Speech day and prize-giving, 14 December 1905

The Daily Telegraph, 15 December 1905 p 4:

THE SCHOOLS.

SYDNEY BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

The annual distribution of prizes, University certificates, and medals in connection with the Sydney High School took place yesterday afternoon at the school premises, and Mr. O'Conor (Minister for Public Instruction) presided. Other official visitors included Mr. P. Board (Under-Secretary to the department), Mr. J. W. Turner (Assistant Under-Secretary), Mr. J. Dawson (Chief inspector), and Mr. W. M'Intyre (Deputy-Chief Inspector).

The report, which was read by Mr. Waterhouse, the headmaster, was of a satisfactory character. The number of boys on the roll, it was stated, was 274, and the work of the school during the year had been marked by diligence, regularity, and punctuality, and results had been entirely successful.

The Australian Star, 15 December 1905 p 7:

The head master, Mr. J. Waterhouse, M.A., reported that the attendance was still increasing, the enrolment for the year being 274. The course of instruction, followed was calculated to secure a good all-round mental development, and to enable those who wish to do so to pass the various University exams, with credit, in short, the course of instruction was a liberal and liberalising one.

Adverting to the time devoted to home study of an evening, Mr. Waterhouse said that the University authorities allowed candidates to take up ten subjects, whereas in his judgment, the maximum should be eight. The consequence was that their boys, who were naturally ambitious, must devote considerable time to home study in order to become and remain proficient in those ten subjects. Again, a number of parents expect their sons to accomplish in 16 months' work what they should not attempt under 28 months—in other words, they compel their sons to sit for exam. 12 months before they should. The remedy was simple. Let the University authorities reduce the number of subjects for the senior from ten to eight, and let parents be reasonable, and allow their sons to remain at school for two and one-third years after passing the junior before insisting upon their taking the senior.

The Daily Telegraph, 15 December 1905 p 4:

Candidates from the school had done very well at the University examinations, 56 per cent. of them passing the matriculation examination. The results of the senior and junior examinations had been very creditable to the school, and F. W. Robinson had won the blue riband of the examinations.

The Daily Telegraph, 15 December 1905 p 6:

the Minister for Public Instruction deprecated the practice of sending lads to the University at too early an age. "Why,” he said, "many or them go there when they are hardly out of knickerbockers. They become, no doubt, very fine reporters of facts, but after all, they are just human phonographs, and phonographs of any sort are of no good except as curiosities."

It was, of course, Mr. O'Conor continued, a great advantage to accumulate a vast amount of interesting but useless facts, and to associate daily with brilliant intellects; but it was necessary for students to be old enough to appreciate this advantage, and the opportunity which it afforded. His opinion was that the University would do well not to open its gates to lads under 18 years of age.

The Daily Telegraph, 15 December 1905 p 4:

The Minister … said that the boy who took the greatest joy out of prize-day was not the boy who obtained the most prizes. He congratulated F. W. Robinson, the winner of the John West and Grahame medals in the senior examination, and he assumed that this went to show that there was still some vitality left in the Public Instruction Department, in spite of all that had been said about the syllabus. No doubt there were defects in the system of primary education, but he was sure that there would never be perfection. But while public schoolboys were achieving brilliant successes, there could not be very many, or very serious, defects. The department, however, was not going to rest on it oars. It recognised that the brilliant boy could look after himself, and the aim of the department would be to adapt conditions to the ordinary boy. As for the Sydney Boys' High School, he congratulated masters and boys on the success of the year. In conclusion, the Minister agreed, on the request of the headmaster, to grant the boys an extra week's holiday on account of the school's success in the senior examinations. The announcement was received with riotous cheers.

The prizes were then distributed by Mr. O'Conor. The following were the form prizes: —

6A. — A. S. Walker, 1; A. L. Campbell, F. W. Robinson, 2. Special prize, F. A. Booth.

6B.— H. R. Hodgkinson. 1; L. C. Norton, 2.

5A Upper.— E. M. Farmer, 1; E. Pullen, 2.

5 A. Lower.— G. Millar, 1; F. Agar. 2.

5B.— C. Bourne, 1; A. E. Moore, 2.

4 A. — A. Williams, 1: P. Richards, 2.

4B.— C. Long, 1; S. Paterson, 2.

3A.— J. Holland, 1; O. Rainbow, 2.

M. Perier's prizes for French.— J. Nield, 1; H. Larcombe, 2.

Old Boys' Union Prize. H. Wenholz.

Headmaster’s Prizes for distinction in University Examinations.—Senior: F. W. Robinson, A. L. Campbell, and A. S. Walker. Junior: M. Levy and H. R. Hodgkinson.

See also: Sydney Morning Herald, 15 December 1905 p 11.