The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-01-18
THE REF0RMAT0RY SCHOOL.
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL.

EDITOR BULLETIN:-I feel it my
duty to correct certain statements in
a paper on the Reformatory School,
read by Rev. G. f. 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 l express an
opinion respecting the suggested
changes and 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-
tion of the writer, / should be doing
wrong to the institution by allow
ing these impressions and the state
ments producing them to remain un-
corrected.
1t is an injustice to the native
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, 1 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 a chance to
play base ball or cricket, foot ball,
kite-hying, 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 as SUCH" Neither
are they, nor have they been at any
time, so treated, dressed, fed and
neglected. Unless blue denim be
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 procurable, with coffee
and cake on public holidays, and an
occasional roast pig, constitute the
food of vagabonds; or cleaning the
heads and combing the hair of the
small boys with my own hands be
understood to mean the treatment
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 visit
for half an hour from the Roman
priest, and an occasional visit to the
Kaumakapili Church," do not make
the sum total. True, the fact OF
Mr.. Groser, clergyman, having
charge of the school room has in
duced relaxation of efforts in that
direction from myself and others.
Formerly a native clergyman came
regularly Sunday afternoons; also
two or three young men to hold
Sunday school. 1t was my practice
to open and close school with devo-
tional exercises, and a half an hour
three days of the week was given to
moral instruction. Since Mr.. Groser
has been here l have left that work