Speech day and prize-giving, 17 December 1890

The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 1890, p 9:

SCHOOL SPEECH DAYS.

SYDNEY HIGH SCHOOL.

The Minister for Public Instruction (Mr. J. H. Carruthers) yesterday afternoon distributed the prizes won by the scholars of the Sydney High School, Elizabeth and Castlereagh streets. He first of all visited the girls' department, and distributed the prizes to the successful students amidst great applause.

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Mr. CARRUTHERS then proceeded to the boys' department and distributed the prizes and University certificates. Last year, he said, he had the distinguished honour and pleasure to attend their annual gathering, and he was very glad to be there again on the occasion of their Christmas breaking-up, and to find that the school had progressed with undiminished vigour and with undiminished success. Their record of 1899 had been surpassed by their 1890 record, and as they were in an age of progress—especially as regards education—it was a matter of sincere congratulation to the teachers and to themselves to have kept pace with the times and with the educational establishments of the colony. They had had difficulties to contend with in carrying on educational work in those buildings, but those difficulties would in a short period be removed, and they would have an opportunity of conducting the affairs of the Sydney Boys' High School in a building built according to the modern experience of school requirements and fitted with everything necessary for the education of boys, in a position which could not be surpassed. With these advantages he hoped the Sydney High School would be able to show a still better record. That was the last occasion that the breaking-up of the School would take place in that building, and if he had the honour and pleasure to meet them again next year, it would be in the new buildings in Ultimo. They were building two large schools for High school purposes, one would be carried on, as far as possible, on the lines of the present High School, and the other would be established as a Technical High School, for the purpose of giving a thorough technical education, fitting the boys for entering hereafter upon engineering, surveying, and other professional pursuits in which it was necessary to have technical training. He hoped that by the 1st of March they would see the new school fully established and in working order. They would have chemical laboratories and other special buildings, in order that they might give in the most fitting and perfect manner, instruction in special subjects. With the advantage of having the workshops of the Technical College for their use, and the advantage of technical machinery and the college's great museum for their education, it would be an establishment, as far as equipment was concerned, that would compare favourably with any school in the world. (Applause ) It had been a reproach to Australia and to its natives that whilst there were a great number of high positions in their community—high professional positions and high public positions—they had unfortunately to be filled by importing men from other countries. Without saying it was either right or wrong, he would say that it had been found absolutely necessary to do so in very many cases. They had in almost all of their great positions—engineer-in-chief for railways, engineers for harbour and rivers, managers of their great commercial undertakings—to bring men from other parts of the world simply because they possessed the knowledge required for the positions, and because it had been found impossible to select men from their own countrymen who possessed the knowledge to a sufficient degree. He did not want to be narrow-minded either in his ideas or in politics, and so he did not wish to preach the doctrine of “Australia for the Australians," but be desired to come as close to it as possible, and to produce that sentiment amongst the scholars. As far as possible they should strive to have men of their own country fitted to take their positions, and the only way to fit them was to educate them up to the required standard. With regard to engineering, they had not hitherto been able to give to the Australians that engineering education required to fit them to step forward and take high engineering portions so frequently offered in the colonies of Australia. They had now founded a school of engineering at the University under an able professor, and they were establishing a school of engineering in the Technical College, and if they were going to educate the young men in the engineering school they must take them into the High school and let them graduate from there to the Technical College and then to the University. With a view to qualifying the young natives to take positions in the engineering world the establishment of the Technical High School was a step in the right direction. He knew of a number of instances of children being sent to other countries to be educated, and hundreds were leaving for New Zealand and South Australia to study agriculture. It was the intention of the department to make the Technical School a benefit to the community on as easy terms as possible. The Technical School would assist a number of young men rising in ambition, intellect, and intelligence to qualify themselves for responsible positions. He congratulated the scholars upon the success at the University examinations, and he congratulated the teachers. (Applause.) Besides educating the young men of this colony, the High School was doing other good work in turning out good and useful citizens. He referred to the advantages of the cadet training, and concluded his address by extending the vacation to five weeks.

The Head Master (Mr. J. Coates) then read his annual report, which stated that the numbers had been fully maintained, and the highest quarterly attendance amounted to 267. The work of the school had proceeded without any interruption, and he could still use the same favourable terms which he had employed in former years in speaking of the conduct and progress of the boys and of the general tone of the school. In addition to the general inspection, they had continued to make full use of the various examinations connected with the University during the year, and not only were their numbers larger at the matriculation, senior, and junior examinations, but the average quality of the passes was considerably higher. Twelve of the pupils passed the matriculation and law examinations, nine passed the senior, and forty the junior. There was one matter on which he should like to say a few words. Much had been written and said lately as to boys being allowed to select special subjects, instead of compelling all boys, whether clever or stupid, ambitious or sluggish, to pass through the same educational processes to the same intellectual results. In an age like the present, when specialism was more and more demanded, it was the duty of the teacher to discover a boy's special aptitude, and to encourage it. The boys who displayed a literary taste required a linguistic and literary culture. The boys with a pronounced scientific or mathematical faculty should be trained accordingly. The difficulty was not so much how to arrive at an accurate classification, but how best to combine with the special education those elements of general knowledge which were regarded as indispensable.

Cheers were given for Mr. Carruthers and for Mr. Coates, and the singing of the National Anthem brought the proceedings to a close.

The following are the prize lists:—

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Boys' Department.—Honors:--3A: B. C. Nesbitt, 1; C. Smith, 2; W. P. Dunlop, 3. A. Manning, 1; W. Lennox, 2; W. Ennever, 3. 4C: Amphlett, 1; Attwell, 2; Schoefield, 3. 4B: T. W. Irish 1, H. Carter, 2; E. Winch and A. Fletcher, 3. 4A: J. C. Irish, 1; E. F. Barnett, 2; J. Lusley, 3. 5B: J. B. Holdsworth, 1; H. A. Studds, 2; R. E. Cooke, 3. 5A: Bowmaker, 1; M’Cooke, 2; Stephen, 3. 6: J. P. Wood, 1, H. Dixon, 2; A. B. Davies, 3. Senior examination: J. P. Wood, F. W. S. Zlotkowski, C. N. Mell, H. H. Dixon, H. A. Smith. Junior examination: H. S. Dettman, T. Muir, W. G. Forsyth, S. Cock, W. Freeman. University silver medals: J. P. Wood, geometry and trigonometry: F. W. S. Zlotkowski, English; T. Muir, physics. School medals: J. P. Wood, F. W. S. Zlotkowski, H. S. Dettman. Physics: W. J. Doak, R. Sidey, E. Merrington. Drawing: M. Barnett, J. C. Irish.

See also: The Daily Telegraph, 18 December 1890, p 3; Evening News, 18 December 1890, p 5.