The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-03
CONTINUED from Page Nine }

PEELED the missionaries 10 make ,
use of the printing press as soon
as possible They wrote down some
of the words they were sure of, they
translated a few Bible sentences and
expressions and in the afternoon OF
Monday, January Z 1922, the first
printing was done in the Hawaiian
Islands
Keeaumoku a very high chief, known
among foreigners as Governor Cox
"was instructed how to work the press
and struck off the first impression
printed"
This was part of leaflet or spell
ing book of sixteen pages afterward
printed more fully and later still call
ed by the natives "Be-a-Ba' or The
A b c book"
Five hundred copies of this primer
were printed and at once used in in
structing the chiefs in the tunda.
mental principles of reading their own
language.
This was the second step taken in
the growth of the school system OF
these islands, and was Immediately
attended with remarkable results.
The young kings interest in print
ing was excited. Liholiho visited the.
press room and aided in printing his
own name.
The highest chiefs were attracted
by the wonderful new wisdom and the
ease with which it could be acquired.
They could learn to read. They taught
each other They called for more and
more of these marvellously interest
ing leaflets.
Our fellow members Messrs. Ballou
and Carter in their paper on the His
tory of the Hawaiian Mission Press
state that by September of that year
1000 more primers were printed and
distributed. Later there were editions
of 1000 then 1000, and then in April,
1925, copies to the number of 10000
were printed.
With these primers came the third
step in the development of the public
school system of these islands.
Dibble, in his History of the Sand
witch Islands, gives a clear account OF
the schools founded upon these prim-
ers. The points which he mentions
can be briefly summarized.
"One young man at least became
attached very soon to each principal
chief as a teacher"
''The train of any high chief was
at that time sufficiently numerous to
constitute a large school,"
"The chiefs interested for the in
struction and improvement of the PEG
pie generally were not slow to send
forth many of their attendants to be
come teachers in districts more OF
less remote
when they had taught a number
to read these teachers divided their
districts and multiplied schools DID
BILE gives an example.
"A young man named Moo, pipe
lighter to the high chief Hoopili, was
regarded as. a rather bright scholar.
Hoopili sent him to Puma, Hawaii.
He collected a school. AS soon as
his scholars had made a little prom
cheney he sent out the best of them
to the right hand and to the left to
be teachers of other schools, and he
continued this course until every vii
lage of Puma was furnished with a
teacher
This was done all over the islands
Sometimes the pupils were gathered
around the teacher who held the only
reading book so that he could see the
words properly, never dreaming that
to hia pupils every word was upside
down and to them upside down was
right side up
These schools were held in the aft
ernoon. Dibble says, Even in the
days of heathenism the people rose
early in the morning, accomplished
their work by the middle Of the day
thenN slept and spent the after part
of the day in idle chat dissipation
and sport"
This part OF the day formerly spent
in idIeness was naturally chosen az
the time for schoo', noble substitu
ton for the former idle and vicious
practices
These schools were an exceedingly
important factor in aiding the mis-
sionarics in their WORK
It was true that the people learn
ed no more than the teachers were
able to import, and it was also true
that the teachers had only shadow
idea of Christian truth, but they ha'
some idea and they taught the wis
dom of the alphabet, and the sight o
printed words which have been TN
eternal foundation or the best meth
DDS Of importing and receiving know
edge.
Dibble says, Everything connecte
with instruction was inseparably cor
uected i'm the minds of the peOpl