The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-03-26
ITS FIRST ISSUE
New Magazine Published
in Islands.
Devoted to Interests of Young
People-Printed at
Lahainaluna.

"Hawaii's Young People" is the title
of new sixteen-page magazine from
the press of the Lahainaluna Seminary
Osmer Abbott is editor and C. E. Rose
Grams associate. The objects of the pa
per are set forth in the following edi-
torial of the initial number:
Parents are apt to see graces and
virtues in their children which no
other can find. 1t becomes us, there
fore, to be modest in speaking of the
infant journal which is now issued
from the Lahainaluna press. The
young people of this country have no
literature which appeals directly to
them. That which is written for the
youth of other lands is full of terms
which have no meaning to those who
were born here. The papers for chill
dren and young people in the United
States, st. Nicholas, Harper's Riund
Table, and the Youths Companion.
for instance, are at This season full If
references to snow, ice, skating. sledg-
ing, and the like. To the youth who
has never been away from the Islands
the words are vague and meaningless.
Nor are these the exceptions. A gentle
man of culture. born and reared here,
has written us speaking of his own diff
ficulties as boy in understanding the
literature of the mother country. and
saying that such words as hearth had
for years no meaning to him The
home associations of these fit them
best to understand such illusions How
is it with those whose home associa-
tons have in them nothing whatever
Of help, perhaps nothing that even
suggests civilization? Yet how many
such there are!
Many teachers have endeavored to
remedy this by using daily or weekly
papers in the school as supplementary
reading, and by urging their pupils to
read them outside. This course is open
to many objections. We cannot here
enter into the discussion of the prov
ince of the newspaper. We cannot
stop to inquire how much crime should
be given place in the columns of the
daily newspaper. Nor do we think our
papers are sinners above all others.
On the contrary, they are exceptionally
clean. Yet it is clear, we think, that
there is much even in them that youth
and immaturity ought not to read. The
late instance of series of cold-blood-
ed murders will serve as an example
Another point is that much of the
literature of the day, magazine and
book as well as newspaper, is couched
in inelegant English. Dialect stories
are numerous. Slang is omnipresent.
Inaccuracies are becoming almost the
rule. Whatever justification may be
made for these things, it is evident
that the language of youth should not
be formed upon such models.
''Yet the value of news that is i'm
portant news in education is very good.
Our need in this direction is current
history, told in manner to interest
young people, in pure and simple Ian
guage
''The need of supplementary reading
has been emphasized The deadening
effect of reading what no longer inter-
ests or instructs the pupil needs no
comment at this time.
'The printing Office at Lahainaluna,
the manual training class in it, and the
relation of the school to the Govern
ment, make it possible to produce this
paper here at the lightest possible ex-
pense.
''The task of editing such paper is
no slight one, and we must beg our
readers not to expect too much. 1t is
difficult thing to write well when
ones whole vocabulary is employed.
To write well for the young is doubly
difficult on account of their narrow
range of interest. and because the
words must be carefully selected. We
shall consider it favor if our readers
will inform us as to which articles are
interesting to their pupils and which
seem too difficult
in addition to the use as reading
matter, we believe our more active
teachers will find many of the articles
well adapted for language work in re-
production; we hope also TO be able
to arouse an interest in the study of
nature.
ut is fitting in closing this article
that tribute be paid to Mrs Dilling-
ham, whose energy, tact and philan-
thropy have secured for us the equip
ment without which the paper would
be an impossibility. Eight other ladies
contributed to the fund. Perhaps they
will pardon us if we publish their
names without asking their consent.
They were Mother Rice, Mrs. W. A.
Bowen, Mrs. H. Warehouse, Mrs Rob
ert Levers, Mrs. P. c. Jones, Mrs. E.
w. Jordan, Mrs. W. R. Castle and Mrs.
M. E. Frear. An enterprise founded on
such disinterested philanthropy can
scarcely fail to be successful"
The paper has several very good il
Illustrations from the pen of C.. E. Rose
Grams, who was at one time connected
with the art department of the Boston
Journal. The Board of Education has
given its endorsements by furnishing
copies for use in the public schools.