Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume VIII, Number 7, 13 February 1869 — The Nehemes of the Board of Education. [ARTICLE]

The Nehemes of the Board of Education.

Tt»c >tru;jgle bctween the triends of edu..>tu>u und the Bonrd of Education presents !ri-;urnt of interest to those solicitous ior the »*ause of liberal institutions, and Mrral inteliegencc. As popular educntion i- the mo>t important matter that ean inter-e-t tiie dwellers in any land, we need make no aj>olo;*y for ngain referring to the unwarvantvd av ts and nsurpntions of the unscrupulous l>ut artful enemies of all independent! i'tl;ioational institutions. W o leani that the secretary of tho Board ot Education has made proposals to the two il<>un>hmg indepcndent parochial schools of Kawaiahao, and Kaumakapili, that they r». eivo eaeh a teacher from the Bonrd of Eiluoution, or paid by the Board. \vhose duty it >hail K' to teach the children tho Hawaiiin languago. It is evident thot the exiMence in the mc!rppo!i.« of two such schoob, containing iwo hundred and tiftv scholars, upon whose tearhcr* the Board cannot inlliei thc dire o! t\vc Wollars finc and for thesecond i !fense of nveiving unpermitted scholars, ten *!olUrs ftne and rcmoval from office, is a irrra!er annoyance than their equanimity ean emlure. Henee the aching desirc on uieir jwr; to insert a shining iilver hook. Uf v our>c they don't say it, but how easy it is lo >eo. ihai il these schools will onlv admit .;overn«m nt paid teachers, they are at onee «;orcrnun ut schoo!s in soine degree, and the \eachers in com« ainenable to the law rei}uir« ing certUK*ates of permit ior scholars entermg. Their growth and other matters ean at onee bc chccked and regulated by lawaml rcd tape. Ix ihe patrons of thcse $chools will only uke the siiver baited hook they will becocne manageftMe and all lurther troubie frojn them v>.ii cease.

The profes«ed so!icitude lcstthepoorchild. re« ?hould gro*r up «rith the $canty educa« t>on whioh is aUorded by English litera* ture and eutirvly unablc to unloek the golden .-tore> of iearning or to taste *hc literary t(ctis fumishcd to thc world by the Hawai*an c»lutnn» of the "Kuokoa," and "Alaula, M eridenily ell a th«m. The Board of Eduoatiofl hss never moved a finger towards a teachcr of the Hnwaiun ian«uage m eithcr «4 th«* (iov*rntnc*)i st*haois «4 lbns city, MiUlaiii ur the Koyal Bchooi. lf «ueh is thcir «oiicitude lwt tho Hiwaiiau

tongue t»e ;o«t, why htire th< y nct fom;she<i the?e iehoe'? as well as the Laha;na Engr«2Q <iay-schoo'. the £ng!.Vn tiepartment oi Mr. Hitchc(K:k*s school at Hilo. and the EneNh s:hool at Haoalei, Kauai, w;th teacher? ct thc Hawaiian lanir«age. These En£rlJ3h •fchoois l*or Hawauan» are supporte<i, some whoiiy, and sorr»e in part, by govert»raent aid ! received from tbe Board of Education, and •;no care whatever bas been tnanife«ted ie?t ihe children grow up in ignorance o! the Hawauan.

The Mililani and Roya! School are taught bv those who use the En{7lish language entirely in their instructions, while in theinde« pendent schools of Honolulu everv thing 1 s rendered into the Hawaiian language by h>oth teachen? and scbolars. The number of the Hawaiian child's papers "Aiaula" taken, and eagerly read, by the scholars of these schools will convincethe mostcasual observer that the Hawaiian langunge is not an unknown tongue with them. It wouM be well first forthe Boardof Education to attend faithfu!ly to the instruct:on of the dear children in the English Government schools in the Hawaiian language. We would second that motion. VVe would kindly say "Thou Neighborly Board, cast out flrst the beam out of thine own eye, then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in nnother's eye."