The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-07

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rider), but better still-We prefer the
! figure of the lighthouse--on the cross
roads of the Pacific is stationed by
| America its most powerful fixed light
a piercing CLEAN over the waters as
well to determine foes as to be source
/ of safety to all traffic of the great
! coast line behind, it.
! The population of the islands is ap-
proximately three-fifths Asiatic. It is
immaterial now how this came to be So
America has assumed the responsible
| ity. OF the remaining two-fifths only a
t little over a quarter seventeen thou
! sand) are white American.
! At present this Asiatic majority in
! the population is represented by only
| $500 out of the 10000 school children, or
! about % per cent. The writer is con-
/ WINGED that the number of Asiatic
children of school age es :imated in the
last report of the Superintendent of
! Public Instruction, as but little over
! the figures used above. is below the
mark. Oriental parents. particularly
i Chinese, are suspicious of the census,
and are often glad to get work out
of their children in school hours; and
; as the schools are crowded with chill
! dren of Hawaiian. Anglo-Saxon and
, Portuguese blood both the information
, as to the number of Asiatic children
! of school age and the zeal of officials
| in getting such information may be
questioned. At any rate, every indica-
! ton points to a rapidly increasing num-
| Der of Hawaiian born Asiatics who
! will vote some day.
/ You can't force these children into
, schools if there is no room for them but
/ it is clearly in the line OF defense
against darkness to get them there
! Hawaii owns $4,000 worth of school
| buildings and the appropriation for
| maintenance for the biennial period
ending June, 1907, was $707 $40, with an
additional $1,000 for new school build
ings. This provision is inadequate A
careful estimate calls for more build
ings at a cost of $7SS,500.
There should be more and better paid
teachers. Over a third of the teachers
in the public schools are of Hawaiian
and part Hawaiian blood trained in our
own normal schools. They make a
creditabie showing for our educational
system. Too much should not be ex-
pected of them in view of the extent oil
their preparation, their salary and the
tremendous problem before them. They
are the go-betWeens-the official in
terpreters-the demonstrators of the
American idea to Oriental minds. 1t is
their task to disarm racial prejudice, tc
foster love for American Institutions tic
make the very Stars and Stripes the
symbol of a deep and holy patriotism
i In such public schooling toward
Americanism much might be expected
IN he
American parents. The teacher has
not all the burden in the mainland
schools. The Russian and Italian chile
rubs up against the grandchildren OF
Puritans and probably gets more light
on American institutions from hi.
mates than his teacher could give him
This is very much less possible in the
islands where the Caucasian has otter
been withdrawn into select schools fol
the very protection of morals and man.
ners of which we have been limiting
Thus a heavier burden falls on the
i public school teacher and the Chris
tian Boarding School of which latter
feature more will be said.
$50 much expected from teachers OF
five years knowledge of American in
stitutions?" Nay, not five years only
!. perhaps What if the best we had t.
give to these Hawaiian people came il
1920 and has been working in then
ever since?
: High praise to the Hawaiian teacher
} and honor Ito whom honor is duel t.
the first sturdy opponents OF American
| ism-trus knights OF the round-hay
stack.
q Here are some sample facts:
The percentage of illiteracy amons
the Hawaiian and Caucasian popula
ton of Hawaii is less than that of tn,
New England States.
The per capita expenditure of ou
citizen population for education ha.
exceeded for several years that of any
State of the Union.
But the Oriental end OF the problem
is comparatively new. Ten years ag,
few Of the japanese and Chinese chill
. dren were OF school age Throwing
aside foolish race prejudice these chill
dren are a wonderfully promising 10
tte change the figure)-taken out of thu
!, old soil and transplanted into our gar
dens for our intelligent husbandry
What a chance to change what ha!
been called a yellow peril into a gol
| den harvest
| Go Be Continued)