The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-20
HAwAGTs HONOR.

the educational field, and is now the
third medal which we have received
from France.
In 1867 a silver medal was awarded.
The exhibit was in charge of Mons. de
Narigny who was then, or had been
Minister of foreign affairs. The edu-
cational exhibit was only a part of the
general exhibit which consisted of
largely of Hawaiian curios feather
cioaks, feather leis, calabashes, and so
forth. The exhibit was lost, through
the wreck of the returning ship.
In 1889 the Board of Education again
exhibited in Paris and secured two gold
medals, so called The funds of the ex-
hibition were not in the condition that
they should have been, and there came
an iutimation that if the Board of Edu-
cation liked to pay for gold medals, it
could have them, models of what they
would be like were forwarded. The
Board of Education very wisely bought
paper and pencils for it's pupils instead
of buying gold medals, and kept the
models as trophies of it's success, and
not for their intrinsic value.
The medal received yesterday by the
Department of Education is what it
claims to be, a beautiful work of art in
bronze. 1t is awarded for signal merit
and is above the ordinary first and sec
Ond class prizes. This exhibit was a
portion of the Territorial exhibit which
was in charge of Commissioner w. G.
Iryy 10 - -
From other, directions Hawaii, where
ever her educational work has been
shown, has won praise and honor. She
has received diplomas from Philadel-
phia, from Omaha, and no doubt will
do so from Buffalo, where the Hawai-
IAN educational exhibit, the only ex-
hibit from the Territory, called forth
great praise from educationists from all
parts of the mainland.
A prophet is never without honor
save in his own country and among
his own people. The work of the De-
partment of Education in the past has
been very little appreciated here,
though it has been thoroughly appre-
-ciated by educators abroad, and by
educators and those interested in edu-
cation who have visited here. AS a fact
educational progress on the Islands has
been most marked. The foundations
were well laid, and that they were well
said is due to DIR. Armstrong, the father
of General Armstrong of Hampton.
Since DIR. Armstrong; day there have
had to be many notifications in the
superstructure, but these were easily
made because the foundation was solid
and the system well thought out. There
had to be no great disruption when the
change was made from teaching in Ha-
Waiian to teaching, in English. There
mas only been one serious blow given to
Armstrong; system and that was
when in 1897 the care of the school
funds of each district was taken away
from the local authorities. This has
caused an infnity of trouble and has
done great injustice to some districts,
while it has given inOrdinate advan-
tages to others. Much, if not all the
dissatisfaction with school matters in
the outer districts may be traced to
this source.
The true source of success in edu-
cation on these Islands has been the
effort not to aim too high. Every now
and again some one has come forward
with such lofty ideas, but they have
toppled over in a limited time, and the
steady work of grounding our hetero-
geneous population goes on. This steady
work does not please statesmen of the
caliber of Representative Mossman and
gentleman like him, who would have a
university on each Island and half
dozen high schools in each district,
Education is a SLOW process. Our
educational system is not sixty years
old. During that period we have had
to deal with educational problems
which no other people have had to
meet in the shape that they have come
upon us. Our population is not homo
geneous it is heterogeneous, and the |
difficulty has been to keep the schools |
homogeneous and not allow them to be- |
come heterogeneous. In this success
has been made though here and there |
an effort at heterogeniety may be trac-
ed, and it is difficult TO kill out, because |
those who advocate heterogeniety are |
often unconscious of the evil they are |
doing, and act from the best of motives. |
However. Whatever difficulties the |
different administrators of our educa-
tional system may have had, it is a |
satisfaction to know that their efforts |
have been appreciated, and that the |
work of the schools of Hawaii has been .
considered worthy of marked approba- |
tion among the exhibits of many coun- |
tries and states.