The evening times., 1899-11-27
SCHOOLS IN PORTO RICO
The Lack of Them DepIored by Pro-
fesSOr Brown.
Despite Liberal Appropriations. Only
One Child in Ten Can BE Reached
by the Present System-Pupils
Bright and Eager to Lenrn-Hnvoc
Wrought by the Great Hurricane.

Prof. Anselm B. Brown. who for the past
six months has been English supervisor of
the schools of Ponce. Porto Rico, has re-
turned TO this city. To a reporter Cor The
Times today he gave an exposition of the
educational conditions in that island. Said
Prof. Brown:
"A military government such as is in ex-
idea of force; but it is accomplishing its
purposes in a gentle and peaceabie way.
| In the matters relating TO schools, no sorci-
Bile measures are taken whatever to con-
fiict with the Spanish schools already in
existence. We have board OF education,
called the insular board of education,
which secures American teachers. pays the
duces English into as many schools as
practicable; but, unfortunately. this latter
extends only SO far as the municipal
schools and the rural districts are not
| reached.
The island.''- continued Prof Brown,
lis divided into thirty-seven districts and
supervisor of schools has been establish
ed in each district. His duty is to give
Tree IustTuCtiOn III English 10 all the ma
tive teachers who will come TO him on
Saturday afternoons. visit all the schools
as often as practicable. and explain the
work that is desired to be carried on. and
follow it up with suggestions for i'm
proyement in the various methods found
in vogue. He is supposed to introduce
English, and supplies Appleton's first read
er at a nominal cost to those who can
buy them. and to the poorer children he
gives them gratis. The teachers take their
lessons from the supervisor. and keep far
enough ahead CT the scholars to teach them
with some degree of intelligence. In fact
they do very well. for in from six to eight
months they can finish this small first
reader
Everything vas going on well under
this plan until the awful hurricane of Au-
gust s, and that hurricane focused in
Ponce. where i was located. had forty
five schools under my charge in the district
of Ponce. and 5000 Spanish children. About
loo copies of the First Reader had been
introduced in Ponce alone. and the schol-
are were well started in English. But the
schools all over the island received set
back. and in Ponce almost annihilation by
the great storm. Sixteen school buildings
in my district were entirely demolished,
and a score of others were made uninhabi-
table until repaired. The. teachers, with
their families, live right in the school
houses in Porto Rico. because there are no
public school buildings there. The schools
are held in the private residences of the
teachers Sixteen teachers lost everything
they had, and were helpless, and educa-
tional matters were for period at stand
still. There was great deal of confusion
in getting started again. but all the schools
are now on their previous footing.
Prof. Brown said that there was large
room fer criticism of educational methods
in Porto Rico. but that it was scarcely
fair to Judge very harshly as yet. because
everything is So new conditions untried
before. dense ignorance .cf the population,
and general lack of Acquaintance among the
natives as to what should constitute a
proper educational system.
the appropriation which has already
been made he said, will not begin to carry
educational facilities TO the poor people.
and children. AS an illustration. Prof.
Brown stated that here in Washington we
have about 1.200 teachers fer a population
of about 100000. while in Porto Rico. 100
miles long ard thirty miles wide pOpu-
lation OF 100000 they have only 500 teach
ers. .a~ s.-s +n
Even with the present liberal policy of
the Government in carrying education to
the children" said Prof Brown. .'it is i'm
posslple TO reach more than one child in
ten. throughout the island: -
.The only hope for Porto Rico con-
tinued Prof. Brown 'is to dot the whole
island with schoolhOuses IL is worthy of
remark that the children are naturally
bright and exceedingly anxious to learn"
Speaking Of the character of the Porto
Ricans. Prof. Brown stated that it was not
his experience that they were treacherous
and deceitful, as they have been frequently
painted. He stated that he was well ac-
quainted with the members of the munich