Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 9, 1 September 2010 — TRANSLATION OF ARTICLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRANSLATION OF ARTICLE

By Puakea Nogelmeier AB0UT THE TRADE SCH00L AT KEONEULA To the newspaper Ka Lahui Hawaii', Greetings: — The amazing symbol of the Paeihe Oeean, the conversational eompanion of the wise, who seek knowledge, the speedy messenger who carries gifts within this island ehain. I am illuminating the nature and the features of this school for all of you, the friends who reside from where the sun rises to where it sets, and before all of the Honorable Members of the Legislature of the Hawaiian Islands. THE W0RK PERI0D8. At 5:00 in the morning, the bell sounds, and all of the children assemble in the schoolroom, where we hold our devotions for five minutes, and when that's over, the children are excused to go work in the gardens until 7:00 a.m., then work stops. At 8:00 a.m., the children go back to work, until 11:30 a.m., when work ceases. The task now is working in the taro fields, and some other jobs. And in my observations of this work by the children is that their work shows skill, fromthe big ones to the little ones. I have often thought that the parents whose children stay at this school are far more blessed than those children outside who are cared for by their parents. Though tiny, the mouth is full of filthy words, with cigars puffing away in the mouth, always hanging about on the street corners of town, always straying, if attractiveness develops, laziness and idleness develop fully, and the same is true in the countryside (I'm not talking here about the parents who properly teach their children.) THE THINGS TAUGHT AT THE SCH00L The children are taught with foreign books, and with Hawaiian books. That being: -First Reader, Colburn's Arithmetic, Eaton's Common School Arithmetic, Geography, Grammar, Primer, Writing. In Hawaiian books, Reading, Math, Geography, New First Primer, Writing, Musical Scales. Here I boast of the greater benefits of those parents with ehildren, for their children have gained these skills without the parents being the ones to teach them, and this is a great benefit for the parents, and the Nation, for these children who are properly taught in the skills and wisdom, they are the seedlings for developing the Nation, and a precious

asset for the Kingdom. SEWING CL0THES. Some children have been set aside to sew clothes for all the children, fromnew clothes to torn clothes. These children are no older than fifteen but their work exemplifies maturity. I am not exaggerating things that I have not seen, but I am discussing the truth because we did not hide any of the things that were done by the children from the visitors who have eome here, and their remarks are exactly like what I am saying. WASHING CL0THES. As to the clothes of the children, eaeh one washes their own, from the big ones to the little ones. Some may say, "The littlest ones' work isn't done," and I say that they are just like the big kids, they are awkward in the beginning, and later heeome skilled, and it is they who iron their own clothes, learning by ironing. MANAGING THE 0VENS. This is one of the big jobs, and no adult would probably say that it is a small task, but as I understand, their work is just like

that of grown ups. The children need six boxes of taro for a week. These boxes of taro, they pound very well although the children are awkward in the beginning and after residing for a while the elumsiness is gone. We ask ourselves, "The kids are awkward at the work because of whom?" Well I give the answer. They are awkward because of parents who didn't teach the job to their child, (This answer does not apply to parents who teach their children the task.) F00DS. That would be this: Poi, Taro, Rice, Squash, Banana, Molasses. And the meats-Beef, Salmon, Amaama, and sometimes Octopus. Therefore, all of you now see the condition of this school and its activities for I have told the main things and only little details remain. RULES 0F THE SCH00L. 1. No smoking; if a child smokes tobacco, and comes to this school, quit. 2. No chewing tobacco; this is like the rule above. 3. A child should not take someone

else's clothes. 4. If a child runs away, then he will be thrashed or held in the jail of the school. 5. Children shall not elimh the school fence, and shall not go outside of the school fence without the teachers' knowledge. 6. A child should not take someone else's clothing but bring their own and the same is true of hats. 7. No running around at mealtimes, and no loud talking, but they may speak in an appropriate fashion. 8. At bedtime, one child should not go and sleep with another child, but should sleep in his or her own bed. 9. When all the children awaken they should wash faces before entering the schoolroom to hold devotions. 10. When it's time to wash clothes, no child should neglect washing his or her own clothes. 11. For mealtimes, school times and prayer times, comb hair and wash faces beforehand. 12. Don't leave tools anywhere; if work is finished then return tools to the tool storage. 13. Don't cut in line when its time to go to work or to prayer on the Sabbath. 14. On arising, a child should not leave his or her bed without making it. 15. 01der children should not beat up younger children nor should the children fight. 16. Do not chatter during prayer times or school times. 17. The serving children shall always elean their workrooms and dining rooms. 18. The lamp tending children shall always keep them elean and the schoolroom. 19. The children who take care of the key shall always maintain the door. 20. The children who are to maintain the dormitory shall sweep every moming. And if a child should not keep any of these rules shown above then the punishment shall be up to the teacher to decide. Therefore, now you all see, my dear friends of the same heart, the nature of this school and its activi-

ties. At this point, I am discussing things about this school, and some other things, if appropriate, then our opinions will be as one on those things, to send to our Representatives in the Legislature, and to do all that is possible. That would be this: -Voices are heard throughout the land from citizens and some of the Representatives to close this school, for the reason, "Government expenses for the school are very high." I hereby state and it is my opinion that the Legislators or any citizens who wish to close this school, they are ignorant. For this reason, the plaee that teaches our children the trades, and teaches them wisdom and ends their straying, that is the plaee that would be closed. Shocking! How many of Hawaii's own parents have taught their children like the points made above and the rules of this school? I think they are very rare. For nearly a hundred reside at this school (Keoneula) who eome from thievery, truancy, straying, disobedience to the parents, (I don't think that these are the only children that act this way, there are those residing in the bosom of the parents who have been exempted by the kindness of teachers, poliee, and school administrators.) And this too, when the children entered this school and tried the work, their laek of knowledge about the work and their severe clumsiness was boundless. Who is to hlame for that laek of knowledge? It is the parents. The work that they have done is not a task for the foreigner or for the Chinese, it is a job for the Hawaiian. It seems that we should all put forth a single voice, namely this, connnand all of our Legislators, from Hawaii to Kauai to go to the Legislature and to strive to reduce the salaries of Government Officials from high to low, along with the foreign school teachers, except for the Hawaiian teachers. For this reason, "It's a little ship, yet the officers are highly paid." In times past, the President of America was paid $25,000, with 40,000 or more people, now that's been raised to $50,000. What about you Hawaii? Are you like that? No! Not at all! "Your numbers are equal to the battalion of one General." I haven't brought this up because of my becoming an assistant teacher for this school or for my own good, but I am discussing it for

the necessity that this school continue in that manner and that it go on until Hawaii changes. Here I stop. My greatest wish is that schools of this kind be built, from Hawaii to Kauai. For boys, and for girls, and all Hawaiian children should be sent to this school, and the government should maintain it, like this: The government should pay teachers salaries and take care of some of the schools' needs, and parents should take care of clothing and other things connected to the ehildren. All the government schools from Hawaii to Niihau should be closed, and in these schools they should be taught trades and scholarship. It would be like this: -For the boys, farming, carpentry, house painting, some other trades, and numbers. As for girls, sewing, ironing, washing, housekeeping, and some other things, as well as scholarship. And children should reside at these schools until such time as they have graduated from the schools. It would be absolutely fitting if the Government would prepare some appropriate jobs outside of the school for those ehikhen

who are graduating and then the money that would be gained would be shared, part to the government and part to the child, until the time when the child takes up a job for himself, whereupon the government's responsibility for the child would be over. Because young Hawaiian children are now being seen sitting about, and shuffling about on the roads all day long, with no plaee to get work, and that is what the newspapers are talking about, concerning the idleness of Hawaiian children. And this as well, many Hawaiian children have been educated in different fields, namely: Sailing, Surveying, Astronomy, and other fields, but the Government has not set aside things for the Hawaiian children to do, like Surveying or Sailing but they graduate from school and just sit or go, and that knowledge becomes nothing. They try on the schooners and because they are unfamiliar with things onboard ships they are fired by the ship's owner, leaving them destitute and frustrated, so the Government should make use of Hawaiian children. I am not discuss-

ing Hawaiian children who have their hands full with work, but the ones outside of that. When those students are attending Government day schools, they are incredibly mischievous, going to school during the day, and at night, starting with another school, that school being hula. The reason for these schools is none other than the parents, and there are many other kinds of schools to whieh the parents are wrongly leading their precious children and when they heeome more developed they quit the Government day school. If the teacher tells the parents that the child should go to school they say it's too late. Then the teacher is disappointed. While children are still young, their mouths are already filled with bad words and improper things and that doesn't get better. So, it's even more important that schools like the one shown above be built. This is my thought, and let's hear yours. With appreciation, DAVID K. KEKUAIHE. Trade School, Honolulu, Feb. 22, 1876 «

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School books of the era. - Photos: Courtesy of Bishop Museum Library and Archives