The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-01-21

patronized mainly or entirely by ma
tives, are, although the fees are pro
perly and necessarily small, pay in
situations, and outside the public
school system. This brings out in
cidentally a very honorable and
hopeful element in the native char
acter, namely, the absence Of a
pauper spirit, and a willingness on
the part Of the Kanaka to pay, so far
as his means allow, for anything of
which he recognizes the value.
The Government English schools
Of the Kingdom have been made
free. Since this important new de
parture Of the last Legislative SEES
sion, the schools of this kind are in
creasing and multiplying all over
the islands, as evidenced by the new
buildings advertised for by the Board
of Education. OF course, the sue
cess of educative forces depends
very largely upon their manipula-
ton by those intrusted with them.
We think it no more than justice to
the Board to say that their efforts to
increase the numbers and efficiency
of the teaching force seem to fairly
keep pace with the improvements in
the buildings and other material
appliances of education.
A great responsibility rests upon
the teachers of the government
schools, as we'll as upon all those
who have directly to do with train
ing the coming generation of Ha-
waiians. It is the building up of
character which needs to be attended
to, and the intoxicating of sound
ideas of life and duty, quite as much
as the imparting of knowledge. AS
we have said before, it is the spirit
of self reliance, and the power of
original and correct thinking which
the Hawaiian needs most of all to
have developed at the outset. No
doubt the same might be said of
many Americans and many English
men, but in case of men of these
nationalities, whatever may be the
case with certain individuals, habits
of self reliance and independent
thinking have, by this time, become,
as it were, impressed upon their
national life.
In the case of the Hawaiians this
stage of development has yet to be
reached. Without waiting to inquire
into the causes, we may say that the
general disposition Of the average
native is to lean too much on others;
his AGo5e neighbor, his chief, his off
cial superior, or someone who he re-
CARDS as his ''guide, philosopher and
friend" and to take his manaO, his
| opinions at second hand. The for
eigner is thus placed under a double
responsibility to the native race. He
must not only try to develop and
encourage the thinking powers OF
the natives, but he must also initiate
them into the process of conducting
that thinking to its proper practical
and legitimate uses. These condi-
tions being fulfilled, and why should
they not be ? the investment of the
present generation will yield as
heavy dividends in the future, as the
first million dollars has, already
done.
Native Hawaiians, as a result Of
the educational forces now fairly sci
in motion, ought in due time to fur
nish a larger quota than they
have heretofore done, to the leading
men of Honolulu and the whole
country. 1--WE are saved by hope
Let us at least hope that in due time
Hawaiian heads will worthily bear
their full share in originating an6
directing the enterprises of the ma
ton.