Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-23 00:00:00

COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION.

'IRST CELEBRATION OF THE FOUNDATION.

In consequence of a circular issued by the Principal of the Colle-

giato Institution ( Rev. J. S. Howson), a gathering of the governors,
directors, and friends of that institution took place in the lecture..
h all at half-past eleven o'clock yesterday, for the purpose of celebrat-
ing, for the Milt time, the foundation of the building. The following
extract from the circular will best explain the object contemplated by
the Principal in calling the meeting :

On the 22nd of October seventeen years will have elapsed since the
fottnaatien-stone of this building was kid. I believe it may be said
with truth that the Institution is usefully and successfally accom-
pli.hing the work for which it was established. All the difficulties,
which beset its early progress, have been surmounted; all pecuniary
burdens have been removed ; the internal school organisation has
been continually improving; the numbers in the three Schools have
during the last few years been gra -naliy increasing; end while
great numbers of the pupils of the Institution have bean pursuing
honourable careers in the various walks of commercial business, an
unusually lane proportion of those who have gone to college have
obtained high distinction at the Universities, especially at Cam-
bridge.
Under these circumstances it has been thought that come begin-
ning may be made towards the establishment of an annual School
Festival on the 22nd of (' ctober. Most of the older Schools of the
country have some such periodical celebration. There is th's
advantage here in beginning such a practice early, that an oppor-
tunity is rained of expressing to many of our founders, during the r
life-time, some of that gratitude which is due to them for having
discerned one of the great wants of the times, viz., the need of
effectual provision for supplying a religions and solid elacation to
all the classes of our large towns.
I 4 is impossihle to predict what form this " Founders' Day" may
hereafter assume. In any case it could probably be wisest to make
a modest beginning: and this course is evidently rendered propsr
by the recent and lamented death of the first Prin.': pal of th.s Inci-
tation J. S. HOWSON, Principal.
Collegiate Institution, Saturday, Oct. 17th, 1857.
The scholars of the institution, with their relatives and friends,
assembled in the body and galleries of the hall; and 01 the platform
a'ong with the Principal were several gentlemen and clergymen in-
terested in the institution. Among these 'were—The Right Hon. W.
E. Gladstone, M.P., Wm. Brown, Esq., M.P., Von. Archdeacon Jones,
Rev. Dr. M'Neile, Rev. C. W. Underwood, head master of the upper
school, Rev. J. Cox, head master of the middle school, Mr. J. Mach,d,
bead master of the lower school, Alderman Cooper, and many other
clergymen and gentlemen.
The proceedings opened with a hymn and grayer.

The PRINCIPAL then delivered the followln3

ADDRESS.
The school prayer which has been used in this place at our morning
devotions now for nearly 15 years begins with these words—
" Almighty God, the fountain of wisdom, and the giver of every
perfect gift, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, send
down, we beseech Thee, Thy blessing on these schools, and prosper
the designs of their founders." No words could be better suited to
lead our thoughts in the tight direction, and to affect our hearts with
the right feelings, on the occa•ion of our present meeting.
These schools were opened on the festival of the Epiphany, 1843,
and the foundation stone of the building was lai I on the 22nd of
ectober, 1840. Very many of those who combined to establish the
institution are happily surviving to see their wishes, or at least a great
part of their wishes, accomplished. We have intleed to mourn the
loss of some who would have sympathised with us today. The
ace vmplished and large-he .rted nobleman; the wealthy and
munificient merchant ; the indn•trious and honourable tradesman ;
the clergyman, venerate 1 for his office, his years, his wisdom, and
his benore'ence ; the surgeon, eminent slice for his prate stone' sk It
and his Christian charity—such men hive been withdrawn from this
world of experiment and endeavour to that other warl 1, where the
permanent spiritual results of all our labours here are tested and
made known. So we are reminded (sometimes very suddenly and
unexpectedly) that while iast'tuf on s flourish, possibly for generation
after generation, we who take an interest in them here are gredually
and quickly m tying onwards to the time when we must leave then
to the int rest cf those who aliened us.'
Bat, as I have said, very many of our oeginel founders remain.
Some are with us to-day. Others would gladly have been here. Oar
rector, Mr. Campbell, writes to me thus :—" From the deep and
increasing interest which I take in the Collegiate Institution, I am
sure you will give me credit when I tell you how very much I regret
that, in cons quence of absence from home, I shall be unable to attend
on the Founder's Day, the institution of which I highly approve of." I
have received, also, a friendly communication from the Earl of
Harrowby. I had boon peeved to say that I had received a similar
communization from Mr. «'il tam Gladstone. Bat ho has found it
possible to be present himself. His speech at the opening of these
schools is well ramemb red; and now ha has visited the Institution
ag sin after nearly fifteen years. In fact, though all parade has been
avoided, this meeting is meant to be something more than a mere
gathering of the masters and the boys, and it will probab'y be expected
that my address should so far deviate from a common school di3cours a
as to contain some ref Tenets to the general chara ttar and kcoee of the
institution.

The most chsractsristie feature of tile institution is also the Mos
important—l mean its establishment on .5 religions basis.. Though
its setae was conceived in no spirit of bigoe y and exclus'veness, and
thsugh no such spirit has, as far as I am aware, ever found a home
within thes • walls, this is not as institution in which the Bible; is
interdicted. That system which deals with the religious difficulty
by removing it entirely out of view is in acme respects attractive in
appearance. It seems to deal out equal justice to all ; it excludes no
one from the adv intages which ought to be common to every one;
and I am persuaded that the system is often adopted from good
motives, anti teat it es untaist Lu awe that those aro necessarily indif-
ferent to religion Who believe that sacred teaching may be sefe'y and
wisely left to the infl eeece of house and to the off es of the ministers of
religion. But lam equally persuaded that this view is a mistake—
it is a mistake even on the grounds ofelibarality and freedom. It is
surely an oppressive law to a schoolmaster if he is precluded, in the
course of such work as kis, from a full and unreserved appeal to that
Holy Revelation which is our only sure authority in matters of faith
and duty—if his tongue is tied precisely when it ought to be most
free. And as to the effe it which the absence of religious teaching
is likely to have on the pupils in a school, it should he remembered
that we are very apt to retain the same general view of life with
which we have bean familiarised when we wore young. Oar school
experiences constitute an epitome and minatare of human interests
in general. If schools may go on satisfactorily and well without
religion, why.may not business—the business of commerce, or cf a
profession, or of politico? We cannot be sufficiently thankful that
all the controversies of recent years in regard to educati m, wha'ever
else they may have left in doubt, have resulted in a pervading con-
e' tion that our schools for the poor ought to test on a reti ions
basis. No- is the necessity less urgent for the middle classes and the
higher. Here, at leas", one v:ew has always been held in re'erence to
this subject. The words which the present Archbishop of Canterbury
use lon the day of our foundation are on record. It is not perhaps
so generally known as it ought to be th 't Archbishop Sumner himself
was one of ille first, if not the very firs', when hi was a master at
F:ton, to assert the importance of that disci ct'y spiritual effort,
acting in close combination with int llectual training, which is now
recogn'ssd as a paramoutd duty in nearly all the great schools of
England.
To return to our own Collegiate Schools. I feel it to be a subject
of true congratelatian that when it was deci led (t s quote a paper
printed in 1839) to " maintsi 1 indisssoluble here the connection
between sound religion. and us ful learning," a plan was net adopted
whish, I he'ieve has been adopted elsewher 1, viz., to appoint a
teach rof the >logy as a teacher might be appoi vice foe Latins& for
chemistry, rr for a ithmetle, end so to group religion as one among
many sejects—donbtless the most important, bat aid one among
the many which toeether make rp the azeregate of what Ii taught
and learnt. Here, on the cons ry, the chief rasps isibility of re'iglous
teaching's pieced where the chief power of e ercising discipline and
the duty of general regulation an 1 eupervi ion are a'so plasei.
Where the contr ry system is adopt bl,"eal the religion influence is
disseve-ed from the supreme an horl ty, there is great daeger lest the
feelings of loyaly aid enthusiasm should be enlis'ed on the side of
what is merely i•ecalar and intellectual, or that discipline should be
seriously relaxed, b-cense its best supports are wanting. On this
subject, indeed (firmly as I hold the principles involved in this
question), it becomes me to speak with humility and oath faae I
trust that the open mention of these things in this plate wi 1 so react
on the authority which for the time is made supreme in the ie school.,
that the responsibility of which I have spoken may henceforth be
discharged far more faithfully and purely than it has ever been
daring the last eight years.'
From the religions characteristics of a school we pass, by the most
natural of all transit'ons, to those which are moral. Under this
bead, the feature watch is perhaps the most distinctive, and on which
my awn mind rests with the chief satisfaction, consists in the close
proximity of the school and the home, and the easy co-operation
which can be established between the parent aed the master. Boys
are not brought to this place and kept together for many months,
in vast numbers, away from their homes, with the almost necessary
result of the weakening of domestic influence. But the assoeiations
of home and the work and di cipline of school are inter-connected,
and alternately exercised every day. Thus many evils are prevented
which would otherwise occur ; for as it is a great encouragement to a
good boy to know thee, his father and mother have been made happy
by some communication from the schoolmaster, so it is a very salutary
check to a b d boy if he knows or even fears that some communica-
tion of ano her kind is taking place in reference to himself. lam very
seesible, indeed, that there are some disadvantages connected with
this feature of these schools, and that there are advantages, great
advantages, connected with what is techn'eally called the pub'ir
wino' system. Bat on the whole I believe the balance, both intellee-
tua ly an/ mor illy, as regards the great majorby of schoolboys, is in
our ferns. Iw 11 not areue the point with en im'ginary opponent.
Having stated my own feeling and convieti no, I will quote the gener-
ous testimony of a distinguished Etonian. Oar last Oxford examiner
was good enough to say (speaking from hfs own acquaintance " both
with Eton and other public schools") not only that the knowledge of
divinity shown hers was " altogether ieyond the ordinary
standard of public school education," but that, even with regard
to some of the other parts of the examination, "be did not
ever remember to hive seen papers equally good written
by boys at our great public s.hools." This, however, is
not the pi int for the sake of which I am just now referring to th a
valuabletestimony. "Speaking as an Etonian," said Mr. Brodrick,
"and being perhaps too apt to refer questions of this hind to that
sta da-d, two or three difference; occur to me between the educe-
tional system here pursued and that of our great public schools; and
lam bound to say that the balance of advantage appears to me to
Incline in many respects in favour of the former. None of those
whom I em now addressing (he continutd)_ can doubt what is the