68
charge themselves with bringing what I have said in this matter to the notice of the Chiuse in the Colony (Applause). I cougratul to Dr. Bateson Wright on the beginning made in teaching of hygiene, from which I anticipate such beneficial results on the future health of the Colony. When the independent examiners visited the College in June and July but little had been done. By the end of the year over 600 boys had been instructed and 386 have now passed an examination in the subject. The masters appear to be going the right way about teaching it, impressing on the boys the conneo- tion between the facts they learn and the health conditions of their daily life. I have already presented to Hung In Chi, a scholar from this Collee, a prize of $25 for obtaining the third place in the open competition in the advanced course, and I will presently hand to the team of 10 boys sent up from here the challenge shield they have gained in the elementary course. To Robert Eastlack, of Class III, and to Ip U Pik, of Class IV., I will give the prizes of $15 and 810 that the examiners have awarded to them. 1 propose for the examination to be held at the end of 1906 to présent prizes similar to those I have given this year to the three boys or girls, from whatever school they may come, who do
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
work harder than ever next term. I wish you all a Happy New Year (loud applause).
Dr. Bateson Wright said he had to thank His Excellency for his kind and instructive address. He expressed sorrow that no great progress had been made in mathematics notwithstanding the Governor's careful words which produced such an | impression. He remembered noticing the effects of that impression in the exercises of some of the boys in the second class this year, but it was no use recognising the truth if they did not observe He should like to endorse all the regulations. that His Excellency had said about Mr. May, and in conclusion he invited them all downstairs to witness an exhibition in gymnastics.
Before His Excellency left the obsir, cheers were given on the call of Chinese students for the King, His Excellency, the Head Master,
May, and the donors Mr.
of prizes. The company then proceeded to the play. ground and watched with interest a display of gymnastic skill by a number of boys.
THE LI SHING COLLEGE.
EDUCATION "MORE EXPENSIVE.” The Li Shing Scientific College closed its
second school year with a programme simple, ut novel. The exercises began with a com- petitive high wing, followed by a military drill by the Li Shing Cadets. After the outdoor exercises, the trustees, students and friends entered the Collego building, where a few short and interesting speeches preceded the distribution of prizes.
Professor Yeung Sheung-p'o, of the Chinese Department, said in part: We are passing through a very critical period in the history of China's education. At the present time, educa-
[January 27, 1909.
used in the hands of someone els”. Mr. Li emphasized the importance of military and physical drill. A knowledge of the former would be useful in the event of being bal ed upon to defend the nation against a foreign fos or to protect our own homes from robbers, robbery being so common in China. In order to be useful in the world, we must have physique; physical training will do much to strengthen our bodies. Aass closing word. Mr. Li A, Pak said, "You students must know by this time that all the teachers in this College are willing and glad to do all they can for you. They are your true friends. I hope you will all appreciate this and make the most of your opportunities.”
* :-
Mr. Walter N. Fong, M.A., President of the College, in the cource of his report, said that he considered that this year's work in the College had been successful both in the English and Chinese Departments. As a rule, in China at present, wherever the Chinese youths are being educated through the medium of the English language, there is difficulty in con ducting classes in Chinese in the ease sohool. The causes of this trouble are too numerous to mention here; suffice it to say that it is not due to the subject matter of the Chinese literature, but to the method of teaching it. During the present year, the students have not discriminat- ed against the study of Chinese but have been just as eager to attend the Chinese classes as the others. This goes to show that there should be no trouble in teaching English and Chinese side by side, if teacbers with method can be found to impart the knowledge of the latter. In their College they found that the teaching of Chinese had not only been no hin drance to the pursuit of other subjects, but positive help. They utilized the Chinese langu age as a bridge over many an a'most unfordable stream to science. By the use of translations, ations, the Chinese scholar has known but one they were able to impress some principles of thing, vis, the Chinese language and its chemistry and physics on the minds of the literature. Now, in order to be considered Chinese students before trying to teach them being educated he must understand some strange subjects through a foreign tongue, foreign language and also have some know-Thos. by making use of Chinese teaching in the New subjects College, the students had been able to enter ledge of Western learning. are generally dry and uninteresting at the laboratories and do real scientific work much first. The handling of these new subject earlier than they otherwise would. They aimed to do comparatively few things, but to do these has proved a diffleulty of no small degree to many of the students and instructors. Educa. few well, ́especially in English, economies, tion of the new order is far more expensive history, mathematics, chemistry and physics. than that of the old. Only a few years ago, by paying a tuition fee of ten taels per year, a Chinese student could sit at the feet of one of the foremost masters. having the Hanlin, or highest literary degree, appended to his name. To-day. the most elementary schools charge at rast twenty-four dollars a year tuition. Only a few years ago, teachers could be had by the hundreds for a pittance, for then it was thought that anybody who knew Chinese classics was capable of teaching, and Chinese scholars, who were looking for something to do, were always plentiful. The education of teachers then was cheaply bought and cheaply sold, but the educa
the best papers in the advanced course; but I warn intending competitors that the papers will be a good deal harder than those set this year in which there was little time to study the technical works referred to in the text book. The Chal- lenge Shield for the Elementary Course will be competed for by teams of ten from the different schools in the same way as was dous at the last examination, but a lat, 2nd and 3rd prize will be given to the top boy or girl of the first three teams on the list, instead of the prizes to the winning team. I regret that neither the report of the independent examiners nor that of the Headtion is difficult and expensive. For many gener- Master shows that my remarks of last year on the study of mathematics have borne fruit. To exemplify once more the practical bearing of this subject I will tell you that in a conversation I had a little time ago with one of the secretaries of the Viceroy of the Kwang Provinces he deplored the fact that China had no engineers who could help build her railways. I should like, if I were asked to lend engineers, to include among them some young men of Chinese race who had been educated at Hongkong; but I see no chance of being able to do this until the Colony has turned out some good working mathematicians. I thank Dr. Bateson Wright for adopting my suggestion to estab. lish a trigonometry class, and I trust that by the end of this year he will be able to report that there are a certain number of boys competent to solve triangles, us logarithm and do the ordinary calculations required for survey and engineering work. I note that the results ob- tained by taching geometrical drawing have hitherto been poor, chiefly owing to absence of text-books. The Head Master will supply this want, if he has not already done so. My mathematical prize this year goes to Cheung Ting-shang. Leung Shi-wai was a good second. Before I again address the boys of Queen's College they will, I regret, have lost. their Second Master. Mr. May arrived in Hongkong 31 years ago and after 4 years was appointed to Queen's College, where for the last 18 years he has held his present post, acting twice as Head Master.
tion of teachers now cos's a fortune. Not- withstanding the expense and difficu'ty of modern education, the Li Shing College has shown by her work that neither the question of expenditure nor the difficulties mentioned above will bar the path of her progress. The trustees are putting their shoulders to the wheel of finance, some of the students have proved capable of grasping the ideas of higher learn | ing, and the instructors stand ready to make the much-debated proposition of an Insitution of Higher Learning in Hongkong a real ty."
he prizes-winners were in Physics, Mr. Taue Chai; fourth year class, Mr Leung Kai-tai; third year class, Mr. Chu Yuk-fan; second year class, Mr. Loi chak; first year class, Mr. True heuk-yau; in Chinese classics, Vr. Taue Chik; in advanced Chinese composition, Mr. Wong Ying; in second year Chinese, Mr. Ng Pui-shing and in first year Chinese Mr. Wong Su -hun. Prizes for Drawing went to Messrs. Tsue Pang, Chan Shang, Tsue Tong, and Leong Ying-kai; for Penmanship to Messrs. Wong Kwok-shan and Tam Hui-shun; and for Chinese (haracter- writing, to Messrs. Chan Wa-shui and Wong Ying-chun.
SHANGHAI ELECTRIC TRAMS.
Those of us whose duties present considerable variety or at any rate some little daily excitement have small reason to envy the quieter lot of the schoolmaster. To go on ear after year in the same rooms and at the same times teaching the ment of Mathematics and Physics, said, among | track, having taken over the contract of Messrs.
same subjects to boys of the same average calibre must be a drudgery through which only a strong sense of duty can carry a man without loss of keenness and energy. Though his worth is too!
often of the nature
"that the world's coarse thumb And finger fail to plumb
1
So pass in reckoning up the man's account," it is work that by rights entitles him to high place in the world's estimation. In the case of Mr. May I am glad to think he will leave Queen's College with the respect of his pupils the esteem of his colleagues and the gratitude of the Government he has served so well (loud applause).
..
Boys, I wish you a pleasant. holiday, and I hope that during it you will form resolutions to
Professor Allan T. Griffio, of the Depart
other things, that although he has been in the Orient only a short time, he can see a bright future before the Li Shing College. Before he assumed the duties of a teacher in this College, he was curious to compare the capacities of the Chinese students with those of his own countrymen. Having come in contact with the former for a few months, he almost feels ashamed of the students at home. In - many cases,
Chinese youths under his care have
them. proven selves much more capable in the way of grasping new ideas and taking hold of new "hings.
the
Mr. Li A. Pak, the principal endower of the College, made a few remarks, in which he said that the aim of this College is to train inde- pendent thinkers and not to turn out tools to be
The Times of December 16th publishes, "for information only," the prospectus of the Shanghi Electric Construction Co., Ltd., with 3.0 shares of £1,000 each. The directors are Sir Alfred Dent, Mr. J. S. Haskell (of E. D. Sassoon & Co.), Mr. John Walter (of the H. & S. Bank, M. Emile Francqui (of the Com- pagni. Internationale d'Orient), and Colonel Albert Thys (of the Banque d'Outremer). The company is to construct nearly 233 track miles of tramway, of which six miles will be double may Bruce, Peebles & Co., Ltd. The tramways be operated by the concessionaires for ever, so long as they ray five per cent of the gross receipts to the Shanghai Municipal Conucil but the Council may purchase at the end of 35 years, or at intervals of seven years after, upon giving six months' written notice, prios to be fixed by arbitration The Council supplies power at fixed rates. Bruce, Peebles & Co, Lt., are to do the sotu 1 construction for £277.00'. First class far per section is to be five cents, second class two cents. At these rates, the sunual profit is estimated to be £26,281, or more than seven-p-r cant, on capital. The idea is to have a working arrangement with! the French Settlement. When running, the present company proposes to turn over the going concern to a new company for £800,00)