8.—5.

The Life Glass has kept up its average attendance. The work was of the same character as that of last year. Some good work was executed in colour considering that it had to be done in the evening by gaslight. Wood-carving and Modelling. —These classes have been held every Monday and Friday evening, on Tuesday afternoon from 2.30 to 4.30, and on Saturday from 11.30 to 1.30. Some very good work has been executed by the students in the Gothic and classical styles, and in the conventional treatment of plant-forms. In the modelling several highly creditable specimens of worß were produced, one of which (a study of a head) gained the silver medal at the Otago Art Society's annual exhibition. The prizes offered by the Wanganui Arts and Crafts Society for the best carved panel and for the best carved made-up piece of furniture were also won by students of these classes. During the first quarter classes were held at Marton, Patea, and Bltham, during the second and third at Palmerston North, and during the fourth quarter at Hawera and Bltham, all these classes proving highly successful both in the work done and in the number of students attending. Practical Plane and Solid Geometry, —A fair number of students have attended regularly the classes in this subject. Want of effort and want of appreciation of the great value of this subject on the part of the students are noticeable features in connection with the classes. It is a mistake for trade students to ignore the importance of this subject as a part of their training. Girls' College. —The subjects of instruction for Divisions I. and 11. were drawing in outline and in light and shade from casts, geometrical drawing, model-drawing, and brashwork; for Divisions 111. and IV., freehand drawing from blackboard copies and model-drawing from geometrical solids; and for Divisions V., freehand drawing from blackboard copies. The painting class was held as usual every Monday and Wednesday. The course of work during the year included painting in monochrome from the cast, painting from still life and from flowers. Three scholarships were awarded on the results of examinations in art subjects, machineconstruction, and building-construction. I should like to see a greater number of candidates outside the students attending the school competing for these scholarships. There were no scholarships awarded during the year in wood-carving. The Board has offered three new scholarships in the above subject, open to school-children attending the primary schools in Wanganui. Nominated Scholarships. —Two pupils of the Girls' and two of the Boys' District School were nominated by the committee appointed by order of the Supreme Court. The annual exhibition of students' work was open for five days, and was well patronised by the public, who seemed to take considerable interest in the work. Board of Education, South Kensington, London. —Two works were accepted from as many students towards the completion of the requirements for the art-class teacher's certificate. The results of the personal examination held in Wanganui under the above Board have not yet come to hand. The delay in this matter is a serious obstacle in connection with these examinations. The results of the local second-grade examinations were as follows : Freehand—passed 17, failed 4 ; model—passed 18, failed 3; blackboard drawing —passed 26, failed 6 ; geometrical drawing—passed 10, failed 3. I have to thank my staff for their hearty co-operation in the work of the past year. David E. Hutton, Art Master, Director.

WELLINGTON. Extract- from Report of the Inspectors op Schools. The lectures on paper-folding, brushwork, plasticine and cardboard modelling, held in the Technical School last year under the direction of Mr. Eiley were attended by a large number of teachers, who showed a great interest in the work. Some schools have already applied for recognition for work under the Manual and Technical Instruction Act in all classes, and others for work in classes up to and including Standard 11. There is no reason why the larger schools should not obtain recognition of such work as is laid down for Classes P-Standard 11., for in most of them the work has been carried on for years in the preparatory classes, though perhaps in not as systematic a manner as is now prescribed. In the work now laid down for classes above Standard 11. practically nothing has been done except in a few schools. In the syllabus handwork is allowed to be substituted for any one of the class subjects except drawing, but the burden of the syllabus, and the scholarship programme existing in the district, practically made it impossible for the headmaster of a large school to make any substitution. The public pressure brought to bear on him to compete for scholarships was too strong to allow him to omit any of his class subjects, and, moreover, few of his teachers were trained for the work. A syllabus giving more freedom of choice to headmasters, and the extension of free secondary education by means of district high schools, will undoubtedly give greater impetus to manual instruction, besides providing relief from the necessity for preparing for a special scholarship examination. But before a teacher undertakes manual work he should make a careful study of the whole question, and have a practical acquaintance with the occupations he selects, and then see that those occupations co-ordinate with the general scheme of work he has laid down for the year. They are of little educational value if treated as independent and isolated subjects ; they must be linked with other subjects of instruction, fit in with the general aim of the work of the school, and thus supplement the usual intellectual instruction rather than act as substitutes for it. Nothing has yet been done to establish classes in woodwork, but the lectures now being given take up all the spare time of the teachers for the present.

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