PRIZE DAY AT ABERDARE COUNTY SCHOOL.

The fourth annual prize-day in connection with the Aberdare County School was held on Thursday in the Constitutional-hall, Aberdare.—The chair was occupied by Mr. D. P. Davies, chairman of the governors, who in his introductory remarks gave some interesting statistics as to the growth of the school.—The Headmaster (Mr. W. Jenkyn Thomas), having read a lengthy report1, Mr. T. Marchant Williams, stipendiary magistrate, distributed the prizes and certificates, and in the course of an address said his old playground on the common was now built over by the county schools—buildings of great architectural beauty, in which such excellent work as had been detailed in that report was done. He urged parents to keep their children in school2 as long as possible, and dealt at length on the importance of methods of instruction, and not mere results at examinations, and also as to the importance of the tone of the school, to which no reference had been made in the report. A programme of music was afterwards rendered by the pupils, under the conductorship of Mr. T. Price, Merthyr, the travelling instructor in music.

Aberdare County School.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION.

There was a large gathering at the Constitutional Hall, Aberdare, on Thursday afternoon, on the occasion of the annual distribution of prizes to pupils of the Aberdare County School. The chair was occupied by Mr D. P. Davies, J.P., the chairman of the Governing Body, and he was supported by Mr T. Marchant Williams, stipendiary magistrate for the Merthyr district, who distributed the certificates and prizes; Rev. B. Lloyd, vicar of Mountain Ash; Rev. W. James, Mr G. George, J.P., Mr M. Morgan, J.P., Rev. T. Jones, Mr T. J. Evans, Hirwain; Mr J. D. Thomas, clerk to the governors; Mr W. Jenkyn Thomas3, headmaster; Mr J. Wallace Dodgson, Mr W. Charlton Cox, Miss White, Miss J. Griffiths, Miss Gardener, Mr E. Ogwen Williams, Mr Evan Williams, Miss Madge and Mr T. Price, Revs. R. E. Williams, Ynyslwydd [sic]; W. S. Davies, J. Griffiths, J. Morgan Jones, Dr. D. Davies Jones, Mountain Ash; Dr. Johnston, Cwmbach; Messrs G. A. Evans, Mountain Ash; S. Picton, Hirwain; and S. R. Hopkins. The Chairman said that out of the 94 county schools in Wales Aberdare stood well to the front. It was one of the first ten. (Hear, hear.) The school took premier position in the county as far as private scholarships were concerned—in fact, out of 25 private scholarships given at the various county schools in the county of Glamorgan, 15 were given at Aberdare. Mr W. Jenkyn Thomas, the headmaster, presented the fourth annual report. On the results of the examination conducted by the Central Welsh Board, 4 pupils were awarded honours certificates, 16 senior certificates, and 19 junior certificates. There [sic] passed the matriculation examination of the University of Wales Eliza Manuel, Richard Rees, David P. Roberts, Annie Walker, in the first division; May Morris, Alice S. Williams, second division; S. E. Bishop and Lizzie Shaw passed in four subjects, and William J. Harris in three subjects, both being recommended by the examiners as deserving to be admitted to a subsequent examination in the remaining subjects. William James, an old pupil, who had previously passed in four subjects, completed the examination. Exhibitions had this year been won by two old pupils at Bangor University College, and exhibitions at the University Colleges at Aberystwyth and Cardiff had been won by two pupils, whilst another had been awarded an exhibition of £30 a year by the County Council as the result of success in the Central Board examination. An indoor scholarship at Howell’s School, Llandaff, had also been gained this year. Mr T. Marchant Williams distributed the certificates and prizes. The prize list follows :—

Upper 6th Form —1, Norman Picton; 2, E. H. Foster. Lower 6th Form —Form prize, Eleanor John. English —Lizzie Bishop. Mathematics— John Howells. Latin and French—Eleanor John. Fifth Form—Form prize, W. G. Mason. English—David E. Jones. Mathematics—W. G. Mason. Latin and French—Herbert O. Griffiths. Fourth Form—Form prize, Matthew H. Arnold. English—E. J. Williams. Mathematics—Matthew H. Arnold. Latin and French—Katie Jones. Third Form— Form prize, Henry Roderick. English Henry Roderick. Mathematics—Hannah Richards. Latin and French—Bessie Williams. Second Form—Form prize, Thomas Davies. English—Florence Evans. Mathematics—Thomas Davies. French—Jonathan Jones. First Form—Form prize, William M. Hughes. English—John H. Horgan; Mathematics—John H. Margan [sic]. French—William M. Hughes. Largest number of distinctions in senior certificate examination—David P. Roberts. Chemistry—Eliza J. Manuel. Geography—John A. Jenkins. Book-keeping—Rhys Jones. Shorthand—M. I. Jones. Drawing—Arthur Howell. Cookery—Emily Griffiths. Dressmaking—May Heppell. Welsh—Lilian John. Domestic Economy—Aenid Picton. Woodwork—John Lloyd. Music—Ethel Davies.

Mr Williams said he knew their headmaster before he was captured by the governors of that school, and it was a lucky capture. (Hear, bear.) He had anticipated great things from him as a teacher, and his anticipations were realised. The annual report reflected great credit, not only on the head teacher and staff, but also on the governors. He had one observation to make as to the report. He wished it dealt less with the results of the examination and more with the methods of instruction. The facts packed into the minds of the children were of no importance compared with the mental training in grappling with those facts and in assimilating them. The tone of a school was the most important and vital matter. Examinations could not disclose it. It was something like timbre in music—it was easily felt.

On the motion of Mr G. George, J.P., seconded by Mr M. Morgan, J.P., and supported by Rev. —. James, a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Marchant Williams, and a programme of music by the children followed.

ABERDARE COUNTY SCHOOL.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— Your report of the speech of Mr T. Marchant Williams at the prize distribution at the above school is, owing to its brevity, a little misleading. It reads as if Mr Williams complained of the absence of any observations on the method of teaching and on tone from the headmaster’s report, As a matter of fact, it was the attitude of the Central Welsh Board towards these questions that he criticised. He expressed the opinion that the board reports did not pay sufficient attention to methods of instruction, as opposed to results and to the vital importance of creating a good tone in the county schools. In both these respects he was kind enough to say that he knew the Aberdare County School, deserved high praise.—I am, &c.
 

W. JENKYN THOMAS, Headmaster.

County School, Aberdare, Dec. 14.

THE ABERDARE COUNTY SCHOOL.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—1 regret to find that your compressed report of my address at the prize distribution of the above school on the 13th inst. is somewhat open to misconstruction. In giving expression to my fears lest the Central Board might be attaching too much importance to the results of the written and oral examinations in the various subjects of instruction, and too little importance to the methods of teaching such subjects, I had no reason whatever to doubt that, in view of the excellent reports of the examiners, and of my personal knowledge of the headmaster and of the governors of this school, that the methods of teaching adopted in the school are of the most advanced and approved type. In fact, the school' stands, in every respect, in the very front rank of the county schools of the Principality.—I am, &c.
 

T. MARCHANT WILLIAMS.

Merthyr Tydfil.