ST. MARY'S SCHOOLS, NELSON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4322, 27 January 1875, Page 3

ST. MARY'S SCHOOLS, NELSON.

(From the Colonist, January 21.) The twenty-fifth anniversary of the abovenamed schools was celebrated on Tuesday last. In the evening Bishop Eedwood distributed the prizes to the successful scholars in the presence of a large number of visitors. His Wdship the Bishop said : My dear children,—lt is a great pleaaure to me to distribute these prizes to you to-day. It is a great pleasure also to me to congratulate you upon your success at the end of this year. What makes the special worth of these prizes is not the intrinsic value of each one, but the whole sum of the efforts which they suppose on your part. They suppose continued efforts, and a will which has been strengthened so as to compete day after day, and week after week, so as, at last, to obtain the well-earned reward of true industry and true assiduity for your different lessons, and, finally, the reward which is due to perseverance in study ; and I may remark that perseverance in study is frequently the hardest of all kinds of perseverance. I have, therefore, to congratulate you on your success, but what marks still more the worth of these prizes is that they look forward to the future. You look tome, to-day, like a tree which is just beginning to bud or blossom, and what makea the beauty of the tree is not the blushing honors it bears upon it, but to the mind rather than to the sense, the beauty of a tree in blossom consists in the promise of its fruit, and to-day I see in you promise of great fruit in future. I feel a deep interest in you because I know you are the hope of apart of this flourishing colony. You are to contribute to the best of your ability to make New Zealand great, and its greatness will, depend npon the cultivation of its mind by sound instruction. What forms a nation, what raises a nation to a high pitch, what keeps a nation at a high pitch, and what, when a nation has fallen, lifts it and places it on a high pinnacle ? Good and true men and education.! (Applause.) Education takes a man as he comes forward like a germ beginning to bud forth, and brings out all his faculties. These faculties have to be developed by sound instruction. Man has also a will, and that will has to be strengthened by good sound prudent discipline. Man,-has, too, a higher faculty—he has his conscience, and this conscience is formed by teaching him what is right and what is wrong, until he becomes at length what is called a conscientious man. The tree begins to put forth its branches, and very soon is covered with precious fruits. And now I have only to exhort you to continue to persevere as you have been doing, and, to encourage you to persevere, I say you have one great motive in the ability with which you are taught. You have a master who is able to teach you, and who is devoted, to you, and one whom this town may congratulate for all his efforts in the instruction of youth. You have also a pastor who directs-these-schools; who will never be forgotten in Nelson, and who will leave a mark in this part of ; New Zealand. You have, in the sisters, persons who havo left their country and made all kinds of sacrifices for your sakes, who are able and willing to teach you, and-who have consecrated all their efforts to promote your welfare. You havo also another encouragement, that is the pretence here this evening of those gentlemen who have come to assist in rewarding you for your labors. You have the presence of Mr. Simmons, the distinguished head of the Nelson College—a college which Btands in the very first rank of the educational establishments—and he

comes to honor with his presence the rewarding of your labors ; he comes to point out to you, as it were, the higher grade of instruction to which you are to aspire, so that afterwards you may have influence in the country. I may avail myself of this opportunity to congratulate this learned gentleman on the fairness, liberality, and broadness of mind he has displayed in conducting that establishment, and he deserves the gratitude of all classes in the colony for his generosity, liberality, and broadness of view. (Applause.) I have also to congratulate another gentleman—Mr. Broad. I cannot say too much in his praise, for I know he has done all in his power to promote education wherever he has been, and hence, I say, he comes here to-day to meet you, and, as it were, to take part in your little triumphs, and to tell you that next year even those who now, after competing with, great effort, had nearly reached the goal of success, will, by perseverance, do so then. I hope to have again the pleasure of presenting these well-earned rewards. (Applause.) And now I have only to invoke upon you the blessing of the Almighty, who has been called the God of Sciences. He is eternal truth, and his object is to convey the truth to men, and therefore I leave you under His blessing. • I invoke the blessing of Heaven upon all those who contribute to education, and I hope you will continue to persevere in your exertions, and so at last become a credit to those who have educated you ; the joy and consolation of your parents, and a credit to yourselves, by the great and lasting influence you will have in society. (Applause.) Mr. Lowtheu Buoad said he would, with his Lordship's permission, say a few words. It was a remarkable fact that, during the time he had resided in Nelson, each year, when they had met to distribute the prizes, ! there had been some singular event which had made the presentation notable. On the first occasion there was the arrival of the Sisters of the Convent. That was a great event, and it had been productive of very great results. In the following year they had congratulated themselves on the almost miraculous improvement which had taken place in both the boys' and girls' schools. And now there was another remarkable event—the presence there of one of St. Mary's boys as Bishop of the Church. (Prolonged applause.) Nothing he could say would express what all who belonged to the Church felt when they thought of this. They were all willing to pay his Lordship the most willing obedience, and to offer him their most hearty affection, as he was an honor not only to the Church but also to the town of Nelson. (Applause.) The Rev. Father Gamm said it was twentyfive years since the schools had been established.

Captain Rough said they knew that Nelson was everywhere highly spoken off for its elementary schools as well as for its College. He asked them to be diligent in their studies and obedient to their teachers, and concluded by calling upon them to give three cheers for Father Garin and the other teachers.

The cheers were given heartily. A similar compliment was paid to his Lordship.