The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-14

ton to the proSaic business there was
| a program of music rendered by stu
dents of the High School and of Kaa-
humanu School The music was a
charming diversion, and was greeted
with rounds of applause by the large
audience present. Six Hawaiian girls
from Kaahumanu School, dressed in
white and wearing red carnation Ieis
upon their heads, surprised the audi
ence with their melodious and easy
rendition of several choruses. The
High School pupils We're equally well
received, the music of both schools in
dicating careful training.
The addresses were all devoted to ma
ture study in one form or another, and
the close attention paid to their read
ing indicated that this topic of educa-
ton has taken a strong hold upon
tachers and pupils alike during the
present school year. There were five
minute reports given of the develop
ment of nature study in the Normal.
Kaiulani, Kaahumanu and Kalihi-
waena schools, most Of the reports pay
ing their respects to the mosquito and
ant. At the end OF the years work
there should be little left of the life
history Of Bre'r Mosquito which can
be studied and criticized. The teachers
and students have been painstaking in
inquiring into his habits, residence, the
places he most freQuents, and his gen.
eral characteristics. The cane borer
has also been kept under surveillance,
and tell-tale exhibits were placed be-
fore the various classes of the deStruc-
ton which he can wreak in a field of
sugar cane. Even the toad has been
snatched for investigation from the
taro beds which have been planted in
certain schoolyards, and if there was
a skeleton in his closet, the young peo-
pie who have become interested in him,
have found 1t out and jotted the fact
down in their eyer-ready notebooks.
OF such subjects do the teachers of ma
ture. study treat and the results Of
the work thus far have been most sat
isfactory to them, which accounts for
their enthusiasm in relating their eX-
periences in that department to one
another.
, The meeting last evening was attend
ed by nearly 100 pupils and teachers.
and keen interest was manifested in
all that was done. Owing to the length
of time taken for illustrating points
made in some Of the papers the gen
eral discussion which follows their
reading was dispensed with. and the
program was brought to a close by
'well-rendered vocal solo by Miss La NIB,
an encore being called for, but respect
fully declined. The program opened
with the singing of America" by the
audience Miss Barnard of the Kane
thameha Girls School gave review OF
Professor jenkins textbook on the sub
,ject, which she said was best adapted
for school work in the Hawaiian Isl
lands, and far ahead of any with which
She had come in contact. Professor
Jenkins had done much in introducing
the subject into schools, and his in
structions had been put into pamphlet
form. His main idea was to bring out
the fundamental facts and let the
teachers get the right spirit of the mat
ter and give it tc the pupils. The
salient points of Professor Jenkins les
sons were that they should always be
brief, and therefore necessarily frag-
nnentary; the topics shold be frequent
ly changed, and the great aim should
be to induce children to work for
themselves with their eyes, hands and
mind. Teachers should also leave the
textbook behind and introduce subjects
Of their own. They should be such as
will interest the children. The chief
feature of Jenkins textbook was that
1t was adapted for these Islands,
: Prof. u. Thompson Of the kameha-
meha Manual School introduced me-
chanical illustra ton explanatory OF a
portion of his address, which aroused
The interest of the children present,
and kept their eyes upon the same. 1t
consisted of a board laid horizontally
across two piles of books, a pulley In
one end across which he laid string,
one end Of which was attached to
bottle filled with shot, and the other TO
a screw in a block of wood laid upon
the board, the weight of the bottle pc
ing intended to draw the block or
wood across the board, the whole de-
signed to illustrate the subject of fric-
ton Professor Thompson has dry
humor which caught the fancy of his
audience. His mechanical contrivance
created considerable interest. HIS pa
per was filled with suggestions on ma
ture study. The Professor began by
calling attention to the methods In
vogue of teaching arithmetic, reasoning
and story methods. His statements
concerning story arithmetic were full
of humor- AS to nature study, he said
that whether it becomes rad depend
ed upon the teacher. To make it SO
was the easiest thing imaginable; to
make it what it should be, the hardest.
He offered the following suggestions
to teachers for the work:
l. Study the object first, the books
later. What you have seen ana Ielt,
communicate to your pupils.
2. Do not expect your pupils to COM
prehend as much as you. Ii they did
they would know as much as you DO
8. Don't try to exhaust the subject
f. Keep several subjects going at
the same time. Have peas and beans
growing at the same time, and nave a
few insects growing Is well.
5. Whatever you are studying have
the students continue from the seed to
the seed, and from the egg back TO the
egg.
6. Keep a definite record OF what is
done by each class each year.
4 Build up one point at time
When that Is settled, take up one more
point. etc.
9. Put everything in the form of
problem. Don't tell the children what
they can find out for themselves.
g. Make conditions a permanent part
Of every experiment.
10. Arranging the experiments will
be the most difficult part of the York.
cIloh he best