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'ELSTERNWICK STATE SCHOOL.
THE OPENING CEREMONY: J
The new State eoliool at Elstcrnwick wr4
opened yesterday afternoon by tho Minister of
Education. At tho ceremony, which took placo
in the largest room of the building, thoro wore
present, in addition to tho Minister, tho
Rov. J. Rickard, a member of tho board of
advieo, in tho chair ; Mr. T. Bent, M.L.A. and
mayor of Brighton ; Cr. David Muuro, Mr. H.
R. Reid, a member of the improvement com-
mitteo ; Mr. H. M. Matheson, head master,
formorly of Campbell's Creek ; and a large num
ber of the pupils, with their parents andfrionds.
It was stated that Mr. Burrowes, chairman of
tho board of advice, was absent through serious
illness. Tlie buildiDg was erected at a cost of
£1300 upon land given by the Brighton council;
It will accommodate 200 children, aud thcro are
already 180 on the rolls.
Mr. Reid, iu offering a few words of welcome
to the Minister of Education, said tho board bad
secured ono of tho best teachers of tlie colony
in tho person of Mr. Matheson. Ho had only
' ono fault to find with tho school— it was not
large onough to meet the requirements of tlio
rapidly growing district. The two great wants
of tho colony were sanitation for the body and
sanitation for tho mind. It was a disgrace that
such numbers of adults nnd children should be
dying of discoses.cnused by had drainage. He
believed in the secular system for schools, but
not iu secularism run mad. Such men ns
Cobden, Gladstone and Bismarck had spoken
strongly on the importance of religion, aud ho
(Mr. Roid) was in favor of tlio Biblo boing
taught, without note "br comment, in everv
Stato school.
l 5?1'" slated that tho school was
-oeon — . months ago in St. Ciehicuvs Church,
with an atteudanco of 73 children. Ho took
charge of it at tlio oiid of July, aud lie, as well
as the temporary teacher who preceded liim,
had to refuse many children for want of room.
There were 180 children iu tho now school that
morning, and at tho end of tho week lio
expeoted that the attendance would reach 200.
Ho noticed that tho Minister of Education had
doeided that tho examinations for tho future
should bo ou tho programme of instruction — that
was, tho work tho children wore taught. For the
last 14 or 15 years he had been a very
strong advocate of that. Iuspeotorsand teachers
genorally now acknowledged that, that was tho
truo way to hold examinations. AVhat was re-'
quired to make the system perfect was that
every school in the colony should bo examined
ou ono day upon tbo same set of examination
papers. Undor the present system teachers
often took examination papers from another
school aud worked tlio children up iu them on
tho chance that they would get tho saino
examination papers. No doubt, also, tlicro
Bhouid bo more oral questioning at examina
tions, as reoommouded by the Rev. Mr. "Wilde.
It would not do to sweep awiiy examinations
altogother. Ho appealed to the parents to send
their ohildreu reguiorly to school, and to seu
thnt thoy learned their lessons at night.
Mr. C. H. Pearson,. Minister of Education,
said he had a particular pleasure in 'corning out.
to opon the Eisteruwick school, bccauso'by'thei
munificent liberality of tho municipality of
Brighton tho omle ground ou wliich it was
built bad boon given. Tho department had
tried to meet the Eistornwick people in a
corresponding spirit. They opeucd a temporary
school without regard to the fact thnt they were
oa the point of building, and the result was
that they had already, brought togother a lar-o
number of pupils. They had, iu fact, succeeded
ft littlo too well, because on looking over tho
entries lio saw that' thoy would havo'
to add another room immediately, (Cheers.)
But it did not do always to build ou too largo a
sonlo at first. It avijs possible for a place to go
down as well as up, .and tho Stato could nob
afford to build first class schools in all plaoos
where they were recommended. Besides getting
a good school, tho pobplo of Elstcrnwick had gob
ono of tho very bosb teachers tho department
could give thorn, (Applause. ) In using thoso
words ho was not speaking in any more spirit of
compliment — lio was giving the exact report of
Mr. Mntheson's efficiency whioh would bo given
by all tlio senior oflicors iu the department. His
record wns seoond to none. Therefore lie
thought ho might safely" say that tho depart
ment had launched the Eisteruwick school with
every possiblo Buceess ; aud it rested witli tho
parents toseotliattliochildrenatteuded regularly
for without tliat tho best teacher could do com
paratively little. Tho Rov. Mr. "Wilde, ono of
tho "English inspectors of schools, who recently
visited this colony, had reported that our elder
children "were quite equal to tho children in
British schools, but he noted tho fact that wo,
kopt them a littlo too long at school. He (Mr.
Pearson) hoped thoy would bo able toseo theirway
to correot that. On tlio other hand, Mr. AVilda
said our younger children wero taught rather
too little. The iuspeotors uro now considering
in what way thot might be remedied. It iuust
bo " remombercd that when the department
began its labors years ago it was obliged to work
with teachers who wore not equal to thoso tlioy
now possessed, and it had to gather in children
who wore iu many instances wild. Conse
quently it was thought necessary to repeat
the work ovor and over again, and tliat hail
introduced tlio system of examining in the work
of. the previous class. He was glad Mr "
Matheson approved of tlio change ho had made
in examining tho work of tho class, but lie was
afraid that iu somo schools, where tho teaching
was not equal to Mr. Matheson's, there would
be a littlo murmuring. Ho (Mr. l'carson) liaci
always held tho opinion tliat there ought ;
to be. a great deal more oral examination.
Tho inspector who talked to children, and
learned by word of month what they were
doing, generally got a better idea of tlio prog rc..<<
thoy wero making than the inspector who only
put questions ou papers. Ho had increased tlio
number of inspectors, witli tho view of making
this ohango possible. A great training college
was being built in Melbouruo, and ho hoped
there would bo conferences of teachers and
inspectors in it once a year upon tho changes it
was most desirable to introduce in tho educa
tion system. Mr. Reid alluded to a matter
of tho deepest importance. Ho (Mr. Pearson)
entirely agreed with him' in thinking that the
prosperity of a nation was built upon religion.
(Ohcers.) Ho did uot believe it wus possible tu
introduce dogmatic teaching into our schools.
But although they could not ask many hundreds,
of teachers who held every possiblo kind ol
religious viow to teach from any specific book,
however excellent it might be, thoro was nothing
m our educational system which prohibited
teachers from iuouleatlng tho spirit of the Bible.
Teachers wero bound to teach ovory boy that
it was wrong to lio and wrong to shuffie,
and that it was right to bo generous, loyal and
just iu all their actions. No teacher properly
performed his work unless ho tried to breathe a
moral spirit into nil ho did. Ho believed tliat
most of the teachers did that, and that they
did it with so much tact and discretion that no
cry was over mado about nttcmpts to inoulcato
dogma. He was convinced it was far butter-
that thoy should go on iu tliat way than that
there should be pcrpotunl complaints nt head
quarters that a tenohcr was trying to bring
children ovor to his own communion, &c.
It was upon tho parents that tlie responsibility
rested of giving religious teaching, and lio
hoped to lieaveu that whatever else tho State
did, it would novor try to relieve parents of
that responsibility. (Cheers.) Ho looked upon
tho playground as n most important part of the
sohool. Ill tho playground boys and girls
learned to respect one another, and not geue-
rbusly and forboaringly. Ho was oonvincud
that tho growth of lnrrikinism in this country,
though he thought it was enormously over
stated— (Hear, hear) — was duo, so far ns it
existed, to tho fact tliat wo had not had suffi-
oient provision madeln school nlnygroundB, so thut
thousands of children hail been compollcd
to play about tho streets. He hoped that gradu
ally we should remove that blot on our educa
tional Bystein altogether. In conclusion lie
naked that a half holiday might be given to tlie
pupils. It was now iiis pleasant duty to declare
this school open, aud to wish that it might see '
many prosperous days. (Cheers.)
Mr. Bent, M.L.A., raid ho was pleased that
tho Minister of Education had recognised the
action of tlio Brighton council in givinu the
land ou- which tlio sohool was built.
Ho believed thnt Mr. Pearson had
dono his best to raiso not merely the
status of ' the teachers, but also the system o!
education itself. Tho Brighton council had
reserves in otlier portions of tlie distriot, and he
Avas authorised by that body to say that if any
morb land wero required by tlio department for
school purposes they would hand it over as
they, had doiio iu tlio case of tlio site of this
school. (Cheers. )
; Gr. 'Mimro; in proposing a voto of thanks to
thb'Ministor of Education, expressed the opinion
tliat 'the Brighton council should raiso a loan foi
tlid construction of main drains so as tu reduce
thb number oi deaths from preventiblc disease.
"Mr. Batcliclor seconded the motion, which wai
carried by acclamation.
Mr. Pearson briefly acknowledged the com-
plimont.
Tho children then sang a verso of thb National
Anthem, and tho proceedings terminated with a
voto of thanks to tho chairman, moved by- Mr.
Bent.
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