AnnualReport-1879 — Page 79

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IV-ST. JOSEPH'S GRANT-IN-AID SCHOOL,

The annual distribution of prizes at St. JOSEPH's School took place on the 7th February, 1880, His Excellency Governor HENNESSY, C.M.G., presiding. There was a large attendance of visitors..

The proceedings having been opened with music,

Bishop RAIMONDI said-Your Excellency, ladies, and gentlemen, the Brother Director of St. JOSEPU's College, who has been the manager of this school for four years, being absent, I have under- taken to act as manager for this year, and the duty therefore devolves upon me of addressing your Excellency, and you, ladies and gentlemen, who have so kindly honoured us with your presence on this occasion. One of my most pleasant duties has been to place this school under the grant-in-aid scheme, and Dr. EITEL has been good enough to come here and examine the boys with that fairness and honesty that always characterises him. From the worthy Inspector of Schools your Excellency has, I presume, received an account of the satisfactory results of the examination. Our schools have always been open to any gentlemen in the Government departments who might wish to come and inspect them. From this place where I now address you, I spoke on the same subject two years ago, and, in my last report, I repeated that we should always be very proud if at any time any one came at any hour to inspect our school and its management. Government inspection was no part of our objection to the grant-in-aid scheme. We had two objections to it, however, an important one, involving prin- ciples which we never could allow to be interfered with, and another, a secondary one, regarding the fees allowed by this scheme. Having been invited by the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies to state my reasons for not availing of the advantages afforded by the grant-in-aid scheme, I took the liberty of suggesting some alterations therein. We have been very much gratified by the Government conceding the first seven points which we submitted, and we are extremely obliged to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies for having consented to modify the language of the rules in accordance with our suggestions. With respect to the second objection, which I have already stated was a secondary one, the Right Honourable the Secretary of State has kindly allowed a building grant, for which we are thankful; more especially as the grant-in-aid scheme requires con- ditions with regard to building, it becomes a necessity to have the money wherewith to meet that. Regarding the capitation grant, which we suggested should be raised, while suggesting a trial of the former one, the Right Honourable the Secretary of State gives hopes of some modification or alteration being made therein hereafter. Of the several points which we submitted, one has not been granted, namely, that regarding the two hundred attendances. It would have seemed like ingratitude on our part for the extreme kindness and consideration shown us by the Home Government had we refused in consequence of this to avail ourselves of the advantages afforded by the grant-in-aid scheme, and we accordingly petitioned to be placed under it, at the same time expressing a hope that the question of the attendances would not be lost sight of. I have several times, and on different occasions, expressed my opinion that it is the greatest error in this respect not to distinguish a European school from a Chinese school. If the Chinese can complete easily their two hundred attendances a year, it is not so with the European boys. It is a fact that, with all the advantages we had this year, the examination took place very late; not less than one hundred boys of the College could not be presented for examination, owing to their not having completed their two hundred attendances. At the Victoria Schools again, I know that out of sixty-five pupils only thirty could be examined, for the same reason, and that two years ago the best boy in the school could not be rewarded, owing to the same cause. Therefore it was that I asked for this question to be reconsidered when we applied to the Government for the grant-in-aid. Whatever the future may bring forth, however, it is our bounden duty at present to desire your Excellency to convey our sincere thanks to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies for having shown to us, the Catholic community of Hongkong, such consideration and regard. Our best thanks are also due to the generous donors of the prizes, and especially to Mr. BELILIOS, whom I am very glad to see present; also to your Excellency for the prizes you have given and for having kindly consented to come here to-day. On my own part, and on behalf of the Christian Brothers, I can assure your Excellency, and you, ladies and gentlemen, that, independently of any concessions, we shall all continue to labour strenuously in the cause of education. To this im- portant work we have earnestly devoted ourselves since our arrival in the Colony twenty-two years ago. No trouble or pains has been spared, and the mission has spent $200,000 in building and maintaining educational establishments in this Colony. To the same work we shall devote the rest of our life, and our motto shall always be "Educate our youth."

An address to the Governor was then read by Master L. D'ALMADA, one of the pupils, after which the prizes were distributed by His Excellency according to the list given below, the names of the prize winners being called by Master ALFRED ADAMS, who himself took the first prize in English (a Gold Medal, presented by the Governor).

PRIZE LIST.,

1st Class, 1st Division.-H. Dixon, for English, a Gold Medal, presented by His Excellency the Governor; J. Reme dios, for General Improvement, a Watch, presented by Mr. Kwok Acheong; G. Sequeira, for Mathematies, a Drawing Box, presented by Honourable J. M. Price; A. Remedios, for English, a Gold Medal, presented by Doctor O'Brien; J. P. da Costa, for composition, a Gold Medal, presented by Mr. Justice Francis; L. d'Almada, for Christian Doctrine, a Gold

A

IV-ST. JOSEPH'S GRANT-IN-AID SCHOOL,

The annual distribution of prizes at St. JOSEPH's School took place on the 7th February, 1880, His Excellency Governor HENNESSY, C.M.G., presiding. There was a large attendance of visitors..

The proceedings having been opened with music,

Bishop RAIMONDI said-Your Excellency, ladies, and gentlemen, the Brother Director of St. JOSEPU's College, who has been the manager of this school for four years, being absent, I have under- taken to act as manager for this year, and the duty therefore devolves upon me of addressing your Excellency, and you, ladies and gentlemen, who have so kindly honoured us with your presence on this occasion. One of my most pleasant duties has been to place this school under the grant-in-aid scheme, and Dr. EITEL has been good enough to come here and examine the boys with that fairness and honesty that always characterises him. From the worthy Inspector of Schools your Excellency has, I presume, received an account of the satisfactory results of the examination. Our schools have always been open to any gentlemen in the Government departments who might wish to come and inspect them. From this place where I now address you, I spoke on the same subject two years ago, and, in my last report, I repeated that we should always be very proud if at any time any one came at any hour to inspect our school and its management. Government inspection was no part of our objection to the grant-in-aid scheme. We had two objections to it, however, an important one, involving prin- ciples which we never could allow to be interfered with, and another, a secondary one, regarding the fees allowed by this scheme. Having been invited by the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies to state my reasons for not availing of the advantages afforded by the grant-in-aid scheme, I took the liberty of suggesting some alterations therein. We have been very much gratified by the Government conceding the first seven points which we submitted, and we are extremely obliged to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies for having consented to modify the language of the rules in accordance with our suggestions. With respect to the second objection, which I have already stated was a secondary one, the Right Honourable the Secretary of State has kindly allowed a building grant, for which we are thankful; more especially as the grant-in-aid scheme requires con- ditions with regard to building, it becomes a necessity to have the money wherewith to meet that. Regarding the capitation grant, which we suggested should be raised, while suggesting a trial of the former one, the Right Honourable the Secretary of State gives hopes of some modification or alteration being made therein hereafter. Of the several points which we submitted, one has not been granted, namely, that regarding the two hundred attendances. It would have seemed like ingratitude on our part for the extreme kindness and consideration shown us by the Home Government had we refused in consequence of this to avail ourselves of the advantages afforded by the grant-in-aid scheme, and we accordingly petitioned to be placed under it, at the same time expressing a hope that the question of the attendances would not be lost sight of. I have several times, and on different occasions, expressed my opinion that it is the greatest error in this respect not to distinguish a European school from a Chinese school. If the Chinese can complete easily their two hundred attendances a year, it is not so with the European boys. It is a fact that, with all the advantages we had this year, the examination took place very late; not less than one hundred boys of the College could not be presented for examination, owing to their not having completed their two hundred attendances. At the Victoria Schools again, I know that out of sixty-five pupils only thirty could be examined, for the same reason, and that two years ago the best boy in the school could not be rewarded, owing to the same cause. Therefore it was that I asked for this question to be reconsidered when we applied to the Government for the grant-in-aid. Whatever the future may bring forth, however, it is our bounden duty at present to desire your Excellency to convey our sincere thanks to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies for having shown to us, the Catholic community of Hongkong, such consideration and regard. Our best thanks are also due to the generous donors of the prizes, and especially to Mr. BELILIOS, whom I am very glad to see present; also to your Excellency for the prizes you have given and for having kindly consented to come here to-day. On my own part, and on behalf of the Christian Brothers, I can assure your Excellency, and you, ladies and gentlemen, that, independently of any concessions, we shall all continue to labour strenuously in the cause of education. To this im- portant work we have earnestly devoted ourselves since our arrival in the Colony twenty-two years ago. No trouble or pains has been spared, and the mission has spent $200,000 in building and maintaining educational establishments in this Colony. To the same work we shall devote the rest of our life, and our motto shall always be "Educate our youth."

An address to the Governor was then read by Master L. D'ALMADA, one of the pupils, after which the prizes were distributed by His Excellency according to the list given below, the names of the prize winners being called by Master ALFRED ADAMS, who himself took the first prize in English (a Gold Medal, presented by the Governor).

PRIZE LIST.,

1st Class, 1st Division.-H. Dixon, for English, a Gold Medal, presented by His Excellency the Governor; J. Reme dios, for General Improvement, a Watch, presented by Mr. Kwok Acheong; G. Sequeira, for Mathematies, a Drawing Box, presented by Honourable J. M. Price; A. Remedios, for English, a Gold Medal, presented by Doctor O'Brien; J. P. da Costa, for composition, a Gold Medal, presented by Mr. Justice Francis; L. d'Almada, for Christian Doctrine, a Gold