The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-12-31
The English Language in Hawaiian
Schools.

Schools.
Mr.. EDITOR: In the great and rapid
improvement which has been made in
the educational department of the Gov
eminent under the present Beard of Edu-
cation, there would seem yet to be some
points of administration about which
more knowledge would be desirable.
| The great number Of new and commodi-
GUS school houses, the increasing number
of able and faithful and acceptable teach
ers, are evident facts that rebound greatly
to the credit of the present Board. But
some, who are Interested especially in
the welfare of the Hawaiianss have been
led to query whether tie present poirifas:y
is as advanBag eous II some respects, as
it certainIy is uardeG 10 be, to the best
interests OF Hawaiian children Unfor-
| tunately, bh5 Is not country in which
accurate stat II ,rlnation is easily
attainaDie.
Mr.. KNIT rad Elcst favorable
OpportunlG1es FOR personal knowledge in
regard to the II&w&ii&ns on Kauai Fills
| friendly interest in the people, as We.
| as his official relations to the schools
give to his expressed opinion value be-
yond that of anyone less familiar than
| he with the social conditions of our is
| land community formerly and at present.
| In the letter from him recently printed
in your paper, he deprecates the exclu-
sion of the Hawaiian language from the
schools for Hawaiians. In this partlcu-
lar, | wish to express my concurrence
with his opinion and view OF the situa-
ton, rather than with the stand taken
IN, Of -,
this expression of opinion, | wish to treat
fairly and Justly those who in advocating
different sentiments, have adopted pol
icy which III their Judgment Is the best
ADAPTED to the condition and needs OF
the Hawaiian people. In advocating q
different policy | would yet not be be-
hind anyone in acknowledging the debt
of gratitude this community owes to the
philanthropic zeal and interchangeable
labors of the President of the present
Board of Education. 1t is not so much
the study of English exclusively, which
marks the divergence of views in regard
to the policy of the Board, as the exclu-
sion of the Hawaiian language from the
schools, IN which according to the last
census Hawaiians and half-castes cOnsti-
tute 81 per cent. of the school population
The question is not merely IN regard TO
the superiority of one language over an
other as a medium OF instruction nor to
the superior economical value of the
English in a business point of view. No
one can deny the unreasonable advan-
tage of the English language. Nor is the
point of difference the propriety of teach
ing English, as showing an unjust par
TALLY In view of the mixture of foreign
nationalities in every school district,
Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Ger
ma MnFVVnOIqn a. &c oh
The Japanese Government has acted
wisely In choosing English as the foreign
language to be taught Japanese children,
rather than French or German The
medical department of the University at
Toxic, under German teachers, is the
only one in which any other language
than English is used IN the classroom.
1t is expected that in few years every
yraduate of the normal schools VIII be
aole TO teach English and SO in the
public schools of Japan it is the English
aaguage which is to be taught, in pre-
t5r-nce to any other foreign language
ut it will be noticed that English is
10 DC taught, not to the exclusion of the
Latl tongue, but co-ordinately and
suosl iarlly. So too, IN these islands,
nc Sane person would think OF insisting
on making Hawaiian the language of the
schoolroom, and require the teachers
that come from the States to acquire the
Hawaiian language. The point, which
Mr.. Knudsen brings forward, is the
pressing difficulty in the present policy
OF the Board, the exclusion of Hawai-
EsEa from the Government Schools for
Hawaiians This is not like making
English the language of the schools to
the exclusion of German In such Ger
incorporating communities as Cincin-
natl or Chicago or New York where
English is yet the national language.
But the fact is as stated by Mr.. Knud-
sen, condition of things to be dep1ored
and remedied that the present genera
ton of Hawaiian youth IS growing up In
ignorance of their own language, unable
to read or write it properly. And they
are also growing up without that knowl-
edge of the rudiments, the fundamental
principles and facts in mathematics. gee
graphy, grammar, history, and physical
science, such as auuEt better fi5 them
t. be Intelligent &Eet - p.aaLe members /
"a civilized society, 1Jc benevolent
organization ces furnish education for a