The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-09-25
TEACHING THE
BEST MAN POLICY

While the politicians in convention
and on the street corners are busily
pounding the "straight-ticket doc
trne into more or less willing ears, in
some of the public schools the future
voters are being trained along the line
of ''the best.man" propaganda. With
in the last few days there have been
four city governments eiected by duly
qualified electors in this city, and in
no case was there "beer, booze and
buncombe,'' appeals to the flag or a
color line. They we're warmly contest
ed elections, nevertheless, that took
place at the Royal, Kaahumanu, Kaiu-
ani and Normal schools, when mayors,
sheriffs, supervisors and members of
police forces were duly selected for the
| ensuing term.
In very practical way the pupils of
| the various schools which have adopt
ed school city government for them
selves have demonstrated the value of
| the system. The fear that the children
would be unable to grasp the idea and
that the elections and carrying out
the duties of the offices would be just
a plaything for the pupils has gone,
and the school voters and the school Of
ficials have assumed the responsibilities
| given them soberly and in the way
hoped for. AS a matter of fact the
matter of discipline in the schools has
been taken almost entirely off the
shoulders of the teachers, the school
sheriff and his police force keeping
their eagle eyes out for offenders anil
| putting them summarily under arrest
at any breach of the school laws. 1t
is the sheriff who summons the pupils
into line at the ringing of the bell for
the assembly of the classes, and the
police officers gather in the strays and
| keep order in the ranks. AT recess the
officers watch to see that there is nc
swearing among the boys, no cheating
in games among the girls, no roughness
on the part of anyone and no bullying
Offenders are brought before the
school judge, and the cases are regular
ly cited. If the prisoner be found
guilty, the punishment is in spending
fifteen, twenty or thirty minutes il
cleaning up the school grounds, weed
ing the flower beds or some such task
under the vigilant eye of a guardian OF
the peace. In the trials there is littl,
chance for a guilty one to escape oil
any legal sublety or technical flaws
The laws are made with and admins
tered in a spirit of common sense an6
the governments have not progressed S,
far in the civic plane as to frame theii
laws to allow the guilty to escape.
| 1t is not primarily for the sake o.
this disciplining that the school cit,
governments exist, however, but t,
educate the pupils in the forms of civil
government so that in after years the,
will know not only how to vote intelli
gently, but why they vote. 1t teache,
the school child simple lessons in pc
litical economy and civics, bringn,
them to a realization of what govern
ment is and why it should be, and TIL
lesson is being taught so well that ever
the court sentences are carried out b,
the sentenced ones quite cheerfully, tn
one in duress knowing that the punish
ment is part of the government o
which he or she is a part
In connection with the government
are all the necessary departments, in
Guiding garbage department. the of
ficers of which look after the condition
of the school grounds, keeping then
neat and clean. Each of the school
under city government have specia
room for the meetings of their boar
of supervisors, and here will be foun
ON file the regular reports of the de
partment heads, the sheriff, Judge, gal
bage superintendent and others. Every
thing is run in a business way an
A order reigns.
In addition to the four Honolulu
schools mentioned, in which the schoo
city government flourishes, the syster
has been inaugurated in the Hamakua