The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-05-16

Among the many May excellencies
of the last Ladies' Home Journal is an
editorial on Girls and Literary Calls
thenics'' The writer anticipates the
busy Commencement days of June. He
aIludes to the beautiful meaning under
lying the season, and pays poetic trib-
ute to the thrilling moment. when the
girl steps out from her school days into
the world of womanhood before her.
ITO be present at such exercises he
declares, lis one of the most exhilarat-
ing experiences that can come to either
man or woman"
In the next paragraph, however, his
enthusiasm feels the chilling influence
of the literature of these events"
He has evidently made careful study
of this, for he quotes as subjects typi-
cal of some twenty of last years Com
mencement programs: "A History of
Civilization Republic versus Mon
archy,' Trades Unions and a Mono
poly of Labor" THE Rise of English
Newspapers, Libel Suits Against Ed
itors,'' and in striking contrast to then,
'Is Love Worth Striving F'or?"
We can readily believe that he gain
ed absolutely nothing from the few arti
fetal essays he actually heard unless it
was an intense feeling of pity for the
white-robed graduates who were COM
PEELED 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 apron
pirate topics for these young women
Or why they do not altogether abandon
the essays, substituting general exer$I
ciSeS, or better still, a 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.
| quite approve of Mr.. Home Journ- !
ais views on this subject. 1 am three |
and four times happy in thinking that |
the many thousand readers of that |
paper will have so clear statement !
of a theory / have admired for ten |
years. Ideas are not private property, |
you know, and 1 am so generous as to |
share with you this idea which was
Mr.. Bok's, is mine, and now will be
yours. /
Will it be yours? Or do you uphold |
this custom which brings us, at least |
once in the year, to listen while our |
daughters of eighteen and twenty in
struct us in history civics, ethics and
letters? What part of these papers,
do you think, can be the product of
their unaided thought? If these essays
must be written as a means of grace,
at least the parents of the tortured
essayists need not also endure the
throes of suffering that came with the
writing.
Long years ago a High School class
gave as it's substitute for the tradition
al essays various American poets
words about the New England schools.
1t was most enthusiastically received,
I remember.
The best of all part-exercises, I
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? I
do not put it all on the teachers. For
them there is implied a labor of sug-
gestion correction and rehearsal of
these essays which I believe tehy
would gladly forego. The scholars
certainly do not enjoy this ordeal 1
have known girls who declined to gra-
duate because of the platform preli-
and many other girls would
have done likewise but for their pa
rents.
All, yesi 1 must blame you,-fond,
ambitious, foolish parents,-for the
crude essays on undigested. indigestible
subjects. l call you to account for the
waste of nervous strength in preparing
for this trying evening. l blame you
for the dishonesty which palms off as
its own the actual words of teacher or
friend. Have you no remorse for the
heart-burnings of your children, for the
failure of their honest at
tempt, for applause that was anything
but spontaneous, for hOped-for bou-
quets 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
his Moloch of pride?
A tea for Mrs. H. A. P. Baldwin and T