The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-06-17
Normal Schools in America.

The following extract from a letter from Mr.
Hitchcock, the Inspector General of Schools,
nov on a visit to the United States, will be read
with interest.
ION the 9th of this month, went to Trenton. n.
j. in company with Mr.. Slack, Trenton man, to
inspect the State normal school established. in that
city. Connected with the school is a model
school, for the young normals' to try their hand
at. But this is not allowed, except in the primary
classes. The class rooms of both buildings, the
normal, and model schools, are partitioned off
with glass sashes, which are raised or lowered
in the same manner as window sash, thus per
hitting a whole floor to be thrown into one room
if desirable. When these sashes are down, no
sound is distinguishable from the various rooms.
The pupils were engaged in written examina-
tons, at the time of my visit, these examinations
having been ordered by the State superintendent,
for the purpose of exhibition at the Centennial. l
passed around the various rooms with the princi-
pal of the model school. overlooking the work of
the pupils. and was favorabIy impressed with the
neat appearance Of their papers,; drawings in
colored crayons were very beautifully executed
on the blackboards surrounding the rooms. Great
attention is paid to this art.
Passing over to the normal school situated in
the same enclosure, [ was shewn into the recitation
OOIuS VI II IIICICu6 ClboSSS. vi iueSc lucTe
are three, numbering in all nearly two hundred
students, of which at least f%our-Gftbs are ladies'.
There are two courses, one of three. and the other
of two years. The curriculum of study is almost
identical with the one which 1 proposed for La
hainaluna last year. was surprised at the youth
full appearance of the students. The graduating
class could not have averaged over eighteen
years whilst the entering class were mere boys
and girls. | attended a recitation of each class,
and was much struck with the intellectual devel-
opment manifested. The lowest class represented
the raw recruits, struggling to master the mys-
teries of arithmetic, the middle class had left
arithmetic behind. and with barks slightly battered
in coming in collision with arithmetical ~icebergs.
steered on to meet the unknown dangers of higher
mathematics. and physical science. The grad
uating class were at their moorings. taking in
their last stores, rating their c~bronometers, and
receiving their last sailing orders previous to
acting as conveys for numerous fleets of small
craft awaiting their guidance.
After spending two very agreeable hours in
this state institution, l went with Mr.. Slack to the
state house. and examined the various collections
of specimens, principally geological. which the
pupils of the state schools had made for exhibition
at the Centennial. These will make a very hand
some show. and were collected at the State
Department of Education, previously to being
shipped for the Centennial grounds. On the 18th
inst, in company with Rev. c.. Forbes. formerly
missionary at the Islands, l visited the Philadei-
its mia Northern Home for friendless children. and
sister institution the Home for soldiers and sailors
orphans. Here again were written examinations
going on, by order of the Superintendent of
Instruction. Both institutions numbered about
400 pupils of both sexes, and are controlled by a
board of ladies. Everything about the establish
ments was perfectly neat. and the pupils appeared
to be we'll cared for. Still l saw a great many
old faces on young shoulders telling the tale of
early troublesT The gem of these establishments is the
. Kindergarten School, where the little ones were
taught. In a large room wherein flowers were
made to bloom at all seasons. and a canary made
music at all hours 0! the day, was a low form in
the shape of a parallelogram. Around this form.
seated in comfortable little rocking chairs were
some twenty little midgets, the oldest of whom
was not more than six. Here they were amusing
themselves in drawing on states. making variegated
paper mats. modelling fruits and animals in clay.
unconsciously learning and studying, whilst in
reality playing. I was assured that the little
things. some not more than three years old gen
orally learned to read by the time they mastered
the alphabet. Variously colored blocks with the