Cook at School.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 November 1915, Page 3

Cook at School.

i iuXL'LUHMt. A memorial was last month uriveiioil at the -ALicliaol i/ostgato. Schools Great Ayton-iu-Clovorlanu, jLnglanu, u Captain Cook, tlio groat circumnavigator, who was educated at the senooi, Tlic itight lion. Herbert oaniuol, ii.x .. who periormod the ceremony, said that six years ago tiir Joseph CamiUiers, an Jix-l'riino .Uiiiibter oi Mow south Wiilee couiuieiitocii upon the fact Unit there was in Jingland no worthy memorial to Captain whom Australia is and .New Zealatulers regarded as one oi the great founders ot our Empire. Reeling, tis <i momber .01 I'ariiament lot the Cleveland district, whore Oap- ■ tain Cook wa.s born and educated!, that a certain- duty devolved upon Jinn, ho (Mr Samuel) put the nniAcer ■before the Britisir Jwnpire League, the committee of which took up tlio question, and appointed a (special organisation to establish a national Coofc memorial. The efforts of the committee resulted in the collection of the sum o; jWoOO and the subsequent unveiling by i'riuco Arthur oi Connanght, in July last, of a Jiaiul.some statue iu

London. Out oi the remaining luiida they wove founding a'sinall Rcholarship at JMarton, the village where Captain Cook ' wa« born. Ah they wo if also anxious that Ayton, where lit; received his education, should have a part in the memorial, Mr AJbert Tolt was Co ni missioned to prepare a bronze tablet for the «rliool where Cook avh.s dueated, ami Avhich, fortunately, Avas still standing. CAPTAIN COOK 'S C'AR-ERU.

The more they cuiisiuered Captain Cook's lii'e tiic greater 111.1 ditstiucliun i appeared. He was tlio son ol ;i larm lauourer, and was born at Martou m . 1726. The family left Martou and went to Jive in a-cottage at Ayioif, Coiili's education was paid for by the gentleman on whose iurm his father was employed as hind, and' nib adventurous disposition Jed him to the -aa. Captain Cook lirst] served "in small coasting ships, and ailenv;.rclf> joined the JKoyal Aavy as a sailor before tJ:t-' linnet. lie was in the Aavy at the time of the expedition to Canada, u 110.1 \.\o!lt! captured Quebec and Canada added. 10 the .brititsh Crown. Uui thi're lie whs given hydrographic work and it was so well acconiplishod that the attention 01 the Admiralty was drawn to him. and In: wa.s promoted to first mate, and then commander. lie was placcdi in charge 01 an expedition to the Southern Paeiiic, and as captain of the jloyal :\avy lie commamhul three expeditious. Thoso ma'O famous voyage* won him wo'ld-wid-; fame. 'in a little boat of less thai 000 tons burden lie went to sea, for two or three years at a time, mailing over .soasT till then wholly unknown. ;nui discovered many islands of tlio I'ac!lic. Perhaps liif; aTeateKL distinct! >n ww tlie fact tliat it w;is he who lioisiod the flag of liritain on the sliores o Australia and New Zealand" ,and by so doing added those imuTe to tlio Hri'--ish Empire. Tll his flay lie held the record for iho furthest northern af'di the furthest (southern oxploration. ti ■ was fiiino'is not only for his kindness | to his eroAV, but also for hi.s humanity t) the natives of the hitherto unknown countries -which lie pxi'lorod. and deep j Avas tli crogret avlhmi he m-ot his death tlirouvli nn fauH of his <>un. at the hands of tfio of one of the sliinds in the Pacifir:.