The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-27

quite full and rich. You know il is a
/ good deal like a heaping basket of po-
i tatoes. You think you can't get any
more in but If you pour in some peas
and beans you will be surprised TO see
how many Will disappear. We have
I been pouring in the peas and beans.
We have added a course in physiology;
We have given a strong course in Bible
literature, we have added a depart
ment of oral expression. we have put
| in some more teachers in the Prepare
tory, We have added a librarian-s0o(
books have come and more are on the
way. / think that you will agree that
! that has been pretty good sort of fill
I ing.
/ There are two grave questions upon
which the trustees are putting much
| thought. One of them certainly has
got to be solved at no distant date:
I the other I believe is also pressing
| hard for an answer.
| The trustees are anxious 10
get income bearing funds sufficient
| to meet our expenses. There have
/ been big expenditures in the last years
which were unavoidable. 1t was like
! the damming of a flood; they had been
dccuI!uIdtinS LOT years
Charles r. Bishop hall had just been
built and paid for after a struggle and
j through the generosity of Mr.. Bishop.
when the attendance in Pauahi Hall
made more recitation rooms necessary.
Bingham Hall seemed to be desirably
located and arranged. With those
halls in demand and Dole Hall and
old School Hall in bad condition, new
living quarters became necessary.
Hence the new dormitories. The
building of all these new halls made
it seem wise to lay out plan of the
grounds with the buildings grouped
| The making of the new ground into
lawn, the repair of the old buildings,
the purchase of the Chamberlain prop
erty which protects US in that direc-
ton, to say nothing of the debt on
the buildings. book money and lots
of it-and the expenditures practically
had to be made at this one time. We
are hoping now that We can call a
halt until We can catch our breath.
I want to make plain TO you that We
have spent a good deal of money-so
much that we look prosperous. But
| also want to make plain 20 you what
this means. Our students, our teach
ing force our cultivated campus area,
our buildings, have nearly trebled,
trebled mind you, in ten years Those
represent expenses. But what of our
income producing funds? OF course
there has been increase in buttons,
but buttons lag VIGOROUSLY behind
teaching expenses We have had just
one gift-$50, 900 from Mother Castle
to our endowment; and the income
from this is more than offset by the
interest on our debt.
In all this time the policy of the
trustees has been to make Punahou
as good a school as possible. You will
find few better on the mainland. The
question now is whether this COM
munity and more particularly this
body of alumni is going to support
this policy We believe that this COM
munity will support at least one good
school of this character. But support
means money. Money We must have.
Without it We shall have to reduce the
number of our courses and teachers
and in every way cut present projects
and abandon future plans. All OF
which will be at the expense of our
students.
The other problem seems chimerical
to mention in the same breath with
our poverty-and that is the extension
of our course to a four years college
course. The desire of that is strong
and the need of it is considerable.
There are many young students who
would be glad to save the expense of
a part or all of their course in the
East if they had opportunity for study
here.
I received a pamphlet the other day
for the library which had the account
of the inaugural of DR.. Beckwith DR..
Beckwith devoted his time to arguing
why we should have college here in
Hawaii The same reasons hold true
today that Were put forward then. 1t
is not enough to recount the benefits;
it is necessary to do a good deal more.
What are the alumni going to do
about these? Are you going to sup
port the policy of "Punahou, the best
school?" Are you going to help us
grow gradually towards the goal of
real college, so emphatically pro-
nounced desirable by Dr. Beckwith 80
years ago and which is no nearer of
realization today than it was then?
If so, how soon are you going to sup
port it, / believe that a campaign
among the alumni would bring large
financial returns. We have just APP
pealed to the General Education Board
for funds. They at once came back
at us with the question, what are you
going to do at home? We need help;
we can't expect to get it from abroad
until we can make some showing at
home.
This meeting could do nothing bet
ter than 10 appoint committee or
instruct its officers to cooperate with
the corporation in raising funds for
the immediate needs of the institution
which we love so well.