OTAGO BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 36

OTAGO BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

The pupils of the Otago Boys' High School were dismissed for the Christinas vacation on Friday afternoon, the prizedij3facih.HJ.iflu oar.gm.QJut -taking^ £lace- in the-

school hall. The heavy rain prevented many from attending who otherwise would have been present, but, notwithstanding, there was a good gathering of ladies and gent'emen. A guard of honour at the school entrance was provided from the school cadets, under Instructor Jianna. The Hon. T. Fergus presided, and there were also on the platform : Mr A. Wilson (rector of the school), Mr J. R. Sinclair (chairman of the High Schools Board of Governors), Hons. D. Pinkerton and W. M. Bolt, M.L.C's., Dr Shand, Professor Gilray, Major Hislop, Rev. W. Saunders, Messrs R. M. Clark, A. Burt, G. L. Denniston, H. Webb, D. Brent, R. T. Whesler, jun., J. A. Johnstone, C. R. Chapman, and C. iVlacandrew. Apologies for non-attendance were received from the Hon. Sir J. G. Ward, Mr T. R. Christie (Mayor of Dunedin), Miss Marchant, Hon. A. I/. Smith, M.L.C., Dean Fitchett, Rev. Dr Nisbet, Rev. D. Borrie, Messrs D. Reid, James Allen, and T. K. Sidey, M.H.R's., P. Goyen. C. D. R. Richardson, C. R. Bossence, G. Fenwick, D. E. Theomin, K. Ramsay, T. W. Whitson, and D. A. M'Nicol.

Mr J. R. Sinclair, as chairman of the Board of Governors, made a few introductory remarks, in which he said that he had the previous e/vening spoken of the sueeess in the Girls' High School of the regulations giving free places to pupils ; but the success of these regulations had been, if anything, more marked still in the Dunedin Boys' High School, and this was exemplified by the fact that they started before the regulations came into force with 161 pupils, and now they had the large number of 305. During the year there had been changes in. the school — changes which must, he supposed, always be looked for. Mr Wood had had to retire from the teaching staff owing to ill-health, and they were also losing at the end of the year the services of Mr Butler and Mr Cooper. Mr Butler was a very highly efficient teacher, whom it would be difficult to replace; and Mr Cooper had been a valued member of the staff, who they felt had doone good work not only in the school, but outside the school also. Mr R. A. M'Culkmgh, M.A., had been appointed mathematical master in the school, and Mr Parr, M.A., B.Sc, had been appointed scientific master. He could not conclude without reference to the success of an old High School boy — namely, to that of Mr Allan Thomson, who had won a Rhodes scholarship. Mr Thomson, besides being a High School boy, was the son of a former and very highly respected member of that school's staff ; and, in winning the prize he had, he had covered himself with glory and done honour to the school. — (Applause.) The Hon. Thomas Fergus, before presenting the prizes, said that it gave him extreme pleasure to be present on the occasion of the close of -the Otago Boys' High School for tne year. Althoxigh he could not claim to have had any intimate associations with the school, and was not in the happy position of some of the gentlemen who had presided on similar occasions of "having enjoyed the benefits of the teaching of the institution, he had been identified for very many years with matters pertaining to education — first as a member of the Education Board, and latterly as one of the governors of the High School. No one could appreciate more than he did the debt which they owed to the founders of our colony, and more especially to the pioneers of Otago, for the noble manner in which they had provided for all grades of education, from primary to university. — (Applause.) It was keen foresight, begotten to no small extent by -the history of the land from which they had come. They had seen and participated in the benefits of educational establishments founded by their forefathers, and had l marked the wave of prosperity which had! followed in the wake of the schools. It was axiomatic that progress is the handmaiden of instruction, and the nation which obtained education first would inevitably take the lead in material wellbeing.—(Applause.) To the educationalists of the past, Continental jus well as- British, we owed raueh. A. strong man could! change the whole circumstances of a province, and -enlightenment shape the destiny of a nation. —^Applause.) When Oberlin went as pastor to" Stony Valley, in Alsace, I he found the condition of the peasantry most deplorable, and edtication at about the lowest possible ebb. The teacher was old and decrepit, and on inquiry he found that he had been appointed' to that honourable position because his rheumatism did not permit him to look after the village common — in other words, he had been the commune swineherd. O-berlin set himself to remedy this state of affairs by example and precept — aiding the people by taking the education of the children himself, shouldering pickaxe and spadle, crowbar and hammer,^ he assisted to make the roads, build the bridges, get vineyards planted, gardens reclaimed from the waste — and ultimately that valley, from being the most neglected and non-productive, became one of the most prosperous and Happy. In Great Britain, from the earliest times, education had had a great hold on all th© better minds, and the record of the establishment and endowment of the schools— especially jfche secondary schools — spoke volumes for the wisdom of their forefathers. He had fche privilege of belonging to a school whiebi was established' as long ago as 1233. and which was still flourishing. He looked back with infinite pleasure to the time he spent there, and was proud to know that among the pupils of that school were many who had made their marks in history, and done honour to the institution in "which they were trained. — (Applause.) He took ifc that the boys of the Otago High School had no reason to be ashamed of the- record which it had put up in the past, and he also_ believed that they would carry their institution to greater honours. From the first dux of the High School all down the line they bad men who had done- well for the colony in every walk of life. They must all be pleased indeed to find that the school had been igoing ooi from success to success, and that during the past year alona it stood facile princ&ps for the good work which it had accomplished. It had taken no less than six out of a total of 15 junior University scholarships, and sent Home the first Rhodes scholar from New Zealand. — (Loud a.pplause.) This spoke volumes for the ability of the masters and the application and calibre of the scholars. With the extended scope which th© school now possessed, by having its gates thrown open practically free to all the best talent in our primary schools, they could look for a continuance of these successes, although it was almost too much to hope that every year would overtop the one that had gone before. They had, however, all the material there for. gcariasu. and, the curriculum we*

loch that ib embraced every department (Which was required to go for excellence in •ny profession or branch of industry or commerce. — (Applause.) It remained only for them to take advantage of it to fit them Sor the positions which they would inevitably have to take up in the near future. It was not sufficient, however, that instruction should be given. There was more than this required. Instruction and educaJtion were not necessarily the same thing. A boy ; might leave school knowing much, i>ut hating that whioh he had been taught, and he would very soon forget all that he liad been taught unless he liked his teaching and had assimilated it. They might remember what Byron said when he left : " Then s farewell, Horace, whom I bated so." Education was higher than the mere receiving of instruction. — ("Hear, tiear.") Rosseau said that half the value of "education was to waste time wisely, to jfcide over dangerous years safely. That is, $he teaching of - the schools was a means of patting something into their lives which, would stand them in stead in resisting temptation, and enabling them in later days to enjoy life and 1 be a benefit to their fellows. After all, teaching, while starting jtrith the primary schools,' followed up by instruction at the higher, . and continued, perhaps, -at- the University, was only a beginning, for a man's education went on through all the years of his life, and tihe more he realised this the better it would 'fee for liim. - Whal they obtained from "those, institutions fitted them -to begin to take their places. among the artisans, the agriculturists, traders; _ professional men, and scientists, and hold their own. Hugh ■MHler,, in his -' Schools and Schoolmasters," said: "Life is a school," and Nature always a fresh study ; and that man jvho keeps his eyes and his mind open will always find fitting (though it may be hard) schoolmasters to srneed him on his lifelong education."' On the recommendation of the Vector the board had decided to strengthen ' 'the school-materially in several departments, Aut .especially in., the science' branch.—(Applause.) He was"glad of this, as it was, on© »f the. most important subjects of study. Archdeacon Farrar, in a beautiful .passage, 4said: \' lt -is not only that she (science) has to us, infinite space crowded with" 'unnumbered worlds; infinite tim©, peopled fey unnumbered existences;, infinite organisms, hitherto invisible, but full of delicate «nd irridescenfc loveliness ; but also she has Jbeen as a great Archangel <?£ Mercy, devoting herself to. the service of man. , She has laboured, not to increase the power of despots or add to the magnificence of "courts, but. to extend human happiness, to economise Human effort, to extinguish human 'pain. Where of old men toiled, half-blinded and Half-naked, in the mouth of the glowing furnace to mix white-hot iron, she now substitutes the mechanical notion of the viewless air. She^has enlisted the sunbeam in her. service to limn for us, with absolute fidelity, jthe faces of the friends we love." She has shown the miner' toW he may 'work .in safety, 'even amid 'the «xplosive 'firedamp of ' the- mine. She ,ihas, fey ner- anaesthetics,' enabled the>~ sufferer to' fee, hushed "and^ unconscious while the delicate .hand of some skilled operator cuts a fragment from* the" nervous- circle of the/ ainquivering eye: * She points, not '-"to pyramids built during- weary centuries by the sweat of ■ miserable nations', but to the lighthouse and the steamship, to the rail- . road and the telegraph. She has restored eyes to the blind and hearing to the deaf. - She has lengthened life, she has minimised &lange>r, she has controlled madness, she has trampled on disease." This was no time for him, however, to discuss at length the benefits derived from such education. They had finished their classes for the year, and were anxious to indulge in the sports and {pastimes to which they were justly entitled. — (Applause.) Necessarily, a great. many of them would not return to the school again, ibut he could assure them, on behalf of the 33oard of Governors, that they wished them, all success in the vocations which they might adopt wlien they left, and had little ■doubt that, if they had profited 'by th© instruction which had been so ably given to them by the rector and staff, and pursued with diligence their teaching, their ' success would be assured. He knew that the principal and teachers--would N join with the board in their felicitations on the close of the year and in best wishes to them. — (Applause.) To those who would go in for higher studies still, and meant to attend the % University, they hoped that they would go from^honour to -honour, and that with - the growing years they wuold also grow in knowledge and usefulness. ~ We would close ■with the words of the -wise man, who saith : "Happy is the man that-findeth wisdom and the, man that getteth understanding,for 'the, merchandise' of it is better than the 'merchandise of silver, and', the gain thereof- than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things, thou — canst desire are not to—be compared unto ""her. Length', of days is in her right -hand, and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths of peace." — (Loud applause.) The Hon. Mr Fergus then presented tihe prizes as follows: — ATHLETiCS. G-vmnastics. — Senior, W. G-. Borrie. Junior, A. T, Stratton. Shooting.— Challenge cup, O. J. W. Mayhew ; Hislop trophy, S. G. .Smith ; Dresden medals, J. Loudon and H. O'Ca-llaghan; M'Oarthy prize, W. C. M'Caw. SPECIAL SEIZES. Lee Smith prizes, S. W. Strang, J. S. Smart, W. J. Jeffs, W. X. Smith, E. C. Smith, and D. Doake; Mouat prize, M. H. Watt; Webb jprize, C. I. Booth; French phonetics (Dr M. 'Macdonald's prize), W. Alexander and W. *• Borrie ; drawing (silver medal, presented by the Otago Art Society), R. Scott; mechanical drawing, L. W. pix; geometrical drawing, E. W. White; writing, A. Woodman; spelling, H. T*. Dawson, R. Fulton, said I. S. Cantrell; reading, H. T. Dawson and R. M'P. -rson. Navy •League prizes (presented by Mr J. A. Johnatone) : Senior,- F. B. Barton, A. Henderson (equal) 1, J. W. H. Bannerman 2, J R. White 3 ; junior, E. W. White 1, A. V. Ussher 2. Chamber of Commerce gold medals (for English and arithmetic): .Senior, W. P. Johnston; junior, E. Moore. FORM PHIZES. English.— Vl, W. Alexander; V Upper, A. Henderson ; V Lower, F. B. Adams ; IV Upper, JEL W. White; IV l^ower, A. W. M'Laren. J. W. Smeaton; Remove, S. C. •Robertson; 111 (a)",~J\ L. Mathieson. Latin.— Vl (gold medal), W. Alexander; V Upper, T. T. Davie ; V Lower, E. Moore ; IV Upper, C. M. LrStlejohn ; IV Lower, H. T. -Paw son, A. W. M'Laren; Remove, J. Turner; 111 (a), A. J. H. Dow. French.— Vl, W. Alexander; V Upper, F. B. Barton; V Lower, E. Moore; IV. E. W. White; Remove, W. B. Johnston; 111 (a), A. W. afLwren, Q. 0. Smith; 111 (b), A. V. Fr&ez,

* German.— lF, W. Alexander; V Upper, B. ' P. Smith. Mathematics.— Vl, W. Alexander and W. P. Johnston ; V Upper, F. B. Barton ; V Lower, F. B. Adams; IV Upper, E. W. White; IV Lower, J. Angell (Division I), H. Cohen (JJivision II) ; Remove, F. Lawson ; 111 (a), A. Miller. Science.— Vl, W. P. Johnston; V Upper, T. T. Davie and J. R. White; V Lower, S. G-. Smith; IV Upper, A. C. JPleming; IV Lower, E. O. Hercus; Remove, H. Menzies; 111 {k), C. M'Dougall. Mental Arithmetic. — IV. Upper, A. M'Leocl ; IV Lower, J. Turner; Remove, F. Lawson; 111 (a), J. L. Mathieson. Bookkeeping. — IV Upper, J. Marshall and A. O. Fleming; IV Lower, J. A. Miller; Remove, G. E. Brown ; 111 (a), L. W. Orr. Non-Laiin Commercial — J. O'Brien. : Third Term Enrolments.— N. M. Bell and ! K. E. Tapper. j Duxes of the school (Board of Governors' : gold medal), William. T. Forster and Robert if. Rutherford (equal). DTJXBS 1863 ■ Noel Lee Buchanan 3 864-63 Henry Francis Dillon Bell 1869 Charles Peter Begg 1870 «< Alexander Thomas Stuart and Andrew John Park (equal) 1871 .. Ernest Herbert Wilmot, Andrew John Park, and Saril Solomon (equal) 1872 Andrew John Park 1873 Charles Low 1874 , Frank Stilling 1875 * William Deans Milne 1876' Herbert Halliwell 1877 Alexander Bruce Todd 1878-79 , Peter A. Lindsay 3880 Arthur Brownell Drabble 1881 William Alexander Fleming ISS2 .. Charles Thomas Little and John Somerville (equal) 1383 John Rogerson. Montgomery 1884 Adam Begg 1885 .. Joseph Moss and John Bell Thomson , ' (equal) * , 3886 John Askew Scott 1887 Thomas D. Peaxce ISBB Franz V. Siedeberg 1889 William. Marshall Macdonakl 1890 John Gibson 1891 Alexander D. Wilkinson 1992 .. Thomas Dunn and William Newlands (equal) 1893 John O'SJiea, 1891 Leslie Williams -1895 Eldred J. D. Hercus 1896' .V ; John Lang 1897 Alexander Kinder ,1898 Arthur R. Andrew 1899 ; Arthur C. W. Standage 1900 n -. James W. Shaw 1901 Tom D. Auanis 3902 Bernard E. Murphy 3903 Hector Maclean 1904 . .- William T. Foster and Robert M. Rutherford (equal). Mr R. M. Clark, in presenting the Chamber of Ooriimeroe medals, said that technical education at schools in the direction- of bookkeeping ' and the prac : s lioes "of business was a large extent. ,lost, as~ frequently 1 most of that which the boys had learnt had to be ivn- ■ -learned! in the office and counting-house. Every accountant in ah. office had his own ■particular • method of - teaching his system *of and instilling the rudiments of business that, rightly, or wrongly, he rigidly adhered to, and everything else ..had to go by the boards. Addressing the gold; medallists — W. P. Johnston (senior) and E. Moore (junior) — Mr Clark said he was not aware if it was their intention to follow a commercial career, but whether it was or » not what he had to say would probably be applicable. . "Whatever they entered upon 'they would find that the road to ,. success depended upon very close attention to business. They would have to master the mysteries of that business, have unflinching energy and fidelity, and above all a. high sense of all that was' honest, truthful, and honiouauble. — (Applause.) They would not find their work ,all plain sailing, and perhaps at the outset* they might find themselves passed over through, favouritism or other reasons ; but they .must not be discouraged. These things continually happened, and they must make, the best of them, bearing^ always in mind that it was every employer's aim to make his business a success. In order to do that he> must be surrounded by officers who had the qualities he had endeavoured ' to sketch out as those they should aim to possess.- If they followed out the line he had laid down they were bound to come . to the top in the end. — (Applause.) | Mr J. A. Johnstone, on behalf of the = Navy League; presented the naval history ; prizes, and in so doing made a few remarks i concerning thei Navy League. Some months ago when the attempt was made to form » a* brahoh for Otago, and later when, along with the league's envoy, Mr Wyatt, he came to the school to' ask the rector's permission to 'form a branch in thei school, he was asked .what were the objects of the league, and how was it proposed to maintain an interest in its work? His reply was that the objeots of the league were educational, and they hoped. to create an intelligent and abiding interest in that branch of the public service which, had done more: than any other to build up and defend the EmpireHe referred to the Imperial Navy. — (Applause.) It was on these lines that the branches were founded, and he could not think of any more practical way in whioh they could assist the league in its mission than through the pviblic schools. The Right Hon. James Bryce, one 1 of Britain's leading statesmen, an an educational authority of the highest standing, had said that " probably no subject was so badly taught in English schools as history." He had been, told that in our primary schools -history was not a pass subject. It was here that the Navy League sought to supplement the work of the schoolmaster. The study of history made it dear that the great peoples of the- earth had always been those who were physically and mentally efficient, and efficiency could only be attained in the schools of boyhood, youth, and manhood. Was there a boy of grit and imagination among them who was not deeply interested in the naval history of our Empire? — (Applause.) The Navy League recognised that boys were the most promising portion of the British public, so they had come to back up the teachers in their endeavours to make of them worthy and enlightened citizens of the greatest of modern nations. — (Applause.) Jingoism was not part of their creed; patriotism was. It was to inculcate in them the spirit of self-sacrificing effort that they asked the boys to study the history of our naval heroes and their times. He 1 was delighted to see from the essays on ' Nelson that a good beginning had been made in this direction. The 1 result of the examination had on the whole been satisfactory. Some of the papers were really good, and the work of allotting the prizes was difficult. In the Upper School two were ■ equal for first place, and as the next two * w«r* aJo*e. m? he wag giving second and,

third "prizes. In the Lower School the first paper was an excellent one, and the second good, and it also would receive a prize. Next year he was looking forwsfrd to even better results, and he trusted the possession of a naval prize and the Navy League badge would henceforth become objects of ambition in the school. He thanked the rector and his colleagues for the assistance they had given the boys in the study of the life of Nelson. He wished also to mention that in the examination of the papers he received invaluable help from an old High School boy — Mr Robert Nimmo. Mr Johiißtone explained that owing to the order for the books going Home too latei the league had been tmable to have them bound in navy blue and sent out in time for the function. That was why the prizes were not bound in the same handsome binding as the specimen copies which had been previously exhibited. In other respecte .the' books were all that could be wished for as prizes for naval history. In conclusion, after having dealt with the general outsanding merits of the papers judged, Mr Johnstone said that papers had been marked according to the following scale: — Evidence of thorough preparation and historical accuracy, 40 marks; choice of suitable incidents, 15 marks; appreciation of strategy and tactics, 15 marks; general literary merit, 20 v marks ; writing and general .neatness, 10 marks; — total, 100 marks. The _ Rector, before the medals to the two duxes were presented, said that the two to whom the chief honours \>oi the school year fell on this occasion were the forty-third and forty-fourth duxes in the history of the school. It had several times happened that there were two duxes, and away far back in the mythical history of the school there was a case of a treble dux. On this occasion there were three boys who were so close in the examination results that on the last day these boys were at the school he could not have conjectured which would receive the place of honour. It became necessary to consider the marks of the whole year, Avith the result that one dropped out, and the two remaining were eventually bracketed a3 dux, .each having secured three firsts and two seconds. Foster was first in Latin, French, and German, and second in English and mathematics, whilst Rutherford was first in mathematics, English, and science, and second in Latin and French. The position apparently was that Rutherford was dux on the science side and Foster on the language side. He was quite satisfied to have' the boys for duxes, and he was sure they would hold their own with duxes of past years. Rutherford, who was th© older boy of the two, came to the school six years ago from the Oaversham School as the winner of an Education Board junior scholarship, and after two years in the " school won a senior scholarship. Foster came to the school from the George Street School fiye years ago »also as the winner of a, junior scholari ship/ and subsequently .gained a senior '■ scholarship. Both, therefore, came from very good schools . th&fc had given them many good boys, and' also given them more than one dux. — (Applause.) He could only speak in terms of ' praise of the boys' life in the school — they' had worked well inside, and taken an important part y in the , life outside the school. Both were s in the cricket First Eleven, and Foster played" a. very good game of football. — (Applause.) In coming forward the boys were greeted with a great outburst of fmt'iusiasm, and on resuming tKeir seats alter having been fittingly complimented by the Hon. Mr Fergus were given three rousing cheers by their schoolmates. hector's befoet. The following is the annual report by the Rector (Mr A. Wilson): — The enrolment of pupils for the year is 345. Of these 101 were enrolled for the first time. The numbers for the three terms are respectively 303, 287, 298. The ages of those in at* tendance during the third term are: — Under 12, 1; between 12 .and 15, 163; between 15 and IS, 129; over 18,. 5.

Twenty- eighj. scholars of the Education Board have attended during the year, 12 junior and 14 senior. Twenty Governors' scholars have received free education.

The attendance, as was to be expected, has suffered this year through the regulation made by the Board of Governors to the effect that of those pupils who passed the Sixth Standard a,t the midwinter mspeotion only those would be enrolled this year who by the Government legislations would "forfeit their right of free education by deferring enrolment till February next. This regulation was made by the board partly to facilitate the- efficient organisation of the schools, but chiefly m the. interests of pupils themselves, who, by deferring enrolment till the beginning' of the new school year, secure two years of free education- instead of a year and a-half.

The proportion of pupils that desire a. continuation of the period of fre© -education' is not so large aa I should have liked to see it. There are facts which may serve' to explain this." It must be remembered that a very large proportion of the boya who enter 1 under the new regulations .do not desire, and indeed cannot afford, to take four years at the Secondary School even though this were offered them. Many of the most promising- of our last year's enrolment have either left the school f«? offices or workshops during the currency of the school year, or intend to do so at the end of the year. In the case of ev&a the best of these boys I think they would /have been much benefited by a third year at the school, but they can hardly be expected to remain! four yeaxs — that is, if they intend to take up commercial or industrial pursuits. Further, the somewhat vague idea it has been, possible to form of the severity of the test which pupils must satisfy in order to qualify for the continuation of their privileges has, I think, d-eterred some boys from offering themselves for examination. I cannot think ■that the junior civil service examination is an ideal test for determining which candidates shall have the right to continue at the Secondary School for a, second period of two years.

In regard to the rectory, Mr Wateon reports to me as follows : — " We had 19 boarders the first term, 25 the second, and 24 the third. The average is much the sani-e as that of last year. I am quite sura that if persons would oome and see for themselves the accommodation provided the imm'.'er would soon increase. At the bfrgining of the year we were fortunate enough to secure the services of Miss Callender as matron, and the arrangement -has proved very satisfactory to everyone. I wish (o express my indebtedness to Mr Fullarton, who, besides taking his share of supervision, has taken great interest in the boys generally. The health of the boaitters has been excellent ami their conduct on the whole very satisfactory." Satisfactory work has been done by Mr Sberriff in mechanical drawing, the boys of this class having, with one or two exceptions, made good progress. If the work exhibited is not quite so good as that shown in former years it is accounted for by the fact that the boys are considerably 3'ounger than those who took this «ttkUet wh«n th_e cla§s tra» |lrfft formed.

To meet the growing necessities of the school, the board at tJie beginning of tlie year appointed Mr H. Chapman as assistant master. Mr Chapman has proved himself r. firm, painstaking, and vigorous teacher, and altogether, I am satisfied that tins was a wiso appointment.

I desire to offer my thanks to all my colleagues for their willing and efficient assistance during the year. There is not one of them ■who has contented himself with the mere legal day's work. Mr Cooper, Mr Macpherson. and Mr Reid have given extra time to the preparation of boys for various examinations, whilst tho other members of the staff have assisted in other and equally important ways. With regard to Mr Watson, his duties in connection with the rectory are of such an onerous kind that it y.-ould be unwise to demand, or even permit, him to do much m the school beyond his class work, though there is no member of the st-afl: more ready than he is to render assistance -when it is required. The. ordinary work of the regTilar staff master, if it is done with anything like vigour, makes considerable demand upon the most robust energy, and it is right therefore, that I should recognise the sacrifice of their time and ease that some members of the staff have made during the year, in their desire to organise and stimulate the outdoor pursuits of the boys. Mr Campbell, who i3,a hard-working class master, is indefatigable, as indeed he has been for the last 10 years, m his efforts to improve the football and cricket. It- is really due to his efforts, and those of loyal " Old Boys" and a few, generous parents that we have been enabled to retain the services of Mr Giaham as cricket coach. Under the tuition of Mr Graham, who is an excellent cricketer and a good coaoli, the cricket of the school has considerably invpiwed ; and I Itope the present boys proporly appreciate the generosity of " Old Boys " who make a saorifice to provide their, them with facilities for cricket which were not within reach of previous generations of High School boys. My fear is, that the boys of this school get too much into the way of taking things for granted, and fail to recognise the fact that it is possible to keep iheir games going only at the cost of considerable sacrifice of time-and means on the part of someone or other. I take this opportunity of expressing my gratitude to those " Old Boys " who have so generously backed up Mr Campbell in his efforts to improve the cricket of the school, and to those parents ofpresemt pupils and of past pupils who have contributed to the same object. At the same time I would lemind the hosts of " Old Boys " -who are under obligations to this school, and who have so far helped us only with their good wishes, that there are practical ways in which, if they choose, they may manifest their interest in the school. -

' Other members of the staff also have given ■willing and efficient assistance in the " outdoor " part of the- school work. In addition to interesting themselves in the games of the juniors, Mr Reid and Mr Chapman have done good service in the management of_the Field Club. I have found.it necessary to rule that no field excursion is to take place except under ■the direction of a member of the staff, and Mr Reid and Mr Chapman have been very go BB in placing their Saturdays at the disposal of the olub. Mr Fullarton and Mr Hanna have had their hands v pretty full * wifh. cadet matters. Class firing involves a- good deal of work in ,the early liours of Saturday, and these two 'masters have entered into this and other partsof caclet work wtih praiseworthy activity and enthusiasm. I look to see rifle practice taken up vigorously next year.Mr Wood Eavijag, for reasons of health, resigned his position on the staff at the beginning of the third term, the board appointed Mr E. K. Lomas temporarily to supply his place. .1 desire fo thsupk Mr Lomas for the timely and valuable service he has rendered as Mr Wood's substitute.

At the beginning of the third term the board appointed Mr T. D. Adams (who was dux of the school three years ago) as part-time master, to lake the new^nrolments in French and Latin. Mr Adams has made a good beginning, and I am satisfied that with more experience he will make an excellent teacher.

This year we lose the services of Mr Cooper, who gives up teaching for another profession. For the last two years Mr Coojjer has t«ken the higher work both in mathematics and in science, a duplication which his exceptional scholastic attainments made it possible for him to undertake. In filling, however, the places rendered vacant by the resignations of Mr Cdoper and Mr Wood (assistant sci«nce jnaster), the board decided to appoint separate masters for the highest work respectively in mathematics and science, and have accordingly selected for the mathematical mastership Mr R. A. M'Cullough, M.A.. with honours in mathematics and mathematical science, and for the science mastership Mr E. J. Parr, M.A., B.Sc, Senior Scholar, -with honours in English and French— both men of high academical standing, and: with a good reputation as teachers.

During the short time Mr Cooper has been a member pf the staff I have found him an obliging and helpful colleague, efficient in the classroom, and ready to take his part in the outside work of the school. The boys will very particularly miss him on the occasion of their annual sports, in the organising of which ha has taken a prominent part. I am sure that masters and pupils, join with me in wishing Mr Cooper all success in the profession he ia about to .adopt.

I regret that we lose also this year the services of one of our drawing masters. Mr Butler, who, after three years of efficient, service- under the board, intends shortly to leave Dunedin for England., We all hope that Mr Butler may find near the large centres of art a siiitable field for the exceptional talent which the best judges of art in this community recognise that he possesses. After the visit of Mr Wyatt. who addressed the school on behalf of the Navy League, a branch of the league was formed in the school, ■with the rector as president and Messrs J. A. Johnstone and J. Reid, ,8.A., as vice-presi-dents. I fiesire to acknowledge the great interest Mr Johnstone has taken in this new institution. Through his generosity six valuable prizes have been awarded to boys in the Upper and Lower School for a composition on " The Life and Achievements of Kelson. ' This newly-formed league is indeoted to CoTonel Morris for an address and to ISr Burton for a reading, given at the school, to its members.

Cadet work has gone on steadily as in former years. No. 1 Corps, with a strength ot 60, was put in charge of Captain Wood a,t the beginning of the year, and, after Captain Wood' 6 resignation, was taken in hsuid temporarily by Mr Hanna, who now takes the position of instructor to both, corps. No. 2 Corps at the beginning of this year was put in charge of Captain Fullarton, who takes a gveat interest in cadet work. This corps is now uniformed in a. navy uniform, and presents a very smart appearance. Class-firing, under the superintendence of Captain Fullarton and Instructor Hanna, Jias been assiduously practised by both corps, though the school does not this year Tetain the high place it held last year in the Schools' Shooting Competition. The work of the gymnasium lias been carried on by Mr Hanna with his iisual vigour, and the boys continue to show an unflagging interest in this part of the work. I desire to take this opportunity of thanking Dr Hunter, one of our " old boys," for the valuable assistance he has given to the school

in tba matter of football and cricket. Di Hunter may be assured that the boys appre« ciate his valuable services. I tender the thanks of the school to^ the following donors of prizes: — The Chamber o£ Commerce (two gold medals), New Zealand Warehousemen's Association, Otago Institute, Otago Art Society, Navy Leag\ie (Mr J. A' Johnstone), the Dux Association, Messrs We. Scoular and Co., fhe Dresden Piano Company the Hon.JL Lee Smith, M.L.C., Dr Marshal* Macdonald, Dr Fulton, Dr Mill (gold medp-1). Major Hislop, Messrs A. and W. M'CartLy, Messrs Keith Ramsay, Vv . D. Houston, J. Vt. Sinclair, D. E. Theomin, C. D. S. Moore, liT. Whe«ler, H. Webb, and the donor of tfco Mouat Memorial prize. ! Mr Webb moved a hearty vote of thanks ! to the rector of the school and the teaoa-t ■ ing staff, and to the Board of Governors. He referred to the fact that he had entered as a pupil when the Otago Boys' High School was first established, and all his old masters had long since ceased to hay» any connection with the school, with one> notable exception. That was Mr Brent — (loud applause),— who, up till only a year or so ago, had continued to discharge hfs duties in the school. It sometimes happened, that an ex-scholar of the sohool who had gone to the University came back a few years after and revisited the old sohool, and he knew how the boys wel- - corned him. In jufet such a way as that some of tho old boys, who were now citizens of Dunedin, and belonged to thafe . educational institution called business life, j came from their school to that of the boys j to see those who were filling- the places i they occupied in past years, and to tell them that when they came — as many of them would — to their school they would ■welcome, them and do all they could to. help them.— (Applause.) The office he represented had had a good many High School boys from time to time. Of course,, they knew a lot more than their seniors 1 did.— (Laughter.) Some of them could give him a long start in- an algebraical equation and beat him hollow, and he- had seen , a High School boy add up a ledger column of figures three times, and each time get a* different result. — (Renewed laughter.} i Learn courage, he said, self-reliance, en1 durance, dogged perseverance, watchfulness- • of the main chance, and to take advantage of 'it; these things would stand, them in good stead when , they came out into that - ! greater and more stern school of city and business life. — (Applause.) He knew of no I better place for learning these things than ; on the football field. He was always sorry I when he met a High School boy who told ' him he did not play football or cricket. H& was neglecting a chance he might not get again. He did not wish them -to think that - • <he despised scholarship, or that in business it was despised — it was an adjunct that was j of incalculable value to one in any and • every walk of life, but was made an even more powerful lever when accompanied by ! a sound and athletic , body. — (Applause.) | He congratulated the teachers on th& com- - i pletion of another j-ear of successful and meritorious work. _ - The motion was carried with enthusiasm. Mr J. R.S inclair haying replied thankingthe mover on behalf of the 'board, v Mr A.- Wilson "<3id likewise on behalf of , the school staff. The speaker made reference to the ohanges that had taken placet - in the sohool staff, and on behalf of all - wished success to Mr Cooper in the new - profession ' that he had chosen—one, he^ . considered, he was eminently fitted for, — and" said he looked forward to the tim& when it would be one of the honours of the school to remember that they had had ( Mr Cooper for three' years as their mathe- } matical master. Mr Wilson went .on to refe* to the' fact that the Otago Boys* High School had furnished the first Rhodes scholar that had been sent from New Zealand, saying h& was quite oertain- no other school in ■ the colony could ever have that honour. It had been a great pleasure and! pride to him — and, he knew, to the whole school— to find that the merits and qualifications of Mr Allan Thomson were recognised by those who had the making of- the> appointment of the Rhodes scholar. Mr , Allan Thomson had not been a dux of th&_sohool, but he had done very good work*, and when he left th© Sixth Form, at his (the speaker's) instance the- Hon. Mr Lee> Smith gave him a scholarship that helped to lake Shini to the School of Mines, where* h© "made such excellent use of his time — and he need not refer to Mr Thomosn's considerable University successes— rthat, when it came to the choice of a student; to represent th© colony, he -was considered.the young man most qualified to do so. The success of this former pupil was all' the greater pleasure because he was a son of an old and valued colleague of the speaker's, Mr G. M. Thomson, who was for very many years science master in both the Girls' and Epys' High Schools, and who really laid the foundation of th© scientific ', education of ma-ny men and women of Otago. The speaker also referred to thesuccess of a former -dux of the school (M» . A. R. Andrew) in winning the 1851 Exliibit tion scholarship. Mr Wilson, in ooncluding-, said the presence of old boys of the school at school ceremonies as that in , I which they were txking part always afforded" h.im particular pleasure, and he expressed the hope that boys and staff would spend" a very happy holiday.— (Applause.) Mr Wilson then moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Fergus for presiding, and" the latter, in responding, expressed tha immense enjoyment he had derived from . being present at that afternoon's ceremony. Hearty cheers by the boys for the chair- ' man, for the rector and staff, and for the Board of Governors were followed by the closing announcement of an enjoyable function — namely, the intimation by Mr Sinolair J that the holidays would extend till j February 7.