The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-10-25
Exclusive schools.


Mr.. EDITOR: In your last issue ap-
pears an article signed observer"
advocating the establishment OF schools
supported by the Government, exclu-
sively for white children. Allow nae
space for some lines, in which to show
him the injustice and impossibility OF
such a scheme. observer" is not aware
that it is one of the objects of the present
Government to try to smoothe over that
race feeling, which INSCRIPTIONS men
for the last years have stirred up for
political purposes. Proposals like COB
servers" are not likely to help in this
matter. What does he thinks his neigh
bors, the Hawaiian blacksmith, luna,
etc, would say to see their Government
support schools, from which their chill
dren were excluded. Let him put him
self in the Hawaiian's place and see
what his feelings would be.
"Observer" states that he knows posi-
lively, that all the white parents on
these islands are in constant dread of the
intermingling of their children with Ha-
waiians. He must be ignorant OF the
fact that the children of white people for
years have been brought up in the same
schools and later on in many instances
have intermarried with the Hawaiians,
and if he looks to the majority of the
young white men and women brought
up here he will find that they have come
out an honor to their parents and them
selves in spite of the supposed danger
incurred in going to school with natives.
Ii there, by the way, was any danger,
would it not naturally rather be for the
weaker Hawaiian race than for the
strong AnglO-Saxon?
The intermingling of nationalities in
the Government schools is just as OBJ
jectiOnable to the Hawaiian parents as
to the white, not on account OF any i'm
aginary danger, but simply such mixing
of children, talking different languages,
is a draw back to a good result of the
teaching; but if ''Observer'' will look at
the number of scholars in all the semi
naries and boarding schools in the coun-
try, he will see the willingness with
which the Hawaiians pay for having
their children given a good education,
even if it often is a severe strain on their !
meagre purses. Does "Observer" think !
that all the white children come to the |
schools as so many little, white angels, |
and that the Hawaiian children, whom |
he must presume are naturally wicked, |
are there waiting to corrupt the angels? |
The Government free schools here are |
greatly superior to any free schools in
any European country, but still their |
intention is only to give some kind of |
knowledge to the poor classes and not |
attempt to give any high education to
Mr.. Observer or his children.
If Observer" is not able or incline d |
TO teach his children at home, or cannot
afford to engage a teacher for them, he
will have to let them face the terrible
danger of intermingling with natives,
because to my knowledge there is not a
private school in this country, which
excludes native children, if they can pay
their share and their parents belong to
the same social standing as the support
ers of the school. But If he thinks that
his parental duties are rather to let his
remain ignorant than letting
them intermingle with Hawaiians, then
it is fortunate that here is a law compel
ling him to send his children to school
from their sixth to their fifteenth year
1t is lucky that Observers" article
emanates from a district like Spreckels-
vile, where there are hardly any natives,
Or it would have created more indigna-
ion between the HaWaiians and fair
minded foreigners.
ALLEGRO.
Waikiki, Oct IL.