Thames Catholic School.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2148, 22 November 1875, Page 2

Thames Catholic School.

It has but seldom fallen to my lot to place on record anything more congenial to my mind, or more agreeable to my feelings than that which I do at present, as the result of a visit paid by me to this school yesterday. I need not mention that this school is in Walter street, a very handsome and substantial building, conspicuous by a cross on each end of it, and surrounded by : a closely boarded^fence painted black. Why this latter color has been chosen, and applied (as it. does not seem very ornamental), I am sure I do not know ; it may be that it was adopted as emblema.ticai of the wrong and injustice those people were compelled to submit to in haying to pay the Education Rate, or in other words, in beitfg compelled to pay for the education of other people's children whilst they had to make such a sacrifice to have their own children taught according to the dictates of their consciences. The schooL is centrally .situated between Shortlarid and Grahamstown; and has also such other advantages as are necessary for such an establishment. The cost of the building, especially the sum paid for the allotment whereon it stands, I have been told* is something fabulous. I However, my present purpose in writing has nothing to do with this matter. When I entered the school I was very kindly received by the master, Mr Hamil, who afterwards gave me such information in reference to the school as I required from him. I suppose the reader will not expect, me to give an account of all I saw in the school, from the teacher to the pupils, and of everything all round until I came back again, even to the rule in his hand. I may mention a very pleasing fact; that this latter (to boys,

dangerous weapon) seemed to be very little required. The master has been about two months in charge of this school, and so far has conducted it in a far superior and more successful manner than, any of his predecessors in this school had done. He has been trained under, and has a first-class certificate from the Irish National Board of Education. I did not ask has he a certificate from the board here, but I know if he has not he can have no difficulty in getting it. He leems to be a man to whom nature has been pretty favorable—cheerful, kind, and goodnatured, with an apparent firmness, in his manner which makes him well qualified to perform the first and most important duties of any schoolmaster, namely to control and enforce proper discipline among his pia>ils, and this Mr Hamil has done in his school to such an: extent, that in comparison to the order kept in the school by some of the teachers who had charge ef it when I visited; it;before;' I could not help exclaiming," What a little change makes a great difference."

In this school theue is an average daily attendance of from 80 to 90 pupils, and a larger number on the general rollC I forgot to mention that this is gplely a boys' establishment. I venture to state that there are more advanced boys here than in any other school on the Thames, many of them being, well advanced in arithmetic, andtheir years qualifying them for more advanced branches, are studying the immediate rudiments of classics and I must state that it is long since I have seen a like number of Boys in school also equal in intelligent appearance. In taking a mind's view of the whole, nothing struck me so forcibly as thinking what delight a master mind would feel in making its daily impress upon such material. That such ambition would... be laudable and praiseworthy, cannot be denied. How many instances are there oh record where eminent men have linked with their own talents and immortality, the care; kindness, and anxiety for their future career, shown to them by their respective teachers ? Indeed a great many. I believe Mr Hamil has made a considerable sacrifice of his own interests in coming to the Thames to take charge of this school, in order, if possible, to make it; a success. How far he has succeeded, I have already recorded. In addition, I trust that he will be further rewarded by the cherished affection of the pupils for their teacher. I forgot to mention that the school is amply supplied with all the apparatus necessary even for a more advanced school. In addition to the usual maps and charts, &c, I noticed a series of charts of Johnstone's Illustrations of Botany, and also a,series of Chambers' Mechanical Charts. Having so far touched upon the master,\the pupils, and the school in general, I will now take the liberty of saying a word Ho the/parents. For one moroent do not neglect assisting the master in every possible way that you can do it, especially in compelling your children to attend school regularly and punctually every day, because it is on this principally depends the progress in learning which your children will make. If you do this, they, in their manhood, for it will remember you with a grateful affection. But, if you do not," most certainly the reverse will be the case. _ Tiatob.

Thames, Nov. 20,1875.