When the work was restarted in 1867, the School was without its old Principal, who had retired, and its Head-master, who had died of cholera. The school work was therefore handed over to Mr. Jererniah Evarts, who was appointed Head-master. The Rev. Thomas Good, who arrived in February of that year as Missionary-in-charge of the Chundiculi district, had general superintendence of the School. This state of affairs continued for nearly eight years, till 1874, when the Rev. David Wood took charge of the school work in addition to his duties in the district.

Though the School had not received much attention from a European Missionary for those years, the School work had in no way suffered. In 1867 the only two candidates who were successful in the Matriculation examination of the Madras University from Jaffna were both pupils of the Chundiculi Seminary. This perhaps was the first instance of the Seminary's success in a public examination.

Mr. Evarts was untiring in his efforts to maintain the high standard to which the School had risen and he was very fortunate in getting really able men on the Staff to help him, Among these latter were Mr. Moses Muttiah., 'who had full rule and dominion over the entire Lower School, the manner in which he exercised authority being evidenced by the extent to which he had caused a long-suffering cotton-tree in the neighbourhood to be systematically denuded of its most birchy little branches;' Mr. Godwin Arudpragasam, who, one of his pupils says, was the only one of his masters who well and truly filled his place, 'a nice, jolly soul teaching much -and caning less, portly and very ponderous ' and gifted with a tremendous capacity for laughing so uproariously that his whole system would be shaken to the verge of dissolution;' Mr, Schwartz, 'who was not mighty with the cane, but was mightier in speech of surpassing wisdom;, Mr. Martin Luther, a sedate dignified disciplinarian he was, exacting obedience and compelling respect with far greater tact than many another. The months spent under him were months of much seriousness, with no rememberable occasion for hilarity. He taught the mysteries of Euclid's first book, of the smallness of the point, of the magnitude of the line, of the exacting nature of the demands of a postulate, of the transparency of an axiom, of the immutability of a right angle, of the perversity of an obtuse angle, of triangles standing on their beads, and of angles bashfully concealed on other side (of the blackboard).' There were the Vannitamby brothers, 'who were heard in the whole Upper School drowning in their stentorian tones the voices of milder instructors'. Mr. Vannitamby (senior) was the most pompous man in the whole School. He was a lecturer - 'Hear him but discourse in Divinity'. He taught the Scriptures with such stentorian vehemence of utterance that shrivelled into ashes the question of any would be doubter. He lectured in Geometry as though he were Euclid's uncle. He seemed quite at home with the subtleties of the pons asinorum and divined the mind of the originator of that perplexity with the confidence of Euclid's executor or next of kin. Geography - you would think he had been to all the British possessions and stayed in the principal hotels of the world. History - he knew Collier by heart and spoke of the great men in that book as though he had dined, breakfasted, and lunched with everyone of them from Odo to Wilkes. Then there was Mr. John Aseervatbam, 'who was meek, mild of speech, very unostentatious and eminently cheerful'. He was a great talker. During class hours he would enter into conversation with one or two students on the agricultural prospects of the year, the price of tobacco, or some other topic of practical education. This usually began after the second period, for till then the class would not be quite sure of the master's temperature for the day. He seldom reached zero but was almost always at a far higher degree of cordiality. Whenever there was an inconveniently tough lesson, for instance, the advanced portion of Algebra or the later books of Euclid, the biggest boy in the class, a married Brahmin, would deem it his duty to introduce a diverting subject. Others would timidly
join in ; then, the ice having been broken, the subject would be more generally discussed. Mr. Aseervatham was a learned man, a good teacher, and produced good results, but he was not a model disciplinarian. If, in the absence of the Headmaster, he ever had to open or close school, certain evilly-disposed persons continued to be afflicted with irrepressible coughs and even a tendency to groan. Invisible cats mewed in the hall, and noises not traceable to any known creature in the animal kingdom would emanate from various parts of the hall. The singing of the hymn was interspersed with many unmusical notes, briefly describable as a hybrid descendant of a yell, a mew and a howl.

In 1878 Mr. Wood was transferred to Colombo and was succeeded by the Rev. E. Blackmore. The new Principal's work in the School was unfortunately to be only for a short period. He was attacked with haemorrhage of the lungs in March of the following year, when he was laid a side for six weeks. He resumed the work he had already come to love, and carried on vigorously till July, when he was again attacked with haemorrhage. This began the illness which ended with his death on the 24th of October. The Rev. J. D. Simmons, writing of him, says; He was a man of singularly beautiful Christian character, and he soon won the esteem of all who knew him and the love of those who were more closely associated with him. His faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and in His intercession at God's right hand was always clear and steadfast. It gave him a sure hope and much joy in life, and in sickness and death its power and efficacy were still more abundantly manifested."

Upon Mr. Blackmore's death the Rev.G.T. Fleming took charge of the School in the earlier times the Station Missionary had been also Principal of the School, taking a general oversight. With Mr. Wood and Mr. Blackmore the School had occupied the chief share of their attention. Mr. Fleming was the first Principal set apart entirely for the School work.

Work was now started on lines suitable for the Cambridge University examinations. In 1895, for the first time, the Seminary presented four boys, namely C.S. Aseervatham, K. Subramaniam, Isaac Thambyah and M. Scudder, for the Cambridge Junior examination, and all four of them passed. This was no doubt a great achievement and encouragement for the School; but in October of the following year the School suffered greatly by the loss through death of its Head-master, who had most ungrudgingly given all his time to the School, and who was mainly responsible for the work in the upper classes. Mr. Jeremiah Evarts was one who as a boy had received all his education at the Chundiculi Seminary, and his life in the School, both as pupil and as Head-master, will clearly indicate the quality of the work that had been done in the School for a period of nearly thirty-five years. It will not therefore be out of place to give here an account of his life as written by one of his pupils. The Rev. Charles Handy, writing of him in January 1907, says : "Jeremiah Evarts ! what a host of memories that dear name conjures up ! As a small boy I often saw him at the Parsonage at Nallur. It used to be an intense delight to meet him then. I shall never forget the charm of his conversation. He was full of quiet jests and shrewd humour. His keen eye, intelligent and genial face, - his imposing figure, and his agreeable and kindly manner were sure to draw the attention of anyone. When I was his pupil I stood at a respectful distance. The old familiarity of early boyhood was at an end. Later on, when 1 was no longer his pupil, I found him to be the same loveable man. I can picture him now as 1 saw him last some twenty years ago. His gentle voice still resounds in my ears. 1 remember him always clad in a spotless white suit with an old-fashioned turban and a coloured silk handkerchief round his neck. His memory is still fresh and fragrant in the minds of all who knew him. He was born at Alavetty in 1844. His father was the 'eminent Tamil scholar and poet Jeremiah Evarts' referred to in the preface to 'Test of Religion' by Rev. R- Beven as the author of Tiruvakku Puranam'. There were several of his ancestors who were distinguished Tamil scholars and poets. We are informed that when the American missionaries came to Jaffna and opened schools for the education of Tamil girls, the only lady in Jaffna who could read and write Tamil was his grandmother, who, it is said, knew the whole of 'Kantha Puranam' by heart. Of this fact he was proud with a due historical pride. Jeremiah received his Tarnil education under his distinguished father. For his English education he was solely indebted to the old Chundiciili Seminary. He was one of Robert Williams' famous pupils and the only student of the Seminary who without completing his education elsewhere, rose to be its Headmaster. After a career of conspicuous distinction, winning every conceivable prize and passing all those examinations which a student of the Seminary could aim at, he, was appointed an assistant master in the Central School under the Wesleyan Mission. Here, he did not remain long. When the ',Headmastership of the Seminary became ,vacant in 1866, it was offered to him. He was then only twenty-three. He accepted it, and for nearly twenty years his enthusiasm, his sincerity and his zeal produced such an effect upon his pupils that his name is even now cherished and enshrined in their hearts. He was a born teacher and an ideal Head-master. He was a strict disciplinarian and believed in the efficacy of the cane. The delinquents had to face the Head-master soon after they had received the benefit of the cane, and the admonition that followed never failed to bring conviction borne to their hearts. He had the instinctive art of putting himself on a level with his pupils without any loss of dignity. For years there was no European Principal and he was in entire charge of the School. Morning, noon and evening he would be in the school room, forgetful of personal comforts and working with a tireless energy and cheerful activity. His judgement was admirable, and it -was always felt that the qualities of justice, mercy and kindness were seen at their best and fullest in him."

The work done in a School where no record has been kept, is very often judged both from the teacher and the taught-the latter, as to what they have done in later life. We might therefore mention the names of a few who were in the School during this period. There were Mr. Richard Hoole, the son of the Rev. E. Hoole, who before he retired from public service, was Interpreter Mudaliyar at Batticaloa; Mr. H. Bailey Mylvaganam, F.R.C.S., the greatest scamp of his time,' but later a sober ear specialist in Colombo, and lecturer in the Medical College, and now the chief Civil Medical Officer in Mysore; Mr. A. Ariacutty, for whom the gallows were often prophesied by his teachers,' who before his death rose to be the Deputy Fiscal at Batticaloa; Mr. Supiramaniam, an argumentative sort of party and a fighter' who is now arguing law and is a J. P. at Point Pedro; Mr. Isaac Tambyah. D. D., the leader of the Committee formed for the organisation of all manner of fun, frolic and mischief', who was an Advocate of the Supreme Court in Ceylon for a long time, but is now a Barrister-at-Law at Penang, and who had the honour of being the first Ceylonese to be elected a member of the Incorporated Society of Authors., and the late Dr. J. M. Handy, M. D. who was for some time a Medical Officer under the Government of Ceylon, but later a leading private practitioner in Singapore.

The Church Missionary Society year after year in its Annual Report made reference to the Chundiculi Seminary as a chief educational institution in Jaffna and a high class for school boys, but gave no account of the work that was done in the School, till 1886, when the Principal, Mr. Fleming, gave a fairly detailed report of the school.This report, the first one of the kind, gives an account of the different activities of the School that had been carried on for some time past. With reference to Mr. Evarts the Principal says; "About the time that the result of the examination was fully known we began to get alarmed at the increasing weakness of the Head-master, Mr. Evarts, which culminated in his death on the 18 th of October. After the closest intercourse with the deceased for more 'than five years, 1 am able to say without reserve that he was a most excellent m an and valuable helper, and a jewel in the circlet of Indian Christianity that adorns the brow of our great Master and Saviour," Writing of the Christian work of the time, Mr. Fleming says: "Our chief encouragement has been the spiritual progress amongst our boys. A healthy moral tone has been maintained. The Christians are beginning to feel their responsibility towards their heathen neighbours, and voluntarily to aggressive work amongst them.

The leading members of our Y. M. C. A. spent a day during the Michaelmas holidays in Mandativu, a large island in the lagoon. They visited a great many houses, speaking to the people and distributing tracts. They addressed the school children in the morning, and in the afternoon assisted at an encouraging meeting of adults, gathered in one of the compounds by the Society's catechist. This interesting effort was made by about a dozen of our elder scholars and younger teachers. Everyone bore his own expense, and all were delighted to have had the opportunity of doing some aggressive work in a neglected place. Several boys also banded together, styling themselves the Chundiculi Gospel Association, and collected amongst their friends no less than Rs. 36 for the Native Missionary Association. This latter was an entirely spontaneous movement among the boys themselves. It is with great joy that I record the Baptism during the year of five lads, two being present, and two old scholars of the Seminary, and one a boy from the Kopay English School. One is from the Islands, where the Protestant Christians are so few that they may be counted on the fingers. Two others in following the Saviour have learned what it is to take up their cross, by having to endure that petty persecution at home which it is so hard to bear. Twenty of my boys, present or recent scholars of Chundiculi and Kopay, wore confirmed by the Bishop last August."

In 1889 a long felt want of the School was supplied by the building of a permanent boarding-house. This was erected, with funds collected from Old Boys to perpetuate the memory of Mr. Evarts, on the additional piece of land which was bought in 1876 by the Rev. D. Wood. This house, which has, had several alterations and additions, still stands as the Evarts House.

Mr. Fleming managed the School without the assistance of a Head-master for two and a half years, when, in May 1889, Mr. Charles Handy B. A., who had been a pupil at the Seminary and later at Trinity College, Kandy, was transferred from the Staff at Trinity College to be Head-master of the Seminary. Soon after the arrival of Mr. Handy, the School was unfortunate to lose the services of its Principal, who was transferred to Colombo to take charge of the Tamil work there. Mr. Fleming worked in Colombo till 1895, when he returned to England.








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