The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-07-04 00:00:00

DOSCH ESTER 0 R &MN! AR SCHOOL.

The annual Midsummer exhibition fur awarding
the («Aloes' and other prizes took place in the school-
room on Thursday last. J. Floyer, Esq., M.P.,
occupied the chsie, supported by the Worshipful
the Mayor, J. P. Aldridge, E..q., and J. F.
Hodges. Req., • tecifee of the school. There
were preeeut also the examiners, the Revd*.
J. Green, sod F. J. Moule, the head
master the Rev. T. A. Mathew, the Reeds.
C. W. Bingham, 11. W. Peers, L. B. Wata .n,
Frederick Fisher, R. Pinckiley ; Major end blies
Smith, H. Lock, Euq., Knight, Erri , Churchill,
Req.. W • Wallace Fs fr. Esq , A. Erneon, Esq., Messrs.
G. N. Thomas, H. Miller, J. W. Hodges, Walter
Lock. Sidney Lock, T. Pearce, F. Bennett, T. Lock,
Mrs. Watson and party, hi re. Green and family, Mrs.
Hodges, Mrs. Parmiter, Mrs. Besant, Mrs. Pauton,
Mrs. F. lock, Mr... ?daskeW, Miss Maslow, Misses
Miller, Hodges, Penton, &0., ac.
The examiners were :—ln divinity and mathe-
matics, the Rev. M. J. Green, M.A., rector of
Winterborne Stapleton, and late Fellow of Lincoln
College, Oxford ; in mathematics and English
literature, Res. F. J. Motile, M. A., chaplain to the
Derset County Asylum, and curate of Fordingtou.
The preceedings having been opened by prayer
by the Rev. T. A. Maskew,
The CHAIRMAN called upon the examiners to give
their reports.
The Rev. It GREIN said, Mr. Chairman,
ladies and gentlemen, having been called on to take
my part in the proceedings. I have to apologise to
:yen in the first instance, as I have no written report,
aid I Kin more used to working than to speechify-
ing, and to being examined than to act as examiner.
I therefore entered upon the duty with something
like reluctance. It has, however, given me great
.pleasu re, in conducting my portion of the
examinations, to witness the earnestness of the
boys in their several studies, their atten,ion,
their willingness to perform the tasks assigned
them, and their general good conduct and
.gentlemanly deportment. This gave me much more
interest in the work than I anticipated when I
.entered on the examination. I think it is • great
,honour to the boys, and reflects very great credit on
'the school to see such diligent habita, gentlemanly
deportment, and attentive ways of the boys. It
makes it exceedingly pteasant to the examiner, and
.I have no doubt, sires equal pleesure to the master,
who has the superintending of their instruction. I
.observed in the course of my examinations that the'
.contest was very strong in the case of two boys—
'Watson and &sant. One was best in one thing, and
the other was best in another. If one was superior
in Greek, the other was superior in Latin. In short, ,
so equally did they contest for the prizes, that until '
I haul reckoned up the marks, I did not know which
.would carry off the palm. There is one thing I wish
to say in respect to some of the boys. I think it is
• pity that they should throw some of the papers
.over altogether. Such was the cane, for on.
stance, with One or two of the boys in regard
to their divinity pepsin. One boy had thrown over
.all but three papers, which were exceedingly
good, and the probability was that he
threw away a good portion of the marks be
would otherwise have had, and gave others the
advantage over him. As I have already said, two of
the boys ran exceedingly hard one with the other.
'They have certainly done greet credit to themselves
and to the school. 1 look upon one of the beat teats
.of a boy's acquirements, the good old-fashioned test
.which has now so greatly given way to examination'
pspers, namely vied rocs examination. And this, I
.am happy to say, was exceedingly good. I think
'when a boy can construe readily and gthmatioally,
it is a great work. It shows the readiness of the
boy, and leads him to take that interest which all
,must do who would thoroughly comprehend what he
reads. But gird nee examination is not the only
test of a boy's knowledge. There was one boy
(Mathew, major) who ran particularly cloth to the
other two, In vied vacs examination, however, he
was not nearly so ready as the other, and I began
taker for him, but when I came to look at his papers I
found them exceedingly good the translations
were rendered extremely well, and the sewers to
the grammatical questions quite correct. The com-
position was not so good at! would wish to see, but
when one remembers how many things are done
here one must be prepared to expect to find that
some things are left a little behind. It we/ a source
of great pleasure to me to see the divinity so well
done. I should, however, rather have had some of
the questions answered in the language of your own
thoughts than by the quotation of some given
chapter in the Bible. In some points I was some'
what disappointed, such as in the case of Abraham's
servant. I should have expected that you were
moth conversant than you appeared to be on that
important part of the Bible. One or two questions
given yon, perhaps I had hardly • right to ex-
pect that you would be able to answer. From
the answers some of you gave me, I have
rerun to suppose that you knew the answers, yet
yam gave theta in mach a way as to leave me to supply
theseoweve inehead of giving them yourselves. I
woad advise yen, another time, to seek to give fall
and clear smasiime in your own style of language, so
far as yen aro &bleb* give thugs. The marks this year
ars higtmerthmstliegbatutiessin former years. I have
myself observe& Ilhatitheare this year put them some-
what high, so Wit tbellgetes armlet exactly &fair mite.
ries as oonspared. utile Other p 1 think if I had
had snore time tWiseic over theenaglin I should have
lowered thew assostriset; at the aims time, I may
°hewn the prepektioo is maim* as regards the pre-
sent year. I have now only to thank you for the
k tittle whieh you bait listened to me,
and trust that after the holidays you will renew
your studies with immersed diligence. (Cheers.)
The Rev. P. J. Monti reported as follows :
Mr. Chairman,—ln the report I have to make to-
day, en that pertain of the examination which has been
allotted taieml shall endeavour to he es brief as possible,
and pith obleckaed also with the view of being more
hitsilagihir to the boys, to whom my remarks will, of
course, be mainly addressed, I have written the
whole of what! have to say. l'he subjects in which I
have examined them are English Grammar, Dictation '
and Eisay,effeography, English and Boman History, and
Idathelnlatko On these subjects, pawl have been sent '
In by nen boys—ewe boy, however, Barns% -wee
unwell during the last few days of the examination, and
sent in papers in three subjects only. To take the
subjects la order, the English Grammar was on the
whole, well done by all—by the firat three boys J.
Masks., Watson and Bassist very creditably indeed
'Watson and Borst were about equal, with the
exemption of neatness of style, to which I attach great
weight—Witham. I am glad to say, has excelled in this
Teepee", throughout the examination. As to the
venial aseritsof the papers, the.auswere of all the boys
sheer that the Grammar has been well read over,
and,earefully learnt in the portions preeeribed ; and the
*newer", with few manning, are straight forward
and to the point. In addition to this one or
two of those whose names I have mentioned
seem to thew reel interest and understanding of this
✓algeot. With regard to the defect., (and the remarks
I am going to make on this point, apply to • great
extent to the other subjects also), I have noticed
Tea: frequent want of deer distinct expression, even
when the mower was evidently known—a very sure
sign of indistinctness of thought. There is also • look
of hurry about many of the answers; the questions in
ton_ tinny instances have not been carefully thought
over before pen is put to paper. The remark may be
rather ill-timed • now that the work is over; but I
would bave.you endeavour to make it • rule in all future
exiiffhiliticimi, to think the answer well out, before you
wefts ft, se as to get • slum notice" of the whole—el
what you de know, &ad nisi yen do not. Oce thing
mere I mast lestalhasts to, this perhaps, I have already
wholly eraser:A, Manny, • want of minute attention
to particular points in the question. e.g. in the
sentence " that silver cord will soon be broken," where
silver is • noes used as an adjective, you all put it
down either As simply • noun, or simply an adjective.
I have dwelt longer on this subject than I intended
but it is a matter of great importance that English
boys should be thoroughly ;nominated with the grammaf
of their own language, and you will and these differ's*
points to which I have referred well worthy of yew:
attention. To pays on, the dictation, • short mem
but long enough to be a good test, was exceedingly
well does. A. *askew, Bement, and Davis base done the
best; the Inglish History, however, was I- in
several particulars. The answers for themes*
meters, and too often hastily and therefore lIiM
writtes down, very few dates also are gin* sell lam
or two eases wide el the snarl" I think imeneerintsithten
withstanding that a fair goiters' ighowilawitrgl
Hisissido Mimed Igg elfinateleler rwo
taws Jed mestiusot. are 110 dm,U jertty
an attempt to get through too tenth in • given time,
Insteed cd answering each question as carefully as
pmaibie. The Roman History is much better done, in
bet, if I may so speak' it is rather too great • contrast
to the English. Both Ancient sad Modern History are
highly important in their way, but Modern History,
*ad especially that of our own country, should be at
least as assehilly read and studied as the Histories of
!lases and Roan J. '',/akew, A. hina and
'tonsthaba.'' Minor Ii
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