The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-18 00:00:00

•tune 18, 1544

THE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION.

tIALF-YEARLY DISTRIBUTION OF OrWts,
The i)tilf-veirly distribution of prizes, in this mMt ad-
mirable instiftitiOn; took place on Friday, in the Lecture-
room of the building. The middle and upper galleries
Were crowded to excess with parents and friends of the
pails, and amongst whom were many of the leading
families of the town, The badv of the room was devoted
to the scholars, and the platform was also filled. Amongst
those present we noticed the Rev. J. Conybeare, the
Principal ; the Revs. Dr. Booth and J. H. Brown, Vice-
PrineiPals • the Rev. J. J. Higgins, the Rev. Hugh
W ,Neile, Molyneux, J. Booker, R. Harbord,
Muncaster Shaw, S. L. Trotman, Booker, Esqs.,
• &c. '
Al seven o'clock the Rev. J. Brooks, Senior Rector,
and Chairman of the Board of Directors, took the chair.
The Proceedings of the day commenced by the pupils
‘haunting the Venice exultemus Domino.
The Rev. CHAIRMAN then proceeded to address them
to the following effect :—Boys of the Collegiate Institu-
tion Schools, I have great pleasure in again meeting you
for the distribution of prizes to those amongst you who
have distinguished themselves by their industry and ex-
ertions during the past half-year ; and I can assure you
tp only regret 1 feel is the absence of our respected
locesan, who, upon the last occasion of a similar nature,
Was kind enough to preside. who has been prevented by
°▪
Is other important avocations from doing the same now,
but who, I hope, will present himself again to you on
so.tne future opportunity. Since I last had the pleasure
94:tie:ea:tog you, several exhibitions have been established
IA the schools, which will, I trust, prove a strong in-
your future exertions. I shall now state to you
those which will have to be contended for in future years,
and I shall commence with the upper school. In this
school there are no less than four university exhibitions ;
the first to take place at this season in the next year.
These are, connected with the upper school, and they are,
therefote for the universities; and as the usual time for a
ung man remaining at college is between three and
four Years, the manner in which they are to be
,pre-
sented has been so arranged, that one shall be vacant to
be contended. for every year. The first is established by
rev.soy "'end near me, the Rev. Mr. M'Neile. (Cheers.)
It was determined by a number of his friends that a tes-
timonial should be presented to him, and he thought he
could not make use of it more gratifying to himself and
more generally useful to the town at large, than by con-
necting it with the Collegiate Institution. (Applause.)
He has, therefore, divided it amongst the three schools—
ostablishing in the Uppera,School an exhibition amounting
in value to the annual interest of £l,OOO ; in the Middle

aSehoortwo exhibitions, amounting to ten guineas each ;
and two in the Lower School, which amount to the sum
necessary for keeping the boys in the school. (Loud
cheering.) The first time this exhibition to the Uni-
versities will be brought before you for compe-
tition, will be next year, and for those boys who have
entered before August in the present year. It will beopen
to any of the three universities, either Oxford, Cambridge,
or Dublin. The annual value will be wh,.t the inter-
est of £l,OOO will make, and we may calculate on its
being about £4O. (Applause.) The next is one esta-
blished by a gentleman, who, from the very commence-
ment of the institution, has shown himself to be one of its
kindest friends. I mean the elder Mr. Gladstone. (Loud
cheers.) He has already presented the institution with,
I believe, £l,OOO, for its various purposes, and he now
. establishes an exhibition of the same amount. That will
be contended for in the year 1846, this time two years ;
and it will be open to all boys who have been in the school
previous to February, 1845. The next is an exhibition,
not of positive amount in money, but of the annual value
of £5O a-year, which will come into play in the year 1847,
for those who have been in the school before August, 1845,
established by the masters of the institution. (Tremen-
dousin
cheering.) It shows the lively interest that they
take in your advancement. The fourth exhibition is one
arising
part from a sum which was the surplus of a
fund raised for the erection of a statue to the memory of
an illustrious man, who was formerly one of the represen-
tatives of this town in the House of Commons—the late
Right Hon. George Canning. (Loud applause.) There
was a sum which afforded a surplus after all expenses of
erectingone the statue had been defrayed, which, think,
rounted to £350, and this the committee handed to the
thegrate Institution to found an exhibition, to be called
Canning exhibition. The present Lord Canning,
to bear his testimony to the merits of so near a
--'atum, has himself made up the sum to £5OO. Other
-Persons have also added to that sum, so that it is now
raised to £l,OOO, the same as the M`Neile and the other
exhibitions. And here again I feel it my duty to bear
testimony
to the liberality and disinterestedness of your
masters, for although their exhibitions would not come
into 1)1'1Y before 1847, yet they have determined to corn-
Menu their subscriptions immediately, and to devote the
Produce of them to :he increase of the Canning exhibition.
(Loud cheers.) We shall, therefore, have the town of
Liverpool connected, by this institution, with the names
I have mentioned to you. It will reflect no little credit
on its inhabitants, and I hope those young men who may
attain those exhibitions will do nothing to tarnish them
"'hen they present themselves to the University. (Loud
applause.) There is another resolution of the Board of
Directors which has taken place since we last met, and
which has the same object in view as the establishment of
the exhibitions, that is to encourage merit, so far as lies
in their power, in all the schools. (Cheers.) The reso-
talon is this: It will be open to any boy in the lower
l who chooses to work his way up to the upper
school, and through that, if his parents should think
proper to the universities. One boy in each half year,
from the lower or middle school, if a boy is found de-
serving, will be moved up to the school immediately above
ntrn—that is. from fae lower to the middle school, or
from the middle to the high school, and the charge made
to his parents, for his education, will only be the price of
the school which he leaves ;—(loud applause)—so that if
there be a particularly talented boy, who may in future
times distinguish himself among the worthies of his coun-
try, an opportunity will thus be afforded him of future
success. (Continued cheers.) There cannot be more
than six at one time who will be allowed this privilege. I
sincerely hope we shall find that number. (Cheers.) I
think 1 have now stated to you all the information we have
to give you. I trust it will prove a stimulant to your fu-
ture exertions; and now, with the assistance of the Prin-
cipal. I shall proceed to distribute to you the prizes which
have been awarded.
A long and interesting ceremony then commenced, of
distributing to the bows those prizes which their merits
had won for them. The Chairman, in handing the vari-
ous books and medals to the successful boys, made apt
and appropriate addresses to them, giving to each the r
proper raced of praise. Our space, however, will not allow
us to indulge in the topic, merely remarking that it re-
flects no
small credit on the boys and their instructors.
_ e two first pupils of last year, by their application and
Latent, occupy the same honourable station this year.
Their names, as well as those of the other boys who gained
honours in their various classes, will be found at the close
of this report.
The CHAIRMAN in his concluding address to the boys,
said, that in his preceding observations he might have ap-
reared
to dwell more particularly on the upper school, and
i:hnl, from the lendour , f those endowments wit e hich
"" best, favoured during the past year, might seenih al-
roOst to eclipse the other schools, but those in the middle
and lower schools were equal, nay, of still greater value
than in the upper. (Applause.) After mentioning the
aLornher of scholarships, and endowments to the schools,
me proceeded to observe that although a few out of the
schools had been presented by the Board of Directors
for prizes, yet he was extremely happy in being able to
state, of them a 1, the satisfaction the Principal had felt
With the general conduct of the boys during the last half
Year. (Loud Cheers.) He had informed !Urn (the Chair-
man) that the advancement of the schools generally had
far exceeded that of any previous half year. (Continued
cheers.) Teat was a very gratifying thing to those who
felt an interest in the establishment of that great institu-
tion that such should have been its results ; and lie be-
lieved he might say, without fear of contradiction, that it
had surpassed all other institutions of a similar kind in
the kingdom will regard to the rapidity of its success.
(Tremendous cheers.) They were then only in the
commencement of the first part of the second Year, and
yet there were 713 in the day schools under education.
(Continued cheers.) lie must not, however,b allow his
boys present
varesent. He
cast congratulations to be confined to the
would extend them to their parents and °toy
of the population of this great town at large.
To the boys it was a fortunate circumstance that there was
)
such a place as that in which they were taught their duty,
and to their parents it was of the greatest importance'
that there was an institution like that established to
which they could send their children to be educated.
(Applause.) He had no doubt they had seen during that
morning amongst the boys several who would branch off
in all the different situations and stations of life—some
into the higher, some in the lower grades of society ; but,
whatever might be their position—whether their future des-
tination might be the senate—whether they should become
Members of the learned professions, or afford by their
exertions as merchants strength and stability to the corn-
tnerce of the country, or whether they engaged in trade
Z-eall were taught that o thin, w which
ri:a:te the hderfuture destiny in life, everyithout other kind , ofwhatever know-
ge was of no importance at all—a knowledge which
very principle upon which that institution was
trustjd Pyre and undefiled religion. (Loud cheers.) He
Mer I'll were taught there that it was not sufficient
e Y to learn their duty—that they must not only make
suernseive
Perts;„• acquainted with the Bible and everything ap-
wre —mg to it, but they must also be taught that they
of lif to carry its sacred influences into whatever station
itseice it might be their future lot to fall. Knowledge, of
ki unless it be founded on such a basis, was of that
nu which they were told in the book of Christianity
derved to " puff up." It was the " knowledge which
Uttar that they must carry away with them from that
the „ ; and he was satisfied from what he knew of
thatelaciples upon which the institution was conducted
It WOW dbe offered to them. That was what they
-11 Wit
ss carry, away with them when they left the institution.
thetti°lltd be their best guide through life, and would teach
and ato look beyond the present world to the only safe
(Lo sure comfort whenever they were removed from it.
itrthi APPlause.) The change which had taken place
int. B,lespect during the last few years was most gratify-
ducation seemed to have forced itself upon the
fore moss of the people more than ever it had done be-
had, and he was happy to find the great increase which
veli,itaken place in the number of schools based upon
(eign_a and connected with the established Church.
had br_s.) This showed that a great portion of mankind
and aireotne impressed with the importance of religion,
oate agreed in one point—that it was of no use to edu-
veli,4` all unless they educated upon the principles of
:rate' u
:
to l. n• (Cheers.) The boys present were then going
hopelov the relaxation of the holidays, and he sincerely
i44ot sa_ustilev would enjoy themselves, that they would do
Y, temperately, and as became boys who had
ea acquainted with a certain portion of religious