The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-08-11
ADVOCATE Of
OUTDOOR LIFE

al have been at most of the ceie
brated watering places Of the country,
but nowhere have / found such bath
ing as YOU have here at Waikiki,
said Professor William Larned Thatch-
er. teacher of the simple life and an
advocate Of the open air system of
education for youths Professor Thatch
or is paying his first visit to Homo
lulu, being a guest with his mother at
the Moana Hotel Although an out.in-
the-air specialist he was located yes
terday afternoon in the library of the
Historical Society, deep in the read
ing of one of the tones to be found in
that collection.
The school with which the Professor
is connected, be and his older brother
being Mt the head of it, is the Thatcher
Institute, located in the Ojai valley,
near Santa Barbara in Southern Cal
ifornia. In point of attendance the
institution is small one, but from ev-
cry other point of view the Thatcher
Institute is famous.
owe believe in combining out-of-
door education and athletics with the
regular collegiate work." explained the
Professor, himself hardy, burned
man, with none of the sickly palloI
usually associated with a college pro
lessor and the burner of midnight oil
"One of the qualifications for boys en-
tering our school is that he brings with
him a saddle horse and agrees to take
care of it himself. Our school wal
founded by my brother nineteen year,
ago. and ten years ago it reached thu
limit we had set for it, forty pupils
Since that time we have always ha'
a long waiting list of boys wanting
to come.
"We encourage the boys to get on
in the open air as much as possible
encourage them to go in for athletics
baseball, tennis and field sports. W.
also teach the principles of good citi
zenship. encouraging the boys to TAX
an interest in the village where tn
school is located and through their eff
forts there has been an athletic clu|
started, free public library and
men S club, while the boys have ais
helped to start and maintain a goo
roads movement.
owe believe in individual teaching
! also. For our school of forty boys W
have staff of eight teachers, half o
! them Harvard men and half from Yale
This proportion of teachers to pupil
gives every chance for the former t
study the individuality of the boy
, under his particular charge and to de
velop that individuality. 1t also give
; the boys an opportunity of KNOWN
! and becoming friends with the teach
ers, so that we have n strong schoC
spirit With so few pupils there ar
also certain to be strong and perma
nent friendships formed among tn
{ boys.
Practically all our boys come to u
4 from east of the Mississippi. We wan
I boys of that class, believing that tn
, advantages of the Californian climat
], are more appreciated by them than b
4 boys born in California
4 Professor Thatcher expressed his SUI
D prise at finding such complete educs
e tional system in Honolulu. "You hav
everything here from college to
e kindergarten. he said, "and ever
h department seems to be excellent an
o modern.
s He will be in Honolulu for som
/. weeks yet, having met a large numbe
4 of friends here. At Yale he was
classmate of George R. Carter, whol
n he claims as his first pupil. havin
q coached him in his work. Professc
n Alexander, who is former pupil {
l. Professor Thatcher s father, who We
r professor at Yale, has taken hi
IT about the city, pointing out the place
e of interest, while other members of IL
IS University Club have welcomed him
n the city.