The times., 1899-12-04
TIE SPREAD OF LETTERS
Schools in Alaska, Hawaii. and the
Philippines.
Observations Made by the CommIS-
siOner of Education - Christians
Among the TaRaIs and VIsayas-
The Cause of Learning in Porto
RieO-IlIiterscy Among Islanders.


In his annual report, Commiss souer Har-
ris. OF the Bureau Of Education. gives
considerable space TO the subject Of edu-
cation in Alaska. Hawaii, Porto Rico. and
the Philippines. In this connection the
report says, in part;
During the year there have been main
tanned in Alaska. under the immediate
supervision Of the bureau, fourteen public
schools in which no distinction is made
on account OF race or color of the pupils
In addition to these schools there was es-
tablished in southeastern Alaska Eve
schools for the exclusive use OF white
children. The enrolment in all was 1858
pupils, with % teachers. The influx OF
miners into the district OF Alaska has
rendered it desirable TO establish white
schools at other places and to en.avge two
Of the schools already established.
In order to place the several school
districts established for white children on
the basis OF local cif-gOvernment as far
as possible and TO interest the citizens
there in the work of administration. local
committees were organized as long ago as
1891 III IlLhds JuHtdh- lt0uEidS- Il UAL W Z dAA-
gel, Kadiak, Unga and Unalazks. At Net
iakahtla a most intelligent supervision Of
school matters has always been exercised
by William Duncan, founder OF the co-Ouy
OF Indians that occupies that island.
The Sitka Industrial School. founded
by the missionary board OF the Presbyte-
riau Church, has accomplished excellent
work in educating the children Of the IN
dian and Eskimo tribes, particularly IN
industrial arts Five Of the teachers Of
this school have been provided by the
Government and their salaries paid from
year to year from the appropriations Tor
schools ia Alaska
'sOther schools. under various deuomiua-
tions, Congregationalists. Methedists, Ra-
manists, Moravians, Swedish Evangelical,
have either been supplied a Government
teacher or (as in the earliest times up 10
1891 paid an allowance per pupil. The
introduction OF reindeer from Siberia into
Alaska, which was inaugurated by the de-
partment some years ago, has proved sue
cessfuI. These animals are used in con-
nection with the schools. and are an i'm
porIant factor in the Industrial education Of
the native children The latter are in
structed in the art OF herding the deer
and training them to harness. 1t is desir-
able that herds of deer be attached to all
the Government schools. so that q practical
knowledge of the methods of training and
herding these animals may be conveyed 70
ali the native children.
Something like 2 eco deer were reported
in the fall of 1898 as the resultant increase ]
from about 500 imported from Siberia The
annual increase of a herd has been from
10 to 80 per cent. and herd of 5,GG6 should
furnish 1900 fawns each spring. II the
Government possess 5,0C6 Of these animals,
~
to furnish the needed herds for the remain
ing stations in northwestern AIaska.
The past six years the annual appropria-
tiOn for the education of children in Alaska
has been $50, COO, increased yearly since 1885
by the sum Of $1,000 from the Indian ap-
preparation bill. By strict economy It has
been possible with these amounts to support
the present school system. Within the past
three years thousands CT white men have
settled in Alaska, many Of them taking
their families with them. The population
of the older settlements has largely in
creased. and several new towns have sprung
up which are cIamOring for school facili-
ties. In order to provide school facilities
which shall approximate the present needs
of the increasing population of Alaska an
annual appropriation Of at Least s60.00o
is an imperative necessity.
The present status OF the educational
system OF Hawaii is all that can be desired.
The school system OF the Islands has for
some years been noted as remarkable fer
its completeness. even when compared with
school systems on the continents OF
America and Europe.
The total population IS placed, in 1896,
at 1903 020 people. OF these the total num-
Der Of pupils enrolled in school was II ,522,
a little more than fourteen persons in each
100 of the population. OF the pupils en-
relied 56S were attending the public
schools of the islands and 1883 private
schools Thirty-sevsn per cent Of the
pupils attending the schools are native
Hawaiiaus; II per cent part Hawaiians;
only 3 per cent of American parentags and
2 per cent Of British. More than 26 per
cent are Of Portuguese pareutage; OF
Chinese, 7 per cent; Japan, per cent, and
German, 2 per cent.
The population Of Porto Rico Is report
ed to be about $50 600, Of which 100000 are
white and 800, 000 colOred. Statistics CT the
elementary schools in the district for 1888
give q. 936 as the number enrolled for the
year One hundred and twenty-five thou
sand six hundred and uiuety-fivG schildren
are reported as being OF school age- Hitter
acy is stated at S7.4 per cent of the white
and S6.8 per cent or the coICred population,
A reorganization of the school system OF
the district is now in progress. Many diff
ferent languages and dialects are spoken
in the various islands composing the
Philippine. group. The Visaya dialect is
spoken by 2,02i4 409; the TagalO dialect by
12I6 sos; and five other dialects are spoken
each by over 100000, namely. the Cebu-
ano. IIocano Vieal (BieoD. Paugasinan.
and Pampango. The Tagales and the Wis
ayas are Of the Malay race, and were chris
tianized An the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries The number of Christians in
these two peoples. together with those In
the other tribes Of Indians amount to over
{. 900 600. The school system in force in
the islands was organized by ROmanist
missionaries. The number OF graduates
from the university OF the Philippines IS
stated to be 1900"