Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-03-19

Economy Is virtue not to be decried
either in the individual or the body,
polite, but there is such thing as be.
ing penny wise and pound foolish"
and the suggestions of our legislators
concerning the department of educa-
ton might well be so described.
The last place for a state to scrimp
financially should be in its schools. Cut
down anywhere and everywhere else,
but spare the public schools. Our form
OF government cannot AFFORD to be mig
gardly In this respect.
Teachers Work.
The school teacher earns every cent
of her salary. II she has conscience
she has no soft snap" IN her Office
What II she does begin work at nine
and stop at two. Did you ever know
n real, earnest teacher whose days
work ended with the schedule? II you
did be, or she, must have been a won.
der. or else the work In that school
must have been poorly done.
Pay the teacher the full amount al
lowed by schedule. this Is small
enough, and give her decent and com.
Portable school room every time. II
need not be elegant, but It can, and
should be, attractive: with due atten'
ton paid in its construction to lighting
and ventilation.
The idea of cutting the age limit at
both ends Is also unwise. Granted that
child from a good home would be
just as well Off II kept out Of school
till he was eight years OF age; this by
no means proves that the many chill.
dren who are found In our streets
would be equally well on. To the bulk
Of common school children II is safe
to say, that the school is the chief
source Of moral uplift.
Learn to Speak.
Again, to the greater part Of our
common school population English is
not the mother.tongue. and the two
years from six to eight are important
10 them, and to the state, on this &c.
count. They are impresslonable years,
as anyone who has attempted to teach
English to Hawaiian can testify.
Another objection is, that children
who are kept out OF school are likely to
be seriously imposed upon by idle and
unprincipled elders In the matter of
wage-earning; and we may be brought
ere long-to face the painful problem
of child labor. There are some wee
ladies among our newsboys already
who do not look to be much more than
six years old, and they are out In all
sorts of weather from early morn till
eve" Here Is 4 case In point.
An Example.
A Portuguese boy who was born ''in
to this breathing world" without d
lawful name, was adopted by u Ha
waiian family. There are, In this
household, at least two able-bodied
men, and one woman, also able-bod
led. They have been kind, as kindness
goes, to the lad, but for years he has
been steady contributor to the fam
lily support as a newsboy. He is now
fourteen years old, or said to be, but
small and stunted In physique, and II
affected with tuberculosis. A compe
tent physician declares that his lung,
are seriously involved.
An effort has been made to hav,
him placed In Leahi Home, as tn,
only chance for his recovery or relief
but his services are too valuable t
the family, so the lad still starts gu
at five in the morning, no matter how
Indictment the weather may be. How
much schooling he has had deponen
saith not but the probability is, tina
he was often too sick to go to school
and just right to sell papers. Tn,
willingness to overwork children Is al
ready present. Would not a strict en-
forcing of the compulsory school Law
help to limit the possibility of seriou
abuses in this direction?
How To Economic.
But now comes the question OF hoy
to pay out money which we have not
This Is a problem certainly, but Their
are ways of economizing to save tn
money for the more important depart
ments of government. Cut out a fey
expensive clerkships; trim on a few
unnecessary Offices; simplify our gov
eminent machinery; complisating 1t 1
expensive.
II We cannot save enough In thi
way add twenty-five or fifty cents
year to the school tax. This is boil
measure to advocate, but advocate /
boldly. Fifty extra cents a year |
not heavy burden to impose on an
able-bodied taxpayer. Taxes are SINAI
here when compared with those OF otl
er cities and communities, and schoo
taxes give good value. Every tas
payer gets his moneys worth out q
the schools, whether he has childre
| or not Well cDnluctad achnola loaoa