Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-14
TEACHING IN PORTO RICO
Experiences of an American Girl
Schoolmistress.
NATIVE HOME LIFE UNoLEANLY,

| Their Table Manners and the Spit
ting Habit Are Most Disgusting,
According to the Statements Made
by Miss O'BrIen-MethOd of Teach
ing the Little Ones.
The life of an American girl as a
| teacher in Porto Rico is not all sun
shine. She is required to endure many
hardships from which most teachers in
the United States would shrink.
Miss Mary n. O'Brien, who until last
| fall taught in Stafford, Genesee county,
| is now teaching at Patillas, Porto Rico.
| In writing home she relates many in
| teresting incidents, says the New York
Journals correspondent at LIE Roy. n.
Y. Following are extracts from her
| recent letters:
81 am trying hard to teach the little
| ones English. Some of them grasp it
| readily, while others do not. 1 expect
to have class Of young men who also
| wish to learn English. What shall do
| with them don't know.
MY school, as we'll as other build
ings, is right on the curbstone in the
midst of the business portion. 1t is not
unusual to have people come along cry
| ing their wares or have the children
buy candy, bread and cakes of them.
Beggars are also n common sight in the
| school door asking for aims.
Il keep right on with my work and
the children tell them 1 do not under
stand Spanish, for am an American.
That seems to satisfy them, and they
go away with long faces and empty
purses.
No matter how poor these people
are, they seem to be able to keep a
cigar in their mouths, women as we'll
as men. Before 1 came here 1 heard
| that all women smoked, but this is not
so. 1t Is only the women of the lower
class who have contracted the habit.
The men, women and children all
spit. 1t doesn't seem to make any diff
ference where, when or how, in church,
school or at home, and, worse than all,
while at the table. Indeed, it takes IL
strong stomach to witness these things.
AS to teaching, there is not much OF
that done. What would you think to
have an audience of natives during
school hours? The American teacher
is as capable of drawing n crowd of
men, women and children as a dog
fight, runaway or fire would in the
United States. There is no school sys-
tenn, neither is there any discipline.
Il wish l might fly up to New York
state for my meals. Some like the cof-
fee here. and perhaps l shall in time
1t would be all right if they had the
means of roasting it as the Americans
do. The coffee is placed in an iron
kettle over Il fire and roasted until it is
black, so that it has n very burned
taste. They always boil the milk in
the coffee, and the truth of it is one
cannot use the milk here unless it is
boiled, as it has such a disagreeable
taste.
THE natives do not know what clean
illness is. l have been in this house
eight weeks. and not a floor or door has
been washed. lust think of hens, pigs,
chickens, bugs and eight people travel
ing over these floors, not to mention q
house full of company.
''My school hours are from SIS to
II 80 and from 100 to 4:30. l excuse
my children, GO of them, at IL and
o'clock, and the rest of the time 1 am
teaching English in the other two
rooms.
Il teach the little ones by objects and
a little ruler used on their legs.
have to use the ruler quite often, as
they will not understand or mind in
any other way. 1 often think of dumb
animal and its master who is trying to
teach it tricks.
81 do not understand their speech,
nor do they mine. They are anxious to
tell me their little troubles. There are
eight teachers in my class on Saturday,
and for this l receive no extra compen-
sation, but l am glad to do this, as it
keeps me away from my boarding
house, which do not like.
''Uncle Sam pays the teachers of
Porto Rico this year. and am glad he
does, for If we had to depend on the
Spaniards we would not get very much
They cheat the Americans when they
can and would like to kill them If they
dared"