The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-03
FIRST TWENTY YEARS OF EDUCATION
IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

schools to which teachers returned for
new bread to break to their hungry
scholars. Reading books, arithmetics
and lessons in geography were pre-.
pared i'm addition to the parts of the
Bible which the missionaries were
Fastening through the press as fast
as possible. Everything printed, even
to the small hymn book was used for
4 the enlightenment of the people.
A distinction arose between schools
Those taught by the missionaries and
their wives became known as station
! Schools sometimes called Select
schools" while those which were
under the care of native teachers were
ultimately recorded in the mission an
mails as common schools
Looking back over the first ten years
Of missionary effort In these islands
we face an appalling aggregate OF
duties well performed by the mission
= aries There was first of all the regular
. work of the ministry with its round OF
.numberless meetings, sermons and ad-
dresses: there was next the absolute
necessity of an accurate understands
ing OF the language; there were all
the details of house building, and
church building to attend to; there was
the sympathetic care of the troubled
and sick and the multitude of prob
lens of public life; and then-the
establishment of the public school
system to awaken intelligent demands
and then meet the requirement. 1t
was a mighty ten years work for these
islands.
The next ten years saw the founda-
tons laid for all the schools of
higher class which have since blessed
these islands. 1t was a rather remark
able thing to do, but the missionaries
did it, They established high school
and theological seminary at Lahaina-
luna for the best pupils they could
get out of the intelligence which had
fed on primers and leaflets and ser
mons.
In 1881 the mission decided that it
was but to have a high school.
The design in substance was; first
ito instruct young men that they may
become assistant teachers of rell-
gion"; second, Ito disseminate sound
knowledge embracing literature and
q science; third, ito qualify native
school teachers for their respective
duties; fourth, 1T is designed that a
piece of land shall be connected with
! the institution and the manual labor
system introduced as far as practica'
S lble."
0 The vote to establish such schoo
was passed at the general meeting o.
l. the mission in June, 1881. Lahaini
j. was selected as the place and Rev
d Lorrin Andrews was set aparc for the
= work He and his associate Mr.. Rich
r ard selected Lahainaluna
They could not wait for anythinS
r like permanent buildings.
r Dibble says "A shed or booth
= made of poles and grass was thrown
together as a screen from the sun to
= answer for a time as school house
s A house for the teacher (Mr. An
,. drews) was constructed in the usual
!. native way-and the school went
S into operation as early as the 9TH
+ of September A selection of schol
ars from the different islands consu
tuted the school. They had been fol-
the most part teachers of common
schools and were the best of that
class of persons, and yet their quail
fcations were exceedingly scanty
:, They were poor readers, could write
>, only a miserable hand, and had beer
. taught only the ground rules of arith
, metic. and those very imperfectly
o They were all adults, and most Of
6 them married men.
The Oahu Charity School was
started in 1888 in Honolulu under the
e care of Mr.. Andrew tombstone,
e member of the mission. The story
of the splendid work of this schoo
:, has been well +old in the paper read
t before the Historical Society in 1870,
n by our careful historian, Professor
w. d. Alexander, LII. d. Therefore
It I simply call attention to it that We
s may see the foothold which the mis-
/ sionary ideas of education had al
3 ready secured in the minds of all
kinds of members of the community
y A free school, chiefly for the half
caste children of the town-the tirst
real public school of the Hawaiian
u Islands-was supported by the for
g eign residents and shipmasters. "A
. number of boys came to the schoo
d, from California and from the Rus
sian settlements of the Northwest
Coast"
10 The missionaries and their wives
h had to enlarge their plans to NEE
! new eXigencies