WELLINGTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Wellington Independent, Volume XXV, Issue 3086, 17 December 1870, Page 3

WELLINGTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL

♦ The annual distribution of prizes to pupils of the above school took place yesterday afternoon, at the Odd Fellows' Hall, J. E. FitzGerald, Esq., presiding. The body of the hall was nearly filled, a great many ladies were present, but the gentlemen were not so well represented. On the platform, besides Mr FitzGerald we observed Messrs Lyon, Brandon, Crawford, Bowden, Tuclwy, and Hamilton. Mr Bowden commenced the proceedings by reading the annual' report as follows : Wellington Grammar Sohool, December 15th, 1870. Gentlemen, — We have the honor to present our annual report upon the progress of the Wellington Grammar School during the year which ib now about to end. Our scholars who, afc the date of our last annual report, amounted in number to 75, have now increased to 92, and are therefore as numerous as the buildings can aocommodate, or the present staff of masters teach with efficiency. A considerable number, however, of our pupils having now completed their education are on the point of leaving school, and will thus furnish vacancies for the admission of new scholars at the commencement of the approaching quarter. The internal organisation of the classes consist, as heretofore, of three main divisions, — " Senior," " Middle," and " Junior," with subdivisions varying with the subjects of instruction. The number of scholars, together with the curriculum of instruction in each of these divisions, is shewn in the sohedule attached to this report. From thiß schedule it will be seen that we have (in strict accordance, we believe, with your own wishes) kept steadily in view the object of the founder, as expressed in the Deed of Endowment in the following words : — " To provide instruction in the English Language and Mathematics, as well as in the Greek and Latin Languages, to all pupils if desired." From which we gather that our primary duty is to secure for all our pupils a sound practical education in English and arithmetic, and such other elementary subjects as bear directly upon their probable occupations in life ; and that, having secured this, we are required further to furnish to our scholars as much instruction as circumstances render possible in the higher branches of eduoation. In our endeavor to accomplish this two-fold duty we, however, have been greatly hindered by vthe deficiency of class rooms, and the want of a sufficiently numerous staff of masters for the establishment of such an extensive sub-division of the classes as the number of scholars now in attendance, as well as the variety of subjects required to be taught, would preperly require. We nevertheless, hope that it will be found that our efforts in the higher branches have not been altogether without success, and that some of our scholars in the several departments of learning will reflect no disoredit either upon the institution or upon ourselves. If, however, it should appear to any member of the board that the classical languages and literature, or the higher mathematics, have not been cultivated to that extent or with that success which they consider desirable, we must request them to attribute the circumstance, in some measure, to the above-mentioned deficiencies, as it is not possible for a staff of three masters only to accomplish all that should be done in a high sohool of nearly one hundred soholars. And, as we have from time to time called the attention of the board to those deficiencies which hinder the successful working of the school, and as we are fully assured that the board are as anxious as ourselves to see these deficiencies supplied, and are only prevented from supplying them by the want of funds, we have endeavored to make the best use in our power of the existing means, hoping that the time may not be far distant when it will be within the power of the board to render the institution adequate to the educational demands of the province, and to plaoe it, in point of accommodation, equipment, and staff of teachers, upon a par with the other high schools of the colony. But, since the school has been quite full during the last six months, we think it necessary to- observe that if it should continue to increase at the same rate as hitherto, a staff of five masters at least will soon become requisite, under the existing system of organization j whilst, if it should be thought better to substitute for the present system one which is now very popular in England, and in which, by completely dividing each of the upper forms into an " ancient" and " modern" side respectively, the Btudy of the modern languages, French, German, and Italian, can be substituted for that of the ancient languages, Greek and Latin, in the case of those pupils whose parents prefer that their sons shall pursue that course. In this case, a still further addition to the staff will be indispensable. It now only remains for us to place before you the following statement of receipts and disbursements during the current year : —

This amount has been supplemented by a subsidy of £150, paid by the board from the trust fund, of which sura £112 10s, has been paid at the termination of previous quarters, and £37 10s is now due. Each, therefore, of the three masters will have received for salary, during the year 1870, the sum of £379 17s lid, being a slight increase upon that received in the year preceding. In conclusion, we have pleasure in recording the almost remarkable immunity from illness among our scholars, which has characterised the year, and which has been evidenced by the regularity of their attendance, and in expressing our satisfaction with the general propriety of their conduct, and their attention to their studies. — We have the honor to be, &c, Thos. A. Bowdbn, 8.A., Head Master, pro tern ; H. E. Tuokby, 8.A., Olaßsical Master; W. d. Hamiiton, Mathematical Master. To the Board of Trustees of the Wellington College and Grammar School Trust. Mr FitzGebaxd said, that before proceeding with the proper business of that day, it was expected of him to make some general remarks on the education afforded by such schools as tho one whose annual commemoration they were assisting at ; but it was unnecessary, neither was that the place, in 'which he should say anything on the subject of education generally. In the present state of human society it was not possible for the great bulk of the population of even the most civilised countrtes, to receive anything more than a merely elementary education. He thought we should all admit that elementary education should be within the reach of all, that its present standard is far lower than what it should be and those who acquired it far fewer than ought to be ; and that it was the boundon duty of every civilised country to offer its citizens every possible means of obtaining all the benefits to be derived from a good education. High schools were undoubtedly chiefly for affording education to those whom the accident of fortune relieved from the necessity of earning their daily bread by the labor of their hands at an early period of life, and who had therefore more leisure for the task ; but society was bound to give to. every youth who showed a greater degree of oapaoity than his fellows every facility of developing their genius — for the children of genius were given in but small numbers in every age and distributed through every Btratum of society, like the gold scattered throughout the hills and valleys of the colony. Thus they might be enabled to add to that great store of learning which mankind had been hoarding for so many ages, and which it is accumulating with greater velocity than ever at the present day. The children of the well-to«do olasses must not suppose that because they happened to be placed in a more favorable position in life, they

were thus relieved from all responsibility in the matter of education; there was something more for them to do than to think of merely accumulating property that could be transmitted from father to son ; it was incumbent on all who did not by the work of their hands add to the mutual wealth of the country to add something to the intellectual wealth of the country by the labor of their brains ; and if this duty were neglected, society would Booner or later avenge itself. Men were divided into classes by the accident of birth or fortune, and by the operation of social or economio laws, but they were also divided into different classes by the Almighty Creator himself— into those who had less intelleot and oapacity and those who had more; and ho would earnestly impress upon them that any system of education adopted in the country was inefficient which did not afford an opportunity to every child possessed of a larger capacity than his fellows for acquiring the highest possible education the best school in the country could afford — no matter how poor or how lowly the birth. He was happy to say in regard to this, that when he was an undergraduate the Chancellor of the University was the son of a working blaoksmith ; and the head of a College, the son of a blacksmith too, had received the Queen as his guest ; and history furnished numerous instances of men eduoating themselves under the greatest difficulties; nor was the present day without its examples of men who had educated, who were still educating, themselves solely by their own exertions, without entailing a farthing of expense upon anjone. God had given genius among mankind something like he had distributed gold amongst the hills, richly but rarely, and intended that it Bhould be used for the benefit of the whole community, as an ornament t« the country and a blessing to all mankind. A feeling had of late grown up that had received expression by the voices of men, both in this country and at home, which seemed to decry the use of classical education as a means of developing the mental powers, and that such studies were not suited to the habits or requirements of this busy age. It was' with the greatest humility and diffidence, seeing the long array of great names on the opposite side, that he stated that this opinion had in his estimation been too hurriedly formed. He might divide into three olasses all subjects which might be made a medium of education — language, pure science and the natural sciences. The study of pure science — meaning algebra and pure mathematics — made very little call upon any other powers than the pure intelleot itself, and was a study that could be pursued much more successfully at a later period of life, when the intellect had become formed and consolidated ; and he had seen men enter the University of Cambridge who had little or no knowledge of mathematics, carry off the highest honors from those who had been prosecuting these studies from their earliest years. Then, with regard to the sciences, they might say it depended chiefly upon memory, and that singular power . which could not be designated by any individual name — that power of minute and accurate observation which constituted a man a naturalist, which less than any other educates the other mental powers. There was one peculiarity of scientific Btudtes that they dealt more or less with certainties and facts, leaving no room for doubt or speculation ; but without in the slightest degree underrating those studies in forming a liberal education, it was reasonable to ask whether the study of language might not be the fittest of all to exercise and develope those peculiar powers required in every day life. Some months ago he had read in an American paper, that men of business who had received a sound classical education were raoro successful in business than those -who had devoted their attention to scientific studies, or who had only received the amount of education whioh was supposed to fit a man for a commercial career. The remark, certainly, was a striking one coming from such a source ; but there was sound reason in it. Success in commercial life depended in a great degree on the capacity to form a correct judgment in the doubtful and trying emergencies ,- and there was just that amount of uncertainty in the study of the classics by a youthful student which had a strange relation with the every day affairs of life. In the study of language there was no fixed or definite law. A boy looked in a dictionary for the meaning of a word, and he discovered that it bad 20 or 30, some of them widely different and opposed to all the others. He was then called upon to exercise his taste, his judgment, his appreciation of the other words around it, so that by the aid.of his reason and imagination he might discover what was the exact signification of a term, on which might hinge the meaning of a sentence. Words did not have a definite and immovable meaning, but were reflected upon by all the other words which accompanied them in a sentence. Thus the boy would discover that the word ducere had one meaning in the phrase ducere exereitwn, a more pleasing meaning in ducere nxorem, and a very different one in what was too common in* the colonies, ducere poculum. Languoge may be looked upon as a type of human mind, as it ought to be, being an expression of human thought, so that after all there might be some reason for saying that the study of language developed those faculties in man which he was so frequently called upon to use in the difficulties of daily life. The study of language was the study of mankind — the study of his history, not only the history of his material actions but the history of his intellect, spiritually and morally. They must not think these remarks were made in any spirit of dissatisfaction or of blame to those who had established that school on a constitution which provided that those boys whose parent! wished they might engage in English studies only, but merely with the hope that it might have some influence in impressing the necessity of the inquiry on the subject he had referred to among the members of the board, with a view to their hereafter extending .the usefulness of the school. With regard to the education given in the school, he had only given a partial and cursory examination and looked over some of the papers ; and although we were accustomed on such occasions to indulge in flattering compliments; he was at all events able to say with perfect truthfulness that he had been greatly surprised, and very considerably pleased, at seeing, the large range of information possessed by the boys, and the very great accuracy exhibited in some of tho subjects with which they had to deal j so that it really refleoted the highest credit both on the masters and their pupils. He hoped that, if found possible, the people of this town and province should give the boys a good play ground without which a complete discipline could not b* obtained. He had also noticed what had just° been alluded to in the report — that the number of scholars was considerably in excess of the present number of masters, and more than they could do justice to. In the class he bad examined there was a much wider difference between the highest and lowest boys than there ought to be, and so neither the highest nor the lowest could get full justice done them. In tho best schools at home the usual number of scholars to a master was twelve ; but though we could not expect that in tlm country, yet the average number of scholars in a class was much higher than it ought to be. We should therefore, if possible, by any means in our power, provide a larger supply of masters. It was, too, a great disadvantage not to have houses for the masters on the ground ; for it was impossible to give character and standing to a high school as long as it was only .a day sohool ; it should also receive boarders, and have houses for the masters. It would then become'a benefit to to the whole province, instead of being merely a benefit to the city. He also found a total want of play grounds, for the boys, and he regretted this, as he was one of those who believed in play grounds. (Loud applause from the scholars). He was not surprised that the boys manifested some interest in the matter ; but he could tell them that , there was a discipline of the playground that was quite as importunt in its way as the discipline of the sohool. They must not regard bis remarks as merely meaning the providing for them a place in which to play, but in which to get that training, arising from the discipline of the play ground, which ought always to be given in a well-managed sohool. It was to be regretted that tho school did not own the Bite on which, it stands. Near the school there was a large reserve, the property of the Corporation, and it was certainly at that moment of no use whatsoever ; and he did not think that they could do a better thing for the benefit of the town, or for the benefit of the province, than give twenty or thirty aores for the endowment of a school for ever, because until the Bohool got its own ground it would never make those improvements which were neceßsary to be made in order to make it a good school* He thought a email

expense might make the school a very good one ; and , the ground might be planted and ornamented with plantations whioh would prove both useful and pleasurable to the boys, as it would be of great assistance to them in the 'study of botany. To study botany out of a book was one of the dryest and most useless studies it was possible to conceive ; but when you could watch the growing plants it was one of the most useful and interesting. By this means we would be enabled to make the sohool take that stand in the public schools of the colony which the Grammar School of Wellington ought to take. Before sitting down he had a few words to say to the boys, and to which he hoped his young friends would pay attention. A school had a character of its own to support. A skate had a character of its own, and so had a school. By character in sohool he meant that all the boys should be highminded, honorable, and gentlemanly — that there should be no sneaks and snobs. They must suppose that by "gentlemen" he meant boys who knew their ancestors or whose fathers were richer than those of their neighbors : it was refined and ourteous manners — not courteous because it was the fashion to be so, but from a genuine love of the thing itself — a man who would rather put his hand on that table and hew it off with an axe sooner than do a duty, mean, and dishonorable action. The masters could do a great deal in establishing the character of a school, but not all, as very much dopended upon the hoys what characters a sohool should have. If this school had a goon character they must recollect that old men had been schoolboys themselves one day ; and he could assure them that they recollected with great pleasure their early school days and that through life it was no small pleasure to look back to the school in which they had been educated, and to turn to the noble and honorable men it had turned out. Mr J. C. Crawford then made some interesting remarks on school matters, but want of space prevents us from printing them. At the conclusion of his remarks, Mr Bowden (head-master) and Mr FitzGerald called the boys on the stage and delivered the prizes as follows : — Peize List, Chbistmas, 1870. English eßsay. Ist prize, A. Gray ; 2nd do, F. Tully ; honorable mention, E. Scott. ANCIENT LANGUAGES. Latin and Greek. 6th Form. — Ist prize, A. de B. Brandon ; 2nd do, 0. Baaraud ; 3rd do, A. Gray ; honorable mention, C. Webb. sth Form. — Ist prize, O. de Castro ; 2nd do, T. T. Watt ; honarrble mention, E. J. Palmer. 4th form. — Ist prize, W. Clayton. 3rd Form. — Ist prize, T. M'Kenzie ; 2nd do, F. Dransfield ; honorable mention, C. Luxford. 2nd Form. — Ist prize, F." Jeffery ; 2nd do, B. J. Piloher ; honaaable mention, H. Halae. Ist Form. — Ist prize, J. A. Laing : 2nd do, 0. F. Buddie. MODERN LANGUAGES. English and French. 6th Form. — Ist prize, A. de B. Brandon. sth Form. — Ist prize, 0. Webb j 2nd do, (English only) E. N. Barramd ; 2nd do, (French only) F. Tul'ly, 0. Featherston, A. Gray. 3rd and 4th Forms. — lsfc prize. E. Langwill ; 2nd do, T. Jacka. 2nd Form. — let prize, W. Lyon ; 2nd, do B. Roy. Ist Form.— lst prize, W. G. Mitohell, 2nd do, E. Bowden. MATHEMATICS. Arithemetic, Algebra, Undid, Trigonometry. 6th Form.— lst prize, A. de B. Brandon ; 2nd do, E. Scott; hon mention, C. Webb. sth Form. — Ist prize, W. Tustin ; 2nd do, F. Ghmnaway. 3rd Form. — Ist prize, D. Natbam ; 2nd do, A J, Palmer, H. B. Harding. 3rd Form. — let prize, J. H. ■ Lowry ; 2nd do, B. Stock, W. J. Martin, F. Dranßfteld. 2nd Form.— lst prize, Or. B. Hall ; 2nd do, E. E. Martin. Ist Form.— lst prize, J. D. Tustin, 2nd do, B. Roy. HISTOET. Roman and English. sth and 6th Forms. — Ist prize, A. de B. Brandon ; 2nd do, E. N. Barraud. 3rd and 4th Forms. — Ist prize, H. M'Kenzie. Ist and 2nd Forms. — Ist prize, F. H. Tuckey. GEOGRAPHY. Physical and Topographical. sth and 6th Forms (combined). — Ist prizes, A. de B. Brandon ; 2nd do, E. Scott ; hon. mention, E. N. Barraud. 3rd and 4th Forms. — Ist prize, E. Eagar ; hon. mention, H. M'Kenzie. lßfc and 2nd Forms.— lst prize, F. H. Tuckey. SUBJECT OF BEADING LESSONS. Human Physiology. sth and 6th Forms. — Ist prize, A. de B. Brandon ; 2nd do, W. Hackworth. Natural History. 3rd and 4th Forms. — Ist prize, H. M'Kenzie. EECITATION. 3rd and 4th Forms. — Ist prize, A. J. Palmer. Ist and 2nd Forms.— lst prize, J f St. John Branigan ; hon. mention W. Lyon. s PENMANSHIP. ' sth and 6th Forms.— lst prize, R. B. Wallace. 3rd and 4th Forms. — lsfc prize* E^ Langwill. Ist and 2nd Forms. — Ist prize, F.~E. Murtin. DRAWING. Landscape and Object. Ist prize, A. de B. Brandon. Dratoiug Master's Prize. E. 0. Mills. EXTRA PHIZES. Chemistry. Ist prize, A. de B. Brandon. Geography of New Zealand. Ist prize. A. de B. Brandon ; 2nd do, M. Harding ; hon. mention J. Gell. After the distribution of the prizes, Mr Fitz Gerald made a few closing remaiks, and the meeting broke up.

Total amount of fees received or due for 1870 1064 13 9 Working expenses paid by masters or due 75 0 0 JTefc balance available towards mastors' salaries 989 13 9