NAVY LEAGUE.

Evening Star, Issue 15968, 23 November 1915, Page 9

NAVY LEAGUE.

OT4JGEO BRANCH. SCHOOL ESSAYS EXAMINATION. The educational work of the above has been wel! maintained throughout this current year, as may in part be gathered from the report subinitt«l by' the examiner (Rev.. J. Aitk-aij) i>n the essays examination held in the. prioiavy and-secondary, public and priv«3 scjwols of this province. The snbjecti t wasted for the essays were as follow-: — .luxlcr/, 'Nelson's Life as a Sailor and Its Lessons for Us To-day,' and. senior. 'What Britain's Supremacy at Sea has don» for Britain and Her Allies During the Present War.' The total number of essavs written was 3.585 (junior 3,204, senior 379) from 70 schools. Of this number 593 were sent to the examiner to mark for prizes, of which 350 will be distributed. These figures are the highest so far returned in this department of the league's work. The element of competition is almost wholly excluded, the rector or teacher's .order of merit being rarely departed from, and the examiner's duties largely confined to stating which of the papers submitted to him should receive the prizes allotted to each school. The league's object is not to encourage an undesirable spirit of emulation, but to arouse an intelligent interest among the rising generation in those matters of Imperial moment that concern the young equally with their parents and elder relatives. - The following are the names of the scholars to whom, prizes have been awarded :'— TOWN SCHOOLS, JUNIOR ESSAY. Momington.—Standard VI. : Clara Jelley. Marjorie S. Ashcroft. Phyllis K. Mirams. Standard V. : Koo J. Earland, Winifred Tordoff, Beryl E. Sincoek. Macandrew Road.—Standards V. and VI. : Gwendoline Macdonald. Leslie Austin. High;; Street.—Standard VI. : F.dith Milnes,' .Mary Gordon, Stanley Wheeler.

Standard V. : Myrtle Foote, Robert kelson, Eoemer Boeeking. George Street.—Standard TT. : George Pearson. James M. Wills, Sadie Beecher. Standard V. : Olive Emerson, Rachael Lazarus, Ngarita Gordon. Kensington.—Standard VI. : Phvllis M. Iloinan. Kitty J. Mills. -Muriel M-' K. Eagar. Standard V. : Amy Greenall, Dorothy A. J'". Emersoir. Catherine J. Lang. Musselburgh.— Standard V. : Doris Beck. Dorothy .Strong, Roy Dickie. Standard V. : Tone .Jam? Cameron Beid. Esther Alice? Kayo, Marjorie Elizabeth Allen, Normal.—Standard VII. (junior) : Oscar Moller. Ronald E. Phillips. Standard VI.; Doiothy !■;. Puduey. Charles U. Miller. Florence Robertson. ' Standard V.: Winifred M'Millan. Vera, A. Hayward. Sybil M. Goudridge. Caversham. —Standard VI. : Hugh S. Eceles. Edith Watson. Frank L. Sanderson. Standard V. : Dorothy Yeoman, Zoe Moriee, Rose Mercier.

Albany Street.—Standard VI. : Hector Mi\ay, Irene Storie, Myrtle Irvin. Standard V.: Donzil- Simpson; Conine M'Quecn. J. Murdoch.

Anderson Hay.—Standard VI. : H. Er nest Eenfree. Standard V. : Irene M. Henderson, John T. Sanderson. John \ Pearee.

North-east Valley.—Standard . VI. : Peicy Edwards. Monii. Grace, Jessie Rawlinson. Standard V. : Alex. C. Caskie. Albert G. Gitlliert, -A. Macdonald. Kaikoral— Standard VI. : Keith Glasgow. Robert Sinclair. Grace Driver. Stan dard V. : William Kennedy. Adam ~8-es.ii;. Amy W. 'Thomas.

Maori Hill.—Standard VI. : Tui S. Gibh. James E. Kinnear, Alex. C. Gibson. Standard V. r Marguerite Grater, James Mitche 1 !. Josephine Allan. St. Philomena's College (Civil Service class).—Kathleen O'tosan, Kathleen M. Devitt.

Eorbury.—Standard VI. : Dorothy St-eel. Tan Jack, Lillian Youn<_'. Standard V. : Alfred Flockton, Ella Dove, Ida Fcex. (Examiner':- comment: A remarkably good set of essays.) Otago Girls' High.-Form IVa. : Phyllis M. Moir, Mary M. Buchanan. Form lVb. : Margaret H. Dallas. Mina J. Miller. Form J'V>. : Zella Henderson, Ettio Boyd. FormJlLi. : Janet P. Mitchell. Winifred J. C. Moody. Form Illb. : Daphne 0. Henderson. Doris Matthews. Form Hie. : Ethel B. Mat-hison, Monica, A. Christie. St. Andrew's Collegiate.—Standard VII.: Lo;na Tsobel Pegu. Standard VI.: Dorothy AY. Jenkins. Standard V. : Isabel M. Coull. Standard IV.: Vona. Story. St. Hilda's Collegiate.—Form. IV. E.Vmovc : Joyce Kempfhorne. Freda Roberts. Form IVb. : Helen M. Ramsden. Aline Stronach. Form Illb. : Clodagh 'Kitcat, Lid ti Hay. Form lb: Bettv Oram, Marion Roberts

Columba College.—Form T. : Nanev Hohnes, Vera Cameron. Form I.'(Junior)': Eileen Mtindy. Ethel King. Intermediate Senior: "Margaret, Mitchell. Ellaine Watson. Intermediate- Junior; Andrhiii Begg. Junior : Xpncv Burr. Moray Place—Standard VT. : Brvce Thomson, Rita Foster. Standard V : Sarah Foster, Alice Vi-mou. i'.--.v ;i Welsh". Arthur Street.—Standard VI. •. Dudley Brugh, Robin All-in, Roger Bakewe!!. Standard V. : Marv Bovd. LawreiKe North. Noel Dallas. ' Wnkari.—Standard- VI.. V., and IV.: Lauder Stuart. Aualena Miller. .leanVj Bi-i.-wn, Mollis William-.,!!. Annie Patereon. Bessie Young. Otago Boys' High—F,. mi Y. Remove.: G. fl. Fainnaid. J A. Erwden. Form IVo. : W. W. Bridmnai! (examiner's comment: Kasily the best of the junior >•- says). F. R. Beckinpsale Form JVb • R. H. Macauk.v, A. H. \V. Lillv. -Form lYc.: E. 1-1. v.. TescbiKT. F. s. Adam, i Remove: 11. D. Cameron. C. T. Munro. I Form I La. : H. K. Emanuel. G. H Gub- ; bins. Form IMb. • Malcolm Nicholson, R. H. Beviu. Form life : I). <;. M'Kay. R. J. M'Craeke.n. Form Hid. : F. C. Brown. W. J. Grav. St- Clair.—Standard VT. : Hilda Marteiis. Rua. Arnett. Eftic Gillespie Standard V. : M. Aslin. Ruby Andrews, F. Routiedge. i —Examiner's Report.—■ i In reading the essays submitted one ! saw with pleasure that in most of the I schools the teachers had taken pains to I prepare the pupils: in a few only were | the children evidently dependent on their own efforts to master the facts of the life and to draw the lessons therefrom. The sfcovy was very generally well known and set forth with clue proportion of dei tail. But many curious inaccuracies cropped up. Many writers were uncertain where Nelson lost- his eye and where , his arm. There was a curious tendency to omit all reference to the Battle of Copenhagen, though he himself regarded it as his masterpiece. In many cases, though not-in all, the interesting'strategy i of St. Vincent and Abonkir Brty was | correctly described, and, most gratifying ', of .all, there was a wide appreciation of the value! of Nelson's victories and the j part they played in overcoming the power | of Napoleon. Tho weakest part of the i essays, speaking generally, was the apI prcciatior. of the lessons t-i be drawn [from the 'history: but here. too. in some schools the work was very gootl. As a ! whole, the essays were neat, and tidy, | the handwriting good, and the general I tippety-fince untidy fastening, poor paper, and writing on V.-fh sides of the sheet tender] to prejudice the essay in the eyes of the examiner. SENIOR ESSAY. Normal.—Stinkard VII. : Harold J. Finlay, Nessie Elliot. St. Dominic's.— IV. B (lower division) : Mary Mlj«r, Dorothy Coles. Archerfield.—Form IV. : Ethel Blair. St. Philomena's.—Margaret M. Walsh. Columba Girls' College.—Form 11. (senior) : Ncssi* Achcson, Grace. Cleveland. Form 11. (Junior) : Ethel Driver, Frances MnnehesWSv Otago Girls' High.—Form VI. A : Vida Mary Larron, Moana M. Anderson. Form VI. B : Mojia S. Woodhead, Mary A. M.enzies. Foot V. t Grace Marshall, Vida Grater. St. Hilda's.—alutrlo. Form : Doris Preston. Form V .; XlsaUii Bridgeman. St. Andrew'.", CoTJigiale.— Matriculation Class : Mufti, I. Reid, ftora Wilkinson. Otago Boys' VI. : K. J. L. Scott. G. M. Moir. Form Upper V. : R, C. Scoulsr, A. S, M'lnnes." Form

Middle V. : 11. J. S. Crater. W. A. Marshall. Form Lower V. : J. R. H. Fulton, W. M. Borlaso. THE FEN WICK SHIELD. In the competition for the above the first place is secured by Miss Vida M. Barron, of the Otago Girls' High School, ■whom tho examiner . reports as having : " written a very fine essay indeed." ' —Examiner's Report.— « I The senior scholars were asked to write on ' What Britain's Supremacy at Sea has j V)one for Britain and Her Allies During I the Present War.' The 74 essays subi mitted showed a very 9 high .averarre of attainment. The study of the subject : had not only made dear to the writers' minds what supremacy at sea really | means, but had enabled" them 'to grasp | how eompleto and absolute- Britain's sui premacy is. and how certainly it will prove the determining factor in the present wide-spread and complicated struggle. | The Navy League have never done better' 1 service than in submitting this live and allimportant theme to our older boys and girls at this juncture. In estimating the respective- values of the essays duo regard was had to matters of style and order and accuracy in the presentation of the subject, but the chief emphasis was laid on comprehensiveness. Some few writers made the mistake of attempting a- record of all the actions in winch the Navv has been engaged, but the majority grasped the meaning of the subject correctly, and treated it on broad,' general line's.' Perhaps no essay touched, on every point, and some made curious omission. For example, few noted- the moral effect on our enemies and on neutral nations of our command of the sea, and quite a considerable number forgot to mention that the Navy has guarded old England's I shores from invasion. The economic significance of maritime supremacy was. universally recognised.