S TASMANIAN SCHOOL OF 



I cannot fancy a more suitable career for your Tasmanian 

 boys, such as I know them (active, courageous, and full of 

 life and vigour, fond of all sports), than the fields and forests, 

 for which such a scheme as I propose would prepare and 

 enable them to exploit to their own advantage and to that 

 of their country. Not only would they benefit from a 

 materfal point of view, but occupied away from towns, with 

 all their seductions and temptations, they would, in your 

 bush, fields, and orchards, most likely become, both physically 

 and morally, finer and better men. I wish I could impress 

 upon parents, and particularly on the mothers and daughters 

 of Tasmania, the importance I think they should attach to 

 the completion of this project, and get them to use their 

 utmost influence, so valuable and all-pervading, in a matter 

 which concerns both their own family interests, and in which 

 the welfare of their boys is so deeply involved, feeling certain 

 that any successful exertions on their part to get such a 

 school founded will eventually be amply rewarded by the 

 results acquired. 



You have also numerous agricultural, horticultural, pas- 

 toral, and other similar societies in Tasmania. I would 

 propose that some of the most important of them should 

 send one or more of the most promising scholars in their 

 districts to the examinations, and, if returned successfully, 

 pay all or part of their expenses during their education at 

 the school. They could scarcely do anything more calculated 

 to benefit the interests they wish to promote. 



Now, supposing that such a school will, as I trust, be 

 established, what I propose is this — Boys intended to benefit 

 by the instruction it will afford them should, after having 

 attained their thirteenth or fourteenth year, and completed 

 their usual schooling term, be entered for it. An exami- 

 nation, one half written, one half verbal, to prove that the 

 candidate is up to the standard in reading, writing, spelling, 

 arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, geography, and 

 the first general principles of physical science, with a volun- 

 tary examination in French or German (to count as five 

 points each, and to be added to any deficiency in English 

 or Geometry), should be compulsory before admission. The 

 two first examinations should, I think, be of such a nature 

 as to allow ordinarily well educated boys from good schools 

 to pass without much difficulty, and, as the number of 

 pupils increase and the popularity of the school is estab- 

 lished, the questions might be made more difficult. The 

 maximum of points attributed to the different subjects 



