The sun., 1903-02-15
PORTO RICANS WANT TO LEARN
STORIES or EAGER PUPILS N
THE ISLAND SCHOOLS.
Doyp and Girls Alike Trying Hard o Learn
English--Saertnce~ and Hardsh,Im pn.
duPed In Order 10 Win (ertincs,.,
~ Teachers - Typical Instance,

| character of the first Presden, has taken
a strong hold on the children aud even
the younger ones are able to write o1cpl-
| lent compositions about him. They have
| learned 10 call him The Father OF HI,
| Country just a. school children do here.
The Star-Spangled Banner il alwav.
sung with immense enthusiasm in For,
Rico schools. Indeed. the children are
| filed with enthusiasm about everything
American. They have learned to chatter
In English like boys or girls in the United
States and to be proud Of being members
Of the big family of Uncle SAM
One of the American supervisors ~
public schools reports from Sahana Grands
that the pupils Of the fifth and sixth grabs
converse excellently in English
Whatever the pupils read" be- says.
-they understand when il j. spoken. and
they are rarely n, loss for an answer 10 a
question. Conversational work l. not con-
fined to tho reading lesson alon" hu' is
spread out to cover any topic
Il attended ball IN the town hall and
the children. from the little tots 70 Nv.
young ladies'. talked English al me tho
whole evening. have seldom spent a
more pleasant evening.
The anxiety Of Porto Rican children
to learn il marked One boy, Who j. rtudy-
ing the hope ,ha, the Americau Goyern-
meDt will send him to the tnued States
to school, has to earn hi- living during ne
day and has only the even ng 10 study
He cannot. therefore, enjoy the help NJ
teacher. but must get all his knowledge
alone. He wrote the following letter tn
he Department, Of Education N Potto
Rico:
1T is true I am in n position with tts
San Juan Light and Transit Company
but can too little that scarcely IL is net
sufficient for me To address myself !
have prepared myself 10 can be a teacher
the next time, for being not able 10 pay oDs
who could give lessons To me.
This letter will not be correct. but 1t
is sign og iny progress ia ia. English
language. wait Tor a sati'faciory answer.
for ] 20 every time forward and forward
| spend some hours at night In - iudying
alone. bv thar reason all that study try
to understand il we'll for ] have no other
man WHO ne can explain me ,s aa' s!udy ,Se end :.
Of September will De 10 years old.
The principal Of the Ihsuiar Norma
school has many stories to tell Of the girls
who attend that institution. Here Is one
a little girl. under age for he tChool
Ca me TO us She was under size, with black
eyes cleaning over the high check homer
Of the Indian and from head covered
with the close twists Of the African.
-Sbc has no father. and her mother.
with a large family, il in the deepest pow
erty. Hcr. preparation Tor school is 'ery
meagre see the hopele. of the
situation and toll her shc is too young
too poorly prepared.
But ] want TO be great teacher
she declares.
Il attempt to reason with her. turn
her o%n arguments the extreme poverty
H.. hDr a Cui her md r hSv
not to add to the burden OF this mother
nv vast ing money in such a hopeless under
taking as irving to win a teachers oertif-
cate In one term. But argument n IN
a>ailing. am always met with the same
words:
~ must be a teacher. ! nu.t can
money for NV family. Please give me a
chance. Only give me trial
-Who can resist this' Only q change
a chance 10 be something. VINO can reflre
n trial But in two weeks have to repeal
the advice, and the same IL repeated by
all her teachers. She Is apparently doing
little though working SO hard.
But she persists. she begs for longer
trial Her eager eyes. full OF team. have
The desperation of hunger in them. Az
look through the tears and recognise
that clear grit on which the hest in all civi-
lization is founded. l say God bless you'll
And she did 60 ahead. I do not know
how she lived for year-thst "a. mnch
OF the time, for we had many similar oasa.-
but she won her certificate. and was glad
to be proved poor prophet
a poor girl appeared in the school and
the town, and her parents, too poor 70 pay
her board, soon followed. They hsd
allowance Of daily bread was shared by
all, and this girl studied each night into the
small hours Of the morning by the light
OF one candle.
"She was finally taken i'll. Nature had
rebelled. / called upon them In thetr one
one bed, and from the latter the heroine
Of this drama smiled upon me like re
fiection OF that light which AWAY wins
its way through darkness.
well, our teachers relieved the i'm
mediate stress. the father found stray
won high rank. and is now winning hurels
in the summer school. Here Is httle
daughter who il lifting the whole family.
her brothers and sisters will follow IN ner
steps.
in one case in our present summer scnool
II is that Of a rural teacher. IS years DID, tns
father Of a family Of twelve children. ana
with salary Of $50 month for nine rnontne
Of the year. II he can 60 through tns
summer school and win higher certin-
cate he will get $40 month.
He has thought Of this for the pas1
rear. Ii has been his one dream by day
ind by night. He aud his wife saved ana
pinched, but the pinchingr frpm W
month, after fourteen months had oem
illed. were insu ficient.
-Did he give up the prize' He vas
not made of that metal. He had houe
"a mere cabin-but il was the homf o'
lis wife and children. II was his all. ne
'old il for $50, and with this money paid
hree months rent in humble Quarter
md had little money for their support.
How he got here from his distant home
know not. The first ! heard OF bun
lind friends in San Juan were giving him
odgment and he was walking hack and
orth night and morning, a distance o.
even miles, to the school. He was dong
his, too, with no breakfast for he mus
tart too early for even Aie c,Tp ot coN,"
Thich furnished the breakfast Of his friends
sThen friends raised a cont ribmion to
ay his fare on the st rect cars. he u a.
light now, and as happy a. king. lie
ill win. He has II In his eye