The sun., 1903-04-27

oMssss vsss ~ immsdlsts Instruments
q lecsl rsconstrucdon. The Invaluable
individual work done by them has never
been reported TO American readers, but
they are really ths men who. scting under
ordsu nom their immediate superiors,
the department commanders. cleared the
ground and laid We foundstion stones for
thas vhioA followed. Many . little school
did thsss nsn rsorsanise and establish
fsom The limited means at their disposal,
and even with no financial means whatever
Ihsy were the pioneers, and their work
vas well done. though II has made no noise
W the world The evidsnce Of 1t 10 hidden
away in tho huge piles Of documents stored
In the War Department At Washington.
ID appears In the shape Of reports made to
department commander by Majors, Cap
tains and Ueutsnants Of our army In Cuba.
Affairs Of greater immediate importance
oommanded the time and attention Of
Ailtts Governor John r. Brooke until
tho cloaing days Of bin inoumbsncy. Yet
the matter Of school sseAhlhhmsnt had not
carsfh Investigation and prsparation, there
w. A8S90p Ou xSOO. " AOvvs StVh SI0OA 1NOs
~. which was, In its substance, . school
law for the establishment and regulation
OF elsnentaxy and superior schools in the
island Of Cuba. Prior 70 that, on Nov. .,
there had BEEN Issued Civil Order No. 80,
which oreated an ofhcs to be known a. that
Of Superintendent Of Schools Of Cuba. and
appointed Mr.. Alsxis Everett Frye to the
place. Credit for SCHOOL establishments in
N.,Ho HolA a. I~,,t -
Gen. Brooke. Civil Order No. 22o pro-
vided for boards Of education, sys-
tematio school establishment, books and
subjects Of study. Paragraph Of that
order provided that Boards Of education
shall make all necessary arrangements for
opening the elementary schools (primary
and grammar) BY Dec. II. 1Soe, or a. soon
thereafter - possible. and to that end
Nih rent rooms or buildings, supply suit
aoe equipment and employ teachers.
EAo' OF said boards Is hereby authorized
70 exsend . sum not exceeding fifty dollars
(Sso,-i iy furniture for each schoolroom,
oue no ivther purchase Of school furniture
shall % nsde without the approval Of the
secretary Justice and Public Instruc-
taon. Inus began Amsrica's work IN
the eseaoiishn-ut Of new order Of sduca-
tionai nethodAN Cuba Thus did Gen.
nroose pisnS 81 Mr.. Frye water that
for which Gen. ">sd has gathered all the
honor and glory.
Soon after the issuan,s Of tho school law.
Gen. Brooke was relieved And Gen. WOOD
placed In command Of tn island. on this
officer 1t 10 to be said. In q due ,ustioe 10
his predecessor. that he she ~ed. A. lesst
exceedingly bad tas,e In comhentino' as
he did In his Official report, on ae scbool
status. at the time OF his assumtion OF
authority In the island. He there said.
a certain number Of schools had heen
opened. but II was under the old sys,am
or. rather, lack Of system. There we're lo
proper textbooks, no de'ks, no school
materials. Tho children wee perched on
benches without regard TO sze. No at
tempt was made to grade or classify them,
nor was thsre any settled Procedure in
school methods: In short. publi\ instruo-
ton wss without organization anoof little
value While this Ii not accurxely a
perverson of the truth, IL is distinctly mis-
leading. and is an unjustifable reflection
by Cen. Wood upon the work Of his supe;or
oficer. Gen. Brooke took up the questhp
of schools as soon as it was possible unde
the existing conditions. to do so properly
and wisely. Between the date Of his doing
20 and the date of his relief there was not
time to put his order into effective opera
ton. Gen. Woods official comment IL a
unjust as 1t is uncalled for.
Building upon Gen. Brooke's foundation,
Cen. Wood issued an order. on Jan. ~.
1900. creating q Board Of Superintendents
Of Schools, and appointed Mr.. Frye as q
member Of the board. The issuance Of the
Brooke school law resulted In an imme-
date demand for school facilities from all
over the island. How much Of this demand
aroes from . keen Cuban thirst for knowl-
edge, and how much OF IL came from those
who were eager to draw q teachers pay.
may be q matter OF conjecture to some.
II is probable that the motives were some
what mixed. with cupidity little ahead.
At the time Of the withdrawal Of Gen.
Brooke thsre were si2 organized school
rooms In tho island. By the early days Of
January. the following month. the number
had doubled. Increase proceeded 1t such
q rate that more than 5000 had been opened
by the lrst Of March. On March Gen.
Wood sent telegraphic orders to all parts
Of the island to stop any further organiza-
ton. Only 1877 schools were established
during the succeeding four months. and
only some 700 more were established during
the next two years. Before the LIST Of July,
Ssls schools were in operation in Cuba,
and all OF them were established under
the Brooke law. 1t was the Brooke law
which created them. and the Brooke law
combined with the exuberant energy OF
Mr.. Frye that put them into action opera
ton. Tho process attracted wide atten-
ton In the United States; and because 1t
was done during the regime Of the new
Governor. the public, ignorant Of the facts.
jumped to the conclusion that 1t was Gen.
Woods work. Gen. Brooke may not have
been q phsnemenal administrator. but he
b rightly entitled TO the credit for that which
he did.
Mr.. Frye's methods a. School Superin-
tendsnt were somewhat diduse. His prin-
cipal idea appeared 10 be the establishment
of the greatest possible number Of schools.
- l.. IL - L.