81

E.—s

some definite relation to the future occupations of the pupils attending them. In this course arrangements have been made to differentiate between the work of the boys and that of the girls. The latter .-.will receive instruction and practice in - cookery, domestic economy, hygiene, and dressmaking. In this way we hope to give the girls a definite, though necessarily limited, course of training in household management. We look upon the scheme introduced by the Department in 1909 as the most important "advance in education that has taken place for years ; but we recognize that it is only the beginning of a movement that must lead to the establishment of fully equipped agricultural colleges for boys and hostels for complete domestic training for girls. The scheme has been enthusiastically supported by Committees and local bodies, and, though the initiation of the scheme has been costly, the Department has been most generous in its grants for buildings. By the introduction of this scheme the larger schools of the district will also benefit, for it will enable the Board to extend the courses in manual and domestic work further than has been possible hitherto. With the aims of manual and technical training we are in hearty sympathy, and, while thoroughly recognizing that we are working under conditions that are far from ideal, we believe that, aided by local interest and enthusiastic teachers, we have reasonable expectations of success from the efforts to secure in our district high schools such courses of study as will give due weight to the disciplinary and utilitarian phases of education. Extract from the Report of the Director of the School of Art. The school staff afforded instruction to,Bol students, made up as follows : Day students, 116 ; evening students, 176 ; day students of the Technical School, 133 ; pupil-teachers attending afternoon classes, 38 ; pupil-teachers attending Saturday classes, 37 ; teachers attending afternoon courses, 45 ; teachers attending Saturday courses, 102 ; students in training, 100. Forty-one teachers attended the Oamaru classes, and a special course provided for uncertificated teachers was attended by 13 students. There was a gratifying increase in the number of day students of the paying class, although, considering the facilities the school presents and the extremely low fee charged, it is a matter for regret that so few should take advantage of the Board's provision. Still, it is pleasing to record that a large proportion of these students are in constant and regular attendance, displaying enthusiasm in their work. A very complete course of art subjects has been provided for them, and solid progress made during the year, especially in design, perspective, drawing from the antique and from life, and in all classes of painting. An attempt has been made to induce the students to take a keener interest in the principles underlying the branches of work in which they were engaged, and the improved quality of their drawings has amply repaid the effort in this direction. The interest taken in the life class, and the success achieved by the work of the students (who gained first place in Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin for " drawing the head from life " at the students' competitions inaugurated by the art societies), coupled with the improvement shown in drawing the figure from the antique, points to their state of preparedness to undertake the study of the figure from life, on which it is now hoped to concentrate their efforts. A steady advance has also been made in painting from life and still life, encouragement being found in the fact that for the first time for many years the prize offered by the Otago Art Society for " painting the head from life " was gained by a student of the school, and the bronze medal of the Canterbury Society of Arts was awarded to the still-life painting of another Dunedin student. The improved acquaintance with design emphazises the urgent necessity for the establishment of an arts and crafts department to complete the equipment of the school for the teaching of practical design. Although working drawings have been made for most crafts, there is at present no provision for their practical execution other than in needlework, stencil, modelling, illuminating, and a few minor accomplishments. Practical assistance has been afforded throughout the year for those engaged in drawing for advertising, illustrating, and photography. The art needlework class, although poorly attended by needlewomen, is now supplying an excellent field for the energies of female students in design. During the first quarter much solid progress was made by the members of the landscape class, and every opportunity taken to indulge in open-air study from nature, but the unfortunate state of the weather during the spring term militated greatly against the success of the sketching expeditions. In spite of this drawback students were enthusiastic, and many of them showed a gratifying ability to dispense with leading-strings. The energies of the staff were somewhat severely taxed in providing instruction to 133 day students of the Technical School, a task imposing an extra six hours' work each week upon the two male assistants, which was given in an excellent spirit. Courses in geometrical, isometrical, and perspective drawing, mechanical drawing, freehand, model, plant form, and elementary design were arranged for this purpose. The juvenile classes have continued their useful elementary instruction in freehand and model drawing, brushwork, construction of pattern, and arrangement of floral forms to decorate given spaces. The value of the course provided for pupil-teachers and probationers during the afternoons is best evidenced by the increasing number of Training College students who present themselves having wholly or partially passed the subjects in drawing necessary for the D certificate. For these courses in brushwork, design, modelling, perspective, and naturestudy were provided in addition to the usual courses of instruction afforded to the junior students in training. The Director again visited the Training College one afternoon each week for the purpose of affording demonstrations and practical lessons in instrumental drawing for handwork, brushwork, design, &c, to the senior students. On Saturday mornings provision was made from 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for affording instruction to teachers outside Dunedin. Pupil-teachers, probationers, and uncertificated teachers were afforded assistance in preparing for their examinations, but generally an effort was made to equip teachers with a thorough knowledge of the subjects in handwork most commonly taught in the schools and the drawing in relation to those subjects. For this purpose particular attention was paid to brushwork, modelling, bricklaying, drawing for cardboard work, light and shade, plant study and design. A course in stencilling, with special reference to its value in the blackboard demonstration of design, and as a practical exposition of the necessity of simplicity and even distribution of decorative forms based upon natural objects, was a successful innovation in the handwork course, and one much appre-

11— E. 5.