The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-03-13
Hon. SANFORD B. DOLE, President
Provisional Government, Homo
lulu, Oahu;

Hon. SANFORD B. DOLE, President
Provisional Government, Homo
lulu, Oahu;
HoNoRED SIR:-It may seem pre-
sumptuous in one who has been but q
short time in the islands, to volun-
tarily offer his opinions on matters Of
Importance. Yet there are some
things that ought to be said, and
others whose opinions coincide with
mine do not wish to say them, SO
that the duty seems 10 devolve upon
me. / trust that you will excuse me
and bear me patiently. My text is
the new school board and my theme
education.
There is no need to speak to you of
the importance OF education in our
infant republic. Ignorance and vice
are the fatal diseases of republics.
Our common aim then, is to excite
interest in education and to obtain
good teachers, for as "the teacher is
so is the school,
The qualifications of teacher in
the order of their Importance are
three:
l. Character.
,. Teaching ability.
3. Education-and that far beyond
anything they may have to teach.
Many of our teachers are deficient
in all three. 1t grieves me to the
heart to see drunken, immoral and
dishonest teachers training pupils to
follow in their footsteps, and l know
from personal observation that there
are such teachers in our schools, and
if reports are true, some of them hold
ing places of responsibility. OF course
the first step of the new board should
be to discharge all such, and con-
fidently hope that your new board
will do it. "Better no schools than
! schools of vice"
.. Teaching ability. Some few
teachers are, like poets, born, but
most of us become teachers by train
| ing, good teachers if we have good
training, poor if we do not. The
| great task of the new board will be to
raise the standard of teaching, not so
much by new blood, as by training
the teachers we have-all of them
who are morally fit, for the best of us
can and should improve. How can
this be done? A normal school we
need, badly. But a normal school
worthy of the name is large under
taking and will fit new teachers
rather than the present force. Four
other means have been suggested that
can and should be used. Teachers
Institute, a Teachers Association, a
teachers's paper, reading circles.
/ l. Institutes. A teachers institute,
as you may know is in reality a short
| nf sah4A1
tor-general knowing best what the
teachers need would be the best per-
son to hold them, assisted by the best
teachers in the locality. We think
there should be one held for each ISL
and, each year, AID two for Hawaii.
1t should be held the first two weeks
or the last two weeks of the term, all
teachers in the island-(or district if in
Hawaii) should be excused from work
to attend-and compelled to attend.
2. Teachers Association. / pre-
sumo you are aware that an associa-
| ton of the teachers of Maui has been
formed to keep the teachers alive Oh
| educational subjects, raise the STAN
dard of education and of teaching and
| so promote education. These teach
ersf associations are one great means oi
! lifting teachers throughout the civiliz-
ed world today. Scarcely a well-settled
county in the United States but has
| its teachers circle composed of wide
awake, energetic teachers who believe
that teaching is as great an art and
requires as great study as any Other
and who meet to assist each other. II
States like New York with half a
score of the best normal schools in
the world need a teachers associa-