The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-06-24
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
JUNE -.
The Royal school.

w4iians especially no interest i Gearer than that
Of common schools. Hence we were not sur
prised, on Tuesday evening Of last week, at the
closing exhibition Of the Royal School, 70 see the
house crowded 70 overfowing in about equal pro-
portions By Hawaiians and American residents,
al Of whom seemed deeply interested in every part
Of the performance. The selections were all
short, pithy and pointed, long enough TO give 4
fair sample Of the relative abilities Of the several
speakers without in any case firing the audi
enee. Nor did the teacher allow himself IN
any instance 10 deviate from his printed TIL Of
fare 10 satisfy the cravings Of some who were
especially fond of some particular dish, and
wished 10 have that course in the feast repeated.
This is an excellent rule requiring some deci-
| sion Of character in the manager OF a public ez-
hibition, which if strictly adhered to, would
always command the respect Of the majority. to
whom the repetition even Of a good thing gener-
ally seems comparatively insipid and fat. And
if understood 70 be the rule, might prevent
much Of that prolonged and tumultuous APP
plause, by which q few often succeed in impos-
ing their favorites q second time upon those
who would prefer to follow the prescribed order.
Those who know how very difficult it Is for
{ natives of these islands to articulate a language
80 crowded with consonants as the English. were
pleased 70 see to how great an extent Mr.. Beck
with had succeeded in overcoming this difficulty.
Indeed this teacher has done as much If not
more than any other man upon the islands to
prove the possibility Of instructing the most apt
and Industrious OF the natives in English but
even he has not proved that it is either practic-
able or desirable to attempt the instruction Of
the majority of Hawaiian children in that Ian
guage-
But, while the articulation of most Of the
speakers was somewhat difficult and defective,
we were gratifed to notice q pleasing variety
and independence in the modulations and infec-
tons of the voice, by which each one in his
own expressive method gave the true sense Of
his particular piece. This showed very clearly
that each one had been taught not to mouth
and modulate every thing according to one set
form, but 10 apprehend the sense of his speech,
and TO render it accordingly.
This feature was especially noticeable in the
'speech of the Irish Patriot to his Judges"
in the soliloquy of &: The Madman,'' in the de-
clamation ON the - Circulation of the Bible,''
and also in the very excellent speaking Of the
closing part of Mr.. Corwin's address on the
Death of Lincoln, entitled in the printed order
"a AIAN' LHC btNlLh warrant vi claw y
This last piece was delivered with so much force
and feeling as to draw from the audience u loud
demonstration of approval and a special com
Pliment from the American Minister Resident.
The dialogues We're admirable and showed to
advantage a peculiar aptitude in the Hawaiians
for both comic and dramatic personation. We
doubt whether any two white boys ON the islands
could have entered more heartily into the spirit
Of the comedy of John Bull and Son. The
drunken man in the serio-comical representation
of the The School in Trouble" was, to our
rracticed eye, perfect, as was also the acting of
Miss Louisa Brickwood as the irate Irish woman
in the same piece. And the boy who personated
the school master was in manner and form the
very ideal of the Yankee school master, tall,
sharp featured, clipper built. with a slight in
%clinatiOn of the body, with a benevolent ex-
preston of countenance, yet prompt, precise,
energetic, self-possessed and equal TO any emer-
gency. The very intelligent and witty gentle
man who sat by our side waggishly remarked
that, if he believed in the transmigration Of
souls, he should be sure that chap had within
him the spirit Of some defunct Yankee teacher.
But we fancIed that our friend looked rather
sidewise at the fellow with the faint suspicion,
that he recognized in him the very image and
soul of that pedagogue who in olden times was
wont to convince him of the error of his ways
by the application of the "argumentum ad pos
teriorem."
The singing was excellent, especially the first
two pieces of the second part, " The Echo and
90 On the Heather" We were very much pleas
ed TO see the accomplished wife of his Excellency
the Governor of Oahu, presiding at the instru-
ment during the evening. There is no position
in which our rulers and their wives more truly
honor themselves than when thus they lend a
helping hand to encourage the young in their
efforts to learn, or to exhibit what they know.
1t was generally observed that the members
of the Board of Education We're not present
but probably no one was surprised at their alb
sence, since it had been at best a mockery for
them to make any pretense of interest in a
school they are about to disband or of sympathy
for q teacher they had determined to deprive Of
government patronage, for no assigned or sus-
pected cause, unless IL be for the objectionable
offence of being an American.
For ten years Mr.. Beckwith has presided over
that school, displaying unusual aptitude in
teaching, and in every respect, as a gentleman
and a scholar, giving entire satisfaction to his
patrons and the public.
No one who has watched the progress of his
school and witnessed his patience and pains-tak-
ing in his work, doubts that in breaking up the
Royal School, the Board of Education are taking
upon themselves the responsibility of destroying
by far the most excellent and efficient agency
for the education of the natives in the English