The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-02-03
SERVICE COMES
BEFORE CULTURE
Territorial Teachers Talk Plans
for Betterment Of School
System Here.
,rrum wednesdays Advertigrr.l


A meeting Of the territorial teaehers'
association was held last night whom
papers we're read by W. R. FarrinE-
ton, Perley L. Horne and Doctor Dore-
mus Scudder. In spite Of the wet
weather the meeting YVES well attend.
ed and the speeches interesting.
Harrington dealt with the commits.
sion fund and during the course of his
address quoted some very interesting
figures in connection with the amount
of money expended elsewhere on the
public schools as against the amount
spent here. although Hawaiians are
supposed to be the richest per capita.
"We are not giving the girls and
boys of this island a fair deal and look
at the matter how you like you can Y
get around that fact,v he stated, as a
deduction from the statistics.
"The Teachers" he said, caro- both
the benehciaries and the victims at the
same time. They want to see the sal
aries kept up and also to see enough
money available to keep up the schools.
What they want to do now is TO be on
/ the alert and try and influence the
members of the legislature to see the
matter in a proper light. We go into
the contest this year for square deal
for the public schools and with the
party platform at our back. There can
be no doubt that every Republican
member is pledged to make the public
schools the first charge on the revenue
of the Territory. 1t all depends on the
legislature, however, and l hope they
will not divide up into to seets, those
who stick to the platform and those
who do not. Another matter that wants
to be seen to is that legislation is
passed for the protection of the schools.
Some of the counties do not want
watching ON this account, but there are
others.
Suggested improvements.
Perley L. Horne gave them his sug.
gestions as to how they could improve
on the present schools. Education, I"
he said, "plays a double part, that Of
informing the mind and also of form
ing the soul. - There were several
/ matters that could be well attended to
and the first was perhaps the matter Of
letter school accessories. At present
the children had to work in overcrowd-
ed rooms, there were too many children
allotted to each teacher and matters
were altogether unsatisfactory.
Greater attention should also be paid
to the physical condition of Che chill.
4 dren. 1t has been shown that where
medical inspection prevails in schools
there was considerable decrease in the
number of sick children. No school
has right to ask for the attendance
Of children unless it can look after
their physical welfare. Good health is
no longer regarded as an accident but
as a process.
The third way in which he thought
the schools could be improved was by
greater attention being paid the mat
ter of vocational work. There was
growing demand that the children
should be taught something that would
be of practical use to them in after
| life and something that they could look
upon as a help in fitting them out for
their later days. If more of this were
introduced, he thought that children
would stay at the schools for a much
longer period than they do at the pres
emit time. They want something that
they could take an interest in and this
demand of the coming generation
/ should be catered to.
The last matter was that of q better
study of English. At the present time
not enough attention was given to the
study of reading, spelling and compost
ton. It is the teaching of these fundaS
mental principles that count most in the
long run and positive teaching Is al
ways better then negative Thinking
first and above all thinking the
thoughts through to the end was the
best way of all. The teaching of the
elementary things also had a good moral
effect and greatly helped to build up
character. Improvement was what they
wanted, and in this a great deal lay
with the teacher. They could not ex-
pect, however, that teacher could find
time for self-imprOVement unless they
were given time to do it in.
Social Theories and the Unfit.
DR.. Doremus Scudder spoke on the
subject of Hawaii's schools and citi-
zenship. 1.-THE ideal state,' said the
doctor, sis that in which every child
is trained to do the work for which
its powers fit it and is afforded oppOr-
tunity to do that work at an adequate
remuneration. The fault with many
social theories is that they break down
NHNH ~ WINE W Ang hAnHNs Auty nttiA
TO start AT the wrong end. They tackle
the present industrial system and capt
talism and plan TO have heaven on
earth. But what about the poor rascal
whom society has trained TO do nothing.
There are myriads Of them and degen-
crates by the thousand aud detectives
by our lax marriage and divorce laws,
while an iron clad system Of education
turns out a large number Of the unfit
every year"
lie then told Of bis visit to the
Hampton Institute and Of the great re-
speet he had for the way ia which tho
eolofed boys were being trained Con-
tinning he said Of the institute. HIt
ID MOI education for culture but for
service, aud the foundation Tor right
service ia this world is mans day.
work, With this as bic ideal, Booker
Washington, The head Of the institute,
has siriven 10 adapt bis pupils 10 tho
conditions Of ne about them and 20
equip them With power 70 better those
conditions The result 70 that ihe couu.
~ Ia Hhifh hn has laboTea has been
ifausfoFmod into one NJ mo most order
ID communities ~ iha eniile South, 10