Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 31 May 1924, page 33


EDUCATION IN CHINA.

Liberal Gifts to Mission.

Archdeacon E. J. Barnett, a former head

master of the Caulfield Grammar School   and the first secretary of the Church Mis- sionary Society in Victoria, returned to   Melbourne on Thursday after an absence of 21 years in China. During that period

he has been engaged in educational work in Hong Kong and Canton under the aus- pices of the Church Missionary Society.

Shortly after he arrived in Canton Arch-

deacon Barnett opened an Anglo-Chinese school, which afterwards became St. Ste- phen's College. Commencing with six    Chinese children as scholars, the attend- ance rapidly advanced to 180. The school

was supported entirely by Chinese, mostly non-Christians. After four years the Chinese parents decided to erect a larger building, which cost £3,000. That school took a leading place in educational work.

"In 1912 at the annual speech night," said Archdeacon Barnett yesterday, "the report directed attention to the neces-sity for the establishment of a university. The Governor (Sir Frederick Lugard), who was chairman, pleaded that the suggestion be acted upon. A few days later Sir Hormanjaree Mody, a Parsee, offered to erect the central building of the univer-sity if an adequate endowment could be arranged for. A British firm carrying on business in Hong Kong thereupon offered £40,000 as an endowment fund. This sum was speedily supplemented by large sub-scriptions from the Chinese. When the university was opened half the under-graduates were former students of St. Ste-phen's College. The Government of Hong Kong is now offering 20 acres of land that the college may be rebuilt. It is estimated that the cost of the new buildings will be £60,000, of which sum two-thirds is already in sight. While in Australia, it will be my endeavour to obtain an archi-tect to superintend the erection of these buildings, provided that he is prepared to go to China in September.

"Out of our initial educational work has grown St. John's Hall, erected at a cost of £7,500, the first residential hall for the university; also St. Stephen's Girls' College, which has been recently con-structed at a cost of £28,000. The foun-dation-stone of this college was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1922.

The educational work of the Church Missionary Society has extended to Can-ton. A building is in course of completion there for Holy Trinitv College which will cost £18,000. There is also St. Hilda's Secondary Girls' School. As the cost of all the buildings has been provided by residents of Hong Kong and Canton, it has not been necessary to draw upon the funds of the Church Missionary So-ciety."

Missionary Festival.

The Australian Board of Missions, the official board of the general synod of the Church of England in Australia, is making considerable extensions this year in the work of the Anglican Church in the mis-sion field. New workers have been sent to thc Forrest and Mitchell River missions to the aborigines; to New Guinea, and to Shantong (North China). A new mission of help has been sent to the Bishop of Polynesia for his work amongst the Indian coolies in Fiji, and within the next three months another station will be opened, on the Lockhart River, North Queensland, and the first worker will be taking up duty in the mandated territory.

The Victorian annual festival of the

board begins today with the children's service and procession at All Saints', St. Kilda. Tomorrow, in the dioceses of Melbourne, Bendigo, Gippsland, and Wan-garatta a pastoral letter from the Arch-bishop and bishops will be read, and the annual collections will be made for mis- sions. On Tuesday there will be a series of gatherings, culminating in the evening Meeting at the Chapter House, when the Archbishop nf Melbourne (Dr. Lees), the Rev. J. S. Needham (chairman of the Aus-tralian Board of Missions) and the Minister for Home and Territories (Senator Pearce)

will be the speakers. The women's auxili-ary will hold its anunal meeting and con-ference in the Chapter House on Wednes-day, when leading missionaries and mis-sionary workers will speak.