OLD TIES RENEWED

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2596, 19 October 1915, Page 6

OLD TIES RENEWED

MR. ROBERT LEE IN ENGLAND. "On visiting St. Mark's Colleae, at Chelsea," said Mr. Robert Leo, who has just returned from England, and who inado a point of visiting his old school, "I found it a hospital for wounded soldiers. Of. tho 50 students there in my, years of residence only four are now alive, of whom I am one and the Rev. Ed, Atkins, of Leicester, whom I visited, the new Master of Wiggestou Hospital for aged men and women, and the rector of St. Nicholas are the others. In Lincoln 1 visited a primary school where' tho headmaster was a Mr. -Baker, and old St. Mark's man. I also visited the schools of my native town, Grantham (Lincolnshire), and gave addresses in each'of them, including a very fine'new High School of girls, of which my brother was a governor. When in Winchester the headmaster kindly showed me over the famous school. In Preston (Lancashire), I visited the school of which I was formerly headmastor, and was taken by an old pupil, a late Mayor of Preston, to tho fino new school at Deepdale and to the new Boys' High School, replacing an old Grammar School. In each of these schools I gave addresses and was thanked for doing so. A friend who motored me over the greater part of the north had a boy who was dux of the old college at Windermere, and there the headmaster, Mr. Raikes, received me very kindly,- and Mrs. Raikes motored me on tho finest day to Keswick—a lovely journey in tho heyday of autumn. I was entertained at two club dinners by four of my old Preston scholars, and spent over a month with one, ten days with another, and a week-end with a third, all being men of good estate and leading citizens. This was exceedingly cratifying to me, and I enjoyed myself immensely. ! -

"My daughter, Myrtle, has been for some years art instructor in a very fine private school for girls at Heathfield, and on the invitation of the lady principal I spent four days there. Tho grounds (30 acres) are very beautiful, and the school is of a very high class and admirably conducted. There were 80 pupils from all parts of tho world, including one from _ the Wairarapa. Later on the lady principal sent a motor for me to Feltham, where I was staying, and again I spent a pleasant afternoon, and bade an revoir to a charming memory.

"My visit to Oxford was most interesting, although tho College forms were for the most part scantily ocoupied. I was shown over the principal colleges by a friend of the Misses Mowbray (nieces of my old friend, Mr. W. Mowbray, of the Lower Hutt, and late headmaster of the Thomdon School). "Generally speaking, English schools have been much improved since I saw them ten years ago, but with few exceptions they are very deficient in grounds, and are also often wrongly located, sometimes near dockyards or in a crowded centre. I have brought back with mo pictures of Sir Isaac Newton, his statue at Grantham, and his monument in Westminster Abbo.y, which I shall send to our largest schools, and I shall be pleased at any timo to address classes on Newton (who lvas at Grantham School) and his works, in Whio'h I have always taken- a deep interest."