on the hypothesis, that the course was too long for the time of preparation, and while what was studied was studied to good effect, much has been treated in an introductory fashion only. I have divided the marks under the headings, Good, Fair and Bad, according as they exceeded 60, or fell below 40, or lay between 60 and 40 per cent. Taking the gross result, one question was well answered on this calculation, and the rest were fair.
10. The examination for the Elementary Course took the form of a competi- tion between Teams of 10 members drawn from the lower Standards, the Shield (which is to be held for one year) going to the Team earning the greatest aggregate number of marks. And the 2 prizes were in the same way assigned to the 2 best com- petitors of the winning Team, and not necessarily to the 2 best of all; the object being to encourage a high average standard of work in the schools. Ten Teams competed, other schools were unable to send in large enough Teains to make a fair compa- rison possible. The papers were worked, under proper supervision, at the compet- ing schools. The Shield went to Queen's College, and the prizes to R. EASTLAKE and to IP U-PAK.
11. In Appendix E is given an analysis of the marks. Every school obtained half marks and over, except Yaumali with 47 per cent. The marking does not strike me as lenient, and the result is very satisfactory. In this examination the performances of the schools seem to bear a less mechanical relation to the circums- tances of age and numerical strength. The low age of the field from which the Team of St. Joseph's was drawn, singles it out for commendation, in spite of the size of the field. But perhaps of those that failed to command success the Belilios Public School deservel it best. That Team, youngest and chosen from the smallest field. took the fifth place. The Italian Convent, Wantsai and the Diocesan Girls' School also did well. The Diocesan School for Boys and Yaumati took lower places than was to have been expected; and still more so the Ellis Kadoorie School.
12. Appendix E also shews the average number of marks obtained by each Team for each question in the examination. Of the 7 questions, 2 may be consi- dered to have been well done considering all things; the rest were fairly done.
III.
13. There is no doubt in my mind that a really practical knowledge of the rudiments of Hygiene has been acquired. That was my impression before the examination, the results of which only serve to confirm it. The best papers were full and accurate: the worst contained singularly little of the meaningless verbi- age, which examiners learn to look for at the bottom of any considerable number of papers. On the contrary, the worst papers, with few exceptions, gave me the idea, that the writers were either struggling to express a correct idea, though language failed them; or else they were in the position of one, who has fully comprehended an argument, but finds that he is unable to recollect all the stages thereof, when he wishes to repro.luce it. Many faults also were faults of omission rather than of commission. As an example, I will quote one of the worst replies of the worst boy in the worst Team to the question on the uses of cooking. He says:-"Because food has millions of germs in it, and they make us have inany diseases, so that we cook our food to destroy all gerins and we can escape from diseases."
14. The papers were very fair, if I may be allowed to say so. I cannot help regretting the absence of a question on the sources of malaria, Thanks to the action of the Government, that disease is disappearing from Hongkong: but its prophylaxis will not cease to be of vital importance to Chinese bys, as long as they continue to return for their holidays to fever-ridden homes.
15. Turning to the methods employed in teaching the subject, I do not think all the teachers taught as much by experiments as they might have d-me. A few seem to be unable to dissociate the word from the ideas of stoppered bottles and small explosions. A little ingenuity is indeed required. I have been asked with rhetorical effect, whether I proposed to shew Classes by experiment the