VICTORIA COLLEGE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1508, 24 January 1901, Page 57

VICTORIA COLLEGE.

QUEEN’S SCHOLARSHIPS, 1900. ■. THE EXAMINER’S REPORT. ; Mr' Thomas. W, Rowe, M.A., has for-, farcied?: the following interesting report ■*m '~thet recent examination- for the . QufeenV. Scholarships;: —The examination /■was held on December 12th, 13th and 14th. at nine places, namely-Welling-, ton, Masterton, Napier. Wanganui, New Plymouth, ‘ Nelson, Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. Nine candidates were absent from all the examinations. The numbers of candidates who actually sat- . were as follow : —Wellington, 60; Masterton. 12; Napier, 3; Wanganui. 6; New Plymouth, 2; Nelson, 4; Westport, 4; Greymouth, 4; Hokitika, 4: total, 98. The number of entries show a diminution of nine as compared with that of the previous year. This is probably due to a better •appreciation of the character of the examination, and! the necessary qualifications for success on the part of candidates. The number might with advan_ tage suffer a further diminution, or. at any rate, greater discrimination might be shown in allowing candidates to enter; a considerable number of those who entered for examination this year in my opinion had no warrant for doing so. The instructions sent to supervisors were the same as on previous occasions. The candidates have been known to me by number only; the names mentioned in this report and its appendices have been inserted by the registrar of the college. The regulations with reference to the standard of qualification for a . scholarship were the same as last year, that is, a minimum of 33 per cent, of full marks was required in each subjet. Of the ninety-eight candidates w r ho were actually examined, five failed in arithmetic.

six in English, nine in geography and nine in history, the total number of those who qualified being sixty-nine. This compares favourably* villi the number of last year, when fifty-four candidates’ qualified! out of 108 examined. Part of the increase is due, perhaps, to the restriction of the work in geography and history to that set for a single year's work, but part- also, I think, is Hue to the fa'ct- that the papers, on the whole, were better than last year. Thus, while ’ the 'marks obtained by the best candidate this year are very nearly the same as those- of the best candidate last year, namely. 1485 as against 1437, this year -fourteen candiaies have obtained a total of above 1300 marks, and thirty candidates a total of above 1200 marks, whereas last year only seven and eleven candidates respectively reached ike same totals. Nov/, while s slight allowance may he made for a possible difference in difficulty of the papers set, and for difference in marking, only a greater degree of general' excellence could account for thirty candidates getting: within 300 marks of the best ,-this year, when only eleven candidates did the same last year. The six candidate's who . stand highest in order of merit, and to whom, subject to their compliance with other necessary conditions, I recommend that the six scholarships offered be awarded, are: Eunlxsmia Ethel Law, Mount Cook Gr iris’*, 1486. Mary Frances Annie Falla, Westport, 1439. Arthur James Cathie, To Arc, 1393. Elsie Morrison, Masterton, 1366. Robert Macmorraii, Terrace, 1359. Edith Miriam Hind, South Wellington, 1350... Eight other candidates obtained above Go per cent- of full marks, and may thereto re he deemed worthy of honourable • mention. They are:—lvy Marshall, Terrace, 1338; Jessie Maria Chapman, Clyde quay’ 1329; Percy George Blancbeit, • Centra-! N.P., 132-2; Leonard Hart-on, Terrace, 1315; Jane Rosaroand Brown, Blue Spur, 1312; Rupert Ingram Sutton, Masterton, 1310; Ellen Gertrude Pinhey, Masterton, 1310; Kenneth H. Smyth, Thorn don, T3OB. The examination as a whole does not call for very detailed remark. The English generally was satisfactory; composition and paraphrasing were good; parsing and analysis showed, I think, a distinct improvement; spelling, it seems to rue, was rather weak. The writing as a whole was neat and clear, and the papers generally were neat, tidy and well arranged. The arithmetic was very good. Several candidates solved every problem correctly and by very geed methods, and I almost think a rather more difficult paper would have proved advantageous to the best candidates. The geography, though I think it rather better.than last- year, might-still show considerable improvement. It is net creditable that nine out of eightyseven candidates, or more than 10 per cent-., should fail to obtain so low a percentage as 33 in a paper set strictly on a single 3/ear’s work, and 1 containing no catchy, questions. The- history, . also, was again somewhat weak, nine candidates failing out of seventy-eight. There were, however, some very good papers sent, in, and it is evident that in some of the schools in the middle, district of .New, Zealand this .subject, is very ..well 3 and. ... intelligjently. taught. .In science a- paper was set in each of ■ the six subjects included in the Syllabus for primary schools, namely, agricultural science, botany, ... chemistry, domestic ■ economy, physics, and physiology. Chemistry was taken . by the. largest number of , candidates. Domestic economy, physiology, and physics were each taken by about half as many, candidates as chemistry, while botany and agricultural science were taken by very few candidates. The papers generally were (excellent, and no' candidate failed. In physiology/ physics, and domestic economy, most of the papers were exceedingly'good; in chemistry, also, many were excellent, but there was a rather greater proportion of somewhat weak ones. Last year, the work in- chemistry was ■the- best. " In drawing candidates were allowed to choose for examination two out of three branches—freehand, model and practical solid - geometry. All chose ' freehand, and many drew excellent copies of the figure set. The outlines were bold and correct, and the copies clean and neat. For the second paper 89 out of the 98 candidates examined took model drawing. While some copies were poor, a considerable number showed a fair knowledge of the elementary principles of perspective. Nine candidates —six at Wanganui, one at Napier, and £wo art Nelson—chose elementary solid geometry. As seven of these bad! already failed in other subjects, I marked only two papers. These were fair. I should again like to suggest that the present- conditions for qualification are not the most satisfactory that could be desired. If the Council does not see its way to adopt my suggestion of last year, I should like to make an alternative suggestion, namely, that t-lie present standard be raised. A percentage of 33 excludes merely those candidates who never should have presented themselves for examination. This is especially the case in such subjects as history, and 1 geography, where the syllabus expressly provides for examination in only a -single year's work-

CANDIDATES 1 WHO QUALIFIED. The following is a list of candidates who qualified for -a scholarship in order of merit:—Euphemia Ethel Lav/, Mount Cook Girls’ School, 1485; Mary Frances Annie Falla-, Westport, 1439; Arthur James Cathie, Te Aro School, 1393; Elsie Morrison, Masterton. 1366; Robert Macru'orian, Terrace School,' 2359 ; Edith Miriam Hind!, South Wellington School, 1350; Ivy Marshall, Terrace School, 1338; Jessie Maria Chapman. Clyde quay School, 1529; Percy George •Blandhetfc, Centdal School, New Plymouth, 1322; Leonard- Horton, Terrace School, 1215; Jane Rosarnand. Brown, Blue Spur, 1322; Rupert Ingram Sutton, Masterton, 1.310; Ellen Gertrude Pinbey, Masterton, 2310; Kenneth H. Smyth, Thorn don 'School, 1508 ; Mary Levin Hitchcock, Mount Cook Girls’ School, 1298 ; Hilda- May Webb, Mount Cook Girls’ School, 2.297; May si e- Collie, Newtown School, 1.291; William D awn. Terrace School, 1283; Quinine Bainbridge Cowles, Richmond. 3265; Jessie Marian Butter, Mount * 00-ok Girls’ 12-58; John Frederick G. Richards, Te Aro. 1258 ; ‘Victor Hyaais, Terrace, 1250; Grace Amy Smith, Mount Ccok ■Girls’ 1246; Ivy Horns, Masterton, 1245 g Elsi© M. Johnston, Petone - 124:2 Dudley Hoggarc), Terrace, 1239 : Jessie ‘ Ha-slam, Newtown, 1226; Lion el Franklin Bailey, Te Aro, 1224; John. Liehman Harden, Westport, 1.220; John Lawrence Short, Terrace, 1.213; Joseph Heena-n, Mount Cook Boys’. 1188; Rose Matilda Janes, Mount 'Cock Girls’, 1186 ; Norman Hampton Dorset, Masterton, 1173; Rowland H. Part on, Mount Clock- Boys’, 1165; Maurice Ooady, Stafford', 1147; Cuthhert H. Taylor. Stratford, 1144;' Gerard Henry Niched Is, Terrace, 1139; dive Edwards, Mount Cook Boys’. 1138; John Stanfield Hayes, South Wellington, 3133; Cyril Blake Burdekin. Boys' 1 Central School, Nelson, 3.124; William Ralph Burge, Mangatai-nok-a, 1123 ; Ina Adelaide Bentley,,Clyde quay, 1112; Beatrice -Sarah Ryan, Mount Cook Girls’, 1109; -Julia Spencer Tavendiale, Surnmerlea, 1.3.02; Grace Denby, Pet one, 1093; Charles H. An_ drew’s. Pet-one, 1098; J oseph Kroner, Mount Ccok Boys’, 1089; Kate Louisa Tasker, Mount Cook Girls’, 3.081; David Mackenzie, Robin Hood ’Bay, 3074; Mary G. B. Inman, -Mount Cook Girls’. 1073; Charles Edward Bargh, Thorndon., 1072; Ethel Greenwood. Masterton! 1068; -Georgina Marion Turner, Stafford, 1064; Margaret N. Batter, shy, Thorndon, 1062; Edna- Muriel Bannister, Mount Cook Girls’, 1054.; Alice Beynon, Mount Cook Girls’. 1026; Leonard Thomas Daniel], Masterton. 1019; Ernest Atkins, Karori, 1018; Faith Nellie Calvert, Mount Cook Girls’. 1013; Florence Rose, Brooklyn, 1011; Harold Percy Hudson, Boys’ Central School, Nelson, 1006; Edward 1 S. E. Rutherford, Masterton, 976 Herbert A.* Dawson, Thorndon, 975; Richard Walde-m-ar Bauangart, Mount Cook Boys’. 970; George Buchanan Williamson, Mount Cook Beys’,- 927 ; Roy Girling Butcher, Newtown Catholic School, 922; Teresa Cox, Westport, 909; Christian Linklater, Stafford, 9GO; Jessie Winter Manga tain-oka, 857.