456 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



At present, however, we have only to do with those who are 

 competing for the District Junior Scholarships. I need hardly 

 say that very much more importance is attached to their 

 literary than to their scientific attainments. 



We may suppose the examination over, and that some 

 practical man, not acquainted with our school -teaching, on 

 being requested to address the successful candidates, speaks 

 as follows: "Boys and girls, you have been awarded the 

 highest distinction for scholarship in the district schools ; and 

 there are, as you know, not only honour but also certain emolu- 

 ments attached to this distinction. The object of this is to 

 give you the power of developing your natural talents so that 

 you may prove a benefit to this young country. You know 

 that all that has been done in developing the wealth and 

 resources of New Zealand is the work of scientific men ; try, 

 therefore, by diligent attention to your teachers, and by 

 devotion to your studies, to become worthy successors to these 

 great men who have done so much, and are doing so much, 

 for New Zealand." 



Now, after this exhortation, let us see what we do with 

 these young people — the hope of the country. They are at 

 once put to work on their new course of studies, and Latin is 

 made of primary importance. Let us be under the mark, and 

 say seven hours with a teaclier and eight hours per week pri- 

 vate study : that is, fifteen hours out of the whole number — 

 say, forty hours per week. The twenty-five hours that remain 

 are for the study of English, French, history, mathematics, 

 and science. 



This great devotion to Latin is not the whim of the school- 

 master. The course is laid down by the higher powers for 

 those who wish to give proof of their diligence and ability by 

 the offer of senior scholarships, at which examination four 

 times as many marks are assigned for Latin as for chemistry. 

 The real question, then, for an ambitious and talented candi- 

 date is, How can Latin be best learned? The only answer is, 

 Devote plenty of time to it. 



After the student succeeds in gaining this scholarship an- 

 other goal is placed before him — the University Junior Scholar- 

 ship — where the great subject is Latin. Thus we see that at 

 the lowest computation the study of this much - revered 

 language absorbs at least one-third of secondary school and of 

 college life — say, three years out of nine. Try and imagine 

 what reams and reams of paper are used yearly by each stu- 

 dent in writing this language, whilst, if we take into account 

 all the students since an impulse was given to Latin studies, 

 some twenty years ago, the paper used would make a vast 

 pile. If all this Latin-covered paper was made into bricks 

 there would be sufficient to build a tower of Babel that, if 



