Chronicle-1961

Secondly may 1 take this opportunity on behalf of us all to thank Mr Henderson—also a pioneer in the Transvaal as was Dr. Oppenheirner s late father for the princely gift of a new School Hall to be called The Margaret Mary Henderson Memorial Hall" in tribute to his wife. .He is a Scot and i^y feel ill at ease at any personal reference but I do here wish to say simply how deeply we are grateful to him. This also is no small gift. You will see the shape of things to come when you pass down to the Harry Oppenheirner Science Wing The Hall is Mr. Henderson's personal gift to the boys. We have ex tended it to cover Music and a Gymnasium and I trust we shall somehow find the additional £12,000 needed for this latter and for furnishings, etc. to make it the fitting memorial he intended for his late wife. The following report on the morning's proceedings is quoted from a Natal newspaper: Mr Harry Oppenheirner, chairman of the Anglo-American Corporation, said today that if South Africa got through the difficulties it was facing it would be due in great measure to boys from private schools. He was speaking at the annual prize-giving of Kearsney College at Botha's Hill. He also performed the opening ceremony of the new Harry F. Oppenheimer science wing at the school. Mr. Oppenheimer said that his first and highest hopes for the future were based in the continuation of such schools as Kearsney,for from them men would emerge who were going to make all the conflicts of today seem like an ugly dream of the past. The great need was for men who were clear-eyed and un prejudiced bringing together the traditional values which lay in the humanities and the new—but not opposed—values ol the scientific and industrial age. Private schools were facing a challenge for the future in this country which, whether for good or for evil was standing very much by itself. "We are living at a time when South Africa, with the whole continent of Africa, is in turmoil. If we get through this period with safety and with honour, it will be due in great measure to leaders produced out of the tradition of private schools. He added that it would be due to good calculation as much as to good intentions. He spoke of the analogy between this period and that of the industrial revolution. At the beginning and during its growth the interests of the employers conflicting with those ot the workers led people to fear a class war. The risk of cl^s warfare passed, not because of starry-eyed people or those who "do good" but because of tough men who saw that conflict of interests was an illusion. "The idea of class warfare is dead—as old-fashioned as the crinoline." he said. 86

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