Omaha daily bee., 1912-01-14

,x--r=--n ASHINGTON-I want TO tell
ETAYt you how Uncle Sam has at
NV l tached the dynamo ri modern
81 education TO the dead wires OF
ts<fEy-l the Porto Rican brain. 1 first
G.y visited Porto Rico in 1ss9 just
after We took over the island. The coun-
try was senI-barbarous, intelligence slum-
bered and the masses were mentally dead.
In about 10000 people who were over 10
years Of age not one In five rould read
Spanish. The people were more ignorant
than the Cubans and more so than those
Of any other West Indian island. Nomi-
naly. there were 800 schools which had
been run by the Spanish, but In reality
there was only one public school build
ing, and the teaching was done in private
houses to which only the children Of the
poor were admitted, without paying tut
tion. The salaries were p!tifully small,
and many Of the teachers took boarders
TO add to their support. In some places
the school was held in the dining room,
and the pupils crowded out at meal times
10 give place to the diners. The reading
books were made up of the legends OF
saints, and the Biographies were almost
antediluvian. There was little regularity
Of Attendance and one OF our school In
speetors found an important school closed
when he stopped there to visit It. because
the teacher and all the scholars had ad-
iourned to go to cock fight.
As to the girls schools. these were as
a rule made up Of the daughters Of the
rich Nowhere were the girls allowed in
the same schools with the boys, and II a
town could not afford two schools the
girls stayed at home. Industrial schools
there were none. and the pupils all told,
according to the Spanish statistics, were
about 1900
More schools Than We Have.
Such was the condition when Uncle
sam applied the dynamo. That was
just about thirteen years ago. Look at
the situation today l have the informa-
ton hot from the tropics 1t comes
TO ne through a talk which had the
other evening with DR.. Edwin G. Dexter.
the commissioner of education of Porto
Rico He has had charge OF the schools
for the last four years. and has just
left Washington TO so back to his post.
lie has been here visiting our little
brown cousins to whom the Porto Rican
government has given scholarships in
the great universities, and has also been
preparing new plans for school develop
ment
Said he:
Porto Rico now stands ahead Of the
United States in its common school IA
cilities. We have 1900 schools in an
area Of 500 square miles. That makes
one school to every square mile and a
half. In the United States the average
is ono to every nine square miles. and
there are only one or two states in the
union which are as thickly dotted with
schools az We are. We have school build
ings which have cost over $4,000. and
many which would be a credit to the
United States. There is one at Arecibo
which contains twenty-one rooms. and an
other at San Juan which cost ss5,ooo
We have now 1900 children in the
schools" DR.. Dexter went on. That is
l. per cent OF our population. or one in
every eight men. women and children in
the country. 1t is a larger attendance
pioportionately than that of any Spanish
speaking people Of the world, or of any
country in the western hemisphere. 1t is
far more than you will find in Spain or
Portugal or any country of southern
Europe, and it is twice the proportion Of
the school buildings Of Cuba or the Phil
ippines. Moreover, this percentage is
increasing the number Of children in
our schools having doubled in the last
four years.
Making American Citizens.
but what language do you teach these
children. DR.. Dexter?' l asked Are
they still learning Spanish? Or are you
teathing them our American language
and american waysr'
Tie American flag flies over every
Porta Rican schoolhouse. and there is a
special ceremony Of raising It every morn
ing. The children salute the flag IS II
goes up and as they do so they say:
1 pledge my allegiance to my flag,
and TO the country which it represents
This is universal In rainy days the
flag is raised inside the patios. and the
same IS 50 in some Of the city schools
which are on business streets. l believe
the children are proud of their American
ism. and Of the fact that they are part
oi or nation.
As to the language taught" continued
IL. Dexter, all Of the text books in the
ordinary branches OF study are in Eng
rfsh. The recitations are in English. and
t-c children everywhere speak English.
~ the same time they are taught Span
tzh. the tongue Of their ancestors; and
they study both Spanish history and