E.—ll

20

3. Work of the Highest and Lowest Classes. Highest. —English—Mason's Grammar ; Morris's Historical Outlines; Shakespeare's Eichard II.; Lamb's Elia; Bacon's Essays; selections from Morris and Skeat's Specimens of Early English; Abbott and Seeley's Lessons for English People; Great Authors, Part I. ; Peile's Philology. Latin—Ovid, selections from Fasti and Epistles ; Sallust, Catilina ; unseen translation, various, from Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, Livy ; Via Latina ; Smith's Smaller Latin Grammar; Bryan's Prose Exercises on Cassar; Horton's History of the Eomans. French—Xavier de Maistre, Voyage autour de ma Chambre; About, Modern French Authors, I. ; Fontaine, Fables; unseen, various; Brachet-Dussouchet, Grammaire Superieur; Macmillan's Composition, I. and II.; Vecqueray's Coniposition Papers. Mathematics—Pendlebury's Arithmetic; Hall and Knight's Algebra to binomial theorem ; Euclid, Hall and Stevens's, I. to VI. ; Lock's Trigonometry, to solution of triangles. Science —Botany and electricity to Junior Scholarship Standard; text-books used, Thome and Bennett's Structural and Physiological Botany, Aitken's Botany. Geography —British Empire; astronomical geography, physical geography, and commercial geography. History— General sketch of the History of the British Constitution; Political and Social Progress in the Victorian Era; Gardiner's Student's History, Part 111., especially 1689-1815. Commercial Class— Book-keeping ; Pitman's shorthand; tots ; correspondence and indexing of letters. Lowest. —Longmans'Junior Composition; Gatty's Parables from Nature; Macaulay's Lays; Bowen's Simple British Poems, Part II.; Masterman Beady (Bell) ; Longmans' Historical Beader, No. V.; Longmans' Geographical Beader, VI. ; Myall's Object-lessons from Nature ; Southern Cross Arithmetics, IV. and V. 4. Manual and Technical Instruction. Besides the technical instruction referred to above (commercial classes), instruction was given in mensuration, drawing (freehand, geometrical, model, and mechanical), sloyd (cardboard), and carpentry. In regard to the latter, a new departure was made by placing the work under the direction of the drawing-master, Mr. M. H. Browne, and so securing better co-ordination between the mechanical drawing and the work done in the workshop. In all the practical work the object aimed at is the training of hand and eye, not the teaching of a trade. The instruction gives manual training, a.nd bears only an indirect relation to what is more strictly called technical education. The practical work done in physics and geography and in some other subjects bears in the same direction. All the work done in the practical physics class is individual work, and the geography includes elementary surveying and the drawing of plans and the construction of models. The carpentry workshop has been built for eight years, It is fitted with a circular saw and lathe, with benches, tools, and cupboards. In the new buildings one room, available for both schools, is fitted up with tables, stools, sinks, balances, cupboards, drying-furnace, gas-burners, and other appliances necessary for a physical laboratory ; two other rooms (one in the Girls' High School and one in the Boys' High School) are provided with tables, stools, and microscopes for practical work in botany. The construction of cardboard models has a direct bearing on drawing to scale, and on the lessons in geometry, and an indirect influence on other parts of the school curriculum. The charge for carpentry is ss. per term. The articles made are the property of the school, but generally boys are allowed to take away at the end of the year any article of their own making, the cost of material, if appreciable, being paid. All the work is done in the ordinary school hours. The number in attendance at the classes named above were, during 1897 : Freehand drawing— Boys, 21; girls, 44: total, 65. Model drawing—Boys, 21; girls, 33 : total, 54. Geometrical drawing—Boys, 14 ; girls, 9 : total, 23. Mechanical drawing—Boys, 20. Sloyd (cardboard) —Boys, 16 ; girls, 21: total, 37. Carpentry—Boys, 20. Mensuration —Boys, 22; girls, 8: total, 30. Needlework and cutting-out—Girls, 23. Physiology and domestic economy—Girls, 19. Practical physics—Boys, 13; girls, 6 : total, 19. Botany—Boys, 28; girls, 38 : total, 66. Electricity and magnetism—Boys, 11; girls, 7 : total, 18. Elementary physics—Boys, 18 ; girls, 9 : total, 27. Book-keeping—Boys, 19 ; girls, 6 : total, 25. Shorthand —Boys, 9 ; girls, 8 : total, 17. 5. Scholarships. The Board gave free education to seventeen holders of Education Board's scholarships; nineteen holders of High School exhibitions, granted to those not gaining scholarships, though obtaining more than half marks at the scholarship examination; three holders of upper school exhibitions, awarded on the results of the Timaru High School annual examination ; one junior scholar, who is paid £34 in addition to school fees.

WAIMATE HIGH SCHOOL. 1. Beport of the Board. The number of pupils taking secondary education in Waimate District High School during last quarter of 1897, and whose fees for education were paid by this Board of Governors, was 18. Although this number is one less than the number returned for the same term in 1896, the Governors are well satisfied with the results of the work done in the District School during 1897 ; with plan of examination for free exhibitioners whose fees are to be paid by this Board, as commenced at close of year 1896; and also with the work done by the Headmaster and his assistant in secondary education. The Governors have reason to expect a considerable increase in the number of pupils taking secondary education, and good progress by the pupils in the different subjects during the year 1898, W. Coltman, Chairman,