THE HIGH SCHOOL.

Evening Star, Issue 3687, 16 December 1874, Page 2

THE HIGH SCHOOL.

The presentation of prizes in connection with this school took place this afternoon, but owing to the scanty notice given the attendance of the public was very tneagre and did net number over thirty ladies and gentlemen. Mr Bathgate, R M., {.resided ; and among those present we noticed the Ven. Archdeacen Edwards, the Rev. Mr Penny Mr Tewsley a ,d Mr J. S.. Webb. Mr Brent (acting rector), in opening the proceedings, mentioned that this year the ' rovincial Government gave a gol I medal to be given to the boy be*t in all the subjects, the total marks gainable being eighteen, a quarter being given for classics, a quarter for hnglish, a quarter for mathematics, and a quarter for other subj cts. When the' papeis came to be examined this morning, it was found that three boys—Stilling, Levi, and ft!‘Lean—were within twenty marks of each other. It would therefore, be manifestly unfair to give the prize to one of the boys, and it could not be divided; aud it had been determined to have another and more careful examination of the papers, Mr Penny having undertaken that duty iu connection with the Latin, Greek, and English papers, and it would be another week before he could arrive at a conclusion. Had it not been for the presentation of the Government gold medal tfyere would nave been np regular exanimation this quarter, owing to the unsettled state of the school which arose from various caugtg —from Mr Penny’s res gnation, which left the school a master short { from Mr Hawthorne’s absence owing to illpessand from folly a third of the bqys baying been laid up for some time vyith measles. * Mr Tewsley, in presenting the Chamber of Commerce medals, referred to the prize his firm had offered for competition by the boys of the Dunedin schools, and said he hoped other firms would follow the example. Mr Webb, in presenting the pens for writing, said he nad noticed a falling-off in the work of Lsc year, which was accounted for by the master saying that the school programme did not give a proper amount of time to it. Mr Tewsley, Mr Webb, Mr Sargood, and Mr Bathgate aodressed the boys. Mr >ar« good told them that he found their writing showed a want of that freedom that was so much requir d to lead to success at the first step in commercial life—the desk. Too much attentien was paid to classics aud not enough to writing. Iu the boys of Dunedin he found a want of healthy recreation, and in these respects there was a marked contrast between them aud boys of their own class * in Victoria. Mr Reent < xpres-ed the great regret of bis colleagues at Mr Hawthorne’s illness land at his leaving the school. Mr Hawthorne had been noted for bis great courtesy to his colleagues (between him and whom there Bad never been a word pf disagreement), and for the great pains he took wuh his boys.—(l. beers.) Ihe Chau,man, before bringing the proceedings to a close, read the following letter from Mr Hawthorne : 6 I had wnestly hoped to he able to come down to the distribution of prizes to-day, but medical adviser tells pie that it would b§

Very unwise for me to do In the present state of my health. I regret this the more as this is the last occasion on Which I shall have an opportunity of taking leave of my colleagues and bidding good-bye to the High School boys collectively : nor do I feel equal to the task of writing all that I should have liked to say on such an occasion. I trust, therefore, that if my parting words be few and somewhat incolnrent mv colleagues and pupils, knowing the cause, will make due allowance. My very sincere thanks are due. and are here offered, to Mr Brent for the service he has rendered to the school and to myself in so cheerfully undertaking and faithfully performing the duties of Acting-Hector during my illness ; and to Mr Penny for so kinily agreeing—at a time when his doing so must have entailed on him considerable sacrifice—to carry on the classical work of the senior forms to the close of the year, and to conduct the classical examination. To Messrs Gow and Thomson also I wish to convey my best thanks for the satisfactory manner in which they discharged their respective duties. I desire to express my grateful thanks to those ladies and gentlemen who, since ray connection with the school, have contributed prizes for the encouragement of various branches of school learning, and of manly games and exercises. It has been a source of great disappointment to me that I have been unable to witness the competition in school games and physical exercises which has lately taken place, with, I am glad to hear, so much success I sincerely trust that this very important feature of the training imparted at the school will be loyally maintained and largely extended by each successive generation of High School boys. In bidding my pupils, one and all, an affectionate farewell, I scarcely know what to say. The severing of my connection with the High School (which has now lasted for six years) is to me a very painful thing indeed. It seems to be not far removed from the trial of taking a lasting leave of one’s own children; for with the training, both mental and moral, of his pupils, a schoolmaster has more to do generally than even their parents, and he cannot but take a deep interest in their welfare. To all my pupils, both past and present, I would say—in the spirit of the Roman author whom the senior form has lately been reading—Be honest in your work, truthful in your words, honorable in your actions; and with God for your guide, and truth for your creed, whether material prosperity attend you or not, your career in life cannot fail to be successful in the noblest sense of the word. The following is the PRIZE LIST. Dux of the school, not yet determined, Chamber of Commerce medals. The gold one for boys over 15, Levi; silver medal for boys under 15, Jeffcoat; and silver medal for boys under 13, Baume. Mr Hodgkins’s prize for hoys under 11, Bathgate. Mr Wilkie’s prize to the mathematical dux, Levi, Mr Brent’s prize for algebra. Chapman. Mr Thomson’s prize to the dux of the second form, Yalpy.f Mrs Burns’s prize for chemistry, Levi. Keith and Wilkie’s prize for mapping, Crawshaw. Mr Hodgkins’s prize for drawing, Murdoch (for facile). Hardy (for mechanical). For writing: Stilling (Mr Webb’s silver pen); Pyke (Mr Smith’s prize for second form boys). Mr Hawthorn’s prizes for glassies, not yet determined. Certificates of Merit.—Euclid and Writing : Sorley. Mathematics and Chemistry : Stilling. Mathematics: M f Lean, Crawshaw, Milne, A. Morris. H. Hafiwell, and Wilson, English and Latin; Bathgate, Calvert, and Valpy. English, Latin, and Arithmetic : Spedding and Niohols. Arithmetic; Baxter and Calder, Latin Law and Rattray. English; Smith (iv) and Sjcvwrigbt. Levi, who takes the Chamber of Commerce’s gold medal for arithmetic, heads the list in each subject, viz., algebra, arithmetic, cuclid, and practical and theoretical trigonometry. The gold medal given by the Provincial Government to the dux of the school will be decided in the early part of the week. No decision as to the classical prize could be arrived at, owing to Mr Hawthorne’s illness.