NRS-18590 | Visitors' Books [Newcastle Boys' High School]

The Public Instruction Act, 1866 authorised special religious instruction by visiting clergymen and their delegates (Public Schools Act, 1866, s. 19), and regulations under the Act authorised members of the public to visit schools during ‘the hours of secular instruction’ to observe teaching methods, teaching material and equipment (Regulations adopted by the Council of Education on 27 February 1867, s. 84-85). (1) The regulations required every teacher to keep a visitors’ book ‘in which visitors may enter their names and if they think proper any remarks. Such remarks the Teachers are by no means to erase or alter.’ (Regulations … s. 86). (2)The purpose of the visitors’ book was to create a record of the persons other than pupils or teachers who attended the school during business hours. Visitors’ books were divided into three columns – date, name and remarks. The remarks usually recorded the purpose of the visit, which included religious instruction (by far the most usual purpose for visiting a school), school inspection, medical inspection, departmental officers visiting on business e.g. to inspect the buildings or equipment, and guest speakers. Occasionally visitors (particularly Inspectors) remarked briefly on the conduct or the ambience of the school.The series from Newcastle Boys’ High School is now represented by five volumes, which cover the periods from 1940 to 1944 and 1952 to 1970. The first four of these, for the years 1940-1944 and 1952-1964, are given almost exclusively to the record of the High School’s clerical visitors; the exceptions are two Vocational Testing visitors (December, 1940), an Inspector of Visual Education (April, 1953) and the attendees at two Open Days held in 1955 and 1956. It appears that the volume in which the Open Day visitors signed may have been intended at first to be reserved for this purpose, but from May, 1958 onwards it is, like its precursors, used to record representatives of the churches who visited the school in order to provide religious instruction.Of those denominations whose representatives visited regularly throughout this period, the Church of England is easily the most frequently attested, followed by the Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Baptist Churches. Congregationalist Church visitors cease to appear regularly after mid-1961, and the Salvation Army occurs only from mid-1942 through 1944. Jewish religious instruction was provided regularly from 1959, however, as was Greek Orthodox instruction in part of 1960 and throughout 1964, and Church of Christ from September, 1963.The fifth volume, covering the period from April, 1964 to September, 1970, is radically unlike its precursors. It contains only forty-three signatures, and no record of regular clerical visitors, although single visits by the Assistant Bishop (1965) and Dean of Newcastle (1967) are recorded. Other visitors during these years included the Minister for Transport in 1966, and a party consisting of the Assistant Minister for Education, the Member for Waratah and the Director of Education in June, 1967. Fully seventeen of the signatures in this volume are those of attendees at one occasion: the ATC Passing Out Parade held on 5 October, 1967.All five volumes are sound, and exhibit only minor signs of wear.Endnotes1. NSW Government Gazette 1 March 1867 p. 5832. Ibid.

1866年《公共教育法案》（Public Instruction Act）授权来访牧师及其代表开展专项宗教教学（《1866年公立学校法案》（Public Schools Act, 1866）第19条），而该法案下属的监管条例允许公众在“世俗教学时段”到访学校，观摩教学方法、教学材料与教学设备（教育委员会1867年2月27日通过的条例第84-85条）。(1) 该条例要求每位教师必须留存访客登记簿（visitors’ book），供访客登记姓名，若认为恰当可附留言语，且教师绝对不得擦除或修改此类留言（同上条例第86条）。(2) 设立访客登记簿的初衷，是记录非学生与教师之外、于工作日到访学校的人员信息。登记簿共设三栏：日期、姓名与留言。留言通常会记录到访事由，其中宗教教学为最常见的到访目的，此外还包括学校视察、医疗检查、部门官员因公到访（如检查校舍或设备）以及特邀演讲者。偶尔访客（尤以视察员为甚）会简要评述学校的管理状况或办学氛围。

纽卡斯尔男子高中（Newcastle Boys’ High School）的访客登记簿系列现有五卷，涵盖1940年至1944年，以及1952年至1970年的时段。其中前四卷（对应1940-1944年与1952-1964年）几乎仅记录了该校神职访客的到访信息，仅存在三处例外：1940年12月的两位职业测试访客、1953年4月的视觉教育视察员，以及1955年与1956年两场开放日的参与者。据记载，原本用于登记开放日访客的卷册，最初似乎专为该用途设计，但自1958年5月起，该卷便与此前的登记簿一样，用于记录前来学校开展宗教教学的教会代表信息。

在此期间定期到访的教派中，英国国教会（Church of England）的到访记录最为频繁，其次为卫理公会（Methodist）、罗马天主教会（Roman Catholic）、长老会（Presbyterian）与浸信会（Baptist Churches）。公理宗访客自1961年中期后便不再定期出现，救世军（Salvation Army）的到访记录仅见于1942年中期至1944年。不过，犹太宗教教学自1959年起定期开展，希腊东正教教学则于1960年部分时段及1964年全年开展，基督教会（Church of Christ）的访客则自1963年9月起出现。

第五卷涵盖1964年4月至1970年9月的时段，与前四卷截然不同。该卷仅存有43条签名记录，且未留存常规神职访客的到访信息，仅记载了1965年助理主教与1967年纽卡斯尔主教长的单次到访。此期间的其他访客包括1966年的交通部长，以及1967年6月由教育助理部长、沃拉塔选区议员与教育厅长组成的考察团。该卷中多达17条签名均来自同一场活动的参与者：1967年10月5日举行的空军训练团（Air Training Corps，简称ATC）结业阅兵式。

五卷登记簿均保存完好，仅存在轻微磨损痕迹。

注释：
1. 新南威尔士（New South Wales，简称NSW）政府公报，1867年3月1日，第583页
2. 同上。