The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-10-10
Letters rom
The People
MCANDLESS KNOCKS
BETOKEN IGNORANCE

Editor Advertiser:-In his recent
campaign trap through Hawaii Mr. Nc
Candless. with other Misrepresentation.
has been knocking the school svs-
TEN. Like many others, he does not
know what progress has been made in
the American school system since he
was boy back IN Pennsylvania IN the
. days Of the great Wickersham Some
men may travel far from home and
their point Of view Of many things may
change; they may even change their
political faith. bu5 they expect their
friends, the schools. the church Of their
early home to remain stationary.
When Mr.. McCandless denounces all
attempts to introduce agriculture and
industrial teaching into the PUBLIC
schools as expensive fads and would
restrict the curriculum to the Three
X 5, he shows that he is uninformed on
educational matters in the States and
Is away behind the times
Each generation has its own prob
lens to solve. The educational system
must keep pace with the progress and
needs of the country. Our people have
taken up one after another such ques-
tions as self-government. freedom Of
speech. the freeing Of a race of slaves,
the curling Of dominating capital.
The present educational problem for
the schools is to turn out efficient men
and women to do creditably the work
required Of them in this twentieth cen
tury. The plans and curriculums which
obtained in our fathers time will not
serve the purpose now. The productive
interests of the country yearly provide
$500 100000, which goes into the fed.
eral treasury. If the workers We're bet
ter prepared for their tasks. and this
must be done in the schools. they could
easier provide still larger public funds.
Thus our schools are adopting broader
plans To give inspiration to the pupils
'Gr the practical affairs of the home,
the farm, the shop, or other work, in
winch at least ninety per cent must en-
gage. All over the States the farmers
are laying stress upon the introduction
Of agriculture into all rural schools
Ihey have come to see with educators
that in order TO train the youth for eff
Gent work III this present generation
that agriculture and home economies
must have a very strong position in the
school curriculum as well as the Three
:
Congress iuaugurated industrial edu-
cation in 1862 by establishing State
colleges Of agriculture and the me-
chanic arts. This act did more than
all other agencies 10 broaden ana make
more democratic the school systems Of
the United States, Minnesota has the
credit of designing a successful course
Of agricultural high school work. Mum
bers Of cities, as Philadelphia, Brook
Lyn, s. Paul. Chicago. and others have
proven mechanic art schools to be rrac-
tieable. Alabama has the credit Of be
.ug the first State to locate an agri-
cultural high school in each congress
sionaI district. and the great southern
state Of Georgia has the proud dstinc-
ton Of first proceeding 10 finance svs-
tem OF agricultural schools throughout
the State. \ course II study devoted
especially to agriculture and home
economies Is being devised for. these
schools. which viii articulate with the
rural schools and with the farm The
people Of Georgia realize that the ex-
TeudltureS 10 make more efficient the
PRODUCERS Of wealth and he homemak-
ers who devote themselves largely 10
the development Of people viii pay
| back their cost several times over
Hawaii must not lag behind other
States in educational matters ana she
has not heretofore. Were some If Mr.
McCandless' fellow Democrats from
Alabama or Georgia to arrive here as
tourists and visit our schools they would
be in entire ~vufr9 -hy- with 1r,r q. inns