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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 18 December 1907, Page 1

The child that just "feels bed" and can't tell why, needs Steams' Wine, matchless and delicious tonic for children, renewing appetite and aiding digestion from the first dose.*

which we call colonial twang, are two evils which have constantly to be inveighed against. The best corrective I know of is a course of elocution lessons or of singing lessons. One term is of no use; at least a year's training is necessary. And something like a correct standard _of pronunciation is well worth aiming at ; for it is more or less of a hall mark"- wherever one may go. g--:-" Physical culture has found an able and enthusiastic^ ' exponent in Miss Greenwood, who liaSr/howeyer, this first year, had some prejudice to combat. The system of training advocated by her is being very' generally adopted in the schools of me Dominion. It remains to be Seen whether or not it is a passing fashion,, pr whether it is to be of more permanent duration. Those girls who have" practised their exercises conscientiously and regularly have certainly improved, but work, of course, no results cS'n be looked for. Miss Greenwood^hgrself^as I have said, has spared iieitngr ~ time nor trouble, and in the couraa of ;a day or two each pupil will be sup'lied with a detailed report drawn up by her. An examination which caused a mild sensation among the girls was that on general knowledge. To begin with, the examination . was in itself a surprise, being quite unexpected,^ and man yof the questions were apparently a surprise for the same' reason. The whole school, except the Preparatory department, did the paper; and the labour of correcting was considerably lightened by the ingenuity and unconscious humour of the answers. The poems on "Influenza" and v "The College Belt" were of very' varied merit. No ' inglorious Milton's" were discovered — perhaps the subjects were not sufficiently sublime — but some girls proved themselves to be possessed of poetical talent worth cultivating. Success in an examination of the kind referred to is, I consider, something to be proud of. It depends only in a small degree upon what las been taught in the class-room, -but rather upon the girl's habit of observation, the thoroughness of her reading, and her interest in things outside of her own little world. These are things fostered at home probably more than at school ,and the girl better magazines, and of hearing the beter magazines, and of hearing the questions of the day discussed should be grateful for these advantages. It is well for girls to understand that there is something worth knowing outside of their school books, and, with the object of impressing this upon them, I hope to make the general knowledge examination an annual thing. The following institutions and clubs have continued to do good work under the management of the members of the staff responsible for them — tennis, hockey, swimming, water polo, th» "N.G.C.," and the Christian Union. In the Boarding department our numbers have increased considerably, and I think we may say -we have had a happy and successful year, We were singularly fortunate in the matter of the influenza scourge, as whilst nearly all the day girls were among its victims, all but four boarders escaped. This, we think must be due largely to the healthy situation of our College, and to our belief in the gospel of fresh air. The domestic arrangements, under the able managements Mrs Satchell, have run most smoothly. My thanks are due to her, and to the other members of the staff for the loyal and earnest way in which they have carried out their duties during the past year. I desire also to thank all friends of the College, the donors of prizes for swimming, tennis, hockey, and of those to- be distributed this evening; and particularly our very good friends, the members of the Old Girls' Association, for their tangible proofs of their loyalty to and interest in the College. They have beautified its class-rooms with reproductions of the old masters, and. have very fittingly, celebrated 'the completion of the 25th year of its-history bythe erection of an Honours Board, which, I hope, may act as a spur to the' ambition of some of our present and* future girls. - In conclusion, T should like to say a word or two about a matter which has exercised my mind somewhat during the past year. With the kindest intentions some of the boarders' friends have asked for special privileges in the way of outings other than those, permitted by the rules of lho College. ' Now theso rules and regulations, the reasons for which may not be patent to all, are as few as I can consistently make them; they are the fruits Cf experience in managing girls, many of 1 them having been framed by my predecessors in office, and having been adopted by me only after mature consideration. Conscious that the granting of any one of these requests preferred on behalf of the boarders might form a precedent which would not be in the best intrests of the College, I am often obliged to say "no," when it would really be much simpler and much more pleasant for me to acquiesce. . It would, therefore, be doing me a kindness if you would give no invitations but those which you know to' lie in accordance with the rules of the College. Another matter on which I feel it to be my duty to say something is the question of irregular attendance. I am required to furnish to the Education Department certain details with regard to free pupils, and, among other things, to report upon those who had not mada 80 per cent of the possible number of ' attendances, and who have no satisfactory excuse for having failed to do so. Now, it appears to me that illness is the only excuse which may be regarded as satisfactory. During the year, and especially this term, I am sorry to say, that one or two girls, all free pupils, * nearing the completion of their term of free tuition, have been very irregular, giving one the impresion that they do not value their privileges, "and are unworthy of them. These I am reluctantly compelled to report- to the Department, but should be much better pleased if there were no such defaulters, few " though they be. And now, girls, I shall not attempt-, to. add anything to what I said to you :- yesterday morning ; but I hope yon may have very enjoyable holidays, and come * back renewed in mind aiid body, and ■ ready for a good year's work. In the Christmas Week I hope to be deliberating in council with the principals of the leading girls' colleges of the Dominion, on your welfare, intellectual and physical chiefly, and then for three weeks, at. the other end of the Island, I intend to do my best to forget you. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. At the conclusion of the report three cheers were given "by fhe girls for Miss Lorimer. The boys sang a song under the leadership of the Rev. J. P. Kempthorne, Jory talcing the solo, Lipscombe- accompanying on the piano, and Williams on the violin.