Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 139, 15 June 1894 — The Kawaiahao Seminary. [ARTICLE]

The Kawaiahao Seminary.

The pros >ects of the Kawaiah»o Semin> iy l«eing oblige<l to close its do >rs for laek of fumls is little si< rt of a national calamity. The eehooi has for ve»rs «lone most excellent work and been i i»tramental in j»reserving «nl bnil«ling up the Hawaiian r; ee. Tliere is a tendency in tho« oustituti««nul convention to depr ve j>rivate schoo!s of g«>verninent suj>j»ort. In the fir»t plaee, we sbould consider such questi >u purely legislative, aml not a subject at all to be «ieali with by a constitntional e *nvention. But tlio princ ple nnderly ng :Le sentimont is absoIutely wr >ng. Ti«e rnembers \vbo f ivore« the proposition he'd that tho 'overnmeut schools slionld be he best and furnish better meai s of education than ].rivate sch>ols. Tiie memb*>rs forget that privnte schools like Kawuiahao Seminarv are more than sc‘*«icis. tliev are h«»iues * Tbey furni: li raore than the | superficial « dncation received in over-crowd« 1 day schools on the American s steni, they endeavor , to train th« ir pupils to become 1 bonse-keep< rs aml workers. to beccme us*- ul —in fact. to heeome \vives aml mothers. it is a great j>ity il the govemment eanuot see ts way to assist the Kawai ihao beminary. If the sohool s forced to close the seventv or i ore girls now tliere will be tliro vn on t!ieir owu resources »n< brought under tho | often j»ernic ous inHuenee <«f their liomes. It nj>p<>ars that it is | feared tha tlie Kamehameh* ; girls school now umler construction will int >rfere with tbe work iof the Kaw;iiubao Seminnry. In the first j»li ee t!ie Kamehameha sch«»ol will not l»e ready before ne\t year, « ui secon«llv thero is ample room for two or even m»re school of he nature of tbose meutioned. We j»rint below some statist cs publisbed by Dr. I Hvde, whieii prove the good resnlts of tb< \\«>rk «lone by the Seminarv. It m»v be an unpleusaut f e , but it is true tbat it w»s nmle • tlie Monarcby aud sj»ecial nml ?r t!ie patronage of Queen Liliu >k»lani tiiat the Serainary Honn«bed; it ia uuder the repnblican govermnent that this scbool for be dangbters of the People isthi iatened w ilh ruin Dr. Hyde gives he following figures: j The Kaw liahao Semiaary for Hawaiiau i irls mas oj»«Qed in . I8i>7. Dnri g tbe first twenty!ive yean, u » to Deceml>er. 1892, tbure ba«l l eon connected with the scbool a total of ■4*>3 girls, 72 of these >til' iu tlie sobool at tbat time. Of tl e 412. wh > had left | school, 239 *ere pure Hawaiians. I 123 half white. 17 half Chiuese.8 iti ll>ert isia tders. Of these 57 ha«l died: of the 355 now living. 141 were re;ident in Honoluin. IUf the sa« e number. 161 had iaarr.eJ. 7 o these bad di -d, and 14 bad been d:vorced. aml 32. or ; one-fourteei tb of the whule were knowu to b • living immorai iives. I wouhl eill j»art;cular atteutiou to the Iast item, as the ratio bas l>een greatlv ex»gger;;ted in some inaeeuniie statemeots recent y made. Of tie 161 married, two fifths, 68, ba l married Hawaiian husb«nds; < ue-fiftb 34. wbite; one-fiftb. 3*. . Jiaif white; oneeigbtb, 22, ( binese. Similar proj»ort'ons e iaracterize similar statistics of mpiis tb«t have gone out from M ikawao Seminary in its tweuly yeirs of exUtence, 409 in ali.