SCHOOL LIFE

Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1929, Page 2

SCHOOL LIFE

GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S FAREWELL MESSAGE.

ADDRESS TO WELLINGTON COLLEGE BOYS.

WELLINGTON, Oct. 29

“This is ‘good-bye’ boys, and I do sincerely wish tne school prosperity. Do treasure up the recollections of the traditions that have built up the reputation of the school, and realise tnat everybody has a responsibility of carrying on these traditions. One lasf word, stick firmly to your religious 1 ’fe, because- you will find the world a pretty cold, hard place where you will nave all kinds of temptations. Stick fast to tne faith you have been brought up in, however much others may scoff at it. It is the only sure foundation on which you can-build.” The foregoing remarks were made by the Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson) when he addressed the assembled school in the Memorial Hall to-day, paying a visit to Wellington College. His Excellency was accompanied by Lady Alice Fergusson,

Referring to the fact that Wellington College took its name in the same way that Wellington College at Home took it, he said there was one interesting point in connection with the taking of the name of that great Duke. The two greatest military commanders of that day were Wellington and Napoleon, each a great man in Ins own way, ibnt there Was one difference between them, In the dispatches written by Napoleon he referred constantly to the glory of serving his country nnd of military -achievements, but neyer mentioned the word duty. Wellington, on' the other hand, referred cohtinually to the .duty which everybody owed to his country, and spoke of service to the country as a matter of duty, but never once, his Excellency believe'd, .did lie mention the word glory. \ , Hie re ’was a lesson in that which did not need rubbiiig in. A school was a place where boys were taught to admire ’ beyond anything else manliness and all that/word implied, to admire frankness, simplicity, and truth, to discourage cafft, arrogance, and affectation, .to be trained to have independent minds of their own, and above all, a school .was a place where a boy was trained to.be-self-reliant, a quality nowadays which jwas apt to be lost sight of. School life was simply a preparation for a much wider life and a training for a great part in life to be played later on. Last of all, school life was a training for boys to look upon life as a splendid and glorious opportunity of service for their fel-low-men, for their country and their King. \ When all was said and done, it was simply tiie obie-ct of the school to train up old boys who would carry on the traditions into’/everyday life in .a worthy manner to fye citizens, in every way to serve their' country and their ’King. \ x \ His Excellency went on'to refer to a parting message, which he said he would frdm the speech-of an old boy of. his\ own school. At ■ a dinner g’ven by th’q j/oi'd Mayor of London, himeslf an oldj Etonian, four speeches were given—o|ne by the Lord Chancellor of England, another by the Speaker of thie! House of Commons, a third bv Lor<| Byng, one of tlie five great generals of the Great War, n former Governor-General of Canada, and now at thje head of the Metropolitan Police, and the fourth by the Lord Mayor himself| When the Lord Mayor spoke he thanked his school, among other things, fV teaching him. three tilings—the side‘s the spirit and the second innings. -The side—He had learned from , his school what team work really meant and of doing everything for the credit of his school and for tne good of his comrades Tiie spirit—Something which no books could teach nor no master could teach—that almost indefinable something that gave tone and cnaracter to a school, handed down by traditions and passed on by a succession of boys throughout the centuries—the things that one might do, and the things that one did not do simply because they were things that boys knew were discreditable to themselves and were a discredit to their -school. On the. other hand there were things which were done because one knew they were right. The second innings—Two things were learnt from that. First, that there was always another chance, that though one might make a bad start and a mess of things there was a second chance, and that it was never too late to mend, which was a lesson that should stand anyone in good stead. The lesson of the second innings told one that until the last ball had been bowled there was always a chance. It taught endurance and sticking out till the end. That was the spirit that carried on those whose names were written on the Memorial Hall wall—the spirit of never kowing when they were beaten, and sticking out to the end.

In conclusion, his Excellency said he ■would not elaborate any more, but would ask the boys to take that as the last message to them from him. He would ask them to treasure those lessons and to hand them to the younger boys who joined the school, they in turn to pass them on to other generations that succeeded.