HONGKONG, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1888.
The proceedings which took place yesterday at the Prize Distribution of the Government Central School must have been read with the greatest pleasure by residents generally. As we have persistently argued for many years past, this School has been and is regarded with peculiar interest and favour by the unbiased and intelligent residents of all classes and nationalities, because it is the central feature of the educational system of this Colony. That system is based upon the recognition of this principle of government, namely, that it is the duty of the State to see that the people receive every fair and reasonable facility for a good education. In the ideal State of the future—that is, where a nation has reached the higher stages of development—the compulsory education of every individual member of that State must doubtless form a prominent feature. But even at Home they have not yet attained such a degree of advancement; and this Colony cannot attempt, for some time to come, to compare itself with the Western nations of light and leading.
Hongkong, however, has made vast strides during the last twenty years—even during the last fifteen or ten years—by the help of her most suitable and sensible system of education, and her liberal and impartial scheme of grants-in-aid, under which every genuine effort to forward the cause of education is fostered and encouraged. The fight for common-sense dealing and for the impartial application of broad principles has been long and severe; the enemies or malcontents are now but few and of no great weight or influence; and the Hon. Dr. F. Stewart and those who stood by him in the founding of this system, and in his sturdy maintenance of the admirable undenominational or unsectarian policy which now exists, may congratulate themselves that they stood to their guns so ably and so continuously. Truly, the *raison d'être* of the Government Central School of this Colony, and the usefulness of the educational system of which it is the head, have been abundantly shown—and the virulence of men like Hennessy and Raimondi, and even the opposition of one or two who are still amongst us, are now almost forgotten things of the past.
Next to the opposition offered by political charlatanry and ecclesiastical narrowness, the difficulty of deficient accommodation has had to be contended against. The success of the Central School was daily and yearly being demonstrated before its opponents by the fact that it would continue to get more and more painfully congested. The cry was still 'they come,' and pupils had to be turned away from its doors. What may fairly be termed the disgraceful delay in the provision of a new building, the principal blame for which must rest upon the shoulders of Governor Hennessy, has, it seems, culminated in its iron roof having sought a bed alongside the chariot-wheels of the recalcitrant Pharaoh, in the Red Sea. Sir William Marsh, when Acting Governor, had promised that the Prize-giving this year would take place in the new Victoria College building; and there is no doubt but that promise would have been fulfilled had not the vessel come to grief in the Red Sea. Now, however, the fine building must be nearly completed, and no more unfortunate contretemps need be feared. The desires of the well-wishers of the School will, therefore, be satisfied at an early day.
As a department of the administration of this Colony, the Central School—under the regime of Dr. Stewart, as well as under the guiding hand of Mr. Bateson Wright—has given probably less cause for adverse criticism than any other branch of the Service. It is, therefore, pleasant to find, from the report published yesterday, that this reputation is being still ably sustained. Hypercritical persons may allege that Mr. Wright's report on his own school cannot be free from bias; but we think that most of our readers who have carefully perused the report of the Head-Master will admit that he gives most satisfactory reasons for the high opinion he has formed of the work done by the pupils during the past year. We have frequently observed that thoroughness is one of the most noticeable characteristics of the Head-Master: his straightforward frankness comes out very prominently in his report; and when it is borne in mind that the conditions of the recent examination of the pupils are now far severer than they were six years since, the number of successful passes (375 out of the 384 examined) conclusively shows that the scholars, as well as the School Staff, have done their work in a most creditable manner.