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9. It will be recollected that, two years ago, the best scholar at the Central School, who had 21. The Basel Mission School, which was added to the list last year, has been established for the
His duties were to teach English in the
also been a monitor, was appointed master of this school.
forenoon, and Chinese in the afternoon. After the first six months, the numbers declined rapidly. At the end of the year they gradually increased again; but, by August last, the attendance d
become almost nominal, and the master resigned in despair. Another monitor
experiment is to be continued or not.
was
appointed in
his place, and the numbers slowly increased; but twelve months more must decide whether the It may be that the locality was a bad one for the experiment but it was the only one which was available at the time; and the result has been so unsatisfactory that, if it is necessary to revert to an ordinary Chinese teacher, it will be some time before a simila This case shows pretty clearly that native masters trained after our ideas of training are not yet wanted in China. Such a fact may be much to be regretose, experiment is attempted elsewhere.
but such is the fact nevertheless.
as mach
10. The Village Schools which are partly supported by Government have not recently given rise to much difficulty. A few of the masters are still discontented with the way in which the villagers carry out their part of the agreement, but the majority are content to let things remsin they are. The attendance increases very slowly, but it does increase; and that is perhaps as can be expected of these schools. Some of them, as the one at Ap-li Chau, maintain a high place in the order of efficiency. Others, as the one at Pok-fú Lam, are in anything but a
satisfactory con dition.
11. The Central School more than maintained its place in point of numbers, in spite of the ma difficulties which had to be encountered during the year from the resignation of two and the serious illness of one of the masters. These difficulties have been satisfactorily overcome. The staff teachers is complete, and the result of the examinations showed that it is also efficient.
education of girls whose parents belong to the Mission churches in Hongkong and on the mainland. girls are boarded at the Mission House, und are thus subject to constant supervision. In addition to instruction in Christianity, they receive through the medium of the Chinese language an ordinary European education during four hours every day, as required by the scheine. After school hours, they are trained in all the branches of unge is tungest, con guy, including spinning, sewing, kuitting, weaving
discharge 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 ostentatiously than the Basel Mission Girls' School.
22. There were 62 scholars in the school last year, and the average daily attendance for that period was 50. On the examination day 42 were presented, in Standards ranging from I to V inclu- Five Out of the number only five failed. The thorough manner in which the work is done may be indred 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 ole failed. History, in Standard V. was not taken, and had to be considered a failure, the Manager not having sufficient confidence in the way in which it had been taught.
only one.
23. The results attained in this school are due to the strong teaching power which is employed. In addition to the Chinese Master and his assistant, the Revd. Mr. LOERCHER and Mrs. LOERCHER have their daily duties as teachers during all school hours. It is to them that the school owes its place in the class to which it belongs, and without their superintendence, the present high standard of education and discipline could never have been reached.
12. The hopes entertained last year of the early commencement of a new building were antich frustrated by the typhoon of September. No complaint can, therefore, be made of the delay: tassed. As the school has been but a short time in existence, the Third was the highest Standard lest a tacit submission to unforeseen circumstances might imply that the necessity had passed away, consideration of the condition of the present premises will not be out of place.
Each class-room contains:
13. The existing accommodation is limited to bare sitting room. an average 100 boys, which is as many as can be seated in it. There is thus no means of efficienscholars. This makes the result of the year's work all the more creditable. working the school. Three or more masters have to teach simultaneously in the same class whercas, with adequate accommodation, classes could be drafted off into side rooms, which we enable the masters to teach in greater quietness, and therefore with greater efficiency.
24. The Victoria Boys' School, having had an average daily attendance of 36, was admitted last ear to participation in the grant. Twenty-four were eligible for examination, and, of these, twenty reached. In reading, there was but one failure; in writing, (froin dictation), seven; and, in arith- metic, 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 The greatest difficulty
14. The present building has no unity of design. At first, four rooms of what was originally dwelling house were converted into two class-rooms by the removal of the folding doors. Net class room was built entirely separate from the main building, and without reference to future nee sities. Then, another class-rooin was built on exactly the same plan. Finally, a third class-room wi
the 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 childreu derive from it. It is unfair that a school should be impeded by an obstacle so easily removable. 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 er, and with an average daily attendance of 68, only 44 qualified themselves by attendance for exa- nation. The Manager reports that many of the children are very poor, and no doubt that is a great
built between the former ones, but at their expense, as regards ventilation. There remains notacle to regularity; but, seeing that the education is free, and that only 200 attendances a year are space for the building of the additional rooms which are required; and, possibly, it is very fortus
that such is the case.
15. In spite of much that has been summer from want of proper ventilation. such as they require is an impossibility.
done, three of the class-rooms are almost unbearable i They are so shut in by adjoining buildings that venting
16. To put an additional story on the three lower class-rooms is equally impossible, so insea are the foundations. The north and west walls have sensibly subsided, and the partition wall betwe two of the rooms is visibly off the plumb. At the same time, it ought to be clearly stated that the
quired, 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. arents should think of the energy which the teachers are expending in vain, from the want of a little hore firmness in the treatment of their children. It is very discouraging to the teachers of such a rre school as this is to have the standard of their qualifications judged by so small a percentage of
eir labour.
27. The 44 who were examined were ranked from Standard V downwards, the great proportion ing in the three lower standards. Fight 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,
is no immediate danger of an accident; but the effects of the earthquake and typhoon of last year, English is a foreign language to the great majority of the boys. The difficulties are therefore the former especially, quite shook all confidence in the permanent stability of the building. An strain could not be frequently repeated.
17. Outside the class-room doors and inside the school gates, there is barely standing room the boys. Two of the upper class-rooms have to be left open during the morning and mid-day inter for shelter from sun and rain. This prevents these two rooms from ever having the tidy appeara which class-rooms ought to have.
18. Without further detail, it may thus be taken as proved that the present building is inadeqa as regards size, insecure as regards its foundations, and unhealthy as regards ventilation. That
so, further discussion of the question is unnecessary.
eat enough without their being added to by irregular attendance.
28. The London Mission Schools at Wán-tsui and T'ái-p'ing Shán had a large increase in numbers, more being curolled in 1873 than in 1874. These two schools are admirably conducted, the only estion about them being whether the masters are not overtaxing their strength by teaching so many. e 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, latter is a far superior school to the former, and consequently gained a larger share of the grant, his is not owing to any inferiority in the T'ai-p'ing Sháu master, who is perhaps more experienced an the one at Wan-tsai; but, mentally and physically, the scholars at the latter place are superior to There is an air of vigour and comfort among the boys of Wán-tsai, while effects of pinching poverty and neglect are but too visible among those of T'ai-p'ing Shán.
19. The Morrison Scholarship, which was referred to last year as being involved in much d culty, may now be considered as settled. Details have yet to be arranged, but no question of prinese at T'ái-p'ing Shán.
When the scheme for its administra remains, and the school has already enjoyed the benefit of it.
is complete a detailed account of it will be given.
20. The Grant-in-aid schools increased from six to nine, and the number of scholars the rose from 442 to 632. One new school was added, and the three Baxter schools, previously cls as one, were in a position to be taken separately. The scheme continues to give satisfaction, and practical difficulties have arisen in the working of it. The Managers who had grants during the year of its operation speak favourably of the good which has accrued from it to their schools.
30. From these two schools 122 were sent up for examination. Of these, 28 failed. The fact at at neither school was any scholar examined in Standard I shows how well the schools are taught. Wán-tsai two scholars were examined in Standard VI and both passed. The highest Standard at ping Shán was the Fifth. Three were examined in it, but two of them failed. The failures in arate subjects, were:--in reading, 11; in writing, (from dictation), 20; in repetition, 8; in explan- on, 11; in composition, 9; and in geography, 7.
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