103
a cheap, non-sectarian, English or Anglo-Chinese education. If it is the desire of the Government to promote in the Colony generally a knowledge of the English language and to put a European or at least an Anglo-Chinese education within the reach of all, we ought not to confine the efforts of the Government to giving to boys only an English or Anglo-Chinese education, but offer the same advant- ages, on the same conditions, to the girls who will be the mothers of future generations. What has hindered efforts in this direction hitherto, was chiefly the fear that the system of concubinage, the great bane of the social life of this Colony, would only be fostered by providing Chinese girls with an English or Anglo-Chinese education. But it seems to me that the duty of the Government to provide the means of education, where private effort is absent, should not be considered to apply to the moral classes of society only and leave the immoral ones without a higher class of education for fear that they might become still more immoral. As a matter of fact concubinage has all along flourished in Hongkong and will no doubt continue to flourish, whether Chinese girls receive an English or Chinese education or no education at all. If the education to be given to the girls here referred to has any moral effect at all, such effect will not be likely to encourage any immoral mode of life but rather the con- trary. It is vain to expect the Chinese residents to put forth any effort in the direction of promoting English or Anglo-Chinese female education. The leading Chinese whom I consulted, with the excep- tion of a few who received their education in the Straits Settlements, are decidedly inimical to any- thing of the sort, because they are the supporters of a system of polygamy which demands for its safety the greatest possible seclusion of females and which is endangered by the promotion of a system of English Public School education specially designed to invite the attendance of Chinese as well as Eurasian or European girls. Under these circumstances, seeing no prospect of private effort coming forward in this direction. I am of opinion that it is desirable that the Government should establish a Girls School, open to the daughters of all classes, whether Chinese or Indian or Eurasian or European, and giving, on condition of the payment of a small monthly fee, an elementary English education in the English language, with Chinese classical teaching to be added optionally (without extra fee).
11. The results of the annual examinations of the Schools under the supervision of the Education Department will be found detailed in the Tables (X-XV) appended to this Report, and, as far as the Government Central School is concerned, in the Report of its Headmaster. A few supplementary statistical details and general observations, regarding points brought out by the examination of the several classes of Schools, may, however, be of interest.
12. In the case of the Government Central School. the result of the year's work has been tested as usual by means of a joint examination conducted by the Headmaster and myself. The general value of the year's work, as ascertained by this examination, will be found summarized in the Headmaster's separate Report. but I subjoin the usual Statistical Tables which indicate, in detail, the progress made in the year 1888 by the several divisions and classes of the School.
GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL.-NUMBER OF BOYS PASSED IN EACH SUBJECT IN 1888.
Former Nos.
1888.
Total Examined.
Total Passed.
Reading.
Dictation.
Arithmetic.
English.
Chinese into
English into
Chinese.
Grammar.
Geography.
Map Drawing.
Composition.
History.
Euclid.
Algebra.
Latin.
General
Intelligence.
Mensuration.
Shakespeare.
I.A...
15
I.,
II.,
III.,
II.B.,
IV.
לי
III.A., ·
V.,
III.B.,..
VI.,
IV.
2018
36
32
20
30
15 15 14 9 12 10 14
I.B........ 19 15 18 13 17 14 14 11 11 13 13 12
II.A., 36 35 33 28 32 34
29 32 35 33 30 18
36 30 28 33 -29 25 32 29 29 17
30 29 24 24 27
11 12
14 15
31
25 29 14 17
29 22
56 54 54 43
VII.,
ར..
38
38 38 35 32
VIII.,
VI.,
33 31 32
29
IX.,.
VII.,
73
8
VIII.A.,. 57
9
55 51 49 44 52 38
≈ 4
2 =
34 54
2 2 2 2 7
1
21 30 30
21
~ &
2
80 28 28
21 27 21 24 18
51 32 44 51
38 33 32 36 36
:
23
27 28 16 25
32
69 71 64 62 66 60 70
***
Writing.
:
54
:
:
Trigonometry.
12 13 9 13 11 12
12
11
11 11 9
8
9
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
35 30 14
29
32
29
28
= 2 2 0 0
24
27 30
22
16
:
:.
:
:
4
X.
XI.,
VIII.B.. 21 20 21 21 119 12 19
19
:
"
Total, 1888,.. 445 419 427 364 341 398 354 283 245 263 135 114 130 137 104
1887,...... 384 375 372 325 292 338 351 281 233 230 103 48 82 88 54 45 18
52 19 21 12
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