, while in the previous examination, we had 90% success. In the Middle School Division and Higher Primary Division, we had to stiffen our examinations because of the shortened year, and their percentages of promotions were 76.19% and 52.68% respectively—a gratifying result as a whole. The number of promotions from the Higher Primary Division was held back because we had to promote boys to Lower Middle 1 from two Higher Primary Second Year classes."

"I am happy to announce that an Old Boys' Association, including both Middle School and Normal alumni, was founded in July. Mr. Fung Ping Fan was elected its first president. Mr. Fung generously donated to the school a complete set of the Chinese books kept at the former Imperial Library and reprinted by the Commercial Press, setting a good example to those who are in a position to help their alma mater."

A word of thanks is due to the Pen-Hok-Tun gentlemen, who have shown unflinching support and encouragement to our pupils by increasing their scholarship money in proportion to the raised tuition fees, and to the Bank of East Asia, which has been good enough to give 6% interest to the donation of the late Mr. Fung Ping Shan's Scholarships. Finally, the Headmaster thanked Mr. Woo for coming to present the prizes. (Applause).

**Mr. Woo's Speech**

Mr. Woo began his speech by saying, "I have to thank Mr. Li for asking me to come and distribute the prizes this morning. It is an honour which I appreciate in the highest degree. I have also to thank Mr. Li for his kind reference, in the report which you have just heard, to my being a good example of bilingual attainment. This is a great compliment."

"Looking at the facts and figures mentioned in Mr. Li's report regarding enrolment, fees, and attendances during the year under review, I think it must be agreed on all sides that this School has fully justified its existence. From personal experience, through being for a number of years one of the examiners of this and other schools, I know of no school where Chinese language and literature is more effectively taught. (Applause)."

Regarding Confucian Classics, Mr. Woo stated, "In my opinion, the Confucian classics fulfill the threefold object of true education, namely, to make us good, useful, and wise. With regard to the first object of Education, namely, to make us morally good, it is hardly necessary for me to enlarge on the point because, as Mr. Li has put it, the Confucian doctrines are based on conscience and virtue. With regard to the second object of Education, namely, to make us useful, the fact is sometimes overlooked that Confucius was a practical man of affairs. With regard to the third object of Education, namely, to make us wise: Everyone knows Confucius was devoted to learning, and it is unnecessary to quote passages from the Confucian classics to support this statement. Furthermore, the matters and things to which his efforts were directed were matters and things current in his own time."

On the Chinese Language, he remarked, "To say that the Chinese traditional language is a dead language would be conveying the impression that there is a vast difference between it and the colloquial language, which is of course far from being the case. Such a statement might lead one to suppose that the traditional language differs from the colloquial language as Anglo-Saxon differs from present-day English; whereas practically the same Chinese words are used in the colloquial as in the traditional language, and the traditional form is a perfect vehicle of conversation between educated people. As for the accusation that the traditional language is too difficult for the average student, this is a statement that can hardly be taken seriously. When I heard people talk about Chinese colloquial poetry, my first impression was that it is some kind of Chinese limerick, or some burlesque parody, for the simple reason that colloquial and poetic are contradictory in terms. Furthermore, it may seem a paradox, but it is nevertheless true that unless you know the traditional language well, you can never hope to be able to write good colloquial language."

"For all these reasons, therefore, I strongly advise the boys of this school to have implicit faith in the traditional language as the sure foundation of other studies. I conclude by offering my hearty congratulations to Mr. Li and his staff for their excellent results during the year under review. I also wish to congratulate those who have received prizes. Those who have not been fortunate enough to receive prizes this year will find comfort in the advice given by Confucius: 'If another man succeed by one effort, you will use a hundred efforts. If another man succeed by ten efforts, you will use a thousand. Let a man proceed in this way, though dull, he will surely become intelligent; though weak, he will surely become strong.' I hope these boys will make further efforts in the true Confucian spirit. (Applause)."

**PRIZE LIST**

**Normal Certificate:**

Chau Chiu Tin

**Fung Ping Shan Scholarships:**

1. H.M. III, Chan Yik On

2. H.M. II, Li Choi Tsun

3. H.M. I, Kwan Sui K.

4. L.M. III, Cheung Chung Leung

5. L.M. II, Leung Pui Che

6. Entrance Exam, Fung Chun Ying

**H.M. Class Prizes:**

Tso Chung Chiu

Li Woon Wah

**H.M. II:**

1. Lee Wing Sum (Annual Examination)

2. Tso Ching Sun (Annual Examination)

3. Li Choi Tsun (Annual Exam.)

1. Wong Nai Shun (Terminal Examination)

**H.M. I:**

1. Kwan Sui Kim (Annual Ex.)

2. Li Yin Kee (Annual Ex.)

3. Ho Chan Yau (Annual Ex.)

1. Li Yin Kee (Terminal Ex.)

**L.M. III:**

1. Cheung Chung Leung (Terminal Examination)

2. Wan Ting Hung (Annual Ex.)

3. Tung Wan Tat (Annual Ex.)

1. Cheung Chung Leung (Terminal Examination)

**L.M. II:**

1. Leung Pui Cho (Annual Ex.)

2. Wai Po Kwai (Annual Ex.)

3. Sak Pak Hang (Annual Ex.)

1. Wai Po Kwai (Terminal Ex.)

**L.M. I:**

1. Woo Kwok Ip (Annual Ex.)

2. Tsoi Sai Tuen (Annual Ex.)

3. Au Yeung Yik Tsun (Annual Examination)

1. Woo Kwok Ip (Terminal Ex.)

**Normal 2nd Year:**

1. Chan Chiu Tin

**Normal 1st Year:**

1. Tang Yiu Sing (Annual Ex.)

2. Chan Pui Lam (Annual Ex.)

3. Mok Tsuen Yan (Annual Ex.)

1. Chan Pui Lam (Terminal Examination)

**H.P. IIA:**

1. Wong Man Hon (Annual Ex.)

2. Yau Po Chiu (Annual Ex.)

3. Mak Ping Lam (Annual Ex.)

1. Mak Ping Lam (Terminal Examination)

**H.P. IIB:**

1. Fung Shiu Woon (Annual Examination)

2. Wong Yin Sit (Annual Ex.)

3. Chow Ho Cheong (Annual Examination)

1. Wong Yin Sit (Terminal Ex.)

**H.P. IA:**

1. Lai Pak Cheong (Annual Ex.)

2. Leung Yu Yeung (Annual Examination)

3. Ng Woo Pong (Annual Ex.)

1. Ng Woo Pong (Terminal Ex.)

**H.P. IB:**

1. Kwan Kong Sze (Annual Ex.)

2. Kan Cheuk Chun (Annual Examination)

3. Ho Sai Tung (Annual Ex.)

1. Chan Pat Yu (Terminal Ex.)

**Subject Prizes:**

**Chinese:**

Normal I: Tang Yiu Sing

L.M. I: Tsoi Sai Tuen

H.P. IIA: Luk Kwok-Man

H.P. IIB: Fung Shiu Woon

H.P. IA: Leung Yu Yeung

H.P. IB: Ho Sai Tung

**English:**

L.M. I: Kwan Kee Chor

H.P. IIA: Wong Man Hon

H.P. IIB: Leung Kwong Chai

H.P. IA: Leung Yiu Yeung

H.P. IB: Kwan Kong Sze

**Science and Mathematics:**

Normal I: Mok Tsuen Yan

L.M. I: Woo Kwok Ip

H.P. IIA: Mak Ping Lam

H.P. IIB: Fung Shiu Woon

H.P. IA: Lai Pak Cheong

H.P. IB: Ho Sai Tung

**Education and School Methods:**

Normal 1st Year: Sung In Man

**Chinese Painting (Whole School):**

1. Wai Po Kwai

2. Fong Hong Hung

**Sports Prizes:**

**Inter-class Football Competition:**

**Champion Team:**

Ho York Yu (Captain)

Chu Gim Cheong

Li Seung Yuen

Yeung Chan Luk

Li Chun Lam

Ho Chi Wan

**Inter-class Football Competition, Senior Division Championship:**

Lo Ping Leung (Captain)

Wai Po Kwai

Kwok Chu Shing

Pun Yam Yung

Lam Cho Tao

Sak Pak Hang

**Runners-up:**

Lai Chung Yu (Captain)

Ho Chi Wah

Fung Hon Hung

Tsang Tso Tung

Lam Kei

Tsoi Keung

**Junior Team Championship:**

Chau Chan Biu (Captain)

Yeung Chun Luk

Lo Wing Kuen

Lau Shiu Bun

Wai Po Lam

Mui Yee Cheung

CHUN-SHING INSTITUTE OF COMMERCE 1935

Hong Kong Daily Press 1935-01-28

---

**CHUN-SHING INSTITUTE OF COMMERCE**

**Principal Reviews Year's Work**

The half-yearly graduation certificate and prize-giving function of the 16th Term of Typewriting Course, together with the 3rd Term of Commerce of the Chun-Shing Institute of Commerce, was held in the presence of a very large gathering of students and friends at the King's Theatre yesterday morning. The Hon. Dr. S. W. Tso, O.B.E., LL.D., distributed the certificates and prizes to the successful candidates and complimented the Institute on the success of the year's work.

**A SATISFACTORY REPORT**

Principal Mr. Kwok Chun Shing said: "Dr. Tso, Ladies and Gentlemen. The Chun-Shing Institute of Commerce (formerly the Chun-Shing Typewriting School, founded in 1929) completed its 16th Term Typewriting Course together with its 3rd Term of Commerce in December 1934, and this is, therefore, its half-yearly report. The maximum number of students on roll was 216 of different nationalities, and the average attendance was about 90 per cent."

**Studies**

"As the majority of students attending this Institute came merely to receive training in some commercial art or knowledge, we deemed it necessary to graduate our curriculum into Courses: Commercial, Typewriting, and English. In the Commercial Course, there were two classes in the morning and one class in the evening; in the Typewriting Course, classes were held throughout the whole day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and in the English Course, classes were conducted in the evening (Standards 4, 6, and 8). In accordance with our aim to provide an all-round commercial education, special attention was paid to the teaching of Typewriting, Shorthand, Bookkeeping, Accountancy, Commercial Knowledge, Commercial Law, Correspondence, Arithmetic, Banking, Economics, Insurance, Shipping, Filing and Cardex Systems, Calculating Machine, Adding Machine, Check Writer, and Office Equipment."

**Staff**

"The Institute had on the staff very experienced and efficient personnel. They were Messrs. Li Yat Choi, A.A.; N. H. Gustilo, A.A., A.Sc.Com., B.Sc.Com., M.Sc., B.A.; H. L. Mars, D.C.S., Chartered Accountant (U.S.A.); Li Hung Tsot (Matric. Cert. of H.K. University); and Mrs. D. E. Evans (Cert. London Chamber of Commerce, Pitman's Cert., National Union of Teachers' Cert.). All of them were very conscientious in the discharge of their duties, and I take this opportunity to thank them publicly for their invaluable assistance."

**Sports**

"Due to lack of organization and a playground, games and sports did not receive as much attention as they ought to have received; however, steps had been taken to remedy this seeming neglect. During the term under review, football and basketball teams had been organized. Our Ping Pong team, which existed in former terms and consisted of experienced players, paid a visit to Canton where they had several friendly matches against some teams there. In the summer months, launch picnics round the Island of Hong Kong were frequently held, and with the approach of winter till the end of the term, bicycle excursions were organized, and we visited various parts of Kowloon and the New Territories. In all these picnics, I am glad to report, the students participated with great enthusiasm and enjoyed themselves to their hearts' content."

**Examination and Results**

"A total of 74 candidates sat for their graduation examination held in December last, and 45 passed. 11 out of 28 passed in Senior Typewriting, 37 out of 32 passed in Junior Typewriting, and 8 out of 16 passed in Commercial Course. The percentage of failures was rather high, and this was due to the stricter marking of the papers. We found it necessary to do so, as we wish to upkeep the tone and efficiency of this Institute. The first of the Senior Division in Typewriting is Master Leung Hung Kon, who can type 60 words a minute on any kind of typewriter after a period of four months' training. The first of the Elementary Commercial Course is Master Leung Kan Yin, who passed with nine subjects, such as Typewriting, Correspondence, Commercial Knowledge, Insurance, Import and Export, Shipping, Bookkeeping, Arithmetic, and Banking within a term of eight months."

**Annual Competition in Typewriting**

"With the hope of encouraging the students and improving their speed and efficiency, we have been holding an annual competition in typewriting. The competition for 1934 took place on 21st January 1935, and 30 passed pupils sat for the contest. We were fortunate enough to secure the presence of Mr. H. Hurman to be one of the Supervisors of the contest. The winners of the contest were Masters William Li, G. R. All, and Bankkey Yip."

**Announcement**

"A new feature added to this Institute, whose work, since its foundation in 1929, done by the staff and the progress made by the students have been satisfactory, is that its authorities have been appointed representative and centre for the examination of the Institute of Commerce, Institute of Bookkeepers, and Pitman's Shorthand Institute, London, the passing of which will lead to Diploma and Degree. I take this opportunity to announce to the public that the first examination to be held in this Institute and open to outside candidates will take place about the beginning of March. In view of the importance of this examination, a Supervising Committee has been appointed comprising Messrs. L. A. Barton, the Cashier of Hong Kong Treasury, H. Hurman, the Manager of Office Appliance Co., Ltd., and Dr. F. C. Tsang, M.B., B.S."

"Before concluding, I beg to tender our sincerest thanks to Hon. Dr. S. W. Ts'o, O.B.E., LL.D., for being so kind as to distribute the prizes; to Messrs. A. S. Robin and L. R. Ildefonso, for giving us glowing lectures on commercial subjects; to the members of the Supervising Committee for the London Examinations; to Dr. S. F. Lam, Ph.D., our Honorary Lecturer; to Drs. F. C. Tsang and S. Li, our Medical Advisers; to the following prominent businessmen who are so kind as to offer prizes to the students graduated with honours: Mr. H. Hurman, one prize (fountain pen) for the first winner of the Annual Typewriting Competition; Mr. K. Masakine, one prize (silver cup) for the second winner of the Annual Typewriting Competition; Dr. E. W. J. Sun, one prize (silver cup) for the first boy of the Junior Typewriting Examination; Mr. J. R. Swales, one prize (camera) for the first boy of the coming London Examination which will take place beginning of March; and to you, Ladies and Gentlemen, for helping to make this function a success. (Applause)."

**List of Winners**

The list of Graduates who passed the examination of the 16th Term of Typewriting held on 27th December 1934:

**Junior**

Ng Six Leung, Chan Fui Sing, Irene Yen (Miss), Pun Kwong Pui, Shing Hon Hing, Yuen Lap Chuen, Lau Yuk-ho, Chan Hung Wai, Chan Yee Yan, Cheung Sze Juen, Ma Yun Chang, Chan Pui Chung, Lam Yew Wah, Ng Man Kwong, Florence Li (Miss), Tso Ching Sun, Daphne Kwok (Miss), Yip Ping Wah, Lam Tien Chack, Lo Kai Sau, Roberta Fan (Miss), Lam Yau Chuen, Fung Sun Yue, David Luey, Tam Yuen Ching (Miss), Tse Yiu Fai.

**Senior**

Leung Hung Kon, William Li, Leung Wing Sik, Wong Shiu Lo, Chung Hei Wan, Annie Lee (Miss), Wong Kim Wah, Chan Hung Sum, Charlie Yip, Lam Po Tung, Chan Yuen Ho.

The list of Graduates who passed the examination of the 3rd Term of Commerce:

Leung Kan Yin, Kwok Shiu Fai, Harry Kwok, J. Quing Yen, Kwok Shiu Wah, T. T. Wu, Wong Kim Wah, Ng Swee Hin.

**The Hon. Dr. S. W. Tso**

After the distribution of the certificates and prizes, the Hon. Dr. S. W. Tso said: "Mr. Kwok, Ladies and Gentlemen: It gives me much pleasure to come here today and attend the Graduation Function of the Chun-Shing Institute of Commerce; and I feel greatly honoured in being asked by the Director, Mr. Kwok, to distribute the prizes and certificates to the successful students; a function which I am delighted to perform."

"Three years ago, I had the honour of performing a similar function on the completion of the 9th Term of the Typewriting Course. At that time, this Institute was known as the Chun-Shing Typewriting Academy. Since then, it has enlarged its scope of work and has adopted its present title, the Chun-Shing Institute of Commerce."

"Today, after having listened to the report which the Director has just read, I am greatly impressed with the many useful subjects in which the Institute has provided for the training of its students. I feel sure that any student having an efficient knowledge of such subjects will have a better chance of employment and of earning a livelihood."

"Hitherto, education imparted in all schools in Hong Kong has been on general lines and of a stereotyped nature. During the last twenty-odd years, it has advanced to the secondary degree which leads to entrance to a University for higher education. While we are the proud possessors of a University in Hong Kong, it is but natural that all schools should aim at fitting their students for higher education. But as the number of students who can afford to go in for higher education are not many, this stereotyped education for many thousands of students in the Colony does not meet the demands of present-day needs."

"I have watched the development of the Hong Kong educational system during the last 38 years, and I feel that the time has come when changes should be made in the system and that general education should be supplemented with technical training in all its various branches, and the Colony should provide such facilities. I congratulate Mr. Kwok and the staff of the Institute of Commerce for so successfully carrying on a technical commercial course of training which meets the present need of many."

"I wish also to congratulate the successful students for passing their examinations so creditably. At the same time, I should like to tell them that they must not rest content with their laurels on obtaining a certificate of efficiency. For efficiency can only be maintained by constant practice and work. With these few remarks, I wish the Chun-Shing Institute of Commerce every prosperity and success. (Applause)."

Hop Yat Church

盧湘父

「湘父同學會」一般是指清末民初教育家盧湘父（名子駿，1868–1970）所創辦之「湘父學塾」（後改為湘父中學、湘父男女中學）的師生校友組織或相關紀念群體。盧湘父早年曾入康有為的萬木草堂學習，並於港澳地區積極興辦教育。 [1, 2, 3, 4]

盧湘父與湘父學塾背景

創辦人：盧湘父為廣東新會潮連人、清末澳門富豪盧九之姪子。

學校歷史：盧湘父於1900年在澳門創辦湘父學塾，後移師香港發展，設立湘父男女中學，至1941年香港淪陷前夕因戰局而結束。

辦學特色：重視傳統品德教育與儒家禮儀，如堅持舊曆並以拜跪古禮慶祝孔子聖誕。 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

湘父學塾

盧湘父創辦湘父學塾

光緒三十一年（1905年2月4日─1906年1月24日）康有為弟子盧湘父在澳門創辦湘父學塾。盧湘父，名子駿，字湘父，以字行，廣東新會潮連蘆鞭鄉人，與盧華紹同宗。早年入萬木草堂從游於康南海門下，1899年，留學日本，又在日本橫濱大同學校教書。1900年回國，任澳門張氏家塾專席教師。至本年創辦湘父學塾。學塾在澳門辦學達6年，1911年遷校至香港鐵崗。

鐵崗

1911年的香港「鐵崗」即是現今香港島中環半山區的己連拿利（Glenealy），當時在該處創立並興建了聖保羅堂。

香港華字日報, 1915-10-23

Queen's College Scout Den (皇仁書院童軍室).

Geographic Evolution ("銅鑼環"): The text uses "銅鑼環" (Tung Lo Wan / early Cantonese name for Causeway Bay). This ground was the precursor to modern sports grounds in the area, built specifically to provide recreational space for the elite students of Queen's College (皇仁書院).
The "Resting Pavilion" ("安息亭"): In early 20th-century Cantonese translation, "安息亭" did not carry a funerary connotation; it was used literally to translate "Recreation Pavilion" or "Rest Pavilion"—a place where students could sit and rest between sports games ("於打球之暇得以安息").
Colonial Officials & Logistics:
- "提學司" and "祝學官": Refers to the Director of Education and colonial school inspectors.
- "自由車": An early terms for motorcars or bicycles used by senior colonial officials arriving exactly at 5:00 PM.
- Colonial Security: The presence of "華印差叁人" (three Chinese and Indian police constables) highlights the typical ethnic composition of the Hong Kong Police Force patrolling public social gatherings at the time.
Physical Education Philosophy ("腳波"): The text mentions a football match demonstration ("操演腳波"), showcasing the colonial school curriculum's adoption of the British "Muscular Christianity" ethos. The Director of Education explicitly notes that students who excel in sports will be rewarded equally alongside those who excel academically ("將來精于各項戲球之藝者亦同畢獎賞").
Social Rituals: The ceremony concluded with Western-style refreshments, including "茶點及汽水" (tea, pastries, and soda)—a classic feature of colonial school open days.

Here is exactly what happened to the specific elements mentioned in that December 1915 ceremony:

1. The 1915 Pavilion ("安息亭") is Now a Grade 2 Historic Building

The "华美之安息亭" (beautiful rest pavilion/dressing room) unveiled by the Director of Education in the clipping survived both World War II and urban redevelopment. [1, 2, 3]

What it is today: It is now known as the Queen's College Scout Den (皇仁書院童軍室).
Where to find it: It stands as a charming, single-story red-brick cottage with a Chinese-style tiled roof and Western arched windows, tucked inside the current Queen's College campus grounds right next to the Fire Dragon Path (火龍徑) fence line. It is officially protected as a Grade 2 Historic Building in Hong Kong. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

2. The Recreation Ground ("打波會") was Split in Two

The vast open grass pitch where the students demonstrated "腳波" (football) in 1915 underwent a major partition in 1950: [1, 2]

The School Campus: When Queen’s College’s original Hollywood Road campus was destroyed during WWII, the government allocated a large section of this very recreation ground to build the modern Queen's College Causeway Bay Campus (opened in September 1950). [1, 2]
The Public Stadium: The remaining portion of the original turf was turned into the Royal Naval Sports Ground, which later evolved into today's Causeway Bay Sports Ground (銅鑼灣運動場), located directly adjacent to the school and the Hong Kong Central Library. [1, 2, 3]

NPTG19150209

Oxford Local Examinations at Chefoo (February 1915)

Archival Discovery: Oxford Local Examinations at Chefoo (February 1915)

This English-language clipping, marked with the serial code NPTG19150209 (denoting February 9, 1915), acts as an extraordinary comparative anchor to the St. Stephen’s Girls' College clipping you uncovered earlier.

While the previous Chinese clipping tracked the Oxford Local Examinations from a Hong Kong perspective, this piece connects that very same British imperial examination grid to mainland China's elite treaty-port missionary network in Chefoo (烟台 / Yantai, Shandong Province).

📝 Verbatim Transcription

Oxford Locals at Chefoo.

China’s Millions reports the result of the Oxford local examinations held at Chefoo. Of the 53 pupils of the school (34 boys and 19 girls), who sat for these examinations recently, all have passed—8 in the senior division.

It is gratifying to find that of the 295 scholars who have entered for these examinations since they were first held in Chefoo in 1908, all have passed with the exception of 5.

🔍 Historical Analysis & Context for Gwulo

1. The Source: China's Millions

The text cites China’s Millions, which was the highly influential official monthly journal of the China Inland Mission (CIM / 內地會), founded by Hudson Taylor. This tells us that the report was compiled directly from missionary networks operating in northern treaty ports and synchronized for publication in the English-language press in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

2. The Elite Institution: Chefoo School (芝罘學校)

Though simply called "the school" in the text, this refers exclusively to the famous Chefoo School, established by the China Inland Mission in 1881. It was widely regarded as one of the premier European-style boarding schools in the Far East, built primarily to educate the children of Western missionaries, diplomats, and elite merchants.

Gender Demographics: The mention of "34 boys and 19 girls" highlights that the school ran separate but parallel academic tracts (The Chefoo Boys' School and Chefoo Girls' School), maintaining co-educational standards for high-level testing.

3. The Global Academic Standard: "Oxford Locals"

Just like the "柯士佛大學之試" taken by the girls at St. Stephen's in Hong Kong, the students in Chefoo sat for the Oxford Local Examinations.

The Chronological Anchor (1908): The text provides an invaluable baseline date: Chefoo became an official overseas testing center for Oxford University in 1908.
The Academic Division: Passing "8 in the senior division" meant these specific students had qualified at a level equivalent to university matriculation standards back in Great Britain, paving their way to travel home for higher education.

4. An Astonishing Passing Rate

The statistics revealed in the second paragraph are historically stunning: out of 295 scholars who entered the Oxford exams over a 7-year span (1908–1915), only 5 failed. This near-perfect success rate (98.3%) was weaponized by missionary journals to prove that Western academic institutions in China maintained an identical, if not superior, rigor to elite schools inside England.

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION FOR THE YEAR 1915.

25. On the social side Queen's College has gained by the opening of its pavilion. In school and out of school when competing with its rivals it holds its own very well. Its weakness is the system of undeserved promotion, which gives to the public and to the boys themselves a false impression of the attainments of the school collectively.

1915 Education Report on private English schools

ENGLISH PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

55. The Inspector of English Schools reports:- "During the year, 23 Boys' Schools (4 Day and 19 Night Schools) closed their doors, whilst 25 new Boys' Schools (5 Day and -- O 16 - 20 Night) and 1 new Girls' School (Day) were opened. The total number of schools open was :-Day Schools, 25 Boys' and 1 Girls' Night Schools, 44 Boys'; with a maximum enrolment of 1,293 boys and 104 girls in the Day Schools, and 2,103 boys in the Night Schools. These figures include 2 Exempted Schools, the Catholic Seminary, a Day School with 20 students training for the priesthood. and a new Night School, maintained by the Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company for the instruction of some of their Chinese employees, with 43 in attendance.

"The English School for Portuguese,' formerly a successful Grant School, has detached itself from the Grant Scheme and become a Private School.

"Premises.

in the case of new schools, before a certificate issued the premises are, as a preliminary measure, first reported upon by a Sanitary Inspector. The Regulations regarding Hygiene and Sanitation are brought before the notice of Head Masters, and are, as far as possible enforced; the standard required in this particular will be raised considerably during the coming year.

"All English Private Schools now display Notice Boards in English. Most of the entrances and staircases are badly lighted and consequently dangerous. This is a matter that is being dealt with.

"Furniture.-Desks are as a rule suitable and in fair condition, hut except in few cases the educational equipment is very poor.

"Staff.-While the more inetficient Teachers have retired and closed their schools, there are still some who are below the standard. It is not proposed to issue certificates in future to any Private School unless the Head Master holds at least a Junior Local Certificate of Oxford or Hongkong University, or a Teachers' Certificate (1st Year) of the Hongkong Technical Institute, or can produce evidence of having attained to an equivalent standard of education.

"Discipline in the schools is good, in a passive way, but good manners are not always insisted upon. Punctuality is, in many schools, an unknown virtue. "Attendance and Registration.-A uniform type of Attendance Register has been introduced, and Monthly Attendance Returns are now sent in regularly by all schools, although at first considerable difficulty was experienced in instructing the Masters how to fill in correctly even the simplest forms

"I have frequently noticed that Masters do not know even the names of their pupils, much less the nature of their daily occupation or their special requirements educationally. This I take to be proof that their schools are conducted chiefly with the object of getting fees from the pupils and not, as many Masters of Private Schools are so fond of assuring me, 'from a fervent desire to spread knowledge among the poorer classes'.

On personal inquiry I have found that the pupils in attendance at Evening Schools are engaged during the day as office-attendants, copying clerks, shop assistants, dock workmen, etc.

"Fees are as high as $3.00 a month in some Day Schools. It is difficult to understand why boys should attend these schools, when for the same fee they could attend the infinitely superior Government District Schools or the Grant Schools.

"Curriculum -Reading is fair generally, while English Conversation and Composition are very poor.

-017-

"Masters are still fond of an inflated Syllabus of Studies, and spend time upon such subjects as Algebra and Geometry in elementary classes. This practice is now being discontinued, and more time devoted to Reading, Conversation and Composition.

The formal teaching of Grammar in elementary classes is being replaced gradually by sentence-building, in hopes of improving the Composition.

"Head Masters are required to select the School Readers from a list issued by the Inspector of English Schools, and no other Readers nay now be used without special permission. This step was necessary because of the almost general use of books which were unsuitable, and in many cases beyond the comprehension even of the Teachers. The change will undoubtedly have beneficial results.

"Classes have been re-numbered, according to the plan adopted in Govenment and Grant Schools, the Reader in use in a class determining the designation. Arithmetic is, as a rule, very fair as far as accuracy is concerned, but it is doubtful if the pupils always understand the methods they employ. Typewriting is taught to a few pupils. Esperanto is taught in one school (Day and Night).

"Some schools, are now able to present very creditably arranged Annual Reports, and hold public Prize Distributions.

" 56. While every effort is made to raise the standard of the private English Schools, care will be taken to see that none are closed through inability to conform with the sealed governmental pattern. Before a school is refused existence it must fail to comply with one or other of the following requirements: that it shall give the education which it professes to give; that such education shall have a value considering the locality and the class of pupils; that its existence is not a hindrance to a better school of the same kind.

VERN ACULAR PRIVATE SCHOOLS 1915

VERN ACULAR PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

57. The Inspector of Vernacular Schools reports:-

"During the year certificates have been issued to 1 existing and 86 new Private Day Schools, the new schools being 11 less than in 1914. 89 have closed during the year. Of these 27 were struck off the register, and 28 disappeared without notification. "Of Night Schools, 2 existing closed, and 15 new were registered. Of these 6 closed almost at once.

"There are now 313 Vernacular Schools, (36 Grant, 266 Private Day, and 11 Private Night Schools)--an increase of 1 'over the number for 1914.

"Proceedings were instituted for the prosecution of 3 unlawful schools, but in each case the man failed to appear in court.

"I have personally visited each school at least once, though in the majority of cases it has been necessary to pay several visits. "The sub-inspector has also visited each school. "I have found in a number of cases that teachers have entered on their syllabus modern subjects which they had no intention of teaching. They have tried to hide their obvious incompetence under cover of an elaborate scheme of studies.

"The number of inefficient schools is thus still large, 27 have been struck off the register during the course of the year, but some - 0 18- of the better schools have degenerated for various reasons, and there are still 69 undesirable ones left. 14 more will be struck off the list in the course of the next few weeks. Of the remaining 197 Private Day Schools very few are thoroughly efficient.

"Mr. Shin Yan-wai died during the summer after 1) years' service in this Department, and his place as sub-inspector was filled in September by Mr. Lau Shuk-chong."

58. The Inspector might have pointed out that the unsatisfactory schools have decreased from 148 in 1913; that is, by nearly a half in two years.

天光報, 1933-02-07 = The Tien Kwong Po

Here is the transcription of…

Here is the transcription of the historical newspaper advertisement followed by its English translation, fully polished and ready for your Gwulo.com post.

Transcription of the Image

樹人男女中學
即招（高中、初中、小學、幼稚園）各級學生
兼設：歐美、南洋華僑特別班、國語、英語、算術、理化等科專修班。
總理：伍大光
男校校長：局均
女校校長：楊杏喬

報名日期：即日開始報名
開學日期：二十二年二月六日

校址：
（一）何文田亞皆老街九十八號至一百號
（二）太平道八號至十二號
電話：五八五三四

Shu Yan Co-educational Secondary School

Now Recruiting Students for All Levels (Senior Secondary, Junior Secondary, Primary School, and Kindergarten).

Specialized Classes Offered Concurrently: Special classes for Overseas Chinese from Europe, America, and Southeast Asia; intensive courses in Mandarin, English, Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.

Director (Manager): Wu Da-guang (伍大光)
Headmaster (Boys' Section): Ju Jun (局均)
Headmistress (Girls' Section): Yang Xing-qiao (楊杏喬)

Registration Date: Commencing immediately.
School Commencement Date: 6th February, Year 22 (Republic of China calendar, corresponding to 6th February 1933).

School Addresses:

Nos. 98–100 Argyle Street, Ho Man Tin
Nos. 8–12 Peace Avenue
Telephone: 58534

Title: Wu Da-guang (伍大光) – The Prominent Diplomat and Educator Behind Shu Yan Co-educational School

Born in Xinhui, Guangdong in 1887, Wu Da-guang (also known by his courtesy name Taoruo 韜若) was exceptionally well-educated for his time. He graduated from the prestigious Imperial University of Peking (now Peking University) before travelling abroad to study in the United States, earning a degree from American University. [1]

Upon his return to China in 1918, he quickly rose through diplomatic and governmental ranks: [1]
- International Diplomacy: He served as a secretary for the Beiyang Government's delegation to the historic Paris Peace Conference. [1]
- State Governance: He became the Secretary-General of both the Guangdong Military Government and the President's Office, serving closely as a secretary to Dr. Sun Yat-sen in the Guangzhou Grand Marshal's House in 1922. [1]
- Civil and Educational Leadership: He held the positions of Secretary-General of the Guangzhou Municipality and Director of the Guangzhou Education Bureau. Later, he served as the Secretary-General of the Judiciary Yuan and a counselor for the Chinese legation in the United States. [1]
By the early 1930s, Wu was active in higher education, teaching as a professor at Jinan University and Guangdong Xiangqin University. It was during this phase of his life that his name appeared as the General Manager/Director of the Shu Yan Co-educational Secondary School branches on Argyle Street and Peace Avenue in Kowloon. Given his background in international relations and his education in the US, it completely aligns that the school prominently advertised specialized intensive classes for overseas Chinese from Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. [1]

Tragically, his highly active career was cut short when he passed away in Guangzhou in July 1936 at the relatively young age of 49. [1]

Seeing his name on a local Hong Kong school advertisement from 1933 highlights how deeply intertwined Hong Kong's early educational institutions were with prominent global scholars and political figures fleeing or working across the border during the turbulent Republican era.

1. 98–100 Argyle Street (亞皆老街九十八至一百號)
- The Plot Layout: In 1933, this plot consisted of a pair of classic 3-to-4 story pre-war European/Chinese-style tenement buildings (Tong Lau) or semi-detached suburban villas.
- The School Setup: This location served as the primary base for one gender division (likely the Boys' School or the upper secondary sections). The dual street numbers (98 and 100) indicate the school had acquired two interconnected adjacent buildings to double its classroom capacity.
- Geographical Context: This exact pocket of Argyle Street sits on the border of Mong Kok and the western foot of Kadoorie Hill / Ho Man Tin. During the early 1930s, this area was undergoing rapid residential development, transitioning from rural plots into a premium grid of residential houses.
- Later Evolution: Post-WWII, as Kowloon’s population exploded, these low-rise 1930s plots were systematically acquired by developers. Today, the original low-rise blocks have been entirely replaced by modern high-rise residential and commercial structures typical of the bustling Mong Kok/Ho Man Tin corridor.
2. 8–12 Peace Avenue (太平道八至十二號)
- The Plot Layout: Spanning three street numbers (8, 10, and 12), this plot was a larger contiguous row of low-rise pre-war buildings.
- The School Setup: This was the second campus listed in the ad, functioning as the alternate gender campus (likely the Girls' School, Kindergarten, and Primary sections). Utilizing multiple street lots allowed a clean layout to separate different age groups and genders, fulfilling the co-educational layout under separate leadership (Headmaster Ju Jun vs. Headmistress Yang Xing-qiao).
- Geographical Context: Peace Avenue (Tai Ping Road) runs parallel to the railway line and is just a short walk around the corner from the Argyle Street plot. In 1933, Peace Avenue was a relatively quiet, affluent residential street characterized by low-density housing—making it an ideal, sheltered environment for younger children and female students.
- Later Evolution: Peace Avenue evolved into a dense urban canyon. The original low-rise residential rows at Nos. 8–12 were demolished and redeveloped in the mid-to-late 20th century. Today, the plot is occupied by high-density residential blocks with ground-floor commercial shops (famous locally for pet stores and clinics).

天光報, 1933-02-07 = The Tien Kwong Po

Chung Wah Middle School (中華中學)

天光報, 1933-02-07 = The Tien Kwong Po

This advertisement is for Chung Wah Middle School (中華中學), an institution founded in 1926 by the prominent journalist and revolutionary Wong Lang-kun (黃冷觀) (who is also the grandfather of Hong Kong's first Secretary for Justice, Elsie Leung). [1, 2, 3, 4]

Transcription of the Image

中華中學收招新生
（高中、初中、高小、初小）
概況到取即奉
二月九日即正月十五日上課

校址：堅道八十五號
電話：二四二三五
校長：黃冷觀 [1, 2]

贊助人（以簽名先後為序）：
林裘謀、蔡元培、吳鐵城、謝瀛洲、謝紀文、鄭哲園、黃廷樞、馮公度、潘洪年、鄭雲五、牟建原、黎烈文、朱卓文
李右泉、周傳年、顏成坤、郭泉、陳廉伯、馮耀卿、李冠春、李子芳、譚新奎、張蘭泉、區天正、岑光樞、鄧佛照
羅大原、朱汝珍、李亦梅、陸自重、陸滿山、簡賡壁、敏次君、樊培基、李錦生、羅玉堂、招戴琴、張仲豪、陳祖伯
溫星棋、溫楚波、何雅選、賴季都、潘孔皆、曾瑞甫、俞振山、林鐵子、胡知廷、何妄錫、馮廉侯、呂家偉
馮自由、麥工俠、畢泗五、胡潤、黃小植、關楚璞、陳醒門、陳雲宏、徐仁壽、林伯寶、白偕甫、李植泉、簡浩錦、雷渭鏞、關渭鏞
籍代明、林習權、馬詩銘、林獨南、陳航生、黃潮寬、廖少游、徐子強、師幼祥、黃轂若、司徒瀚、馮健初
鄭潤甫、何熾垣、何俊凡、林鵷朝、鄧振成、黃紀南、譚和益、縉安庭、鄒協皆、劉亦通、布昌南 [1]

English Translation for Gwulo.com

Translation for Forum Post

Chung Wah Middle School – Enrollment for New Students

(Senior Secondary, Junior Secondary, Upper Primary, and Lower Primary Sections)
Prospectus available upon request.

Term Commences: 9th February (corresponding to the 15th day of the 1st Lunar Month).

School Address: No. 85 Caine Road
Telephone: 24235
Headmaster: Wong Lang-kun (黃冷觀) [1, 2]

Sponsors / Patrons (In order of signature):
(This list contains many highly prominent historical figures from early 20th-century Hong Kong and China, including:)

Cai Yuanpei (蔡元培) – Renowned educator and Chancellor of Peking University.
Wu Tiecheng (吳鐵城) – Prominent Nationalist politician, later Mayor of Shanghai.
Ngan Shing-kwan (顏成坤) – Elite Hong Kong businessman and founder of China Motor Bus (CMB).
Kwok Chuen (郭泉) – Co-founder of the famous Wing On Department Store.
Li Kwan-Chun (李冠春) & Li Tsz-fang (李子芳) – Co-founders of the Bank of East Asia.
Chan Lim-pak (陳廉伯) – Major comprador of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and Guangzhou merchant leader.
Tsui Yan-sau (徐仁壽) – Founder of Wah Yan College.
Feng Ziyou (馮自由) – Famous revolutionary, historian of the Chinese revolution, and member of the Tongmenghui.
Chu Yu-tsin (朱汝珍) – The last imperial scholar (Imperial Hanlin academician) who resided in Hong Kong.
(And dozens of other notable regional scholars, merchants, and community leaders like Cheng Che-yuen, Lam Kau-mow, Tse Ying-chou, etc.) [1, 2]

Historical Notes

The Date & Timeline: According to Chung Wah Middle School's historical archives, the school utilized No. 85 Caine Road as its campus around 1933–1934 before later moving to No. 20–22 Caine Road. [1, 2]
The Star-Studded Sponsor List: This ad is a remarkable piece of historical evidence. Headmaster Wong Lang-kun's deep ties to the Tongmenghui and the revolutionary elite are on full display here. Getting national figures like Cai Yuanpei and Wu Tiecheng alongside top-tier Hong Kong elites (the Kwok, Li, and Ngan families) to sign off as school sponsors shows how influential Chung Wah Middle School was in its early years. [1, 2, 4]

香港華字日報, 1926-02-03 = The Chinese Mail

The Lost Po Kong Village and Imperial Scholar Chan Hop-to: A 19

Title: The Lost Po Kong Village and Imperial Scholar Chan Hop-to: A 1926 School Graduation Clipping

I recently came across a short but highly revealing snippet from The Chinese Mail (Hong Kong Wa Tsz Yat Po, 香港華字日報) dated 3rd February 1926. Titled "Educational News" (學務紀聞), it records the end-of-term closing ceremony of a village school in Kowloon.

While it looks like a standard local news brief on the surface, it contains two fascinating links to Kowloon's vanished pre-war history: the obliterated Po Kong Village (蒲崗村) and the legendary Qing Imperial scholar Chan Hop-to (陳伯陶).

Here is the translation of the clipping:

Educational News (學務紀聞)

On the 18th of this month, the Po Kong Hui Fu Family School (九龍蒲崗會富家塾) in Kowloon held its San Guan (散館 - formal end-of-term closing ceremony / graduation assembly).

The event drew a distinguished crowd of over a hundred local and international guests, both ladies and gentlemen. The ceremony commenced with the school head, Mr. Tsang Fu (曾富君), announcing the opening objectives. This was followed by an address from school director Mr. Chan Hop-to (陳伯陶). The instructor, Mr. Lam Chi-to (林智韜), then announced the academic achievements of the students for the full year.

Further speeches were delivered by guest speaker Mr. Tong Shau-shan (湯壽山), as well as student representatives including Chan Shiu-ngai (陳少羿) and Tsang Shu-ming (曾樞茗). Following the conclusion of the formal assembly, the patrons and financial benefactors enjoyed a celebratory gathering, and the event concluded in high spirits.

Historical Context & Points of Interest:

1. The Ghost of Po Kong Village (蒲崗村)
The school was located in Po Kong Village, which sat in the lowlands between modern-day Kowloon City and Diamond School. At the time of this clipping in 1926, it was an active, historic agrarian village. However, during the Japanese Occupation (1941–1945), the Japanese military forcefully evicted the villagers and entirely demolished Po Kong to expand the runways of Kai Tak Airport.

After the war, the area south of the old village footprint was developed into an industrial zone and renamed San Po Kong (新蒲崗)—meaning "New Po Kong." This 1926 snippet provides a rare, vivid window into the community life and village literacy that existed right before the airport swallowed the land.

2. The Imperial Connection: Chan Hop-to (陳伯陶)
The most remarkable name on the roster is the school director, Chan Hop-to. Chan was an elite scholar-official of the late Qing Dynasty, having scored third nationwide (Tanhua 探花) in the 1892 Imperial Civil Service Examinations, eventually becoming a prestigious Hanlin Academician.

Following the fall of the Qing Empire in 1911, Chan moved to Hong Kong as a loyalist refugee, living in relative seclusion around Kowloon Walled City. He spent his twilight years dedicating himself to local history (he compiled the famous Dongguan County Gazetteer) and local education. This clipping confirms that in 1926 (just four years before his death), he was actively managing and mentoring small village schools like the Fu Family School in Po Kong, bringing top-tier classical academic oversight to rural Kowloon children.

3. Traditional Schooling in Transition
Though labeled a traditional family school or private study hall (Gia Shuk家塾), the presence of an international audience ("over a hundred local and international guests, both ladies and gentlemen"), formal student speech representatives, and modern administrative roles indicates that by 1926, these village schools were rapidly adopting Westernized assembly formats while maintaining their traditional classical roots.

The 1933 Douglas Castle Anti-Japanese Riot and the Tragedy of th

Title: The 1933 Douglas Castle Anti-Japanese Riot and the Tragedy of the Tsang Family

While looking into the genealogy of local education and property figures from this era, the records shed light on a violent anti-Japanese riot on September 26, 1931, which led to the brutal murder of a local Chinese manager, Mr. Tsang Fu (曾富), and his family right on the castle grounds.

Here is a summary of the historical event and its connection to the site:

1. The Commercial Footprint of Douglas Castle

By the late 1920s, Douglas Castle had ceased to be a purely residential estate. In 1928, it was opened up as a commercial plantation and dairy vendor colloquially known to locals as the Douglas Castle Plantation (德忌利士園). The overarching operations were leased and managed by a Chinese entrepreneur named Tsang Fu (曾富), who established a thriving business processing dairy and agricultural imports, trading under the company name "San Ho" (三和公司) or the "Douglas Castle Trading Company."

2. The Spark: The 1931 Mukden Incident

In September 1931, the Japanese military invaded Manchuria (the Mukden Incident). News reached Hong Kong by September 23, triggering a massive wave of anti-Japanese anger among the local Chinese population. Public fury quickly boiled over into city-wide boycotts, riots, and targeted attacks against anyone perceived to be cooperating or trading with Japanese businesses.

3. The Tragedy on the Mountain (September 26, 1931)

Because Tsang Fu’s trading company imported and distributed certain Japanese goods, his plantation became a prime target for radical agitators.

On the morning of September 24, a crowd traveled up the hill to confront the plantation. Though initially dispersed by police, tensions remained critical. On September 26, a massive mob stormed the isolated Douglas Castle grounds. The rioters breached the main house, overwhelmed the family, and hacked Tsang Fu, his wife, and their two daughters to death. Only their youngest son, a toddler under three years old, miraculously survived the slaughter.

4. The Aftermath and Legal Fallout

The colonial government took the massacre at Douglas Castle incredibly seriously. Governor William Peel declared a state of emergency, deploying the military alongside police forces to suppress the riots and enforce a strict curfew across Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Detectives raided nearby villages and matching hideouts, eventually arresting dozens of suspects connected to the assault. The slaughter of the Tsang family shocked the local community and effectively ended this specific commercial chapter of Douglas Castle, which was later acquired by the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Étrangères de Paris) before eventually becoming part of HKU.

Seeing the name Tsang Fu (曾富) attached to Douglas Castle serves as a somber reminder of how global geopolitical conflicts violently shattered the peace of quiet suburban estates in pre-war Hong Kong.

香港華字日報, 1926-02-03 = The Chinese Mail

This newspaper snippet is an…

This newspaper snippet is an enrollment advertisement for the Ling To Girls' Middle School (領島女子中學), led by the notable educator and philanthropist Principal Fung But-sau (馮聘逑)

領島女子中學招生

學級：初中、高小、初小、幼稚園（兼收十二歲以下男生）
編級：
- 國歷二月六日及九日
- 陰曆正月十日及十三日上午十二點鐘舉行
開課：國歷二月十日即陰曆正月十六日
校址：堅道九十一號（電話二七七〇六號）

校長馮聘逑謹啓

**Ling To Girls' Middle School – Student Recruitment**

* **Academic Levels**: Junior Secondary, Upper Primary, Lower Primary, and Kindergarten (co-educational for boys under the age of 12).

* **Placement Exams / Class Grading**:

* Scheduled for 6th and 9th February (Solar Calendar) / 10th and 13th days of the 1st Lunar Month, commencing at 12:00 PM.

* **Commencement of Classes**: 10th February (Solar Calendar), corresponding to the 16th day of the 1st Lunar Month.

* **School Address**: No. 91 Caine Road (Telephone: 27706)

**Respectfully presented by Principal Fung But-sau (馮聘逑)**

Historical Context & Genealogy Points of Interest

This pre-war advertisement reveals a key piece of Hong Kong's local educational history, tying directly into institutions that still exist today:

1. The Founder and Her Lasting Legacy
The principal listed, Fung But-sau (馮聘逑), was a highly dedicated educator born in Nanhai, Guangdong, who graduated from Hamilton College in Canada. She established Ling To Girls' Middle School in 1932. Decades later, in 1956, due to declining health and strength, she decided to retire and close the school. However, demonstrating her lifelong devotion to education, she donated all of the school's facilities, assets, and remaining funds to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong to fund their expansion plans. In honor of her immense generosity, the Diocese renamed its newly established school in the Chuk Yuen resettlement area to Ling To Catholic Primary School (天主教領島學校), which later relocated to Ho Man Tin where it continues to operate today. [1, 2, 3]

2. The Patriotic & Wartime Association
During the late 1930s, Ling To Girls' Middle School was deeply involved in anti-Japanese patriotic activities. Notable members of the student body, such as Man Shuk-wan (文淑筠) and Chiu Tsang-ling (巢湘鈴), went on to join the urban units of the historic East Jiang Guerrilla Detachment (東江縱隊港九大隊) or prominent wartime student relief organizations. [1, 2]

3. The Geography of Caine Road
The ad lists the campus at No. 91 Caine Road. Over its lifespan, the school migrated between several Mid-Levels and Western properties, including addresses at No. 73 Caine Road and Third Street. Seeing No. 91 Caine Road on this specific advertisement adds another confirmed dot on the map tracking the pre-war spatial layout of private Chinese education along the Mid-Levels corridor. [1, 2]

香港華字日報

This image is an enrollment…

This image is an enrollment advertisement for the pre-war Sainan Girls' Middle School (西南女子中學), which was a major campus branch of Sainan Middle School (西南中學).Founded in 1928 by the prominent French-educated economist Chang Lan-chau (張瀾洲), Sainan was once one of Hong Kong's largest and most successful private Chinese-language educational systems, peaking with over 5,000 students across several campus locations.Below is the full vertical text transcription, followed by a polished English translation ready for your Gwulo.com thread.

西南女子中學招生

學級：男女兩校均高中、初中、高小、初小、各級開齊（高中已辦至三年級）
學科：中西並重，學科完備，課程與國內外大學完全銜接
編級：新生編級定二月六號（舊曆正月十二日）上午十時舉行
開學：定二月九號（舊曆正月十五日）開學

▲學額有限，布告早到，有志向學者從速分別到般含道巴丙頓道男校（電話二六一二〇）、般含道光景台女校（電話二七一四六）報名可也。

Sainan Girls' Middle School – Student Recruitment

Academic Levels: Complete levels available for both the Boys' and Girls' schools, including Senior Secondary, Junior Secondary, Upper Primary, and Lower Primary (Senior Secondary classes are fully established up to the 3rd/final year).
Curriculum: Equal emphasis on Chinese and Western education with a comprehensive curriculum designed to articulate seamlessly with both domestic and international universities.
Placement Exams: Class grading for new students will take place on 6th February (the 12th day of the 1st Lunar Month) at 10:00 AM.
School Commencement: Term officially begins on 9th February (the 15th day of the 1st Lunar Month).

▲ Notice: Vacancies are limited; this announcement is posted in advance. Aspiring scholars should register immediately at their respective branches:

Boys' School: Babington Road, Bonham Road (Telephone: 26120)
Girls' School: Kwong King Terrace, Bonham Road (Telephone: 27146)

Historical Context & Highlights for Your Post

The Sainan School Network: Sainan Middle School was a private education juggernaut in mid-level Western District. Before WWII, it split its massive student body across specialized gender-segregated houses. This clipping provides the exact pre-war location pairing: the Boys' section up on Babington Road and the Girls' section tucked into Kwong King Terrace (both branching off Bonham Road). Sainan later expanded its footprint with a branch in Ho Man Tin and eventually a post-war high-rise campus at 25 Water Street, Sai Ying Pun. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Chronology: The ad notes that the Solar calendar dates of February 6th and 9th correspond exactly to the 12th and 15th days of the 1st Lunar Month. Cross-checking this lunar-solar calendar alignment points directly to early February 1933, confirming this clipping belongs to the same grand 1933 pre-war education expansion push seen in your previous school ads.
The Founder's Journey: The overarching network head, Chang Lan-chau, was a fascinating southern scholar who studied at the University of Paris before returning to Hong Kong. Aside from managing Sainan, he served as a director of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (1935–1936) and co-founded the Hong Kong Times newspaper. The school eventually closed its doors in the late 1970s. [1]

天光報

Pau Shiu-yau (鮑少游)

This newspaper clipping is an enrollment advertisement for the historic Lai Ching Fine Arts Academy (麗精美術學院), founded and directed by the renowned Lingnan school master and poet Pau Shiu-yau (鮑少游). [1, 2]

麗精美術學院招生

校址：禮頓山道廿六號
電話：二四三〇〇

院長鮑少游啟

Lai Ching Fine Arts Academy – Student Recruitment

Academy Address: No. 26 Leighton Hill Road
Telephone: 24300

Presented by Academy Director Pau Shiu-yau (鮑少游)

Historical Context & Genealogy Points of Interest

This small clipping is a significant artifact from Hong Kong's early art history and tracking the changing geography of Causeway Bay and Happy Valley:

1. The Founder: "The Boy Painter Laureate" (少年畫伯)
The director listed, Pau Shiu-yau (1892–1985), was a giant of the [Lingnan Art School (嶺南畫派)](google.com"Lingnan+School"+art+history "Lingnan School" art history). Born in Yokohama, Japan to a tea merchant family from Zhongshan, Guangdong, Pau graduated from the prestigious Kyoto City University of Arts. He gained immense fame when his giant screen painting of oleanders and parrots won an award at Tokyo's Ministry of Education national art exhibition, earning him the Japanese moniker "China's Boy Painter Laureate." He relocated to Hong Kong in 1928 due to political unrest in Guangzhou and immediately founded Lai Ching Fine Arts Academy, which operated for over 50 years and trained generations of prominent artists. [1, 2, 3, 4]

2. The 1933 Timeline Alignment
The 5-digit telephone number (24300) fits perfectly alongside the other early 1933 newspaper clips you have shared. In early 1933, the academy ran a massive recruitment campaign across major local broadsheets like The Chinese Mail (Hong Kong Wa Tsz Yat Po). [1]

3. Vanished Topography: Leighton Hill Road
The address lists the school at No. 26 Leighton Hill Road (禮頓山道). In the 1930s, the lower perimeter around the base of Leighton Hill was a mix of suburban European houses, stone villas, and terraced gardens. During World War II, Pau and his family famously sought shelter in an air-raid shelter located directly behind this Leighton Hill property. He spent 18 days inside while Japanese forces bombarded Hong Kong Island, later immortalizing the experience in his historic 1947 painting “Air-Raid Shelter Past and Present” (防空洞今昔). Over the post-war decades, the school migrated, eventually settling at a spacious garden-lot campus in nearby Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, before Pau passed away in 1985. [1, 3, 4]

Schools and Colleges in Colonial Era Hong Kong

Overview

Key Areas of Research

How You Can Contribute

Tags

盧湘父創辦湘父學塾