Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-23
EDUCATION! MN~c0B*
How the Present System Has Been
Put in Operation.
TIE SUMMER COURSE At HARVARD
Nearly Fifteen Hundred Teachers
to Be Entertained.
MD EPvE,S GOOD WORK
MR.. FRYE'S GOOD WORK
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

ers to the United States, and as the GATE
of its departure approaches excitement
concerning it is rapidly nearing fever neat
This Is not surprising, since the excursion
lists are to number 1,450. are to be selecteo
from the schools of the entire lslano anu
their whole expenses are to be paid by the
United States government and the autnori-
ties of Harvard University anu 'heii
friends Such an excursion from any pal.
of the United States to another wouio
rouse general interest throughout the
whole country.
This remarkable enterprise was planned
and all its details blocked out by Alexis
Everett Frye, superintendent Oh the Supai
schools. The idea Of such an expedltion
took possession Of him soon a1ter ne
sumed charge of the islands educauonal
system. In carrying it out he has peeh
well supported by the entire faculty OF
Harvard University and particularly oy
President Elliot. Gen. Wood mas also IN
dorsed and helped the scheme waterway,
and Secretary Root has shown his approval
in the most practical manner by designat-
ing the five largest transports In the serV-
ice to take the teachers from Hanava ~
the states. You have propapiy feau ai
ready of the support afforded the scneme
nv the people of Cambridge, who will en-
terrain the teachers while they are Oh
American soil.
Cuba's School System.
The organization of an educational sys-
tenn was one of the most serious propieihs
which confronted the American admlhistra-
tion of the sand when it took hold. Inc
problem was not to remodel an eHis'ii's
system since there was literally no system
to remodel: it was to build anew, from the
ground up. .o,,a,s IN
This is strictly true. In all my traVeis N
w took
from Cane Maysi to Cape San Antonio, l
never saw one school house-that 1s 10 say
a building built and occupied soieiy Ioi
school purposes, such as we nave III nv
United States. There were houses useu loi
alleged school purposes, ana THESE l saw
hut they were without exception puliuihSs
devoid of sanitary appliances, mlserapie as
to light totally inadequate as TO accoihnho
dations and utterly bare OF the mooefn anu
INDISPENSABLE adjuncts for educatlonal pur-
poses with which even most OF our country
districts are now supplied
In these houses the teacher and olten
his family, lived, the house being given
rent free One room was set aside Tor the
school, and there the children were huddied
in promiscuous fashion, seated on variety
of seats, ranging from wooden pehch 10
mambi chair, made of wooden frame anu
covered with unnamed hide; in some IN
stances there were no seats at all ana the
children squatted on the floor
Formerly n Farce.
The teacher always had salary prom
ised, but 1t was never paid, though he was
allowed to collect tuition from the parents
of such pupils as were able to pay. There
was no school law: there was no course OF
study: there were no teachers examina-
lions; no school boards, no supervision, no
regulation no supplies. None of these was
included in the farcical thing Whlch SPAN
called the educational system OF cuba.
IL ~ fIa CTA n H."
war there were virtually no children IN
school at all, not even In Havana ana tne
larger cities. Most of the parochial schoois,
even, were disbanded. and In popuiauon
of about a million and half the education
of the children was quite forgotten.
In November, 1859, after almost year OF
American occupation the reports showed q
nominal school enrolment of only about
40 600 pupils To the Cuban secretary OF
Justice and public instruction In General
Brooke's cabinet had been fntrusted the
work of drawing up school law, but 1t mad
been drafted along the lines of the Spanish
regime. and it's schedule was an impossible
one, presenting such manifest absurdities
as the teaching of higher mathematics to
children of ten.
Down to this time the enforcement Of law
and order and various strictly sanitary and
military problems had occupied the ener-
gies of the American officials In Havana:
but 1t was now evident that the serious
matter of founding a system of public
then that Mr.. Frye came to Cuba at the
suggestion of the Secretary of War and on
the invitation of General Brooke. whose
personal friend he was.
Mr.. Frye's Work.
Mr. Frye Investigated conditions thor
oughly and made an unofficial report to
General Brooke. 1t was plain that nothing
could be done without new and practical
school law. One hot evening Mr.. Frye
went home and worked till morning by the
light of the candles. The next day he took
a workable law to General Brooke. 1t was
promptly signed by the Cuban secretary OF
justice and public instruction, and at last
the foundation was laid. From that hour to
this no changes have been made in the law.
either by General Brooke or General Wood,
and Its success is assured.
The field was now clear for Mr.. Frye's
work. and he set about it with Characters
tic energy. He had previously volunteered
to serve five years in the Philippines with
out pay, and he offered his services here
on the same terms. A salary of 5000 was
offered. but declined. He is now receiving
the same salary as his first assistant, $50.
but he has never kept for his own use any
portion of this. devoting it each month to
relief work among the more needy schools.
Mr.. Frye is unusually well endowed for
his work, both by temperament and train
ing His energy is remarkable; his pa
tience boundess; his courage and cheerful
ness unfa;ling. From the beginning he has
labOred early ana late, MS ONtTtdScQ SNS-
TEN gave way during his recent trip to
the United States. when he perfected the
plans for the teachers excursion, and he
lay i'll for some time in Boston, but even
from his sick bed he dictated correspon-
dcnce and gave directions for carrying out
the plan.
Mr.. Frye Is graduate of Harvard. has
been principal of the Quincy (Mass.) High
School and superintendent of schools in
California, and a teacher of methods in the
Chicago Normal School. He has lectured
before teachers associations in nearly every
state in the union, and is the author of a
round dozen Of successful textbooks. His
home is now IN southern California, where
he engaged in the raising of horses and the
culture Of oranges.
Cuban Opposition.
At the beginning Mr.. Frye met with vio-
lent opposition on the part of the Cubans.
They fancied that his sole object in estab-
fishing a public school system, avowedly
based on that of the United States, was
to unduly "Americanize'' the Cubans and
further annex alton. This report ran like
wildfire all over the island: the newspa-
pers broke out in vrulent and scathing ed.-
torials, and not day passed that General
Wood was not requested to discharge this
purveyor of pernicious education. Wash
ington was beseged with protests and let
tiers and petitions against the new system
poured in from all sources for weeks. Dur