Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-29
Education In Porto Rico.

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A short time ago great pcther was
raised over this country's Oppression
of Porto Rico. A Mortified world was
informed that the United States was
sc to speak, grinding that hapless ISL
end beneath the iron heel of despotism.
1--WE believe that is the orthodox
phrase.) We are not sure that the Nc
h.lley Administration was charged
with responsibility fer the hurricane
which devastated the island; but, If
rot, that was the only thing it escaped.
1t was accused of breaking faith with
the FOrto Ricans, with deprlving them
vi .neir old markets and shutting the
CIT of new ones, with imposition a
taxation without representation, with
neglecting to provide reads, schools or
any of the appurtenances of civilized
society, and with preventing them
from doing such works themselves.
In brief, it had transformed them in
to helots. We have noticed that such
unyruthful and malicious clamcr has
OF late subsided. The known facts in
the case are too strong against it. The
eCCd roads, the free schools, the reviv-
ing Industries, the expanding COM
msrce, the lghtened taxes and the
generally improved condition of the
people would provoke Homerlc laugh
ter at the expense of the vlrulent
twaddle of a few month ago. We need
not go into all the details of the work
of regeneration which has been done
and is still being done in Porto Rico.
But as this is the season of school
opening in the United States it may be
interesting to observe what is being
done for the educational interests of
the people of that island
We have before Us a handsomely
gogten up volume of more than six
hundred pages, the pages being alter
n2tely in English and Spanish. 1t is
entitled Teachers Manual" or Man
U~l del Maestro" 1t was prepared by
t-e President of the Insular Board of
Luucation, DR.. Victor Selden Clark, a
o..izen of the United States, by the au-
rh5rity Of the Board of which most of
Gf e members are Porto Ricans, for the
purpose ofacquainting the teachers and
S.lOol officers of the island with the
'ucational though5 and tendencies
md general schcol system of the Unit
ti States, 1t was deemed that a spe-
c.dlly prepared work Of this kind
would be at once more convenient and
r1re effective than mere translations
Of q number of existing works which
had been prepared for precisely that
purpose. In this Dr. Clark was doubt
l1i right, and the manner in which
le las performed his task amply vim
GO ates the wisdom of the decision
The book is indeed so lucid and com
piehensive that the English pages of
NJ might well serve as text book and
guide for teachers throughout the I'm
ited States. There is no important de-
mil nor step in the whole educational
course, from kindergarten to high
school, which is not carefully consid-
cred and explained in the light of the
best modern pedagogical knowledge
and experience. An appendix con-
bains admirable lists of readings,
school library catalogues and numer-
Gus fine engravings of model school
house, schColroom scenes, etc. 1t is
in brief, particularly complete bilin-
quail compendium of school teaching
and management.
This, We may assume, is an earnest
and an exposition of what the United
States is doing for Porto Rican edu-
cation, and, as we all know, education
is one of the islands most pressing
needs The aim is, while utilizing the
vernacular and employing natives as
teachers and school officers, to create
an insular school system comparable
with the best in che United States, and
corresponding with it, just as the op-
posite pages of Dr. Clark's book cor
re5pcnd with each other though the
enc is in English and the other in
spanish. There is, as we have said,
10 work more needed than this. and
we can conceive cf none promising
n re beneficial results. 1t is not too
'Hnch 10 add that it could not have
E--n undertaken in a more rational,
plclous and effective way than that
copied by DR.. Clark and approved by
his colleagues of the Insular Board.
! i've redemption of people from in
tellectual bondage will in this way be
m2deas complete as their emancipation
q n political bondage, upon which it
f- cl-sely fcllows.-New York Tribune