The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford

BRECON COUNTY SCHOOLS. Prize Day Distribution. The Bishop of Swansea (chairman of the Governors) presided at the annual prize-giving in connection with the Brecon County Schools, held in the Town Hall on the afternoon of the 9th inst., and there was a large attendance of parents and friends of the pupils. Supporting the Chairman on the plat- form were Mr W. H. Robinson (inspec- tor Central Welsh Board) and Mrs Robinson, the Mayor (Mr W. F. Parry -de Winton), Mrs M. F. Thomas, Miss Bevan, Miss Philip Morgan. Miss Adelaide Williams, the Rev. W. E. T. Morgan, Princ. T. Lewis, Prof. and Mrs. Jos. Jones, Prof. Jno. Evans, the Head-- mistress (Miss Davies) and the Head- master (Mr Morton). Two of the girl pupils presented a bourjuet to Mrs Robinson (who was to distribute the prizes) and a nosegay to the Headmistress, at the outset of the proceedings. The Chairman remarked that in the history of the schools, now getting rather a long one, they had never met when those schools were in a more flourishing condition than at present. In the course of a few weeks they hoped to see erected in the Boys' School a worthy memorial to the master and the 28 old scholars who laid down their lives in the war. He did not think there ought to be any school-room where the scholars of this and succeeding days would not be met by the names of those who went out and served their country so magnifieently and at so great a cost in the struggle for liberty, out of which we had happily emerged. (Hear, hear). HEADMISTRESS'S REPORT. The Headmistress, in the course of her report, stated that notwithstanding the long closing at the end of 1918 through he influenza epidemic, the successes in the Central Welsh Board examination were quite creditable 19 junior, 14 supplementary and 12 senior certificates were obtained, and three girls were successful at the higher certificate stage. Four of the supplementary and senior certificates carried exemption from matriculation. The highest award of the county once more came to a pupil of the school, Jean L. Smith, who headed the list of Breconshire candidates in the Central Welsh Board higher certificate eámination. (Applause), To her was awarded the county exhibition, which she now held at the School of Medicine, University College, Cardiff. This was the second time for the honour of win- ning the county exhibition to fall to the lot of a girl who received her primary education at Llanhamlach Elementary School. (Applause). About five years ago the exhibition was won by Miss Elsie E. Morgan, who entered the ColkntvSchool with an entrance scholarship from Llan- hamlach and afterwards had a most successful school and college career. The headmistress of that small school discovered and gave the right direction to the talent of those two girls at an early age. There had been a great in- OIease in the number of pupils, amount- ing to about 50 per cent., in the course of the past year, bringing the number to 156. The community life of the school was flourishing under the house system. The need of a hostel had engaged the attention of the Governors, but no scheme had yet materialised, the ques- tion of expense being the chief obstacle. If the Local Education Authority would bear the initial outlay, the Governors woul probably be able to meet the further responsibility. For many reasons the provision of a hostel would be a sound investment, and she hoped Brecon would take the lead in Wales in this matter. HEADMASTER'S REPORT. The Headmaster, in the course of his report, stated that in point of numbers the school had grown very considerably. Whilst during the previous year the average number of boys was 80, it rose to 102 in September, 1918, and main- tained an average of 100 rthroughout the year. Another great influx took place at the beginning of the present term and now the number of boys on the register was 125. The general tone of the school had been good and much useful work had been done, though the whole results of the year's work fell short of what it was hoped to achieve owing to clos- ing through the influenza epidemic and staff shortage. There was nothing to record in the way of academic successes of old boys practically all old boys of military age were in the Army. Some of 'them had already returned to their studies, and W. T. Havard had been appointed chaplain to Jesus College, Oxford, He had been distinguishing ^himself in the football field, both for the Army and the University of Oxford. Of ihe first 500 boys on the school roll, no fewer than 23 had lost their lives. A tablet with their names inscribed on it Tiad been made for the Governors and would shortly be erected in the school. The names were :—Jno. Davies, Wrex- lian^ Rees Thomas Prytherch, Wern, Talgarth Wm. Burt Elston, Brecon Brychan Thomas, Devynog Mozart Thomas Jones, Devynog; Jno. Eric Roland Price, Abercray; Douglas Gordon Webster, Brecon Cuthbert Gordon Thomas, Llangorse; Wm. Turner, Brecon Basil Gwynne Griffiths, Brecon'; Charles Davies, Devynog; Edmund Fitton, Bwlch; Tom Reesr, Senny; Thomas Walter Prosser, Cefn Brynich, Brecon Wm. Williams, Tal- garth Alfred Ismay Francis Musk, Brecon Ifor Garfield Davies, Brecon Alfrid Gordon Quarrell Brecon David Davies, Devynog Cyril Isaac, Llanfaes, ,Brecon, Cyril Jnø.. potvell Panty- i bailey, Bwlch Wm. Henry Ernest Pettifor, Treberfydd and Brecon Ernest David Jones, Llanfaes, Brecon. Mrs Robinson distributed the prizes and certificates to the girls and boys. MR. ROBINSON'S PRAISE FOR HRECOX AND BRECONSHIRE. Mr W. H. Robinson, in the course of an entertaining address, said that Brecon- shire always pursued an enlightened policy with regard to educational matters and he was always struck when he came into the county, and took up the local newspapers, with the interest that was shown in educational problems. Recently they had appointed an organiser of education, and he thought that was a wise step and that they had made a wise choice. He thought they were the first of the smaller counties to take that step. At Brecon they had a born schoolmaster in Mr Morton. (Applause). Mr Morton and himself were at the same school together, Manchester Grammar School. If he were a dictator in Welsh education he should insist on everybody who was going to teach science in a county j school for boys spending a term in the Brecon County Boys' School watching the methods adopted there. (Applause), What was thought to be a novel idea as to what was wanted was discovered by the Prime Minister's Committee, but it was precisely the kind of thing that bad been done in the Brecon School for several years. (Hear, hear).* He was ) psked to recommend a man for a practical science course primarily for elementary school teachers at a summer school in North Wales 4-his year, and he wrote back that there was only one man in Wales to do it, Mr Percy Morton, of Brecon. (Applause). He was told the course was so successful that when the time came to close the school Mr Morton was very much embarrassed by the number of presents he had to select, (Hear. hear). With regard to the type of boys turned out at Brecon, Havard's name had been mentioned—the Rev, W T. Havard, who obtained the M.C. during the war and had now been appointed chaplain of Jesus College, Oxford, a very high honour. And at that moment he was playing in the pack in the Oxford Rugger XV against Cambridge. (Ap- plause). In the last match he pkiyed in a few days ago, against the London Hospitals, he converted three tries. (Renewed Applause). In the 'Varsity match that day three Welsh intermediate school boys were playing for Oxford, and ¡ Clem Lewis was playing as captain for j Cambridge. (Hear, hear). The Girls' School was a fine school and what it was MiSe /Davies had made it. (Applause), i There was one characteristic of the school which he wished to specially thank Miss Davies for and that was the way she had always upheld the traditions of advanced work. Every year there had been a sixth form, sometimes a very big one, doing post-matriculation work ¡ and inx this it bad been most successful. It was a wonderful thing for the Brecon I, County Girls' School to be always winning a county exhibition, because it was in competition with other schools where excellent work was done. It had had a sucoessio n of really very able pupils, j from Jean Smith to Olive Tyler two years ago and (some years ago) to Olive Wheeler—(Applause)—now lecturer in education in the University of Man- chester. Mr Robinson quoted from a leading educational paper a remarkable tribute to Miss Wheeler's powers and added "Thatis what people in England think of the girls you send to them from Brecon." (Applause). Proceeding, he remarked that it used to be said that they over-pressed the pupils in the upper forms of the county schools and turned out pale-faced, puny, and ancemic people who were no good in the world, but it did not look very much like it. He agreed with the criticism of the Brecon- shire method of examination of ele- mentary school candidates for county school entrance scholarships which he saw in the local Press. It was out of date. To begin with they ought to have the co-operation of the head teachers in the elementary schools knowing their pupils they should have the power to recom- mend certain candidates. There was also a good deal to be said for Mr Morton's proposal to have intelligence tests. Breconshire was in the van of educational progress here was an op- portunity to strike out a new line and discover a new method. He thought it would be only an intermediate method, because he lqoked forward to the time when secondary education in this country would be free to all those who were likely to profit by it. (Hear, hear). He was also convinced that in Breconshire j they did not give anything like enough j county exhibitions to places of higher education. (Hear, hear and Applause). What were two exhibitions amongst so many good people ? They also ought to spend more money on the teachers in their intermediate schools, who had done hard work in the past on very small salaries. He congratulated the Governors on having in their musical director and teacher a man of the ability and openness to new ideas of Mr Musk. (Applause), In that respect the schools were in the van of educational progress. Referring ] to prospective changes in the local administration of education, Mr Harrison I said he regarded the local governing I body as a very good factor-men and women who lived in the district and knew what education really meant, who knew the needs of the district and the pupils and their parents-it was to their live interest in the subject that the j success of these schools was largely due. Where they found a good school they found a good governing body, and he j urged that in the re-organisation of secondary education in Breconshire a