The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1882.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1048, 14 April 1882, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1882.

We have received a copy 'of the annual report of the Inspector of Schools for the Wellington District. It gives the working results of fortyeight public schools containing 6200 ohiickpn, as against thirty-eight schools containing sf9s children when the first annual report of the Minister of Education was.pujtxlishea in -10% >l)p Inspector records that during the past year hp jias endeavored t,o iiiiluence teachers }n all /sphflpju to give moral instruction to children, and trust that the result of Jus commendable efforts will he the inculcation of gentle manners and an honorable conduct on tho part of the rising generation, With respect to the numbors attending wo learn that with an increase of five small schools there is no appreciable increase in the. total number on the rolls since last year, and that in many portions of the district education languishes from the indifference of parents. The Inspector speaks favorably .of tho result of the past year's work as indicate] by the Standard examinations, and necords ,%> jrepy important fact that as ai'uietjnjju'gesjii schools do the best work. Speakjng of the district town schools, the In.spector reports :

_ " In tho list, of District Town Schools I include all schools beyond the City which have no less than one hutdred names on the books, There we eight schools in this classification containing 1582 children. Of these tho Masterton, Carterton, and Taita Schools are the best. Greytown, Feathers ton, and Lower Hutt Schools are doing satisfactory #ork, The work in tho higher standards at Featherstoa and Greytown is below tho average.' The Carterton School is in a high state of efficiency, tjie third standard class alone showing any weakness. The work of the sth and 6th Standards taught by Mr Samuel himself was. all round, as good as I have seen-the writing, spelling, and arithmetic being excellent. This sohooj possesses the highest standard classification of the District Town Schools, The work of. the first assistants in the Featherston and Masterton 'fichoolH. which last year was weak, is much improved this year, All these eight schools are at present fortunato in haying well qualified, efficient, and experjanojitj teachers, who ihay, I trust, be relied upon tij do gqod work'year by/year," Of tho country schools .tjje. .higjiflsfi Standard classification in this, district was made by the Femridge school, a \ high one being recorded at the Kaitarn. and Opaki schools. The.Manriceville School is weak this year in results, and better .yojk will be expected. In rural sojiools less than 35 children)' Kaiwaiwai ing of the .acquire'ine.nts of chilrirMi, i the. Inspector comments upon the tadi English whioh is not only written .but BJpfcn ( by the great mass" of pupils. It : ss alJ.oSjt ijhat''|he 'capacity to speak good English cannot be made a

qualification for passing from ; one Standnrd to anothor—that it should be an essential pati of a Standard 'pass. The report of the Inspector, M whole, bears \inmistakeably the stampf of earnestness and truthfulness, and' we trust that in the coming year he will have the hearty co-operation of both the Board and School Committees in raising the character of the educa-' tion given in the Wellington district., Our own impression is that the Standard system to a groat extent sacrifices quality of work to quantity, and that though so mnoh has been accomplished in the past, much still remains tojbe done before children will receive in'iall our public schools that intelligent training which we feel sure is the aim and object of the Inspector. To show the largo number of children now being educated in the principal, Wairarapa schools, the following extracts, giving the numbers on school rolls, from the reports for the years 1877 and 1881 may be interesting : 1877 1881. • Maßtcvton .. .. 227 381 Carterton ~ ..139 274- • Greytown .. ..223 228 Featherston .... 187 135

The longand animated meeting of the new Masterton Library Committee reported in another column indicates that within a reasonable time substantial improvements in the accommodation given by the Institute to the public may be expected, Of courso in I ho first instance action must to a considerable extent be preluded by discussion, mil differences of opinion must bo adjusted before any steps of importanco are taken for extending its sphere of usfuliiess. In the proceedings to which we refer there was one question raised which, would have been better left untouched, and that is the lotting of the upper room for sudatory exercises. Wo iiro of t||o opinion that the time has now arrived when l]ie room can be put to a bettor purpose than this. We feel certain that publjo opinion will bo tolerably emphatic ngaipst the proposal, and that it would have beep far belter to have lot this *' lied stick to the wtt.ll."