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====Character and Culture====
====Character and Culture====


Rev J B Simpsonm in opening his remarks, said he thought he ought to make an apology for standing there at all under present circumstances. He had always thought, and he supposed everybody did, that however old other people were getting, oneself never increased in age at all. When he occupied the position some of the boys did, and the people were got down to present the prizes, he often thought that if they were not in their second childhood they were getting somewhere near it. (Laughter). He did not feel the least bit like that himself, but as he said one never did. (Laughter). He wanted to take the opportunity of saying two things that afternoon, and one was a word of profound thanks for all Boston Grammar School had been to him. He would like to associate that especially with Mr Hill. Many of the masters who had meant a great deal to him in his life as a boy, had gone "beyond" and he thought especially of [[William White|Mr White]], the late headmaster and [[John Francis Bazlinton|Mr Baslington]] ''(sic)''. Mr Hill was there, and he would like to publicly thank him as representing the masters, who helped him as through his school days there. (Applause). He could not say mistresses, because in those days they unfortunately had none. (Laughter). If he was to say a few words he wanted then to be connected with his own personal experience during the later part of his life, when he had been out in the far East. He had been in a country that had modelled itself upon various Western nations, and it had adopted what it considered to be the bext type out of the Western nations, for each of the things it had taken. The two things it took from England were the railway system and the navy, and they would not be surprised to hear that it had not seen fit to change the changed in one important factor, and that navy since then. ''(confused wording unchanged from the original)'' The railway system it had was that instead of a lot of termini, it had reduced them to one great central station for the purpose of passing military through, and avoiding congestion, a thing that England might follow Japan in. The model of education was taken in Japan partly from America, and partly from Germany. He had seen a good deal of Americans out in the Far East, and of course, when people met, they always asked where other people came from. When they asked him what was his native town and he replied Boston the Americans always said "Shake," and he had to be as careful as possible in explaining that he belongs to the real Boston, and they belonged to the baby. In Japan the educational system was taken from America and Germany, and a little from England, from what he thought was the worst of their education system at home. It consisted from the beginning to the end, entirely of "cram." He wanted to suggest two things in education, things which people around him on the platform knew better than he did, but which they could bring home, perhaps remembering where they came from. In Japan the result of making education a begin all and end all, the boys and girls started school at the age of seven. Leaving the ordinary school at the age of 14, they all wanted to go to the secondary school practically without exception. The secondary schools at the present time were nothing like edequate ''(sic)'' for the number of boys who wanted to go in them. They were taken in by competitive examination, and the boys with the best brains, oe the best faculty for cramming got in. He had seen boys go home from school, without playing games, excepting occasionally a little baseball, and go straight to their books, and had to be driven to bed by their parents at ten o'clock at night, and were up again before breakfast to get to them. When the examination time came along he had seen boys even in the Mission Schools, apart from the Government Schools with wet towels wrapped round their heads in order to keep the headache away, while they crammed in a few more facts, just for the examination. There were bound to be a good proportion fail, and every year in Japan, thousands of boys went off within a day or two of the examination and killed themselves through disappointment. That was because they had no faith, and had no hope. If our education was to succeed in England it must be by faith and hope. The other point was this, that they were to be as real and as keen over playing their games as they were over their books. He knew a great many boys were more so -(laughter),- but he was pressing the point that they should have character, not culture, as a result of their education. (Hear, hear). If Boston Grammar School could produce character it mattered a great deal more than lists of honours which one was always glad to see the school produce. There character, even in Japan, was produced - in spite of their education - partly as a result of their tremendous military system which had far more in it for character building than the school education. In concluding the Rev Simpson gave a glorious example of the unselfish and splendid character of the Japanese in relation to an action in the present war. He described how the Japanese, treating British troops as visitors, systematically rearranged the lines so that they themselves bore the brunt of the fighting, thus saving heavy casualties against the British. They, in this war, were building up a great deal of the same kind of character, but let them not only let that be produced in war, but let the idea be introduced in their educational system, and the would do more than ever Boston Grammar School even did now. (Applause). ''(another confused section)''
Rev J B Simpson in opening his remarks, said he thought he ought to make an apology for standing there at all under present circumstances. He had always thought, and he supposed everybody did, that however old other people were getting, oneself never increased in age at all. When he occupied the position some of the boys did, and the people were got down to present the prizes, he often thought that if they were not in their second childhood they were getting somewhere near it. (Laughter). He did not feel the least bit like that himself, but as he said one never did. (Laughter). He wanted to take the opportunity of saying two things that afternoon, and one was a word of profound thanks for all Boston Grammar School had been to him. He would like to associate that especially with Mr Hill. Many of the masters who had meant a great deal to him in his life as a boy, had gone "beyond" and he thought especially of [[William White|Mr White]], the late headmaster and [[John Francis Bazlinton|Mr Baslington]] ''(sic)''. Mr Hill was there, and he would like to publicly thank him as representing the masters, who helped him as through his school days there. (Applause). He could not say mistresses, because in those days they unfortunately had none. (Laughter). If he was to say a few words he wanted then to be connected with his own personal experience during the later part of his life, when he had been out in the far East. He had been in a country that had modelled itself upon various Western nations, and it had adopted what it considered to be the bext type out of the Western nations, for each of the things it had taken. The two things it took from England were the railway system and the navy, and they would not be surprised to hear that it had not seen fit to change the changed in one important factor, and that navy since then. ''(confused wording unchanged from the original)'' The railway system it had was that instead of a lot of termini, it had reduced them to one great central station for the purpose of passing military through, and avoiding congestion, a thing that England might follow Japan in. The model of education was taken in Japan partly from America, and partly from Germany. He had seen a good deal of Americans out in the Far East, and of course, when people met, they always asked where other people came from. When they asked him what was his native town and he replied Boston the Americans always said "Shake," and he had to be as careful as possible in explaining that he belongs to the real Boston, and they belonged to the baby. In Japan the educational system was taken from America and Germany, and a little from England, from what he thought was the worst of their education system at home. It consisted from the beginning to the end, entirely of "cram." He wanted to suggest two things in education, things which people around him on the platform knew better than he did, but which they could bring home, perhaps remembering where they came from. In Japan the result of making education a begin all and end all, the boys and girls started school at the age of seven. Leaving the ordinary school at the age of 14, they all wanted to go to the secondary school practically without exception. The secondary schools at the present time were nothing like edequate ''(sic)'' for the number of boys who wanted to go in them. They were taken in by competitive examination, and the boys with the best brains, oe the best faculty for cramming got in. He had seen boys go home from school, without playing games, excepting occasionally a little baseball, and go straight to their books, and had to be driven to bed by their parents at ten o'clock at night, and were up again before breakfast to get to them. When the examination time came along he had seen boys even in the Mission Schools, apart from the Government Schools with wet towels wrapped round their heads in order to keep the headache away, while they crammed in a few more facts, just for the examination. There were bound to be a good proportion fail, and every year in Japan, thousands of boys went off within a day or two of the examination and killed themselves through disappointment. That was because they had no faith, and had no hope. If our education was to succeed in England it must be by faith and hope. The other point was this, that they were to be as real and as keen over playing their games as they were over their books. He knew a great many boys were more so -(laughter),- but he was pressing the point that they should have character, not culture, as a result of their education. (Hear, hear). If Boston Grammar School could produce character it mattered a great deal more than lists of honours which one was always glad to see the school produce. There character, even in Japan, was produced - in spite of their education - partly as a result of their tremendous military system which had far more in it for character building than the school education. In concluding the Rev Simpson gave a glorious example of the unselfish and splendid character of the Japanese in relation to an action in the present war. He described how the Japanese, treating British troops as visitors, systematically rearranged the lines so that they themselves bore the brunt of the fighting, thus saving heavy casualties against the British. They, in this war, were building up a great deal of the same kind of character, but let them not only let that be produced in war, but let the idea be introduced in their educational system, and the would do more than ever Boston Grammar School even did now. (Applause). ''(another confused section)''


Mr Simpson then handed over the prizes to the following:
Mr Simpson then handed over the prizes to the following:

Revision as of 16:16, 7 July 2021

The 1916 Boston Grammar School Speech Day took place on 18 December.

Newspaper Report

From the Boston Guardian, 123 December 1916

Speech Day at Boston Grammar School

Prizes presented by an "Old Boy."

Rev J B Simpson and education in Japan.

Character not culture wanted.

The annual speach (sic) day and presentation of prizes in connection withe the Boston Grammar School, which was held on Monday, again proved a glorious success. There was a large company of parents and friends of the scholars to witness the happy event. The chair was occupied by the Rev J B Simpson, son of Mr J M Simpson, chairman of the governors, and chairman of the Holland Education Committee. The Rev J B Simpson is and Old Grammar School boy, and was Parry Gold Medallist in 1899. He was supported by the Rev W W Grigg, Messrs T Kitwood, W Kitwood, J M Simpson, G F Armstrong, W Pooles, with the staff, Messrs J W Dyson (headmaster), A Hill, E C Hole (sic), H Blackburn, Miss Sterland, Mrs A E Thompson, and M Tosser, and Mr G H Gregory, Mus Bac (Oxon). Amongst those also present were Messrs W T Small, J Thompson, T W Steel, R N Chapman, J Turner, J H Peck, Lieut Gregory, Rev R O Hutchinson, (Vicar), and the Rev J Marsland, Mrs H H Dodds, Mrs H Mountain, Mrs Deal, Mrs Canster, Mrs E T Cooke, Mrs Grigg, Mrs Dennis, Mrs Scrivener, Mrs Sherwin, Mrs Killingworth, Mrs C Holland, Mrs Haynes, and the Misses Rysdale, Gregory, Hayes, Deal, Swain, Swinn, Gilliatt, and others.

A Splendid Report

After the singing of the National Anthem, the Headmaster made his annual report, saying that it was very gratifying to the boys, the masters, and all connected with the school, to see so many present that afternoon. It was very encouraging. Since he had the pleasure of standing there last year they had been carrying on, for the had increased the number of boys attending the school. At the end of the summer term last year they had 104 boys, a year ago they had 127, the last term they had 133, and now they had 144. The had also been able to increase their staff. He hoped that the people of Boston would see to it that those numbers were not only kept up but were increased. For this reason, that an addition of 25 boys meant the addition of another teacher to their staff, and an extra class. If the school had only a small number of classes then the standard in each was bound to be uneven, and all the boys in the form were not doing useful work. When they had a large number of classes they could get the boys to a more even standard of efficiency, and so the efficiency of the school was increased. For that reason they wanted to go on increasing their numbers. There were limits he knew and the difficulty at the present was the lack of classrooms. He did not wish to labour the point because it was one that the whole ofr (sic) the Governors appreciated. They had managed to turn one of the rooms into a classroom, thus making accommodation for an assistant mistress. As to the work of the school, the lower forms were examined by an external examiner, and the other by the Cambridge University Syndicate. They sent down Mr Fletcher[1], who was principal of the Day Training College, at Cambridge[2]. He was an expert on education and anything connected with secondary education. He (the speaker) was sorry to say that since he had been to Boston he had died. His report, was one of his last pieces of work, and was very brief on account of his illness. When he was at the school he was very bad, and when he went away he became worse and died. With regard to the prize list there was one point to which he would like to refer, and that was the performance of Jack Armstrong, who was head and shoulders above the rest. (Applause). It was a very fine performance, and he would like to take the opportunity of publicly congratulating him. He was excused the London Matriculation examination on account of the other examination, and he was now a medical student at St Mary's Hospital. He was only 18 years old next August, so was a very young medical student, but he promised to do well. (Applause). Of the juniors he would like to refer to Davis, who had put up a splendid performance, gaining first class in honours and distinction in French. The other forms were examined by the Cambridge Syndicate, and the examiner in his report, after discussing the staff and the inadequacy of the buildings, said "The schemes of work with some slight exceptions are excellent. The lessons I heard showed sound teaching power, and the answers of the boys, both in the written and oral examinations, showed a very high standard of work generally. Where there was any considerable weakness it was generally in forms II and the Remove, which are really two separate forms, and can hardly be taught satisfactory (sic) as one. The history scheme needs some revision, and the periods taken are much too long. In English rather more consideration should be paid to clear articulation. The reading was very indistinct, and the boys' recitation was not good. In French much attention is being paid to oral work, and the result is quite promising, and some more systematic phonetic work would probably be a great help here. The results of the written examination were most satisfactory, and showed that the boys had been effectively taught. My general impression is that the school is doing a sound useful work. It is well organised, and the headmaster has succeeded in infusing his energy and his high standard of work both in his staff and among the boys. - S S E Fletcher, MA, King's College." (Loud applause). He (the Headmaster) had been told by the inspector, who knew Mt Fletcher well, that it was the best report he had ever known him to write. (Loud applause). Coming to the games of the school, he was pleased to say that there had been an increase in the number of boys taking part in the games, though they had had but few matches. Railway fares were the chief difficulty, as there were no cheap fares for football teams or pleasure parties. Coming to the old boys serving with the colours. Their roll of honour was not complete, and he must apologise for leaving out the names of Tom Slator and R A Margisson, who made the third son of that family serving. Then F J Barrand had also joined the Artists' Rifles, making the fourth or fifth boy who had joined straight from leaving school. probably all the boys he had known since he came to Boston, who had reached military age, had joined the forces either upon leaving school or immediately afterwards. It was rather invidious to individualise, but he would like to call attention to one family, and that was that of Mr Gregory. (Applause). There were five sons serving, and he was glad to see one of them present that afternoon. Three had been wounded , and were expected to return to the Front shortly, and one was a cadet being trained to become an officer. There were other families he could call to mind, but this was such a great performance.

Character and Culture

Rev J B Simpson in opening his remarks, said he thought he ought to make an apology for standing there at all under present circumstances. He had always thought, and he supposed everybody did, that however old other people were getting, oneself never increased in age at all. When he occupied the position some of the boys did, and the people were got down to present the prizes, he often thought that if they were not in their second childhood they were getting somewhere near it. (Laughter). He did not feel the least bit like that himself, but as he said one never did. (Laughter). He wanted to take the opportunity of saying two things that afternoon, and one was a word of profound thanks for all Boston Grammar School had been to him. He would like to associate that especially with Mr Hill. Many of the masters who had meant a great deal to him in his life as a boy, had gone "beyond" and he thought especially of Mr White, the late headmaster and Mr Baslington (sic). Mr Hill was there, and he would like to publicly thank him as representing the masters, who helped him as through his school days there. (Applause). He could not say mistresses, because in those days they unfortunately had none. (Laughter). If he was to say a few words he wanted then to be connected with his own personal experience during the later part of his life, when he had been out in the far East. He had been in a country that had modelled itself upon various Western nations, and it had adopted what it considered to be the bext type out of the Western nations, for each of the things it had taken. The two things it took from England were the railway system and the navy, and they would not be surprised to hear that it had not seen fit to change the changed in one important factor, and that navy since then. (confused wording unchanged from the original) The railway system it had was that instead of a lot of termini, it had reduced them to one great central station for the purpose of passing military through, and avoiding congestion, a thing that England might follow Japan in. The model of education was taken in Japan partly from America, and partly from Germany. He had seen a good deal of Americans out in the Far East, and of course, when people met, they always asked where other people came from. When they asked him what was his native town and he replied Boston the Americans always said "Shake," and he had to be as careful as possible in explaining that he belongs to the real Boston, and they belonged to the baby. In Japan the educational system was taken from America and Germany, and a little from England, from what he thought was the worst of their education system at home. It consisted from the beginning to the end, entirely of "cram." He wanted to suggest two things in education, things which people around him on the platform knew better than he did, but which they could bring home, perhaps remembering where they came from. In Japan the result of making education a begin all and end all, the boys and girls started school at the age of seven. Leaving the ordinary school at the age of 14, they all wanted to go to the secondary school practically without exception. The secondary schools at the present time were nothing like edequate (sic) for the number of boys who wanted to go in them. They were taken in by competitive examination, and the boys with the best brains, oe the best faculty for cramming got in. He had seen boys go home from school, without playing games, excepting occasionally a little baseball, and go straight to their books, and had to be driven to bed by their parents at ten o'clock at night, and were up again before breakfast to get to them. When the examination time came along he had seen boys even in the Mission Schools, apart from the Government Schools with wet towels wrapped round their heads in order to keep the headache away, while they crammed in a few more facts, just for the examination. There were bound to be a good proportion fail, and every year in Japan, thousands of boys went off within a day or two of the examination and killed themselves through disappointment. That was because they had no faith, and had no hope. If our education was to succeed in England it must be by faith and hope. The other point was this, that they were to be as real and as keen over playing their games as they were over their books. He knew a great many boys were more so -(laughter),- but he was pressing the point that they should have character, not culture, as a result of their education. (Hear, hear). If Boston Grammar School could produce character it mattered a great deal more than lists of honours which one was always glad to see the school produce. There character, even in Japan, was produced - in spite of their education - partly as a result of their tremendous military system which had far more in it for character building than the school education. In concluding the Rev Simpson gave a glorious example of the unselfish and splendid character of the Japanese in relation to an action in the present war. He described how the Japanese, treating British troops as visitors, systematically rearranged the lines so that they themselves bore the brunt of the fighting, thus saving heavy casualties against the British. They, in this war, were building up a great deal of the same kind of character, but let them not only let that be produced in war, but let the idea be introduced in their educational system, and the would do more than ever Boston Grammar School even did now. (Applause). (another confused section)

Mr Simpson then handed over the prizes to the following:

Honours List

The honours list was as folloows:-

Oxford Local Examination, July, 1916
Seniors.

Class I. (honours and Parry Gold Medal): J V Armstrong.

Class II. (honours): P W Clark, P C Middlebrooke, G Smith, and F J Barrand.

Class III. (honours): R I Bullivant

Juniors.

Class I. (honours): H J Davis (distinguished in French.) Passed: J S Budge

Prize List

Parry Gold Medal: J V Armstrong. "Senior" English Essay (Member's Prize, awarded by Mr C H Dixon, MP): F S Dennis. "Junior" English Essay: G W Black.

Form VI.

Form Prize: J V Armstrong. Mathematics: F J Barrand.

Form V. (a)

Form, English: P W Clark. Latin: R I Bullivant. French: P C Middlebrooke. Mathematics: G Smith.

Form V. (b)

Form: H J Davis and C S Adams. General: J C Turner and J S Budge.

Form IV.

Form: H K Peck. Second: A Ingram. General: J A Young and R Wells.

Form III.

Form: E C Deal. Second: A H Woodward. General: R Carter and A F Smith.

"Remove."

Form: G Garnham. General: G Hutson and L Brough.

Form II.

Form F S Clarke. General: A R Fletcher.

Form I.

Form: T S Carter. English: C W Hodge. Arithmetic: F G Swain French: P Kitwood. General: G. Harwood.

After this task was completed he said it had given him great pleasure to give away the prizes, and it struck him that the prizes were a great deal in advance to what they were in his day.

Mr Dyson: I would like to say that the boys chose their own prizes. (Applause.)

Mt T Kitwood said he was certain that everybody would like to unite with him in expressing their most grateful thanks to the Rev Simpson for having occupied the chair on that occasion, and having distributed the prizes, and he had listened with the greatest pleasure and interest to his address. It was a source of great satisfaction to the Governors of the present day that occasionally the prizes could be distributed by one who had passed through the school, and in the Rev Simpson they had one who at present occupied in a work, of which he was sure everyone in the town was proud. They were greatly gratified that after a lapse of some years he had come back amongst them. (Hear, hear.) Might he make a suggestion, that in future the Chairman of the Governors should occupy the chair, because that hay he was certain it would have given Mr J M Simpson unusual pleasure in calling upon his son to distribute the prizes. For some years past Mr Simpson had been chairman of the Holland County Council Education Committee, and he was now the chairman of the Governors, and perhaps in the future they might find him occupying the chair, which he thought was his rightful place. In conclusion he hoped that it would not be so long before they would have the Rev Simpson there at a similar function.

The vote was heartily carried, and the Rev Simpson in reply said the one thing he thought the war had taught him beyond anything else was they they being an insular nation never paid sufficient attention to foreign languages. He thought that fact had hit them pretty hard during the war in a good many countries, and it was worthwhile remembering it, for the more they could do for their country at the present time the better it was going to be for the country. (Applause.)

The gathering terminated with the singing of the school hymn "Floreat Bostona," and subsequently the parents and friends of scholars were entertained to tea by Mr and Mrs Dyson.

In the article there follows a list of Parry Gold medallists from 1875 to 1916.

List of former members of Boston Grammar School who have taken service in HM Forces.

(The list will be added in due course)

Roll of Honour.

Below we give the Roll of Honour referred to by the headmaster.

"Dulce at decorum est pro patria mori."

Charles Henry Burchnall. Arthur Chester. Cyril George Stuart Claypoole. Thomas Comer. John Hurle Davies. Edgar Dawson. Robert Henry Garnham. Donald Justin Harrison. Walter Herringshaw. George Henry Payne (sic). Henry George Pinner. Eric Simpson. Meaburn Staniland. Geoffrey Staniland. John William Stephenson. John Stanton Thorns Thompson. Thomas Waterfield. Thomas Basil Wood. Henry Woods.

References