The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-10-11 00:00:00

DORCHESTER BRMER SCHOOL.

The annual prile examination of the scholars of
Dorchester Bdtish School took pleas last Friday
evening, before & large audience of the parenta of the
children and supporters of the school. As has been
customary, there wee a public tea meeting in ths
school-room before the examination coommeneed, and
the pupils themselves were provided for In that matter
at the Independent ashool-room, South-dna. By
seven o'clock the boys and erla were in their plants,
end the room was thronged. It will be noticed this is
now • " mixed wheal": teaching boys and adds together
has been adopted hereto/ the first time in the peat year.
The arguments for and against en& • course have long
ego been exhausted, so we may be content with saying
the results., after a year's experience, amply warrant •
continuance of the mixed system. Ths room was very
nicely derrated with garland' of flowers, intend:ad
with greenery at every coin of vantage, and on the
walls were &Spinet:4=a iturtitti=livgc;.l:-..i:
Manes." tha lade
tias long shows deep interest in the -sehool, presided,
and was supported on the
.idatform by. the Rev. T.
Neave, the Rev. .1. Eimith, Mr. Ootuorior J. Bishop,
and Kr. W. Olive. The examination wee commeard
by Ms. Holmes, of Athelhamptou, questioning the
children to teat their knowledge of the ticriptares. lie
exiunined them particularly on the history of Joseph,
and the pupils gave gratifying iridium of an intelligent
apprehension of the leading hitedellte in his life and
Its lessons for them. The Chairman remarked that
Jorph did not do a thing, having the power,
but list sated if It was right to do so I Let them
follow Joseph's example. This was followed by a song,
" Life still enjoy, friends." All the singing was en-
aesompanisd,and it was mare pretentious but lam parted
than in former years. (Ample cheerful melodies with
didaetie words an most suitable for school sone. Mr.
Wise, of Wareham, then examined theists' reading.
This was Indifferent: there were more mistakes made,
and a greater absence of proper emphasis than we have
observed for several jeers pert. It may have been that
the lesson selected was too difficult—we think it wan,
and the nervousness of use children may explain the
red, for, of amuse, reading before MO or 800 people is
a tdal to • boy or gir! of Bor 9. Next same • reale-
two The yaendau, This was very welvest, and
the boy who did " saw" evoked general laughter. An
examiaation in spelling followed, persona in • audience
giving test words. The ens wars were uniformly correct,
and all sorts of difficult words wen given them. "How's
my boy 1" was briskly reglad by two of the gupil". Mr.
Holmes thou examined the pupils in
and they showed a fair knowledge or &Usage subject.
round, White sand and grey sand" followed, but, as
the tree divisions kept repeating the lame part, the
dadv of the piece wee tarred: A recitation, 'The
battle of Blenheim" was next, but the point of the poem
was obscured, for rat of emphasis on the lest" in
each verse; it will be remembered that the poem
depicts the horrors of war, and has for • retrain the
arch satire, "But 'ads • famous victory." Mr. adiths
thou questioned the pupils op general geography, and
their answers were highly creditable. 'Spanish boat
song" followed, and then a recitation "Charlie IL and
William Fenn," milk& was very fairly given. An
asaminatien in mental arithmetic by Mr, Wiwi followed,
and the boys were remarkably qaisk sad serrate in
their "°' ""es. A round "Do, re, ml, fa" concluded
the performances of the scholars.
The Bra T. Nears was then called an to address the
meeting. He said be should not to Mir epos them any. Ulm • speech at that late hoar but only express
the pleasure he had had lateemi to the examine-
MOIL He thought Mary would al/ wis with dm that
the examination reflected grat ws&t on the pupils for
their industry and apprehension, and showed that great
cue had been bestowed on them by thelr teachers; and
he believed the friends throated with the school, the
subscriber, and the parents, must be deeply gratified
by the results they had witnessed that evening. To
the pupils he would say he hoped they would persevere
In the good work they had begun, beers' there might
be great opportunities for them in connection with the
high offices of country. Only the other day the
Chancellor of the Exchequer—a man of eminent scholar.
thip and attainments himself—spring at a meeting
referred to the fart that the aril offices in this kingdom
are now open to the oompsilition of the whole people,
and are now filled by merit instead of
re • gnat advantage to the humblest child the
coultry, and also to those who provide the aroma
reyeana. He was math impressed by what Mr. Lowe
said. The right has. pntisman slated that there were
those occupying Aloes ta the civil service who were
very inadequately qualified to do work comniererabs
with the wages they received. Osse gentlesnae resolved
£lOO a year, and all he weld do was to fold up papers I
Now, he was quite sure there was not • boy
then present het wee dile to do far more
than that, and, therefore, in the future, they would
have a far higher opportunity of orapying such • pod-
don than that gendarme. He weld not my the result
of their examination had been perthotion, but, taking
all the snidest" together, he considered the pupils wre
entitled to a highly respirable oertiflostelteleulle
r l
Oor the profaner el the varsity of Waugh
was very careful in the Ole of epithets.and in taring
out the certilleates of the students used to apply various
words to distinguish his estimate of their several saps.
Whiles : one would be "doing tolerably well,"anothiar be
"hopeful," and so on, but ths highest sommendation
or all wee "highly respestable." So he pee them •
oestilloste which was creditable ia every mese, and he
hoped the friends of the school would Increase, If
possible, their Interest in it, for what they had to night
withered demanded on the part of all the heartiest
sympathy and support. He traded that no parent in
Dorchester would withhold Wm his *lid the advantage
of the education to be obtained at that school, for it
would be • great help to thee ie the ordinary business
of life. He anticipated the time was coming when
pupil" displaying ability would be enabled to go to a
grammar school, and from theses to the highest mats ,
of learning. An Edecatlas Bill had lately been
which would do • great deal for sidneation rsthdd'
randy, although the measure was not what. He
hoped. the day would rine whoa when we should have
compulsory edertion—(ruse)—whea every man's
child would reside at hands of the state se&
education as would fit hint or her for the duties of life.
He held it was no abridgment of right liberty to eoliths'
patience to have their Whir= actuated sad nada nodal
eitisams. Referring to the Fnuteo-Fruasian war, he
reminded them that reetted nor were the bad iodises
and hope this da would some In this emery when,
we shovld gat rid of • itsadiski man and every man
would have the good seem to he trained for the
of the liberty and the harmer of old England. Kany
old objections to edeadicia bed been oversaw*, but
there were yet those who would tell them that it later
-
fared with the due relations of life, errata sad
molders for example. lie did nal belles, that anything
was to be plaid by ignorer, whether In the Servant
of the hoar, or the workmen in the Esid or the shop,
at that edacatioa is. all-4zata the WAWA to