The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-13

more of mystery than ever after Wis
iting the public schools of Honolulu
and the chief cities of the other is
lands. Here red, yellow, brown, ant
white children are taught side by side
in one room. A little Chinese boy occu.
pies the same seat with a bullet-headed
lad who answers to the name McTavlsh
| On another bench one finds a Korean
and Scandinavian studying from the
same book; again, the japanese and
/ the Portuguese, share their mncheons
and playthings. On one school here
| (the Kaiulani), where six hundred chill
dren are being taught, there is only
one white child enrolled as a pupil
little, fair haired, blue-eyed Amer
| lean girl. In another school I came
upon young teacher of Hawaiian and
Chinese parentage who told me that
the forty children in her charge COM
prised eight races and nationalities. In
all the schools the same conditions
hold true.
OF all the agencies now engaged in
Americanizing the islands of the Ha-
waiian group, the school impresses the
casual analyst as the most potent factor
for good. The schools leave a deeper
impression on the mind of visiting
stranger than any of the other island
institutions one has seen. The schools
teach patriotism. Patriotic exercises
are a part of each days routine. A
uniform exercise to teach the children
love of country and love of flag has
been devised by Miss Emma Lyons,
public-school teacher of Honolulu, and
is used in all the schools throughout
the island. At several of the schools
visited the children were assembled in
front of the school, the classes forming
circle about the fagpole. When the
principal gave the order Attention! ,
the boys removed their hats and all
faced the flag as it was hoisted to the
top of the pole. Then at signal the
children repeated in concert the fol-
lowing salutation, with right hand uP-
raised and pointed toward the flag:
eve give our heads and our hearts
to God and our country! One country!
One language! One fag!"
The sight is one to make the average
Americans blood run a little faster
and stiffen his backbone. 1t is difficult
to keep in check citation and pride,
when one sees four or five hundred lit
tie Orientals, dressed for the most part
in their native garb, repeating this
salutation to the flag in clear, childish
treble, and with every indication Of
the significance and
of the words they utter.
STATISTICS OF THE ISLAND
SCHOOLS.
There is a uniform system of in
struction in all of the public schools ,
in the island. The latest reports avail j
able show that at the end of Deem
Der, 1906, there were Isl public schools
In the Territory. attended by 1861
and sixty-two private schools,
with a total enrolment of o239. These
p, 800 children comprised eleven dis
tinct nationalities in addition to 1879
pupils grouped under the head of
other foreigners"
At Wailuku, on the island of Maui,
he members of the Congressional
party were welcomed by a little Chi
1ese girl, All Ing, who is but eleven
1ears old. She wrote her own speech,
Ind this is what she said:
1.-The teachers and pupils of the Wal
uku school welcome you to our little
sland. We are glad that you take
enough interest in us to come so many
thousands of miles to see US. We hope
hat you will enjoy your visit with us,
md that you will carry home pleasant
of Hawaii and the Ha-
vaiians. Our parents are of many ma
but we are all good Amer
cans. We are here in school not only
reading, writing and arithme-
ic, but also learning lessons of pa
riotism and good citizenship, so that
when we grow we may become useful
citizens of our great and glorious coun-
ry, whose flag floats over our school
very day.
Banked on the steps back of her as
he spoke was as diverse a group of
ationalities as could be gathered any,
where in the world. A little Chinese ,
,irl in embroidered silk trousers stood
reside a little red-headed, freckled- !
aced girl whose name should have ;
'een Judy Brannigan, even If it was
lot. Pugnacious little sQuare-headed ,
japanese urchins elbowed Trailer Por- ,
o Ricans, so that they might have
more room and a better opportunity ,
o gaze at the visitors.
OF all the public-school pupils, 25 per
ent. are Hawaiian, % per cent Jap
nese, 10 per cent. Portuguese, Is per
ent. part Hawaiian, per cent Chi
lese, and per cent. American. The
6 per cent. come under the
reading 'all other nationalities." The p,
lationaities of the teachers are equal
Y scattered. OF AS teachers in the i,
'ublic schools in 1906 IS were Hawai-
an, 1O4 part Hawaiian. III American,
l British, German, % Scandinavian,
Portuguese, 9 Chinese and 4 whose