3251
Government School at ___
Hong,
Kong
on the occasion
of the annual distribution
of prizes.
Your
I have the honor to be,
My Lord,
Lordship's most. Obedient humble Servant,
Extermeny
Governor .
THE CHINA MAIL.
KONGKONG, FRIDAY, JAN. 29, 1875.
·TUE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL
The Annual Public Examination of the students of the above school, and the dia- tribution of prizes, took place to-day. Among those present, we observed B. E. Sir Arthur Kennedy, who distributed the prizes, Captain O'Callaghan, ▲D.C., the Hon. V. C. Smith, the Hon. Mr Bramston, the Hon. P. Ryrie, the Hon. J. G. Austin, Messrs Price, Tonnochy, Deane, Romano, Russell, Wong Cho Leong, Rev. Dr. Eitel, Rev. R. Lechler, several ladies, and a few Farsee gentlemen. The boys were seated in rows as closely as they could be accom- modated, the recipients of prizes occupying the front row. Each boy was separately called up to receive his prize, and as H, E. handed it to him, he accompanied the gift with a few appropriate words. In giving a large book away to a boy, who was scarcely as high as the table, Sir Arthur said he was glad to see no small a boy receive so lara a book, and in awarding the prize to an European lad for having distinguished himself in the Anglo-Chinese class, H. E. observed that he hoped the boy would per severe, and that if he would make the Chi- nese language a study, he would find it in after life to be of great service to him.
After all the prizes were distributed, H. E. addressed the school,
He gave some statistics as to the number of boys attending the school during the year, the highest point reached being 528, and the number of those present in school to-day 825, He thought this was really a very large number for one school. Nevertheless, the institution had been of great advantage to those who availed hemselves of it. Dur- ing the year, 185 boys left the school, and most of these had got into respectable am- ployment. H, E. then read the different destinations of these boys; some had left to become clerks in mercan ile offices, or to take service in the Chinese Customs, Inau rance offices, Telegraph Company's offices, in the local Government departments, &c., do. This shewed that the school had been of the greatest benefit to the students, for had it not been for the training they had had, probably the boys he had mentioned before would not have got into such respect able situations; and no doubt, those who were now present would in after-life feel grateful for the kind attention and care bestowed on them here. His Excellency then passed an encomium on the school, and expressed his confidence in its masters. He next touched upon a subject (to which he had already siluded last year,) which he would be very un willing to refer to now, but for a wrong impression that had gone abroad, though lackily to a small extent. The absence of!
| religious instruction in the school was look
ed upon by some as if denominational educa- tion were entirely prohibited. But such was not the case; it was not introduced simply because any attempt in that direction would be impossible in a school composed of mixed nationalites. To suppose therefore, that the government was opposed to religious instruction W65 a great error. Ele thought every boy ought to be allowed to follow his own religion, and he would deprecate any attempt to force any one religion on him. It was quite right that each boy should be taught a religion, but that should have been undertaken by the boy's parents or the preachers of his ahurob, and the school was no place for it, nor was the schoul-master the right man to give that instruction. H. E was happy to und that the head master concurred entirely with him in that opinion. As he had said before, the school was not the place for religion nor was the master the person to teach it. It would be rather curious to mix arithmetic with theology. He thought the boys should find their religious instruo- tion somewhere else. The grauts-in-aid to school was the best zubject touched upot. Payment by results was a very satisfactory arrangement, and to support a school with. lout testing what progress it bad made would be mischievous. As to the religious in- struction in the schools which sought the grant-in-aid, the Government would be perfectly willing to examine the boys on sectarian subjects if so desired by the managers of the schools. H. E. concluded by hoping that the boys would enjoy them. selves during their coming holidays.
Dr. Eitel, in response to the call of the overnor, then addressed the boys. He commenced by saying that after what H. E. had said on that most important subject →that of religious instruction-it was not for him to enlarge on it. But be would refer to one subject that was in close com- nection with it, As they had observed, one of the prizes just given away was one for $60 for three consecutive years to the boy who stood highest in all the subjects taught in the school. This was the Mor- rison Scholarship, the conditions of which he explained. He understood that for the present the scholarship, connected with the name of a Christian gentleman, the Revd. Dr. Robert Morrison, was to be given away year after year without reference to any religion whatever, but to be given away solely on the result of the examina- tion. He would encourage the boys to strive to acquire knowledge, for knowledge was power, and he hoped they would con- tribute to the restoration of the anolent grandeur of China (applause.)
Mr Stewart, the head master, was next called on to speak. He thanked H. . the Governor, and those who had taken an interest in the school by offering prises. He put forward his old complaint of the
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