The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-05-17
FREE SCHOOLS AGAIN.

The question of the abolition of fees
will be settled one way or the other to-
morrow. If Minister Mott Smith gives
way it will only put the matter off for
a comparatively short time, our Amer
icanization is progressing daily, and
Americanization means free schools for
all. Mrs. Darlington made a great eff
fort to sweep back the Atlantic with
her broom but her success was GER
tainly very limited We have a plenti-
full supply of Mrs. Partingtons here and
their success will be just as limited.
1t hardly seems necessary to reCapi-
ulate the arguments advanced in favor
of the free school The advantage of it,
and it's logical necessity under a repub-
lican form of government, is so self
evident, that it scarcely needs COM
menting upon. If we are to teach our
children the true democratic idea, we
must instil it into them when they are
young The Constitution says that all
men are equal. In the eye of the law
all men are equal, and crime must be
punished as vigorously in the rich as
in the poor. In the eye of the State all
children are equal, and what educa-
tional advantages the State has, must
be given with impartial hand.
The plan of establishing a system of
selection by fees is utterly at variance
with a proper republican system. 1t
means that the dull children of those
who can pay, can monopolize all the
advantages the State gives. 1t also
means that only the very bright chill
dren of the poor can get those advan-
tages, through a form of charity, called
scholarships.
For this scholarship system there can
be nothing but reprobatiOn. 1t grew
out of the fact that the system of fees
could not always be enforced. When
the High school was first talked of, it
was decided to make it free. Then the
conservative phalanX stepped in and
decided that it should be a pay school.
The first stern decree was that all who
could not pay should be dismissed.
Then it was found that this would not
work very well, for some of the bright
est children would have to be dismiss
ed, and the system of scholarships was
proposed. One ardent advocate of the
scholarship system was willing that
the number of scholarships should be
almost indefinite, all he wanted was
that the fee system should be there.
Why? Because the giving of scholar
ships was a cheap bit of patronage,
and some minds delight in patronage.
This wiseacre did not base his objec-
lions on the money side of the argu-
ment, which some of the supporters OF
the fee system hold, but simply on the
desire for control by the Board of Edu-
cation of who should go to the High
school, if they happened to be penn1-
less. If they could dig up so cents a
week, there was no necessity for con-
troll
Of course the answer to this is plain
enough. The educational establish
ments conducted by the State are not
charitable institutions. They are con-
Quoted for the purpose of letting the
children of the State have a proper OPP
portunity of fitting themselves for the
battle of life. So important do we con-
slider them, that we even force chill
dren to go to school between the ages
of six and fifteen. But whether we
force them into school or not all chill
dren have right to the State advan-
tages. They are no charity to any one,
and to make attendance at the High
school a charitable gift to some chill
dren, and deny it to others, is to breed
a spirit of subservience the very re-
verse of republican. You cannot mix
republicanism and aristrotical ideas
together. The trouble with some of our
people is that they are republican in
name and perhaps even in theory, but
they are monarchial in practice.
Those who have opposed on the score
of the necessity of the money, should
be ashamed, and there is every reason
to believe they are ashamed of their
argument. The utmost returns obtain
ed from the fees is very little over $4,000
per annum. When four Cabinet Off
Gals We're willing to allow their salar-
les to be increased $500 per annum
each, and, with one exception, made no
remarks upon the damage this would
infiict upon the revenue, there does not
seem any reason why much argument
should be made in renting the $4,000
earned by the High school. When the
next Legislature meets, if ever it does,
this amount can be saved by reducing
the minister's salaries pro rata
---
Judge Perry did not permit the jury
to visit the theater last evening. The