The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-26 00:00:00

HAG LEY.

PREENTATION TO THE LATE SCHOOLMISTER..—A i
meeting was held at the National School, Hagley,
on Saturday evening list, for the purpose of pre-
senting an address and a purse to Mr. William i
Stephens, who, after having been master of this
school for more than thirty-eight years, retired last
Michaelmas with a Government pension. The
chair was taken by Lord Lyttelton, who had come
down from London for the purpose, and there was a
numerous attendance. The movement for a testi-
monial was originated and carried to a successful
issue by Mr. Alfred Molineux, of Hagley, who was
one of Mr. Stephens's earliest pupil, and the list of
subscribers contains the names of Lord Lyttelton,
the Dowager Lady Lyttelton, Lady Frederick
Cavendish, Canon Lyttelton, and nine other mem-
bat s of the semi family, the Prime Minister, and
Mr. W. H. Gladstone, M.P., ten former curases of
Haglsy, one of whom is now Dean of Salisbury,
the churchwardens, the resident magistrates, the
gentry, and a large number of past and present
pupils. The following address, from the pen of
Lord Lyttelton, was engrossed and handsomely
framed : To Mr. William Stephens—We, your
fellow parishioners, past and present, of Hagley,
and your former pupils and other friends, desire
that the oceasian of your resigning the mastership
of the ilagley National School, should not pass
wi hoot some mark of our esteem for your character
and of our nprreciatioa of the manner in which you
have discharged the import mt trust which has for
so long been committed to you. The Elksley School
has been under your cars for moor ) than thirty-eight
yeas The unqualified confidence placed in you by
the managers during that long period, the rep arts
of her -.Maj-sty's and of the Bishop's Inspectors of
Schools, the suocessin life of many of your scholars,
and still more the high character they have
generally borne, amply testifiy to the efficacy and
devotion of your labours, and prove that, in ad-
dition to the faithful discharge of the more
ordinary duties of a schoolmaster, you have never
lost &gilt of the higher responsibili.ies attaching to
! your office as a Christian teacher. We wish, fu-ther
i to record our sense of your energy and self-sacrifice
in endeavouring to impart to your scholars an in-
telligent interest in many useful branches of know-
ledge, iastructit n in which has not been required
by the Education Department, and which earned
no reward from Govei nment. Nevertheless your
teaching, however diligent and judicious, could have
attained to no full measure of en 'ecsi had it not
been supplemented and enforced by the example of
a blameless aid well spent life. Note can appreci-
ate better thin we can not only yoar work in the
school, but also the influence of your high character
in the 1 arish, and tee active and intelligent interest
that you have always taken in its welfare. We
bust, therefore, that you will value this expression
of feeling towards yourself, coming-as it does from
friends who have knowa you so well and so long ;
and we ask yi u to accept this address, together
wi, to the accomi anying purse, e hick are offered to
you as tokens of our gratitude and esteem, and with
many wishes for th.3future health, happiness, and
welfare of Nit's. St p lens end yourself."— This
address was signed or behalf of the presenters by
Lord Lyttelton, by Canon Lyttelcon (Rector), and
by the churchwardens.—lnmaking the presentation
the noble alait mtn spoke of the great education ii
changes which h tve taken place in this country
since the day when Mr. Stephens commenced his
duties as master of Higley Sehool ; and his lord-
ship bore testimony to the ability with which he
had kept abreast of tie increasingly heavy require-
ments of the times. The Hon. and Rev. Canon
Lyttelton expressed his deep sense of the great
moral worth of Mr. Stephens's labours for the wel-
fare of his pupils, in whom he had always striven
with marked success to cultivate a spirit of intelli-
gence. Mr. Stephens having in suitable terms
acknowledged the prcsentation, Mr. J. C. Cooper,
churchwarden, moved a vote of thanks to the noble
chairman, and in doing so spoke of the active part
which Mr. Stephe a had taken in eve y movem• nt
for the good of the parish. Lord Lyttelton having
briefly responded the proceedings terminated. The
purse which was presented with the address con-
tained £7O, and the thanks of the subscribers are
due to Mr. Alfred Molineux for his valuable services
as treasurer and secretary.
STOCK SALE —lt their sale on Monday last,
Messrs. Gstes, Perrens, and Wooldridge had a good
supply of all chases of fat stock, con-idering the
present restrictions. There was a good company
of buyers and prices were firm a'-, about last week's
rates. Prime beef made 9d per lb. Teere was a
demand for bacon and potket pigs. Fat cows
made as high as £27 15s Od; bullocks, £26 7s 6d;
sheep, 925.