The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-11-04

Mn. EDIron-The series Of articles on education
that have appeared lately In the columns Of the An
y%EnTrsER, have prompted me 10 write on the Same
subject ns applied TO the needs md capacity Of the
young Of the Hawaiian race. First among their
needs is n knowledge Of the English language. Sec
ond, the early training in habits OF useful labor. To
supply these needs, I would have all schools taught
in English; the curriculum Of study being limited 10
reading, writing, arithmetic and geography; and
the scholars made familiar with tho use Of tools and
implements Of skilled labor.
OF course such q plan would involve The breaking
up Of the present district schools and the concentra-
ting Of the Hawaiian youths In large establishments
This I believe would be wise. for while I am ready TO
acknowledge that the common school system here is
a good one. still I think It's practical working
onsants to nothing. My reasons for 90 thinking are
lst-The Law requiring children 10 attend school
i. outside Of Honolulu. imperative. Parents. in The
majority Of cases, do not care anything about lie
enforcement any more than they do about the car
rying into effect the laws against making ~OkOishoO,
selling opium or asOa. or stealing chickens, sheep
and goats from foreigners.
2d-The teachers are generally inefficient. They
are the best that can be obtained Of the price proba-
bly,, BE-. as a class they lack two essentials First,
the faculty Of rightly governing themselves rs well
as others; and secondly, the art Of giving q practi-
cal direction to the book lessons their scholars learn.
3d-The best Of teachers in Hawaiian, owing 10
The utter lack Of books written in that language on
arts, sciences, manufactures. and the thousand and
one items Of practical Information with which the
English reader is made familiar, find that they can
only conduct their pupils TO the door Of that vast H.
brary in which is stored the wisdom Of ages. the key
to whch-the English language-tbey do not
possess.
4th-Whateyer Of influence for good the ordinary
Hawaiian district school may possess, that influence
is not supplemented by like teachings in the homes
Of the scholars. Hawaiian parents do not enforce
those habits Of industry, obedience, cleanliness and
temperance which their children read Of In their
books. They have no idea Of applying TO the every
day lives Of their children the moral conveyed In
lessons written for that purpose; 20 that when they
read that Johnny Badcbild went fishing on the Sab
bath and fell 10, and was drowned, all they think
about il H.. that Johnny was PupuIe for not knowing
how TO swim. 1 might 50 further, and say that
whatever Of good the child may, with infinite labor,
be taught during the day !. the school, ia driven
out by the bad that he absofbs, mentally and physi-
cally. without an effort in his home.
Upon a~nalyzing the causes that I have mentioned
as initiating against the usefulness Of tho district
schools, twill be seen that the main d~ificulty lies IN
the want Of a good home influence; and rs there Is
no hope that this can be remedied by schooling the
parents, it becomes necessary TO provide other homes
for the young. These are to be found In boarding
schools now established, and in others that should
be organized. Il is only in such schools. where the
pupils are constantly under the eyes and directions
Of the teachers, that anything like good habits Of
mind snd body can become fixed, and a useful edu-
cation given the young Hawaiian. In these schools.
under the direction Of able principals, there should
be a corps Of teachers. and every day and evening
should be devoted TO instruction and organized rec.
reations. As the use Of tools would form an impor-
tant feature in the plan, IL would be necessary 20
have teachers who understood their use. These
could be obtained as they were needed. In another
communication l propose 10 discuss the ways and
means for makipg this plan practicable. X.