Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-04
THE HASKIN LETTER
JAPANESE EDUCATION IN
HAWAII.
NJ Frederic j. Haskin.

and other representatives of the Blu
reau of Education who have been
studying conditions there.
According to the new census hg-
ures. Japanese make up nearly half
of the 255,0o0 of population in Ha-
wall. and in a few years they Will
be able to control the vote of the
islanls. This would not be such q
disturbing prophecy except for the
fact that the Japanese In ava
especially the school children, arc
being pulled two ways. The United
states government Is there trying to
educate them, hoping that those
born under the United States flag
will make satisfactory American
citizens. At the same time, a Jap
anese influence is being exerted so
that the children will not forget to
celebrate the Emperor's birthday or
grow ND in ignorance OF japanese
ways and traditions.
Foreign language schools, predd-
ed over by teachers brought from
Japan, are SGT up all over the is
lands near the territorial public
schools. Japanese parents are urg-
ed by Buddhist priests to send their
children to these schools, and be-
cause the influence of the priests
Will liit OihtA
great, the parents almost always
comply. Twenty thousand children
are enrolled In over 40 japanese
schools.
The children, as a rule, do not
wish to attend these schools. And
no wonder. The regular public
school opens at nine. To attend the
foreign language school first, there
fore, they must rise at six or even
Ave o'clock. They have to walk
sometimes five miles. eating break
fast as they go, or leaving 1t out
entirely. At the foreign language
school they spend an hour or an
hour and a half learning the Jap
anese languaee-to speak. card and
write it-and studying the history
and geography of Japan. Instruc-
ton is given in the approved Japa-
nese style. the children studying
noisily and reciting in parrot-like
singsong.
Two Schools Too Much.
Tired already. both in mind and
body, the pupils troop over to the
Public schools at nine o'clock, to sit
stupidity while an American teacher
or one trained, in the Hawaiian nor
NAL school, tries toe teach them 20
speak English, and to give them a
modern education.
Even after the public school work
ends at two o'clock the oriental
child may not be at liberty. Some
of the foreign language schools
teach the older children in the
morning and the younger ones af-
ter two. Others insist on the at
tendance of all pupils at both ses-
sions.
TI,a oo,oo1a;at ~o ,~.ar-arh,
by teachers in the public schools of
the islands is that these children
are overtaxed, and so tired hat
they cannot learn the lessons pre-
sented in English. Many of them
live in Japanese colonies. and speak
English only at the public school.
Others hear at home a pidkin Eng
lish that is worse as a foundation
for the language than no vocabu-
larry at al. .
One teacher writes:: Here is a.
sample of the English we get from
little Japanese children of the first
grade: Little Red Riding Hood
oh! Big teeth grandmother eat
Little Red Riding Hool-ohl Grand
big eyes see little Red Rid
ing Hood"
Another says, IT have found in
~ ape III an tAdl dly
=, hcnl 20: k is to suftcr it will be the
work of the American school,. The
c~hildren-try enough-their efforts to
keep up the work of both schools
are often pitiful-but the Japanese
schoolmaster will see that the work
the Japanese school comes first"
DR.. Bunker says that if the ma
jority of these ~orientals were tran
sients in Hawaii. and expected to
return to Japan, there would be
reason in their determination to
cling to Japanese ties. He thinks
1t natural that those orfentals whose
stay in the islands is to be brief
should want their children taught
In the language of their native
country, and he advocates that for
such families private schools should
be permitted.
But the great majority of the
are not transients, but
dren are mostly American citizens.
These children grow up proud of
theif status as Americans. and this
leads some people to say that h
foreign language schools if left
alone will die a natural death. DR..
Bunker does not agree with this
belief.
The Picture Bride.
Japanese men, he says "espe-
cially hose of he old school draw
their wives from japan by the pic
ture bride system. In 1919 SAL of
these pirture brides landed in Ha-
waii and in he preceding year over
1000. SO long as these women
come direct from Japan there will
be a first generation of japanese in
IIoxxrosi 90 fAoah SIC nhi1dron hnrn
Americans, the customs of the ORR
ent.
Moreover the foreign language
school system will persist until it is
abolished because fundamentally
the project Us legitimate. While use
Of the English language is growing
in Hawaii to the japanese in the col
necessary to the Japanese. II the COL
onies of laborers about the sugar
plantations there is also need for
the japanese totngue. To supply
this need was the ariginal intention
of the foreign language school.
There is not. however. in an Amer
lean territory, a need for American
citizens to be taught foreign Gus
toms ideals I'M morals. That is
the objectionable part If the Jap
anese school in Hawaii. 1t is not
aggressively antiAmerican, but it is
un-American. 1t includes in its les
sons on Japanese heroes an occa-
sional story about George Wash
ington or General Grant in the Jap
anese language. But as one teacher
in the public schools says, you
cannot teach American ideals in a
foreign tongue"
To Abolish Japanese schools.
because of this situation, the
commission from the Bureau of Ed
ucation advocates in its report that
the foreign language schools should
ha ohotiShed and the JapanaSe Lam