Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-02-26

place with great rapidity. Started
originally as schools using the Span
ish language exclusively, the high
schools early introduced some in
struction in English in order the bet
ter TO fit young men and women de-
sirous of taking normal school or
professional courses in the United
states, there being no opportunity
for such courses in Porto Rico. In
1903 San Juan tried the experiment
of introducing instruction in English
in grammar grades. In 1904 Ponce,
by stroke of audacity, introduced
English in all grades. In 1905 sew
| enty-four schools were taught en-
tirely in English, the municipalities
themselves providing additional
funds equal to the increased cost of
conducting schools in the English
language. In 1906 one hundred and
sixty schools, and 1907 three hundred
and eighty-nine out of total of
500 graded schools had been convert
ed into English schools. Thus in
the short space OF four years Eng
lish became the dominant school Ian
guage of the island. Speaking of
this change from Spanish to English
as the basis of instruction Mr.. Falk-
ner says:
1T was indeed feared that the
learning of new idiom would put
the children back a year or more in
their studies, but experience showed
this fear to be groundless. The eff
fort of attention necessary to under
stand the language resulted in in
creased concentration on the subject
matter of instruction. and pupils ad-
vanced normally In their grades"
Not to rest conclusion in so i'm
portant matter wholly on general
considerations or on insufficient OBJ
servation, your superintendent of
Public instruction. Is now making an
inquiry into the nationality, age, and
grade of all pupils in public schools
of the Territory. This investigation
| has not yet reached stage that will
enable one to speak authoritatively
as to results in definite terms OF mum.
bers and percentages. But | believe
sufficient data are tabulated to make
: fairly reliable these three conclus-
ions:
|. In schools where children OF
one race progress normally, children
of all races make normal progress.
2. In schools where children of
one race are retarded, children of all
races show like retardation. 30
3. Schools composed entirely OF
pupils OF a single race show as great
retardation as schools made up OF
children OF many races.
am therefore of opinion that
those Of our citizens who would
salve their consciences by ascribing
to the Commingling OF the Races ev-
cry educational III from which this
community suffers are barking up
the wrong tree" that those who pro-
pose return to a>policy of. segregation
are putting their money on the
wrong horse" that even the langu
age difficulty, when other conditions
are made endurable, Is not so great
as would appear to the man in the
street; that were the difficulty great
er than appears the public school on
a non-racial basis would still be nee
essary to cultivate a broad humani
tarianism and solidarity of interest
and feeling that Will make society
stable and life livable in the next
Generation: that, in fine, the policy
Of this Territory in abandoning the
race school is being justified in the
result; and that the problems OF
race for the most part become, like
the problems of sex, practically neg
ligible factors in elementary educa-
tinu