SCHOLASTIC.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1136, 26 December 1873, Page 4

SCHOLASTIC.

[WESTPORT EVENING STAR.]

The report of the examiners for the Governor's and Provincial Scholarships, given during the past week at Nelson is satisfactory. It records that the papers sent in by the candidates were, on the whole, equal to those submitted on former occasions, taking into account that in two important subjects —history and arithmetic—the papers were more difficult than before. The attempt to introduce a new test—an English classic—has been successful, although from the novelty and difficulty of the subject the majority of the competitors " showed an imperfect grasp of the author's meaning," yet were enabled to give fair answers to such questions as depended on memory. "Hand-writing was as a rule neat and legible, and the spelling, with four or five exceptions, remarkably correct." The defaulters in the latter respect being Westport and Charleston boys, who were disqualified, not only for bad spelling but for bad grammar. Referring to the papers sent up from Charleston and Westport the examiners say:—"With what object the boys who wrote them could have been entered for a competition of this kind we are at a loss to conceive. The time of the examiners and of the gentlemen who kindly undertook the thankless task of supervision at those places has been utterly wasted. After several years experience of these annual competitions, the standard required is no secret, and it is not too much to expect the masters to satisfy themselves that intending candidates have an elementary acquaintance with one at least of the subjects of examination." This is a somewhat severe rebuke, and possibly, if all circumstances were known, might be considered unmerited. Among the unsuccessful schools Cobden obtains particular mention, fairly taking rank as the equal'of the best schools in the province, and the arithmetic of one of the Cobden boys was so good that the examiners recommended that a special prize should be given him. Another Cobden boy has also won honorable mention. The examination subjects were arithmetic, writing, spelling, history,and one English classic—Pope. The tabulated statement of results gives proof satisfactory that of the " three R's " two have been well mastered by the majority of the young competitors.