Читать книгу Speeches and Addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863-1888 - King of Great Britain Edward VII - Страница 17

June 18th, 1866

One of the earliest public functions undertaken by the Prince (July, 1863) was laying the foundation stone of the School, near Croydon, for children of warehousemen, clerks, and agents of wholesale houses and manufactories, so employed in any part of the United Kingdom. The building was not completed till the spring of 1866, and on the 18th of June of that year, the Prince, on being applied to, at once and cordially agreed to preside at the inauguration or formal opening of the Asylum.

The Prince was received by Earl Russell, President of the Charity, the Bishop of Winchester, the Lord Mayor of London, the High Sheriff of Surrey, and other official and distinguished persons interested in the Institution. Having thoroughly inspected the building, the arrangements of which are admirable, and having heard an address explaining the origin and purposes of the Institution, briefly replied as follows: —

"My Lords and Gentlemen, – It is a sincere pleasure to me to see the work which we commenced in July, 1863, brought to a happy conclusion. Such a consummation, when we reflect on the numerous classes of the great commercial community of our country whose interests it promotes, cannot but be gratifying to every one present, and will induce us all gratefully to invoke the Divine blessing on the ultimate success of this undertaking. The attention that has been paid to the details of the building and to the comforts and wellbeing of the children it is destined to shelter, I may say, without presumption, merits this success. And if, as you have stated, 'that which is worth doing at all is worth doing well,' be a truth requiring any corroboration, I have only to point to this structure for the most unanswerable argument in its support. It only remains for me to thank you, my lords and gentlemen, for the kind expressions you have used with reference to the part I have taken in this day's proceedings."

Prayer was then offered by the Bishop of Winchester, and a thanksgiving hymn sung. The ladies present then came forward with their collection purses, and amusement was caused by the hugeness of the heap of offerings that rose before the Prince, exceeding even the large sum presented when the foundation stone was laid. On this occasion upwards of one thousand ladies presented the charitable gifts, and above £5000 in money or subscriptions proved to be the gratifying result. Prayer and thanksgiving were again offered, and the Prince, amid much enthusiasm, declared the Asylum open.

The schools, first established in 1853, had been formerly conducted in three separate houses at New Cross, under many disadvantages. The building inaugurated by the Prince of Wales is one of the most commodious and beautiful structures possessed by any charity. Its imposing appearance and picturesque site must have been admired by many travellers on the Brighton and South Coast Railway, near Caterham Junction. The prosperity of the Institution has been in keeping with its auspicious beginning.