30m sue, 1898.
(Approved at " meeting of the Committee held on the 21st of June.)
During the absence of the Secretary since the middle of July last the duties of his office have been ably carried on by Mr. F. H. James to whom the Committee are greatly indebted for his oversight of the affairs of the Institution.
The science classes have been kept up by Mr. Ssu, but the number of students has diminished. He reports that last year he had, after the summer vacation seven students in Arithmetic, three in Algebra, and five in Geometry nnd Trigonometry. These were very irregular in attendance, only four or five being the average daily. During the present year he has had fourteen students in Arithmetic, some of whom attended only a few days, while ten others have come very irregularly. He had one regular attendant for Algebra but he left on the 14th day of the 4th of, b fected others came very irregularly. A student in trigonomerry also attended the classes for a short time, Mr. Suis handicapped by his Shantung dialect which he is unable to modify seas to make himself generally understood. He suffers also through not being able to work without foreign supervision and support. Under Mr. Lyman's direction he may perhaps greatly improve. He has taught nothing outside of mathematics, and no examinations have been held. - His services have been given for n few weeks as a tomporary favour to the Missionary School conducted by the Rev. D. Bryant, in teaching scientific subjects.
Mr. Lan conducted the Saturday evening Chemistry Class very successfully until the audiences diminished so materially that he concluded to discontinue his gratuitous Inbours. The regular Tuesday evening lectures doubtless interfered considerably with Mr. Lan's success. He afterwards assisted in the Tuesday lectures and in all other arrangements.
The Tuesday lectures in Chinese inaugrated by Mr. James have been on the whole well attended, considering that about: 10 ovenings out of the 24 were very wot and stormy, and that it has been impossible to secure new and attractive subjects so as to draw large audiences. The average attendance has been 62, varying from 20 to 100, according to the weather and other circumstances. The course of lectures was as follows Oct. Sth 1897, Dr. ¥. S. Allen. The Relation of Science to Civilisation." 18th, Rov. W. Loehr. "The Import.
ance of Female Education." 19th Rev. J.C. Ferguson. "Education."
26th 4, Rev. Dr. Parker. " Relation of English to Scientific Teach. ing."
Nov. 2nd
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.