The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-12-12
FIG
.."ertiSer.
SATURDAY. DECEMBER Z.
IfubIIc Educators.

-aaNz HE AH"H- 9H H-
them o the respectable majOri-
who cannot perhaps specify any
m1IviIa1ls who compose this band Of
z TubIie beneae'oF.
We have ~ Feroull grievances. tlat We ~
present. r~ecJIect, 70 complain Of. on the part Of
p any Of this honorable body. Nor 3, we envy
them their position. 7, j., a question whether
: any public men are T. lie euyied. some men,
however, IN public stations, are remembered with
gratitude AMI a~fEcti1n, and are even REGARDED in
that light while in OsIec. There j. in their ea-e a
tangible something u remember. There i some
thing 20 show for the name and title which they
bear. Whether the present; Board Of Education
will hand down their memory To PO-terity =
perhaps doubtful.
The legislative Assembly appropratcs from
time to time, money 70 the cause Of public cduca-
ton, i. e., 10 the Department Of Public Instruc-
ton. It j. committed 10 the hands Of the afore-
mentioned Bard. Il does not require = sublime
amount Of wisdom to detect 4 worthy school that
requires assistance, and to vote in solemn con-
clavc tba, .. tie Bard lave decided to assist
&c. That sounds large however.-The Govern
ment paper calls IL =. sub-idizing." That sounds
sarcastic. 4; did not mean sarcasm, howcycr.-
But, realIy.-in point Or iact,-we do not sec
any great =Lrl4Zt ueDGral4y III tAG olE4Al4tu-
this Of simply voting the disbursement OF an ap-
preparation already made from the popular purse.
50 we muss Look elsewhere for the actual fact,
that the Government, as SAYS the Gazette, has
sfrireH and j. stirring % advance the schools"
Meanwhile the position Of the Government with
It's purse Of school charity money reminds one Of
n certain rich family that took up their residence
in q quiet but respectable neighbOrkood, and were
exceedingly anxious 70 help their neighbOrs, the
old and independent settlers on the soil, to this
and that delicacy from their well AMI newly filed
cellar and pantry.
some correspondent Of this paper, perhaps
with more zeal than wisdom, said, . the majority
Of the people are supporting independent schools"
Having triumPiantly met this statement with fig
ure-, the Government stand in proud and injured
innocence, and say-What now, We teach 900
children; you only teach l 900.
Perhaps our correspondent only looked about
him, near at home something, by the way, as
some public officers are apt 70 do. lie saw q
large day school in the Stone Church premises ut
Kawaiahao. That school teaches English Is
taught by a native Hawaiian Is independent
AMI has one hundred and twenty scholars. Down
tDwn-in the shadow Of the Cathedral, is another
day-schooI. That Is a government school-the
largest common school in the district Of Kona.
and has about 90 scholars, instruction is in iIa-
waiian. Another school l. in the Kaumakapili
premises, (Smith's Church). 1t IL independent;
teaches English Is taught by a native Hawaiian,
and has one hundred and fifty scholars. The
Royal School il government, Punahou School is
to a certain extent practically INDEPENDENT. Mi
:;sanl ocnOOi = 4 government English schOOl-thc
Fort Street premises school is independent.
Following around the circuit OF Oahu, it was
the fact a short time since that more than one
third of the children were attending independent
schools. Waikiki on Maui presents other exam
pies. 81 that the rash statement of orr CORE
spOndent has in some quarters the semblancc of
truth. IL would have much more, were the ueO-
pie better off. At any rate, the fact that two
large day-sehoOls like the KawaiahaO and Kauma-
kapili sehOols,-in the very shadow too of govern
ment oversight, and under Hawaiian teachers
are crowded full Of scholars whose parents ray
tie school tax, as well as these extra tuition b;Rs,
Is 4 significant one.
We took the trouble, or the liberty, to 90 into
n few of the out-country government schools not
very long ago. In one, n fOrlorn, sleepy set of
children the teacher looked the idiot more than
the man n large wooden tobacco pipe displayed
itself on the table, and the teaching was in accor-
dance. In another. at 10 y. NJ, the teacher was
not yet in attendance, and the scholars were
teaching each other in humble selfrcliance such
rudiments Of knowledge rs the scanty books aE-
fordcd. The teacher after a while came in. he. too.
rocking with tobacco smoke. \ day or two later,
the school-hOuse door was shut, and on inquiry it
appeared that the teacher had departed to another
district to collect taxes, Rather mixed, VIC
thought.
Why il this state of things? IL is not the
strong central schools, under the comparative
blaze Of Honolulu civilization, that most need at
tention, but these distant scattered ones, that
ought to be furnishing just ten times the amount
Of instruction that they do. These best reveal what
the Government is actually doing for the eluca-
ton Of it, own future subjects. This is the field
in which the peculiar abilities and opportunities
of n school Inspector neutrality-suspicious.
would be the better title-shOuld show themselves:
and in which they do not at present make them
selves manifest. The method pursued by the
present incumbent Is much after the fashion ofan
Indian gliding along at night around the noun
tain lakes in bis birch canoe or like the move
mcnts Of the detectives that railroad managers
hire 10 ride incOg. ON the street carr, To notice
whether the conductors report all receipts. De
tcctivc service i very good In its way deer
very rcmuneTativc at times, but neither
should furnish n model for n Superintendent of
Of Public Shoots l
Can the present officer elicit n cheer from an
audience of aPpreciatiyc parents? Can he raise
q flrOr amongst the studentsiof Lahainaluna? or
even make an impression, quiet indeed, but last {
ing? Does he inspire any Hawaiian young men
and boys with enthusiasm and ambition? We do
not doubt his literary abilities, nor his gentle '
manly manners, nor the value of his chronological 9
whenever they shall have been pub 4
for the good Of the scientific world. We I
have nothing aminst him as a fcliow-citizen. '