VICTORIA COLLEGE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4257, 17 January 1901, Page 7

VICTORIA COLLEGE.

; QUEEN’S SCHOLARSHIPS, 1900. * ■ THE EXAMINER’S REPORT. j .Mr Thomas W. Rowe, M.A., has for- j warded] the following interesting report i on the recent examination for the s Queen’s. Scholarships ; —The examination ( was held on December 12th, 13th and 14th. at nine places, namely:—Welling- , ton, Masterton, Napier. Wanganui, New j Plymouth. Nelson, Westport, Grey- ; mouth and Hokitika. Nine- candidates -j wjere absent from- all the examinations. ] The numbers of candidates who j. actually sat were as'follow:—Welling- ] ten, 60; Masterton, 12; Napier, 3-; f Wanganui, 6; New Plymouth, 2; Nel- j son, 4'; Westport, 4; Greymouith, 4; ] Hjokitika, 4: total, GS. The number of i 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 qualifica- • tipns for success on the part of candi- , dates. ' The number might with advan. ; tago suffer a further diminution, or, at ahy rate, greater discrimination might , bl shown in allowing candidates to en- ; tejr; , a considerable number of those ■ who entered for examination this year ; in my opinion had no warrant for doing so. The instructions sent to super- • vikors 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. iTlie regulations with reference to the standard of qualification) for a scholarsi ip were the same as last year, that is, a minimum of 33 per cent, oi full marks wis required in each subjet. Of the ninety-eight candidates who 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 with, the number of last year, when fifty-four candidates qualified out ef .108 examined. Phrt ’cf 'the increase is due, perhaps, to tile restriction of the work in geography and history to that set for a single year’s work, but part also, I think, is due to the fatet that the papers, on the whole, were better than last year. Thus, while ’ the marks obtained -by the host candidate this year are very nearly the sakne as thoso of the best- candidate last yejar, namely. 1485 as against 1497, this year fourteen candiates 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 the same totals. Now, while a slight allowance may he'made for a - possible differ, erice in difficulty of the papers set:; and fo • difference in marking, only a greater degree of general excellence could acco ,mt for thirty candidates getting within 300 marks of the best this year, when only eleven candidates did the same last year. The six candidates who stand highest in order of merit, and to whom, subject to their compliance with other necessary conditions, I recommend that . tiib six scholarships offered he awarded, . are :-y (Eunhemia Ethel Law, Mount Cook i Girls’'. 1485. IMary Frances Annie Falla, Westport, i 1439. - , . '

• Arthur James Cathie, To Aro, 1393. . Elsie Morrison, Mastcrton, 1360. Robert Macmorran, Terrace, 1350. Edith Miriam Hind, South Wellington, 1350. Eigiht other candidates obtained above 05 per cent of full marks, and may therctore be deemed worthy of: honourable mention. They are:—lvy Marshall, Terrace, 1338; Jessie Maria Chapman. Clyde quay, 1329; Percy George BiancbcH, Central N.P., 1322; Bcouurd Hartou, Terrace, 1315; Jaue Rosamund

J Brown, Blue Spur. 1312; , Rupert Ing- • ram -Sutton. Masterton, J 310; Ellen : Gertrude Pinhsy, Masterton, 1310 : i Kenneth H. Smvth. ‘Thornaon, 1308. The examination as a whole does not :-dl for very detailed remark. The EngI; A- (vonerallv was satisfactory: com-po.-uioa and paraphrasing were good; - .I --.mo; and analysis showed. I think, a di.-.iinct improvement; spelling, it seems to me. was rather weak. The writing a; a who la was neat and clear, and tho paper? generally were neat, tidy and vml arranged. ‘ The arithmetic was ■,-crv good. Ec-verai candidates solved every problem correctly and by_ very methods, and 1 almost- think a rather- mar-' difficult paper would have -.roved advantageous to the best can'ddate?. The-geography, though I think it ratlier better tlian Imt year, might still ■ !i',w (-misidc-rable improvement. It is not creditahl!- that nine out of eigbty,jV\n;-, candidates, r,r more than 30 per ■ -,- jsjioidd fail to (-btain so low a porcf -.jt a’i 33 in a paper sec strictly en a single ‘.ia-'r’s work, and containing no c-tchv cjuostifio-B The history, Mso, war. again somewhat weak, nine ca'i-duk':ti--s failing out of scvc-nty-eig.'t-Tbere wei'c- however, some very. goon papers sent in, ibTd it in evident that'in some of the schools it tli't middle diai riot of Now Zealand this is very -,vcl), and iutclliglont-ly taught* * n science a paper was sot- iu each of the , >x subjects included hi the, syllabus tOT r,rii!i'a.’-y schools, namely, agricultural science, botany, chemistry! domestic economy. phyrios, and physiology. Chemistry was taken by tho largest number of candidates. riomesLu. econ-

omy. physiology, and physics were each taken by about half as many candidates as chemistry, while botany and agricultural science wore taken, by very lew candidates. The papers generally wore excellent, and' no candidate failed. In physiology, physics, and domestic oconem'y, 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 Cm best.

In drawing candidates were al’owotl to choose for examination two out of three branches —freehand, model and pChc-ticM solid . geometry. All eliosc h cehaml, and many drew excellent copies of the figure .sot, The outlines wore bold and correct, and the copies dean and neat. For the second paper 89 out cl the ?)S candidates examined tool; model drawing. While some copies were poor, a considerable number showed a fair knowledge' of the elementary jjrinciplos of perspective. Nine candidates —Lux at Wanganui, one at Napier, and tvyo at Nelson—chose elementary .solid geometry. As seven of these had already failed in other subjects, I marked only two papers. These were fair. ■I should again like to suggest that (die present conditions for qualification, arc not the most satisfactory that could be desired. If the Council does not sec its way to adopt my suggestion of last year, I should like to make an a-ltcrna-(djvc suggestion, namely, that the px*essnt standard be raised. A percentage of 33 excludes merely those candidates who never should have presented theinscilves for examination, This is especially the case in such subjects as history, and geography, where the syllabus’ expressly provides for examination in only a {single year’s work-

j CANDIDATES WHO QUALIFIED. 'The following is a list of candidates wjio qualified for a- scholarship in order of! merit: —Euphemia Ethel La\v\ Mount Co ok Girls’ School, 1485 ; Mary Prakper, Annie Falla. Westport, ,1439; Arthur Jdmea Cathie, Te, Aro School, 1393; Elsie Morrison, Masterton. 1366; Robeiifc Macmorrau, Terrace School, 1859; Eijl'ith Miriam Hind, South Wellington School, 1350; Ivy Marshall,. Terrace School, 1338; Jessie Maria Chapman, Cijydo quay School, 1329 ; Percy George Bjlanohebb, Oontijal School, New Plymouth, 1332; Leonard Harton, Terrace Sdhool, 1215 ; Jane Rosa maud Brown, Blue Spur, 1322 ; , Rupert Ingram Sutton. Masterton, 1310; Ellen Gertrude Pihliey, Masterton, 1310 ; Kenneth H. Smyth, Thorndon School, 1308; Mary Lavinia Hitchcock, Mount Cook Girls’ School. 1298; Hilda ’May Webb, Mopnt Cook Girls’ School. 1297 ; M'aysie Collie, Ntwtown School, 1291; William Dawn, Terrace School, 1283; Quinice Bainbrjidge Cowles, Richmond. 1265 ; Jessie Marian Butter, Mount Cook. Girls’ 12;58 ;. John Frederick G. Richards, :Te Ato, 1258; VictorHyams. Terrace, 1250 ; Grace Amy Smith, Mount Cook Girls’ 1246; Ivy lorns, Masterton, 1245 ; Elsie M. Johnston, ■ Petone,

242 f Dudley Hoggard, Terrace, 1239; Jessie Haslam, Newtown, .1226; , Lionel Franklin Bailey, Te Aro, 1224; John Lioliman Harden, Westport, 1220; John Lawrence Short, Terrace, 1213; Joseph Heenan, Mount Cook Boys’. 1188 ; Rose Matilda Janes, Mount- Cook Girls’, 1186; Norman Hampton Dorset, Masterton, 1173; Rowland H. Parton. Mount Cook Boys’, 1165; Maurice Coady, Stafford, 1147; Cuthbert H. Taylor. Stratfoi'd, 1144; Gerard Henry Nicholls, Terrace, 1139; Clive Edwards, Mount Cook ' Boys’. 1138; - John Stanfield Hayes, Squth Wellington. 1133; Cyril Blake Burdekin. Boys’ Central School, Nelson, 1124; William Ralph Durge, Mangataiiiojka, 1123 ; Ina Adelaide Bentley, Clyde quay, 1112; Beatrice Sarah Ryan, Mount Cook Girls’, 1109; J ulia Spencer Tdvendale, Summerlea, 1102; Grace Hpnhy, Petone, 1093; Charles H. An. drjews, Petone, 1093; Joseph- ‘Kroner, Mount Cook Boys’, 1089; Kate Louisa Tasker, Mount Cook Girls’, 1081; David Mackenzie. Robin Hood Bay, 1074; Mary G. B. Inman, Mount Ccok Girls’ 1073 ; Charles "Edward Bargh, Thorndon, 1Q72; Ethel Greenwood. Masterton, 1068; Georgina Marion Turupr. Stafford. 1064; Margaret; N. . Battershy, Thorndon, 1062; Edna Muriel Bannister, Mount Cook Girls’, 1054; Alice] Beynon, Mount Cook Girls’. 1026; Leonard Thomas Daniell, Masterton. 10,19 ; ! Ernest Atkins., Karon, 1018; Faith Nellie Calvert, Mount Cook Girls’ I 10|l3; Florence Rose, Brooklyn, 1011: ] Harold Percy Kidson, Boys’ Central] School, Nelson, 1006; Edward S.; E.| Rutherford,,Masterton, 976 Herbert A.j Dawson, Thorndon, 975,; Richard Waldemar Baumgart, Mount Cook Boys’. 970 ;j Gciorgo Buchanan Williamson, Mount Cook Boys’, 927 ; Roy Girling Butcher.! Newtown . Catholic School, 922 ; Teresa! Cox, Westport, 909; Christian Link-] later, Stafford, 900; Jessie , Winter. Mangatainoka, 857.