The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-04-09
TUESDAY
CHANGES IN EDUCATIONAL METHODS.

N m6klIE lew LcLAcA A. tAS
other day. suggested by some speei-
mems Of handiwork from the Kane
hameha schools. We alluded briefly
TO the very general tendency Of
young men TO avoid occupations IN
volyius manual labor or any eonsid
cradle amount Of physical exerdon,
and TO get their living by means Of
their wits. Bodily exercise Of
severe, and even sometimes Of an
axhaustins kind, Is considered al
right. provided Il comes IN the way
q what Is called sport, and Is not
done for pay. The young man who
would aespise walking 6 mile on
good street TO save fifty cents in
hack hire, VIII tramp ali day over
hills and through thiekets, and carry
I. s gun 10 boot, for the chance Of kill
ing 3 few birds. In many ways it IS
constantly shown that it IS not so
much mere laziness and the fear Of
work which Is responsible for the
tendency referred to, as II IS a false
pride, fostered by the prevalence Of
certain unwhoIesome social copdi-
tons, and consequent desire TO
avoid al occupations. which are not
genteel@
In the complex organization Of
modern society, industrial and com
me-c;sl. there must be. OF necessity,
8 considerable number OF persons
who live by their wits. that Is, il the
sense Of working with their heads
rather than with their hands. With
ont such. the worlds business can
not be carried on This kind Of
work Is quite as necessary as any
other. and somebody has got % do
It. Trying to 1--we by ones wits is
al right, therefore, provided the
wits are enough above the average
Of others around Us to justify Us in
50 doing The trouble has been,
that too many young people Of no
originality, no unusual force of char
acter, no intellectual gifts beyond
the most ordinary and commonplace,
and 10 especial talent in any one
direction, have. upon the very mod
crate capital Of q fairly good educa-
ton, neat penmanship, and pre-
sentsble personal appearance, struck
out for such eaIIings in life as
would minister 10 their social ambi-
ton rather than for those for which |
nature has designed them.
This tendency has seemed 10 be |
quite a. strong among the better |
educated young Havaiians, as
among the boys II America and |
elsewhere. and with results quite as /
unfortunate II not more 80. In E
large proportion Of eases. those Of |
this class who have come upon the
stage Of active life within the last
dozen or more years. have shown g
contempt for such positions as they
could have easily obtained, and
which they were well qualified to FL,
and sought 70 make { living at
something more intellectual = law
ard politics for instance. Some Of
these, who happened to possess q
natural aptitude for their chosen
zF0caGonz. have succeeded fairly
well, and made creditabIe records
for themselves. In too many IN
however, the lawyer has de
into the tricky petit
logger, or what Is known IL some
PLACES as & --shyster,7 and the would
be statesman turned out TO be I
only & more or less successful dsma-
gogue. ready. at any time, to barter
bis influence or his vote for place or (
profit
So general Is the recognition Of
tins fact that Il has come 10 be q
very common remark among those
foreigners who have lived here the
o1g==t, and who know the country
and It's people best, that the best
-ati7es-the steadiest. the most in /
iuztri0us. honest, and in every way
the old natives men /
md women Of forty years Of age and
upwards who were brought up under /
he Influences Of a generation ago.
We have heard such remarks scores,
{ not hundreds. Of times. and from
1e0ple Of different nationaIities and
4 widely differing ideas IN religion,
politics. and almost everything else. +
n fact, there are not wanting those
Eho. looking only at certain unsatis-
.zctory results, and not stopping TO
If these are not largely due
o causes which are remsdiabIe. viii
y - {