ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL, MILTON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 12, 6 January 1893, Page 29

ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL, MILTON.

That event of all-absorbing interest, not quite confined to the children, namely— the distribution of prizes and the breaking-up of of school for the Christmas holidays, took place in St Joseph's School on Wednesday, December 21. Although on the evening before the children had given a performance of unusual merit, and on the plea, a sincere one, of baing tired out, were excused from entertaining their visitors, still, before the prizes were distributed by the Bishop, the following short programme was gone through :—": — " Chorus, " What a merry, merry meeting," St Joseph's School children ; pianoforte solo, " Flower Gatherers," Masters Michael and John Scanlan ; chorus, " Little lambkins on the lea," BchcxJl children ; pianoforte solo, " Spinnlied," Miss Nellie Scanlan ; a Frrfbch recitation, " La Pauvre Fille," by the same young lady in appropriate French costume. After the prizes were distributed the Bishop, as is his custom on such occasions, addressed a few words to the children. Referring to

the certificates he had just distributed, he informed the children that therein their progress yearly was marked. They were~ to be carefully kept and presented again at the close of every examination for far* ther marking. He had himself examined the school, and found the children very proficient. Their attention pleased him ve*ry Jnuch. One thing he was obliged to censure, and that was the irregular attendance of some of the children. They missed n good deal by not attending school regularly. Every day they lost from school they lost something which they conld not regain in a lifetime. The nuns could not possibly make sehoiars of dunces or those of irregular attendance. After reminding the children of the respeot they should have for the nuns, who came so far to teach them and worked so hard to bring their pupils to perfection, as was evidenced by the fine display of work round the school, the Bishop concluded by thanking the children for the entertainment they bad given on the previous evening. ; ' .'" • After the singing of " All Hail, Zaalandia," by the school children , the audience proceeded to inspect the work. Bat so great was the crowd and so many were anxious to see the result of the year's instruction that it was quite late in the evening before the last of the visitors departed. ' Some fdea of the work done will be gained from the fact that every girl in the school — even the little children in the kindergarten — showed two or three pieces, and that no two pieces were exactly alike. Even the boys, not so ambitious generally -as the — girls, showed maps, book-keeping, written exercises, etc., that would have done credit to higher classes.