The annual prize distribution to the successful scholars of the Ecole Municipale Francaise for Chinese took yesterday afternoon at the French Municipal Hall. There was ® very large number of ladies and gentlemen present at the ceremony, including M. Ratard, the Consul-General, and Mme. Ratard, Bishop Paris, Colonel Valette, Captains Gndotre and Patard, and other French officers, and MIN. Chapsal, Bottu, Portier, Berthon, Laferritre, Brodie Clarke, and E. Ghisi. A very enjoyable programme was given by the pupils whose proficiency in French entitled them to appear on the platform, and as it received presentation in elween the awarding of prizes to the different classes' of the school it was all the nuore appreciated. There were a great many prizes, which took the form of books, and asin former years MIN. Ratard and Lemitre, editor of the Feho de Chine, provided a substantial portion of them, the school authorities providing the rest. The Town Band were in attendance, and their performances were much appreciated. In La Chasse d'Hilarion, a scone in three tableaux, the characters were capitally taken by nine Chinese scholars, and the same may be said of the performance of ompenses, and one bright little fellow named Wong Né-yue was heartily anded for his recital to Napoleon. the afternoon was capped by a speech fom M. Ratard who, in" addressing himself to the teachers of the school urged upon them always to remember that teaching was one of the most noble callings aman could fallow. Tu China, where they had to fight against the thought and prejudice of thousands of seary' growth, they must achieve good fesitts little by litre, without losing confidence in the attempt lo instruct the scholars in the ethics of one civilisation. Speaking to the scholars, M. Ratard warned them to obey their teachers without murmuring, avd-to Tabour Lard, for science was one of the most powerful factors the world. They would also learn principles of the life which was emulated by all honest men, The speaker, after paying a compliment to the administrative work of the Taotai, ended his remarks by praising the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.