Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-03
kinney OUTLINES IDEAS
FOR DIRECTING SCHOOLS
CONTINUED from page seven)


Fl en- over the sea.
! 1T is not practical to say: now we
will have vocational training, purchase
equipments and set the pupils to
work at making tables and tabourets.
This is only superficial, and the prob
lem is deeper. From studying what
we have already on hand We can learn
to select that which has worked well,
and to avoid that which is yalueless.
IL is not possible to furnish every
school in the territory with full
equipment and really competent teach
ers Of the necessary specific training.
Even If 1t were. the expense would
be wholly disproportionate to the re-
suits. The HiIo Boarding School, for
instance, comes much nearer furnish
ing material for the sensible solution
of the problem, and it presents the
enormous advantage of coming closer
10 the ideal of being largely self sIp-
porting.
The schools in general can without
q doubt do much towards preparing
/, their pupils towards the agricultural
land mechanical pursuits to which a
large portion Of them should be fitted,
,f the schools are to perform their
/, function and give them an education
which is practically applicable in their
adult lives and pursuits, and they can
do this largely without special equip
Rent or additional expenditure. Not
to elaborate unduly. ] mention by way
of illustration the fact that ] learned
more by observing the construction Of
buildings, the sizes and use of the ma
terial, the manner of placing it to-
gether, and the method of estimating
a bill of material, than did by a four
year course, In gymnasium in Europe,
where received rather elaborate in
Rtruction In carpentry and the like
along the lines now in vogue here
The same holds good about agricul-
Iture. where much sound knowledge,
as. for instance, regarding the methods
of seed selection, fertilization of soils,
cattle breeding. etc. can be impaired
without the use of equipment and
without the necessity of trained spe-
cialists. who demand high salaries A
man whom ! regard as one of the most
successful agricultural teachers in Ha-
wall. tells me that text book could
be prepared which would outweigh in
general yasue the usual agricultural
training now dyocated-wherein he
has been rather successful instructor
which would be of more real value
than the ordinary radish- planting type
of instruction which obtains. / sug-
gest that 1t would probably not be
difficult to obtain assistance from the
federal experiment station authorities
in the preparing OF the manuals, and.
Instead of employing specialists In
horticultural faddism, the general run
of teachers could readily be given the
knowledge required through the sum-
mer schools and through the medium
of the monthly school publication,
which would thus give them knowl.
edge capable of real local application.
rather than the reprinted ideas of
mainland theorists. am familiar with
the details along the lines Of which
this proposition can be worked out.
1t, must be recognized that tha
widely gathered information on which
Bishop Restafick based his conclusion
referred to above, and the fact that
even the Hilo boarding school is no!
absolutely satisfied that the knoWl-
edge gained by its graduates is always
turned to practical purposes, shows
that there is great danger that mo-
ney and time may be wasted on in
struction which does not attain its end.
The problem is to determine ON a
course which win turn the. money
spent thereon to practical value. To
spend at the rate of 1000, as per
current budget, on an attempt to do
nothing much more than to spread
thinly over the schools in general a
superficial knowledge Of cabinet-mak-
Ing is futile and wasteful, since work
Of value can be done only through 8
few central institutions. The depart
ment already possesses much in this
line and the best results will be at
tanned by concentrating attention on
such.
Time and money are largely vast
ed in teaching farming and mechan-
les to a student who is preparing to
be a stenographer or a professional
or business man, just as much as it
would be . waste II we taught the en-
bryo farmer shorthand. I cannot get
away from the idea thai, after Civ
ing the pupils in the general school
course the instruction referred to
above, pupils who wish to specialize
In vocational training can have the
best opportunity of doing so by at
tending one of the central training
schools provided for The purpose, as
can those who wish to specialize in
business" by taking a special bust
ness course.
IF this strikes the governor as prop
er, 1t will involve a consideration OF
such training schools. think / can
see way of providing such without
any material outlay of money, certain
ly at a very low one as compared with
the appropriation referred to. How
ever. In this may get beyond my
depth, as get beyond the authority
and limits of the department of pub
lie instruction. II such central schools
Gre to serve the needs Of tho Iarpor