The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-16
THE PORTO RICANS.

Both the experiments from Porto Rico
and from the Southern States seem
likely to prove satisfactory. The IN
ports of laborers from the former viii
probably not assimitI,e with the popu-
lation here, as readily as the latter.
The former know no English and re-
auire an interpreter, while The latter
are we'll acquainted with English and
are roughly up in Ame"lc IN ways of
thought understanding our Toitics tho
roughly. Still language is not neces-
sarily bar to advancement, for the
Portuguese came here knowing TO
other language but their own, and
many Of them dead against their chill
dren going to school But their chill
dren have gone to school and many Of
them occupy important positions
through their educational advantages.
81. The advance of the Portuguese
colony is really remarkable and
quite a study in itself. In moth
ing has it shown it's advance more
clearly than in its appreciation of
education, and fortunate it is that there
was a system of free education almost
from the outset The advantages of
education are now readily realized and
it is sought after now instead of being
thwarted, though many Portuguese
would like their children set out of
school when they have completed their
thirteenth year, instead of the fifteenth
year.
So if language is in the way, theirs
may as easily give way to English, as
Portuguese has given way to English.
1t is quite as easy to teach a Spanish
speaking person English, as it is a Por
tuguese speaking person. The little
Porto Ricans will be sent to school, as
soon as they are of school age The
law makes no distinctions, so they will
have to trot off to the primary at La
haina, and learn the spoken word, and
the symbols which can be read, and the
other symbols which can be written.
After time more Porto Ricans will
come when they find the conditions
comfortable there will be nothing like
the trouble and expense now incurred
in getting them. Moreover there will
not be the effort to quit which the agent
had to face when bringing the first
batch. The Porto Ricans who were
foolish enough to listen to the agitators
at New Orleans and San Francisco, and
who got up the sensation to supply yell
low stories for The Examiner, could
they hear how comfortably off their
brethren are in their island home, would
envy them, for California is cold
world and the Examiner a mighty arid
bosom to depend upon for charity, when
she has got all she wanted.
AS to the amount of labor a Porto
Rican can do, The Stars representa-
tive, who has given a most thorough
account of these people seems to think
that he average better than the Asiatic
and that they are throughly willing
workers. This is satisfactory and
would point to their desrability. If
the system of luna's could be largely
done away with, and the labOrers, after
they had been taught their dutie~ be
intrusted to cultivate sections of the
plantation by themselves, there would
be a great advance. 1t must lie remem-
bered that on the beet fields of Ger
many it has been found impossible to
do without the oVerseer. Still this is
something for us to work up to.
1t is probably too soon to decide upon
the full merits of the Porto Ricans from
the first arrivals and during the early
times of their arrival. There are four
hundred more here now. In a few
months there will be an opportunity of
iudpinGr n tho S1lpoaSS IF +bic 10 bnr ,ro,,
ture, Under any circumstances the ex-
pertinent has commenced well and there
seems no reason to be doubtful of it's
ultimate success. OF course this will
not please the labor agitator nor will
it please the japanese who wants to
work three or four days a month and
loaf and gamble the rest of the time.