The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-02
OUR SCHOOLS
The Report of Minister
MOtt-Smith.
Head Of the Department Of Public
Instruction Publishes His
Biennial Statement.

Inc report OF the Minister OF Public
Instruction, Honorable Z. A. Mott
Smith, appeared yesterday. The bien-
nIal period ending December 81, 1888.
was marked By rapia increase u,
senooi population ana a corresponalns
idek OF senool accommodations ant
nnances. progress, however, mas bee.
made.
he greatest hardship perhaps has
fallen ON the teachers on account Oh a
resolution passed by the Commission
ers OF Public instruction last April, to
the erect tnat no sdlarIes were 10 DO
raised until the next appropriation by
the Legislature Tor any cause whatso-
ever. nor would any application Tor in
crease OF salary be considered. Even
the schedule by which sa4arIes are rais-
ed was suspended. This action became
necessary because the pay roll OF the
teachers equalled the monthly pro rata
OF the appropriation. A surplus which
had been accumulated during the early
part of the period would have covered
considerable excess Of the pay roll
over the pro rata until the end OF the
period. But by law this surplus lapsed
INTO the treasury as a government re-
alization. and could not be used.
Under these circumstances the De-
partment feels that the subject OF
.Cachers' salaries should receive spe-
5idl attention during the present bien-
Lial period. The Teachers Commit
zee now have the matter under consid-
Grafton, with view TO rearranging
salaries and remodeling the schedule
which does not appear quite complete
certain important principles have
been more clearly defined. Inc first o.
.aCee Is that all classes, whether citl-
zen or alien, are entitled. without con-
iltion, equally and alike to the beae
us OF State education. This principle
sOatemplates a single system OF
schOOIs, wIth equal privileges, open anO
accessible TO AL. Inere are OBSTACLE.
% the general acceptabiiity OF tnls
| principle, but les general application A.
JecOmlng more ana more acceptable il
/ Doth senses OF the word.
Last May 1t was resolved that the
ices Tor attendance in all public schools
IN the Hawaiian Islands be, and the
came are hereby abolished. ms acton
% take eHect at the beginning of the
IeXt school year" The lee as the crI-
! 1erion of selection for the pupils for
che four select schools was found 10 bt
.eIauvely ineffective and wholly unde-
sirable. The revenue from IL was in.
signincant, and 1t kept out from the
select schools pupils possessing the
proper qualifications.
| The necessity OF Matchmaking tn,
diverse components of our community
through the medium of schools has alst
iound expression; English has beer
recognized as measure OF qualification
in promotion.
AS regards manual and industrial
training. the tendency of the Commits
sioners appears to incline to the fac
hat neither the value OF academic no
industrial nor manual training In on
ordinary schools can be over-estimated
! they are interdependent. The ratio o
one to the other should depend upol
he temperament OF the whole schoo
population which in Hawaii Is Of a.
industrial rather than OF an academi
cast.
Manual training it is felt shoul
form an Important part OF public In
3truction In Hawaii. IL Is peculiarl
adapted to this country. Its value lie
in the contribution to mental develop
ment as a result OF hand and eye train
ing. Its object, however, Is a know
edge OF how to do things rather tina
dexterity in mechanical art"
After these general statements III
report goes on to deal specifically wit
large number of interesting detail
about hours, books and other matter
and to list the new buildings Of tn
last period and those required durin
this one. The report of the InspectC
General occupies large part OF II
volume: and the whole of the volume
,, full OF interest, which most reports al
not. and Is worth procuring and rea'
: ing by every man and woman who e,
pects TO live on these Islands