Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-07-12
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II anything we're needed 10 establish
the general value ut industrial lmiutg..
that need would be supplied h, the sue
tess oi industrial schools In America and
Europe, AND Is, the present activity in
Organizing new schools oihkc character
,u such busy Ceutcr Js Boston and
Chicago In the latter CITY. the enter
prise IS undertaken by IN association ot
huslncs, men who feel the necessity ot
such a school and have amply endowed
It, 1t Is q frequent remark Of tourists
tothese islands "NhvduntyoulsJhooIs
afford industrial tralnlng' what these
youth need Is deNeriN iu the use of
tools Why don't thc schools Go them
ior something more than school teach
iug and the aw2' Now this is not a
iust criticism though 10 emphasizes q
need that Is only too apparent Indus
trial training has alway, had a place in
uur system oi education. and in one or
iwn schools has had 4 yerv important
place Credit must be accorded tu
those schools which have consistently
maintained on effective course of indus
trial training Notwithstanding the lack
OF governmental support something
has been done, bul vastly more shurld
he done The principal OF one of our
oldest and mos, influential schools, that
at Hilo, in referring to his READINGS, to
supplement the present course ofindus-
tral training at that school said I'VE
have an available watei>powcr on our
premises that could be easily utilized in
running a circular and jig saw for the
manufacture OF a large number OF articles
OF school furniture and for edccting re
pairs. y small printing press could also
be run by the same power tor the prin-
ting OF the school papers now prepared
hi-monthly hy the boys in the three
upper classes Sewing machines run by
the same power could be operated in
making work clothes, mattresses, sheets.
and other neCtssaries to be used at the
school The annual expense attending
such an addition to our course would be
met by the rule Of articles, though in
duSirial education must in 4 measure be
like all other education not a source of
revenue but means of instruction.
In laying stress on what should be
done for industrial education. Doctor
Armstrong said in 1881, "indolence is
one of the great master evils which hin
ders the progress and threatens the ruin
of the Hawaiian race. In our com
mon schools industrial training has
always been exceedingly eleyating.
consisting largely in wedding taro-
patches. The biennial report of the
board OF education, for tSSt-S2, con
tainS this sentence, the pupils of
about IS of the common schools de
vote two Of the FIVE hours daily school
ing TO agricultural labor How truly
the industrial feature has come to be a
dead letter in our common schools is
shown by the fact that these IS schools
represent 50 per cent oi the whole
number How inefficient the system
has become is shown in that this indus
trial training consists of agricultural
labor in the Immensely instructive
work of pulling weeds or trashing cane.
How dlsasterous this system is to the
general interests OF education every one
must feel when we consider that two
hfths OF the daily schooling is thus en-
ployed. Think OF native or Portuguese
or Chinese youth becoming intelligent
citizens when they study reading and
arithmetic in a language they have
not acquired, and then have two hours
OF the daily five subracted for man
ual labor. The most disastrously man
aged department of the government is
the bureau of education for ii effects
the future OF the realm as no other
department can. Its attitude towards
industrial education is only an incid-
entail evidence its incompetent man
agemenL Ii industrial training is to
be part OF ohr common school system
il should no, lessen the number OF hours
in the schooolroom, but should come
At time when the pupils might other
wise be in the streets. Ii is doubtful
whether such training is practicable in
any but boarding-schools where the
pupils are always together and able to
turn their time to advantage in receiv-
ing practical instruction out of school
hours The youth in the common
schools are as ruletoo youngtodo what
is practicable in the bonrdlng-schools
OF higher grade.