CHARLES H. WELCH
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work. When my parents discovered to their horror that I had taken a `dare', and had started doing a `strip tease' in
front of the class, they concluded that it was no use keeping me at such `respectable' institutions, but that I must go
to the Board School, where discipline exercised both by scholar and teacher might have some rewarding effect. So
at the age of six I entered Keeton's Road School, and remained there until the age of fourteen, when I reached the
Ex. VIIth standard, the highest in a school of that type. Some four years after, a little girl named Winifred Jeannette
Clark, who lived right down on the waterfront became a pupil in Herold's Infant School, and later transferred to
Keeton's Road School, became the friend of my own sister Kit, and ultimately under the good hand of the Lord,
became the loving and loyal partner, help-meet and fellow sharer in the good fight of faith.
Two certificates for Scripture knowledge, dated 1887 and 1888, show that at the age of seven and eight I had
become acquainted with the letter of the Word, but still wonder why the authorities feel that such passages as
`Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,
for My Name's sake' should be considered milk for babes. I certainly gained nothing spiritually from such
exercises. Certificates for 2nd standard 1888, 3rd standard 1889, 4th in 1890 on to 7th and Ex. 7th in 1893,
accompanied with a certificate for Alternative Elementary Physics at the age of twelve, Mechanics, Drawing, and
French in 1893 at the age of thirteen, give some idea of the progress made and the nature of the teaching given.
George E. Powell was an old fashioned Headmaster, who had wisdom enough however to give younger teachers a
fairly free hand.
It was his custom to put all boys who were down for punishment into a line, and go along the line with a mock
solemnity, saying with each cut of the cane `miserable sinner' `miserable sinner'.
A school chant at the time revealed no disrespect however as we sang:
`Mr. Powell's a nice old man. He tries to teach us all he can,
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, but he doesn't forget to give us the stick.
When he does, he makes us dance, out of England into France,
Out of France into Spain; all round the world and back again'.
At the annual prize giving in 1889, when I was just turned nine years old, a `Queen Victoria Medal' was pinned
on my breast. I had, quite by accident not been late or absent from school for a year.
This was repeated for three succeeding years, the fourth being marked by a special medal in bronze. Someone
said, four consecutive years without being late or absent once, was not only a credit to the youngster but to his
mother, especially where there were younger members of a large family to be cared for.
Those who are in the habit of attending the meetings at the Chapel of the Opened Book, have no need to look
anxiously at the clock. It is as dishonest to steal a person's time as his money. Little souls sometimes adopt
Malvolio's idea of greatness:
`I frown the while, and perchance wind up my watch, or play with some rich jewel' but