Evening star., 1899-10-13
A HOPEFUL OUTLOOK
Porto Rico Recovering From the
Effects of the Storm.
ESTABLISHING A SCHOOL SYSTEM
The Great Movement for Re-
generation Inaugurated.
INTE ERESTING POINTS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| clouds of ignorance that had envelcped the
| island under Spanish rule lifted little. and
| through the rift appeared the outlines OF
| the first truly American public school opened
! on Porto Rican soil. 1t was, in fact, in San
| Juan, the opening day of the session of
| 1880 1900, which we hope will serve to dem
onstrate the superiority of the American
sc hool system to that which the island has
| known heretofore. This San Juan school is
| to be In all respects a model, a great OBJ
ject lesson for the rest of the island, pat
| tern for all to follow: an epitome, too, OF
| all grades of instruction from Kindergarten
to professional. the latter department rep
resented for the present by school of
| pharmacy.
1t is. as have said. distinctively Amer
| lean school. and all instruction will be In
| English. The Spanish language will be
taught a foreign tongue. Only such
knowledge of English is required On the
| part of the pupils to enable them to follow
| the instructor intelligently.
| Up to this time about ninety pupils have
been enrolled, about 80 per cent possibly
| daily.
The hand as we'll as the head is to be
| trained. the services of Miss Erickson.
Finnish lady. late of the Indian School at
| Carlisle, having been engaged to give in
| struction in numerous forms of handicraft
| technically known as "sloyd." The faculty
| of this school Is very cosmopolitan In Its
|
| man, has as his colleagues natives of Fin.
lard France, and all parts Of the United
| States
| Facilities Too Limited.
| In the meantime work on the new school
building is being pushed rapidly to COM
pletion, the present quarters in the old
Lottery building being altogether made
quate to the demands. This failure to pro-
| vide for larger number of pupils, leaving
| for a time many children without school
| facilities Is being severely criticised by the
| local press. but this criticism is probably
| due as much to a demand for copy as to
any serious feeling of dissatisfaction.
Certainly everything possible under the
| circumstances is being DONE and there
seems to be a desire on the part of all CON
| nected with the school to make 1t worthy
| of the name OF a model
| Country Schools.
| In the country towns also other schools
are being opened. where most of the in
| struction will be in Spanish. The curric-
| ulum of these will conform as closely as
| possible to the curriculum in the central
| school at San Juan.
| In these schools native teachers will be
employed far as possible though In
| each there will be probably at least one
| American teacher.
| The schools will, of course, have to share
| in the common suffering caused by the re-
cent Storm but "in spite of wind and
| weather 1 think that when the present
session ends the educational system of the
| island will occupy a much higher position
| that it has ever done before.
| Action at Fnrpardo.
The town of Farjardo, at the eastern end
| of the island has set the other rural towns
| a most commendable example In the dona-
ton of a site and $4,000 for normal
| school, which will insure its location there
| at an early date. The future Porto Rican
| In he. nir may a 10
| brought to earth at this point. Industrial
| training will be a prominent feature III
| this school.
| The headquarters of the insular board of
| education is the scene of the greatest actiV-
| ity as from 1t mode means and material
/ for conducting the schools throughout the
island must go. About 100000 school books,
maps. charts, etc, have to be sent out and.
| with the utter absence of rapid transit, the
solution Of this problem is by means
| easy.
| Recovering From the Storm.
Now that the people are getting the
| water and sand out Of their eyes and the
air is becoming a little clearer of cyclones
and rumors of cyclones, they are turning
| lcngingly toward Washington, from which
they think de,iverance from all ills, present
| or prospective, must come.
! Orders will soon be issued dscontinuing
| the issuance of storm rations'' at San
| Juan, Humacao and Arroyo, 1t is
thought these places are able to fight with
| out further reinforcementS against the
| fierce wolf of hunger that has been bowling
| SO long at their doors.
Free trade. a territorial form of govern
ment and good roads seem to be the watch
words of the hour and the desire for civil
| government seems to be more or less uni
! versal. The San Juan News halls as the
advance guard of this movement the order
| recently published providing for municipal
| elections in different parts Of the island.
| These elections will be held under the gen
| eral supervision of an army officer.
| The Coming Elections.
| The boards of registration will consist of
| an army officer and two members of each
| Of the contending parties, while the board
| of supervisors also the returning board,
| will be composed of one officer and one
| representative of each political party.
| Those eligible for office must come from
| the first two-thirds of the taxpayers ar
| ranged in order corresponding to the
| amounts of taxes paid by them, or must be-
| long to of the liberal professions
| voter must be taxpayer of record al
| the date of registration or must be able
| to read and write.
| To Restore Prosperity.
| A proposal has recently been made by
| Col Hoff, presi lent of the insular board of
| charities. to the planters of the island to
| furnish to each planter rations, at the rate
| Of one pound per day, to every peon working
| en- his plantation, the planter in turn to de-
| liver the ration received to the peon, and
| also plat of ground of not less than TO-
| 000 square feet, with seed Of food plants to
| SOW on the same.
| This. it is thought, will remove great
! deal of the difficulty new encountered in
| giving food only as a return for labor rem
| de ed, and at the same time will tend to
| the restoration of prosperity in the island
! BY many it is thought that the planters
| themselves are the greatest sufferers from
| the cyclone With their haciendas mort
| gagged to such extent to preclude the
| possibility of their securities for
leans, and their crops destroyed, they are
| really fit objects of that charity that their
| pride forbds them to accept.
| Fortunately, this state of affairs cannot
| exist very long. No place with much
| serve force long remain in dire need.
| A recent horseback ride through the
| island convinced me of its vast agricul-
| tural possibilities, and think that the gov
| ernment should establish at early day
| as possible agricultural experiment stations
to show these people the possibilities of the
soil and to add others to the three present
! supports of life-cane, coffee and fruits. 1t
is in an intelligent cultivation of the soil
that the future prosperity of Porto Rico
lies. ENSENANZA.'