Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-06-25
pUNAHoU ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS

Tho FIRST Of these, the one read 10y Hon. G. r.
information in regard to the schools Of tho
country. aud The address Of Ailr NfJ to
her children speaks plainly Of tie present
moods Of Punahou VI. Bishops address
la order 10 fully appreciate the present condi-
ton of educ ltuu IN this country, II would BE-
necessary TO review what hna been done. and tho
experiences of the past, and to make comparisons,
but we have time for such work now. Tho
reports made 10 the Legislature from time TO time
are accessible tu all, must conhnc my remarks
to-day To- matters Of the present.
The Act Of January 10Th, 1860 and the amend
mentt thereof comprise the school laws Of this
Kingdom IN which, II IN stated that the object of
the common schools supported 10y Government
is 10 instruct the children of the nation in good
morals and IN the rudmcnts of rcidug writing
geography arithmetic, and Of other kindred
elementary branches To constitute legal
school II h necessary that IL shall bc kept not lcss
than $50 days In each year All children between
the HgcT of q and IL are to attend some legal
school and parents and guardians are liable 10
penalties II they neglect 10 send their children or
wards O. such school. Those less than and
over III years ot age are not eSclud d from the
Government schools. For the support Of schools.
all males from - TO 60 years OF age are liable 10
annual tax of 81. The interest ON the fund
derived from sales of lands and from rents of
lands leased are used for the supp ,rt of select
schools, and for binding and repairing school
houses aud last but not least, ON the apprppri-
atoms of public funds by the Legislature for the
support of, or aid to Government schools, aid 10
flnlily schools for Hawaiian girls, and for scholar
hips In Colleges. These several xes, incomes
and appropriation are 10y law placed under the
of the Board of Education and are expended
according 81 law. In 1873 the school * collected
amounted to S3i LOGS, In 1879 1t was S.i6i3i, and
the total expenditure for educational purposes In
that yenr was $1,000.
For 1881 the tax will probably amount TO
St3ODo, and the whole expenditure To more than
~lOD.0uJ, which will consume all Of the fulds
ayail'ble for such purposes.
The amount expended for building and repur-
ing school-hJusCs in the twoyears ending March
3lst, 1880 was more than S2iOJp; and for the
year ending March 3st 1881 something over
$1,000 making Owe $4,000 for the three We ire
And during the last year the special grants to
family schools for native girls (in-ddition q the
capt. ltion grInts) amounted TO $500.
The average annual cost OF English text BOOKS
is about $3.50, and these and the other books
used in the schools are furnished nj cost.
There are but six districts in which the schools
have, during the year 1880, been supported cxclu-
to wit Kau, Makawno. Eva aud Waianae, koo-
laupoko, Lihue and Hanaei, and in some OF these
the opening of English schools will soon make the
expenses to exceed the taxes,
The terms of the Government schools cover ~
weeks of each year, . dys of hours each, in
Guiding rec.sSes III each week
Tuition i'll the Government schools in which
only the Hawaiian language is used ~ free. and III
those in which the teaching is III the English the
chtrge is 80 per aiinum exc p! III the Fort Street
School, where i; is 30 cents per week.
Referring again to the school tax, would here
remark that If the tax for this year should be
collected from all who are liable To pay the
Chinese viii pay more than all other natiunaliteS
combined All of the Government schools are
open to the Chinese the same as they to the
nltiyes and to the children Of other natonalitIes
aad the Government pays II teacher i'll one
El slish Day-schoo, and aids an evening school
for them. The list Census shows s,65S AS the
number of children between the ages of q and 10,
On the lst of Jauu my, 1850, there were 30
schools of all classes, with an attendance of 7,l6
scholars. OF these 81 per cent, were i'll the com
IN ~ M select schools.
~ per cent. III the independent schools; 81 per
cent. were taught IN the Hawaiian, and ~ per
cent. in the English language. In nationality
they stood about rs follows: ~ per cent. Hawai-
ians, IL per cent. half-castes and per cent. all
other nationalities.
Since the above date ten new schools have been
opened by the Government III which the teaching
i in the English language, with an attendance of
about 5l5: and provision has been made for one
such school so that at the present time
those taught mainly in the English, and those
taught exclusively IN the Hawaiian are about
equal i'll number
The total number of common schools taught in
Hawaiian March 3lst of this year WAS li5, in some
of which. the attendance is less than 10, and in
quite number under 10. Since that date several
of these schools have been closed by the substin-
ton of English schools for them. And although
the number of these common schools has been
greatly reduced atterly, the whole expense for
that class has not been lessened, because higher
wages now paid 10 teachers, and i'll most c,ses
without any corresponding Improvement in the
quality of the service.
The school population Is, as you know, scattered
along or near the coasts of eight islands, which ac-
counts for many of the schools being small.
In many of the districts 1t would be impossible,
and i'll most il lis diiiult for foreign teachers,
male or female TO get suitable board and lodging;
and while 1t is hoped that ere long there will be
more natives 6ie and willing to teach in English;
at present 1t Is necessary to employ foreigners
almost entirely.
Not less than hundred persons of foreign
birth extraction are now engaged in teaching in
the English language IN the Government and in
dependent schools, and there but three districts
in which there is not such school Ito wit Puma,
Lanai and Eva and Waianael.
The number of children of foreign parentage Is
rapidly increasing, by birth ana immigration, and
many of them-the Portuguese, Norwegians and
Germans, like the Hawaiians, will have to master
the difficulties of the English language
The mixture of races in our schools Is remark
able and interesting. The principal races of all
of the continents and of many of the islands of
the great oceans, are represented IN them In
some single schools may be found representatives
OF four or iye nationalities and races sitting to-
gether. The Fort Street school, established prin-
cipally for accommodation of foreigners is re
markable III this respect. There may be seen the
children of the most Intelligent and refined of the
foreign residents, and Of those of the most hum
BILE positions and of many races, making together
friendly rivalry for the coveted honors of
scholarship and good conduct. The fact speaks
well for the good sense and sound public spirit of
many of the parents, the skill and high reputation
of the Principal and his Assistants, and the good