The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-01-22
TING aGFoRMA1oRY SCHOOL.
LETTER FROM TIE PRINCIPAL.

q paper on the Reformatory School,
read by Rev. G. L. Groser at the
recent meeting of the Teachers
Convention, and published in your
columns. The inaccuracies relating
TO the constitution of the institution
/ do not consider myself called upon
to rectify. Nor do | express an
opinion respecting the suggested
changes aud additions. But certain
references to the actual working of
the school and its results being cal
culated to produce false impressions
on those not otherwise informed,
and, as q matter of fact, knowing
such impressions to have been
created in the minds of some who
heard the paper read and of others
who have read it for themselves,
whatever might have been the inten-
ton of the writer, l should be doing
wrong to the institution by allow
ing these impressions and the state
ments producing them to remain un-
corrected.
warder to say that he is "asleep half
the time" when supposed to be on
watch in the yard, and the intima-
ton that he "only' is ''left in over
sight" is misleading. AS matter
of fact, / myself am seldom absent
from the yard many minutes to-
gether during play hours.
1t would appear that no ''pro-
vision of proper amusement" is
made for the boys, hence the sug-
gcstion "to give them u chance to
play base ball or cricket, foot ball,
kite-nying, marbles and the like, and
some bright books with interesting
pictures, for an hour in the even
ing" Now, there is nothing new
in this catalogue: all these things
the boys have, and more. That bat
and ball was not the first they ever
had, by very many. Moreover, it
has been my custom on all public
holidays, when not absent in charge
of the band, to organise and per-
sonally supervise sports for their
amusement.
Certainly the boys "must not be
treated as vagabOnds, dressed, fed
: and neglected rs such" Neither
are they, nor have they been at any
time, so treated, dressed, fed and
: neglected. Unless blue denim be
9 the distinctive badge of vagabonds (;
, or good poi, No. l rice, No. ] sugar,
fresh beef, the best salmon the
market affords, fresh fish on Sun
days when procurablc, with coffee
and cake on public holidays, and an
S occasional roast pig, constitute the
= food of vagabonds; or cleaning the
~. heads and combing the hair of the
Il small boys with my own hands be
8 understood to mean the treatment
e and neglect of vagabonds.
!. The amount of moral and reli.
!, gious exercises and training is under
" estimated. "The nightly repetition
$ of the Lords Prayer, a weekly visi
l. for half an hour from the Roman
n priest, and an occasional visit to tn,
10 Kaumakapili Church," do not maxi
: the sum total. True, the fact o
J." Mr.. Groser, clergyman, havin!
% charge of the school room has in
IL duced a relaxation of efforts in tina
rs direction from myself and others
q Formerly native clergyman cam
- regularly Sunday afternoons; ais
re two or three young men to hol
i Sunday school. 1t was my practic
to open and close school with devo
tional exercises, and half an hou
:. three days of the week was given t
20 moral instruction. Since Mr.. Grose
70 has been here / have left that wor
rs to him, thinking it more in his lint
k The reason assigned for relinguisl
II ing the Sunday evening service
not satisfactory to me. Thel
~ should be no difficulty in maintain
IN ing discipline. should find nor
ct under similar circumstances.
IN The impression is conveyed tn,
r. a young boy is here subjected
- influences which are sure to max
>. him worse instead of better. TIL
II | deny. l doubt if boy was eve
nc committed to this institution who:
ot surroundings were not bettere
Int thereby, and in large majority {
- cases reformation is the result. I'll
w. boy alluded to as zone of the be-
ISL boys in the school, came here wit
to a bad record, was very troubleson
DIS for while, was ultimately apprel
rc ticed to trade in Honolulu, W,
returned after q few months as il
corrigible, and has been here ev'
since. That boy is now unique
he tionably one of the best in Il
ON school. OF the general results
IN the past ten years am not ashame
me- More than ninety percent Of t