The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-10-01

piled with school furniture: ana TINS
is a great help to the teachers II
teaching, especially writing ana oIaM
ing. Each pupil can have a desk ioi
such work though most of these ueShS
would look rather crude 10 the teacli-
ers and pupils of Hawaii. Results III
writing drawing and music are mo-
quite so good as those ootaliieo ~
Hawaiian schools. though they are
rapidly improving. The display o.
sewing was strangely and strongly
suggestive of old times.
Tayabas bought the old eapltoi Wheu
the capital was transferred TO Luz
cena. and plans are now preparing To
remove this so as to make more
satisfactory home for the primary
school.
About nine miles beyond Tayabas is
the town of Lucban, a well-bullt old
town at an elevation of 1900 feet. Here
the American exile rejoices TO spend
the days when the sun comes near the
zenith and the winds are MUD and
dry. The first article on merchandise
from the Philippines which L ever sa"
was a Lucban hat offered for sale by
a Honolulu dealer. These famous mats
bearing considerable resemblance TO
the Panama hats, are made In nearly
every house in the town Here Is one
of the intermediate schools formerly
mentioned, and of which nothing fur-
Their need be said at this time Our
present interest is in the primary
school.
Lucban has a primary school of
about the same size as that OF Taya-
has. But this town possesses much
larger old Spanish schoolhouse than
does Tayabas. Like many of these
old schoolhouses, this one consists for
the most part of one large room; but
by some miracle or mistake this room
is lighted from three sides only All
too frequently these rooms are lighted
from all four sides. so that of neces-
sity the pupils sit facing the light and
the teacher sees her pupils silhouetted
a gainst the light. This particular
room is the working place of six regu-
lar teachers and twice that number of
monitors. or unpaid teachers, so that it
frequently happens that eighteen
classes are reciting and receiving oral
instruction in the same room at one
time This does not tend exactly to
quietness in the schoolroom. There is
not a desk for a pupil in this room,
all sitting on simple, fat, smooth
benches six or eight to the bench.
When the time comes for writing or
drawing, each pupil stands facing his
seat. drops on his knees. and is ready
for business. 1 estimated that / saw
about three hundred at work in this
attitude at one time. About half Of
this school is taught in small rooms
in various buildings, all ill-adapted to
the purpose but with no more than
one teacher and two monitors in any
one room.
The principal of Lucban Primary
School is one of the best men 1 have
ever had in such a position. He re-
ceives a salary of $40 month. Other
salaries range from $40 to $40.
The need of a better schoolhouse is
keenly felt by the people of Lucban,
and they are putting forth strenuous
efforts to get one. Public funds hav-
ing fallen short, fund of $4,000 has
just been raised by voluntary sub
scription, and with this, building OPP
erations are being pushed. And that
just reminds one that our Governor
General has just received the plea of
the San Francisco superintendent of
Schools and has reluctantly refused to
ask the children of the Philippine
schools to contribute to the rebuilding
of the schools of the stricken city. Do
our own needs and our difficulties in
meeting them seem to explain his &C
ton? 1t has been necessary to dis
the enthusiasm of some of the
people of Lucban so as to keep the at
tendance down. as it is now as great
as a decent respect for the laws of by
giene will allow.
These municipal schools have their
individual peculiarities, but they do
not present more interesting and sig
nificant features than do others of this
Province. These are not alone in hav-
ing more pupils than they can properly
handle. Lucban is not alone in having
much of her teaching done by unpaid
teachers, though in many cases the
parents pay the teachers something
privately. My incomplete last returns
show an average attendance of S032
and 124 paid teachers. 1t is easy to
see whether these teachers are being
crowded with too large numbers, and
whether we need the volunteer teach
ers. And Lucban is by no means
alone in gathering funds by private
subscription for school building. A
more striking case is that of Boac.
where the municipal government Of
fered to pay for the teachers in a num-
if the inhabitants would build suitable
houses. The result has been eight very
schoolhouses built within
six months in the one municipality
without the expenditure of one cent of
public funds.
While in America I was frequently
asked whether the people are really
in the educational movement
in the Philippines and 7 usually an
swered with a statement of some of the
facts from which / might have drawn
differences, though this I declined to
do. And now. Mr.. Editor. I am not
going to tell you what is the attitude
of these people towards education or
what are the difficulties which we meet
in the educational work
HENRY 6. TOWNSEND.
LUcena, Tayabas. P /.
TQDAy'S THE DAv