Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-16
MANOA School
CONTINUED from Page y

inside fifteen feet wide and thirtvtwO
feet long, are crowded fifty-one small
children, Of the first graue age. I'M
der the supervision Of one teacher.
Without even sufficient light and
sanitary arrangements, the entire
building is in a depIOra5le condition,
and is menace to the health Of both
pupils and teacher Fourteen seCtS
are arranged in the small room in TWO
rows, each seat containing three pu-
pills, the rest Of the children finding
seats in places provided for them by
the teacher. The ventilation Of the
room is very poor, and when it rains
it Is necessary TO close the windows,
tor the ManOa rains are sweeping and
frequent. This only makes the air in
the room worse. One Of the windows
on the mauka side of the room IS
minus a pane Of glass and into this
the rain beats whenever the weather
Is bad The roof leaks in several
places and the water drips down to
the floor and often on the heads OF
the pupils There is not even a cloak
room where the children may hang
their hats and coats-not even such a
simple arrangement as a few nails on
the interior of the building. AS re-
suit of this, the children have to place
their hats and wraps on the veranda,
and when it rains the teacher is forced
TO go out and bring them in.
School Work Retarded.
In the crowded condition which eX-
lists at this school, the teacher has
found 1t difficult to instruct her pu-
pills in a satisfactory manner. Sitting
as they do, three at desk, the lessons
! in writing are the ones which cause
| the most trouble. The teacher has d.
vided the day into two sessions, one
| for the pupils who are advanced in
their work and the other for the rest
of the fifty-One. The pupils are all
bright and the instructor has found
them to be orderly, and, on the whole,
willing to learn.
The school has the benefit OF the
services of a janitor who comes once
week, but at other times the teacher
| is forced to do any cleaning up which
may have to be done. In the larger
schools where the sanitary conditions
are better, the services of janitor are
needed less frequently. but in place
where there are few, if any, sanitary
ARRANGEMENTS: where the school house
becomes dirty with the dust blown by
the Manoa winds, the building needs
| 20 be cleaned at least two or three
times a week to protect the health of
! the pupils and teachers, it is declared.
The only source of water supply the
school can get is single water-tap,
with one tin cup for the use of all the
| fifty-one pupils. During the time when
the cholera threatened honolulu, it is
| alleged that the children of this cshool
drank the water from taro patches
nearby on account of the fact that
there was no city water piped to the
school. This condition was noticed at
the time by a county official who sue
ceeded in obtaining an appropriation
| of a certain sum of money with which
a pipe to supply the school with water
was laid.
When the Manoa residents COM
planned a short time ago that this
school had in attendance more chill
dren than could be handled by the one
teacher, they were told, according to
statements yesterday, that the teach
er should not let into the school more
pupils than she knew she could teach
successfully. 1t then remained with
the parents of the children whether
or not they would have their chill
dren in school under this crowded
condition, or not have them in school
at all. The Manoa school is for first,
second and third grades only, and as
result of this, many of the children
in the valley, whose parents cannot
afford to pay their carfare to and
| from school, are forced to walk to
town every morning in order to at
tend the Kaahumanu school, and
then walk back home again in the
evening Many of the children are
small, and it is long walk for them,
and sometimes makes them late for
school, say the parents.
About fifteen feet mauka, of the
present building is another larger
building which was at one time used
by the board of public instruction as
school building. This building is
at present in a dilapidated condition,
minus windows and no steps leading
| to the porch. When advances were
! made by the residents of Manoa in
the effort to have this building re-
modelled and opened as school, they
were confronted with the statement
that there was no money available
for the purchasing of equipment, and
the matter was dropped. This build
ing, it is claimed, is used for immoral
purposes at night and as yet nothing
has been done to stop the disOrderly
conduct which is increasing in the
vicinity. The building affords shelter
, for hoodlums and loose characters.
If the building were at least closed
up assert the residents, this state Of
affairs could be done away with. The
ravishing Of young Chinese-Ha-
waiian girl, which was committed by
two hoodlums a short time ago, took
place near this building. People liv-
ing in the vicinity say that they heard
the screams of the young girl, and
when they were asked why they did
not 60 to her help they replied that
they were so used to such things that