The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-07
OREGON GIRL
ON SCHOOLS
Miss ProebsteI Writes
About Education
Here.

Journal by Miss Molly Proebstel, one
Of the Oregon Girls" party Miss
Proebstel was the special correspond
ent of the Journal on the trip of the
| young ladies to the Hawaiian Islands.
The article follows:
| The sojourner in Honolulu will ever
! remember with pleasure a visit To the
| schools, and whatever else of interest
a limited stay may demand being
| omitted this should not be left out nor
| put off to the last for without excep-
| ton a return visit will be desired, that
! a closer acquaintance may result with
the teachers and their interesting pu-
pills.
| At first the advanced condition of ed
ucation as found here in quite over
whelrning, but surprise gives way to
| reason when it is recalled both before
and after the days of forty-nine
wealthy citizens on the Pacific coast
sent their children to Honolulu to be
educated, which shows that long be-
fore like institutions We're known in
the west schools of high standing -four
ished in Honolulu. AS early as 1924
1000 students We're enrolled, while in
1881 was established the Lahainaluna
seminary, the first manual training
school west of the Mississippi, and in
1341 Oahu college, the first school OF
collegiate grade west of the Rockies
was founded. OF such Importance was
education held on the islands that in
1841 was enacted law debarring any
person born later than 1873 and unable
to read and write from marrying or
holding office. Compulsory education
is to this day rigidly enforced and IL
iiteracy is unknown and unheard of
only as it exists in the foreign popu-
Iatfon. where the individuals have
reached their majority before coming
to the islands.
SCHOLARS OF MANY RACES
In no other schools in the world is to
be found such an interesting conglom-
Grafton of races. Fancy going into
schoolroom where they are perhaps 80
or 40 pupils and being confronted with
II different nationalities, but this hap
pens in Honolulu. Most of these chill
dren, however are born on American
soil, and are destined to become the
future citizens Of Hawaii. Most pleas
ing of all is the evident fact that these
children so widely different dwell to-
gether in peace and harmony, and a
happier, more tractable or orderly set
of children would be hard to find. Per-
feet understanding and sympathy
reigns between teacher and pupil. The
pupil looks upon and regards the teach
err as his friend one who has his in
terest at heart and upon whom he can
rely for help and advice. There is an
entire absence of that disposition too
often noticeable in our own schools, |
where the pupil holds the teacher as
an autocrat who wishes to subject and
humiliate him.
Here the discipline of the schools is |!
in the hands of the pupils. which is |
strong lesson toward self-government |
In the High school it is noticeable that |
whole rooms, when it is not reciting |
period, are left alone and the teachers |
say there is as perfect order and appli- |
cation to study as where they are pres |
ent. The teachers in Honolulu work on |
the plan that love and sympathy are
the greatest factors in the world and |
conduct their pupils accordingly. They |
seem to have learned that true teachers |
mother their children, and the older |
children are brought to care for the
little ones on the Fairgrounds.
LOVE OUTDOOR GAMES.
The love of outdoor games and sports |
is strong and basketball clubs as we'll |
as baseball are to be found in all the |
schools and l think occasionally foot |
ball, but l Ser heard it mentioned |
The captains of the teams are taught |
to feel they are responsible for all acct |
dents, and as a consequence few occur |
and "bullyism' is an unknown guam
tity. This custom may be responsible |
for the absence of football, for certain |
ly no captain would ever dare to be re-
sponsible for life or limb of his players.
Physical culture receives noticeable
attention in the schools and is unLer
the instruction of Miss Nina L. Adams,
who has introduced many games from
the gymnasiuHis of the east. In the
Fairgrounds there is such thing as
boys and girls sides" and children
are free to go where they please on the
grounds. Here teachers are always to
be found, but they are not acting III the
capacity of policemen; they are simply
friends to whom the children can take
their little pilikias or troubles.
Manual training is given special
prominence in the Honolulu schools.
The forms are: Sewing. weaving,
lacemaking, cooking, gardening and
All of the children are
taught to sew-boys can sew on hut
tons as We'll as girls-and most pleas
ing is that every feature of the work
has a decidedly practical turn, for the
girls of the higher grades make gar
ments for themselves or for the chill
dren Of an orphanage and the younger
pupils make holders, bags, aprons or
hem towels for the kitchen, while enc
class is busily engaged in making doll
clothes
LACEMAKING
Lacemaking was introduced into the
public schools about a year ago. The
girls of the fifth, sixth. seventh and
eighth grades do this work and the
product is very pretty. One of the
most highly priced mementoes carried
away from the islands was six lace
made by little girls at the
kaahumanu school and sent to me the
day l left. The girls are allowed to