In reply to the toast to the visitors, Mr. E. S. Wilkinson said that perhaps he had two chier claims to the honour of making that reply. Firstly, he was the only man present who had worked for the Lester Trustees following on the death of Mr, Lester and ever since. and bad therefore seen the foundation of the Institute and the whole organization, His second claim lay in the fact that while he was in England he was given the task by the Lester trustees of choosing a principal and he was then very fortunate in meeting Mr. Lillie and getting him to come out to China to head the Institute (Applause).
Mr. E, E. Persons said that he wished to associate himself with the cordial and congratulatory express sions voiced by Mr. Wilkinson. They sympathized with the graduates in the trials their country was at present undergoing and hoped that peace would soon come to China; when: it did, the work of reconstruction would give the students their opportunity, and he was quite sure they would take their place in building up a new China on Western' lines and on a sound basis.
After Mr. S. M. Edwards had toasted the chairman in a short and witty speech and the latter had replied suitably, Mr. A. E. Thornton, toastmaster, said that the gathering. was the first of the founder students and the founder staff and was therefore something of a milestone.
For væious reasons, certain graduates were not able *o be present, while some of the staff were now overseas und on such am occasion it was appropriate to remember them. The toast was drunk, amid acclamalion, to "Our Absent Friends."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.