GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

Evening Star, Issue 21286, 15 December 1932, Page 18

GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

AH ATTRACTIVE BREAK-UP PROGRAMME ADDRESS BY LORD BLEDISLOE Held before a large audience in His Majesty’s Theatre yesterday afternoon, the prize-giving ceremony of the Otago Girls’ High School was even more impressive than usual. This, of course, was duo in large measure to the visit of their Excellencies Lord and Lady Bledisloe and to the inspiring address delivered by the Governor-General. Apart from big features such as these, however, the function was noteworthy for the staging of a programme of entertainment which proved conclusively . the valuable nature of the special branches of training being received by pupils at the institution. Outstanding performances were those submitted by the School Orchestra and the School Choir, trained and directed by Mr C. Roy Spackman. In the main the orchestra consisted of stringed instruments, and its members, with admirable freedom from strain or effort, interpreted several attractive and not always easy pieces in a manner which left nothing to be desired in the way of harmony and tonal quality. The numbers played were:—‘ Rustic Dance ’ (Woodhouso), ‘Minuet Erom Military Symphony ’ (Haydn), and ‘ The Pilgrims’ Chorus,’ from ‘ Tannhauser.’ With equal musicianly ability Mr Spackman also conducted the choir in several delightful items, including ‘ The Peat Fire Flames ’ (traditional), ‘ Song of Hope,’ two part (Noel Johnson), ‘ Where the Bee Sucks, There Lurk I ’ (Markham Lee). Those who did not have the pleasure of hearing the choir during its appearance at the Dunedin Competitions must have realised how this well-trained combination met with such success. Under Miss Garrett, girls from Forms 111. and IV. created a very pleasing 'impression with ' their marching, and under the direction of the same instructress Forms V. and VI. went through some more difficult evolutions in 1 which rhythmic exercises were incorporated. When their Excellencies , appeared on the stage a little girl approached Lady Bledisloe and presented her with a bouquet, being rewarded with a kiss. A bouquet was also presented to the principal (Miss M. H. M. King).

WELCOME BY CHAIRMAN OF BOARD.

Lord and Lady Bledisloe were welcomed by Dr G. E. Thompson, who spoke on behalf of the Otago High School Board of Governors, the staff, the pupils, the parents, and friends. The speaker said that for two reasons they felt honoured by their Excellencies’. presence. Firstly, His Excellency was the official representative in this far-flung dominion of His Majesty the King. The second reason was the personal qualities of the vice-regal visitors, who in so short a time had achieved a high distinction —that of identifying themselves so closely with the thoughts and aspirations of the people in this land. They hoped that on this occasion the distinguished visitors would feel as much at homo with the people of Dunedin as the people here did with their Excellencies. (Applause.) Dr Thompson went on to say that the past year had been a gloomy one for the_ people of New Zealand, and for no section of it had it been more so than for those who had to do with education. Referring to the threatened abolition of high school boards, he said that his board, in conjunction with the other secondary school boards of New Zealand, had done its utmost, and so far with some success, to prolong; their lease of life. What the future had in store for them they did not know. More important than the existence of secondary school boards was the effect the economy proposals might have on secondary education in the dominion. New Zealand must cut its coat accord’ing to its cloth, but it was a source of grave misgiving that the cutting should be done in the wardrobes of boys and girls who were the hopes of the future. All they could do in the meantime was to follow the advice of the British Minister of Education (Lord Irwin) and make the available money go further and shoulder a greater share of the burden. (Applause.) THE HUMOROUS TOUCH. His Excellency, who was received with loud applause, said he had stated on previous similar occasions that he was not the right person to address these particular functions. /The task should have rested with one better equipped than himself and more fitted by her sex to do it. He referred to Her Excellency, She, however, had given him to understand a long time ago that until her skirts were somewhat shortened and her hair was more in accord with the modern fashion of bobbing she preferred the old-fashioned rule of women—namely, to think a great deal, but in public to say as little as possible. (Laughter.) In the course of some humorous remarks His Excellency said that his predecessor, Sir Charles Fergusson, was a Scotsman, and was, therefore, in a happy ground when lie came to Dunedin. (Laughter.) His own father was an Englishman, his mother was a Scotswoman, and his wife was a Welsh woman. If that did not constitute Britain he did not know what did. (Laughter.) The speaker said he had described the school as a school of old traditions, and he thought the sentiment of these old traditions ought to permeate the whole school—pupils and teachers alike. The school was able to boast of a record attendance this year of £73 pupils, something like 67 more than it had ever had in a single year before. Incidentally* he ventured to hope that the quality would be kept up to the quantity. Their school was also the first girls’ school to bo established in New Zealand and one of the very first in the whole of the British Empire. Theirs was, moreover, the only girls’ school to be established during the time of Provincial Governments in the dominion. Their school was also able to boast of being the first New Zealand girls’ school to prepare women for the profession of law and medicine. (Applause.) That was a record of which their school might well bo proud. Tradition, said His Excellency, brought in its train a sense of responsibility. The greater and more honourable the tradition, the greater should bo the sense of responsibility. TRIBUTE TO CHOIR. His Excellency made some humorous remarks concerning the rapidity of the changes of climate in Dunedin, and said that while he had been in the dress circle ho had found himself in the torrid heat of- summer, but that on the stage he found the climate almost autumnal. Ho had been very pleased with the musical items given by tho girls’ choir, and ho would like to mention one song particularly—Whore tho Bee Sucks, There Lurk I.’ It had made him feel thoroughly .at home because he had

sung that song as a tiny schoolboy, eight years old, at his first school concert (Applause.) “Thank you very much,” said His Excellency. “ That is exactly what happened after my singing it, although 1 broke down.” (Ladghter.) It showed, at any rate, said' His Excellency, a sense of sympathy and encouragement on the part of a warm-hearted audience. He desired to congratulate the performers on their excellent entertainment, and also the conductor and the instructress of the physical drill. He had also to congratulate those who were to receive prizes that afternoon. He did ■ not intend to follow Dr Thompson in his remarks on the education policy, as he might be treading bn dangerous ground, but he would go so far as to say that it had been his own life experience that the foundations and the most valuable equipment which any child could receive for the battle of life was a sound education. (Applause.) It was far more valuable than a gift of £5,000 or £IO,OOO to a young person, as such a gift might easily prove to be his or her undoing. Might he venture to say that they in New Zealand were entitled to congratulate themselves on having on the average—he might stress the word “average”—the best-edu-cated community in the whole of the British Empire, including the Old Country itself. (Applause.) He hoped they would do all in their power to maintain that average. They were apt to emphasise the difficulties with which they were faced, and to 1 forget the many blessings which they enjoyed—blessings in the matter of education as in other things. Certainly the pioneers had never had such blessings. HEALTHY AND HELPFUL LINES.

He noticed in the admirable report of their principal, who had presided over the school for ten years, that she said the school was maintaining its traditional high standard and that all they wanted was for their girls to live full, healthy, and helpful lives. (Applause.) Even in bad times there was plenty of opportunity open to every one of them to lead healthy and helpful lives. This depended a good deal more upon the individual character than upon outside conditions, and he would like to impress this point on those pupils who were leaving school and who had no paid occupation to go to. His Excellency went on to say that he noticed the girls at the school played cricket, and played it extraordinarily well. He was not the least shocked to know this, and lie only hoped that they would learn from cricket to play with a straight bat, and they would be able to carry out other activities in their lives in a satisfactory way. (Applause.) His Excellency said he noticed that the motto of the school was “ Recti Cultus Pectora lloborant ” —the cultivation of integrity strengthens our hearts—-and he could’ not imagine a more perfect motto for young people belonging to a great race. (Applause.) It was that love of integrity, that love of truth, that adherence to absolute sincerity in all they did or thought, that had been largely responsible for building up the greatness of the British race. There were many changes in their mode of life and their customs today, and they must change with them, but there were certain stable foundations, certain' fundamental principles upon which their reputation and their success must be based. They must not drift from the old anchorages of truth and sincerity and take up a gospel of ethics which was contrary to the old British principles. Put truth in the forefront of all their actions, play with a straight bat, and he was perfectly certain that success would bo theirs. IMPORTANCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE. He had Iveard during the past six months that some of the young people in the dominion had developed the idea that because no paid employment was available for those leaving school their country did not want them. That was far from the truth. The young people were the chief , assets of the country. (Applause.) The future of the British Empire rested on the shoulders of the young people, and they had to justify their citizenship of the greatest nation the sun had ever risen or set on. They might say they were only women, but women claimed to occupy, and to a large extent should occupy, an equal position in the commonwealth with men. They had to justify that position. His Excellency stressed the need of women, no matter what their vocation might be, to realise that it was they who made the home, and in the home he said the greatness of the British race had been founded.

Ho was going to confess to them, and ho hoped he would not disappoint those who were engaged in the particular profession to which lie referred, that he had had a nightmare as the result'of entering a classroom in one of the largest girls’ schools in this country and finding no fewer than 110 typewriters all clicking at the same time. Ho had said to the teacher, “Ho these girls expect to secure paid employment as typistes? ” and she had replied that they would be bitterly disappointed if they did not. Well, he sincerely hoped they would. He said he assumed that these young ladies had learned the ordinary domestic tasks, such as sewing, cooking, knitting, and so on, and the teacher had replied that while they had learnt a certain amount of those domestic tasks they still wanted' to be typistes. He had been delighted to learn that iif_ their four compulsory subjects homo science was one, and ho would suggest to those who learnt cooking that in studying dietetics they should learn the relative values of different foods. Just as the home was dependent on the woman, so also the woman was largely responsible for the character and the destiny of the man. The speaker referred to the need for cheerfulness in these days of depression. They could not keep a cheerful outlook unless their surroundings were cheerful, and it was up to their women kind, and particularly their young people, to see that everything possible was done to brighten their surroundings. “ Good luck to you. girls, keep your peckers up, and keep cheerful,” concluded His Excellency amidst loud applause. The prizes were then handeel out by Her Excellency.