The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-09-15
ARE QUICK TO LEARN
GUAM PUPILS PICK UP ENGLISH
READILY.
What Has Been Accomplished In one
Year-Six Schools Organized with
1000 Children-Satis factory Results.

Homer H. Hiatt, of Broken Bow,
Nebraska, who has been superintendent
of schools in Guam for the past year
is returning to the United States by the
Naval transport Solace.
Mr.. Hiatt organized the school sys-
tenn of Guam and introduced instruc-
ton in English. Il think l can say
that the results of instruction in Eng
fish are very satisfactory, and they
certainly are surprising. There are in
Guam about 1000 children of school age.
Six schools were organized. At the be-
ginning none of the pupils could speak
English. Some of them might have
picked up a few words from the sail
ors and marines. But that was all. At
the end of a year all of them could ex-
press themselves in English so that
they could be readily understood, and
they could understand English when
spoken to them perfectly. The more
advanced pupils during the year COM
pleted four elementary reading books.
They were able to read them entire to
spell every word in them, to restate in
English, but in their own English the
substance of any of the stories in any
of these books, and TO write in tolera-
BILE English their own versions of the
lessons learned They knew the multi
plicatiOn tables for the most part, in
English, can add, substract, multiply
and divide, and perform operations in
simple fractions.
THAT their acquisition of English to
the extent that they have acquired it is
genuine, is proved in many ways. In
the first place they are able to trans
late into their native Chomoro the
things they read in their English text
books, showing that they understand
what they have read. Then they are
able to act as interpreters for English
speaking persons with the Chomoro-
speaking persons. And it is the uni
Versal testimony of the naval and mar
inc forces at Agana that they can
speak and understand English.
"Of course it must not be understood
that they have acquired a mastery of
the language, but that the results of
, instruction in English have been sur
prising.
when the schools were first organ
lied, Commander Swift, who was then
in authority during the temporary abb
sence of Commander Schroeder offered
me an interpreter. l took him one day
but never afterward. From that time
there was nothing but English in the
schools. l didn't learn the Chomoro
nor even use those words and senten-
ces which one naturally picks up. The
teaching force used English only, our
/ idea being to make them come to us in
language rather than that we should
go to them.
unfortunately the schools cannot be
Immediately continued for want of
funds. The necessity for a general hos
pital and a leper hospital was so great
that these had to be built Congress
failed to make any appropriation for
carrying on the schools, and the un-
certainty as to the tariff, from which
a large part of the island revenue has
been produced has 50 cut down the
available funds, that the schools can
scarcely be resumed sooner than six
months from now.
There is a doubt as to whether any
tariff can be collected. All duties now
and for some time have been paid un-
der protest pending an authoritative
decision as to whether they can be le-
the hands of Commander Schroeder as
to these funds, for he cannot spend
them for fear that they may have to
be refunded. The customs duties
amount to from $4,000 to $4,000 a year,
so that it can be readily seen what a
figure this uncertainty cuts.
''While Guam is a small place, the
experiment in instruction in English in
the schools, which has been going on
there for the past year, in view of our
other and larger possessions where an
other language than English is the
mother tongue, is an interesting one"