At the annual distribution of prizes at Queen's College (formerly Central School) His Excellency the Governor, who presided, opened his mind on the subject of education in a way that considerably astonished most of those present. Sir William Robinson has never been satisfied with the results of that institution, and some time since appointed a Governing Body who were empowered to assist the Headma-ter. The Governing Body and Dr. Wright do not appear to have pulled together on all occasions, and the Examiner has also been reporting adversely on the system pursued. The Governor, in a very courteous but decided speech, went at great length into the subject, more especially finding fault with the con paratively slow pr gress made in propagate a knowledge of the English tongue. ALE. then brought out the Union Jack and flourished it very effectively in a metaphorical sense, dwelling forcibly on the results achieved in Ind a, and urging that more attention should be given to the teaching of English in Queen's College. Now, up toa certain point, T am at one with the Governor. I think tht every effort should be made to impart a good knowledge of English, and I would bar all tuition in the dead languages. At the same time I think Sir William and some others who think with him expect too mach. The average Chinese boy does not learn to speak English at school, He only acquir the grammar, and learns to speak it in the office where he subsequently gains employment. How few English b-ys who leave the very best of public schools can even begin to speak French or German. They have to go on the continent as a rule to complete their knowledge, and be able to make use of it. Similarly a Chinese boy can learn the English grammar at Queen's, College, and may be thoroughly grounded in it, but yet be able only to speak it in the most "halting and imperfect manner. Many an office boy who has learned in his spare minutes by the aid of books will speak English with far greater fluency, if less correctly, than a Central School boy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.