GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Evening Star, Issue 6478, 20 December 1883, Page 4

GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

The following are the addresses made in connection.; with the parizo distribution yeeJ»rdiyi and which were .unavoidably Jield over : Mr J. Fulton, M.H.R., on taking tho chair, said: You have just had a eainplo of what tho ch*lnuan of the Board of Gwerhora is". Ho gives us his onlerf, and we havo to obey them. From what you have ?ocn of him generally, probably you think he is a very kiudly man. He is nothing of the.kiad.-*(Laughter.) I may just say that as chairman of the Board of Governors he is exceedingly imperious antf'tfy'fannkial, booAuso he laiai? upon mo to preside, and ordercd'me at Ohco J to (Sbnaent to take tho chair on the presont-oecasion.— (Laughter and applause.) Well, at any rate, I nave gnat pleasure in doing so, if it is only for this reason

I and. no other that I sympathise in a most ooruplete way with ovir educational Institutions, and not least with our Boys' and Girls' Huh Bchool. On the present occasion I ,am glad to notice: from the report that the examinations have been.exceedingly satisfactory, and that good results are shown from the work done In the school. lam pleaded to find from Mrs Bum's report that the. school is prospering. The, attendance is far larger than it used to be; but of course that Is partly dueto the growth of the population of tho country. I am glad, abo, to find that the ex-pupils are prospering- and doing good work in the community.— (Applause.) I find that a very large number of them aro engaged in teaching. There are three ex-High School pupils teaching in this High School, as the girls themselves will know. There is ono, I And, teaching in the Wonky Ladies' College, Melbourne ; a number are tcnohing in private' school , and a very largo number in the public schools of ihe Colony. W.'H, (hitik, that we have advanced considcra'-ly in ouveducatlonal Course when wc arc raising teachers for "our own schools from p,i>ian;>s!; ourselves, and are not obliged to import them from elsewhere. The report speaks for itself, and it may be for Other speakers toby before you tho results of the work that has been done In tho school, but in Mrs Burn's report there are ono or two things which specially attracted my attention, and upon which I muse say a few words. You eee a reference in tho report to ihe formation of two associations in connection witli»this school, and I am glad that I have tho opportunity on fcho present occasion to state how very sincerely 1 sympathise with these movements. The ladies generally take the lead in any good work of this sort, and they have taken the lead in the Hi-h School, for I think it. is a very decided lead. I sinr-uld have liked to seo the boys of tho lliirh ,'/ehoii iorming smnibr associations, and probably they will <!o ac now the example has been set "by this school. - . Applause.) Th" two us oeiat.ons of which I nm o.re the Oivi.e 'School Das Association and Ib'i ex-lllgh School •iv';' Cin.b. The first is formed from all thy previous •■!n,.,-s uf tho i'ligh School, for tho purpose of showing rn i'lit-rest in the school by giving annually a prize for which they select the subject and correct the examination papers. The suhk-ct this veai is arithmetic. Notonlv this, but the ex-llivh School (Via' Club, I think, deserves the very highest tf juiincndation and tho warmest support. We have formed an eduoational establishment vhioh is to have, I believe, a very large effect ui.*oii tic votan.r, because I lack forward and tee thai, not <.:,\y tho girls hero, but the irirls in all our common schools, will in a few years have charge of the children of tho Colony, both boys and girl*. As the mothers of the future generation they will have to train up tho little ones, and wo know very well that the impress imprinted on iho children at thoir earlie&t aires is, and ought to be, that which is carried wlih them longest through life.—(Applause) Our State has made ample provision for the carrying on of this school, and I am glad here to be able to know, and to efato again, that thia.wal the Prat os ablished Girls' High School in t\\j Colony.— (Applause.) Bub though tho Stato has provided ample mean?, Mid though parents may provide whatever is wanting further for the purpose of sending their irirls here, and though teachers may do all that thoy can to impart instruction to tho pupils, af-er all en tho girls themselves, and on the girls as they aro associated together in this school, depends the future cf their lives, and very largely the future well-being of the Colony. It is upon the habits they form hero, upon tho tone thov give to one another, upon the Influence they exercise for good or evil, that will depend the future greatness of this Colony to a very larjjo extent indeed, I would sav to the girls oi this school, as our worthy chairman said to the boys yesterday : " Set before yourselves a h'gh ideal; see to it that you avoid r.l! untruthfulness, all meanness, everything that will degrade you." Seek to emulate those noble women of whom the world uny we'! be proud—Mary Somervillo, Florence Nightingale, Agnes Jones, and many others I could Heme. Why thould it, ho thought tint girl 3 come here simply.to have so much instruction Imparted to thorn which thoy Rro afterwards to forget ? Sec to it, girls, that in your future lives you all endeavor to be ladies in the truest and highest sense of the word—bo noble women. See to it that you do not allow yourselves to think that it in a matter of tho instruction you receive above others, or cf tho dress you wear, that makes a lady ; but in kindliness of spirit, and in all the good qualities that grace noble women, seek to excel It was mentioned yesterday that besides tho instruction given in tho school in mental training, physical training was not forgotten. Probably lam < f :'.kingthe word j from our wort by chairman when I tell

\<u thit wo expect shortly 'a teacher of calisthenics, v ho, I have no doubt, will put the young ladies through tbnir facings in the hail adjoining, which so soon they v.lil have all to themselves. Thero is another matter which, perhaps, you will excuse me for referring to. 1 see before me a likeness of one of the fathm of this institution-—I s\y the father of t.— (Applause.) lam proud to think that, the girls have decided upon obtaining a likeness of Sir.John itichardsoii to gracj the future lull of this school; and 1 nuy say, spiviking of him, that I think you cannot do better than cmulato the hijrh and noble qualities he po ecssad.—(Applause.) But there is another picture which I think tho jcids may well think of r>nd ni'iko arrar.S'-veeiiiE for—which would also grace tho lmli—the likeness of your worthy principal, who has for so u.auy y< ars conducted this school.—(Loud applause.) An din,* bocausc 1 liLo the f,'irls of the High School to bs proud of thoir school, and in future years to eay they belonged to tho High School, I should like to see the*names of the duces of the school in gold letters on the wall.—(The Ladv Phikuii-al : "They are thero above your head.")—l should like to see (heir names in permanent letters o'i the wall, so that in future years old pupils coining back to the school may see tho names of thoso with whom they were asso iated. I am afraid you will say I have been giving you a sermon. Well, elenrymen are not the only people who' prea.-h sermons ; hut of com so I admit they do it a (jreat. deal better than 1 do, but they also preach at much greater length.—(Laughter.) I slull not detain you further or. the prosent oooasion.

Dr Stijaut had very little to say on the present occasion, but he would >'■ -;{ in by remarking that in the past this Boiiool had rendered very valuable service to the education of girls, i. ho Board of Governors, howover, being particularly anxious to inereaso its efficiency, during tlrj hist two years had been considering t h o specialisms subjects of instruction, and under thief arrangement soino two years ago Miss Freeman was appointed to bo Kngiish teacher, and for eighteen months alio rendered food service to the school.—(Applause.) The Hoard wore sorry when tdio left in order to complete lvsr academical course at the University. Thfy appointed as her successor an expupil of the school, Miss Grant, who brought excellent credentials of ability and experience. The mathematical department of the school was alio by tho 80-ircl arranged to be put under one head, and MI3S M'Kean was appointed to the position by Sir F. I). Hell and Pr: fctsov ,S -dgowiek, of Cambridge, tho Board's Commissioners at Home for selecting a mathematical teacher. Miss M'Kcan, In her capacity as viceprincipal, wan required to render to Mrs Hurn in the classification of tho school and in other work, It was not necessary for him to then speak of the grc:«t Hcrviccs which Mrs E.irn during many years had render? d to education in Otago. She had f inndea the Girls' High School, and had made It tho leading if'Si.itulion in the Colon./ for the education of girls. ' The stall of the school was now nearly complete, and he hoped that before long tho zrirla would have ample accommodation, plenty of room for recreation, and that the teachers would have suliabk- class-rooms for conducting their very important hbj;\-;. ITo also say tint he hoped in the beginning of year that they would be able to resume tho boarding establishment. The boys had a great advantage in the Rectory establishment, where country lads could obtain a cheerful and happy home while attending school. In the course of twelve months the Board of GoTcrnors would commence a boarding establishment for girl:, so that the "bonny country lasses" could have a cheerful homo close to their classrooms.—(Laughter.) Ho was quito suro that, whether the girls wore grateful or not for the advantages the country had provided for them in this school, by-and-bye they would be very grateful, and he could think of the time when they would meet by their firesides and tell of their happy school-days.—(Applause.) In conclusion, the speaker mentioned tint Miss Anno Forbes, a former dux of the school, although precluded from entering into competition, had gained a very high position in Latin, lie had the authority of Professor Macgrogor, the examiner, tor stating that her paper was one of the best he h:.d ever examined —(Applause.) Miss Forbes had beaten both the boy 3 and girls in Latin, and ho (Or Stuart) hoped to hear cf her gaining high honors at !h:-University.-

Jlr Ramsay said : Ladies and gentlemen, to mo hag fallen the pleasing duty of proposing a vote of thanks to the management of the Otago Girls' High School.. Wo are all much indebted to the Hoard of Governors for their services during the past year, which, as ÜBii.il, have been well and pleasantly discharged ; but, on an occasion Fuch as the present, our thanks are more especially due to the lady principal, Sirs Burn, and her staff of assistants for the- excellent results of their year's labors. lam no advoeitq of "women's rights'" in the sense that cur young ladies should be educated hcio or elsewhere with a view to their taking their share with the sterner sex in tho management of o:ir looVi or public affairs—whether municipal, social, or political. I \ have no desire, for instance, to tee our young ladies members of tho City Council—(The CiUiftifAK : " Or Harbor Board')-or in the Harbor Board, as Mr Fulton says, or en public platforms addressing mixed audiences, or occupying our pulpits, or on ths floor cf our Houses of Parliament as M.H.R.B or M.L.C a.—(Laughter) Women's mission; to my mind, hj not in any of those places. I am, however, an advocate of their receiving as good an education as our boys and young men, and I rejoice that such an institution as this Girls' High School is open to them, and that its benefits aro eo largely takon advantage of; and further, that if they are so inclined rhr>* can'enter our University on terms as favorable ,11 our vcimg men can.do.-(Applause.). I have no sympathy with thoso who tell us that in many cases the- higher education of women is thrown away unl :sa they follow come profession. They may just as well tell us that a good education h>:s been thrown .v.vo-v en the thousands of young men who arc never heard of beyond their own home, or their own social circles, to whom it hf„j nevertheless proved a priceless boon, enabling them to become goal citizens, and affording them a means of intelligent onjoyment throughout their lives which nothing else eouid over have, given them. And it is not too much to hopo sir, that the liberal education received -in this school by so many girls and young ladies will, to one and all of them in" the' time to come, prove a priceless boon, wlut-ver their station In life may be or under whatovev circumstances their lives may ho spent; nor is it to much to hope that'they imy look-hack on their school days with a feeling of gratitude to thoso who haveho faithfully and well labored in their behalf.— (Hear.) Is must bo gntifying to Mrs. Hum and to those, associated with her to find that their labors during the past year aro so much appreciated, at* I fiin suro that It will add to the pleasure of their.hjlidays that they carry with them from tho school to-|ay a very hearty vote cf thanks.-(Applauso.) I hive very much pleasure,•sir.'i.n moving a hearty votff of thinks to the management of tho Girls' High Sorfcol. —(Applause.) " $ ib- Li; lai;, on behalf of the staff, acknowledge^ 1 the vote. , | The Chairsiav, in acknowledging a vote cf toinlo accorded to him for presiding, said that ha coufi not go tho length of Mr Ramsay in saying that he wsj not rut advocate of "women's rights." He hoped io see women trained in that school take their plafos on the Education ficivu, as some ladies had done w New Ji-.'i'.lar.d.—(Laughtor.) :: I