The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-02-10
SCHOOL MATTERS
To What Extent Educa'
ton is Progressing.
Census Tables Which Furnish Val
liable InformatiOn-The Pass
ing of Hawaiian.

About one in every seven OF the en-
tire native Hawaiian population, of full
and mixed blood, attended school in
1886. From eight TO nine in every hun
dred Of the total population of the Isl
ands were in school the same year.
This is a most remarkable showing, in
view OF the fact that more than a
fourth of the population consists OF Ash
atics, a great majority of whom are
adult male 1aborers on plantations. As
for the Hawaiians, il is doubtful if
there is a less illiterate people in the
world. Hitherto it has been a rare ex-
ception TO find a native Hawaiian, be-
tween early school age and extreme
old age, who could not read and write
his own language. There is now a
change being noted in this respect, but
not a retrogression toward illiteracy.
1t is the result of a process, begun years
ago, whereby the English language has
been made paramount as the vehicle
of national education. Only the other
day an official plea was uttered on be-
half of instruction in written Hawaiian,
it being stated that young natives,
while using their mother tongue chiefly
in family intercourse, were unable to
read and write it with propriety. These
young Hawaiians have a facile grasp
of written English.
An educational system was early in
troduced in the civilized government of
the Hawaiian Islands, as the outgrowth
of schools established by the American
missionaries. In the beginning the
public schools were taught in the Ha-
waiian language. With the increase of
foreign population schools taught part
~ or wholly in English were started.
About the same time there was a con-
siderable desire on the part of native
Hawaiians for an English education.
Schools in which English was taught
would be started upon the request OF
certain number of residents. The Roy
al School in Honolulu, was one OF the
early institutions wherein the two Ian
guages were employed. Tuition fees
were charged in the public schools I'M
til 1888, when, largely at the desire OF
the natives, common school education
was made free by law. In the earlier
DAYS English was taught in the large
mission schools as a classic. 1t was In
1876 that it was recognized as the YER
nacular at Lahainaluna, henceforth in
that important institution becoming
the dominant medium of instruction
A few struggling country schools
taught in Hawaiian survived up till
last year, 1896, when the teaching OF
English was made compulsory In all
public schools. This applies to indie
pendent schools also, as no child from
s to 10 years of age, inclusive, is eX-
empt from the clutches of the truant
officer, who does not attend some school
in which a rudimentary education is
conferred through the medium OF the
English language. With these few Facts
by way of general information, some
more figures on school attendance VIII
be interesting.
At this writing the annual report OF
the Department of Education, for 1896,
is not completed, but the biennial re-
mort to the Legislature includes the
first part of that year. The following
is comparative table OF the pupils
with their nationalities, attending
school in the Hawaiian Islands for the
years 1890 and 1896: