The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-12-21
FOR new METHOD.
Inspector Townsend Pro.
poses Valuable Reform.
Defects in Local Systems Of Ian.
guage Teaching Correspond
ence With Famous Instructor.


the educational problems here from the
earliest days of the first schools. The
initial plans were almost entirely in
nocent Of system, were slow and lab
orious Marked advance has been
made, but with all that has been tried
and all that has been accomplished it
is admitted readily by those in the
work that no wholly satisfactory
scheme has yet been evolved In the
first place those developing the science
of teaching have had their attention
fixed on matters other than the teach
ing of language in which the same
pupils are afterwards to be taught.
The situation here presents an isolated
case. There are peculiar, unique con-
ditions without exact parallel. There
has been no settled policy, no especial
approved procedure.
Inspector General Townsend, very
soon after his appointment to office
set about searching for men and works
to assist in carrying out long-cherished
ideas on the subject of system for the
transmission of English to the varied
nationalities in the Government schools
here. To an educator, or to one who
has given the matter any attention it
will be patent at once that the task
was one to almost appall an individual
of even medium determination. Mr.
Townsend has said that it would con-
tribute largely to his measure of
satisfaction with his career in
his position if his administration
could be marked by an effective, work
ing innovation in this field He has
been corresponding on the subject for
some time with Victor Belts, than
whom no man ranks higher today as
an instructor in languages.
Victor Belts is a French scholar who
in recent years has spent much time in
London and in the United States. He
is now at his home in the French capt.
tai. His travels have all been special
missions for particular work in his
line. M. Belts first came into promi-
nence as master of the art of Ian
guage instruction in the family of Mr..
Stead, editor of the Review of Reviews.
This was test and the affair was
most carefully prearanged. M. Belts
undertook by his system to graduate
three children into conversational
French in six months The hours per
day were limited to less than the or
binary school periods and the regular
vacations arriving during the trial
were taken. Mr.. Stead and several
other gentlemen, as we'll as a number
Of ladies were selected as judges. M.
Metis did better than he had prom
Used. At the end of the six months
the children were submitted to a semi
public examination by an extensive
commission of experts including Eng
lish, American and French represen-
tatives. One other trial was made on
the ground that it was likely the child
rem of Mr.. Stead were brighter or more
clever than the ordinary run of young
sters. Several pupils were picked at
random from families that might nat
urally be supposed to eventually have
the Junior members instituted in some
language. Such was the confidence in
this second effort, which was fully as
successful as the first, that dur
ing it's progress M. Belts was
conducting large class of teachers
who wished to use the new method
Such inducements were offered the
Frenchman that he travelled to New
York and Boston and taught his sys-
tenn of teaching to teachers until he
was forced by failing health to take
an extended vacation.
So enthusiastic is Mr.. Townsend over
the Belts plan that every effort will
be made to have it given a trial for
the schools of Hawaii. Mr. Townsend
says he will be pleased if the method
will accomplish here in two years
what it has elsewhere done in
six months. The idea of local ap-
plication is of course to equip
the teachers who often from term to
term and day to day face scholars that
know not single word or sentence of
English. English is of course the Ian
guage of the schools. The teachers here
do the best they can and the results
are often to be highly commended.
The difficulties they wrest with are
heavy and discouraging and as indi-
Gated there has been no uniformity in
the tremendous task of Embedding the
English. Mr.. Townsend has one quite
encouraging letter from NJ Belts in
regard to adaptation of the psycholo-
gical method of language teaching for
the Normal and Summer schools of
this country and there will be further
negotiations. M. Belts expresses him
self as delighted with what seems to
be an opportunity to extend his work
to this distant field. If anything like
the success that seems to be promised
can be achieved the new step will be
almost a revolution in educational
work in the Islands.