The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-06-15
oahu College.

The annual examination and exhibition of this
Institution have taken place during the Iast week,
and been we'll attended. Indeed the hall was
crowded on each occasion u it, utmost capacity
The number of students has increased the past
year. and the catalogue shows that Il have been
in attendance. Considerable Improvement was
noticeable in the various classes examined, and
the readiness with which the scholars answered
all questions showed that they had been well
drilled. The hall was decorated with thirty-fye
specimens of coloroi drawings. eyideneing the
kin of the pupils in this branch Of their inStruc-
ton. The report of the examining eommitte
which we insert below, Is 50 full thar more from
Ia will not bc necessary.
We may here state that the Institution was
founded in lS4I, and i consequently twenty-six
years old. Its total endowment fund amounts TO
S3j .20j. including four thousand dollars recently
given by james Hunnewell. Esq. of Boston,
which makes the total of his gift 10000 We
sincerely trust that some special efforts viii he
made t. increase the fund 10 one hundred thou
sand dollars. ~ the College needs more teachers
and buildings. and with ample provision III these
respects. it might accommodate two hundred stu
dents.
We understand that President W. ID. Alexan-
der and his family take passage in the bark
Rdinier for California, where they purpose 10
spend the summer vacation, returning in Septem-
Der.
OF the ~mmii APpoinIed 10 attend The
Ilth. i2Ih and 18Th Of June.
With the school year just closed, Oahu College en-
tered upon its second quarter Of a century. 1t Is
interesting Ia notice the change III the relative posi-
ton of the institution indicated by the Catalogue of
Pupils, in which there are only fourteen out If sew
~enty-tour names who are children of American Mis-
sionaries, while six are OF purely Hawaiian parent
age. This institution was commenced with reference
Ia the whole EngiiSh-speaking community Of these
islands; and 1T : gratifying that it has, thus eal.y in
its history, developed 80 successfully in the direction
intended by its founders. The crowded attendance
upon the examination and exhibition gave fun evil
dence that our community is not wanting in appre-
citation Of the plan of the Institution, and of the mode
in which il i being carried out.
The compression of the examination into a day and
a half was productive Of increased interest, and did
not detract from its real value. \ very marked i'm
proVement was apparent To those who could make
the compIriS II, over the examinations Of the last
few years, in the distinctness of utterance on the
part of the pupils. We would exhort both teachers
and scholars not to remit their endeavOrs in this very
important matter.
IN inspection of the records of the year, exhibiting
the standing OF each scholar, shows a very marked
and high rate of good department and Of scholarly
attaulnentS: and II IL. III fact. so uniformly high
that we would suggest To the teachers a more rigid
and discriminating mode of marking. Such records
lose very much of their value, unless kept with
perfect impartiality; and we would recommend that
the decimals, in the first records certainly, be discon-
tinuel.
We were much pleased with the general manner in
which the examinations were conducted, and there
was n very satisfactory certainty on the part of the
pupils. 1t would he an improvement, Were there no
voluntary prompting of one pupil by another; and
We would urge il should not be allowed IN the orUi-
nary recitations Of the institution, as it Is in them
that this unnecessary and bad habit is formed.
The practical turn given 10 the studies examined
was very satisfactory-as in the classes Of Greek and
Latin, physical geography, chemistry and familiar
science. We were particularly gratiied with the
attention paid to the Hawaiian language, and with
the fact that the Trustees will, the coming year, offer
Il prize To the Individual making the greatest advance
in each class pursuing this study. The Hawaiian
may well become one of the special features Of a
course of study at Punahou.
The exhibition on Thursday evening was interest
ing and encouraging. Greater attention might,
however, We would suggest, he devoted Ia the ART of
elocution. 1t was interesting that ID. Malo, n native
Hawaiian, should appear TO 50 good advantage in this
very particular.
We thank the teachers for their laborious attention
to the intellectual and moral advancement Of the
minds under their care during the year past. and
would assure them that their very pains-taking labors
fully appreciated by a grateful public.
WN. REYNOLDS,
JNO. :. MCGREw,
w. p. ALEXANDER,
l.. III. GULICK,
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