CHRISTIAN BROTHERS' SCHOOL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 33, 22 December 1898, Page 28

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS' SCHOOL.

The dismissal ceremonies were held on Friday last- A capital gymnastic exhibition was first given in the school ground by 15 junior and 15 senior pupils. This was witnessed with keen interest by a large number of the friends and relatives of the pupils, his Lordship Dr. Verdon, attended by Fathers Murphy, Coffey, Ryan, and O'Donnell, being especially interested spectators. Thin was followed by an elocutionary contest in one of the large school-rooms. Mr. A. H. Burton was judge of this event, and his awards were : — T. Pound first and F. Bevin second. The Brother Superior, in the course of some interesting remarks, announced that the dux gold medal for 1898 was awarded to N. J. Ryan ; also that the judges of the gymnastic competitions had awarded first prize to J. Hungerford and second to F. Woods in the senior, and W. Wbitty first and G. Metcalfe second in the junior. Before presenting the prizes his Lordship Dr. Verdon said : — My young friends, I have followed your various contests to-day with, very great interest. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is not; necessary that I should say a single word about the success of the general proceedings to-day. You yourselves have followed the proceedings with very great interest, and no doubt have formed your own judgment concerning the general results, and, judging from the warm applause which you have very generously given throughout, I am sure that your judgment has been very favourable (applause). We are now about to distribute the prizes to the successful competitors, and the boys are looking forward very anxiously indeed to hearing the names of the winners. Parents and others who are present are also no doubt anxious to hear the names of the successful competitors. Some are sure to be disappointed. In the interesting report of the Brother Superior which has been read it is said that not all the clever boys are to receive prizes. Some of the clever boys have ' buried their talent.' It is very important for you to know that talent is not sufficient to make you succeed in life. If you have talent you must make good use ot it. Industry and virtue are necessary in* order to enable you to succeed. If talent is not accompanied by these it cannot be successful. Misapplied talent, indeed, is even injurious to the possessor and to society. This lesson I would have you learn. I wish to congratulate in a special way all those who have received marks tor diligence and good conduct (applause). You must remember that in order to succeed in life you must labour diligently, and be in earnest, and practise virtue (applause). If you do this, though you may have to wait, you will succeed in the end. Some of you who have come to the front may not be heard of again ; but thow who attend to these principles may be expected to make

tbeir names in their after lifer?, Yoa^fcave*gre*t advantaipes— you are placed in an exoellent school, andbave ©sceljent teafherf—gdod men who devote themselves, to tbe%elfsreof youth-sdisin wrested, earnest men, who have sacrificed many things so that they may devote themselves to teaching.. 'In this school, as you know, the education imparted is of a very^dmprehensive character. You have every opportunity of getting a thoroughly sound English education. You can acquire, also, many of the accomplishments if you wish to make use of them. We have been told to day of the shorthand and the type-writing classes and we know by what we have heard of the results in the way of singing and reciting ; we have seen the profioienoy of the boys in physical exercises, and I am glad to hear from time to time the rector's reports as to ybur conduot. We have been struggling hard in this country, and it is with a certain feeling of disappointment that we must think, of the efforts we have to make- This school is so well equipped that I need not say anything about it. But we have many other schools in the diocese and city. Altogether, including South Dunedin and North-east Valley, we have, I should cay from memory, about 780 children attending our Catholic schools — (applause). In this diocese we have about 110 nuns, seven Christian Brothers, and some lay teachers, all working in our schools. Altogether, at all events, I suppose we have about 110 teachers in our schools. And, notwithstanding all this, we have to labour under very great difficulties. We are not receiving any assistance whatsoever from the State. Our people pay their taxes, and thus contribute towards the general education fund of the country ; but, though we have so often asked for assistance, or asked to be allowed to use some of that money which we pay through the taxes for the education of the Colony — thoughwe have asked to be allowed to use that for oner, schools, wer have never deceived any assistance from the Governments we\have to contribute to the colonial education, and pay so much uiually, we have at the same time to support the large number of teachers whom we employ in our schools ; and we have to erect our schools, and to keep them up, and to push them in every way possible ; and, though we only ask to receive some of the money we pay for educational purposes, we have never received anything. We have to keep up these schools. We cannot approve of godless schools. ' I gay nothing against those schools, but as Catholics we cannot conscientiously use them if we have any opportunity of establishing schools of our own. We consider that we are under a conscientious obligation to establish them and keep them up. As the spiritual leaders of our people we are forced to tell them they are bound in conscience to -provide -a good education for their children and to make sacrifices to that end. And our people have and are making such sacrifices, and will undoubtedly continue to make them. We hope to receive assistance from the Government ; we hope that the people.of the Colony will see how reasonable our demands are. But whether they do or not, we are obliged to push on and still continue to support the Catholic schools and to increase the number of them. There is evidence of an increase in the numbers attending. During the past year 150 additional children, or about that number, have entered the Catholic schools of this diocese, and, please God, we will have another additional hundred next year — (applause) — and we will go on establishing Catholic schools and encouraging our people to attend them, and we will continue to do that whether we receive assistance or not. It is a comfort to see such a school as this, wherein the children are well educated and receive all instruction needed to fit them for the battle of life — a school wherein the boys get solid secular instruction, and at the same time receive the greater blessing of a thoroughly sound religious education — (applause). A programme of vocal and ..instrumental music was presented by the pupils, the high state of efficiency attained by them in vocalisation being the subject of delighted comment by all present. The class room was tastefully decorated, and altogether the proceedings reflected the greatest credit both on the pupils and on their devoted masters. The following is the prize list : — Junior Scholarship and Senior C.S. Class : J. B. Callan. Matriculation and C.S. Class : N. J. Ryan (dux) 1, J. Hunger* ford 2, Eaward Freed 3, Samuel De Beer 4. Examination honours (first in subject) : Christian doctrine, J. B. Callan ; arithmetic, N. J. Ryan ; algebra, N. J. Ryan ; Euclid, E. Freed and J. Hungerford (equal) ; trigonometry, J. B. Callan ; physics (sound, light, and heat), J. B. Callan ; geography, E. Freed ; Irish history, J. B. Callan ; English history, J. W. Wilkins ; English (language and literature), N. J. Ryan ; French, J. Hungerford ; Latin, J. W. Wilkins ; shorthand, N. J. Ryan-; type- writing, E. Freed. Sub-matriculation Class : Peter Skene 1, James Gar vey 2, James Black 3. Examination honours : Christian doctrine, J. Garvey • arithmetic, P. Skene and J. O'Sullivan ; algebra, P. Skene and jl Garvey ; Euclid, P. Skene ; French, J. Black ; Latin, P. Skene ; geography, M. Rossbotham ; Irish history, M. Rossbotham ; writing C. O Sullivan ; bookkeeping, J. Black ; English, P. Skene ; typewriting, F. Woods ; shorthand, P. Skene. Special Prizes : Irish history (silver medal), M. Rossbotham ; shorthand (Mr. Rossbotham's scholarship), E, Freed. Sixth Class : E. Mcc (silver medal) 1, C. Thomas 2, H. Poppelwell 3, F. Bourke 4. Special prizes—lrish history, J. Bourke : typewriting, J. Heffernan ; handwriting, T. Heffernan. Examination honours (first in subject)— Christian doctrine, E. Mcc ; Bible history, H. Poppelwell ; reading, E. Mcc ; writing, ,T. Heffernan ; arithmetic, W. Bevis j grammar, C. Thomas ; composition, P. Webb • geography, 0. Thomas ; English history, H. Poppelwell ; drawing, J. Bourke ; Euolid, E^Mee ; algebra, E. Mee-^ mensuration, J. Swanson ; Frenoh, C. Thomas ; Latin, V.' Bourke j bookkeeping, T. Pound ; home exercise, F. Bourke. Attendance— J. Bourke, F. Bourke (present every school day for four years), J. Swanson, J." Heffernan (every day for three yean), C. Thomas (present every day during two years), W. Bevis (every day during year). Fifth Class : M. Garvey 1, W. Sham 2, J. Ryan 3, J. Tobin 4. Special prizes : Irish history (silver medal), P. Rogan ; typewriting, C. M'Grath ; French conversation, J. Lawrence. Examination honours (first in subject) : Christian doctrine, M. Gixvey ; Bible