Books are
Numberless imposition." The Imposition
me every inspected and initialled by Laburday. Three or four masters are too ready in spite of my frequent re- with Impositions. monstrances. As a rule, however, not more than a score of names appear weekly out of 120 (in three sections); while several books will have no entry for two or three weeks.
"Detention" Here again some masters abuse this form of punishment in spite of my printed Rules, but in some ten classes detention is rarely employed.
was set on a
"Serious cases of stabbing" There one case in March '92 where a Portuguese boy had a knife in his hand when he and three others, a Chinese boy, were fighting in the street. The boy had some blood on his coat from a scratch.
I expelled the culprits after investigating the case which, though rare in this college, is of the commonest occurrence in the Colony. Portuguese boys, like Italian, are using knives instead of fists. I cannot find the second case reported by the Inspector on that date, but I have recollection of caning a boy in the Eighth class for stabbing another boy's hand with a pen-nib, thus drawing blood.
as there is some mistake
"Of course the mixture of races draws out the worst qualities" It is not a matter of course, for there is no ground for the assertion. Cases at intervals of four or five years are manifestly exceptional. The fact is that, with the exception of younger boys, the style of clothing separates the boys, not the nationality; there is no chronic exhibition of hostility!
Victoria College has not drawn away from other schools any large proportion of boys.
As a Government School, we have never refused boys of any nationality, but they have never been encouraged to come. Non-Chinese boys have not increased in the new College, even in proportion to the Chinese.
"For which Victoria College was never intended" The absorption of all nationalities has been the rule for 30 years, as the College Register since 1860 is sufficient to prove.
Boys are not caned for trivial offences, as the list drawn up by the Inspector clearly shows. It must also be borne in mind that when boys at the bottom of a school continually ignore reproof, Corporal punishment becomes necessary; the salutary result is that it grows less and less needed as the boys are promoted.
When I arrived in the Colony, I found corporal punishment a frequent practice. Instead, I would be called upon to cane half a dozen boys in one day, as now, one case in ten days.
I do not think that proper discipline can be maintained with less corporal punishment than at present exists.
The concluding sentence "The present condition of things is chiefly due to the neglect of order and discipline" is once more an unfounded assertion. Vide paragraph 13 of my Report. Order and discipline...