The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-25
MANUAL TRAINING
JUST SUITS HAWAII
Continued from First Page.)

jury to the student,-rather the stu
dent must be taught by a method
which will make him feel that the
school is, in reality. the nexus be-
tween himself and the world. The
student too often looks upon the
school as a retreat into which he may
escape from the world, or, more often
perhaps. a traditional barrier and
check placed between himself and the
world. Both ideas are wrong and
pernicious in their influence. The
school is the outstretched hand, In
viting and leading the student into
the realities and opportunities of life.
That is, the school ought to be this.
The gap between school and commu
nifty ought to be closed. The school
and the community ought to be repre-
sentative of each other.
May | close this brief talk with
reference to local conditions. There is
doubtless more or less of gap be-
tween the Hawaiian school system AMI
the Hawaiian community. A school
system, very largely American in
character and methods, is maintained
in community which is really very
largely non-American. Even the
white element is living under eondi-
tons of such peculiar nature that a
thoroughly American school would not
altogether meet its need Yet there
is one thing recently adopted general
ly in American schools which would
be even more useful in the Hawaiian
system | refer to Manual Training
The idea of Manual Training in the
public school is not to teach boys and
girls certain trades,-though 1t Of
fers certain suggestions in that direc-
ton. 1t is rather to give them the
idea of the utility of their own ma
tive powers.-an idea a boy is not
liable to derive from the study of
some of the common traditional school
branches. But what idea could be
more useful than that? To discover
that one has powers in himself that
may be put to some practical use. is.
| in fact. half the battle of education.
1t is safe to say that a boy or girl
cannot take an adequate course in
Manual Training without discovering
just that The idea of WORK, the
use of ones own powers for some use
full end.-that is the secret of the
great power and value of Manual
Training as applied to the school.
And such a discovery on the part of
the student stimulates his interest
and initiative in the performance of
every school task.
Now Hawaiian conditions differ
somewhat from American in this:
1 ~hs, me, 90 ~
children do not now feel and do not
look forward to the necessity of hav.
ing to exercise their own powers IN
order to exist; work does not stare
them in the face as it does the aver
age American school boy or girl But
the very great majority of non-whites
in Hawaiian public schools differ very
much in the other direction. /. e., they
viii be compelled even more than tbs
average American child TO work for {
living That is. the Hawaiian white
child will need to do less. ths
Hawaiian non-white will need Il
do more work in life than tins
average American. Add to this tho
average American. And to this tbs
climatic conditions which tend to min
imize the desire and the capacity fol
work and il may be seen how yer,
necessary il is that the Hawaiian
school boy should have stamped upol
his mind. his character. his purposes
that idea Of WORKS useful OUTPUT
LOT original energy The Hawaiian
white viii not be q useful eharactel
without it; the Hawaiian non-whit.
will not exist properly without il
There Is then in Hawaii. between tn,
community conditions and the school
a much greater gap than exists be
tween the American school and com
immunity. though in America Manua
Training has been adopted as greai