In Carmarthen street Methodist Church building, one school-room, with use of class-room. Playg-round adjoining, with outbuildings.

In St. Philip's Church building, Queen street, one school-room.

adjoining.

Play-ground

In Mason Hall, Carleton, three school-rooms, one unused, and outbuildings. The adjoining lot is also rented for a play-ground.

In St. Patrick's Hall, Carleton, five school-rooms, and outbuildings.

The Directors of the Protestant Orphan Asylum grant the use of a room in their building on Brittain street free of rent for the use of the school there taught.

The school on Partridge Island was taught in a building owned by the Dominion Government, but the room has been entirely unfit for school purposes, and was vacated at the close of the year.

With the exception of a room each in Saint Joseph's and Leinster street Schools, and the Victoria annex, all the departments are fairly equipped with comfortable desks and seats of a modern pattern, and a good supply of black boards, maps, and other useful apparatus.

Window blinds are still needed in some of the buildings, and numerous complaints have arisen from this cause from parents, children and teachers.

TEACHERS.

During the year 101 teachers were in the service of the Board for a longer or shorter period, distributed os follows:

She was an exceedingly

One teacher, Miss Ellen Foley was removed by death. promising young teacher, who won the affections of her pupils by her gentle, sympathetic manner, and infused into them a love of school work by her admirable methods of instruction.

Three teachers married and left the service, namely, Mrs. M. M. Carr, Principal of the Victoria School, and teacher of standards X-XII in the girls High School; Miss J. P. Robertson, teacher of Standard IX in the girls High School; and Miss Eva O. Stewart, teacher of Standard III, girls, in the Albert School. Miss Robertson had filled many important positions in the public school service for seventeen years, in all of which she proved herself to be an efficient, painstaking and faithful teacher. Mrs. Carr, during the ten years she held the position of principal of the Victoria School, won the esteem and respect, not only of the pupils entrusted to her charge, of her associate teachers, and of the trustees and officers of the board, but of the whole community, by the excellence of her methods, the high character of her work and the distinguished position to which she raised the girls High School of St. John among the advanced public educational institutions of the Dominion. The beneficent influence of these teachers upon the characters as well as the minds of the hundreds of girls who have been under their care must bear a rich harvest of blessings in the homes and lives of

the next generation. Miss Eva O. Stewart, though filling a less prominent position than the ladies referred to, was always a favorite with the pupils who passed through the third standard of instruction in the Albert School, and her work was characterized by a degree of thoroughness which fitted them for the prosecution of the subjects in the succeeding standard. A passing reference should also be made to another teacher, who, though not in active service during the year, has been compelled to relinquish all hopes of resuming her work, on account of prolonged ill health. Miss Minnie B. Everett was for many years the successful teacher of Standard III, boys, in the Leinster Street School. In many respects hers was a model school, and well deserved the encomiums passed upon it by superintendents, inspectors, and visitors. Toward the close of last year her health failed, and she was granted a lengthened term of absence for the purpose of seeking relief from special physicians in Boston. Her strength has not returned, and to the regret of all interested, her connection with the public schools of St. John has recently been severed.

The vacancies in the girls' High School were filled on the opening of the second term by placing the pupils of Standard IX in charge of Miss Maud M. Narraway, who had acted as asststant to Mrs. Carr for some years. Mr. George U. Hay, was unanimously appointed to the position of principal and teacher of Standard X--XII, with Miss M. J. Mowatt as his assistant. The choice of Mrs. Carr's successor has been endorsed by the profession and the public at large, and its wisdom demonstrated by the continued popularity of the school, and the excellent character of the instruction given. The success of the girls' Advanced School in Carleton while under Mr. Hay's direction, his many year's experience in the Grammar School of St. John, his deep interest in literature and science, and his well-known devotion to educational interests, are guarantees that the girls' High School will continue to hold its high position in the estimation of educationists and in public favor.

The position of second master of the Grammar School, rendered vacant by the removal of Mr. Hay, was filled by the appointment of Mr. George R. Devitt, who had been for some years a prominent teacher in the adjoining city.

In regard to the great body of teachers of the public schools of St. John it affords me pleasure to repeat the testimony of former years, that they are devoting their best energies to the successful prosecution of their duties, and generally with gratifying results.

ATTENDANCE.

The schoolable age of children is fixed by the Common Schools Act at from five to twenty years of age.

The census returns of 1881 place the population of St. John between these ages at 8,702. What increase, if any, has taken place in the eight years that have intervened there is no reliable data to show. In some of the cities and towns of Ontario and in many cities of the United States, a census of the children of schoolable age is taken at frequent intervals, and thereby the school authorities are able to form a fairly correct estimate at to how far the people are availing themselves of the provisions made for the education of their children. They are further greatly assisted toward right conclusions in this regard by two other provisions, namely, that all children of schoolable age shall attend some school, either public or private, for a stated portion of each school year, and that all private institutions of learning shall make a true return to the public

school board of the number of children enrolled upon their books and attending classes for definite periods of each school term. I do not propose to rehearse the oft-repeated arguments in favor of such provisions being incorporated into the Common Schools Act of this province, especially a compulsory clause, but again point out the fact that a very large percentage of the boys and girls of St. John are not enjoying the privilege of a sound common school education so liberally provided by the ratepayers of the city. And this should be coupled with that other fact of no less importance from an economical as well as educational standpoint, that the percentage of enrolled pupils in daily attendance at the schools is far below what it should be, and from causes controllable in a large degree by the parents and guardians of the children, as will be readily seen by reference to the tables of lost days and causes of absence.

The past year has been exceptional in one respect, and the following figures therefore cannot be taken as representing the normal amount of absences from school. The presence of scarlet fever in the city during the last half of the year, and the natural fear awakened in regard to the safety of the children when brought together in large numbers, have seriously reduced the percentage below the normal. Still the column "kept at home," which means without any valid excuse being given, is entirely too large for a city where the general health is good, the circumstances of the people comfortable, and the distance from home to school inconsiderable.

In the following statement the numbers enrolled during each term, and belonging at the close of each term, are given. and the cause of absence carefully compiled under the respective headings, for every department in the city.