Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-08-12
HAWAIIAN SCHOOL PROBLEMS
Few Children Speak English
Upon Their Entrance
Teacher Has to Establish Basis Of
Dom munication-Foreign Language
schools Are Not In sympathy
with American Institutions

Americas chief instrument for the
production of an enlightened citizenry
with common ideals, the public school,
is put to It's severest test in Hawaii,
! accordinf to School Life, the organ of
the Bureau Of Education. The diff
culties which must be met there are
even greater than those which arose in
the Philippines or in Porto Rico, says
the paper. The nature of these diff
culties and the ways Of overcoming them
are described in the report Of the COM
mission which the Commissioner Of Edu-
cation sent to Hawaii to investigate the
educational conditions there. The partial
report. which has Just been issued. was
written by Dr. Frank F. Bunker, Chair
man Of the commission.
The deliberate and persistent efforts,
says the report, extending over the past
half century. to obtain cheap laborers in
sufficient numbers to care for the crops
Of sugar cane have resulted in a racial
situation in the Hawaiian Islands prob
ably to be found nowhere else in the
world Prior to 1850 the population of
the islands was relatively homogeneous.
With the rapid development of the sugar
industry. which set in strongly about
the middle Of the century, and in view
Of the steadily and rapidly decreasing
native population it became evident
| that a supply of new and cheap labor
must be found.
| The first step was taken by the Royal
Hawaiian Agricultural Society, which
in 1852. employed a shipmaster to bring
to the islands 1ao Chinese COLES on a
fve-year contract at 50 a month. in ad-
dition to passage. housing, food. cloth
,A<1i al
finally prohibited until a population of
some q 200 had been brought to the
| territory.
| In 1873 and the six years following
about 20O0 South Sea Islanders were
brought into the country. This was a
costly experiment. for neither as labor
ers nor citizens did they give satisfac
| ton. The next race sought was the
Japanese. There are now approximate
ly $1,000 male and 1900 female adult
Japanese In the islands.
About 1870 arrangements were made
to obtain Portuguese from the Azores
and Madeira. The pioneer company of
1870 arrived In 1878. followed by 100 others
a little later. In 1882 an understanding
with Portugal was reached which re-
suited in some 1000 Portuguese being
brought from the same islands in the
next six years. By 1899 nearly 1900 Por-
tuguese had been imported. Altogether
the experiment Of importing the Por-
tuguese has been distinctly successful.
The experiment was also tried of
bringing in Norwegians in 1880. and
similar attempts were made to obtain
laborers from Germany. About 800 Ger
mans came over, but they proved to be
restless and discontinued. The expert
ment Of bringing In peoples from North
ern Europe, as with the attempt to OBJ
tain a satisfactory class Of laborers
from the South Sea Island races, proved
on the whole to he unsatisfactory. In
half a century the Hawaiian people ex-
pended more than $2,ooo,ooo to increase the
population.
When the children enter the schools
at six or seven years. not more than
or per cent, can speak the English
language. The teachers therefore from
the very first. before they can begin
where teachers of the States begin, must
establish a working vocabulary to serve
as a medium Of communication between
teacher and child. In many instances
it Is weeks before the teacher can make
herself understood. Enrolled in the
schools Of the islands. public and pri-
waite, there are only about 400 children
with whom the English language is
native: 1900 Of these are in private
ously 900 children scattered among $4,000
will exercise no appreciate influence
rather the danger is that they them
, selves will be overwhelmed by sheer
numbers and their own language cor
rupted by incorrect forms.
!. The parents of the children in a very
large majority Of cases came from the
. humbiest and most ignorant classes in
their respective home countries. The
4
, Of general information and knowledge
and that alertness of mind which the
, , children from American homes in the
States have as part of their initial
equipment.
Another handicap OF serious character
under which the public schools of the
Territory are laboring. and with which
there Is nothing comparable in the
+, States, is the system Of foreign lam
guage schools which have grown to for
, midable proportions. particularly among
E the Japanese Among the island settle
3 ments however isolated or remote where
, ever there is group of Japanese
laborers and their families. there is also
, alongside the public school or very near
II a school set apart for the Japanese
E children who attend the public school.
3 One year ago there were 1853 Of these
| schools in the Hawaiian Islands. manned
by ~ teachers. and having an aggre-
= kats enrolment Of about 10000 pupils.
IN addition to the Japanese the Koreans
} and Chinese have established language
schools, some twenty-five In number,
I with about forty teachers and approx
: mately 1000 children.
Almost all OF these schools are Of
elementary grade says DR.. Bunker In
his report. Though there are few
Z kindergartens. In all instances the
teachers of the Japanese schools are
brought direct from Japan for the pur-
, pose. They are certified teachers In
their home country, and, in a number
Y Of cases, are recommended to the loca
i japanese BY the educational department