GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1919, Page 4

GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

A RE-UNION OF OLD GIRLS. WORK OP THE SCHOOL. On Saturday evening the High School Old Girls' Association held a dinner and re-union in the assembly hall of the Girls' High School. Including the guests, amongst whom were the Mayoress, the wives of the Board of Governors, and the prefects of the Girls' High School, about 114 were present. At the conclusion of the dinner a number of toasts were honored. The King was drunk with musical honors. "The School" was proposed by Miss Douglas, president of-the Old Girls' Association. "As a community-we have every reason to be satisfied with the scholastic side of the school," said Miss Douglas. "If any of you notice examination results or know anything of the girls who pass through the school and go on to the university, you will realise that, for its size, it compares very favorably with other schools in New Zealand. To the teachers we cannot be too grateful." "There is another side to the school that I like very much—the sports side," she added. "If even the most conservative of elderly gentlemen could see the girls at their physical drill, playing their different games—tennis, cricket, hockey, basket-ball—could see them on sports days, running races and jumping or climbing pig nets, or swimming, he would cease to sigh for the elegant females of his, youth who somehow managed to move about on the tips of their toes and the hems of their dresses." "There is still another side to the school that I like even better, and that is what may lie called its tradition," proceeded Miss Douglas. "There is one point about it in which the present school does not surpass the old school. It would not be possible for any head to set a higher standard of honor than did Mr, Pridham, and each succeeding head of th e Girls' School has worthily upheld that tradition—it is equally well upheld by the principal and every .member of the staff to-day. You will agree that this is the most important point in the formation of a girl's character, and there are other very important points which are particularly stressed in both the day school and the boarding school, lo dislike .everything that is mean, or petty, 01- spiteful, to have a sense of responsibility, to think clearly, and to take care of those who are weaker than themselves, are some of these points "The tvpe of girl that the school'was' deliberately aiming at producing wits a good type—a type much needed in the world—whether she was to be a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, a housekeeper, a' home-maker, or, most important of all, the mother of n family, she was on the whole, physically strong, clear-sighted and warm hearted." THE HIGHEST EDUCATION. In reply. Miss Barr, principal of the school, said it was not necesaGrv when one spoke of a good school that 'it must' have a long list of academic honors to its credit, but it was necessary that 1 it should turn out girls thoroughly equipped scholastically and whose ideals and whose attitude towards life was right tins was education in the highest sense of the term and the education at which tiiey aimed.

The education of girls to-dav was, -perhaps, of greater importance than it had rZ-i^" _ ' tlle , future was br '£ ht with possibilities as far as the career of women was concerned, and the war had done a great deal to advance the posiHon of women in the world's work and progress Man.v careers that, up to this time had been closed to them, were now open, and it would not be very lon* she hoped, before we had in our Hou4 of Representatives, on councils and on school boards, women who represent women a interests.

we were rejoicing to think that the emancipation of women had come in regard to many public offices, we must not forget that there was still a greater responsibility that rested on the school and that was to turn out girls who would afterwards be suitable for making homes, and whose influence would be felt in future generations.

OTHER TOASTS. "The Teachers, Past and Present," was proposed by Miss Sybil Thomson Miss Drew replied. Miss Clark briefly teachers m ° rOUSIy repl ' ed the presen-t Absent Old Girls," proposed by Miss "n!T p W "f » runk with musical i'onors. K Z nTI ' T as pr °P° sed h y Miss Ruby Clarke and responded to hy Mrs. Sladden and Miss Leila Hurle, head nreec . The Old Girls' Association," was proposed by Miss Barr and re.sponded to by Miss Douglas and Miss Andrews. )>ew Plymouth," was proby ls , s Cork >". and responded to Clarke, the Mayoress. The Pioneers" was proposed by Miss Andrews. In an impressive speeen, she referred to the courage, endurance, and Taranaki " tUre ° f the pioneers °' n S L !a , ughter and applause, Miss Dora Bedfo.d a neat speech, proposed the health of The Gentlemen, God Bless ' m - r , T1 ;; 3 ™« responded to by Miss Elsie Greathatch. "The Press," was proposed by Miss Goldwater, and responded to by Miss Bedford and Miss Monteain. During the course of the evening, Miss Andrews, hon. secretary to the 0.G.A., was made the recipient of a volume'of poems, with illustrations by Edmund Mac, and of a bouquet of roses, from the Committee of the Association It ! was felt very strongly that but for Miss Andrews the Old Girls' Association would scarcely perhaps have been alive certainly it would not have been in its present position. The hearty applause that followed the songs of Mrs. Wilkes, Miss M. Thomson and Miss I Gibson, and the monologues ot Miss D. Bedford, showed that this part of the programme gave very great pleasure. "Auld Land Syne" brought a most interesting and successful iimction to a close. A GARDEN PARTY. Tn the afternoon a garden party was given by the principal, staff and pupils of the school to the Old Girls. It ivas held in the school grounds. The weather proved fine and there were a large number of guests. During the afternoon a cricket match, Old Girls v." Present Girls, was played. Miss Douglas (president 0.5.A.) and Miss Andrews (lion, sec.) briefly addressed the pupils. The money with which the pictures and books presented to the school were bought, wa s raised through a puzzle competition organised by Miss Andrews, who was on Saturday specially requested by the committee of the O.S.A. to hand them over to Miss Barr for the school. Two trophies for annual competition ifcre also presented .Miss Barr in accepting them, thanked the Association for their gifts and as sured the guests of the pleasure it gave the school, to be able to entertain them that afternoon. , Afternoon tea was served by the girls and a photograph of the whole party was taken on one of the lawns, 1