The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-04-24 00:00:00

THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.

DififilDlMON or Pitizes BY LADY TlSloDdeet GUM.
Oa Wednesday afternoot • large number of peope,
cousistiog of most if the leading inhabitants at the
town and neighbost hoo I, gathered at the Royal hod!
Aseembly.rooins, ti witness the distribntion f puce.
t the suxesaful eCliolara by Lady Theodora Gue-t.
At the upper 01 of the room a plalorm had teen
erected, the to it being almost eutirely bi Id, n by
magnificeut fl iwers, while upon a table in the centre
were place I the v. ry han!lsonte books which were to
be dietrihukd.
Mr. G. E. 131.'ar recopied the chair, and in the
a rune of his omitting reinaik., said the occarriou for
which they w. re gathered hot, that reftei noon was
a new one, as far as Weymouth was concerned.
! This was the first oaxasion on which a public dia.
tributim of prizes for girls had taken place ii, Wry
mouth. This was the first puolic girls' school that
hut been eat blib.d iu Wayup ulh, and was the first
public distri .ution of prize. What they were doing
that day wee the reflex of an itnporteut movement,
whioh is goiug on through the land for the higher
education of the girls in this country. Their enceston
pad eery little attention to the education uf girls in
former generati ma. 1311 echoole were lib:rally
endowed, but endowments for girls' schools were ve y
few. Now there is • very important moveuieut
going on through the c .uutry tor the higher
education of girls, anl the lad in ti, move-
ment bad been taken by the Gir e Publi• Ihey School
Company, of which the Weymouth High School
ie a branch. ( Applause). On 01 the leaders iu this
movemeut was the Princess Louise, sal if there icon.
thing for whieh the Royal Family are not ul it is for
their eudeavours to increase the clue shoe,
ion and to
raise the intellectual standard of the people. This
coospaity in vie a very careful eeleetaon of their
mistresses. They took the greeter p Line to see th at
they get efficient mistresses. Ile thought that whet
he was about tr reed would speak for ited as to the
efficieucy of their indite:vie. (App.ause.)
pany sent examiners to these ...Moots ',anode .11y,
and such an examiustion ha I been held in Waymou h,
snl he hope I all the parents would reel the retort.
Tire Charm an then read extr seta fr ru the report ef
the 'luckier., which were ensineutly sati.fa :tory. lie
thoucht that the report showed there was no super-
ficiality in thie school, but that nye.), shlog that was
dose Was solid arid permanent. Truly woul I have the
opportunity of hearing the views -dose of the parents
with regard to the ochool. Another of the parents
would have been there, but he hod met with • sod
domestic bereaverneut which preveoted his atteuiling,
both, had sent • letter speaking le high terms of tire
school. They were also much disappointe 1 in not
having • gentleman who had pr mused to come, but
who had been suddenly called awe). to Cainbli ige He
hal written a ante in which he said that after fifteen
years' experience he considered there was no system of
such efficiency as the one they were eupporting in
Weymouth. There was • thing he wanted to spook of,
and that was, he did not thing it wa.generally knowu
there is•prepa, atory school in connectioi• with this high
tchool, nod r the =wag Anent of efficient teechere.
He was sure that it only wanted to be made Ina Iwo,
and people would semi their curl Irina there. Cuildren
from four to five years old are admitted, both boys and
girls. He should also like to meteors in regard to the
school established here, that Weymontb is toe
first small town is which the expar.inent of steatite
one of these 'comas had been tried. There were 27
of them school. In the la go towns c imp ising 5 000
scholar', but IVeyeem h was the first sin tow,, in
which one had hese eitablished, suit he thought they
ought to think it • very area: c onplimeut. ( tiopleuse.)
It woull be a very great disaster if it prove I • feilure,
and they ought to feel Met nit may would it be eu.b
a g. eat toes to them, but alai that it w odd ova &avec,
Weymouth, that list .ul I be sad that they shoal]
allow this school to be placed titer • and let it be lakes
away again because they would not support at. If it
fails iu Weymouth it is very well cattain that the
experiment would not be tried elewhere, and if it
does not pr Iva • SaCcede they would be depriving other
towns of the adva tage of a good school tor girls. The
chairman then addressed a few encouraging words to
the girls, in whico he trusted thet those woo had not
' gained prizei woul,l n los, heart, and that those who
hail gained prizes would be roemsl to greater exertious.
The girls then mum exeeediugly well, the following
, Cantata :
RID RIDING HOOD'il (MOM
Playmates, "0 one it iye &toil toils;" chortle,
" Away ti the Village Green ; " mother, " A Merry
II ousewife am I ;" Riling Ho I, " Wilde out at my
Play ; " mother, " I Want Y t Go ; " chorus,
"U ally, Gaily, 11 meward Botta I• " IL ding Go A,
"Deer Little Flowers ; flowers. " Ceeer You;"
wolf. " Where are you B .uud ? " weetinau, "A
Woodmen'.' Life ; " well, "Theme no Granolinother
Here ; " wooden's, "'Tie an 04 Wicked Wolf;"
duet—Riding Hoo 1 and woodman, "Away to our
How% Away, "chorus finale, '• Were Happy To.
night.
lowly Tmt oDORA Gem next di.tribut el the prizes
to the auccessful scholars in the undermentioned order :
—For the greatest matcher of in arks obtains I in ra
form. Form 4, Kate Pritchard; form 3, 0-rtrud•
Harding; firm 2, Al. ils.ch sr I. Soaci .1 di ti icti in
at th exam 11&11.,DS. Firm 4 —let, Kati Prjr Cl,lll ;
2.4, Mabel Vinceat ; 34, El h B reason (the prize
for needlework, presents I by Mrs. Penny, was also
won by Fel.th Seabees). F. 4.1.1 3—l ir, Gertrude
Marling: 24, Ada Eliot. Form 2—Marie,. Eliot;
Latin, Mary Paul ; French. Ethel Lhelingoin ;
arithmetic, Mabel Vincent (obtained the highest
possible marks).
As each young lady received her prize from Lady
Thood!ire Guest the audiences heavily applau led.
Mr. Eiden' said that he had • very pleasant Announce.
meth ti make. La ly Theodora Guest had anthori.ed
him to annocnce that she would give a special prize
for needlework next year.
Canon SPIPRILIIIoN, in making • few remarks, said
one sentence in the prospectus csught his ear, enl that
was "That thi. school is started as a serious endeavour
for teaching girl, the business and Ilutie. of life." 'foie
was ea &tidy what was wanted, ant he felt that if that
was their object it wonI•1 be a success. The education
of girls was rushing raiii.l atriles in the times in whirls
they lived. In the .r National ticho 4. most marked
progress had been made. It. was very favourable to
this new co le which had just come in, and when the
mistress came to him with • long face about the amount
of neellework to be done he was only Owl of n,,,1
thought them re the better. He did not know what
Was done at the High Srhool, but he thought that they
ought to be very thankful that Lady Tbecailora Greet
should give • special priz for this ohj ct next
year. He did thick they wanted girl. tanght ti d
something. Ni doubt they wanted ti give girls& high
education' but still he did think they wanted
to teach them what to do. He felt sure
that the a Ivatitage of having such • Pchool
as this was something c ins' lerable. Pe ode would
!n t met In Wsnnotlth unless they could send
their children where thee a usi I be prsper.y Imagist.
He did not wish to say anything log hint the Id
teachera, but there was no quest on Oa, provide-I
them with a b-tter cyst-m of eduee•l .n, lie expreme I
his ',rest pleasure at being invited to be with them.
It showed him the, they wasted to place religi in with
edtvational work. lie felt that the great thing they
wanted was to b!ing the children to the feet of the
Great Teacher and Great blaster. What would be
the advantage of giving them qoautities of b mks, and
not give them Me Book, an I make them familiar
with its Vischings ; but he believe I that those who
were entrusted with this work were desirous id citing
them the Book and teaching them the truths it c
in-
talead, and he believed tbs. that wee their obj-ct in
asking him to be present. He trusted that increseinz
Meese might attend the laboure of those connected
with the school.
The Rev. WooD spoke al • parent who had
• connection with the school, and bore testimony to
Its efficiency, and .poke in the highest terms of the
headmistress, MI.. Firth, and the lady see
He wished continued prosperity and long life to the
Weymouth High School for Girls.
Mr. Ihnos followed with an interesting address
upon the education of girl..
The YLteon wsa very plasmal to be there that
afternoon, and was also very gratifl el to listen io the
speechee. Education was an aboolute nececelty ; they
bed only to go foto the neighb uring villages stud see
the labourers' children, and they w old see that
salgssrlon was an absolute necessity for the middle
Claws. He was wire this High School 111115 en
absolute necessity to Weym iuth, hut they tnn.t make
It Int iwn, for there was no such achool in th. conut•,
and he hoped that t w !uld be gr-a.ly lucre veil. He
Mewed • vote of thanks to L any Theo bra Guar.,
who bad taken the trouble sod inoonvenience to come
down there and give the pilzes to the various young
ladies who bad earned thew (Appletve.) It was
Very good of her, indeed, and would be ono mine
added to her long roll of g ioul ilesde. He 'label they
could have been sitting near him to have heard the
kind expressions she used to the children when dis-
Whetting the priz-s.
Mr. °MIMI. propose I • vote of thanks to Mr. Eliot
for presiding, and the meeting terminated.