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McConnell, who has deputised for Robertson in the period when Robertson was off with appendicitis, and N. dark, another good piper. The drums are losing M. Owens, the Boy Drum-Major, and only one other, A. McKean. Prospects and progress are very healthy. There is one more engagement to come at the time of writing, at the local agricultural show.
Mr Mortimer's dancers are also doing well, and they too have some very good youngsters coming up. Our correspondent reports the introduction of two new dances : the " Bumpkin " and the " Reel of the 51st Division." Mentioning that the dancers per-
formed at Dunfermline and Dumbarton, he adds ambiguously that the Pipe Band " accompanied " the dancers on these occasions. Mr Mortimer is now teaching Scottish Country Dancing as well as Highland dancing, thus giving a fresh interest to a number of older boys.
The great keenness among younger boys and their willingness to improve themselves by hard private practice are very encouraging. Among older boys there has sometimes been a tendency to rest on their achievements once they have got into the band or dancing team. Competition from below should help to keep the more experienced performers on their toes.
The Dancing Team : D. Jagger, J. S. Grigor, J. Lee, G. Johnstone, J. W. Corrigan, J. Learmonth, S. Corrigan, A. S. Grey, A. Kirkwood, R. Stevenson, R. Grant. (Names of the members of the pipe band are shown below the photograph of the band.)
COMPETITION IN PIPING, DRUMMING, BUGLING AND HIGHLAND DANCING
These competitions were held on 21st June. We are grateful to the following gentlemen who acted as judges :
Piping—Captain G. B. Murray, Queen's Own Highlanders.
Drumming and Bugling—Drum-Major D. Hickling, Scots Guards.
Highland Dancing—L. Georgeson, Esq.
Prize Winners
Piping (Boyd prizes)
Class A
March—1. Fraser.
Slow March—J. Wood.
Strathspey and Reel—I. Fraser.
Class B
March—A. McDonald.
Slow March—A. McDonald.
Best Piper, Class B—A. McDonald.
Class C Chanter—J. Pryde.
Scots Guards' Prize for best progress—J. Wood.
Best Piper—I. Fraser.
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Drumming and Bugling
Senior Bugling—J. Dempsey.
Senior drumming—J. Dempsey.
Tenor drumming—I. M. Smith.
Junior drumming—J. Buchanan.
Junior bugling—J. W. S. Brown.
Best junior drummer and bugler—B. R. Murton.
Best drummer and bugler (cup)—J. Dempsey.
Highland Dancing
Class A
Sword Dance—R. Stevenson.
Highland Fling—G. B. Johnstone.
Class B
Sword Dance—N. Houston.
Highland Fling—B. Webb.
Best Junior dancer—S. Young.
Junior dancing (best progress)—S. Young.
Inter-House Dancing—Wavell House.
Winning team (Shaw-Stewart prizes)— P.Docherty, J. Shannon, N. Houston, B. Webb.
Best Highland dancer—G. B. Johnstone.
It is worth notice that the Wavell House (Primary boys) team won the inter-house dancing contest, in competition with the senior houses.
THE ADDISON SMITH COMPETITION
The Addison Smith competition in public speaking was held in the play hall on 2nd July. This year competitors were required in the first part to read out an item of their own choice from a newspaper or periodical, to which they could, if they wished, add a few words of their own comment. In the second part they had to deliver a speech on one of a number of set topics. The items chosen for reading turned out to provide a comment on several different aspects of the modern world : bombing in Vietnam, teenage restlessness and dissatisfaction, drug-taking by young people, a clergyman's efforts to get " with it " in his services, the invasion of privacy by new techniques of eavesdropping. Two of the speakers appealed for a charity, D. Marshall making a serious appeal for help to the blind and M. Scoggins a facetious one for a rest-home for tired masters. C. McLaughlin chose to make a speech of thanks for a presentation he had received on leaving some organisation to which he belonged : a collective farm in a " people's republic," the present being a stabbing-knife. M. Owens spoke as an Old Boy, now a Commissioner of the School, giving his prize-giving speech. P. Gilder caused great amusement with an ironical" pep-talk " to the School
on unsatisfactory behaviour, which contained a number of oblique personal references well understood by the boy audience.
Of the ten boys who originally put their names in for the competition, five found the effort of preparation too much for them and withdrew their entries.
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