The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-08-28
A STEP IN ADVANCE.

The Commissioners of Education
took up strong position when they
ruled that all teachers should present
a certificate of being free from COM
municable disease. especially tubercu-
losis, and should be passed by a physi-
clan as physically capable of fulfilling
the duties of a teacher.
The duties of the Commissioners are
two fold They must primarily attend
to the interests of the pupils, which are
the interests of the general public. In
this direction they must guard against
the employment of incompetent teach
ers, teachers of bad character, and
teachers who are unhealthy themselves
and apt to communicate their ill health
to others.
1t is a common attribute of mankind
to try and get places for the incom-
petent and the physically weak in the
school system of State or Territory.
1t is for this purpose that so much care
is taken to put up bars, as it were to
keep the undesirable element out. But
in all young countries it is almost i'm
possible to reach the ideal. There are
undesirable and remote spots where it
is impossible to pay sufficient for thor
Oughly trained and competent teach
ers. We have many such places upon
these Islands.
But if it is not always possible to
have thoroughly competent teachers, it
is possible to have physically capable
teachers We have no business, no
to have teachers employed who are
suffering from tuberculosis. This has
been the case, and it is high time that
there should be a halt called. The Ter
ritory of Hawaii is in line in this direc-
ton, with the advanced thought of the
mainland City after city has passed
ordinances of this kind upon the main
land, one of the last being San Fran
cisco. There by ruling early in Aug
ust no teacher suffering from tubercu-
losis or a bad form of catarrh can re-
tain a position.
At first blush the rule may seem to
be hard, and undoubtedly it will work
hardship on individuals. But the rule
of the world is the good of the greatest
number, and the good of the individual
must give way to the good of the mass
By passing a general rule the commits
sioners avoid having to attend to in
dividual cases.
We would not have a teacher who
has smallpox or leprosy, or typhoid in
school one hour. Why should we have
one suffering from a disease far worse
than any of these. A disease which
Stays it's thousands and tens of thou
sands annually, but which, because it's
stages, from it's incipience to its final
death victory, are not as a rule loath-
some or awe inspiring, is not regarded
with the adherence which other dis
eases inspire.
The battle against tuberculosis on
these Islands may be said to have be-
gun. In one direction it has passed
from the theoretical to the practical
stage. This initial step has been taken
not by the Board of Health, but by
another arm of the government. 1t
rests with the Board of Health to follow
up this step and convert the many ad-
mirable theses which our physicians
have read before the medical society in
to good, practical plan which will
meet present conditions and make tub
erculosis as rare as it is now common.
That valuable life after life can be
saved if only a proper warfare is car
ried on, is certain. 1t is only that peo-
pie hesitate to take those measures for
general safety that they should take.
They take measures against far less
la
Tins with harshness and in some cases
with practical cruelty, but they allow
another disease to stalk into their
homes and their schools unchecked and
untrammelled. There must be an end
to such Grass folly.