PRIZE
DAY.
HIS year again, owing to the continuance of the war, Pl'i~e Day was shorn of its full glory and honour. There was nothmg. of the glitter and sparkle associated with a distributi.on in public. Laclnng was the brilliant tout ensembl e made up by the bnght eyes and pr~tty fro?ks of the girls, the shining evening faces of the boys, the approvmg smlles and glances of parents and wellwishers, and, lastly, that a~~embl~g~ on the platform, so dear to the heart of the Go,vel'l1?rs, so c?rdl~lly dlshked by the Staff, wherein seldom except u.~ a U111verslty ,fU?ctlOXl It~~lf, are so many different representative academlC hoods seen m JuxtaposltlOn. Yet in spite of the restricted space in the school hall, the large number of the pupils, and the absence of book prizes, it was unanimously ~greed that the Prize Distribution on Nov. 15th was one of the most enjoyab le and successful functions the school has ever celebrated. Appended is an account of the afternoon's proceedings taken from one of the local papers. 'rhe programme commenced with the singing of the school song, " Per laborem ad honorem," and Mrs. Court was presented with a beautiful bouquet by Hilda Foulkes. . The Chairman complimented the old boys and girls on the entertainment they gave in order to provide Christmas parcels for the lads at the front. They gave a delightful presentation of Sh'a kespeare's " Twelfth Night." Postal Orders and cheques would be gratefully received, and would help to swell the total amount. '1'00 much could not be done in the way of providing comforts for the boys who were fighting bravely, whilst others were snug at home. With reference to the school, the results last year were not quite lip to the usual standard, but it should be remembered they had lost valuable teachers in Mr. White, Mr. Bi-ier and Mr. Anderson, and many of the se1110r lads had left before they would otherwise have done, with the full consent of the Governors, to engage in work of national importance. All things (;onsidered, hO'~Tever, he thought the headinaster took a too pessimistic view of the result, and the governors were perfectly satisfied with the work of the past session. He appealed to the senior boys and girls to combine in loyally assisting the depleted staff to maintain order and discipline in the school. He was gln,d to learn that the period of school life was extending, and he appealed to parents, where circumsbu.nces would a.llow, to permit their children to remain in the school as long as possible. in regard to the public spirit which was so characteristic of the :;lhrge public schools of England, he said this was a young school, but the growth of that spirit was nevertheless noticea,ble, and he hoped that it would be f,)stered so that its impress might Le made upon the future lives of the students. The headmaster was anxious that the spirit which prompted little acts of kindness, chivalry, and unselfishness, despising everything mean, and which went to the building up of the national character, should be fosttred. Referring to the boys who had answered the country's call, and gained distinction in th\l.t service, he said they had learned more than scholarly atta.inments, and he thought they ought to recognise their brave deeds by giving them a cheer. Crhree hearty cheers were here given .) Some had laid down their lives, and h e did not think in vain, for their names, which he hoped would be inscribed on a marble tablet in the school ball, would be an inspiration to the students of the future. Addressing the girls, the Chairman said that the balance of power was in their hands. They pulled the strings and the boys only danced. The women also had heard the call of country, and had responded nobly. They were doing more than theil' share in helping towards that victory which was surely coming, and in view of the greater responsibility which would devolve upon them in the future it was for the girls to discreetly and well develop the characters of the boys in after life, thus helping to make a better and nobler England. . The Headmaster then presented his report on the work of the past year. In this, Mr. Daniel referred to the fact that in addition to the 1;hree masters serving in the Forces, there are at present, so far as can be traced, 96 old boys in the Army, 9 in the Navy, and three in the Air Serviue, 17 of these holding commissioned and 21 non-commissioned rank. The school rose and remained standing while the following names on the Roll of Honour were read:Cuthbert H. Saunders, H.obert Walton Crawford, William Gibson, John Logan, :'l.lbert lVletcalfe, Carl H. Robinson, Roger Linton Steel, Richard Phillips, Thomas Linaker Kendall, J ames Frederick GOl'don Ashworth, Alfred King, Joseph William Nicholson, William Balmer. The Chairnnn Raid whi lst they mourned the loss of those lives their hearts went out ill sympathy to the pa,reuts and relatives who had lost their loved ones, a song of tha,nkfulnebs must rise in their hearts when they thought of the no~le way ill which they died. D1.lce et (~e C01'1l?n est
T
pl'O patl'ia llWl¡i.
The prizes were presentec1 to tho successful students by Mrs. Court, who was heartily thanked on the motioll of . the Bev. Father Delany, seconded by Miss Haines. 'rhere were recitations by Hilda Foulkes, (" The happy warrior,") J. 'r. Parkinson (" Admirals All ") and songs by the students, conducted by Mr. Nott, (" Send him victorious") and" The Soldiers' Chorus" (from " Faust "), the function concluding with the singing of "God Save the King.'