The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-02-23


terday afternoon at the y. w. c. A
rooms, was largely attended aud tn
program was unusually interesting. TIL
principal topic on the program was
paper on Preferences of Children ii
their Studies presented by Presiden
Griffiths of Oahu College.
A vocal trio bv Mrs. Hibberdne, Mis-
Won Holt ana Miss Hartnagle, opene,
the meeting, and this was followed b,
a recitation by Miss Crosette. The con
GLIDING number was piano solo b,
Mrs. Roy Lyon, whose skillful playn.
evoked hearty applause.
| President Griftiths paper dealt will
statistics from nearly every school il
Honolulu bearing on the likes and dis
| likes OF children for certain studies. TIL,
data given indicated that the old stand
| ard studies, such as arithmetic, language
and geography had much more of a
hold upon them than music, drawing
and manual training, which Mr. Grit
fifths characterized as belonging to mod
ern culture study His address, in part
was as follows
NET VI NhlL-
DREN IN THEIR STUDIES.
I have known of two or three inves-
legations of this subject in which the
child is given an opportunity to ex-
press his likes and dislikes. All of
the efforts have been made with prac-
tically the same idea in view. 1t
seems that, since the child is to be the
recipient of our attentions in his in
tellectual diet, he might be allowed
some voice, if not in making out the
bill of fare, at least in saying how
much he is t0\consume of each item.
While we realize that what a child
chooses to eat is not always the best
for him, we are also familiar with the
fact that his desires and appetites are
the result of we'll defined inward
wants. What he selects to satisfy the
cravings of his inner soul may not be
the best possible food for the purpose
However, when we recognize that
there is a physical law which governs
his warnings and seek to see that the
LAWS fulfilled judiciously We are recog-
nizing in the supply to the body the
need which is just as evident to the
mind. It takes skill and experience
to read Alright the physical needs of
the child. 1t takes greater skill and
more astute experience to measure the
necessities for development of that
frail and mysterious thing, the human
mind. His diet should not be too
varied and yet it should have variety;
he should not be fed with too much
of one kind and there is danger in a
little of too many kinds. Tradition
has told US what he must have. We
who are laboring now are trying to
decide on the one hand what he ought
to have and on the other what he
ought not to have. There is as GER
tain relation between the mind of the
child and the studies as there is be-
tween the body and his food. With |
food of almost any kind a body will |
i've; with intellectual mama, poor and |
there is always some intel |
ectual life. And as we should be taught |
)y the demands of the body what food |
% insist on, so by study we should be
lble to get at least some hints on an
fare that will be both ac-
,eptable and nutritious. This is the
more important for with the proper
subjects, properly taught, not a little
If that aversion between boys and
looks is removed. To see and under
tand the reaction between the mind
nd the study is to have the firm base
lpon which we can rear a solid and
superstructure. 1t is equal
y important whether We are seeking
he development through opposing a
hild's interests and desires or through
them. In the state of I'M
est in which all things educational
low are, it would seem wise to ap-
roach the subject of courses, elective
nd prescribed, from the point of view
f the child. His attitude towards a
ubject may not dispose of it finally
ut it may have some practical bear
ngs which ought not to be neglected.
In making this present study, / have
sed four questions. 1. Which school
tudy do you like best? g. Why? 8.
Which school study do you like least?
Why? These questions We're sent
ut to the 10 public schools of the Dis
riot of Honolulu and to three private
chools Kamehameha Girls, Kameha-
leha Boys, and Punahou Preparatory,
18th the request that they be given to
II the children in the grades between
he third and the eighth inclusive. For
he sake of uniformity, a list of twelve
objects was overwhelming, Spelling,
language, Writing, Numbers, Geog-
Apply, History. Physiology, Drawing,
[usic, Manual Training, and Nature
tudy. From these schools answers
ere received from all the private
,hools and from five out of nineteen
ublic schools. AS this number in
udes all but one of the larger schools.
nd as very few of the remaining
,hools have children above the third
rade, the proportion of children rep
scented is much larger than the pro-
ortion of schools answering would in
cate. While should have been bet
r pleased to have had larger base
pom which to form conclusions, have
sed the replies that came and have
und them suggestive of two or three
ends or influences; l do not put 1t
ore strongly for I know that def