The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-08


| We're as many as could be accommo-
| dated.
Queen Emma was greatly interested
in the founding of the Priory and its
work She was a constant visitor at
! the school and it was her custom on
/ Sunday afternoon to take tea with the
! Sisters. She planted the pomegranate
tree near the Refractory, laid out the
grounds at her own expense and planted
( many trees. She left in her will 5000
year for the education of Hawaiian
girls in the Priory. During the troubles
about the election of Kalakaua she
| took shelter in the Priory.
In 1873, it was found necessary to
| lengthen the dormitory which being
7 done, thirty-six boarders could be ae-
comEodated. The day school increased
in proportion.
In 1876, the Reverend Mother Su-
| perior of the Order died in England
and in 1877 Sister Bertha was called
| home to succeed her. st. Cross School
| at Lahaina was at this time handed
over to Bishop Willis and Eldress
| Phoebe and Sister Mary Clara came
| to the Priory. The five royal palms
| planted in the Priory court are in re,
membrance of the five sisters who work
| ed in the school and were planted by
| them. Three of these sisters have en-
| tered into their rest.
In 1884 so many applications for adj
mission came and the school was so
| large that it was necessary to build a
new school room and to convert the
/ old one into dormitory. Toward the
| expenses of the new building, the gov
eminent gave $4,000 There could now
| be taken about seventy boarders and
| the school was usually full. In this
year Sister Mary Clara was called to
| Paradise and in 1890, Eldress Phoebe
passed away. During the time which
has been passed over briefly, the school
had the assistance of two ladies from
England which was most acceptable.
In 1892 new dormitory over the
old school room was built, and this
was at once filed. The applications
still being numerous. in 1894 another
addition was made to the long dormi-
tory and another school room was built
| for the younger pupils.
The relations of the Sisters with the
Bishop were not amicable, and they
| were ordered home in 1892 by the
Mother Superior. They sent back
word that it was impossible for them
to give up the work, that they had
| accepted charge of numerous young
girls who had no other home, and. be-
sides this, they had lived so long in
the tropics that they considered that
they were unable to live in the Eng
lish climate. The society in reply
gave permission for them to remain in
Honolulu, but notified them that they
themselves must be financially respon-
sible for the maintenance of the work.
The two Sisters confined the school.
doing large part of the work them
selves and working without intermis-
sion year after year. In 1902, when
the present Bishop was elected, they
wrote to him requesting him to take
the school into his hands, stating that
they were willing to hand over what
they had, in consideration for their
| proper maintenance The Bishop ar
rived in August of the same year and
at once took over the property. The
portion of land on which the refectory
and dormitory are situated had been
| leased by the board of directors to
| the Society of the Holy Trinity for
! 81 a year This land was part of
| the original grant of the king in 1868.
| The portion where the school rooms
are was purchased by Miss Sellon in
I 1867 and had originally been a part
of the Armstrong property4 In 1905
| Bishop Restarick purchased the land
on which the new buildings chiefly
stand, from Mrs. S. S. Robertson, for
| the sum of $4,000. 1t was assessed at
the time at 10000. so that it was
partly gift The land was original
" part of the kings garden, as were
| Emma Square and the cathedral site
In 1907 the Society of the Holy
Trinity decided to the board of direc
tors the land which Miss Sellon had
purchased.
The Bishop at first placed Mrs. Fol
som and Miss Vile in charge of thu
school, but next year Miss Marsh be
came the principal and has remained
so to the present time. Miss Charlotte
Taggart came with the Bishops party
| to Honolulu in 1902 and has had
charge of the household and finances
over since. Early in the present
Bishops residence he saw that q new
school building was necessary, but ne
| was buslly engaged IN securing money
for other urgent needs. In 1907 he
began to solicit money for the Priory
Building Fund and in 1908 secured
plans for the new edifce.
The result of these arrangements Is
the present building now in progress
of erection. It is the first building OF
it's kind erected in the Islands. 1t Is
said by competent judges to be ex
cellently designed and that when fin
ished we shall have most substan
tial structure The concrete will be
covered on the exterior with coating
of cement. with color sufficient tC
make it harmonic with the stone OF
the cathedral. The architect is Mr.
c. ". Dickey, born in the Islands, and
who is familiar with the needs and
conditions here. The superintendent Is
Mr.. w. l.. Emory; the contractor IS X
| Matsumoto. The cost is to be SAY,
950. With the architect S fees and the
cost of experimenting. the total ex
penditure will be $53, 900.
The present staff of teachers is as
follows: Principal, Miss Marsh; finan
eial agent, Miss Charlotte Taggart;
teachers, Miss Article Beaver. Miss
|