71 . 1, 11irrAll-1 11tIiLi '111

CHAPTER V

EDUCATION

Founding of educational institutions was one of the notable

social development services of the Christian missionaries. They

offered liberal and free education by establishing a network of

educational institutions at various levels. Their system of education

was not a way towards employment but a training to make better men

and women. The Christian missionaries founded Schools and Colleges

with a view to educating the converted Christian students in Christianity.

and Christian life and to train them for ministry in Churches.'

Education to all was one of their principles. Before the advent

of the Europeans, education was confined to a few sections in the

society. Downtrodden and depressed classes in the society were

denied education or neglected in the field of education. But the

Christian missionaries came forward to educate and thus give a lift to

the backward communities.

Bartholomaeu Ziegenbaig, the first Protestant missionary of

South India established his first Schools at Nagapatinam and

Cuddalore in 1710 and began teaching the poor fisher-folk children

both boys and girls by scrawling the alphabet on sand. His dedicated

311

Narpothagam, March 1954, p.122.

312

effort initiated the educational services of the Protestant division in

South India.

The Rev.Hough of the S.P.C.K. Mission established Anglo-

Vernacular Schools at Thatchanallur, Melapalayam, Palamcottah,

Tuticorin, Prahasapuram, Aiwarthirunagari, Sankarankoil and

Thenkasi and Girls' Schools at Nazareth and Mudalur in the

Tinnevelly region. He set up the Anglo-Vernacular Schools at Hindus

populated areas and towns with an aim to attract the Caste Hindus to

Christian Schools and to teach Bible to them. 2 He offered them

English education along with Tamil language.

The Rev.Rhenius established 107 Primary Schools in rural areas

within five years from 1820. He followed a strategy of establishing

churches and schools together. He planted a school where he found

the soil resistant to a church. He founded the native English Schools

with the acceptance of the local people that Bible would be one of the

subjects.he Christian missionaries wanted to provide education to

all. At the same time, they felt the need of propagating Christianity to

the caste Hindus also,

The Christian missionaries strictly followed rules against caste

system amidst severe opposition from the caste Hindus. They

propagated their doctrine of equality through their educational

Narpothagam, March 1954, p.454.

313

institutions. 3 In the long run, the Caste Hindus began to send their

children to the mission School .4

The missionaries continued their educational service along with

evangelistic work. In 1862, conversion and giving baptism to some

Hindu students in the Anglo-vernacular School at Palamcottah

aroused the Hindus in Tinnevelly town to start an opposition School,

collecting a sum of Rs.20,000/- for the purpose in four days. This was

to develop later into the Hindu College. The C.M.S. missionaries did

not lose their courage and replied by establishing another School in

Tinnevelly town and soon followed in 1880 by starting the Church

Mission College with H.J.Schaffier as Principal. These all benefited

the children of the Tinnevelly soil very much.5

On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Anglo-

Vernacular High School, Palamcottah in 1894, the leading Hindus and

Mohammedans of Palamcottah requested the Christian missionaries

for another such school for them. Consequently, the Church

Missionary Society opened the Mary Arden Middle School after the

daughter of Mr.Arden, the then secretary of the C.M.S. Corresponding

Committee in Madras. Non-Christian parents had preferred Christian

institutions for their children because the moral and religious teaching

P.Thomas, Hindu Religious Customs and Manners, Bombay, 1960, p.20.D.A.Christudoss, Tinnevell y Church - Hundred Years Ago, Narpothagam,January 1958, pp.23 - 26.D.S.George MuIler,Birth of the Bishopric of Tinnevelly, pp.36 —37.

314

had a moral influence upon them. At the same time, they understood

that the Christian religion was not imposed on the non-Christian

students 6

Education of the womenfolk came in for the attention of the

Church Missionary Society at a time when no one bothered about it in

Tinnevelly.(e missionaries worked hard for giving education to

girls. The early society prohibited girls from receiving any instruction

from male teachers. Therefore, the missionary societies devised some

acceptable method by sending women missionaries to India

Moreover, the caste Hindus did not allow their girl children to ha

education with male students. Hence the Christian missions

established separate Schools for girls. The Rev.Rhenius opened a

seminary for girls in March 1823 at Palamcottah,)

The Rev.A.H.Lash founded the Usborne Memorial School in

1878 at the heart of Palamcottah with a main motive of drawing caste

Hindu girls to mission Schools. The Christian missionary

organisations in Tinnevelly had established forty Schools in

Tinnevelly region till 1878. Most of the Hindu parents neglected to

give education to their girl children. Till 1925, it was difficult to

persuade the Hindu parents to allow their daughters to attend

School.

6 Eugene Stock, op.cit., Vol.4, pp. 146 - 147.V.Henry Packianathan, op.cit., p. XXHI.

8 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1930, p.36.

315

In the beginning, the mission Schools taught Bible, Church

History, History of Greek, Rome and India, Mathematics, Nannool

and Tamil Literature. 9 They trained the Christian students in

Christianity for doing ministry in churches. Later on, the subjects in

Geography and Science were also added. The missionaries engaged

not only in establishing Schools but also in preparing text books,

dictionaries in local language for English, grammar book for Tamil

language, The Rev.Rhenius prepared books on History, Geography

and Astronomy in Tamil language. 10 The Rev. Dr. R.Caldwell and the

Rev.G.Uglow Pope contributed more in the field of History and Tamil

language and literature.

Education is not a passport for employment but a training to

make better man or women. The missionaries imparted good

education with religious and moral teaching which helped the student

to lead a well disciplined life. The Rev.G.U.Pope was a born teacher

and a strict disciplinarian. His famous Tamil motto was " Nalla

sappadu, Nalla padippu, Nalla adippu" (Good food, Good education,

good caning). He put up the motto in the lecture hail in his School at

Sawyerpuram. He used tamarind twigs to cane the undisciplined

students. The missionaries instructed the students the importance of

time management from their younger stage. They inculcated the need

Narpothagm ,March 1954, p.132.10 The Church Missionary Record of the C.M.S, 1830, London, p.200.

316

for doing social work to the needy in the minds of the students. They

became the examples and model to the students by their dedicated life.

The propagation of Christianity was the main duty of the

missionaries, In village Schools, they taught both heathen and

Christian boys together. They looked for interested students in

religion. After examining them closely, they selected two or three

boys and offered boarding facilities for them for having close

supervision. Then they carefully instructed them in Christianity with

sprecial interest. This effort yielded good result in their gospel work.

Mostly, all the selected students accepted Christianity. These

converted Christians became mission agents, teachers, Schoolmasters,

catechists or priests. This method was called Tinnevelly system of

evangelisation in Schools."

The Christian missionaries founded the elementary schools in

the rural areas, and established high schools and colleges in same

select places in Tinnevelly region. After the amalgamation of the

Church Missionaries Society and the Society for the Propagation of

the Gospel in foreign parts, the entire mission schools began to

function under the control of the Diocese of Tinnevelly. The Diocese

has been governing and administering these institutions under the

banner of Tinnevelly Diocesan Trust Association.

Eugene Stock, The History of the Church Missionary Society, Vol.1., London,1899, pp.521 —522.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

The Diocese established elementary schools mainly in rural

areas of the Diocese of Tinnevelly. It appointed only the trained

teachers in these schools to offer better education. During the Second

World War, the Diocese faced a critical situation to run its village

schools because most of the teachers left the mission schools and

joined the Government military service. The teachers accepted this

service eagerly because the army guaranteed regular free meals and

aids in the period of scarcity and high prices. Moreover, the children

of members of the forces received financial aids for their education

from the English government. Hence, the elementary schools had

become understaffed and some were temporarily closed in most of the

villages. 12 In some places, the Diocese allowed the untrained VIII

standard passed persons to teach in the village schools. Moreover, it

requested the Evangelistic Work Standing Committee for releasing the

probationers of Theological College to stop the closing of village

schools. With the acceptance of the Committee, the Diocese appointed

the probationers in Primary Schools in rural areas from November

1942 and dedicatedly fulfilled the need of the rural children. 13

After the formation of the independent Church of South India in

1947, the Diocese of Tinnevelly had 644 Primary Schools with 1,692

12 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1942, p.'7.13 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1943, p.21.

317

318

teachers, and 26,263 boys and 16,758 girls. And there were forty-six

Higher Elementary Schools with 461 teachers and 10,681 students, of

which 4,645 were girls. These Schools were situated in thirty-eight

Circles of the Diocese and their surrounding areas. These Primary and

Higher Elementary Schools of the Diocese were mostly in rural

areas. 14 The Diocesan Middle Schools were at Dohnavur, Pannaivillai,

Surandai and Palamcottah.

In the beginning, foreign missionary organisations like the

S.P.C.K., the C.M.S., and the S.P.G. offered their financial assistance

to run the Schools. 15 After the formation of the Diocese of Tinnevelly,

these missions began to reduce their financial supports. In due course,

the Diocese of Tinnevelly began to support these Schools fully

because of the non-arrival of the foreign funds after the emergence of

the Church of South India, '6

All the elementary Schools of the Diocese gave special

emphasis to the religious and physical development of the pupils and

fulfilled the training and development of body and soul. Either the

morning session or the evening session commenced with scripture

classes. In the Higher Elementary Schools, physical education was

made compulsory in all classes. During the last two of evening

sessions, all students attended the drill class. Moreover, great care was

14 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947 - 1948, pp-58 - 61.15 V.Henry Packianathan, op.cit., pp.XVIII - XIX.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council, 1949 - 1950, p.4.

319

taken to instruct the pupil in simple dietetics, clean habits and good

manners. 17 The supply of milk powder helped all the rural institutions to

increase the daily attendance. 18

In all the Higher Elementary Schools and Middle Schools, the

Diocese introduced manual labour as a compulsory subject with the

aim to educate the young students the importance self-reliance from

their early school days. The schools allowed two periods of 50

minutes each in a week for some manual training in handicrafts like

envelope making and bee culture. They offered special training in

basket making with palmyra leaves, clay modelling, knitting and

simple agriculture in growing vegetables in kitchen-garden. The

Diocesan schools celebrated health week every year for educating the

students about social work on health. During the Health week, the

staff and the students went round the streets of the surrounding

villages and educated the people to keep cleanliness in the streets and

surroundings by singing health songs, delivering simple, lectures on

health and cleaning dirty places.19

The Diocesan Schools adopted a House System to strengthen

the ability of the students. Accordingly, the School divided the whole

classes into several Houses. Each House closely watched the position

of each student in his studies, games and extra curricular activities.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1937, p.45.18 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1955 - 1956, p.71.19 Ibid.

320

Each class maintained the monthly Champion House record, which

contained the monthly progress of each pupil of the House in class

room work, the achievement of the House in the monthly inter house

matches, conduct of the student and the extra class activities of every

House. The heads of the institution declared the result of the best

House every month in the School assembly. A roll of honour was

hung up in each classroom every month.20

In addition to the regular subjects, the Diocesan Schools taught

some pre-occational subjects. At St.Mark's Higher Elementary

School, Christianagaram, Literary and Debating Society with

divisions of Junior and Senior branches were introduced besides the

extra curricular activities such as needlework, card board modelling,

Kollattam and Kummi painting on glasses, palmyra leaf fans

bookbinding and agriculture .21

Mary Arden Middle School, Palamcottah was the famous

middle School in the Tinnevelly region. The Rev. Albert Henry Arden

founded the School in memory of his sister Mary Isabella in 1895 with

12 students. 22 The School offered manual training in making palm leaf

mats, bamboo thatty works, chits, palmyra baskets, string bags, string

bed making, paper and palm leaf handicraft work. 23 Net making,

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.38.21

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1933, p.42.22 Statistics of the C.S.I.Diocese of Tinnevelly - 1980, Central Church Council,Palamcortah Pastorate, p.67.

23 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report,1935, p.37.

321

basket making, box making, bamboo works, lace and embroidery

works were taught in St. Augustin's Higher Elementary School . 24 The

S.P.G. Trinity Middle School, Idaiyangudi taught to make towels,

tapes and saris in the weaving section. All other Diocesan Primary and

Middle Schools taught spinning, weaving, and gardening. Some

Schools in urban areas taught Hindi language .25 The Diocese

conducted common competition programmes and common

examination for all Diocesan Schools.

The Primary School consisted of Standard I to V. The Middle

School consisted of Standard I to VIII or VI or VIII. The Diocesan

Council controlled all the T.D.T.A. schools. The Diocesan council

formed a Central Board on Elementary Education, which gave

permission for opening new schools. The Pastorate Committee created

the Elementary Education Sub-Committee, which had the power to

prepare the list of candidates for appointment as teachers. The Pastorate

Chairman prepared the list of candidates for inter-Pastorate transfers.

The Elementary Education Sub-Committee carried out the transfer

order. The Diocese did not permit the teachers to engage directly or

indirectly in any remunerative work or business and to be associated

with any political party .26

24 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report,1935, p.60.25 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1948 - 1949, pp-36 - 37.26 Minutes of the Central Board on Elementary Education, 9th meeting, 9th March

1979, pp.6-18.

322

In sonic places of Ramnad Circle, the Hindu parents did not wish

their children to be taught in schools, which were also used as churches.

They wanted to have separate school buildings and also they came

forward to donate liberally towards the cost of construction of such

buildings. The Hindus at Appanur, Kalari and Kizha Chelvanur came

forward to extend financial support for building schools in their own

areas. 27 The Diocese respected their sentiments and offered its co-

operation.

The Diocesan Standing Committee on Education was the

competent body to deal with matters connected with the Department of

Education in the Diocese. It exercised a general control over the

Diocesan educational institutions. The Diocesan Schools came under the

category of "Minority Institutions".

HIGHER EDUCATION

HIGH SCHOOLS

In 1947, there were seventeen High Schools in the Diocese.

After thirty years, the Diocese had twenty High Schools. They had

Governing Boards for administering their service and made

necessary recommendations to the Diocesan Council. These Boards

consisted of the Correspondent of the Institution, the Head of the

Institution, the Pastorate Chairman, three persons elected by the

-

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1942, p.17.

323

Pastorate Committee, one member of the staff, three persons elected by

the Education Standing Committee and one member of the Old

Students' Association.2

Some of the Boys' High Schools began to admit girls from

1942. The Educational Standing Committee appointed a Commission of

five members to examine the system of Co-education in Diocesan High

Schools in 1946.29 It again recommended not to admit girls from Form

IV because there was a distinct embarrassment to the teacher and the

taught when boys and girls were in the same class in teaching Home-

craft, Domestic Science, and Physical Education. There were no women

teachers oil staff to teach such subject for girls. Moreover, the

Government also passed an order in 1947 that the Girls should not be

admitted in Boys' Schools in towns. 30 Hence the Education Standing

Committee issued an order that no girls should be admitted in Diocesan

Boys' Schools in future except under very exceptional circumstances .31

The morning assembly was an integral part of the schoolwork.

The teachers maintained the orderliness and general discipline of the

students. The school allowed the teachers to undertake private tuition in

the school premises only with the prior written permission of the Head

of the Institution. According to the Diocesan educational rules, a teacher

' Executive Standing Committee, 152nd meeting, 29th October 1979, pp.28-29.29 Education Standing Committee, 70th meeting, 19th September 1946, p.5.° Education Standing Committee, 73rd meeting, 11th September 1947, pp.9 -12.

Education Standing Committee, 76th meeting, 5th October 1948, p.2.

324

could admit six students only, for the private tuition. 32 In 1964, all

Diocesan schools enforced staff uniform for all working days.33

Some of the Diocesan schools had Science Clubs. In order to

give fresh and up to date information to the students, the Clubs

maintained a link with similar School Science Clubs in America.

Agriculture, weaving, spinning The Diocesan schools sharpened the

students' inmost talents through the Literary Society and the Debating

Society. These Societies arranged lectures and debates. Camatic music

was also taught with harmonium, violin and Mirudangam (Two-sided

leather instrument). Village schools conducted Night Schools for

illiterates as a voluntary social service. There were Welfare Leagues

in the schools. It made the students visit the slum areas in the town

every Sunday evening and help the residents there in dealing with

their various social and economic problems. 34 Some schools had

'Anti-Tobacco Leagues' to instruct the students against the evils of

smoking. The other extra-class activities were magazine preparation,

maintaining Co-operative Stores, carpentry, wood work, music,

photography (Camera Club), drawing, painting and book-binding.

All these Schools had the National Cadet Corps units (N.C.C.),

which offered their help in constructing roads and repairing old tanks

Executive Standing Committee, 15 1st meeting, 28th March 1979, pp. 32-59.n Executive Standing Committee, 107th meeting, 3rd & 4th November 1964, p.18.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952 - 1953, p.23.

—

325

in the district. They helped the local traffic police in regulating road

traffic and controlling jay-walking once a month. The Scout Troops in

the schools received training in camping, hiking, hill-climbing,

cooking and stalking.

In 1978, the Government upgraded twenty Diocesan High

Schools into Higher Secondary Schools .35 Of which, five Schools were

for girls. In 1979, Pre University Course was transferred from the

Colleges to Higher Secondary Schools as Ten Plus Two System.36

The Diocese has four Teacher Training Schools: Sarah Tucker

Foundation Teachers Training School for Women, Ooliyasthanam,

St.John's Girls Training School for Women, Nazareth,

S.T.C.Seconday Training School for Women, Palamcottah, and

Bishop Sargent Training School for Men, Palamcottah. In the

Diocesan Training Schools, a Selection Board of seven members

selected students for the Teacher Training Course every year. The

Bishop of Tinnevelly was the head of the Selection Board. 37 The

Diocesan Teacher Training Schools offered a special Adult Literacy

Course for its students with an aim to instruct them in various methods

in educating the illiterates in rural areas. 38 The extra curricular activities

of the Diocesan Training Schools were carding, spinning, cleaning,

Executive Standing Committee, 150th meeting, 28th & 30th November 1978, p.8.36 Educational Standing Committee, 201st meeting, 2nd October 1979, p.1 1.Educational Standing Committee, 187th meeting, 21 April 1977, p.3.Rural Work Standing Committee, 35 th meeting, 4th March 1953, p.9.

326

ginning of cotton, needle work, basket making, thatti making, toy

making, handmade paper making, tape making, dye making, agriculture,

gardening keeping of rabbits, apiculture and 100(1 crail. i'he trained

candidates were appointed as teachers in Primary and Middle schools.

Moreover, there were three special Schools: Art Industrial

School at Nazareth, School for the Blind and School for the Deaf and

Dumb at Palamcottah. They offered education and employment

opportunities to the orphans, the blind, the deaf and the dumb

children. The Bible Training Centre and the Women Missionary

Training Centre were the religious training centres of the Diocese

functioned at Tirumaraiyur and Nagalapuram.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

ART INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, NAZARETH

The Tinnevelly region experienced a great famine from 1876-

1878. As a result of the famine, numerous children were left homeless

and parentless. The Rev.Margoschis, the S.P.G. Missionary of

Nazareth took pity on the orphans and started a home for them on 14 1h

November 1878 at Nazareth. He introduced some vocational training

to keep the boys engaged and to prepare them as self reliant ones. In

course of time, a full blown industrial school came into being, which

offered training in carpentry, blacksmithy, tailoring, cotton weaving,

net weaving, cane works, leather works, electrical engineering, driving

327

and gardening. In 1884, the School bought the first sewing machine

for the school.39

Till 1930, the school admitted fourth Standard passed students

to the school. Then it raised the qualification to fifth Standard passed

certificate. The school also offered the general education to the

students up to the Standard VIII. In 1937 the Diocese shifted the

classes in general education to the Diocesan High School at

Nazareth. 40 In 1941, it constituted an Advisory Board for the school.

The Board studied the needs of the school and advised the

management regarding the development works.

The Headmaster of the school visited the Government Industrial

School in Madura and Trade School at Pasumalai in 1943 to have a

close study on their method of work and administration . 4 ' This visit

helped him to implement new things in the school to improve the

future life of the orphans. In 1943 the Old Boys' Association was

formed in the school. They participated in the development

programmes of the school by giving donations. They managed to

raise Rs.30,000/- for the endowment fund of the school. The school

utilised the interest from the fund for the maintenance of the

Orphanage. 42

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1930, P.14.Diamond Jubilee Souvenir of St.John's Church, Nazareth, 1828— 1988,Nazareth, 1988,p.1 66.

41 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1943, p.15.42 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1950— 1951, P.25.

328

The school participated in the annual exhibition and sale of the

Industrial Missionary Association at Kodaikanal in 1943 and 1944.

This participation led the school to know the present need of the

market and the finished products of other industries. These outdoor

programmes yielded more orders from the private companies and

markets from all over India. 4

From 1944 onwards, the Director of Public Instruction allowed

the students of this school to sit for the Elementary School Leaving

Certificate (E.S.L.C.) public examination. This order enabled the

students to take teachers training course and to become the instructor

to sit for the elementary schools. It opened up a new field of

employment. '

In the tailoring section, the students received complete training

in stitching programmes ranging from shirts, pants, designed screens,

pillow covers, mattresses, mosquito curtains, church linen, cassocks

and surplices. The carpentry section received orders for living room

and dining room furniture and wooden equipment, study and bed

room suites, cabinets, side boards, doors, windows, frames, shutters,

strain case, roofs, roofs-trusses, and school equipment like desks,

tables, black boards, lockers, filling carpets and educational toys. All

43 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1944 - 1945, p.29.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1945-1946, p.26.

329

these items were highly finished and polished furniture in rose wood.45

The school staff prepared the entire designs and plan under the

supervision of the Principal. The Metal Section of the school

produced locks, buckets, joints and chickles for the market.

The school depended fully on the European and Indian market

to sell the goods. The school employed the boys throughout the year

with sufficient orders. The clergyman also offered their support by

giving order for furniture for churches and schools. In 1930 the school

did not get sufficient orders for industrial work because of the world

wide depression .46 The local people considered the value of an article

on the basis of the money not on the quality and workmanship.

Consequently, the total income from the School industry dropped

sharply from Rs.10,000/- to Rs.3,500/- in 1933. Hence the school

decided to enter into new venture of undertaking contracts for

construction works to meet the financial need to run the existing

industries.

The school undertook the construction work of the Bishop's

Theological Seminary in 1937. It balanced the income of the school

and stopped from severe deficit. It made the school a famous one in

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.28.' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1930, p.14.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1933, p.23.

330

South India in the field of civil engineering and got new orders from

various institutions .48

In 1938 and 1939, the school engaged in rebuilding of

Oyangudi church in the Mukuperi circle. For the first time in the

history of the school, the industrial school mtroduced Indian temple

architecture mingled with more familiar forms of Anglican Church

architecture in the Oyangudi church .49 The school also undertook the

woodwork on windows, doors and roof of the new Chapel of St.John' s

College, Palamcottah. 50 On seeing the workmanship of the school, the

Roman Catholic missions began to give orders from 1940.51

Another new venture adopted by the school in 1938 was the

production of cheap furniture for the use in veranda, kitchen and

garden with a view to facing the Indian market and meet the needs of

the Indian village homes. In which, the finished products were left

unpolished and left in rough and some of them were painted. This

section also executed orders for church furnishings of all sorts in

teakwood. Owing to these efforts, the carpentry section experienced

and upward trend in receiving orders in 1938 which kept the school

continuously busy and working over time.52

48 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1939, p.26.Ibid.,p.29.

° Ibid., p.14.51 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1940, p.16.52 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.28.

331

In 1938, the school closed down the cane work industry due to

the unavailability of required market for the cane goods produced

here. The Government Inspector of industries and non-textile asked

the management for the continuation of the industry in a modified

form. Hence the school decided to continue only chair caning in the

elementary classes as a forum of handwork.53

The school newly introduced Gardening in the school in 1938.

It depended on the School-well and installed a temporary pump.54

The Gardening Section ploughed every available piece of land in the

school and planted with variety of grains under the "Grow more

Food" campaign. It started Paddy cultivation on modern lines on a

separate land of the school. It became the model agricultural field to

the local farmers.55

The Art Industrial School extended its valuable service to the

poor and needy in the nearby areas. It selected Draviapurarn, as its

field of social work and taught shoe making to the young men of

Draviapurarn and made the village as a tannery. 56 In 1954, a leather

industry was started with a tanning demonstration centre.

The school taught the students in blacksmithy section the

elementary lessons on mechanism. The section engaged them in

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.31.Ibid.

" Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1953 - 1954, pp.26 & 32.16 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952 - 1953, p.48.

332

making all the brass and steel fittings. It also executed orders for

locks and bolts in all patterns, metal fittings for houses and churches .57

The section bought a Diocesan Chaplaincy car for Rs.3,000I- for the

school, and this yielded additional training to the blacksmithy boys.

The students involved in making of spare parts for cars and in

repairing of cars. The S.P.G. Home Society made a special grant of

500 pounds for purchasing necessary equipment.58

With the assistance of the Finance Sub-Committee, the school

purchased an ex-military lorry. It made easy to transport the finished

goods from one place to another place and to carry the raw materials

to the school. In 1957, the school reduced the duration of the course

of carpentry and black smithy from five years to three years. 59 The

Educational standing Committee sent a Commission to find ways and

means to improve the technical training offered in the school. 6° It

advised the school to observe modern technology and to introduce the

needed industrial courses to meet the present need.

In 1961, the school introduced a welding and a wiring sections

in the school. After completing the two-year course, the students

easily received employment opportunities as welders in private

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.29.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947 - 1948, pp.39 - 40.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1956 - 1957, p.29.

60 Education Standing Committee, 92r meeting, 9th March 1954, p.8.

333

companies. The department of Industry and Commerce of the state

Government recognised the welding course of the school in 1963.61

The World Council of Churches, Geneva sent Mr. Offenbach, a

German Engineer to study the position of the school for upgrading the

existing courses and introducing new courses in February and March

1966 . 62 The correspondent of the school visited Geneva in September

1966 at the special invitation of the World Christian Council (W.C.C.)

and participated in the meeting of the committee for delivering a

speech on the present position and the needs of the school and for

getting special assistance to social projects in connection with the

proposal to upgrade and expand the industrial school, Nazareth. Then

the W.C.C. sanctioned Rs.6 lakhs for the school in 1967. Then the

school introduced two courses in Fitter and Turner trades and took

steps to improve the existing courses. The school opened the

workshop in the name of T.D.T.A. Light Engineering Works. The

school opened a technical library in 1968 with a gift from America.63

A Danish volunteer joined the staff in January 1969 for helping

the institution to improve the standard of training. 64 With the financial

help of the World Council of Churches, Geneva and Bread for the

World, West Germany, the school introduced an advanced training

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1962 - 1963, p.20.62 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1963 - 1964, .12.63 Executive Standing Committee, 118th meeting ,29 October 1968, p.12.64 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1968- 1969, p.12.

334

course on Tool and Die Making in 1971 for the candidates who had

completed Fitter course. The Bread of the World granted

Rs. 19,46,500/- for upgrading the institute .65 Then the school

introduced a five-year plan (1973-1978) for the improvement and the

expansion of the school .66 It imported machinery for this course

from West Germany. The School appointed a retired engineer as

General Manager and Administrator of the A.I.S.Tool Room for three

years in 1976.67

The Carpentry Section introduced advanced courses in

Carpentry and Wood Craving in 1977. The Black Smithy Section

started Steel Metal Worker Trade in 1978. It trained ten candidates in

this field every year. 68 The students of this school easily got job

opportunities in standard private companies. Then the school

increased well qualified instructors to teach the students. The section

gave more importance to practical hours. As a result of all these

developments, the tool room increased its production to the tune of

Rs. 1 lakh per month. 69

The Education Standing Committee felt the need to develop the

Carpentry section and to give a new look to the section. In order to

raise the income to the section, it advised the manager of the Art

65 Education Standing Committee, 166th meeting, 5th October 1971, p.8.Education Standing Committee, 174th meeting, 9th October 1973, p.12.

67 Executive Standing Committee, 143rd meeting, 29th October 1976, p.13.68 Education Standing Committee, 195th meeting, 9th October 1978, p.'2.69 Education Standing Committee, 190th meeting, 28th February 1978, p.11.

335

Industrial School to send to all the correspondents and heads of the

Diocesan institutions for asking them to place their orders for furniture

works .70 This effort helped the school to bag more orders from the

Diocesan institutions.

Nearly fifty present of the inmates of the school were orphans.

Hence, the school collected no fee from them. Every year the school

produced skilled and well-trained artisans. It sent the best students

to the Government Technical Training Institute at Tindivanam for

higher studies. To meet the expenditure for these students, the school

allotted a separate fund . 71

The school decided to extend its service to the nearby rural

areas. Hence it approached the Educational Standing Committee. It

also permitted the school to open a palm leaf products manufacturing

unit for introducing Palmyra fibre and brush making trade especially

for rural women . 72 The local people enthusiastically welcomed the

new venture of the school. This service greatly helped the illiterate

and poor rural people to enhance their family income to some extent.

The institution earned good reputation for the manufacture and supply

of wooden and steel furniture and engineering goods in all over India.

70 . .Education Standing Committee, 188 th meetIng, 4 October 1977, p.16.71 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1970— 197 1,.8.72 Education Standing Committee, 190th meeting ,28 February 1978, p.11.

SWAINSON SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF

Miss Florence Swainson, a missionary of the Church of

England Zenana Missionary Society (C.E.Z.M.S.) came to

Palamcottah as a missionary teacher of the Sarah Tucker College in

1890. Though she was born in a rich family in England and had an

intention for becoming an actress, she finally decided to render social

service to the poor society. Her parents also desired so but did not

compel her. She dedicated her life to serve the people of India at the

age of twenty-nine and also fulfilled her parents desire.

As she was a qualified nurse, she opened a clinic in Sarah

Tucker campus, Palamcottah in 1892. She collected the local poor

women and taught them sewing. A ten-year-old deaf and dumb girl

namely D.Packiam came to the clinic for treatment in the beginning of

1893)Then she joined in the Swainson's sewing class. Miss Swainson

found the task of teaching the deaf very difficult. During her furlough

in England in 1894, she learnt 'Dactylology'- the art of

communication with the deaf using fingers and visited many of the

schools for the deaf in England. She collected 850 pounds from the

well wishers and friends in England and returned with a lot of

336

V.Henry Packianathan, op. cit., p.XXXV111.

337

teaching aids for the deaf. In 1895, again three deaf girls joined the

sewing class. '

In the beginning, the C.E.Z.M.S. did not offer any grant or

financial assistance to her service. Hence the lady missionary had to

render her service without any salary. With the help of her friends, she

acquired some special literature from England for teaching the deaf.

She used 'Finger spelling method' in teaching them and found out the

ways to spell the long and short vowels and the consonants of the

Tamil language on the fingers.

She purchased from Mr.Dhanakoti Raju fourteen acres of land

with two old bungalows situated south of Palamcottah, with donations

from England .76 In 1895, the School was started in that place. It was

the first school for the deaf in South India. At that time there were

two schools for the deaf in India, one in Bombay and the other in

Calcutta. She got recognition of the Boys School on 29th June 1898

and Girls School on 30th January 1899. In 1901, she amalgamated

these two schools for the Deaf and Dumb and got the Government

recognition on 10th April 1901 . 78 With the financial help of the

friends in England, she built the Coronation Block which marked the

71 Manuscript - Written by F.Swainson in 1895 - kept at F.S.School for theDeaf, Palamcottah, p.3.The C.M.S. Sarah Tucker College, Annual Report, 1905, Palamcottah, p.17.

76 V.Henry Packianathan, op.cit., p.XXXVTIIReport of the Church Missionary Society, 1895 - 1896, p.264.Manuscript -- Written by F. Swainson in 1901 - kept at F.S.School for theDeaf, Palamcottah.

338

occasion of the coronation of King George V in 1911. The

Government of Madras established a school for the deaf at Mylapore

in 1913 with her assistance and supervision. She trained more staff

for working in the schools for the deaf and left India in 1919 and

entered into the eternity on 3rd March 1946. '

In 1900-1901, the strength of the school was 58 and in 1980, it

was 464.80 In order to meet the individual need of the inmates, the

school decided to raise the total number of servants. In 1949, it

appointed nine women teachers and three men teachers in the

educational section, and one matron (deaf), two house-masters (one

of them deaf) and five housemothers in the Boarding house. 81 On I St

April 1957, the School officially came under the control of the

Diocese from the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society,82

The school specially taught the deaf and dumb pupils how to

speak, read and write. The medium of instruction was Tamil. At the

initial stage, efforts were taken to make the students understand the

conversation especially by the method of lip reading,. She taught each

deaf student some useful trades along with general education.83

Gardening, needle works, cooking, kitchen and store room activities,

Centenary Souvenir of Sarah Tucker College, 1990, Palamcottah, p.12.° V. Henry Packianathan, op.cit., pp.XXIXVII - )OO(VIH.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1949— 1950, pp.33 - 34.82 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1958-1959, p.32.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1932, p.15.

339

office work, making bricks and spinning were taught to develop their

understanding capacity and skills.

The boys got training in Carpentry, Tailoring and Book-

binding. The girls received training in basket making, sewing,

embroidery, and mat making and making of curry powder. Their

progress was very slow. 85 The school sent nearly fifteen deaf adult

girls every year to the Converts Home, Nallur for getting more

training in needle works and embroidery. All the deaf students got

instruction for ten years in the school. For the first eight years they

studied languages. In the IX and X Standard, they received special

training in making handicraft articles .86 The school sent selected

candidates to the nearby Diocesan Higher Secondary School for

higher education.

The School kept the deaf students busy in agriculture also. In

the school farm, they cultivated crops of ragi, groundnuts, tomatoes

and other vegetables .87 Mr.T.Austin, the adviser to the Governor of

Tamil Nadu visited the school in 1944 and noticed the lack of water in

wells, which hampered the agricultural work. So, he offered the use of

a power drill for boring two wells of the school and met the expenses

connected with boring. 88

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1932, p.'5.85 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947 - 1948, p.40.86 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1953 - 1955, p.40.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1940, p.34.88 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1944, p.29.

340

In 1954, some well wishers in England offered a large crate of

equipment free for the junior classes. They were packed free and

shipped free in England. But the customers in India demanded heavy

duty in Madras port. In this critical time, the Governor of Madras

came forward to help the school all and paid all the duties and railway

charges also. These articles were most helpful in teaching the deaf

children. 89 In 1958, the school installed a group hearing aid set to

improve their speech and their vocabulary standard. The set helped the

deaf children especially those who possessed residual hearing.90

The school opened Group Hearing Aid classroom on 14th

January 1962. Some well wishers in England donated this apparatus. It

amplified the instructor's voice so that the deaf students could easily

hear through headphones and learnt to understand the words. They

could easily hear their own voice when they spoke by this sound

amplifying system. 91 The school introduced a finger-spelling alphabet

for the Tamil language in 1960. This was of great help in conversing

with the deaf students. 92 in 1963, it used an individual speech

instruction unit for young deaf children. It developed their

pronunciation skill to a great extent.93

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1954 - 1955, p.32.° Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1958 - 1959, p.33.' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1961 - 1962, p.27.

92 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1960— 1961, p.23.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1962— 1963, p.20.

341

The school produced socks, chest-protectors, helmets, scarves,

bandages, shirts, handkerchiefs, tray-covers and coloured woollen

blankets, with the help of the deaf students and supplied to hospitals,

Red Cross Society and to the local market. 94 The school participated

in the All India Exhibition of Deaf Artists' Handicrafts in Calcutta in

November 1960.

The Principal of the school visited the National Exhibition of

the handicapped in Bangalore in December 1961 and ordered 18

hearing aids for the school. Then he newly opened an Audiometric

Testing Section in the school in February 1964. This section

conducted systematic hearing tests to measure the hearing capacity of

the students to prescribe the suited hearing aids. As a result of the

regular use of hearing aids, there was a considerable improvement in

speaking and in understanding. 96

Mr. Jabez Thangiah of the school received a one-year Diploma

course in Audiology at the Department of Audiology and Education of

the Deaf, Manchester University, England with the help of a

scholarship from the World Council of Churches (W.C.C.) in 1965.

He trained the staff of the school in the modern methods of teaching

the deaf students.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1940, p.34.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1959 - 1960, p.17.

96 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1964 - 1965, p.23.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1965 - 1966, p.12.

342

(' The Diocese appointed a welfare officer to work among the

adult deaf of the school in 1962. It engaged him in finding

employment for deaf workers. He acted as an interpreter and helped

the deaf students during their medical treatment and also in court

cases. 98 The school published a magazine called Vazhikatti for the

adult deaf due to his effort. The magazine contained all the needed

information in general knowledge, world news, employment news, the

information to improve their skills, moral and religious instructions

and encouraging thoughts and words. The school conducted special

convention for the deaf at Courtallam from the year 1963. All these

efforts of the school made them happy and encouraged them to lead

their life like ordinary man.

In 1973, the school started an Industrial Training Centre to offer

the deaf and dumb students a self-employment opportunity . It trained

both boys and girls in simple industrial works. In 1980, 25 girls and

32 boys received special training. The Centre also offered a three-year

course. It offered girls training in tailoring, needle works, cutting,

dress making, embroidery works, lace works and basket making. The

students themselves stitched the school uniform dresses and cloth

materials. It gave training to boys in tailoring, carpentry, book

binding, printing. The boys had completed the course stitched uniform

dresses for schools. They made doors, window, doorframes, tables,

Social Welfare Work Standing Committee,55 th meeting, I I th October 1962,p.3.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1963-1964, p.16.

343

chairs, benches and almirah. The school exhibited their finished

products for public sale for three times per year. The deaf students

spend their leisure time in gardening, playing, cooking and type-

writing and reading newspapers and books. At the end of the course,

the school present them certificates.100

The school provided the necessary instruments to some of the

selected poor students and encouraged them to start self-employment

and gave necessary guidance to them whenever necessary. In 1979, it

offered 12 sewing machine, 2 sets of binding press materials and 3

sets of carpentry work materials were provided free. The School

continued its valuable service for the deaf by having the Follow-up

work to examine the students' employment opportunity and their life

improvement.10'

The school inaugurated the Old Students' Association in 1974.

It served as a bridge between the old students and the school

management. They expressed their need for follow-up work and

shared their experiences in their profession with the other old class

mates through the Association . The School was upgraded as High

School in 1975.102

'°° Naothagam,May 1980, pp. 15 - 16.'° 1 Ibid., p.17.102 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1976-1977, p.3.

344

In 1932, the Bishop ordained a member of the staff as a

chaplain for the School for the Deaf after giving him special

theological training in the Seminary of the Diocese at

ThirurnaraiyUr.'° 3 He conducted morning and evening services and

the Sunday Worship Services in the school chapel. He instructed the

students in Christianity and arranged special religious meetings in the

school. The understanding capacity of religious language was

difficult for deaf children. The abstract ideas could only be expressed

in words, Hence, religious services for the deaf on Sundays were very

simple. '°The Diocesan institution served with dedication for the

welfare of the handicapped children.

ASKWITH SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND, pLAMCOTTAH

Miss Anne Jane Askwith was the founder of the School for the

Blind at Palamcottah. The Church Missionary Society in London sent

her to India in November 1881 to see as a missionary at the Sarah

Tucker College. One morning, she saw a blind boy called 'Suppu' at

her door asking for alms. She shouted at him, "I have come here not

to administer charity , but to teach." and reproved him for begging

But the boy promptly responded , "Then give me education, Madam".

This poignant reply melted her heart and instigated her to do

Council Report, 1932, p.15.103 TinnevellY Diocesan104 TinnevellY Diocesan Council Report, 1964— 1965, p.10.

345

something useful for the blind. She gave Suppu ajob in her bungalow

as a punkah-puller to stop his begging first. 10

She found more difficulty in educating the blind boy. It

induced her to take further step to educate the poor blind. During her

furlough in England in 1888, she met Dr.William Moon, a blind man,

who published special books for the blind. He introduced raised signs

on thick papers for the alphabets of the English language. It came to

be called "Moon Type". Dr.Williarn also prepared Moon Signs for

Tamil language with the assistance of Askwith. She prepared a book

for the blind on St.iohn, the Gospel of the Holy Bible in Moon type. It

was the first reader in Tamil for blinds. 106

Askwith returned to India in 1889. She taught Suppu in

Christian knowledge. 1-le embraced Christianity and changed his name

'Devapirialll'( God's dear one). She started the school for the blind in

1890 . DevapirialTfl became a teacher. In 1893, there were thirteen boys

and eleven girls in separate classes attached to the Sarah Tucker

i nst i tution. In the same year, Askwith opened another school for the

blind in a village 'Pannaivillai' with six blind boys. She introduced

atweaving for this village school. In 1904, she rented a house near

the Sarah Tucker institution and transferred the mat-weaving looms to

the new place. 107 During her visit to Canada in 1907, she collected

7jc' p.XXXVII

BcenCarYQ the J Church 7Q-:±9P-) ,opciL, p L 10

" Ibid

346

funds for the school. On 1st August 1908, she purchased twelve acres

of land near Palarncottah for Rs.500/- and named the place

'Tharisanamanai' (House of Vision). Then she shifted the school

from the Sarah Tucker compound to Tharisanarnanai. Lionel

Davidson, I.C.S., the Collector of Tinnevelly opened the new Home

for the Blind on 14th June 1909.108

In 1910, she installed weaving looms in the school and

introduced cotton weaving for the boys. The Weaving Centre

received yarn from Harvey Mills, Tuticorin. This service opened

opportunities to the blinds in finding jobs in Cotton mills and loom

centres. She was also concerned about the physical need of the

students and appointed A.Jonathan David as gymnastics instructor.

He offered the blind boys, body exercise training every evening. 109

In 1912, she introduced the 'Braille System' in the place of

'Moon Type'. Braille consisted of six raised dots and sixty-three

combinations could be worked out of the six dots. It could be written

by hand. Miss Askwith gave each of the Tamil vowels and consonants

Braille symbols, which was called Askwith Tamil Braille. She

admitted blind babies also in the school. In February 1918, she opened

a hospital for the blind girls and babies. In December 1918, she left

for England due to ill health. She entered into the eternity on

The Madras and Tinnevelly Diocesan Magazine,Vol.IV, July 1909, p.213.109 Bicentenary of the Tirunelveli Church (1780— 1980), pp.E.10-E.1 1.

347

September 1924. Then Mr. Sleight of England became the Principal

of the school. He worked hard to enhance the Standard of the school.

As he was a blind man, he knew the inner feeling and need of the

blind people. He appointed servants and guides for each section to

help the young blind students in their duties. 110

The school accepted boys and girls between the ages of three

and fifteen for admission. In 1953, it admitted a blind baby of six

months old from a poor family. tm This oldest institution was not

merely a school but also an orphanage, a workshop and a home for the

blind. It admitted very poor blind free of cost. It gave first preference

to the orphan children.

This institution was functioning in two sections Educational

and industrial and mostly offered job oriented courses for the blind. It

allotted more time for industrial training. The school taught common

Elementary School's syllabus with some modification. It adopted

Taylor frame for arithmetic, special maps for the teaching of

Geography and Braille method for reading and writing 112

In 1947, new uniform India Braille code was introduced in

India, which was devised by the education department of the

Government of India. It is based on the Sanskrit alphabet of forty-six

°Bicentenary of the Tirunelveli Church (178JO cit, pp.E.1O-E.lI.

' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1954– 1955, p.15.__-112 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1932, p.17.

348

letters, while the old method was based on Roman alphabet. It

provides a common script for all Indian languages. Suitable

adjustments were made for the Dravidian languages. The school

decided to issue books in Tarnil, the local language. There was no

Braille Press in India. With the assistance from the U.S.A., St.John's

Gospel of the Bible was printed in Tamil Braille Code. From June

1948, the school began to use the new Indian Braille codes.' 13

The school allowed the Elementary School Leaving Certificate

Course passed students to undergo training in the industrial section of

the School. 114 It taught some industrial trades in weaving cotton

goods such as towels, sheeting, dusters, tapes: cane works such as the

caning of baskets, furniture's, nets and Korai grass matting. The

school conducted special classes in cotton weaving for the

government technical examinations. The loom section of the school

was fully occupied throughout the year. 115

ti' he school experienced some difficulties in selling cane

products due to the lack of sufficient orders. Therefore, the school

stopped the manufacture of baskets and furniture for three years. It

continued the work of repairing cane seats, chairs and cots, caning

works, making of tennis nets, weaving of grass mats and cotton goods.

The school also taught Indian music for boys and girls. Some of

113 Ti inevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947 - 1948, p.' 1.114 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1937, p.26.' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1968— 1969, p. 13.

349

them appeared for the Government Primary Examination in Indian

Music. 116

In 1936, the school introduced a new system of training with a

view to making them fit for village life by introducing Gardening

Section for boys and simple sewing, cooking and home science for

girls. It sank a well on the campus for maintaining the garden. They

had the cultivation of vegetables and crops round the year as there

was a good supply of water from the new well. The boys received

practical training in gardening everyday. The school got electric

power supply from 1948. For the Gardening section, it bought an

electric motor pump set, which enabled the school to cultivate three

acres of land. Then it purchased a wagon for the school to transport

the finished products from place to place.'17

In 1940, the war affected the income of the school

subscriptions. It almost stopped the donations from foreign countries.

Therefore, the school formed an Advisory Board in 1940 to give

proper guidance to the management. It inaugurated a guild known as

'The Light Of The World Society' (Vulahin Voli Sangam) with the

view to enrolling a large number of school children throughout the

Diocese of Tinnevelly and teaching them to make small contributions

according to their ability for the support of the blind students. The

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1936, pp.35-36.117 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1, 948 - 1949, p.40.

350

Principal of the School for the Blind visited various parts of the

Diocese to introduce the new Sangam in schools."8

In order to impart more knowledge to the blind students and to

adopt modern strategies in teaching the blind, the management sent

Mr. Edward Jonathan, the headmaster of the school, to the U.S.A in

June 1950 for a one-year course of study in methods of teaching and

training the blind. The expenditure was met by the scholarships from

the United States Education Foundation, the Watmull Foundation and

the Perkins Institutions for the Blind in Massachusetts.' 19

The school started a Special Teacher Training Course for

teachers of the blind in the school in 1960. The National Association

for the Blind, Bombay and the National Christian Council, Nagpur

sponsored the course. The State government also recognised the

course. The school admitted ten Secondary Grade trained teachers

only to this course. '2°

The school offered the blind students a five-year training in

handloom weaving in the industrial school. It selected the skilled

workers for the workshop attached. In 1964, it organised a

Rehabilitation Centre with a production unit to offer work to thirty

11 iinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1941, pp. 14 - 15.119 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1950- 1951, p.23.120 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1962 - 1963, p.20.

351

blind men and women. This centre produced tea towels, sheets, bed

sheets and table cloths for sales. 121

The school started a Dairy Farm in 1967 with twenty Sindhi

cows. The well wishers of Oxfam in England helped the school to buy

ten Sindhi cows. The animal husbandry of the State Government

offered ten Sindhi cows and a stud bull under the Goshala

development scheme. ' 22 In 1969, the school also added buffaloes in

the farm. The farm supplied milk to the school, to the public and ice

cream factories. 1 23

The school felt that there was a very good future for the type-

writing course in educational institutions, offices and private

companies. Hence, it started a Commerce Class in 1970 to train the

students in type writing. The Kindernothilfe, West Germany donated

five typewriters for the class. The old students frequently visited the

school for getting guidences and help in their profession. The school

found the need for a separate hail for the old students. Hence, it

constructed a building for the use of old.students of the school with

the financial help of the Tinnevelly Rotary Club in 1970.124

The school got financial support from the subscriptions and

donations from the local bodies, contributions from foreign countries,

121 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1964 - 1965, p.9.122 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1966— 1967, p.14123 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1970 - 1971, p.8.124 Ibid.

352

Diocesan grants, government aids, collection through demonstration

and drama and the income fi-orn the sales of the products made by the

blind inmates of the school. Every year, the school participated in

mission exhibition and sale in Kodaikanal. It arranged a combined

sale and demonstration and gave some special demonstrations with

the help of the blind students in cane working, netting, reading,

writing, arithmetic and Indian music with a view to enabling the

public to understand the need of helping the blind. '25 The school met

the charges for clothing, transportation of personnel, materials and

accessories, hire of hall and meals only from the profit in the local

sale. The public booked a fairly large number of orders in these

exhibitions. It conducted the annual sale of the finished products of

the school in the C.M.S.Centenary Hall, Palamcottah for three days.

The school earned a considerable amount through the annual sale. 126

The school gave importance to Christian religious teachings

also. It trained the students in singing devotional songs with musical

instruments. There was a Chapel in the school, which conducted

worship services every morning and evening. It offered special

instruction for a year before giving baptism to the acceptants of

Christianity from non-Christian background. The non-Christian

students received baptism after getting permission from their own

parents.

.. . Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report; 1957 - 1958, p.38.116 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1959-1960, p.32.

353

During the evangelistic week in Palamcottah and at the annual

meetings of the Indian Missionary Society (I.M.S.), the students

nicely presented their service with vocal and instrumental music. The

school had students from all over Tamil Nadu. In 1930, the total

strength of the school was 133 and in 1980, it was 439. 127 Thus the

school brightened the lives of the blind in the dark world.

Every Diocesan institution had a Governing Board. The Board

exercised general control over the affairs of the institutions. It prepared

the annual report of the institution. 128 The appointment of the staff

(teaching and non-teaching) of the institution was made by the

Correspondent. The Correspondent maintained the financial status of the

school. The Headmaster was the in charge of the discipline of the

students. 129

TERTIARY EDUCATION

There were five Colleges in the Diocese. They were: St.John's

College at Palarncottah, Sarah Tucker College for women at

palamcottah, Pope's College at Sawyerpuram, Nazareth MargoschiS

College at Pillayanmana i and The Tirunelveli Theological College at

ThirumaraiYUr. In 1965, all the Diocesan secular Colleges were

affiliated to the newly formed Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai.

"' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1979 - 1980, p.v.128 Executive Standing Committee, 147th meeting, 30th October 1977, pp.59-60.

129 thid., pp.60-62.

354

They were under the control of the University of Madras till the

establishment of Madurai Karnaraj University.

Every Diocesan College has Governing Board, which exercise

general control over the affairs of the College. The Board is composed

of the Bishop, the Treasurer of the Diocese, the Principal of the College,

four members elected by the Educational Work Standing Committee,

which includes a former student of the Diocesan College and one

member nominated by the Bishop. The Bishop was the Chairman of the

Governing Board. The Principal was the Ex-officio Secretary and

Treasurer of the Governing Board.'3°

The Governing Board had the power to select the Principal and to

appoint the Vice-Principal on the recommendation of the

Correspondent. The Bishop issued the order of appointment. The Board

sanctioned the opening of classes for new subjects. The budget and the

quarterly statement of accounts were prepared by the Board and

submitted them to the Diocesan Treasurer. 13 ' The Appointment

Committee consisting of the Bishop, one member of the Governing

Board, the Principal and the Head of the Department concerned

appointed teachers. 132

19th March 1970, p.23.Executive

ding Committee 123rd meeting,

' Ibid ., pp - 23 & 27.132

Executive Standing Committee, 137th meeting, 30th November 1974, pp.25-30.

ST.JOHN'S COLLEGE

The Rev.George Pettitt wanted to offer higher education to the

Indian Christian students of Tinnevelly region. On 4th March 1844, he

founded a school in Palamcottah as Vermacular English School. He

appointed William CruikshankS as the head of the institution, and

W.G.Brown as the assistant teacher. CruikshankS was a blind man.

When he was twelve years old , he was afflicted with an eye disease

and lost his sight. It educated fifty students in the first year. The school

taught the Holy Bible, Bible History, History of India, History of

England, Geography (Asia and India), English Literature and Grammar,

Mathematics and Tarnil. Their final examination papers were valued by

a group of six examiners in high positions. They were the Tinnevelly

District Collector, three Deputy Collectors, District Judge and his wife.

In 1847, it was shifted to a site near the Holy Trinity Church,

Palamcottah with three teachers."' In 1870, it added a teacher training

section. In 1878, the institution became a Second Grade College. Then

it was shifted to TinnevellY in 1880. It was joined with a mission school

at Tinnevelly. In 1900, high school section of the college was shifted to

a nearby place.

355

NaEpotha am, June 1956, pp. 186 - 187.

356

In 1920, the college faced a financial crisis. In this situation, the

Diocese of Tinnevelly came forward to grant Rs.6,000/- per year to the

college. Bishop Wailer and the Church Council of the Diocese took

some steps to take the College under the Control of the Diocese. The

Church Council offered the College the Diocesan land at

Tuckerammalpuram and a fund of Rs.25,000/-.Thus the management of

the College came into the hands of the Diocese. 114 The foundation stone

for fresh buildings was laid on 24th November 1925 at Palamcottah.

The new college building was opened on 12th March 1925. The Rev

H.B.Young shifted the C.M.College to the present premises in 1928.

Then the Diocese renamed the college as St.John's College.' 35

In 1931, the Lindsay Commission did not appreciate the system

of combined institution, in which High School and Intermediate College

functioned together under one Governing Body. 136 Therefore, the

Executive Standing Committee separated the administration the school

from the Governing body of the college in 1933.'

From 1931, the College admitted women students in the subjects

which were not offered by Sarah Tucker College for Women,

Perumalpuram. Owing to lack of hostel accommodation, it permitted the

women students living in Palamcottah and the nearby places. 138 There

' Bicentenary of the Tinnevelly Church (1780-1980), p. E.I.135 V.Henry Packianathan, p.,.cit., p.42.136 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1931, p.20.137 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1933, p.32.138 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1932, p.21

357

were a student's choir and a group of folk dancers. The College utilised

their service for welcoming the guests of the college. 139

Rev H.P.Yourig, the Principal, resigned his post in 1936 after

rendering sixteen years of service in the College. He was mainly

responsible for the shifting of the College from Tinnevelly to

Palamcottah. Some members of the Governing Board of the College

raised a question of appointing an Indian Principal. After having a long

discussion, this plan was abandoned unanimously and Rev G.T.Selwyn,

one of the European Missionaries (C.M.S.) of the Diocese, was

appointed Principal of the College on the 27th April 1936.'° The Rev.

G.J.Selwyn was the successor of the Rev. Bennett. He was the

Principal from 1939 till he became the Bishop of Tinnevelly Diocese

in 1945.

The college decided to raise the college to the First Grade and

approached the Executive Committee of the Diocese. The Committee

also approved this plan and authorised the collection of Rs.2 lakhs for

this purpose in l942.'' As the first step, the College introduced new

courses to raise the strength of the College. The introduction of a

National Service Corps and of Malayalam as an alternative to Tamil in

Part II raised the total number of students in the College. 142

139 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1933, p.29.'° Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1935, p.19.141 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1942, p.11.142 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1943, p.12.

358

The Syndicate of the Madras University also sent its General

University Commission in February 1946 to inspect the arrangements

for the degree classes and it permitted the college to open Degree

classes in Mathematics and Economics from June 1946. As per the

Commission's report, the University of Madras urged the college

management to provide proper hostel accommodation for the college

students. 143 Many students were compelled to stay in private lodges

without proper supervision or sanitation or facilities for boarding.

Therefore, the college management wanted to build well-planned

hostels. 144 It also thought that the construction of new hostels would

reduce the expenditure in paying rent to private owners of rented

buildings and the repairing costs of the old hostels. 145 Hence, the

College built the Schaffier Hostel and Bishop Selwyn Hostel in 1949

and in 1950 respectively. There were separate dining halls and kitchens

for vegetarians and for non-vegetarians 'in the new hostels. 146

St.John's High School and St.John's College functioned under one

Governing Body from the beginning of the college. After getting the

First Grade Status, the Diocese separated the High School from the

Governing Body of the College in 1946 and kept its financial section

distinct from the college management. 147 Then the Sub-Committee of

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1949-1950, p.12." Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947-1948, p.24.145 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1949-1950, p.13.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1959-1960, p.5.147 Ibid.

359

the Diocesan Executive Standing Committee of the Diocesan Council

formulated a Governing Board for the College on 3rd September 1947.

It made the Principal of the College an ex-officio member of the

Board. 148 The constitution of the Board was accepted on 30th March

l949.'

From the beginning, the College reiterated the need for doing

social work in the surrounding areas. In order to inspire the students

towards social service, the students were taken to the Borstal school and

local hospital. 150 In the month of October 1936, cholera broke out in the

town of Tinnevelly. The college indulged in social work. The College

sent the intermediate students to a special meeting, conducted by the

District Medical Officer and the District Collector. Then they visited all

people living on the banks of the canal in the town and instructed them

not to take canal water, and to take inoculation as a preventive

measure. 15 ' They camped in a selected village and stayed there for a

week and visited all surrounding villages for social work with the

guidance of the staff of the College, '52

In 1952, the College introduced a Labour Squad to promote

social service of the College with the help of the students. The members

148 Executive Standing Committee, 52nd meeting, 18th September 1947, pp-9-10-149 Executive Standing Committee, 57th meeting, 30th March 1949, p.8.150 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1932, p.22.151 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1936, p.23.152 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1937, p.20.

360

of the squad involved in social work. 153 It became the Social Service

League in 1956. It conducted Summer Camps at Tuckerammalpuram

for a month every year. The members of the League laid a road, repaired

and de-silted tanks and planted saplings, in these rural areas. '-"4

A Dramatic Society functioned in the College from 1953 for

training the students in staging plays in Tamil as well as in English.

The Society propagated intellectual thoughts and rational ideas through

dramas to eradicate social evils and unwanted customs. 155 In 1963 the

College started a Planning Forum, which undertook an economic

survey of the villages in Palamcottah and Tinnevelly in 1967. In 1968,

the Forum involved in a long-term social service in rural areas by

laying roads and building small houses in villages. 156 The students and

staff of the college visited the nearby slum area twice a week for social

works. They conducted an adult education campaign in the rural

areas. 157

Poor students in the college got scholarships under the Wilson

Scholarship, Canon Sell Scholarship, Dr.Maduram Scholarship and

Diocesan Scholarship. 151 It collected donations from well wishers and

conducted benefit concerts for raising funds for the Scholarship Fund. 159

' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952-1953, p.9.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1955-1956, p.3.

155 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952-1953, p.9.156 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1967-198, p.9.157 Social and Economic Concern Committee, 87th meeting, 6th October 1977, p.4.

158 Property Sub-Committee, 71st meeting, 7th March 1952, p.3.

159 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1958-1959, p.14.

361

These steps opened a way for the poor students to have higher

education.

The College introduced Elocution Club, Psychology

Associations and Botany Associations in 1960. These sections

sharpened the innermost talents of the students. The University Grants

Commission granted one lakh for the College as a Centenary Gift. This

amount was utilised for the construction of a library. The Central

Government also sanctioned Rs.35,000/- for building an auditorium

above the library in 1960. The auditorium raised the status of the

College and it was considered to be the best one in the District of

Tinnevelly for conducting special programmes. It became a suitable

place for conducting inter-collegiate competitions and festivals because

of its location at the heart of the town. 160

The College offered physical training through its Department of

Sports and made the students healthy. The College found enthusiasm

among the students over the game of cricket. Hence, it prepared a

separate ground for cricket and a separate site for getting practice in

batting and throwing. The College allowed the students of other colleges

for cricket matches. ' 6 ' The College also opened Gymnasium in 1970

with varieties of body building equipment.162

160 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1960-1962, p.14.61 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1946— 1947, p.16.

162 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1970 - 1971, p.16.

362

The college also concentrated more on religious and moral

teaching to direct them in proper way from their early stage. The

College started a Religious Library in 1932 with seventy volumes of

devotional books. 163 There was a voluntary evangelistic band in the

College. Every year, the band conducted Gospel campaign in nearby

areas for a week during the summer holidays. Every Sunday evening,

some fifteen to twenty college hostel students visited some nearby

villages for street preaching, conducting Sunday classes and arranging

games for the chlldren. 164 From 1964, the College arranged out-reach

evangelistic campaigns for eight days in the summer holidays. 165 The

chapel of the College functioned from 7th July 1940 for the spiritual

and moral welfare of the students. It was the centre of spiritual

awakening. The non-Christians and the Catholic students used to

attend the religious services in the Chapel. The college offered its full

support and encouragement for the Christian Union of St.Xavier's

College. It was the only Organisation, which helped the non-Roman

Catholic students of St.Xavier's College by providing various religious

activities. 166 There was a Christian Union in the College, which

maintained the religious service of the college.

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1911, p.21.164 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 193 5, p. 18165 Evangelistic Work Standing Committee, 98th meeting, 7th October 1964, p.3.166 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1941, p.13.

SARAH TUCKER COLLEGE

Miss Sarah Tucker, young handicapped women of England, was

the founder of the Sarah Tucker College and schools. She was a

Christian writer on missionary services. 167 She came to know the

appalling condition of illiterate women in India through mission reports.

It induced her to help them in the field of education through missionary

agencies. She wrote letters to her friends in England and collected funds

from twenty of her friends and sent her first remittance of twenty four

sovereigns to the Church Missionary Society in Madras particularly for

the promotion of female education. The C.M.S. opened the Tinnevelly

Female Normal School at Palarncottah with her help in 1843. When she

died in December 1857, her friends raised a SUrn of 268 pounds and 17

shillings to be used to erect a memorial for her.' 6 The Rev. John

Tucker, the brother of Miss Sarah Tucker, decided to utilise the amount

to open a training school for school-mistresses at Palamcottah. 169 He

was the then Secretary of the C . M . S . Corresponding Committee in

Madras. He sent the amount to the Rev.Sargent at Palamncottah to fulfil

the desire of Sarah Tucker's friends. The Rev.Sargent already purchased

sixteen acres of land at the Western bank of Ilanthakulam from a Parsee

merchant, Limjeebhoy Dossabhoy, who sold the property with a

Paul Appasamy, op&it. ,p.l26.168 The Jubilee Celebration Report, 1912, Sarah Tucker Institutions,

Palayamkottah, p.6.16 Vol.VII,No.3., July 1893,pp.l03 - 104.9 The Madras Diocesan Record,

363

364

condition that the grave of his wife I-lcerabhoy lying in the land should

not to be demolished. '70

The Rev.Sargent utilised the Tucker's contribution to erect a

building in this campus in the memory of Sarah Tucker and opened the

temporary building in the beginning of 1858. The Rev. P.S.Royston, the

Secretary of the Madras Corresponding Committee of the C.M.S.

re-opened the first permanent building of the Sarah Tucker institution

on 14 0 ' February 1869. 171 It trained students of the training school and

they got teaching practices at Sarah Tucker branch schools. 172 In 1890,

the Upper Primary Boarding School attached to the Training School

was upgraded as the Sarah Tucker High School with five girls. Miss

Ashwith raised the status of the school to a second Grade College and

got it affiliated to the University o of Madras in 1895. ' 73 1t was the first

College for women in the Madras Presidency. Miss Askwith was the

first Principal of the College. Lord Curzon visited the College on 26th

November 1900 and opened a new building of the College. The

subjects taught in the College were Tamil, English, Ancient History,

Modern History and Logic. The College got the affiliation to Natural

,cience, Mathematics and Geography in 1925.' Miss N.M.Hewitt

170 D.S.George Muller, Sarah Tucker College - A Centenary Scrool, CentenarySouvenir of Sarah Tucker College. 1 895-1995, Palayamkottai,1995, pp. 18-19.

'' Executive Standing Committee, 52 nd meeting, 18th September 1947, pp. 9— 10.

172 The Madras Diocesan Record, Vol.VII., No.3., July 1893,pp.103 - 104.173 Proceedings of the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, 1896,

London, p.264.' Centenary Souvenir of Sarah Tucker College. 1895 - 1995, Palayamkottai,

1995, pp. 19-21.

365

raised the College to First Grade status in 1939 and introduced

B.A.course with History and Economics.

In 1931, the management drafted a constitution for the Governing

Board of the College. 175 The University of Madras advised the College

to function in a separate place. The College requested the University to

give some more time to fulfil the demand of the University. In 1932, the

University of Madras accepted the report of its syndicate to allow the

college to continue the classes at the campus of the Sarah Tucker HighSchool. 176 In 1938, the University of Madras sent two commissions to

study the position of the College and to consider the application for

affiliation in arts, physics and chemistry. These commissions consisted

of the staff of Women's Christian College, Madras and Queen Mary's

College, Madras. Then the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar paid a

visit to the college for inspecting the progress of the institution in

1938.177 The Madras University offered the College the first grade

status in 1939.

Oil September 1947, the Sub-Committee of the Executive

Standing Committee constituted a separate Governing Board for the

College. 178 The college had no laboratories for science. Hence the

college utilised the laboratory of St.John's College. 179 In 1947, the

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1931, p.22176 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1932, p.21.177 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.25,178 Executive Standing Committee, 52nd meeting, 18th September 1947, pp.9-10.179 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1946-1947, p.16,

366

Madras University Commission informed that unless science

laboratories were constructed and equipped before June 1948, course

with science subjects would be disaffiliated.' 80 Mrs. L.O.R.Joseph, the

then Principal purchased thirty acres of land in the then wild waste land

of Perumalpuram, four furlongs South of Palamcottah Railway Station,

for the construction of the science block."" She stood firmly on her way

amidst strong protests against taking out girls to such a far off place.

The Diocese also came forward to help the College. The

Diocesan Council resolved to give Sarah Tucker College the highest

priority in the Diocese. It requested the Executive Committee not to

sanction new schemes in the Diocese until the end of 1949. Every

member of the Diocesan Council was asked to offer all possible help

towards collecting funds. The Diocesan Council requested the Synod of

the Church of South India to give top priority in an appeal through the

South Indian Board for Christian Council for funds from America for

building the Science Block and Library and for creating endowment for

scholarships. 182

The Diocese also offered loans to the college against the

Government grant for building and equipment. It formed a Sub-

Committee consisting of eight members under the Rev M.C.Langtofl

'° Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947-1948, p.27.181 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1948-1949, pp.24-25.182 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Minutes, 14th January 1948, p.3.

367

(convenor) to raise the required amount.' 83 The Tinnevelly Diocesan

Council offered the whole Sunday collections of 16th October 1949

from the Diocesan churches to the College.' 84 The Executive Committee

told the College that no new building should be erected on the college

campus till the loan was repaid In order to raise the funds, the College

distributed home collecting cards among the students. It arranged

entertainment programmes and fancy sales for collecting money for the

college extension work. The construction was started in 1948 and

completed in 1949. The College opened the new Science Block on

30th July 1949. 185

The Science students of the Intermediate classes, after having

their practical classes at the new laboratory at Perumalpuram every day

had to come back to the classes at Palamcottah for attending lectures in

other subjects. The laboratory was about two miles away from the class

rooms. There was no transport facility. Hence, the Governing Board of

the college decided to erect two lecture rooms and a hostel to

accommodate about 200 students. 186 The Diocese celebrated August 4th

to 11th of 1951 throughout the Diocese as Sarah Tucker College

Week to collect funds for the College. The Diocese handed over the

Church offertory given this week to the College. Miss Helen Sexton of

183 Executive Standing Committee, 60th meeting, 18th October 1949, pp. 1-2.184 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Minutes, 22nd & 23rd September 1949, p.8.185 Executive Standing Committee, 57th meeting, 30th March 1949, pp.' & 14.186 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1949-1950, pp.5-6.

368

the United States Information Services opened the new building in

November 1952 .'

In 1956, the Government introduced a Pre-University Course and

three year degree courses in colleges. Hence, the intermediate courses

were shifted from the college section to Sarah Tucker Higher

Secondary School. In January 1956, the College shifted all of its

departments to South of Perunialpuram and began to function from

there. 188 A library block was constructed at the new place with the

centenary gift of Rs. 1,00,000/- from the University Grants Commission

and opened by the Rev.T.S.Garrett in July 1962.89

The College accepted the request of the Government to train

twenty five students selected for the M.B.B.S. course for one year

from 1965 to 1967. 190 1n 1966, the College became affiliated to Madurai

University. The College offered B.A. History and Economics, B.A.

English, B.Sc. Physics, Zoology and Botany at the Under Graduate level

and Post Graduate courses in Tamil, English and Physics.

The Diocese offered Scholarships to the poor students in the

college. The Property Sub-committee recommended the transfer of 57

acres in the Pannikulam Circle, 8 acres and 39 cents of Pannikulam

bungalow land, 120 acres at Udayathur in Radhapurani Circle, 75 acres

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952-953, p. 10.188 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1955-1956, p.3.' Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1961-1962, p.7.190 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1966-1967, p.6.

Im

at Mengnanapuram as endowment to the Sarah Tucker College. The

College utilised the income from these properties for issuing

scholarships. 191 The local Pastorates administered these properties and

the income from them. In the long run, the Pastorates did not pay the

income from the properties of the college properly. Hence the Diocese

handed over the administration of these properties to the Property Sub-

Committee. The Sub-Committee took necessary action to give the

College its due share of income from theses endowment lands

regularly. 192

Special coaching classes were conducted for the weak student

with the help of the old students of the College. A Students' Leaders

Conference was conducted at the beginning of the every academic year

to instruct them to lead the students in proper way. In 1960, the College

celebrated World Health Day, Vana Mahotsava Vaai (Forest Week)

and Wild Life Week. During these days, it offered special lectures on

mental illness and mental health and preservation of wild life. The

District Forest and Agricultural departments provided seedlings for the

college Forest Day celebrations. 193 The Planning Forum, the

Dramatic Society, Study Groups, Discussion Groups, the Youth

Listening Club, the Current Events Club organised symposiumS

debates, elocution, essay contests and quiz programmes and helped the

' 9 ' Executive Standing committee, 69th meeting, 3rd October 1952, p.2.

192 Education Standing Committee, 136th meeting, 1st March 1977, p.10.Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952-1953, p.9,

370

students to expose their hidden talents properly. There was a Sports Club

in the College functioned from 1934, which consisted of members of

the staff and students. It offered practice to the students in various

games and organised games festival every year. 194

A band of teachers and students visited the Sayamalai Ashram

during their September holidays and spent a week for social work. 195

There was a Social Service League in the College, which offered special

courses oil aid for the students. Oil evenings, the students

engaged in social service at Tuckerammalpurarn and Reddiarpatti.'96

They offered special lectures oil and how to prevent them.

The Economics Association of the college conducted a socio-economic

survey on Anaiarkulam a village about two miles South East of the

college and helped the league by giving needed information to social

work. It was the social service centre of the College.197

The College had a woman Doctor and a Nurse, who visited the

College for maintaining general health care of the inmates of the hostel

and the students. In 1971, the College opened a Students' Counselling

Centre which offered its help to heal the mental illness of the students

and led them in proper way,

194 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 959-1960, p.5.195 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952-1953, p.21.196 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1958-1959, p.4.197 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1966-1967, p.9.

371

The Women's Auxiliary of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the

United States offered Rs.20,000/- to the college for erecting a Chapel

in 1956.198 The College offered religious teaching and conducted prayer

meeting every day at College Chapel. The teachers of Sarah Tucker

College involved in translating scripture plays into Tamil and gave the

students practice in enacting dramas. The students staged Christian

dramas in the surrounding areas. Some students attended an evangelistic

training camp at Cholavandan. They did Gospel work among women

and girls.' 99 They also conducted Sunday School at Peruinalpuram. In

1958, seventeen students left for Sayamalai Vidivelli Ashram in two

batches and camped for tell and got training in Evangelistic work.

They conducted Gospel campaign at Thatchanallur.201)

POPE'S COLLEGE, SAWYERPURAM

The origin of the Pope's College dates back to 1844 when the

Rev. G.U.Pope founded a Theological Seminary at Sawyerpuram for

training the Catechists and school teachers. In 1844, the University of

Oxford, London contributed grants for the establishment of a library

in the institution. It attained the status of high school in 1862. Owing

to the effort of the Rev.R.Caldwell, it was upgraded as a College in

1880 and was affiliated to the Madras University. 201 It was called as

198 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1955-1956, p.3.199 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1952-1953, p.9.200 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1957-1958, p.8.201 V.Henry Packianathan, opcit., pp.XXXXXV & XXXXX VII.

372

the S.P.G. College. The station missionary the Rev.T.Adams was the

first Principal for a few months. The Rev.J.A.Sharrock, a brilliant

Cambridge academician succeeded him. 202

The Madras District Committee of the S.P.G opposed against

establishing colleges in Tinnevelly and argued that the English people

offered their financial help to the S.P.G Mission in India only for the

work of evangelisation and not for establishing higher institution The

missionaries explained to the S.P.G that this service benefited the

poorest Christians in rural areas. The Principal Sharrack gave the

College a new look and the rural students bagged several prizes and

medals awarded by the Madras University. Bishop Johnson,

Metropolitan of India visited the College in 1881 and praised that

"There is nothing like it in all India". He also made a suggestion to the

Rev.Caldwell to shift the main station of his work to Tuticorin, a fast

growing town with Hindu population. Caldwell shifted the Centre and

the College and the High School to Tuticorin on 1301 January 18832113

He left the Middle School and the Training School at Sawyerpuram.

In 1910, the School attained the status of High School. The local

congregation named the school as Pope's High School to

commemorate the founder the Rev.G.U.Pope.

202 V.Henry Packianathan, op.cit., p.XXXXXVI.203 d p.XXXXXVI.

373

In 1950, the Old Students' Association of Pope's High School

passed a resolution to take steps to elevate the Pope's High school into

a College in its Silver Jubilee Ceremony. In 1953, it requested every

old students of the school to give Re.1 as donation for the formation of

the college. It prepared a register of old students of the Pope's School.

From 1954 to 1962, new buildings for the proposed College were

constructed. Owing to the strenuous effort of the Old Students'

Association of the Pope's School, the present College came into being

in 1962.20

The Rural Service League and the Planning Forum of the

College trained the students in social works."' They built a work-

shed for the weavers in Senthiamblam and electrified some houses of

the poor. The College also supported a bed at F'eikulam

Leprosarium. 206 The College arranged an Eye Camp in collaboration

with the Lions Club, Tirunelveli. 207 Thus the College had a concern

for the welfare of the poor and needy people. In 1969, the students of

Pope's College formed an Old Students' Association. Till then, there

was a common Old Students' Association for the High school and the

College. The College became a co-education institution in 1977 and

204 150th Commemoration Souvenir of Pope Memorial Higher Secondary SchoolSawyerpuranl. 1844 - 1994. Sawyerpuram, 1994, pp.58 —59.

205 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1966-1967, p.9.206

th and Economic Concern Committee, 67 meeting, 1 March 1968,p.8.

207 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1970 -1971, p.7.

374

opened good opportunities for the local women to have higher

education.

NAZARETH MARGOSCHIS COLLEGE

There was much enthusiasm among the people of Nazareth

when the Nazareth Arts college scheme was projected in 1955. People

came forward to offer their land and money. Thus, the Diocese of

Tinnevelly acquired forty acres of land. It constructed buildings and

dug a well for supplying water to the proposed College with the

total expenditure of Rs. 1,00,000/_.208 S.A.Thomas spearheaded the

efforts of the people of Nazareth to found a college at Nazareth. He

arranged for the laying of foundation for an Arts and Science College

at the present site on 4 t" 1956. The Diocese completed the

construction work at the end of the year 1956. But the University of

Madras did not give its approval to the Diocese for opening a

College. 209

Meanwhile the Government of Tamil Nadu proposed a plan of

establishing Polytechnic institutions in the District of Tinnevelly.

Hence, the Bishop of Tinnevelly arranged a public meeting at

Nazareth on 801 March 1958 and explained the possibility of

converting the College scheme to a Polytechnic institution under the

auspices of the Church of South India (C.S.I.). It was decided to hand

208 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1957 - 1958, p.3.209 Tinnevell y Diocesan Bishop's Letter, Narpothgam, July 1967, p.125.

375

over all the property with the existing buildings to the C.S.I for the

new scheme. The C.S.I. Synod Working Committee also accepted this

scheme at its meeting in Madura on 17 0' April 1958 . 210 The

Committee also requested the Rt.Rev.Newbigin to raise the necessary

funds Rs.3,80,000/- for the deposit during his visits to Germany,

Switzerland and America in 1958 . 211 In 1961, the Diocese started the

Polytechnic at the same buildings for the College. After one year, the

Diocese closed down the School due to the sudden decision of the

World Council of Churches to withdraw its financial support to the

Polytechnic. Hence, the Government shifted the Polytechnic to

Tuticorin and took the building, land and properties of the

institute. 212

The Diocesan Executive Standing Committee passed a

resolution to recommend to the C.S.I. Synod Working Committee to

take legal steps to recover the land, buildings, equipment and cash

which were in the use of C.S.I. Polytechnic, Nazareth from the

Government. 213 The Executive Committee appointed a Commission

with six members to study the matter of opening a T.D.T.A. Arts

College at Nazareth. 214 The Synod was also requested to give a grant

of Rs.2,00,000/- (one lakh for endowment and one lakh for

—Tinnevelly Diocesan Report, 1957 - 1958, p.3.211 ibid., p.4.212 Tinrievelly Diocesan Council Report, 1962 - 1963, p.2.213 Executive Standing Committee, 109th meeting, 26th October 1965, p. 12.214 Executive Standing Committee, 112

th meeting, 13th October 1966, p.10.

376

equipment) to open an Arts College from the remaining funds

available in the C.S.I. Polytechnic account. 215 The Diocese arranged

Village Committees to make house to house collections for the

College with the help of the Council Chairman and Pastorate

Chairmen . 2 It was easy to collect donations because the local people

felt the need for having a college at Nazareth even from the early

fifties. The Diocese again approached the Government to start a

College at Pilayanmanai and the Government gave its approval and

gave back the building and lands.

The Madurai Kamaraj University granted affiliation to start the

Pre-University Courses in Mathematics and Humanities in 1967. On

121 June 1967, the Margochis College was opened as a Pre-University

institution. The Rt. Rev.A.G .Jebaraj inaugurated the regular classes on5th July 1967217 The Diocese offered Rs.Two lakhs for the College for

development works in 1967.218

In 1970, the College attained the status of a full-fledged

College with the introduction of degree courses in Economics and

Mathematics. From 1972, the College admitted girls at all levels. The

Diocese appointed a Commission of seven members to examine the

plan for introducing co-education in the College 219 In 1973, the

215 Executive Standing Committee, 107th meeting, 3rd & 0' November 1964, p.S.

216 Finance Sub-Committee, 177th meeting, 15th September 1975, p4

217 Education Standing Committee, 154th meeting, 10' October 1967, pp. 10 - 12

2l Executive Standing Committee, 114th meeting, 27' March 1967, p.13.

219 Education Standing Committee, 168th meeting, 7th March 1972, pp.9 - 10.

377

college increased its intake of women students from 60 to 120. The

Executive Standing Committee appointed a Sub-Committee to

govern the College to enhance the financial position of the College .220

According to the Government order, the college discontinued the Pre-

University classes from 1979. The University granted affiliation to

B.Sc. in Chemistry from 1978 to 1980. The College aims at character

moulding along with academic excellence, religious and moral

instructions.

THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE, THIRUMARAIYUR

The Diocesan Theological College was the main religious

educational institution of the Diocese of Tinnevelly. The object of this

college was to train ministers for the Diocese of the Church of South

India in Tarnil Nadu and for Tamil speaking Churches. The college

provided ample opportunities for the training of the students in

leadership and ministerial training with social, recreational and religious

activities. Students spent their Sundays in pastoral and evangelistic

work.

The Rt. Rev Samuel Morley founded Bishop's Theological

College at Nazareth in 1900 for the S.P.G. Mission. 221 The Church

Missionary Society established the C.M.S. Catechists' Training Centre

220 Executive Standing Committee, 139th meeting, 16" September 1975, p.75.221 The Indian Church Directory (1939-1940), p.206.

378

at Palayapettai near Tiimevelly. 222 As a result of the efforts of the

Rt.Rev.E.H.M.WaIler, the Bishop of Tinnevelly (1915-1922) and the

Rev G.T.Selwyn, the separate Theological institutions of the C.M.S. and

the S.P.G. Missions merged together into a Common Theological

Institution for the whole Diocese of Tinnevelly in 1921 and it began to

function at Tirumaraiyur as Tirunelveli Theological College. 221

It was the centre of theological education for all the Tamil

churches. Students from the Anglican Communion came from the

Diocese of Colombo, Rangoon, Singapore, and Madras. The course for

ordination in the Tinnevelly Diocese was five years; the first two years

were spent in congregational work and rest of the three years, they were

engaged in evangelistic work in the Seminary. For Catechists, there was

a two-year course. The course included a brief outline of Old Testament

History, with short introduction and analyses of the books in the New

Testament, the study of the synoptic Gospels and the Person and Work

of Christ, Church Catechism, instructions in method of preaching,

Prayer Book, Pastoralia and Church History. In addition to their studies,

the students were given sufficient time for acquiring experience in

conducting services in the Seminary Chapel. The students did

evangelistic work once a weak. Dr.Mathurarn conducted a special

course of instruction in First Aid .22' The College provided practice in

222 V.Henry Packianathan, Qp :it, 3.25.223 Ibid., pp.26 & 72.224 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1929, p.13.

379

Parish visiting, evangelistic work, sermon preparation, singing, reading,

and taking care of church properties.

The students visited all the surrounding villages and did house

visiting, street preaching, taking Sunday classes and preparing

catechumens for baptism. 225 In 1934, several periods were allotted for

training in evangelistic work . 226 The Seminary selected a centre for

evangelistic training for six months. The students got ordination only

after getting this practical training. The probationers spent only

seventeen days per month in this camp because they already had

sufficient experience in this field. 227

The Seminary also sent the students to Coonoor for receiving a

Special Sunday School training course from 1934.228 Special training

classes for the wives of the students such as a sewing class once a

week. 229 The wives of the staff members of the Theological College

helped the wives of the Ordinands through teaching them English

Poetry, Church embroidery and medicine. 23" From 1933 to 1940, the

Diocese conducted evangelistic camps for children and youths in

Kadaiyanodai, Udaiyarkulam, Pattakarai, Palaniappapuram,

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1930, P. 13.226 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1934, p.16.227 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1930, p. 13.228 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1934, p. 16.229 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1944, p.35.230 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1951-52, p.9.

ME

Ariyanayagapuram, Udaiyarkul am, Kuppappuram and Pill ayan man i

with the help of the College students and their wives. 231

The Diocesan had no enough Clergy for its parochial service in

its vast area. Hence, the Bishop made the final year students as Deacons

from the year 1931. They involved themselves in all Church activities

under the leadership of the local priest during their last year of study in

the Seminary. This new experiment proved successful. The College

offered a course of elementary theological reading for Diocesan

Catechists every April to enrich their knowledge in the Bible.232

The Seminary also published a monthly sermon notes for every

Sunday. The students participated in preparing the Sermon notes once in

three months. It made the students refer to various theological books

and Bible Commentaries. The Literature Mission Society (L.M.S.) sent

orders for the notes every year. 233

In 1941, the College constituted an Advisory Board for the

college. The Board included Indian Music in the services of the College.

Every alternate month, Tamil lyrics were used in the place of English

hymns on the belief that Tamil lyrics were the natural expression of

Indian sentiment and devotion. 234 In order to utilise the valuable music

LI Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1933, p.23.232 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1931, p. 15.233 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1933, p.23.234 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1942, p. 13.

381

talents of the college students; the College newly formed an orchestra

with Indian musical instruments. 235

The Pastoral Work Committee decided to shift the Seminary to a

site near Palamcottah. But the Executive Committee selected a new site

at Thirumaraiyur village for the seminary. In 1936, a land of seven and

half acres was procured. The C.M.S. and the S.P.G. in England offered

Rs.50,000/- for construction work. 236 On the 18th February 1937, the

Bishop laid the foundation for the new college. In 1942, the Diocese of

Colombo sent a sum of Rs. 1664/- for a building for the students from

Colombo. This building was named as 'The Church of Ceylon House'.237

In 1945, the Diocesan Pastoral Work Standing Committee

changed the name of the college from Bishop's Theological College to

Tinnevelly Theological College in response to a request from the

Metropolitan of the Church in India due to the confusion in the minds of

people between this college and the Bishop's college in Calcutta. 239

The Ordinands course for non-graduates was extended to four

years by the introduction of a preparatory year. Of which, the first year

was a preliminary or a preparatory year for special study of languages,

such as Greek, English and Tamil combined with general knowledge of

the Bible, supplementary lectures in World History and elementary

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1951-1952, p.2.236 Tirinevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1938, p.20.237 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1946, p.24.238 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1945-1946, p.24.

psychology. 239 The graduates underwent training for three years. Some

of the selected students were allowed to appear as external candidates

for the P.D. (Preliminary in Divinity) and B.D. (Bachelor of Divinity)

examinations of the Serampur College. The College allotted the first

preliminary year mostly for teaching English because most of the books

on the Holy Bible and Theology and other allied subjects were in

English. It also felt that a good working knowledge of English was

essential for the future ministers of the Church. Moreover, the students

also had to write their examination in English only. The Serampore P.D.

subjects like the Old and the New Testaments, Greek, Tamil, English

and Psychology were taught in the first year. Those who passed the P.D.

course could take up the B.D. course. The college offered three year

courses for graduates and four year courses for non-graduates .24°

Students of different traditions of the C.S.I. studied in the

College. The college chapel conducted worship services in the

according to the different traditions. It resulted in a fusion of the

different forms of worship, and different traditions in the service of

Holy Communion, which appeared in a blending of liturgical and241extempore forms of prayer.

239 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1945-1946, p. 25.240 Executive Standing Committee, 56th meeting, 14th January 1949, p.5 (app.).241 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1951-1952, p.2.

383

The College conducted a Summer School for ten days at

Thirurnaraiyur for lay men in 1954 •242 It prepared the members of the

Tinnevelly Church in doing evangelistic work in their areas and

instructed them in helping the local church in parochial works.

The Spiritual words, liturgical forms, language, style of speaking,

singing and music were so outlandish and not suitable for non-Christian

in rural areas. in 1954, the students of the Theological College made the

evangelistic work an attractive and effective instead of going through it

in the old way. They adopted same new methods. First, they did

personal work, going out in pairs. Then they went round the village

with a procession. After that, they assembled at a central or main place

at about dusk and began to sing songs loudly to collect a crowd. Then

three students staged a drama on a parable of the Holy Bible.

In the evening, a group of College students went around the main

streets by singing Tainil classical songs and informed the people about

the Gospel meeting. Thus they gathered the public. 243 To impress the

audience, they followed a short lyrical discourse known as KaiLa

Kalakshebam. Then they illustrated the ministry of Jesus Christ, His

passion and resurrection. Then one or two students presented their

personal testimonies. At the end of the meeting, a brief appeal to the

people was made. From 1964, the college utilised modern visual aids in

2 Executive Standing Committee, 79th meeting, 22nd March 1956, p.13.243 rpothagam, November 1955, p.353.

their Gospel Campaign. The students screened films and staged drama

with attractive singing during the intervals. Then Gospel portions of the

Holy Bible were distributed. It was followed by personal evangelism.

This method yielded beneficial results.244

In 1945, the Tinnevelly Diocesan wanted to make the college a

common Theological College for Tamil Nadu. After 1947, the Church

of South India (C.S.I.) felt the need for a common Theological College

suitable to all denominations. The synod of the C.S.I. constituted an

interim Board for the conmon theological college. 245 The Board

recommended the conversion of the Tinnevelly Theological College of

Tirurnaraiyur into the Tamil Nadu Theological College. 246 Then the

Diocese of Tinncvelly placed all the buildings and equipment at

Tirumaraiyur at the disposal of the synod of the C.S.J. for running a

Theological College. The College got the affiliation of the Serainpore

University, West Bengal .247 Then the nomenclature of Warden and

Sub-Warden of the old College system was changed to Principal and

Vice-Principal respectively in the new College.248

From June 1951 onwards, the Tinnevelly Theological College

became the Tamilnad Theological College. The College constituted a

Governing Board with the Principal of the College, the Bishop of

Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1964-65, p.1.245 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1947-1948, p.1 & 28-29.246 Executive Standing Commitee, 56th meeting, 14th January 1949, p.'.247

pp. 1-7.248 Pastoral Work Standing Committee, 82nd meeting, 191h October 1949, p.6.

385

Tinnevelly, two representatives each from the Dioceses contributing not

less than Rs.2000/- per annum to the functioning of the college and one

representative each from other Dioceses contributing less than

Rs.500/-.249

In 1965, the college Governing Board planned to provide

facilities in the college for teaching the B.D. course in Tarn il. 25° The

Serampore Senate sent a commission to the college to study the

eligibility of the institution for B.D. degree in Tamil. The Commission

then pointed out the lack of enough qualified staff and suitable library

books and the proposed move to a United Theological College. Hence,

this plan was not accepted. The Diocese of Madras and South

Travancore expressed their feelings against the location of the common

Theological College. Thinimaraiyur was for away from Madras. Hence,

the C.S.I. Executive Committee accepted their views. Meanwhile, the

proposal for the United Theological College was accepted by all Tarnil

Diocese. 25 ' Then the college merged with the Lutheran Theological

Training College, Madurai at the end of March 1965 and began to work

as a joint enterprise. The Taniilnad Theological Seminary at Arasaradi,

Madurai in June 1969.252

249 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1950-1951, p.9.250 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1965-1966, P.6.251 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1967-1968, p.8.252 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1969-1970, p.9.

The Diocese transferred all the books in the old College library

to Pope's College, Sawyerpurarn and then to the Lending Library of the

Diocese, Palamcottah. 253 The Margoschis College, Nazareth, took the

College buildings for rent Rs.5000/- per year .254 The Diocese was not

satisfied with the theological training offered at Tarnilnad Theological

Seminary (T.T.C.), Arasaradi. Therefore, the Executive Standing

Committee resolved to suspend sending candidates to T.T.C., until the

Diocese was satisfied with the training imparted there in 1974.255 The

Diocese appointed a Committee with ten members to visit T.T.C. for

having a close observation on the administration and education. From

1976, it allowed its members to have theological education at T.T.C.

The Diocese accepted the candidates who completed their degree in

Theology in the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (T.T.S.) Arasaradi,

Madurai, United Theological College (U.T.C.), Bangalore and United

Bible Seminary (U.B.S.), Yotmal for doing pastoral work in the

Diocese.

TIRUPANI PAYIRCHI NILAYAM, T[RUMARAIYUR

The Diocese newly opened a training institute at Thirumaraiyur in

the buildings of the Old Theological College on the 1st of July 1969.256

The main purpose of the institute was to train men for church work as

253 Executive Standing Committee, 126th meeting, 30th March 1971, p.3.254 [bid.255 Executive Standing Committee, 135th meeting, 23rd March 1974, p.7.256 Tinrievelly Diocesan Council Report, 1969-1970, p.7.

387

Catechists and evangelists to serve all Tamil speaking Diocese of the

Church of South India. It trained parishioners in Christian workshop,

Christian service and witness. It only admitted Secondary School

Leaving Certificate (S.S.L.C.) passed candidates to the institute.

In 1969, the centre selected eight students. 257 The Bible study

consisted of Amos and Galatians, Life of Christ and Life of Paul,

exposition of the creed, an outline of Church History with special

emphasis on Indian Church History, Hinduism and Islam, Pastoralia,

Preaching, Worship and Music were the main subjects that were

taught. 258 Moreover, the Centre offered practical training in

conducting worship, exposition of the regular Bible passages, house

visiting, evangelistic work and preaching. After receiving a nine-

month training, the Centre presented certificates to the successful

students. 259

The institute functioned under a full-time Director and several

Clergymen from the local Pastorates. 260 The Executive Standing

Committee appointed an Adhoc Committee with eight members to

administer the function of the Centre . 261 The Centre provided well

qualified Catechists to the Diocese of Tinnevelly every year.

257 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1969-1970, p.7.258 Pastoral Work Standing Committee, 153rd meeting, 23rd April 1969, p.8.259 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1969-1970, p.8.260 Ibid.261 Executive Standing Committee, 119th meeting, 27th March 1969, pp.3 - 4.

388

WOMEN WORKERS TRAINING CENTRE, NAGALAPURAM

In 1958, the Diocese planned to open a Women Workers

Training Centre at Nagalapuram 262 to utilise their talents and time in

the Gospel propagation work and in the Church development activities.

Hence, it sent a woman member to the Vidivelli Ashram, at Sayarnalai

for getting training as a preparation for the new scheme for appointing

her leader of the proposed Centre. 263

Mrs.Trapp, wife of the Rt.Rev.Trapp the General Secretary,

S.P.G. London dedicated and opened the Centre on 5th of January 1960

with three workers. It offered a short-term course of ten days duration

for thirty women and a long-term duration of three months for fifteen

women. 264 It also conducted refresher course for fifteen days. Its first

training programme was conducted from I 0th to 20th May 1960. Seven

women participated from Nagalapuram, Kovilpatti and Mudalur Circles.

Special lectures were given on prayer, Christian house, characters of

Christian women workers, Bible study and methods of adult education

for the old people. Practical Training was given to them in the evening

in nearby selected areas. The Centre equipped the inmates to work

among the women, adult girls and children in their own villages. They

The Statistics of the C.S.I.Diocese of Tinnevelly - 1980, North ChurchCouncil, Nagalapuram Pastorate, pp.85 - 86.

263 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1958-59, p.5.264 Women's Work Standing Committee, 55th meeting, 11th October 1960, p.3.

389

visited all the nearby villages and the local hospital and conducted a

school for the illiterates in the villages .26

The Centre presented Printed certificates to the trainees at the end

of the course. The trained women involved in house visiting, holding

meetings for young girls and women, leading Sunday classes, teaching

in Bible-classes for non-Christian women, conducting Night Schools for

girls and participating in Gospel work. 266 In 1969, the Centre started a

Creche namely Sisu Nilayam with forty children. 267 In 1972, its name

was changed into Mahilchi 111am (Home of Joy),In 1973, the total

strength of the 111am was fifty. Women Worker's Training Centre's Well

Wishers' Association was started in 1969. The members of this

association collected money for the centre voluntarily. 268 The Diocese

requested all the Circles and the Girls' institutions of the Diocese to

donate Rs.25/- each in support of the work of this Centre. Then the

Circle and institutions began to offer their help .269

Most of the women in remotest areas from the centre expressed

their inconvenience in spending a long time at the centre at the cost of

their responsibilities in families. Therefore the Diocese requested the

centre to extend its service to all main centres of the Diocesan

265 D.Nayagam, Diocesan Women Worker's Training Centre, Narpotha gam, July

1960, pp. 162-163.266 Evangelistic Work Standing Committee, 96th meeting, 1st October 1963, p.4267 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1969-1970, p.5.268 Women's Work Standing Committee, 72nd meeting, 7th October 1969, p.2.269 Tinnevelly Diocesan Council Report, 1961-1962, p.32.

390

Pastorates. From 1974, the centre began to conduct one-week courses

for women in Pastorate centres. The Centre also entered in social

service by introducing Steno typing course in the Centre for the

poor .270 The Governing Board administered all the function of the

Centre. The centre became the important wing of the Diocese to train

the lay women in Church works.

TINNEVELLY DIOCESAN LENDING LIBRARY

The Diocesan Library functioned at the Diocesan Book Depot,

Palamcottah. It was open to the clergy, theological college students

and high school and college students and the members of the Diocese

of Tinnevelly. It allowed the non-Christians after getting

recommendation letter from a regular member of the Diocesan Library

or a Priest of the Diocese of Tinnevelly. 27 ' The library fixed an annual

subscription charge as follows: For clergy and diocesan workers: Re.1

and for others Re.1 and a deposit of Rs.2. The Readers used the

reference books in the premises of the library only. It classified the

book sections as follows: Theology, Commentary, Bible Lessons,

Worship and Liturgy, Holy Scripture, Biography, Devotion, Tamil

Literature, English Literature, India, Life and Work of Jesus Christ,

Sermons, Christianity and Work Problems, Church History,

Comparative Religion, Miscellaneous and General. It supplied the

270 Executive Standing Committee, 137th meeting, 30th October 1974, p.7.271 Narpothagam, January 1961, p.19.

391

printed catalogue of the Library to the new corners for 37 N.P. 272

The Library served as the main centre of the Diocese in enhancing the

knowledge of the lay-members and the clergymen especially in

Christianity.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Diocesan awarded scholarships to students of Diocesan High

Schools and Colleges on the basis of merit and poor financial

circumstances through the Diocesan Scholarship Standing Committee. It

had a Sub-Committee of three members for the purpose of dealing with

the fresh awards of scholarship within the available amount in the

scholarship fund. The Scholarship Committee gave preference to

orphans and children of poor widows in awarding scholarships. It

offered scholarships to the candidates coming from mass movement

areas from the Diocesan Mass Movement Fund. 273 In 1957, the

Committee was not able to award any fresh scholarship for students in

the Diocesan High Schools due to lack of funds. Hence, it recommended

each Diocesan High School to establish a Scholarship Fund of its own

to help the deserving students whose parents were unable to provide for

their education. 274

272 Narpothagrn, January 1961, p.20.273 G.T.Simeon, Tinnevelly Diocesan Scholarship Commillc,±LQQtha1fl, July

1929, pp. I89- 190.274 Diocesan Scholarship Standing Committee, 46th meeting, 13 t" 1957, p.1.

392

The Diocese created the Bishop Selwyn Loan Scholarship Fund

to help the Diocesan Christian students studying in the Diocesan

Colleges 215 It also offered scholarships to the Children of the Diocesan

Clergy from the Diocesan Central Fund. 276 The Children of the

Diocesan Church Workers and poor lay members received scholarships

from the interest on the Dharmasangarn Endowment . 277 The Diocese got

liberal donations from the former beneficiaries of the Diocesan

Scholarship and deposited the amount in the Diocesan Scholarship

Fund.278

The Diocese of Tinnevelly has played a vital role in providing

education to the people of this region. The educational institutions run

by the Diocese are known for their academic excellence and

discipline.

Diocesan Scholarship Standing Committee, 46th meeting, 13th July 1957, p.1.276 Diocesan Scholarship Standing Committee, 50th meeting, 21st August 1961, p.2.277 Finance Sub-Committee, 119th meeting, 9th July 1957, p.13.278 Diocesan Scholarship Standing Committee,54th meeting, 26th August 1965,

p.2.