The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-03-12
Regular Meeting Of Commissioners
Of Education.
AN APPLICATION EXTRAORDINARY
Amusing Letter from st.
Joseph, Mo.
Mr.. Bowen Tells of His Visit to Arm
tentious Medicine Chest.

At a meeting of the Commissioners
of Education held yesterday afternoon
there were present the following: Mrs.
B. F. Dillingham;, Mrs. Z. w. Jordan,
Deputy Inspector General Scott, Pro-
fessor Alexander and Mr.. w. A.
Bowen. On account of the absence of
President Cooper in the Supreme
Court, Professor Alexander took the
chair as president. Minutes of the
previous meeting read and accepted.
The Teachers Committee recon-
mended the appointment of Mrs. Amala
as assistant school teacher at Hoo
kena. recommendation adopted.
a letter of acceptance from Mr.. H.
Z. Austin, the position TO which he was
appointed at the last meeting of the
Board, was read.
An eight page letter from young
lady in ST. Joseph, Mo-, was read by
Prof. Alexander. In this the appli-
cant for a position as teacher in some
one of the schools of the Republic of
Hawaii asked for all the information
that the secretary and members of the
Board might be able to gather. She
had heard of the teachers out here
getting $3.50 a month and was most de-
siTous of having such money. She de-
scribed her physical condition and APP
pearance. enumerated her capabilities
and early and later accomplishments
and told of how she had at one time
made up her mind to be a nurse in
hospital but found the scene behind
the curtain not quite as enticing as the
representations that had been made to
her, all this helping toward prejudic-
ing her in favor of the life of a school
teacher
Mr.. Scott made a short report on
improvements made in various schools
of the city and especially in the Prac-
tice school.
Professor Alexander reported that
the school lot at Waipio, Eva, had been
rediscovered. Mr.. G.. a. Brown was
DESTROYS of obtaining a lease of the
place. 1t was mode and carried that
the matter be referred to Minister
Cooper
Mr. Bowen told of his visit to Arm
strong Smiths school on Wednesday
in company with some of his friends
from the States Mr.. Bowen said that
he could not speak too highly OF the
excellent work done along the line
of music. The tonic sol ia system was
perfectly familiar to the children and
their manner of singing was easy and
accurate. Mr.. Bowen then told of
certain little medicine chest which Mr..
Armstrong Smith kept in his room at
all times for the cure of various ills
that from time to time beset the child
,r I,n n
the various medicines therein contain
ed had had upon the children. In the
following language Mr.. Bowen told of
the mysterious chest:
The chest | speak of is something
original with Mr.. Smith and | am sure
when you hear of its qualities you will
agree that it is something that should
have been introduced a long time ago.
1t is a small box containing a lot of
differently colored bottles, in which,
in turn, small pieces of candy had
been put. These bottles are labeled:
Badness ''Laziness, Bad Words,
and the other tricks and habits that
are common to a certain portion of the
school children all over the world. If
teacher reports to the principal that
pupil has been guilty of any one of
these misdemeanors, he is taken be-
IHe HIS case
and the proper medicine prescribed.
This having been done, the patient is
given a dose, his school duties are sus-
pended for the day, and he must sit
until his disease is wholly cured. The
teacher goes TO the pupil a dozen or
10 times a day and inquiries into his
or her state of health. The medicine
has its effect, and before the day is
at an end the disease is cured. 1t has
come to such a point that although
the medicine administered is moth
ing more than candy, the pupils who
have used it come TO hate ii like so
much poison. Since the Inauguration
of the medicine chest scheme some
time ago only about eight have par
taken of its bitter-sweet medicine"
In closing his remarks Mr.. Bowen
spoke of the excellent work that Mr.
Armstrong Smith was doing among
the children, and of how the man had
thrown his whole soul into the work.
Continually he was thinking up some
thing new for the advancement in
education of the children in his
charge. No one had ever succeeded
better than Mr.. Armstrong Smith in
the school work of the city and the |
country.
Just at this point Minister Cooper, |
having finished his work in the Su- |
preme Court, came in and took his |
seat at the head of the table. He eX-
pressed himself as being very much |
gratified at the way that the work had |
gone on. After asking a few questions |
as 10 what had been done during the |
he declared the meeting
adjourned on motion made by Mr.. |
Bowen