New-York tribune., 1903-06-21
PROGRESS IN PORTO RICO.
Eatiues Haze acquired "Get There
Spirit of Yankees.

According to William H. Hunt, the Governor
of Porto Rico who is now in Washington, the
natives of that island have been attacked WIFE
4 widespread contagion The inhabitants nave
heyer had the epidemic before, and some oeileFe
It incurable. Its symptoms are a remarkable
activity of mind and body, an eagerness on the
part OF the young to learn and a Willingness
among those older TO work AIR. Hunt is Or
a visit to this country at the present time, and
when asked last week for a diagnosis he an
swered:
The Porto Ricans have contracted the get
there spirit of the Yankee. The island is fast
becoming a prosperous American community
W. are awakening the natives from their an
Sstral lethargy and find that they can hustle
rs well as ourselves, with some encourage
aent."
Mr. Hunt had many facts to prove his state
bents. He said that the coffee export trade had
grown from $4,000 last year to S5Oo,o0o this
year Sugar had been shipped north to the
amount of S500,0O0 since January l. heavy
Increase over last year Steam railroads, troll
ley lines and automobile mail routes were
stimulating the Porto Ricans to faster methods
# transit. Revenues had increased to such an
,xtent that the Treasury now showed balance
of 100000 or an increase of $780, 900 over the
preceding year.
agricultural country, efforts are being made TO
i,veIop as rapidly as possible the agricultural
nIral schools There are twenty of them,
81. of which have been established in one year.
Along established educational lines the De-
partment of Education is pushing the work of
fitting Porto Rico from illiteracy with still
greater vigor. Nearly 1,2OO schools have been
opened in the island, with 1.225 teachers. of
whom 15O are Americans. In the normal school
Tor the training of teachers over one hundred
Porto Rican young women and men are pur-
suing the regular course Of stuiy.
The industrial school at San Juan was opened
with fifty-nine pupils. Tie number has subse-
Quently been increased to seventyfve. Some
of the most respected young men and women OF
the city are among the pupils. The work of the
FIRST year will be purely elementary and includes
language, English and Spanish; commercial
arithmetic business methods, mensuraton,
science, commercial and industrial geography
OF the United States and West Indies paying
special attention to crops, products, manufact-
ures, sources of raw materials, and routes of
trade and travel; history, especially that of
North and South America and the West Indies;
freehand and mechanical drawing, sloyd work
for boys use of tools in woodworking; construc
tion of simple models requiring accuracy of
hand ard eye; construction Of articles OF house
ho.d use and light furniture.
The girls the first year learn sewing, cutting
from patterns, fitting, basting, buttonhole MAX
ing, drawn work, knitting, darnng, embroidery,
etc. The plans for subsequent years contem-
plate the establishment of carpenter shop,
plumbing. printing, tailoring, shoe and harness
shops for the boys, and more elaborate training
for the girls in cooking, dressmaking, basketry
and weaving. A complete kitchen and studio
have already been equipped, where the girls are
taught to cook.
In the two government charity schools, one
for boys and one for girls in Santuce. a suburb
of San Juan the attainments have been sur
prising and full of promise These institutions,
sheltering more than five hundred waits of from