21. The Basel Mission School, which was added to the list last year, has been established for the location of girls whose parents belong to the Mission churches in Hongkong and on the mainland. are Boarded at the Mission House, and are thus subject to constant supervision. In addition he girls Linstruction in Christianity, they receive through the medium of the Chinese language an ordinary uropean education during four hours every day, as required by the scheme. After school hours, ey are trained in all the branches of Chinese domestic economy, including spinning, sewing, kuitting, ring and cooking. No foreign language is taught. The girls are simply educated for the proper charge of their duties as wives and mothers in the humble homes from which they come, and to which they return on leaving school.
Few institutions carry out their aim more effectually and less
tentatiously than the Basel Mission Girls' School.
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22. There were 62 scholars in the school last year, and the average daily attendance for that was 50. On the examination day 42 were presented, in Standards ranging from I to V inclu- Fre. Out of the number only five failed. The thorough manner in which the work is done may be adged from the following figures. In reading there were no failures, and in writing (from dictation) In arithmetic there were thirteen failures. Twenty were examined in geography and Maly one.
me failed. History, in Standard V, was not taken, and had to be considered a failure, the Manager behaving sufficient confidence in the way in which it had been taught.
23. The results attained in this school are due to the strong teaching power which is employed. addition to the Clunese Master and his assistant, the Revd. Mr. LOERCHER and Mrs. LOERCHER their daily duties as teachers during all school hours. It is to them that the school owes its ace in the class to which it belongs, and without their superintendence, the present high standard education and discipline could never have been reached.
24. The Victoria Boys' School, having had an average daily attendance of 36, was admitted last Par to participation in the grant. Twenty-four were eligible for examination, and, of these, twenty ssed. As the school has been but a short time in existence, the Third was the highest Standard ched. In reading, there was but one failure; in writing, (froin dictation), seven; and, in arith- betic, twelve. The nine presented in Standard III all passed in grammar.
25. The examination showed that there had been much painstaking bestowed on the teaching. There are few English boys in the school, and English is therefore a foreign language to most of the cholars. This makes the result of the year's work all the more creditable. The greatest difficulty he school has to contend with is irregularity of attendance. If the parents of the boys would insist more regular attendance, the character of the school would rise in proportion to the benefit their hildren derive from it. It is unfair that a school should be impeded by an obstacle so easily emovable. This point deserves the Manager's most careful attention.
26. The same remark applies to St. Saviour's Day School, where out of 115 present during the year, and with an average daily attendance of 68, only 44 qualified themselves by attendance for exa- ination. The Manager reports that many of the children are very poor, and no doubt that is a great stacle to regularity; but, seeing that the education is free, and that only 200 attendances a year are Equired, the difficulties in the way would be fewer if parents were more careful. Irregularity, wever, is not confined to the children of the very poor, and, in such a case, it is inexcusable. rents should think of the energy which the teachers are expending in vain, from the want of a little More firmness in the treatment of their children. It is very discouraging to the teachers of such a school as this is to have the standard of their qualifications judged by so small a percentage of eir labour.
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27. The 44 who were examined were ranked from Standard V downwards, the great proportion ang in the three lower standards. Eight scholars failed. In reading, grammar and geography, ere were no failures; in writing (from dictation) there were 14, and in arithmetic 17. In this school, English is a foreign language to the great majority of the boys. The difficulties are therefore Meat enough without their being added to by irregular attendance.
28. The London Mission Schools at Wau-tsai and T'ai-p'ing Shán had a large increase in numbers, These two schools are admirably conducted, the only ore being enrolled in 1873 than in 1874. estion about them being whether the masters are not overtaxing their strength by teaching so many. Manager has the matter under consideration, and probably the number will be limited in future about 60 each, to the benefit both of schools and of scholars.
29. Although more scholars were presented for examination at T'ái-p'ing Shán than at Wán-tsai, e latter is a far superior school to the former, and consequently gained a larger share of the grant. is not owing to any inferiority in the Tai-p'ing Shán master, who is perhaps more experienced the one at Wán-tsai; but, mentally and physically, the scholars at the latter place are superior to hose at T'ái-p'ing Shán. There is an air of vigour and comfort among the boys of Wan-tsai, while beeffects of pinching poverty and neglect are but too visible among those of Tái-p'ing Shán.
30. From these two schools 122 were sent up for examination. Of these, 23 failed. The fact at at neither school was any scholar examined in Standard I shows how well the schools are taught. Wan-tsai two scholars were examined in Standard VI and both passed. The highest Standard at i-p'ing Shán was the Fifth. Three were examined in it, but two of them failed. The failures in parate subjects, were:-in reading, 11; in writing, (from dictation), 20; in repetition, S; in explan- Bion, 11; in composition, 9; and in geography, 7.”