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in creating and maintaining order, are gradually spreading into the smaller schools, and wherever they are well carried out a considerable amount of time is saved, and confusion avoided. Military Drill has been attempted at only four of our schools —namely, Greytown, Ross, Kanieri, and Kumara. At the first-named the boys of the three upper classes arc taught company drill, and execute their movements with admirable precision. At Ross the hoys and girls are instructed in squad drill, the boys in one squad and the girls in another, and both acquit themselves very creditably. At Kanieri and Kumara a commencement has been made, but the roughness of the ground and the short time that can be devoted to this subject have not permitted such progress as has been made in the two schools first named. Elementary Science. —In addition to the ordinary subjects of the programme, 30 pupils were presented at the Hokitika School for examination inhuman anatomy aud physiology. Of these, 20 passed, with an average of 592 per cent, of the possible marks : the average for the whole class being 555 per cent. Considering that this was the result of less than six months' work, it may be described as highly satisfactory, and promises well for tho future. Some of the papers were remarkably good, two gaining 888 per cent, of the total marks, and nearly all showing a considerable knowledge of the subject. At Kumara 20 scholars were presented for examination in elementary astronomy. Of this number, however, only three passed with an average of 71 per cent, of the possible marks, the average for the whole class being 355 per cent. In this case it is fair to mention that the headmaster was appointed some time after the commencement of the new year, and did not take charge of the school until the beginning of May. I received notice from the teacher erf the Marsden School of his intention to present a class for examination in electricity, but I found the children so deplorably deficient in the ordinary school work that I declined to submit to them the paper which I had prepared on this subject. The Board having procured a supply of the necessary text-books, I think that all schools having two or more adult teachers should he required to take up some branch of elementary science during the coming year. All such schools arc already provided with Johnston's Diagrams, and with the explanatory handbooks belonging to them. Experience has proved, in one case at least, that this can be done without injury to the general work of the school, and the instruction so given might be made to agree with the proposed addition to the pupil-teachers' programme. Vocal Music is taught with great success at Ross and Hokitika. The upper classes at these schools sang at sight a piece of music previously unknown to them. They are moreover well grounded on the theory of the science, and the lower classes receive instruction in vocal music suited to their capacities. At Kumara also this subject receives attention, and the upper classes execute some rounds and part songs from their books with considerable ability. The teacher complains that her efforts in this direction are much hampered by the unwillingness of the parents to provide their children with the needful books. Singing in unison, by ear only, is practised in the infant aud junior departments of all the best schools, aud at Greymouth tbe whole of the children in the infant and lower standards sing rounds and part songs entirely by ear, in a manner which speaks volumes for the patience and perseverance of their teacher. There are several teachers in the service of the Board who are able to givo instruction in this subject, but who have not yet begun to do so. I think that the Board should give some encouragement to teachers by offering a small annual bonus for the successful teaching of music, and if this is done it will be only fair to make tho regulation respecting it retrospective, for the benefit of those teachers who have already introduced music into their schools. While on this subject I desire to suggest the propriety of making some arrangements whereby instruction in vocal music may be given at Greymouth and Hokitika to all the teachers and pupil-teachers in the district, within easy distance of one of those places. The classes might be held ou Friday afternoon and Saturdays; all teachers unacquainted with this subject should be expected, and pupil-teachers desired, to attend, the Board paying tbe coach fares of those coming from a distance, and, of course, of the persons giving the instruction. Perhaps drawing might bejncluded in this arrangement. Results. —The table of results shows the relative conditions of the various schools as regards such matters as can he (as it were) weighed and measured; but in education, as in Nature, the imponderable elements are those which exert the most permanent influence and produce the most important results. However well the mental powers may be trained and developed, the outcome will assuredly be, to say the least, disappointing, unless the moral perceptions are also brought into activity, and honorable feelings implanted and fostered. Whether a school passes 50 or 100 per cent, of its scholars will be a matter of little moment to the community twenty or thirty years hence; but it is in the highest degree important that the rising generation should be trained to the exercise of the virtues of truthfulness, forbearance, self-denial, &o, and not suffered to grow up as tolerably intelligent savages. Much has certainly been done iv the direction of moral training, though no doubt more remains to be accomplished. The general prevalence of a good moral tone in most of the schools is evident, among other slighter indications, in the almost entire absence of attempts at copying and prompting at the examination. Four years ago the practice was by no means uncommon, aud on several occasions children were dismissed from the examination on this account. This year I did not observe a single case of this kind. The behaviour of children while at their play and on their way to and from school is also an indication of the nature and extent of the teacher's moral influence over his scholars ; and iv these respects some parts of this district may be esteemed fortunate, especially when the powerful counteracting influence arising from the culpable neglect of too many parents is taken into consideration : a neglect which, among other things, shows itself in the common practice of allowing children to run about the streets, and haunt the doors of publichouses at all hours of the night. In connection with this subject, I must say that I do not consider that sufficient care is taken in any of our schools to exercise a proper supervision of the children during play-time and midday recess. On one occasion I found, on a wet day at dinnertime, the children at one of our largest schools playing noisily in all parts of the building without any appearance of supervision. This is not as it should be, especially under a mixed system ; and with the staffs now employed in such schools it is surely not too much to expect that arrangements should be made by which one adult and one pupil-teacher, at least, should always be on the premises during the dinner hour. At small country schools, where many children come from a distance and bring their