The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-01-04
Schools Of Hawaii at
the Exposition.
POTTER TALKS OF PARIS
Secretary Of the Island Commission
Speaks Of Credtable
Display,

Major @. g. Potter, secretary OF the
Hawaiian Commission to the Paris Tx
position, who returned to this City on the
Rio last week. brings most favorable re-
ports as to the way the exhibition from
the Islands was received, especially the
educational department of the display,
which attracted wide interest and car
ricd away a gold medal and grand
prize diploma
Potter said yesterday: you know we
were delayed by the bubonic plague at
the beginning, as we could not get away
from here with the exhibit until that
matter was settled, and whereas we
should have been in Paris by the middle
of April we did not arrive there until
the latter part of June, by which time
"a great many of the prizes had been
awarded. quite by accident | found out
that the reports of the jurors had not
been sent in on either sugar or educa-
ticnal exhibits and | FASTENED to get
the Hawaiian displays arranged
THE result was that Hawaiian sugar
carried away n gold medal, and the pri-
mary educational department was award
ed one of the grand prize diplomas, of
which only twelve were given out in
the United States, and with a mark Of
twenty-five credits twenty-five credits
being perfect, The exhibit of the Ka-
mehameha Manual and Training School
carried away "A gold medal.
This speaks very highly for the prog
ress of the Islands, and | am sure that
our display would have won recognition
in many other departments had we not
been delayed in getting them there until
too late date for competition.
LAS it was the entire exhibit attracted
great deal of attention and the educa-
tioral department was subject of spc-
cal attention by visiting professors and
educational people from all parts of the
world. The educational display consist
ed of sample work of the schools neatly
bound and many excellent photographs
Of the children at work, of the school
buildings and other things of education
al interest. our Islands did not, like the
Polynesian group, attempt to portray
pictures of native life, but rather en-
dcavored to show the progress and de-
volopment in educational matters We
had excellent photographs showing the
various classes of children we have to
deal with HawaiIans, Japanese, Chinese,
etc, and these photographs illustrated
some of the difficulties we have to con-
tend with in teaching the English Ian
guage to children who are unfamiliar
with it,
Miss Smith, the American juror of the
board, was very much pleased and in
torested and the juror from France was
so delighted with the results of our
methods that she requested copies of the
work to be sent to her for the French
Minister OF Public Instruction. The
work was of especial interest to- both
the United States and France on ac-
count of the colonial problem. France
has Madagascar to educate and the
United States will soon be confronted
with the educational problem in Porto
Rico and Cuba and in the Philippines
The German University of Leipsic
were very anxious to get portions of the
c>hihit, as was also the University OF
Bonn, Switzerland, and other colleges,
hut the matter that was given away was
donated to the Field Columbian Museum
Of Chicago and the Philadelphia Com
mercial Museum.
"A feature of the educational exhibit
that aroused special interest and COM
mont was bound book of drawings
done by school children of the Islands,
entitled Jack and the Bean Stalk The
story of Jack and the Bean Stalk had
u cen told to the children and they had
been put at the task OF depicting their
ideas of Jacks mothers COW, the house
that Jack built Jack planting the bean.
the growth of the bean stalk. the castle
a. the top, etc. The result was most
unique, and the little book was in much
demand. w W. Foote. the California
Commissioner, wanted 1t badly for per-
snnal souvenir, and we had to guard
the little book very carefully from all
kinds Of designs. We managed to bring
II back, however, and it will remain in
Hawaii.
THE school song books written and
arranged by Mrs. Frear and Mrs Tuck
er with their pretty stories OF the cater
pillar, the little birds of the Islands etc,
were also in much demand and copies
were ordered for all parts of the world
1.-THE photos of the Kaiulani school
and the work being done there
attracted special interest. The exhibit
sent by St Anthonys College of Wal
luku was very credltahle. especially its
plaster maps and art displays.
Altogether Hawaiis part in the big
exposition, though very small by COM
parison, by reason of its quality at
tracted remarkable share of the at
tcntion, The display of our Islands was
incomparably superior to that of other
Isolated groups, and but for the delay in
the arrangements. | think Hawaii would
have made even a better record In the
aV ards. The little book entitled The
Hawaiian Islands, which was prepared
specially by the Department OF Foreign
Affairs for the Exposition, was In great
demand, and the progress and develop
ment of the Paradise of the Pacific was
certainly made most creditably mani
fest"