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Qûlleûe lïLkcailanxf DECEMBER, 1 & A T 7 + ^•Ccj^na College 7)lkcellatt\j JUBILEE NUMBER # DECEMBER, 1947. CONTENTS. Page In the Dawn I On the 125th Anniversary of Jaffna College 2 Editorial Notes 3 Reminiscences of My Student Days a My Reminiscences 9 Jubilee Song II Three Luminaries of Batticotta Seminary 12 J. V. Chelliah (a tribute) 16 Our College Home ia Jubilarians 40 Jubilee Celebrations 47 Christian Contribution to Education 62 Principal's Notes 66 Old Boys’ page 68 Manager .Mr. C. S. Ponnuthurai Editors.. .Mr. L. S. Kulathungam M r. C. R. Wadsworth. S T A F F 1 9 4 7 First Row: t Z ^ ^ E S ^ — R*J-Thrai,* h IN THE DAWN W e are standing in the gray dawn of a day they did not know, On a height they only dreamed of, toiling darkly far below ; But our gaze is toward a summit loftier, fairer, mist-encurled, Soaring skyward through the twilight from the bases of the world. Other feet than ours may stand there on the mountain’s lonely crown ; W e may faint upon the high trails, fall and lay our burden down ; Yet, enough to fill one lifetime is this joy Death cannot touch... Peace, and light, and hope of morning! These are ours, and these are much. Wondrous day to be alive in when, with furious might and main, God is fashioning the future on the anvil-horns of pain I Every life, however humble, takes a touch of the sublime From the light that bathes our sun-washed pinnacle of dawning time. Forward, then! And onward, upward, toward the greater days to be, All the nations singing with us one great song, fraternally. Up and up, achieving, failing, weak in flesh but strong of soul... W e may never live to reach it. Ah, but we have seen the goal ! Odell Shepard ÔN THË ONE HUNDRED AND tWENTY-FÎFTH ANNIVERSARY OF JAFFNA COLLEGE (By Chas. R. Wadsworth) Benignant Mother, to thee we raise our songs Of praise and thanks, that o’er a century And more bestowed thy love and care o’er us Thy sons and daughters true. How grandly thou Thy stately head didst raise to see around The darkness thick of ignorance deep ; with torch Of learning lifted high didst throw its beams So wide, that w ith eagerness, from far and near, Determined throngs to thee were drawn, and deep And long did drink of all thy fountain’s lore ! Thy freedom did they learn, democracy’s Own broadened view did permeate their souls ! Thy heavenward pointing finger led to light Their fearful hearts to grow, to know, and love The Lord. And thus, set free of slavish ways, Grew bold in independent acts and thoughts. N o wonder then that many sons of thine Do shine like stars in firmaments galore ! A nd so, w ith thankful hearts we raise a paean Of praise to Him, from whom all good gifts come, For thee, a truly' great and noble gift. Thou standest yet in lonely splendour great Haloed with all thy pristine ideals grand ! W e love thee true, and shall through years unborn, Be proud of thee, Oh mother great, benign ! Ah, they were giants then: W ith Howland, Poor, And Hastings, yet another Hastings, Brown, W ith Hitchcock, Hudson, later Bicknell, Cooke, A n d Abraham of comet’s fame, and John Chelliah, true master versed in Shakespeare’s art; These and many more—yea, stalwarts all In learned lore !. The silver locks that deck thy matron’s brow Again to raven’s hue do turn, as, in A new birth rising forth, new lustre thou Dost shed, and glory add to glory won ! And now will Lanka’s children all from east And west, from distant south and north, to thy W ide portals flock anew and grace thy halls, And, drawing from thy store of learning, fill Thejr minds, and shed abroad thy glory too. How will thy children all rejoice to see Thy worth full recognized by these in power And with a University’s true state Thy dignified and beauteous brow adorned ! Grow, then, frpm strength to strength, O Mother kind, And growing old, remain for ever young ! COLLEGE VIEWS Two views of Octley Hall Library Ottley Hall & Administration Block Y.M.C. A, Building EDITORIAL NOTES OURSELVES wo r d introducing this Number of the We besrin this Number with three items A Miscellany is, we feel, necessary. Last reminiscent of the past of the College. June our Pre-Jubilee issue anticip Messrs. C. H. Cooke and Tampu Bjuell are ated the publishing of a special Jubilee contributing their reminiscences of theif Number containing full and detailed ac school days at College. Mr Cooke’s counts of the Jubilee celebrations of last article appeared in the Miscellany seven July, and also the publishing of the his years ago. Our grateful thanks to these tory of the College during the last twenty- two old and very loyal sons of the Col five years, as a sequel to Mr. J. V. lege, who are among the oldest Old Boys Chelliah’s “ A Century of English Educa living today. We are also publishing the tion,” bringing thus the College history Tamil song sung at the celebrations of up-to-date. But it is regretted that our the centenary of the Seminary and the finances just now prevent the putting golden Jubilee of the College in 1922. through of the history project, which, This song was composed by Mr. C. H. however, has not been given up altoge Kadirvetpillai, who was for a short time ther And so, this issue contains a short on the staff of the College in charge of story of the last twenty-five years, 1922 the Tamil of the higher classes. As far — 1947. Because of the exigencies of as we know, there is only one copy . of space it has to be necessarily brief, and, this excellent composition left and that therefore, omissions of references to more is in our Library. Hence, we thought persons and events of importance in the it best to reprint it. life of the College than have found mention in it have been inevitable. We One of the joint Editors of the Mis would, under the circumstances, request cellany, and ‘the poet Laureate* of the our readers to read it with that under College, Mr. C. R. Wadsworth, contri standing. We have also decided to rest butes a poem on the 125th anniversary rict all articles in this issue to matters celebrations. Two more contributions, connected with the College, omitting one from Mr. K- E. Mathiaparanam on altogether articles of general interest. “Three Luminaries of the Seminary" As full as possible accounts of the last and the other an appreciation of Mr. J.V. Jubilee celebrations are appearing in Chelliah by Mr S. Handy Perinbahaya- these pages, and we do hope that this Jubilee Number will serve as an adequate gam appear in these pages To both of memento of the historic celebrations. them our thanks are due. THE LAST JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS The celebrations of the 125th anni guests at the various functions were of versary of the Seminary and of the a very high standard and contained much 75th anniversary of Jaffna College, con thought for reflection. They helped not ducted last July with much festivity, merely to remind us of the noble and and grandeur, were worthy of the precious heritage that is ours, but also historic occasions and in keeping to urge on us forcibly the great task’ with the great traditions of the College. ahead of us, if we are to make our The speeches delivered by our various College the source of power, strength. 4 and inspiration it can be to our commu pioneers ; backed as we are by the splen nity, and to our entire country. Those didly storied past of rich and noble of us teachers and students, who have traditions ; now supported by crowds of today the proud privilege of running the witnesses all loyal and ever ready to institution, were strengthened and cheer serve their College, do we need to have ed not a little by the great number of any concern, any anxiety, any doubt Old Boys and Old Girls who gathered for the future ? Above all, our hope is around their Alma Mater, by the crowds built on Him that has watched over of a grateful public who showed their us down the century and a quarter. genuine appreciation of the contribution of the College towards the welfare of the And what is our vision about the land, and by the heartening messages of future ? As chronicled in the last Mis our many friends and Alumni who were cellany, in our dreaming we caught the unable to be present at the celebrations. vision of the grandeur that was ours, Some of these messages are included in when the College was of a university this Miscellany. It is a matter of the deepest regret that space does not allow status preparing students for the degree our publishing all these thoughtful and examinations of the Indian universities. affectionate messages. To the senders of Caught up in that vision and confident them all we take this opportunity of that our future service to the country conveying the grateful thanks of the lay in that direction, we have under whole College. The College has also had taken, at great expense, the provision more tangible proof of the loyalty and of degree classes, both in Arts and Sci love of her old students in their spont ence, preparing students for the examina aneously rich donations, some of them tions of the London University- All our entailing real hardship and sacrifice to plans for this scheme have not yet the givers and therefore doubly precious materialised.