The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-10-22 00:00:00

THE INSTITUTE.

DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES.

The annual distribution of prizes to the pupils
attending the evening classes at the Institute took
place On Tuesday evening last, by George Perry,
Esq.
The Rev. D. Maginnis in a few preliminary re-
marks stated that the French class was conducted
by 'Mons. De Vat, Latin by Miss Maginnis, Mathe-
matics by Mr. Southall, and English by Mr. Shoe-
baton). Ile said that the attendance at the begin.
lag of the
Iso e 3; B
sioon was, Latin 6; French 20;
Mathematics
-keeping 15 ; English 6. As
in former years, in the course of the winter, there
was a falling off in the attendance of some in the
Latin class, but the attendance of sor 6 was
most satisfactory to his daughter, and th.e dili-
gence was everything that could be desired. The
owl drawback to her satisfactory obj, ct was to the
effect that no two of the students were equally
..dvsncetl, so that the students constituted five dis-
tinct classes. The progress of those five, on the
whole, she reported, was very satisfactory. In the
French class there was the falling off which he had
referred to in the attendsnee. A considerable
number continued good to the end, and at the ex-
amination held at the close of the session some of
the students distinguished themselves very much
indeed. Mr. Patishall obtained the full number of
marks assigned in the senior division, and Miss
Phcebe Evers gained full marks in the junior
divist n, In the Mathematic class the attendance
was very good throughout, and the work on the
whole was very satisfactory. In Book-keeping the
attendance did not keep up, but there was an ex-
amination in which two students acquitted them-
selves very well indeed, one of them, he was glad to
say, was a girl. He wished more girls would take
it into their heads to learn book-keeping for their
own little household affairs —they would find it
very u'eful indeea ; and also if they wanted to
enter into business situations. Although there
were only those two, the Committee thought it
right to acknowledge their industry.
Mr. Perry said he was glad to render his humble
tribute of admiration at the zeal which had aniinas
ted the Rev. D. Maginnis and othe .s associated
with him, in the establishment of the classes at the
institute. He remembered when the South Staf-
fordshire Association was desiring to promote the
establishment of classes in different centres, he had
some doubt as to the matter being carried out at
Stourbridge. Classes, ho sever, were set on foot,
and had been carried on every winter since and he
urged that young persons, who had left school,
could not do better than employ their leisure time
in availing themselves of the advantages of those
classes there carried on.

The prizes were then distributed as foliows
Latin: Ist, Miss M. Broomhall; 2nd Mr. E. I
Bridgwater. French (junior) : Ist, Mr. Patishall ;
2nd, Mr. Carder ; junior, Ist, Miss 131-o3be livers;
2nd, Miss Folkes. Mathematics : Ist, Mr. W. B.
Carder ; 2nd, Miss S. Bridgwater. Prizes were .
also awarded to Mr. If. Bennett, Mr. W. Burton,
Mr. W. Pagett and Mr. Hammond. Book-keeping:
Mr. G. A. Ince, and Miss S. Bridgwater. Anglish
Mr. I. Bridgwater and Mr. W. Whitehouse.

Mr. J. B. Shepherd, commenting on the fact
that the prizes were taken by young women as well
as young men, said he was pleased to see the suc-
cess with which young women were devoting them-
selves to educational pursuits. It had been a re-
proach to men in the past that they had not only
encourage], but put hindrance in the way of young
women obtaining athquate education. Even at
the present time, female education was very heavily
handicapPed thruushout the land. In their own
neighbourhood there was a large grammar school,
which had booii oxilitouce for AWN that NO