New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-23
raE PORTO RICAN PROBLEM.
OBTAIN GARDENERS CAREFUL oBsER-
vAr1oN OF THE CONDITIONS.
svs-rM OF EDUCATION AND HOW IT Is
s,rppoHrEp-A COMPULSORY Law NOT EN-
voscrD-sA1ARIEs OF THE CLERGY
~-N..NrrAI CONDITIONS.

FINANCIAL CONDITIONS.
-...N,,,+or Ian. % (speciaD.-"If Porto Rico
n..o-,. a credit 10 the United States and
continual thorn in It's side II Is as certain
- -,sine Of the sun that the work OF recon-
.-..,,o, must be done by men OF disinterested
Tee" This conclusion has been reached after
.A.-oreh study OF the educational, religious
o,bsr conditions OF Porto Rico in the last
49,. months by Captain Augustus P. Gardner
.,..sn, Adtutant- General. United States Vol
..-s who has incorporated the statement
.,o-ed in an instructive and interesting report TO
~. War Department, Just made public.
II Considering the various elements which go
- max. up the social system OF Porto Rico Cap
.o,n Gardner says. the most worthy OF a de-
,oued examination IS the method Of education
:. &c On this branch that the fruits which II is
No,sd may be gathered in the future must all
-.,sn Lave and schedules OF taxation may be
ranged at will, but a long and tedious journey
ties ahead Of the people OF the United States be-
,o,e the island can be emancipated from the
csa,ns 81 ignorance and the customs and haolts
a, the people change 10 enlightenment. The first
sfnculty which is met with by the investigator
.. the school system, or Of anything else Of az
osc,al nature in the island. is the impossibility
~ obtaining exact information.
v1-bat nurports 10 be q census OF the island Is
o. p. taken every ten years But the only one
sve- published. apparently. was that Of 1881 In
,his the population was given at SO6.tOo' OF
urbor, III $50 or 16 per cent. could neither read
,or write A comparison Of these figures Win
those OF a so-caled recthcauOn Of the census ior
1859 reveals a gross blunder somewhere, as &C
co-5ing 20 the returns for that wear. 23S294 or
oys- twice as many people as four years later
could neither read nor write.
TIE NUMBER OF 1LLITERATEs.
vo- the city Of Ponce there is an excellent cen
eve fo- the wear 1897. well compiled and 70 all
e,,earances accurate. According 10 this census
,bs cltv jurisdiction covers population OF
1000 II IS divided terrtoriallv into twenty
s,rbt wards OF which FIVE. with population OF
1922 constitute the city proper. ana three
v,,b q population Of 9412. constitute the port
and suburbs. the rest being country districts. /"
ne city proper over "A per cent could READ OF
v--,,e. In the country from per cent IN some
wards 70 q per cent in others The perceh'ase
,o- all tvventy-elght wards was -So' Oap'a'"
Gardner believes this percentage is Hlue" ''o
high He saw few Of the lists OF regls'e'eO
voters tor the last election. Twenty per cent i'e
sovs would be high estimate for those WHO
could sign their names. ,.,.
With respect "a the educatohal system -.
a,rerArt official authorities give dihereh' 10
=, their enumeration Of schools But Il Il Sal1
=. ad6e n average the number IN the lsIaio a.
- - =, the outside Of which less than
go, ~. rr,,ate or religious schools. The com
- ..boole are divided into superior element
s-v auxiliary and rural. with one tea0" 600
ooch school. whose salary ranges from - -,
,,asoe ny saw 5000 per year, IN a superior s0"0V
- the first class. 70 900 pesos per year II
so,oo, The superior schools exist only J" 'N'
seven departmental cities.
The s,,nerior schools are supposed 10 piVPN'
~ the Institute az san Juan. But IaIkV mum
80 n. the students entering that es1aolls"''e'''
ooroA from private schools. where the eou0a.
obtainable has been better than IN the pun
.obools ever since 1856. the year III "Ii'0" Oap
80. r,logia Desputols recalled 10 spain
80 d,s,n5erested Governor had kept UP the
..onaar5 NJ The schools But since his ume
,o,ool,,ss-e-s have become political footballs
90 .ha nlaces were awarded 20 henchmen tor
.a--.,o.s rendered. In view Of the fact that
,-adus+A % the Institute OF san Juan Is not
s,,4scisr-lv advanced to be a candidate for an
American college. II is surnised that the amount
>, learning ACQUIRED at a superior school Is
limited.
~ Il =
In the larger townships there IS one schooI 10
about every one thousand inhabitants bu'
education is laid on a great deal thinner IN
many parts Of the island large country dis'Tlc's
h.,,c ui.bout schools entirely notwithstanding
& compulsory school attendance law Ih's Jaw
which is not enforced. requires regular attend
snce often an impossloilty in the country ou'
ing the rainy season. The schools are open for
- % "a
tor TWO hours daily during July August and
September The city Of San Juan being the
seat o. government, is comparatively favored In
IN. number and quality OF its schools Besides
IT'S tvyentv-nine common schools II has a normal
school for each sex q manual training school
and the Institute There are said 10 be about
fttv pupils az each Of the normal schools and
ebout two hundred al the manual training
school. which although only in existence :or six
months is z pronounced success. The principal
educational establishment of the Island is the
Institute de sogundo Eusenanza de Puerto
Rico" in which according 10 the catalogue OF
1869. there We're 323 pupils enrolled ciassi
Gee as follows Official 81. private, 2OS; DO
nestle H. and advanced, l3.
Only those classified as Official and advanced
attend the lectures OF the Institute itself. The
private pupils attend private or subsidized
schools IN other cities affiliated with the Inst
tute, AID are examined by itineTant professors Of
that faculty. as is the case with domestic pupils
who pursue their studies a. home The uslaI
age tor entrance IS eleven years for boys taxing
the regular course. which comprises the follow
Ing studies: Latin. geography, history, rhetoric
poetry, mathematics, French philosophy nat
uIal history. physics. chemistry and agriculture
The advanced course has been given up as no
one TOOK q degree Il was strictly business
course. There is registration fee Of FIVE pesos
Out otherwise the cost Of education IS betrayed
py the State or al those enrolled not more thar
N'een OF sixteen annually take the degree Of
O~cnelor Affiliated with the Institute are seven
eneH schools private. subsidized and religious
t.'D~'ea IN various cities. with total enrolment
'@'"eF more than two hundred pupils.
vie" Of the incidence OF the people II Is