Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-11-20
HAWAII PUBLIC
/. SCHOOLSYSTEM
IS hoodwinked
inspector Raymond, Visiting ifl
East. Gives Interview to the
Christian Science Monitor

=
Hawaii's public school system Is
now thoroughly modernized and
Americanized and in some respects
developed further than the rara
school systems in many OF the states
In the opinion of Inspector-G Genera
George s. Raymond OF the Hawaiian
department Of public instruction, who
has been visiting hts parents in Cam
bridge. Mass. on leave Of absence.
although we have many peculiar
problems to deal with in the deyelor
ment Of the Hawaiisn school systerr
due to racial and other, conditions. i'm
provements have been rapid and the
schools have shown remarkable
growth. said Mr. RAYMOND to thu
Christian Science Monitor of Boston
THE enrolment last year was more
than $4,000. showing growth OF SO
per cent during the past 10 years.
"The Hawaiian school systerl can
not OF course be coinnared with the.
city schools in the states. but an
comparison made must rsther be witt
rural schools. Our schools have been
modernized In every wsy. The cHrric
ulum Is OF high standard and Is under
going constant Improvement adaDted
Of course to the conditions with which
we must deal. Our teachers are most
iy graduates In good standirie fr0rr
the best normal schools of California
and Washington, although we are us
ing many graduates Of our owr
schools as assistants. The Hawaiian
schools are better equipped than most
rural schools In the states. and In
some of our srecial denartments the
development is not surpassed any
where.
up-to-dste STANDARD.
1.-THE fundamental branches in the
Hawaiian curriculum are now devei;
oped to a thoroughly up-to-dste stand
ard. with of course sDecial brancher
n English. One Of the first things
we must teach the children when thew
come to school Is personal cleanliness
Then they must be taught to keen
their homes and their surroundings II
rleanly condition. 8
aAs in the Philinpihes. we must also
have 4 course m the lower grades Or
GOOD manners and right conduct. For
instance. nne Of the first. things W.
must teach ds courtesy. in grect.ns
parents or older persons. in meetfne
4 lady. In pAssink in sffnnt of per
son, and in the other actions of eyery
lay life. Picture study. dialogue anf
bantomime. f1axims and stories. aric
other means are ewploved tn fnr--
habits of Rood manners. In this
course. an attempt 10 aisp made to i'm
1ress aIpons the pupils code Of ethics
suited to their years
I'm more advanced work. the Ha'
waiian schools have had many inter-
esting developments. particularly IN
the industrial school and the yocs-
tional training courses. One Of the
interesting features of the Industrial
school il its agricultural work. Every
year q crop OF sugar cane is raised
The boys being taught irrigation; prop
er cultivation, and 10, one small trace
intensive cultivation. The crop is sold
to q plantation, for we do not own
sugar mill. The revenue from the
sugar crop was last year more thar
$1,000. A complete dairy Is also main:
tanned. The school Is conducted on p
partially self-supporting basis, and the
cost last year per boy was approx
mately s170
"In the vocational course at one Of
the schools they raise poultry, and
are doing 1t with great success. 1
have never seen better poultry than
Is raised at that school.
Equipment Exceptional
The equipment Of the school is ex-
ceptional. We have q large appropria-
ton for reference and library books.
and there is q library In each school
much better than is found In the rural
schools Of the states. The pupils are
required to buy their own text books,
among other reasons because it is
desired that the children should .ac-
quire in their homes as many English
books as possible. We are planning
an Interesting experiment in text
books, by having such books as prim-
ers and readers printed In our indus.
trial school by the boys. The depart
ment is now compiling the matter for
the first books to be supplied to the
schools in this way 1t is also pos
sible that much of the printing of the
department of public instruction will
be done at the Lahainaluna school.
Some of the work in the schools
s1rpasses that to be found anywhere
Penmanship, for instance. The Ha-
waiians and the Japanese are excep-
tionally good penmen. They are by
nature neat and accurate, and have
never seen in the states better sam
pies of penmanship than we have in
Hawaii.
There is little difficulty in obtain
ing competent teachers. We are grad
uating from our normal school In Ho-
nolulu number of our own pupils,