The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-07-29
A FOOLISH RESOLUTION.

Among the teachers here there
is an organization known as the
Hawaiian National Teachers Asso-
citation. Such organizations are of
great value, and can have consider
able weight with the various boards
they work under by their sugges-
tons and advice But Their func-
ton is advisory, and not mandatory.
Apparently, a certain portion of the
organization here has not under
stood this. The other day a reso-
luton was passed by this body
enacting that the summer school
should be held during term time
that attendance be compulsory, and
that teachers with salaries OF $40 a
month should be assisted out Of the
public funds.
To start out with, the resolution
was not worth the paper it was
written upon, and whoever drew it
up showed Grass ignorance. Had
the resolution been worded we
respectfully ask the Board of
Education to grant what was
wished, it would have had some
value-the value of petition. But
for an irresponsible body to calmly
vote upon mandatory resolution
was, to say the least of it, discour-
teous to the Board, whose employees
the voters are.
But it might be we'll to analy
the object OF the resolution. While
it is quite agreed on all hands that
a summer school is a necessity
among any set of teachers, and
that they should attend is regarded
as proper thing, still the parents
of children require some considera-
ton. A three weeks school, held
during term tilne, would mean the
closing of IN ny of the country
schools Tor a period of five weeks,
for steamers to Kona and Hilo
never fit properly, and there would
have to be weeks leeway before
and after the school commenced in
order to have all present.
AS it is, many parents complain
of the length Of the vacations, and
would be quite willing to have the
children in school for a longer time
than they are. This applies to day
schools of the lower class, not to
boarding schools. To add five
weeks, or even three weeks, to the
present vacation of children would
be anything but satisfactory to the
bulk of parents who want their
children to get through with their
school work and become wage
earners before they are fifteen, if
possible. A man with half a. dozen
children or so, and wage of $50
to $25 a month, docs not care very
much for ologies and isms,"
both he and his want bread, and
are glad enough to get that without
even butter. All that is wanted by
such children is to learn to read,
write and have knowledge of arith-
metic as far as practical accounts,
and then get out and hustle for
some addition to the bread. People
who earn daily wage and, if they
are sick, lose their full pay, look at
matters from a practical stand
point.
Again, the voting of extra pay,
i'll order to allow teachers to attend
the school, IS unjust to the body
polite. If person in any other
line of life wishes to improve, no
one pays him or her a salary while
undergoing the process of improve
ment, let alone giving additional
pay.
No one values teachers more
than the Star. No one appreciates
mole the hardships and petty wor-
ries of the life, and no one knows
better the inadequacy of many of
the salaries. But there is justice
to teachers, and justice to children
and parents, and the first consider
alton OF the State must be for the
latter, seeing that it is for them
that teachers exist. Practical CON-
mon sense is required in looking at
such questions. The resolution in
question was conspicuously lacking
in that particular. The matter
might very we'll be left to the
board, whose business the matter
is. The tail should never try to
wag the dog.