The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-05-19

Among the many May exeellencies
of the last Ladies Home Journal is an
editorial on Girls and Literary Calls
themes" The writer anticipates the
busy Commencement days of June. He
alludes 10 the beautiful meaning under
living the season. and pays poetic trih-
ute to the thrilling moment when the
girl steps out from her school days into
the world of womanhood before her
s.To be present at such exercises, he
declares. lis one of the most eXhllarat-
.ne experiences that can come to either
an or woman"
N the next paragraph, however MS
enthusiasm feels the chilling influence
of athe literature of these events
He has evidently made q careful study
of this. for he quotes as subjects typi-
cal of some twenty Of last years Com
nencemeut programs: A History OF
Civilization" Republic versus Mon
archv." Trades Unions and a Mono
,olx of Labor" THE Rise of English
Newspapers" Libel Suits Against Ed
itorsIs and in striking contrast TO theh.
Is Love Worth Striving For?
We can readily believe that he gain
cd absolutely nothing from the few aru-
fetal ESSAYS he actually heard unless II
was an intense feeling of pity for the
white-robed graduates who were COM
pelled to go through the farce OF writ
ing dissertations on these subjects
He leads us TO demand with him why
the colleges do not choose more appro-
nriate TOPICS for these young women?
Or why they do not altogether abandon
the essays. substituting general exer-
eises. or better still. q Baccalaureate
address by some gifted orator? He
notes with pleasure that in three pro-
grams this most rational order for
graduating exercises had replaced the
conventional and-let US whisper it
tedious reading Of essays.
Fs2Ns--s--
/ quite approve Of Mr.. Home Journ-
ais views on this subject. l am three
and four times happy in thinking that
the many thousand readers Of that
uaper will have so clear a statement
of 2 theory / have admired for ten
years. Ideas are not private property.
YOU know. and am so generous as to
share with you this idea which was
Mr. Rok's is mine. and now will be
yours.
Will il be yours? Or do you uphold
this custom which brings US, at least
once in the year. 10 listen while our
daughters of eighteen and twenty in
struct US in history. civics. ethics and
letters2 What part Of these papers.
do YOU think. can Be the product OF
heir unaided thought? If these essays
must be written as a means of grace,
al least the parents of the tortured
essavists need not also endure the
throes of suffering that came with the
writing.
Long years ago a High School class
gave as its substitute for the tradition
al ESSAYS various American poets
words about the New England schools
1t was most enthusiastically received.
l remember.
The best of all part-exereises,
think. is that charming idea OF the
Oakland teacher, whose class of girls
gave a program barred on Tennyson's
Princess. This would give an oppor-
tunity for songs, recitations and some
dramatic representations, and could be
a most entertaining and artistic affair
Why need We, parents and friends, |
insist on so-called sample work that is |
far beyond the actual best work our /
girls do? Where shall I place the res
possibility for this annual parade? l
do not put it all on the teachers For /
them there is implied labor of sug-
gestion. correction and rehearsal of
these essays which / believe tehy
would gladly forego. The scholars
certainly do not enjoy this ordeal
have known girls who declined TO gra-
duate because of the platform preli-
ninaries. and many other girls would
have done likewise but for their pa
rents
All. yes, / must blame you.-fond,
ambitious. foolish paren;s,-for the
crude essays on undigested, indigesdble
subjects. l call you to account for the
waste of nervous strength in preparing
for this trying evening. / blame you
for the dishonesty which palms on as
ms own the actual words Of teacher or
friend. Have you no remorse for the
heart-burnings of your children, for the
foreordained failure of their honest at
tempt. for applause that was anything
but spontaneous. for hoped-for bou-
Duets that were not forthcoming?
A great compensation will you need
to render to your children for all this
suffering. May no cruel priest Of Baal
call on you TO sacrifice still others TO
this Moloch of pride?
SIBYL-