Education in Porto Rico: Letter from the Secretary of War (1900)

THE

APRIL

Srn: ln r es pon •e to tb e resolution 1900, diT'ecting-

" AJl. DEPAR;M.ENT, Tlas1d11gton , .Apl•il 18 1900. of the Senate dated April 12, 1

Thnt lhe Secrctnry of War be requt.>sted to tmnemit to the Senate the re¡>ort of Gene ral Davis, cou1111 1rnding Porto Ri co, containing 1h e rcport on education in tbe is.land , by Dr. Yict or S. 91ark, Cor the period ending .February last, 1 ha"e tbe honor to in clo se ber ewith a letter from Brig .·Ge n. George W. Dads, dated San Juan , Februnry 26 la.st; tog'et her " 'ith the repo rt of Dt. Clnrk 11nd other pnpers a cco mpnn .r ing tbe same.

Sho ul d this report be ¡mhlished tbis Departm ent woula be plens ed to hn,·e nt least 1,000 cop ies of th e sume fu r distributiou . Verr r esp ectfully, '--1'

l!.iLUIU lioOT , Sec1·etan¡ of Wim

The P11EsIDENT l'RQ TEMPORE UNtTED STATES SEN ATE. ·

DEPA,RTMENT OF Po\fl"OGR100, 1 , ÜFFlOE OF THE MILITARY OVERN9R,

San Juan, Fibruary ?Jo, 1900. '*'t" n with "º" respecting Sm:educat)on Ref!'rring to C?nven tlf'e Ís lund for edúcain Porto R1c o and thc P1 cssmg . 6 u.bmit some obgervation s. / tional fociU.ties . l fbn,l·e th" of ed ucation, Mr. Victor Clark, Tbe pres1dent º· t ie mou . . h ive r" rt on thc present _ has, by my direct10n, prepared a e: s n th!industrinl. scbool work nnd meth_od_s, abitnn:of this islnnd. lndudcd !lod political cbarnctcnstic• 0 • e 111 • 1 .. 1 ·é ·umé of th ..11ti nal i n this pape r is. n. hv C. moYement durmg t e nme ·e t bo;1b' of ed ueatio1i. 11( of th" can· b" found ,, , ,·rili<nl. lfnll. licatiou of wluch av e. now . b'ect A '""''"1 of it ¡will cer n ?f m¿ntal, uncl indnl"lt'inl ta in y co nnnce nnyone J"tf ep rto Rico tbat the "º f1 1 ,1.,.·con.1· in stru ction of th" peop e 0 0 · ti 1ecess i• ie< of tb o i land. plished fall very fo.1: m;rn 11 11 th · .1<:11gli>h 'rhe r cport of Mi¡ . 11 • vahmble data re.<iwct.in ¡¡ emo lluienl. s upen·t ·ors of i:;cboo s . 1 )l ·co e of tbe ini:;t.ru..·\jon . . attendunce, disbursing officer coverrng tbe

A report will a so "" ounc 1 1 . . fü t three month • of tbe r e" ¡:ie cti ng tbc

Th " tcrm r epo rt. gl\ .e tbe sc hool s nnd t1e oumber churucter of tf1e work bcm!f done •nuse of h1ck of facilities. Tb o who ha,·e becn rcfu ·eel nd1mttan'."'rninc the school bonrd a1·.e in clu ded general ru les unel g?' e óf tcnchers' bulletins so fnr iUso, ns w'ell ns spec1 wen copie s 1 . brought out. . f el to . . 0 comprcbensi,·e and rnlunple tbat it

Thc dntn. above re e rre I::i s thnn cnll nttention to th e pnpers scenu; to me unnecessary tº. ipon the s ubj ect, tbnn whi ch nnd to nppcnd so me to Porto Ri co. is other m?re 11t't!:) > • po el in tbi s is lnnd with rcspect to Th c quest10n pohcy to pm s uee 10rn l rin cip let1 or ba ·es upon educntio n is 11 11 ->_mportant.... g '. 1 s h.f.ud be e; tabli s hed beforc whicb tb e work is to be ca> i iec ¡""Ji" d it. proportions \ u eas ured. thc ·scope o f the work cnhn outt. ml.c of pro]CCt resolves1itself in to ltimate ly, of co m: e, t e execu 101 w 1 one of nnd mcmu1. . . .· .. · mude for tbo cdn cation of ln the Stntcs of tb e Un1on P'°' :,diture for educaliion in th c ali youths of school 11 1gc; th ? including Feele111 l, !State, and wbol e Unitccl tates or t e yc1t1 ' to nearly ii\3 pe)· capita of loc11l , nmounted to uearly nccompli s be<! umver sn l population ; but '?"ki?settled of our States. \ Tbe com· education, e,·en 111 t e nb10Ce s ne. ll tthority for thc s tatcment that of pendium oí tbe El eve nt usus is ' e over 13 per can not ali the inbabitnnts more tba!1 1<¡,¿'ears ovar +o years of rcad llJld writc . Of the rn w fer i n-born 13 per age alío ut 6 per cent aro 1lhtdei"flte. t cent cduld not r ead cent and of those of negro escen °' i and ;.rite in _1890 . . f N M . ncarly 43 per. cent a r illiteratc.

Of the oative wh1tcs o. thew Soexth States a11 the way rom 50 to and of the co lo red race in e .. u ern 72 per cent are similarl y_co nd1tion ed. .

EDUCATION IN PORTO RICO. 8

figures show tha.t th e enormous outla.y in our owo co untry ' has not sulticed to gh'e 11 reading and w¡iting knowledge of Englisb to a very considerabl e portion of our own peo¡iJle. ·

To sny tbat it is most important tha.t al ch ildrcn shou ld bave an opportunity to acquire what we call a common·school education is unn ecessnry, non o will controvert it.

Tb o proportion of the inbabitants here wbo can pow read and write Spanish is probably not more than 12 per cent <>f tbc wbole, and the aumber of nativos who ca n read and wiitc English is proba.bly oot · more tba.n one-tenth of 1 per cent of aU.

Municipal elections bave recently taken place tbroughout Porto Rico, tbe frao ch ise being conferred on those who. either can rcad or wl"ite some Jan guage, or who bave paid not l ess tban ill of taxes since .J ul y 1, 189 . Thc re turn s show tliat in tbe wbole is lnnd but 51,560 ,·oted. lt is well known tliat tbe r eg ist111tion was ""ry f1tll, for profound interest was shown in the r es ult of this appenl to ballot box. An aoa lysis of th e r etnrn • s hows that of tbo se who exercised füo fmnchiso only about ooe-bnlf wer" nble toread ancl write, the others · co uld not.

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The proportion of ' ' oters to tbe wbole ¡:>opulation in the Uoited States IS nbont 1 in 5, a))(I in nmny of th e Stntes prn ctically ni! can rcad and write, whil e iu Porto Ri co bub 1 in o\·er 18 are qualified to vote, according to th " sta ndard fixcct, nud only about the moi ety of tbose ca n r cacl nncl 1nitc. No bette r edel ence of tb e need of gener"I ed ucn tion of the masses co1tld be asked.

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lt is, how eve r, Qseless to discuss any for 1i. co ns iderabl e extc ns ion of sc hool facilit ies unl ess nnd nntil menos are nvailable to accomplish thi s . . For tbe c urr e nt year th e insu lar trensury ndvances and the muni cipnlity $83,0U3, making a total of $413,113, 1md this is a very hcavy burden for tb e isluud, co nsiel ering tb o deplete<l mcomc from all so urces and th o gencm l po1·erty of th e peop le. Whil o ·· it is tru e tbnt in the United Statc 25 per cent of ali taxe• o.ollectecl is • d irect<)cl to public in s tru ction, it m11 st not be lost s ight.of tbat Porto Ri co i$ in tu1 eco nomic nnd indu s trinl situntio n of the most discouraging chJU"flote r, anel t.berefore the provi s ion of 12.8 per cent of th e total tn"-ntion is a henv.r burden . In . my judgm e nt, it will be use lcss to d iseuss an.r pro\l?s11I to in crense th e a ll owanco for thi s objcct until thc eco no mi c co nd1ti on is decidedly improvcd nnd the produc tion of wcalth is very grentl y in creasecl •

Tnking th e schoo l ag" as in clucling 1111 those who are -between 5 und · LU, it is see n that th e number who ought to be in sc hool r eucbes more than a quarter of • mi Ilion, a nd if we fix the maximwn at rn, then thc . nmnhe r mounts up to 376,000. Until tbe schcdules of tho rece ot ce ns us are compilcd we s hall not know tbe exac t c numeration of scbool youth•-but it is quit o-co m;e rmtive to place tbem llt 300,000yet now less than 1 in 12of tl1 e child r en are beiag taught.at 11JI, n.or aro Eh e v learn ing anything except vice nocl idleness.

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Tb o intcntion of the government und er Spain apparently was to educat" ¡, few only of the ch ilclren . Tbc g r eatcst number reported ll8 attcndiog school was in 1898-99, wbcn the 11ggregate reached 21,oOo, or about 1 m 14. Tbe result was that tbe great mass remained in igoor, anee, aod probably this was desired.

• lu tbis connection l will quote hom a receot priva.te leLter from the governor of a West ludian colony, wbose population is illiterate

hu d t? • U)'P 1 cul o1·ernment of sugn r is la ncls lnho r fbnt fo r :mgnr c uJt1nlt10 11 1' ºd? ngd C'hion 1tu¡,e lmmh crs of . ·frm nmu ·.im po1tcd nndc 1- o Britii;: h is lnn d thnt nlr en y hnc _ I n den8' 1tl1 t.•oo lies, nnd lust en 1 one ti t .f Porto H.i co imported from Cn. of populnt ion m o . • . cuttn. nenr ly 3,'?00 CQoli e¡· t. hn:; n mu c b lm·ger pr oporti o n of

Th e P orto fü ca n Pº \.u • io n 1 ¡ rncl ncn l'l y nll of Spn111$ thnn hru; nny ot he r \ est Jnborin g immi gra nts. o 1·igi n. Th ey n.nd th e1r .homes · th c go vc rnm e nt di d not 1"8LS} w re witho nt men ns to es ldr:; l 1 n11d no w iu a stn tc ntto d th ey b lW C re mnm e n .>O abject po1·crty . h " ' hc r e so mcthing lik e i 5,000, und o f

Of pu re hloocl neg roes t e1 e hu t n lmoBt a li t he co lored p eo· mix cd white und neg ro nbohut · from .i-\fri ca ns '3 hffcs. Jlc are de..:sce ncl ed t e neg 1ocs n 7-! lust of thesc hun} nppure ntl y mnd e 1111 1

'Bu i th.c t re:;ide nce herc: 'fh ey have soci al 0 1' gwr inl rcs pcc t h1w c tb ey in crcnse d 111 but . 111 no nf3those the neg roes of Ce ntral Af!·1ca Th c ir hnbitnt1ons !1 re du¡) ica.tes º ti two rn ce1S thcrc i l'.'I no perce ptib le ll l'C to·dn,· occ up.nn g . 3et" l C third s of tbc inbahitnnts are <l ifl e1o née, e xce pt in > ure ntl , to b:11'e th eir pb y s· in this co nditi ou., Their 1bf clotlt in g, ve r y s u f· icn l an c1 ' uall hu1·e none. '.Ih ey nrc t\.cei! ,\,n nd th e you !ll;( fi eard thnt th e possess io n with<Jut true mb o l Id so mehow "\lnr c th e need of n know ledge ga 1n ed nt se oo nnd fn.i to ren lize the11 mununl lubor. A few tr y S' e in ruml di s tricts will no! hope . Us uull y, or fr eq ue n _Y, ' id th o, • tn ' uwnr. "fhe school c nfo rce !Ltt e ndnn ce of tb e c h1ldr e n , he r Ge oolc1oq t; ord e-r and sys· room beco mes ba t eful , fo r if tbo t e e f ed und th ese involvrngtew, clennlin ess and dece ncy nre cm o1c ? ' t

• re tmint and e ffo rt.- are obooxio us. Tb e home. an.d fnm il y circle clo es not ex1s t. Tb e rn co me of eacb heacl of n fnmlly 1s too s nmJI to SUP,ply SUJ!i cient nnd Snita bJe foocl, clotbin g. une! SC h oo J nccessor ies. '.Ihe schoolrooms are frequent l.v tha tc hed huts nnd lu c king in e \·e ry esse ntial. D emon s trntiomr i n nri tbm rtie nre done with whit<' dnv on th e fl oo r, if th e re be one.

It ;ee ni s to me hopelcss to spee dil y reform the e co ndition s runid s t s ucb r-: urroundin gs: e ve n we re th c re \"C nu es adcqqnte-w hi ch th ey are not-tb c hopl ess ncss of the ta s k probnb ly pre ve nts e 1·cn nn e ffort for rolief 111 th e d e nsc h · populatcd co lo ni es i n th cse " uters: "º th e poor peop le re!'1ain pooÍ·,, th e ir. children w ith out .ed uca tion, .•nd oo t hey must ín e ntably re ma111 until n be ttc r rndu strml {l nd soru al co nd1t1011 comos to the is la nd U to dny t he means ex is t e cl for s up po rti,ng tbe 0. 000 8()b oo ls wbi c b wohld h e r equ ir ed t o ncco mmoclat:e ali th e c hilclre n , nnd if s u itab le schoo lr ooms wi t h necessn r y cqnip\ll e nt l nm óf th e opiuion tlm t the attcnd ri nce would be meifger a nd t he r es u lt un sntisfnctory .. Th c nnremic, hnlf star ved, a nd oftc n nakpd c hildre n woul d not o r cou ld att<i nd. But s uppo in g the uttcncfa nce 11"11s ful! nnd uni ve rsn.l , won ld the r es ult be sn tis fncto r y ! Woultl any so lid ndvnntnge to soc ie ty nnd to th e pup il s th emse h·es result from th e in s tru ctio n 1 For s ix or more bo urs eacb dny th ev would ' be undor th e co ntrol of th e in st ru c tora, and tb e n the)\ wo uld r e turn to their homes of sq ualor an'd Mlth , ind ece ncy 11nd ' ' ice, tbeir p nr e nt s in d iffe r ent o r un ab le to sntisfythe natural cnn-ings of hu ngcr, und whut the chil drcn hnd len rn ed wou ld but mnk e them unh appy nnd discontented. Thcy wo uld, len rn of wn n ts that co ul d no t be s upplied, and the ir misemblo s urrou wo\Jndiogs ld h1we added h o rro r s.

In this co nn ctio n I will quote a pamgrnph from one of t he reports of Ge neral Des pujnl , wh o w ru¡ governo r -ge¡1 e ml of P orto Ri co, 18311$3± In di sc uss ing th e s ub jeot of publi e in st rn c tion, h e remark ed: Aa n rul e popula tion is BCEl.ttcred in rern ote ttncl inacceeaiüle Nitcca, without reli · gioua in s tru ction o r mo ra l rest.rai ut , and fnmily uniona 11 re fo rm ed without th e @an c· '

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1 would bc1 in th e opiniod of many peN!Ons w hom l hnve oopeu lted, au 8-iqn o f grcate r ev 1l t han good, nud a d etnm e ntal influcnoo on th e momia of comrnthe unity.

Th<! con diti o ns so clcar ly d ese ribed ha ve not chn nged fo r th e s in ce tb is wns written.

After most car efu l co nsid em ti o n of the question prose nted , nnd b11sin g my opin io n upon t he e.x-is ting co nditi o ns, l am fo rccd to the co n. 1·iction t hat th o trn o nnd 11;sest will be nt fi r s t to dircct tb e prin ci pal c ffo rt t o eclncnte a nd e le 1 ' a t e the yo uth o f Por to Ri co in th ose ce ntcrs of popu lnti o11 wh e re tb e re is " s tate of lil·i ng, un ex is tin,g soc ial, inclustrml , and ccon omic oo ndition tbut wo ul d just ify th e co nfident belief, not o nl y tbn t th e e ffort \Vill be by . publi c op inion, but that s tandard s and mod e ls wouJd be cs tab li s hed nnd ·co pi ed th rougb o ut th e is lnnd in th e rural di stri c t . · ·

Th e r e is only one school now in Porto Ri co wbi cb may be regarded in ,nny se nse ns a mod e l. It has been nncl o p oned l1111t ' Se ptemb e r , and whi le it more r esemb les a barn thun' a mod e'rn S<' h ooJ.., house, ye t it is a beginnin g. Som e 250 childre n a r e ta ug ht in it ·

ncoo rding to mod rn nnd methoc\ ; but thcre ought. to be s uql1 n schoo l in e,·e1'Y town 01· ce nte r of ¡>?pulntion .. is not poss iblo with e >.; stin g r eso tuces to s upply cither tit e bu ildings o r th e / tcncbet·d. . '

I hnv e stnted thnt tbe nmoll'llt of in s ular fund s npplied thl s rear .t'o eclucnt io n · is !¡.330,0UO. o ut of n totnl e>.-pllnditure of npproximn t ely 82,000,000 ,for nll o bj ec ts . I s bo uld , howe ve r , poii1t 'out thnt the re,·nu es fó r tb e yen r will no t probnbl)· e xceed Sl,500,000, the dilfe rc nce boing mudo u p by applying to th is y en r' s expen ses Henrly brought oveT fr o m the preceding

Th e tl'ftd c nnd indu s trinl co ndition s ure un se ttled . I hnve oo rneru1::; of fore cnstin g u futur e, for no thing Is yet known as to Ht,· thut will be produced upon trnd c indu stry nnd rnvenue by tho thnt Co ng r e ·s may e nn c t. _Supposing that tit e hill lit\ ornbh- by th c Co nunitt ce on ')' nv::; nnd now pencling rn tlw H o úsC of Hepl'ese ntntiv es . s hauld 0 be e1rnoted a tj1no mu s t be far e tb e new mensure cnn go mto .e ifect nu<t 1 ;M· cnpnc ity be known. If th c Porto Rt cnn tn , ·lll} ",tJ Juw c thc bencfit o f 25 per ce nt of th e tnxe¡.; coltPu ••rl 11 :.he· L ' nited States on in s ular exporta unde r th c United Stntcs ln" .... uncl nlf.io 25 pe r ce ut of the l'lilmc co ll cc tcd in P o r! Bit·o nu im por tnti o ns from the Lnited Stnteti . :md nlso t.o lmY<: ¡1,,. t·n tire pro •ecds of co ll ec ti o ris bere o n foreig n im¡>0 rtntio ns nccordiug ''' th e Dingley tnri ff. then it is probab le that in tim es th e tota l cust oms co ll cc ti o n · will nmount to 81.000.0IJO o r i>l.250,000 Wlmt th e · in tQ rn nl tnxation 111:1\· produce cn n not he cs tim utcd . but it o ug ht. to be nut less thnn three-fOur th s of n milli o n. nnd perhnp::; a q'uar ter of n mqlion 1n ore from fi tnmp tnx t-.':l: but nll this j¿¡ l'onjec·turnl. l cn n not 11 ow mnke c ,·en un npproxilúntc fce l thnt 1 npt bnznrd th c 0¡1in io n thnt the nmount nnuJnble for w1 1l for one . two. or t 11·e ven rs exeeed . sttY. u third o f n miUion, n. s'hm entfre l.v in adcq untc to' in i; trn c:t mo re 'tbnn o nc- tw e lfth of thc yo uth in th e is lund .'

Th e numhe r o f sc hoo ls in tb e i. c. , the ce ntei· of in thc .nntni C'ipnlit.ies-is nncl of rltml •c hoo ls 1s 813 . mnk rn g 11 t o tul of .,e hoo ls 111 ope rnti o n. 025 . Th e tota l t;c hool nttcndnm;e is 21.8 73. wbid1 g h·es nn a\·crngc n.ttcndnn ce of nenrly ! 2 pup il• p e r sc hool. Tb crn nre r e po r tee\ forno. (or .Lhnt irn\·e no "c hool", :rnd the r e po rtcd numb e r of c hilcll'e n not nttc nd in g nn." schoo l is 2ü8.630. Thcse fi g ure· nr c onl y 11 m or e g uess, but ure probnbly not t oo h1gh . . . . . ln the ccntm l pueblos we are now mst ru ctmg nbout 10,000 cl11ldren, 1tnd in tb e rurnl e lnces nbout 12,000. Th e s um pnid fo1: l'Bnt_of hot1 $cs n ear ly per «nmun-:-n _chul'gc falhng Lh e mun1c1pal treas un cs. These buildrngs we r e 11U bmlt for dwellmg houses or s toreti, nnd nre entireh- un s uited to th e use to 'fhi ch tb ey nre no w upplled. In n , ·ery towi1s th e muni cipnl nuthorities own u f e w o f th'ese so-1,:11lled school buildiugs, but th ese nre no oetter tbnn th e, re nted ones. , .\ ' hil e every co ns id e mble city or town own s a theater built 11t publi c cos t, not o ne in tb e whol e is lnnd owns a schoo lhou se built ns s ucb. Tb is fa c t , I th ink , is ns good 'proof ns c(\nld be áesired to s how the want of nppr ec i1ttion of th c mlue of public inetrn ction.

,Form e rly nU th e childr e n of tbe well-to-do paid their tuition,

1 EDUOATION IN PORTO RIOO. '1

the snme being n .Jl!lrqJtsite of the tencher. This pmctiee gnve rise to ch nrges of . towru·d. the pn.r pupils nnd of negl ect of tbe poor. Th1 e pmc ttce IS now d1scontmued nnd forbidden. · ·

th e teacbers , w7re of!ieers of tbe government, holding theu pinces by 1'008011 <?f th e1r nbibty tp control tb e nctions of those in p,::wer. Ali were reqmred to possess diplomns or degrecs but it llllS >ee n cb nrgcd thnt nlmost anybody could secure auch a if be or s be hnd e uo ugb. inespectirn of qÍlnlificntio:1 s The were poht1cmas , and wer e e xpected to work politicallr for th en: fr1eade. tb e re have b een municipal e lection s, ancl new oflicmls hav e co me mto control. Tb ey have ve1·y often proceeded to out th e old nnd r e place them with their own politicnl ft 1ends. No end of 1rr1tntion and henrtburning• h1we r e• ulted. nnd in cases. are Tb e , pnre nts of a ce pobt1eal fn1th w1I I n<;>t penmt tlieir c hildre n to nttend scboo ls tnu l1t by those .whose polit1es are of tb e oppos ite pMty. · T e old rul e was tb ere s honld be no eoeducntion of tb e two thel'e IS nn unrepenled law forbidding f c mnl e pupils f 10111 attendmg a sc hoo l tnugbt by n maa_\th e renso n l >ei ng the belief ln th e dange 1: that lay to the girls i n p ermitLin g o ne of tbe op¡>osite scx to be theu: t eache r. ·

It '.vns form e rJ )· the r ecog nized pm c ti oo fo r tenchers to s upply 11 s n!Jst1tnte, and cuses hnve been r e ported to me wh cre th e subs t itute. "" ted ns. tenc b er for yea rs, receidug hnlf sulary, w hil e the prin cipal rcs 1cl ed lll Europe or nuywhel'C h e 1»ensed , drawing tbe othe 1· hnlf of th c pny nllownnce.

<;>f com plnints hn1' e come to m e by tcnchcrs tbnt th e ir ::alnr1es rem mn unpnid fo r mnn y months, and in veatign tio n ben rs out th c trntb of thesc r cpo r ts, the mu nic ipn l au th ol'iti es acknowledging th e fn ct.s, but decln.rrng thut there wns no mon ey in th e treasu1·y In of th esc cuses I found th nt th c nlcn lde hnd uot fn il cd to ,o wn anlnry reg ularl)" lh e bonrd of IS of s,e, ·cn nnth'e ml!Íi of promi n1,1d 'Y ª ll known t? be 1.d ent1fi ecl w1th ed it cntionn l enterprise , n :s<?c mteü w1th two Ame ri ca na. Th ey hn.v e not nlwa}rs cn ni ed on the duti es of th e!r ad_mini etmti on without fri ction . I tlilnk tb e prin cipa l ' enso n for tbts n r1 s_es th e fn ct thnt so me of tb e nntive 1ue mbe r s of tbc boa rd look w1th d1 sf1wo r u po n the bringing here of ' American tencbors, nnd so dep rivin g nó.th·es Üf empl oyme nt. I bu,re tri ed to smooth o ut these troubles, but hnve uot nlways s ucceed ed ' nnd do not tb11t the sc hoo l ndministmtion ns nt prese nt co ndu ct-Od 1vill eve r >e sn t1 sfnctory.

. The wi se cout'Se, it see ms to me, would be to have in th e p e rmnn e nt gm·ernm.ent n co!11 mi >::ion er of ed ucntion, nnd thnt und er tbe er nor _he be g l\'C n e nt1re co ntrol m·er nll eclum tio nnl mnttere, inc lud nr,porntment .º! tenchers: Sorne way mu s t be found to keep th e se oo s _out of polities nnd to m s ure tb e retention of fnithful nnd co m p cte nt ms tructors; bnt tbi s is a mntter for the futur c to \>e settled tbe s tnttlS of the government of th e is lnud s hnlI be kuown 1th gen eral remarks upon the s ubj ect of educntion of th e youth I mil to outlin e. a prójec t for th e reorgnnizntion of thc schoo_I whic4 will co1nmeud itso lf to your judgme nt ns nnd dcscr nng of favorable consií:lerntion.

Tbe Un1ted Stntes is now responsib le to the world for th e good gov

of mor:i ey bave l""º º º.!. l:¡e in ¡¡: ex pended in ed ucn ting tb em for th e dutJ es and t°C' \ "lll b1 . otlcs of c1tizcns Thhip ese p oo r pcopl e in P o rto Ri co aro mor e bel pl e& th.m tho J ud 1a1 l , for th e lattor own land on wh! ch th ey Jh-c. It ma ·,•e> uol n•YN whu t he th e ren.so n o r cause o f th1s belpl ess ness, th e fact is 88 s tnted. . Th er o are 300.000 childr n, o nl y a bou t 7 pe1.- ce nt ha.v e bee n nnd a r e be i ng taught a t ali . Tb ey th o gb 1!c 11\t10 n wh ich ¡n ª·f ew .)!cn r s will be in of tb e des tnu es of_tli e 1sland. U.n lcss nnd p ro t ccted th ey w1ll be no bet te r qunhfi cd .for aSsumm g th e gin\ e awaitin g th em than tb e ll" f!'th er s. J;h e , most im po rtnnt and e ffi cient mean s t o tb e ·des 1red end 1s th o P.ubh c and wb on th o 1Jropose d tra de 1 ws are e nacted th at will th e comm o n labore r to e nrn a dnily 'rnge o f clotLbl e whnt h e no w recmves, im¡:i1'0ved ho me s urroundin gs wi Y be p oss ib le, and so th e work of t he sc hoo lnms t er w ill be simplifi ed. 1 • • Jf th e is lnn<l is t o hnv e nn 1e ffim ent séhool syst om .1 t mu st be impl a nted . Itdoes not now posscss t hee lc me nts fo r cr entm g o ne, nnd • it has no t th e r eso urcos to meet th e cxpe n ·e. I I elp mu st com o fr om thc oi1ts id e . Wh ence shnll it co me! . .

T hc U ni ted States is erye ndin g ov e r $3,000 , 000 a yen r m edu cntm g pe rhnps 20,000 o r 30,000 Jn\linn chikl rc n. I thnt a S U!D less t ba n hnlf as lnrgc, fo r th c fir st yca r b.c g mnted 111 u1d of th o 300 ,000 of tb e ri s in g ge ne mti o n in P o rto R ico for mod el sc hoolhou ses an d sc hoo ls, nnd nftor tb e firs t ;xen r th e a id to be r edu ced t o hnlf n milli o n. 'fhi s F ede ral ni cl wo uld be s uppl ero ented by s uch msul ur e xp_e nditurcs us th e rc , ·enu es pe rmitted.

Th e co ncr et e proj er t i• t o estnblish in th e ce ntrnl pu eblo of enc h rouni cipnlity, a mod el sc hool own cd by th e pmtcd Stntes, er ecte;d co ndu ct&I entirely b v its n[(ents . Th ese mil be s tandard s for mntnt ion by the l oca l nuth o riti es, a nd tb e method s follow ed. As th e rm·enu es "in cr ens11 and th e are shown tb e advnntnges withm tb eir r each , new schoo ls wlll s prin g up , nnd a fe w y.ears th o · ndmin ia trnti o n nnd contro l of th e sc liool s es tabb s bed tbrough F ederal expenditure wo uld be tran sf err cd to th e in sular control. Hi g h nnd normnl sc bools will sprirrg up, and in du e time there wi ll be a college

nnh·ersit.,-.

'

Th e proj ec t is se t forth iri a ta bula ted 'forro , but the following is n ge nera out lin e :

A co mmi ss ioner of educntion for Porto Ri co, r epo rting directl y to

<> gO\·ern o r. (Thi s on tb e s upposition that th e go vernor is an nnpomtee of tbe P res id ent and s ub¡ ect t o bi s o rders .) ·

' An ndminis trative s tnff und e r th e commi ss ion e r, co ns is ting of p;\ e rts and in s pectors .

nd ent of con stru cti on , r eportin g to th e

estimate no nnnu a l outl ny of ii\40, 000

equired -thi

be som e wbnt r edu ced

te r th e buildings nr e

way from $8,000 to l ii 70,000 Of teach e rs 535

needcd, nn d th ei

in cide

snln

ie wotild R\' e rnge a bout il825 pe r

penses, jnnitor serv1ce, etc

odel sc hoo lh o use is cs timated.

n. cos t. of ·

th ese figur es, th er e w oulcl be : $40, 000 i 6.5,000 ! Bó, 000 438, 960 41 : -100

, 470,360 or , divi cÍ in g th e á¡nount into tw o itcm s , t bpr e would be r equired for .lm ildin gs nnd equipm e nt $1,000,000, and. for c urrent expenditnre for ad mini strn ti o n nnd mnin tc nan ce $500,000 If tb e men ns fo r s uoh nn in s tallntion co uld be M ' aila bl 9' by , sny , Jul y 1 p roxiroo , the beg innin g of th e fi sc-nl yea r , nud t be building of schoo l houses vns cnei-geti ca ll y pu s hed , it would be po si ble to open th e scbools by J nn1rn r y 1 fo ll o win g ; but thi s wonld invo lve th e utmos t exp cd iti o n. Th e exec uti o n of building operntio ns o n tb e sca le proposed co uld not be co mpl et ed in nny thing like th e tim 0' th a\; wo uld s uffi co in a co untry wh er e bui ld in g nlnteriul s nnd s killed labor nbundnn t. It th or efo r e seems t o be ce rtain thnt th e nex t sc hoo l yeni· wo uld • be well nd van cecl befor e t he buildin gs co uld be mnde r eady for occ u pati o n. ·

Th e sc bool yeu r cxtends fro m October to J u ne, a nd if F ede ral a id is to be gnmted th e so hoo ls oug ht t o be o pen ed promptl y, under th e co ntror of th e new F ede ml mnn ng em ent, at th e beg inning of th e nex t scboo l yea r ; but re ntcd buildin gs wo uld ha ve to be used until th e 1ne w • tru ctures cou ld be co mplet ed . Wbi l e th ese would be ve r y nn sn ti s fn ctor y, yct it would be bet te'r to hold sess ion s in s uch buildings tbau to bnv e no ne at ali. The ph r88eology of th e proposed lnw is s uch ns to san ction th o opening of the sc hools nt the des ignn tcd, and as th e new s tru ctur es s hould be rond e r ea dy th ey wouTd be ooc upi ed . · ' I incl ose her ewitb no es timn te for fund s, 88 follow s :

(a) For th e buildin¡:s , tb eir equipm ent and nmin te nan ce .

(6) For admini s trntí ve expenses . I

(e) A s tnte me nt of tbe sc be me of di • tribution of th e sc hool s, their cnpac ity, uumber of tencbers, nnd•nmount of snlnri es , e tc.

(d) Proj ect for nn itern of nppropriation in • nudry civil or some othe r bill . , /

On e of th e grentest diffi cul tics e ncountcred in r efo rrn in g th e sp hool ' sy • t em o f P orto Ri co lies in the fu ct that but few competc nt tenc hers cnn be sec ured in th e is lancl. Th e teachers must be importad, nnd briglit youn¡r me n nnd women fr om the tntcs will ,-ery soo n ha ve a s penkin g kn owl edge of and ca n ens il y mnke. th e.mse h1es urlde rs tood by the c bildre n, nenrly nl l of wh om a re in th e fir s t gra de

I s hou ld hope to sec ure from th e Stateti., co nsid erabl e number of t enchers wh o kn ow thc locn l. lnngunge ond wo uld nlso expect to e mploy s uch nnth·e tenc bcr s ns co uld pnss th e exnminntion.

Shou lc! F ederal n id be ns r equ es ted, nnd s upposin g that n unde r di rcot Ex ec utiv c co ntrol of th c Preside rit coutinu es, I would s uggest thnt. so fn 1 ' n co ncer ns th e exrpe nditure of in FU lar fund • for educa ti o n, th e co ntrol nnd direction be nssig ned to th e J¡'edernl commi ss ion er, who, in witb C:\.l)e 11di tureof local fund a, wotlld be nss isted by n nativ o ndviso r y bo1trd to s uch e xte nt ns migbt bo found d es irnhle.

I seo no pros p ec t of seC urin g e fiici ency in choo l work when local pr ejudices 1 hnt11ed , nnd. politicril anim os iti es ha,·e and whil e tb e is lnncl is gornrned on a bnsis s imil a r to thnt wbi ch now exis t s. It will be n bl ·sing to th e peo pl e he r e to ce ntmlize co ntrol of schoo l fn nds.

1 ·

l find tb at th e Gm·e rnment expended on enc h Indinn sc hoo l pupil ncnr ly 8 180 pc r nnnum, ge ne ra l s up e n ·is io ni lmilding r epnirs , e tc:, whil e my propos ition 1s to e xpe nd o nly nbout ii\25 p e r nnnum on euch o f th e lU, 000 Porto Hi cn n c bildrc n, no t in c ludin g cos t of bu ikLin gs . I find, too. thnt it cost nbout í335 per \>l1pil for public in s b ·uction in the Dist ric t of Co lum bia, nnd the cost 111 :so me of o ur c iti c• 1tnd tO \l"ll S um&unL; to e ,·e n $60 per pupil.

Th.e foregoi ng is s ubmitte cl n m¡ mos t mnture cons id c mtion o n t hi :s ,·cry dtnl s

wute r, lights, nntl ;mlnor repalrs o í ea.id school

cidentals

oíllbe Qí the director oí educatio u , as

director nL three thousnnd eh; hundred dolla.rs¡ ó n e nss.is tant director, at two th o uimnd four Íiundred d ollars; o u e diebursing nt LWO tliousuud four huudred (lo llnl"I! ¡ one nrchitect and superinte nd e nt, nt two tho u&llld íour hundred dollnrs; 0 11 c. Jn1ughtaman , nt o ne t ho usand two hundreddoll ars; twost e nogra p hers, in a nr1 S pnni s h , nt on e tho usnnd two hundred dolhtrs enth; three ete nograph e h! nnd ut nin e huntlred do lla rs cucb ; three sc bopl s uper\'i!!O rs , at o n e Lh o usuul drc hund1-ecl d o llnrs euc h; two c lc rkJ.!1 at one thoUS8ncl twd hundred dollurs enc h ; 1w v·cle rks, nt o ne th o u enu d d o llnrs enc h ¡ two cl c rks, at nin e lnmdred d o lln rs eacln ll nc jnnilo r , nt hhndret.1 d o ll ars ; tw o m cs.'Jeng'crfl , n i three hundrcd d o ll urs each ; for o tti re r e nt , o ne th o us nnd llYe hundrcd d ollnrs ¡ for s tnti o nery, printing , nnd iw: illentn.l s , ti ve th o usand d ollars ; fa r fur u itu rc for o fli ce o f tJ1 e di rec to rnud his aESietantl'I_, t. wo thom1n11d d o llnt'8; for lnwelliug expe.t1 8t..>s within 1h c islnnd , two thow:1111d eig ht hundrt'tl d oll ans; in ali, forty th o us mJ 1lolla re . ·• Am i th e Sccretarv of Wur is h c r e lw nuthorize<l nnd dirccwd to es tublish in enc h of th c eixh•-flve ¡>rin ci¡>nl town s oí ]-'>o rto Hic·o o n e r6od el c.lnv nu d tmininJ! ac hool, wb erc in tli e é hfü ren o llj?C o f that ll\8Y receh ·e trumiug nnd nnd tb c purpoeeor edu cotin e nchers fo r the

INSULAR

1 SAf Ju&v, P . 0 R., F ebrum"!/ Iq, 1900,

Sm : I ha-..e the honor to hnnd .you herewith the reporta of th<1 pr'18Ident, secretn!Y, nnd cn shier. of the in s ular board of educntion for the yenr encling December 31, ¡soo. I . 1

We shouJd like to ncknow ledge1here the courtesy o! superintende kl and school and municipal ofliciRl ' of the Stntes who hnve pr9vided us with reporta nnd stntistics nnd much other printed informftiOn or comparntive studyhnnd the kind ess of tne Bureau of Educntion nt W ashlngton, by w om we ha ve been provid ed with much n'interinf relnting to the schools <¡f other countrie!I. .

Though not pertnining the prepnrntion of this report, we shouJd like also to ncknow le e in this pince th e generosity of the ·Commissioners of the District of (I ' l umbia, who hnve loaned filie publi c schools of this island nearly 3 000 school dcsks; of the Lafayeíte G. A. R. Post, New York, which has provided American flngs for .renrly every schoolhouse in th el island, nnd of the Interior Depn±t¡nent nt Washington, which has fnrnished maps of the United Stntcs for every schoolroom . ,. V ery res¡¡eotfully, your o client servant,

· 1 VICTOR S. Cu.nK, . · Pra ident In aular B oard of Education. Gen . GEORGE W . DAvtS, · Oommandi n

PART I. PRESIDENT ' S REPORT .

BEOTION I.-LEOIBLA;rION SINCE THE OCCUPATIOII'.

As will be seen by reference to the secretnry's report np ,o u t h<' h is tory of th e school system of th e islnnd durin'f th e Sponh,lJ ru le, :11 th e time .General Brooke n8sumed command o thi• d e1mt M.·ut ! ht• administmtion of educational affuirs wn s on e of the du l 1r .; d cw\.l ·i ng upqn the secretnry o f the interior · publi c sch ools wero closed nnd salaries were in nrrr "" '•' a result of the wnr. Wlth the withdrawnl of the Sponish G;i veri.rr> Pul mnny of the Spnnish tenchers r e turned to the Peninsula. Thnrc w... a c hange o'f practically the en tiro faculty of the instituto l\t San Juan nnd of the normal school. For wnnt of appropriation the trnde scho ol connected with the orphan asylum was closed The provincial deputntion was discontinued by General Orders, No. 17, i ss ued November 29, 1S98, and ali mattel's relnting to education tbat were formerly in charge of thnt body were tmu s ferred to the interior department: .

By Gen eral Orders, No. 18, iMued Decembe 1· 1, 1898, th e royo.! subdelegntion of pharmacy wns nbolisbed nnd the secondary institute wns .author ized to issne degrees in thi s subject, an<I the archives of th e s ubdelegntion were placed in charge of the lntter institution.

No radica l chnnge in the publi c-sohool sys tem was made during G e ne ral Brooke's administration. Howe ve r, the desire fór an improvement of the schools was manifested at an assembly of repre se ntntive Porto Ricnns , which was held , in respon se ton publi c cnll, at the tbeater , San Juan , October 30, 1898, wb e r e the following resolutions were ndopted: ·

As regards publi c ed ucati on, the beat menne ol our people would be and normal sc boo la ns eatabliahed in the United States. Our e le-

' In bis addre ss to the president and S<lC retaries coui!eil, iMned

December 7, 1898, Gen. Guy V. ¡Henry, upon nsswm ng command of th e department, stated: '

Tbe eyetem of achool education e.hould be looked into, and it is my dee.ire to aecertnin bow tenchere they (the munlcipe.litl ee) can pay whocan teacb the A.merirnn or Enghsh language, com men cing w¡ith th e youngerchi ldren . It is believed that thoee wb o can Eng1ieh o nly ca.o aocomplieh th e purpoee Qy object leeeone. It ¡8 thongbt th at Amencan women for teaching can be obta.ined for $50 a month in gold and th ey are well worth it. Tbe young cflildren are anxiou.8 to tearn and now the time fo r th em to do 80. lf alcaldes will repo rt to me how many they can 80 employ, they will be brought from the Unit.ed Stntee and eent to theee towne.

Immediately t_bereafter meas u iles were tnken to reorganize tbe school sp te m. o! th e island, Dr. Eaton, form erly Unit!"i Stntes Comml881oner of Educat1on , was to cornll to Porto Rico to tnke charge of tbis work : He recei ved bi s nppointm e nt from Dr. Salvdor Ca1:bone!J, secretary of th e intei¡ior, Deeembe r 31, 1898. . Dr. Eaton nrnved m January, 1899, nnd in tbe until the latte r of May of_the )'ear. J?uring this period he devoted himseli e ntirely to the mves tigntton of school •\y s tem and propo sed modiiir.a tions in. the exist!ng,laws gove ning publi o in s tt·uctioo.

The '!Vl•ter ?f this r e port was . ummon ed to Porto Rico by Genero.! H e nry llllmedmtel y upon the arr1 a l of Dr. Eaton to act ns his assi.s tnnt in this work . ' .

many of the publi c schools had been r eope ned, ne w tea.ch er s ' hanng been appointed by tb o Set r etnry of th e In fer ior, the unsettlcd of the governme nt an d the i lack of a respo ns ible head for tbis particular hnd grent co nfu sio n in records and m ali t_be adm101 s trnt1 ve detn1ls f th e ed ucntional oflice. ;!'h e Iaws gove rnmg the school system had e n di sregn rded nnd in somein stn n ces hacl beco me practicnlly a deud 1+tter ; in other cases they had been q¡odified by various ofli cial edict.9 thnt were not uniforml y enforced, 1U1d th e r e had been :an arbitrnry disregnrd of exi s ting 1·c¡¡ulnt1ons. ,.

. Th e r e had beeD eractico.ll y no intpec tion or SUJ?tlrvision of the munio1pal nnct co untry sc hools for a co sidcrablo penod and th e r e we re no nuthen ti c data to de te rmin e the it'. ctual co ndition.

.

By G e_nem l Ord e r s , No. 12, iss ed F e bruary 6, 1899, the former secretn rysh1ps were abolish ed and th e four d epru·tm en ts of staro justice finn nce, nnd i nterior w e re c reated \ ' ' '

By Geneml Orders , No. 15, issued F eb runry 9, 1899, 'i\Ir. F ederico Degn_tnu y Gonza les was nppointed hend of th e d epa1tm ont of the 111 te r1or and G e n. John Eato n chi ef of the bureau of ed ucation whicb wns thus d efu1it ely r eeognized u 'd e r thi s titl e, as s ubordinau; to the cl epartment mention ed . •

o f and trndel, libraries, muaeume,

be unable to sustain ali t he sc hools, th e

Grades of instruction ehould be tbree-the.fundamcntal, or lhat given by th e publi c ech ools ¡ the seco ndary, whicb ehou ld sive t>Of:litive notio m o n ec.1entifi 0¡ civic, and tochni ca l aubj ecta¡ th e profcssional, wlucb comprehends th e knowledge of Juriekrudence, medicine, engmeering , nnd tccbuology, the uni ventlties to dif(use genernl it is necessary to eetablisb nor· . mal ecbools for teachere of both eexee, nonnnl schoole for professot'8, nom1al echoole for Wli;re:ity tcnchent1 and militnry aud mwnl schools. . t

Dr. Eaton bad chn.rge not o nl y 1of ed ucntionnl instituti ons but al so of charitable in s titution s, in cludmg th e in sa neasy lnm . A.a soo n ns tbe ofli ce forc e wns r eorgnnized and n stn ff of competent cler ks sec ured, Dr . Et1t<m made " cnreful exami¿ntion of th& exis ting schoo l laws, nnd me thods of in stru qtion , both in primarymst1tntion s.

lmmediately upon bi s nrrivo.l he¡sec ured the purchns e of 10,000 pri- . mnry English rending books, we r e distributed to tb o so hool s. Uncler tlie same dn te, January 16 , was iMued 1t11 order approv ed by General Henry authoriz ing th e d e partment of publi c in s truction to ,. hnndl e o.JI t ext-books em ploy ed in the publi c school s of the is

EDUOATION IN POBTO RICO.

On January 1 9 a circular authorized by G e nernl Hen1'y wns published r equidng that aU teac he r s s haU be expected to learn English ; that in n e w nppointme nts tenc he r s s p enking Eng li s h s hall be preferred to thosé not po sseS>l ing this qualifi ca tion ; that l)ll candidates for diplomtís ftom hif$'b sc bool s , normal school s , and the ºcollcgiate in stitute .sball be e xamm ed in Engli s h. ·

A'!! th e work o f th e in stitu te wns reported by competent Amedcan edu cat-0rs to be un snti sfa c tory, upon February 23 of the snme year, a co mmissi on wns ª PJ>Ointed upon Dr . Eaton 's recommendation to investigate tbi s ins titut1on, the trnde scbool, and the norq¡al school, th l'ir r e l?<'rt to be confined to the following beal\,s : (l¡J Location and cost of buildings . /\

2 Orgnnizntiou , cours es of s tudy, aud methods of instruction.

3 S s tem s of matrioulation nnd grnduntion .

Tbe pny nnd nnmber of in structora nnd other an d ali expenditures d emnuded by eác h in stitution.

(5) Attendau ce. committee co usis ted of four members, li)r. Manu 11 F . lto:;sy , Maj T Van R Hotf, Dr Fmu cisco d el VaUe Atilee n nd Dr Get• rgu G . Grotf, two of wb om wer'l Ame ri cno s aod two Porto Ricans. µpon · their r ecomme ndatioo nnd r e port, a portion o f wh ich is q note- 1 be low, tbe in stitute aod th e normal school we re s uspended at th e close of the •cholnsti o year , in J un e, 1899. · ·

Two mce tinp of the commi ss ion s con•tituted by the for e1roing let ter were held m Sao Juan on April 10 and 11, nt eac h of wh1c h tbree me mbers were pre nt. Th e girls ' normal sc hool was vis itad and th e method of t eachmg inves tigated; the indus trial school was alsó visitad , although ope mtiou s werc at th e tim e s us pended, and s uc h information r egnrdmg th ese in s titution s as was th e r e obtain ed was sec ured at the ofli ce o f th e director of pnbli c in stru ction . Bnsed upon th e k:nowledge thus gnined, the followmg r eport is r esp ec tfull y s ubmitted :

LOCATION AND COST OF BUrLD,INGS.

The ins titute at present hrui no building of its own. Sorn e clnsses a re h e ld in th e W eath e r Bureau building , sorn e in the Ath e neum , sorn e o ve r a drugstore ou th e Pinza, and others in th e houses of th e professors .

The girls' no1mal sch oo l is in a primte house on San J osé stree t. Th e mdu strial s chool is in buildrngs fonning ti portion of the As ilo de B e nefic e ncia . The cost of th ese buildings can not be given , nnd is immateri a l sin ce , e x cepting those occ upied by th c industrial school , th e ir u se is ouly temporary .

OROA?rl.'lZAT lON, CO URSES STUDY ANO METHODS OF INSTRUOflON OF THE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE .

Th e law , according to whi c h publi c in s tru c tion is condu c ted in thi s island b i> th e d epnrtm e ut of th e in te rio r and the bureau of education , wns e na cl.ed by Spain in 1857. Ce rtaiu modification s have siuce b eeu madc by d ecr ees and c ustom

Th e coll egiate in s titute for the island is l ocated in this city and was · found ed in 188 0. Th e number of s tudents uow in attendance is' r e ported to be a bo ut 60, but a large r nUlll be r is r egistered aud iu cludes tho sc s tudyiug at hom e or e lse where. The com'Se of i11structiou covers 6'•e

years.

On entmnce tht student ee is 4 •pesos (U) lor eacb subject up , and he must be in the subjects taught in the elemeutary s chool s. The curriculunl for tbe firs t year in oludes Latin, Cas tillian¡ and geography ; the s econd United States history, Latin , anu Castillian; the third , a11Íthmet1c, alge\lm, universal history, and rh etoric ; the fourth, geom e try, psyc hology , logi c, and ethics; the fifth , phys ics , c h emi• try , natural bis tory1 and agriculture . At present all scholars are al so s tudyiug l!:nglish . Frenclr and Germau are optional A student on p assing fuccess ful examinatiou is entitled to the degree of bachelor of arts. The institute opens October 1 and cl oses May 31. An e xamiuation of 2t pesos (g2, 50) is demanded, one- half being used in providin material for illustmtion., and the oth er is divided equnlly among th professcrs, on e of whom must be a professcr in tp e subj ect iu whlch the exanlination is held. The student who fails in the e xaminatw•nin June may be examiued again in September. Gmduates pay 25 pesos (g25) for their diplomas, and $2.50 for their expenses. Th e ec tor of th e in s titute nominates a oommission of professo1·s who bol examination s in the ditferent cities of the island Th e fe es paid by the candidatas devoted to pny ment of the expéu ses of th e co mm ss ion .

To obtain a professo rs h ip in th e tn stit11 te a man must be a university gmduate.

· 1 · ·

· Students who do uot wish to atfu nd tb e institu te classes dnily mar. matri c ulate at the appoin ted time , study e lsewhere, and pass au e xam1 ' natio n for promotion aud graduntio n at sta ted dá tes and d es ignated f ees afte r tb e manu e r of th e itr at Madrid. The law providee for privnte in s titutions e ntering in tixed relation s with the in etitute an d two s uc h are r e ported as ha ºng e nte red into th ese relation s. Th er s ubmit th e tr co u1-.e of studJ'i to th e ofli cers of the in stitute and a re mspected by th e g ove mm e nt .

.. The followin g eumm nry indi ca s th e professo rs hips and cos t of pe rso nn e l :

Directo r: Mathemat,.ice . _...... . . . ..... . ... . ... . . . .. .. ... . .. . : .. . '!. . . . . . . $1 , 700 Profesoo" 1 · ·

NORMAL SCHOOL FOR G'nU..S.

Thi s wn.s founded in 1890, nnd bll.'! an attendance of 50 studenl,ll . '.For ndmi ss ion th e re Ís an exnminntion in th'e • ubje cts tnught in the el emeutnry se hool s A com-,;e of three years is required for an e xamination fo r permi ss ion to tcach in elementary schoól s and one of tour years in s uperior schools . Tbe time is chieHy óccupied wit . a cademic studies, and only a limi ted courRe is given in methods. .\ pmc tice sch ool is required by law , but practica r trnioiug is neglecl.ed . A candidnte, to obtam a certiJicate for tenchioll" in an auxilio• _, c hool or rurn-1 schooJ. muat posa nu examination\lurtng th e mont h· oi Juno or SeJ?tember in Spnnish.grtm1mar, arjthmetic, reading, ,-1 and ctictn.t1on exerci ·es.

Engli s h is now taught, ancl examination in it s h ould duo time be re quired for the ce rtiticate. of teacher and for the diplo mr of the in•ti

EDUOATION IN !PORTO

Tbi s useful institutio : was suspended for lack funda. Tuition wns free, and there was no matriculation or other fee, tbe cost bei ng borne wbolly by the colonial sembly.

METHODS OF l STRUOTION.

sho ul d prepued to t each Eugli s h.

tute. All teachers qualifying in the

The salaries of te.ac hers in the normnl sc hool nre ·in c reased 200 pesos after two years' servi ce, nnd no one CRH bcco me n tencher who has nota diploma. Itis unknown if tbi s lns trule bns s trictly eniorced .

The school is prac tically without t enching materin.l , tbere being but a few maps and c haTts. 'rber e is neitb e r laborntory nor library, and but f e w t ext-books or other esse utials to sc hool work.

INDUSTRIAL eo nooL .

Tbe industrial school is located in the same building as th b orphan school ancl insan e n.sy lum. It is s uppli ed with app lia)l ces and mnc bin ery for in struction 111 th e trndes There ar e shops for in s truction in typese tting, carpe ntry , mechanic s, bookbinding, chemical iiidus tri es,sboemaldng, masom·y , mod e hmiking , 11C t1lpture , htbogrnph y, and tb e manufac ture of tobacco. There wn s n llrnncb of indus trial trni¡:iing (.or women in nnother pnrt of tbe city whe r e ulghtly in s tmction wn.s furuisbed in drnwing .

· Boys we r e admitted to tbe industdal school after exnmi nation on the s ubj ects of e lementary in struction and could co ntinu e tlieir studi es four\ ·iil'e , or s ix years, nccording to tbe grade uncl ertaken. Tht\ annua expenses are r e ported n.s ii117,857. Total ntteudan ce for 1897 and 1898, 812.

t he in stitute the metb.,ds were i vestigated by Ptof. J. G. Meyers ln " r instructor in tbe Massachusett.s Institute of Technology , and b ( Ol'.t. Ward, of tbe New York Independe nt. Professo.r Meyers ft .' l. in struc tion to be by lecturas, given to boys wbo could not ,. college in tbe United No text-books were u sed. fJ>te rpJ • fessor lectured one bour en5h day. Tbe work seemed to oo i•1d ezceedingl y e lementary cbarncter , nnd the professors in tbe ir le; .t.r.- mmbled from s ubj ect to subÍ ect, showi.ng no evidence of prep1\l"ll on, Jlr. Ward testified tbat tb <j in structio n wns ns neady'"worthJe., as po.t..fhJe. Tbe professor of .E1nglish wn.s nbse nt on ellcb of the time. t hat Pnlfessor Meyers vis ited bi s Q]n.ss.

J'he of Professor Meyets ' s is bere given nnd the 11111 rcport i f ound in the appendtx. ¡

Tbe peculi r>.. features of the Institttte de da. En se nanza are:

(1) Work i pr etend ed to be done \o n the Spanisb university plari; th c boys tire not taugbt, but are lectured tó. .

(2) Tencbers do not work on th e blnckhoard and do not co rrect the t exts tbat are clictated by th e m; the texts di c tated nl'<l mostly ve.rbatim COJ.' ies from Spanisb books.

(3) No text-books are used; it is ptetended tbat boy s are requested to s tud y r e ferenc e books; thi s does not hold One of the reaso ns gil'en for the abse nce of textl bodks is tbat th e booksto r es do not keop the m. It is el' id ent tbat if text-books are not kept reference books will not be kept e ithe r. Anoth \lr reo.son give n is that, ncco rding o·the principnl, no text-books are .kept in tbe Freu c h se hools, a statem€nt which 1s ge ne rnlly accepted by the te.achers ns true . ,. Ge ne rttlly, only one boy r ecites during one ·

5 All .the boya are defici e nt iu Spnni s h gmmmar nud orthogrnpby.

6 No teacher, e xcept Dr. Torri e nte , devote.s more tban one hour to ii dTiily duties nt th e school. · ·

(7) The J?rincipal leaves the scbool nfter he hns fini s hed !\is lesson.

(8) Th e ¡anitor, bis fnmil y and i:elntions, too promin e nt in the schoo l.

(9) The beginning of th e seBSions is not in'di cated by 0 n bell, and tim e is not kept by th e teac b er s. 1 •

It is impos• ibl e to nscertain t he e xact number of boy s who nttend th e sc hool.

Classes are not gmdcd, and work requiring tbree bours is dou e u one.

INSTRUCTION IN TJTE NORMAL SOHOOL FOR GlRllS

As in tbe in s titute1 tbe pupils of thi s schoo l we re taught without oo ks, by lectures, wni c h were dictated one day and r ec iten tbc next, nd by conversation.

Tbe reu son given for th.e abse nce of books wn.s hnt th e girls were too poor to buy them . A.11 fhe work seemed of the u ost e le mentary c hamc ter. Tb e noteboo k s were very poorly kept in o >cncil , nud tb ere wa s no evidence seen tbnt they bad ever hee n cor-

EDUOATION IN PORTO RIOO.

rected. Students nttend very irregularly, and indeed it would seem it is not a matter oJ mu oh importance whether they attend or not, as ali in time are graduated: There are some lectures given on pedagogy, but notbiug was seen to comdnce the commjssion that this school <;in prepare anyone to l.each even in the most elementa1·y bmnches. /

Methods of in struction in the techniool school were not investigated, as that in s titution is now suspended.

?ilETHODS OF MATBICO:i.ATION AND GRA1>t!ATION.

At each of the schools an eptrance examh.¡ation in the subjects taught in the elementarr schools required. tbe normal schoo l .tbis examination cons1sted in writin¡r thrne Unes 'lrom dictaijon and solvin¡¡ one problem in aritbmetic. It JB believed the examination in the inst1tute is not more severa. At the industrial sohool a physical examination and a certificate of good cbaracter is also required.

Tbree, four, or five years after matriculation tbe student is entitled to appl,i: for final examination. If he passes this he receives a dip!Qllla or cArt1ficate, depending upon the school from which he graduates . In case he graduates from the institute bis diploma entitles him to enter the Spanish unive1:sities. To graduate from the normal school entitles a person to teach in the elementary schools of the is land.

The peculiarities .of the system are: (1) No regularity of attendance seems to be required . . The directress o! tbe normal sohool said that the girls come or not, as they picase, and tbat little pro_gress was made because of the extreme irregularity of attendance. (2) By payment of double fees no nttendance at nll was required at tbe· school. (3) Othe1· schools can be atli.liated with the institute nnd normal school, nnd their pupils graduated with aU the honora and prhdleges of tbe State schools by J?'IYlllent of double the examination fees char¡red nt tbe State school. (4) A matriculation fee is oharged in ench sub¡ect purs ued and no examinntion fee in ench branch. :

TI¡_is is a bnd systemt so far as examinntlon fees are concerned, nnd tbe testimony of the directress of the normal sóhool was that, for the fee, tenchers in the past were accustomed to work out the exnminations for the pupila.

EXPENSES.

Tbe total yearly salary list for eacb school present, s o uearly as can be len1·ned, is as followa. The director of public iustruction has stnted thnt ali salaries

paid

and nót

:Qv General Orders, J>."b. 37, issued March 21, 1899, Mr. Francisco de l Valle Atilles superseded Mr. Federico Degetau y Gonzales, who bad resighed on account of ill-health, BS head of the department of tbe interior. Like bis predecessor, he interested himself especio:\ly in educational affairs during bis term of office

The first move toward employing English teachers in the schoo ls,' in conformity with General Henry's recommendation in bis circular upo n assuming command of the department, was tnade March 23, ¡ wben, by <;>rder of the ,militarv ¡¡overi!or, 16 superó rs were appomted for the 1sland, their dut1es combmmg those of nn itinerant English teacher and an inspector of the achools. They n'1•de n:d weekly t'e)>Orts of their work, held teachers' meetiogs, and I"''" instruction in English to teachers and p,upils. With the develop · meo t of t he system in the banda of American · officials this depart,. rne ut ot •t!)'orvisiou has come to be ooe of the- most impórtant undlu' th,.: r , 'po n }'lttrch 24, 1899, a: of Dr. Ea too was approved bY.· H•nry, by · wh1ch the A;¡>pleton First Readers, tbe purobasc o f whit-h had béen authori.zed, as indicated , were distributed free to tlie -poor children of tbe islaud.

Upon April 11 1899, the1-e was published in the Official Gazette an important order iSaued by General Hlmry upon the recommendation of the Seoretary of Stnte and contrary to th e r ecommendation of Dr. :E.ton,. which reads as follows:

As the honorable major-genernl1 conunnnding the deportment, hn.a issued on ord er to infonn tb e alcaldee to ehminate from their municipal estimates money a.saigued ior expenses of inetruction, in accordauce with the recommeudation of llll8 8Crretary1 with the of reducing local taxee, tlú s is. published in tb e Official Gazette, directing mumcipal councite to withdraw such' suma from their estimatee for the next economic year, 1899-1900, and to tmnl!fer these expcnsca to th e inaular treausury.

( JJpon Mny 1, 1899 there was issued an order, approved by Gen . Güy V . Henry, by \vbich went into e ffe cit acode of school laws, , ·ariou s section s of wbich had been npp1·oved indil'id unlly an11. publi sh ed in the Oflicial Gnz e tte during tbe previous month. these laws consist of two pnrt.s. The firs t part provided for n local sc hool organ ization of fü·e trus tees in any barrio or town ship , delining the dutics of officers, and establishing general provisions for taxation and bOnding of districts Organization under these laws was permi 8s ive, not rnnndat9ry, and under its f provi sion s but a single district,. th e barrio of Maym eyes, in the of Utundo, has been orgaoized. They htwe goue into effect, wberernr compatible witb later orders, with the electiou of scbool trustees, under General. Orders, No. 160, iss ued October 12, 1899. The two most important divisions of this part of the laws, wbich have beco enforced duriog tbe pres e nt sch ool year, are that "'Vhere a distr1ct pro"ide.. but one school sucb school shall be open to both sexes," nnd that "The schoolhouse shnll be eotirely separnte and upon different p1-emises from tbe 1-eside nce of the teachcr or of any otber prívate famil).' ·" •

Pnrt lI of the 8Ghool Laws, governing tbe ·details of public in stmction, went ioto effect July 1, 1899, and liad a far-renching infiucoue in modifying the public-sohool system of the island. This part consists of 13 oraers.

. .

Order No. 1 nbolished the fee system aud made tbe public schools entirely free to pup,ils of nll classes and degrees .

EDUCATION IN PORTO RIOO.

Order No. 2 the school year to nine nionth s of twenty day s ene h.

Orcler No. 3 establis hed a sys tem of graded school s in tbe to'lyu s where schoo ls had he retofore been ung raded, limitad the of pupil s whicb any si ng le t eneher might reeeiv.e to 50, and required tbat there s ho uld be a principal in every scboo l employing more tban four t enc hers . 1

Thi s ord e r fu1tber required that wherever practicable the different grndes of a schoo l shou ld- be 1 located in the s¡ime building, and determined tbe mínimum tloor aren of H square metei·s for each pupil.

Order No. 4 outlioed the cour se of Chureh doctrme and religion were clropped ; tbe required su 'ects were to be Spanish, Engli s h, arithmetic, and geography, wit the elemeots oi United Stntes hi story nnd civ il gO\•ernment, while the minor subjects of mus.ic , drnwing, manual training, .nnd momi a were provid ed for whereve r tenchers wer compofu nt to give in s truction in the se brancbe.

,

This order provided for a tencber's mnnual, wbich is nolv in cour se of pnblicntiou.

Order No . 5 estn)>lished tb.e legal qualifications for teachers. 1

Order No . 6 fixed tbe sa la)'i es of public-school t eachers at g15 per montb for p1:incipals. $!0 and $50 . per month for grade tenchers, and $30 for rural tencbers.

.

Order No . 7 made pfonsion for free textrbooks.

Orcler No. 8 detinecl the rclations of municipalities to public school s, and required the locnl boards to provide buildings, s uppli es consumed . in using , such ns paper , ink , and cbn lk , ftu·niture, nnd i·es idences for tcnchcrs.

.

Order No. 9 gave muoicipa:lities fuU nuthority to e l.ect properly qnnlilied tencbers for tbeir loca l sc hools .

Th es ubsequentorders prodded for the eef,nb lishmentof high sc bool s, normnl sc hools , nnd snch professionnl ns mny be necessary in tbeJs lnnd.

.

By G eneml Ordcrs, No. 59, iss ued ::lfay , 1890 , Mnj. Gen. Guy V. Henry r e linqui s hcd commancl of th e dep1irtment nnd Brig. Gen. G corge W. Dnvis becamc militnry gov ernor of th e islnnd.

Upon th e r eturn of Dr. Eaton to the States nt th e end of Mny, 1 99, n. cletermined eifort wa · nmcle to ove rthrow the school lnw s anthorized by bim, ,-ery s imil ar to tbe effort to O\'ertbrow tbe ac hool s,vste111 introdu ced by Gcnernl llfosse rin in 1865, a.; clescribed in Section VI of tb e report of th e sec r etary. whicb js s ubmitted herewitb. In order thnt any objection to th e cocle of lnws nutborized by bis predecessor might be duly b.enrd, Ge n. George ·w. Ua"is nppointed a committee of four sc hool t ench e r s, who, in e n¡'unctiou with the actiogdirector of pubHc ins tru ction, rev ie";ed thcse aws nnd · recornmended s ucb further mod1ficntions and chn nges ns might see m·desirable. This eomm ittee wn s composecl of two of th e principal !Mcbers of Snn Juan, José Bece rr{\¡Z..yas nnd José Infnnt!l'Saavedra i Mr. Eladio J. Vega, a tenc ber of the high sch<>1>l 1tt Ponce; . nnd Mr . Manual Maria Arroyo, n ten cher of long standi ng and repute at Mayaguez. · The reeommendntion s of thi s committee were as folmw s : That in rural sc hool a attended by both exes preference be gi" en lad)• teachers in making nppoiotm ents; that wh e rever thirty children not providecl wit.h school accommodatioo s cou ld co nvenieotly attend at a singl e

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO.

Jnce a school s bould be openelf for them; thnt physical cu lture should JO prescribed in the rural schools. There were furtber :reeommeodaion s tbat th e sa laries paid to teachers in lnrger towns should be 'n crensed; thnt the nssignme ut of time to different subjects shou ld be nodified; thnt tenchers ¡s hould recei'l'e a s um equi\'alent t-0 half tb eir 1ontbly salarie s vacatioos; tbat loca l l>0ards of trustees be utborized to co ntm ct '''i tb teachers for more thar one yea r; thnt ubstit ute teachers s houlld receh·e one-half th e reglllar te•ch er's sa lary; ,. .,¡ th:i l new scbool bon)·ds be appointecl nfter the 30th of J uly 1899 {I ' '' in und impmc*'cnb le to cnrry into effect the recommendations t ' "' ' Ol'l\ni ss ion tbat public-school ;;alaries be increased and tbat hulf of ••a Jari es be ¡ id during mcntion. So far as possible the 11 ·r rcrnn .. ne ndations ere followed by the e<)ucational authorities

1 itl·'11 '.t i::-¡;ecfol .orders tp thls effect being issued. . H_, 1 cno1 al Urders, o. 93, issued J uly 8, 1899, an in sular board of"'ª' :·s t<t'1 lis h d, eomposed of the- following five·members : ioto r '!. Cb1 l;:, prcl> idit; George G. Groff, H enry Huyke, J osé E. n.ld afia, i<. ll 'l'orld

The duti , <•f th10 'rd were prncticaJIJ identicnl witb those out in ed in tbe subsequen geneml order and'. regnlations publisbed iu hi s report.

·

Op J ulr 28, 1899, by en era l Orders, No. Jmj, tbe degree of bachelor ns •nbohshecl.and in Li u thereof a ce rtit!alc wils authorized to be . ss ued by the in s ular bo rd of educatiou aud s ign ed , by the pres ident, tat,¡ng the s ubjects com letecl by st udents upnn whom the degree of was formerJy e, nferred .

Upon Augu s t 7, 1899, by General Orders , No. 113, n sc heme was for the pa:rment of tenchers by the municipal treasurers of · · muni cipality . Tbis order became inopemtive througb the inn>ili,t¡Y or indís position of municipalities to furnish tbe bondS necessary rnder the order, and by a reso lution of tbe insular board th e paymeot h<¡nchers' sa laries became a duty of the English

By General Ord,er s, No. 116, issued Au¡¡u st 12, 1899 bu renu of du1ntion, was formnUy discontinuad, the maular board of ed ucation aking ita place, and tbe president of tbe board was required to report to th e military governor. This order was issued upon the d isntjnuance of th e systern of secretnrysbip.

By Genernl Orders, No. 160, issued October 12, 1899, governing mrn} cipal e lection s, provision wns mndc b Section lll for tlie e lectiou f school trn stees. By Section XX: Vil of tbe same ord er the mm , l>Ower, and organization of the board of trus tees was stnted to ic defined in Part 1 of th e exi stin g school laws of Porto Ri co as ppro"ed by Gen eml H enry, Mny 1, 1899. In tlie following section 't was provided thnt not more thnu three of tbe fi ve members shaU be rom tbe same political party. •

On aeeo unt of the neglcct of th e local to appoint tenchers, 'i' Ge neral Orders, No . 165, issued October 19, 1899, ·Ít was pro'ld cd thnt the prcs ident of the insular board of educatio n, ,with the p¡i roml of the board, may appoint tenchers for th e p1ibli c sc hool • •of is lnnd wherever municipnl boarda foil to do so within für anys ifter . notification by tho president of th e in su lar board tbat s uch ppomtment must be mnde. .13y General Orders, ' o. 110, is. ued Octohe r 1899, Section XXI , " t is pro"ided that no tenc her or sc holur wbo has not hnd small¡>0x

so

EDUOA'.1110N l \i>oRTO RIOO.

shn ll become a member of IÍny l until vncc.inated, nnd thnt principnl s of • ·chool s shn ll demnnd of vnccinntion from their pupils; nnd by the following sectio it is provided thnt school directors or other pel'sons in chnrgeof school sh nll require cer tifi catesof ' áéci nation from ali teachers who ha\•e ot had smallpox before granting them an appointment.

·

By General Orders, No. 1'76, iss ed November 7, 1899, it is providcd tbat e•·ery man over 21 ycars of age living in Porto Rico who is the owner of ngricultural, 01ty . lllD)ercinl, or industrial property and1 each individnal partner of a me ·cantile firm , and ali members ot lillcral professions, nrts, and trades sha ll\ pay nn annual sc hool tax of $1 for the exclu s iv e benefit of in s ul >r sc1'9o l fund.

By General Ül'ders, No. 20! , issu d December 7, 1899, provision is mnde for the puyment of actun.l tra eling expenses and a per diem of $2.50t to cover cost of meals, board, Jlnd lodging for civil employees, in cluaing the president nnd ' officers f the in s ular board of education.

By Section VI of thi>i ortler it is xpressly provided that this ªfshall ply to English su¡iervisors only w en travelmg is without the limits o their respective districts, upon p iblic duty specificaµy authorized by the insular board or the presiden thereof.

Opon Jnnuary !1, 1899, G<1neml O ders, No. 205 1 wns issued, constituting a new insular board of educa ion of nine members, as follows: Victor S. Clark, .Prcsident, San Ju n; Gecirge G. Groff; So.o Juan ; José E. Sah:lañn, tll)n Jun.n ; R. H. '.f d, San Juan for Distriot No.I; George Bird y A.rins;.Fajnrclo. for District No. TI; H enry Huyke , Arroyo, for District No. ill; Rose do Matienzo Cintron, for District IV ; Bartolome Esteva Mayaguez'r for Di str ict No. V ; J. Ruiz de Sngrcdo, A.recibo, for trict No . V .

This order al.so provides. in its se ond section , that wbere municipalities bav e failed to provide pro r qunrters for schoo ls, but bave con trncted with teachers 1the salari es f teachers during th e 'period tbnt schoo ls o.re not opened shall be paid y the municipalities and not by . the.insula-r government.

.

Section m requires municipnliti to elect teachers immecliatcly whcre they ba,·e not don e so .

Section Iv recommends tbn.t municlpalities open suffic ient schools to nccommodate n.ll the child re n 'vitbir thcir jurisdiction, n.nd support the same until the insular governme it is in p<!Sition to make s pecinl provision for such institutions.

· · V nutborizes tbe president 1 f the insular ben.rd of educntion; through the English supervisors, to rent rooms for public scbools nt the chnrire of tbe muoicipalities wh e ever the muni cipn.l.ities fail to do so of' th e1r own n.ccord.

.

By Geneml Orders , No.'229, i ssue December 27, 1899, prov1 sion is mnde for the tran fer of one-twe lftb f tbe educntionnl approprin.tion includecl in the municipal budget, tbe muni cipal ltre1umrer, to th e trensurer of the local board of trus es nt the close of eacb calendar month \.

Opon December 2, 1899, there w issued a tariff ci rcular, No. 107, of the Wn'r Depnrtment n.t Washin o , provicling fo1· the admission of modero sc bool furniture, actun.lly urebased for use of scpoo ls and · not for sal e, free of duty.

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO.

•IECTIOS ll.-IBUIOSI OJ' TRB IlllVL&B BOAllD.

Tbe first meeti ng of tbe in s ular board of education was beld on July 17 , 1899, upon call of th e president, nnd ali membcrs \vere present. The session was devoted to the business of organizing the board, nn d providing for employees. It was moved tbat competitive offers nnd a bonus for the normn.l and indu strial scbool l:¡e kept open until August 1, nnd muni cipalities noti.fied of the same.

Tbe meeting was held A.ugust 7, 1899, and ali members wer e present.

A.t this meeting Mr. Todd nnd Professor Htfyke were appcinted a comm ittee to report upon r egu lation s for granting certiticntes to teac bers holding certiticates under the old law. COmmittees from ' Humacao,.Fajardo, and A.recibo wern heard with reference to offers for the normal and industrial schoo l, and a éommittee, consisting of. Dr. Groff and Mr. Todd, was nppointed to consider these' offers and put them in legal form. Tbe presi den t of the board and Professor Huyke were appointe<l a text-book commiftee to purchase books for the schóols witb power to o.et.

The tbird meefang of the board was held A.ugust 21, 1899. Snmuel W. Sn¡":ll, for sóme time of sc bool s in tbe province of Matnn7.BS nnd Santa Clara, Cuba , addressed the board. The committee upou tencbers' titles reportad and their report was adopt.ed, as follows:

That in admitting new candjdatee to th e profeteon of teaclting certificates shall be g:mnted opón exami nati bn o r opon ::Efom88 from reputable normal th11at M1:i Statee of the Union. r !!hi fi'

hold ing superior titlets under the former 'Jaw

(3) Tbat alf teacheni elementary titlee under the lormeilaw ehall receive wded achool certifica.tes. 1

J

4) That a11 holding rural or auxiliary titlee under tbe fonne r law shall rccen·e rul)ll cert1fü:atee. , i.;;

The committee UJ?OD the indu strial and normal 1!Chool rocommended thnt the offer of Fa¡ardo of ig20,000 in gold for the school be accepted. Upon recommendation of tbe president of the board, it was decided to . ol'ga niz e a model nnd trai ning scboo l at San ,fono. Mr. W. H. Hill, Eng li sb upervisor, was appointo.d principnl, and Miss Beckwith, Miss McDavicl, and Miss Gould were nppolnted to otber departments of the sc hool. Dr. Berkeley wus appornted to the posjtion of teac h er of cbemistry. Tbe fpllowing grade of sa laries was established: For doctors of philosophy employed ns beacls of departments, igl,200; for bucbe lors from co lleg es of the Onited States, requiring four years' work in addition to tlie high scboo l work, '900; fo¡- graduates of nor· mal scboo ls, $700. It was understood tbat tbis slioU.ld apply only to snbscquent appointments. Mi ss Ericson wn s api>ointed ·tcacber of • sloid for the school.

¡ ·

A series of resolutions calling for tbe extension of the public-scbool system to ali parts of the i•lnnd and an American school in eaóh municipality nnd a univcrsity were adopted. A motion was carried Engli sh supervi'l<lrs ex officio members of local boarda of public instruction witbout the right to vote. '

A.t the fourth meeting of the board, held September 6, ali members present, sta nding committees. upon bigher and aecoudary education 1 • primnry education, teacbers' institutes and titles, scbool property irna

I

..

EDUOATION IN .RTO RIOO.

text-books, nml bygie oe were appoio d. It wns 'resolved tbnt innsmu cb ns muni ci par trensw·e r s were unable to qunliiy properly to rece ive publi c mon eys for th e payme t of t eacbers' sa lari es, tbe paym e nt -of t<j¡ichers s bould be mndc by tibe EnR')ish s upervi sora. It wa resolved tlíat the e r ect ion of public sehool l nüldings througbout, t'he islnnd wns nn imme dinte nnd necess ity . Th e pl'es ídent W8"-j nuth oriz ed to sec u re th e se l'l•iccs of qualüied teacbers for tbe mod•I a nd training sc bool andan Englis h s11pervi so r for tbe Vega Bajit ,1 ·... trict. Tb e pres ident wns nuthorized t<¡ publisb nt s ucb times ns •·?euoé<l 11dvisable n bnlletin for th e informntiqn aud guidnuce of A c irc hlar letter from th e pres ideut, dntlid Ai¿gus t 29, 1899, ns kin g that ii\5.000, c urre ncy of the United. Stntes, app,ropriated for a llcmpo111ry building for the mode l nnd t111ining sohool át San J uau , nppro ved by the members of the board.

Too fifth meeting of th e board was be ld Septemhe r 1 90, Ali m e mbCrs wcre pres e nt. ..

Upon informntion of the president to the efféct . fbnt mnny lot.al . jun tas were lltegally uonstit uted and tbe validity of ront mct• wns tlbereby called in question, it was resolved to confirm nll oo nt""' ts made by the de fa cto juntas for one montb , pending fur t ber 11<·tioe by th e insulnr board. It was resolved to establish a Spani sh dept\l'tme nt in th e 'model nnd training schoo1 under o. properly qualified l'ol'td l:tican teacher.

.

A petition to allow the use of puhlic sohool buildln¡¡:s for religious exereises wn.s brought bcfore the board by the pres1Clent. U I'°'! a r esolution of a Catholic member it was resoh-ed that ns the ma¡onty of tbe people in thi s islknd were Catholics and wherever tbere were pro per religious in s tru c tora tbere werq· churches, .the scboolbouses shou ld not be used for r eligious in s truc tion of any cho.meter.

lt was resolved to r equest tbe military governor to appropriate th e proceeds from the sale of public lnnd s to the estnblishnient of n publi c school fu¡¡d , and to p e tit10n the U nited States Government for an ngricitltuml co ll ege nnd experiment station .

At 1 he sixtb meeting of tbe board, held Novenlbcr 6, 1899, nll m embers prese nt , th e qu estion of th e legality of loca l juutns ngaiu came up nnd th e de facto juntas we r e a uthorized by tbe board to take control of local sch ool ndmini strntion until ne w juntas were e lected. It was fw·ther r eso lved thnt co ntracta of tenc b e rs should he co ns id e r ed legal until pb e ir illegality 'vns pro1,ed to the sntislaction of tb e board.

Tb e president of tb e board was authorized to s ubscl·ihe for and purc hase proper Engli s h and Spnni s h periodicals, especio!l ly of a p edugogical cha111cter, .fo r tb e teac'bers of t he island. wu s furth e r autborized to publi sh a teachers' mununl, ns outli ned y him at th e meetin g. The pr es ide nt authoriz ed to use publi o 1oney for the purc hns e of ·p edugogical books for tenchers.

Five thousand Clollars was "l.'proprinte d from the snlary s urplu s in th e c ity of Pon ce, du e to the fnLlw·e t o open sc hools in proper qunrter on time, tp ffie establis hm en t of a high school in th e c har¡;e of the En g li sh s líp01T iso 1· nt thnt pin ce It wns re so lved thnt mum c ipnliti es s hould be he ld legn ll y r espons ibl e for snlnr ies of public school tenche r s con tra cted with nnd not teaching for want of prope r quar te r s.

.

EDUOATION IN PORTO RIOO.

cxeqed. $15,000 wns appt°opr in ted for buildings and labol'Rtori es fo1· th e ·Fa¡ardo scbool. It wns resolved thnt th e f.lan s for s ucb buildings s hould he s ubmitted to th e board for npprom .

The wns to pm·c bnse 1,000 sc hool registers from a local firm .

The que tion of vnecination ce rtifica t ea was referred to the oommittee on bygiene. ·

It was r esolv e d tbat all billa incurred by th e board ' of educntion he ·prese nted to the me mbers of the bonrd fo1• approval .

It was resolved to ask th e military gove rn01• to iss ue orders compc lling muni cipnlities to pay t ea c hers' sa lari es for tbe time they were under contmct ancl unabl e· t<> serv e for wnnt of s uitable quarters and to reqnire alcaldés to open additionnl sc hools. · '

Dr. Groff, Dr. Snldañn, und Mr. Todd we re appointed an auditing eo mmittee to nudit the a eco nnts of th e cnshier of th e board for the tirst monlihs of th e eco nomi c yenr. .

At the eighth mee ting of tb e bon.ni, be ld D ece mher 18, 1899 th e ho l!dn.y vacation was fixed nt one week and one day , sc bo9ls to Jnnunry 2, 1900. 1

T he committee on seco ndnry and hig her in struc tion wns anthoriz ed to in s ure tl1e mod e l-scboo l bullding for $10,000. ·

The pres ide nt " ' as authorized t o mnk e arrnngements with Mr . .Jun cos for tb e tmn slation and with th e publisbers for the publication of s urpl e me ntnry r eadin g boo k s in Spanish, publi sli,ed by th e Educationa Publ is bin g Compnny. '

Th e preaident wns author ized to n•ce rtuin nt whnt pri ce 500 rnaps of P or to Ri co could he sec UI·ed.

It was resolved tbnt n o corpoml puni shm e nt h e p e rmitted in tbe public sohooli! of th e is land , nnd t btLt be r eafte r not more than three cltll' s' sn lary s hall he allowed tenchers fo r e nrollin g pupils . . ) .! pon r ecom me ndation of the presid c nt, dnted November 22, 1899, nrplu s nccu!unmJating f: om th e of. appropi;¡ated for Enghs h tenchers 111 th e ,-ar1ous mnmmpahtí .,. 'Was placed at.the di sposnl of tqe pres ident for the purcha •G" of necessary supp hc for súc h sc hool s .

BECTIOB m .-AD)(llfl8TBA.TIOB ARD 8VPBRVI810R.

Th e seve nth meeting of th e boa rd was he ld N01-e111ber 27, 1 99, witb all me mhers present.

The normn\ sa hool commit tee wa s authorizcd to purchase tbe Bamlt s ite for th e Fajardo Normal nnd Indústrial Schoo l. A s um not to

The cba nges in organizstion of t he d epartm e ot of educatlon have · bee n bri e fiy traced in tb e previou s sections. There has been co ns idemb le r edu c ti on in tbe !iala1·y list of th e ce ntrnl office nt San J unn. According to tbe most acc ura te s tatistics at hnnd , tb e officials of th e cd uc11tionnl o fti ce at the time of the American occupation were receiving $25,105 (pe sos) per annum . At th e close of the fu st hnlf of the grese nt ca)enaar yenr th e sa la r y list was U6,050 c nne n cy of the United :Stntes. Th e present snlnr y li st is $7,220 onrre n cy of the United State:;. However, tb ere bave bee n empl oyerl, as already me ntio11 ed, sixteen ... E ngli s h s uper1, iso rs wbo are of!i c iall y co nn ected with the ndministratirn de partm e nt, though th cy nl so nct ns instruc tora i11 Engli s b nnd in methods. Two of th ese s np e rvisors hold hulf-day sess ioo s ifrc dn,rs of th e wee k, one at th e mod e l and trnining school in San Juan , o f wb1ch he is officia lly prin c ipal , th e oth sr ín th e high school at )o nce, in which he se n -es m a s imilar capacity. •ot tbe s upe1,1•isor s at prese nt e mploy e d ten hold dcgr ces from co l-

JtDUOATION lN PORTO RICO.

leges or unlvers iti es bf th e lJnited States o r Englnnd, or hnve com pl eted special courses in. s ucb in s titutions. Tbre.e aue grad.uates of - c ity bjgb scboo ls , ª'!done of ,these tnken courses m a pre;, f ess iona[ •chool , wJn) e on e of tb e Ol'lgmn [ aJ'P<lmteeS r eporta Oo ly, !t common- scbool' education nn d cxperience us a tencber in tbe pulílic sc bool s of tb e Stnto of Obio . ·

At tb e tim e th e s upe rd sors wer e appointed were paid United Stntes currency, per annum , nnd furn1 shed. trnnsportntlon in .vis iting tb e ir sc hoo1 s by tbe Government. Americana wbo were foui1d upon tb o islund a nd willing to undertnke tbe work nt tbe snln!'Y me ntion ed wer e employed. Sinc e of tbe s upen'!"corp• has been con s tnntly mochfied !'" ioc<:M1on offered 1ts efliciency therehy greutly incrensed. S mce July 1 tbe salan es of th ese offi ce r s hnv e bee n $900 pcr nnoum. Tbey furni s h tbeir own tran sportation . In two towns, .Junn and Pone.e, wbere the super· viso r s do extm work as schoo l prmc1pnl s , they rece1ve$100 p er month; Co ns id ering tbcir mnnyduties nnd tbe fac t thnt tb ey are men who mu•t · posse¡¡s th e sp¡x,inl qu111iJication of kuowing. both S,Pnn.isb nnd Englisb , tbi s sn lary is mucb too low. The salnry m nll distncts should be nt leaat iiil 200 p e r annum, nnd in tbe larges t towns of tbe island it s ho uld be $1 , 500. '!.'bi s would e nabl e us to command nt ""Y time tb e of men fu ll y qunlificd for tbe work r cquired. Our present supérv1sors ar e , in ali instnnce , we believe , cnpabl c nnd e ffici e nt men , doing cons c ie ntiou s work, wh,e re c bnnges .are mnd e it is oot alwny s poss ibl e to secure tb e cand1dnte we sbould w1 sb.

Tb cse men mu s t be, for sorn e time to come, Am ericana. Nativ e in s pcc tor s s uffe r mnny disadv11nt11ges ; tb ey not to tbe s tnndnrds of th e Stntes nnd therefor e not d 1sposed · to reqmr e s uch standnrd s in th e schoo l.s her e. Tb ey do not commnnd th e sam e r es pect fr om th e tench er s thnt woll -qnnlifi ed me n from otb e r countri es wo uld co mmand nt the ¡rese nt tim e . F in nlly , umny of f:b e most ª!1d deli cate dutios o th e sup ervi so r s are connect ed witb l oen! d1ffi cult1 0ti nri s iilg tbr o ugb pnrti sa n politi ca l jenlous ies nnd nnimos ili es. While it mn y no t be impoS.s ibl e to se et1;1·e ncti on in uch cases fr om nnti\' <! s up c n ·isors, 1t wou lcl be 11nposs 1bl c to prevc nt chnrgcs of .purtiiili t y , nnd t/i ". o n th e pnrt of nrnny t ench ers nnd pntron s ?f tb c sc hoo ls thu t 111¡us t1 co wn s bc 111g don e would wenk en th e nutb ol'lty of o ur t ép rcse ntuth·e ·-- :

Th e s up e rvi ;foiif nl • o hnvc n n, prmc1¡¡n,J duty th e msp cct1 on of En g l is b tenchinl!', ¡;¡;<4Jii s ca n on ly be vroperly co ndu cted b,· pe r son th o rci ughl y fo1111liur

EDUCATION IN :¡;'ORTO RICO.

(O) The supervi sor acta. asa direct r e res entative of tb e insular rd · !11 se:m_rrin g schoo l. in th e scbool lnws ar e m w1th tbe r equirem ents of tbe scbool Jnws , local m the of securing scbool supplies, 1111<1 ll1 mv es tignting tbe mult1tude of petitions and complnints pertaining to tbe schools of the ditrcrent munfoipnlities. (See letters in Appendix VI . ) . ·witbout bes itntion it mo.y be said tbo.t tbe system suvervision nt ' pr ese nt otre!'s _tb e on ly sure gunrnnty of progress of :"' hool m th1 s 1s lnnd .. A compotent .superv isor 1s the most offi cml mtb tbe educat1onal department. His mflu cnce 1s e;oe r tea mos t d1rectly upen the cbóol s , nnd hi s authority felt where- 1t <loes tb e good m sec ming sc hool nccommodation 1tnd prope r method s of in s tru ction. .

. Becnu se tbe nutbority tb ey exer cise the supervi so r a ai·e necesso. l'lly tb e ob¡ect of by ali th e element3 tbat are nrmyell ngain s t tb e r eform ?f s.cho.ol s of tb e is l11nd .. oppositiou varies ID .clegree ID d1ffe r ent d1 s triuts . In sorn e d1 stfl cts wh ete we ha.ve snper\'Í sors unuf unl tnct and discr etion it \s nlmost e ntire ly o.bse nt.

Tb e s uperv\Sors r eport3, Sttbm1tted ns no nnn ex to tb e report of tb e · presid ent, contnin . mu ch informntion a nd dQtnil cd co nunent "!'?º tb é sc hoo l system of mtores t npd vn lu e to al i pe rson a conn ec t ed w1tb edu cu ti o nnl work in thi i:; islund.

Des pit.e fn ct eacb baa on an avei¡ge but forty sc hoo ls, 1t 1 a cons1dcmbl e tnsk for tb em t o co mpl et e tb e round s in tb c t we nty day s of tb e sc bool month.

co mpn!'lltive cos t of • uper vis ion in Porto Ri co nnd so rn e of tb e , Bi: 1t1.s b colo111e s, co nd1tion s approximntely similnr to tbose in · , t b1 1s lund be sa 1d. to p re vail, w ill be of inter!'s t . In e xplnnntion ·?f t be fo! l owmg 1t mn,y be s tnted thn t trnv ehng expenses o.re not l)ldud ecl m. tb e es t1mnte of tb e co• t of s upervi s ion in nny of tb e ,Briti s b ropbrts , w1tb p oss tb ly tb e ex ccption of Trinidad, wbil e it i·ncluded m tb c cost of s upe¡- v1 s ion nnd admin is t11ttion in P o rto Ri co . lt will (u_rtb er, tha.t th e numb er of schools ta.nclei; ench s upervi sor in l Ol'to Ri co 1s upon nn nve m(J'o less tban o ne ·half th e number und e r enr b ""llC r viso r ii! t he En g li s b coloni e , and thnt _th e number of pupil s un clcr b1 • chnrge 1 upo n nn nv e rnge o ve r o ne- third to one- fourtb tb e !lll mbc_r th c chnrge of bis Briti s b co laborers . E mtb eÍ·more, it 1:;. lmt to 111 co nn ec t io n with thi s tabl e that .th e n ¡; or; ac t to. n ce rtn..m c xtent ns Engli s h in s truc tors, und tbnt th éy .ccrt:tLm us pay maste rs und di s tribute rs o f ns wc ll ns 11r pcc tors-sc rv1ces no t reúd eretl by s imilnr offioinl s in nny of th c Briti sb co loni es me oti o ned.

s uppli

for

dis

(5 ) To pres id e nt tb

qunrterly exnminntion

given tbe

tudentJ¡ de$mng to enter secondary sc bool s. (Seo Appcndix

bonrd of educntiou for tencbers nnd for

h "e mbraces co urscs fr om th e kind e rgarte n t bc coll ege is in En g li s h, a nd t hc t ex t boo ks a re m E ng li s b. Dr. W. H . Hill is prin e ipul of thí s choo l, und t be tc nc bin g fo rce co ns ists o'fr Mi ss Emily Bec kwith , ¡¡- 1111nmnr : Mi ss Lilli a n McD ninte rm edintc : Mi ss Edith H o we1 pruhnry; Mi ss Anna Go uld , kin. d e r ¡;,'fi r te n ; Dr. W. H. Be rkel ey, Joan s H c;> pkin s, sc icnces · \ nnd Miss J e nni e Eri cso n, s loy d und munual t ra ining. Th e sc bo<il 1vil be moved t on ne w 12- roo m f mm e buildin g , erected for ita s peci ial o.ccommoda • t ion , nt Pu orta Ti e n •n, imm cclia te.ly a.ft or th e holid lliy receas, nnd ,nt th at t im e th ere will he es ta bli s hed a s peciul Spn n is b de pnrtm e nt un dc r Dr . An to ni o Ro so li. form e rly direc t o r of th e Seco ndar y ln stitu te, and n d e p nrtm e n t of bi ó logy . .

Th e fo ll ow in g g ro t¡ p \"Í e ws wns tn ke n in th e mod cl and t rninin g scboo l in &n Juan. Th e che mi cul and bi olog icnl lnbom to ri es hnd not yet bee 1.1 equ ippc d, a nd no vi e ws o f tp. e sc ie nce d epnrtm c nt, tb ere for e, . appen r in th1 s g r oup : ·

In uddi tio n t bcr e will be o rgaiii zed in conn ecti on witb this sohoo l classes in ph a r macy, fo r wh ich pupil s are already nnroll ed , nnd classCl' in trninin g and prinmry me thods, whic h will fo ll o w n two ycn r s co urse. Th e r e nre. nt prese nt s Lxtee n y o un g Jadi es of good fa m ily nncl prope r educnt io nnl qualifi cati ou s e nro ll ed for th ese Liitte r co nrses.

Th e hi g b sc hool p11o dd es nt prese nt !\ four y ea1'8' com-se , fitting for or of stail din g in th e Stntes Th e r e are Rtude n

e nro11ed nt pre e nt in tb e firf.lt two

F r e

E

eara'

IAi.tin

.. alrcady s tnted in Scction II , th e board of edu cntion autborized in lio rnmbcr, 189U , th e cstabli • bm cnt of a seconclary sc hool at Ponc c. 'Ibi s sc hool i at pre cut in charg e of Dr. E. E. ltiopel, th c . upc rvi sor , ancl has 50 pupil s cnroll ed. Th e co urses and t.ext-ho9ks ar e th c sorn e as those in the high school department of the Mocle l and Tminin g School at San J unn. Th e sc hool nt r,rese nt oooupi es a lbom in th e Am e ricnn schoo l building nt Pon cc . No pro viision is made in .thi s sohool for pharmncy o r for tbe tmining of t enchers nt pr ese nt. Early in July , 1899, th e ncting direct o r of publi c in s truction iss ued a cnU to muni c1palities to offcr 1\ for th e es tabli s hm ent within th c ir jurisdi c tion of a normal and sc hool , nnd he ente red into .cor res pondcnce with th e Eng li s h aupe rd sors of se ,·er1tl to \vn s in tb eran ce of this schemc . Tbroug b th e e ffo rts of }fr. Geo rge Rird y Ari as, who i s at prese nta member o f th e in s ul ar board , nt .th e s uggesti o n of Mr . E.dg ar L. Hill , th e Engli s h s upe rvi sor llt Fajardo, that to wn mude nn offer of $20,000, nited ta tes cu1Tency, fo r t he sc bool , pro dding th e in s ul a r gov e rnm e nt w o u ld approprinte u. lik e am o unt. A co ntruct wns onte recl into b)' the militnry g ove rnm e nt of th e is laad of Porto Ri co and tb e muni ci]llllity of F ajardo, whi ch • ig ned ancl npproved Scptem be r 20. 1899. A eo py o f thi s co nt ract is publi sbed ns nn app endix t o thi s r ep o rt. , ·

'.L'h e mon oy for thi s •c boo l hns been 111ised by th e munic ipnlity of Fajard o upon muni c i]lll l bo nas p rso rrn lly gull ra ntee d 20 o f th e prin cipal tnxpa.ror s of th e town Th ese bo nds wcuc· ·ole! thro u¡¡ h th e Go lon111l B a nk of t hi s c ity 1rnd th e mo ney has bce n clep osi t ed 111 th e in s1Ll nr t r ens ury A com mi ttee of th e board pero null y in spect.ed tb e Fnjurd o s itc.s fo r th e sc hoo l, whi c h we1·e o ffe rcd by c iti ze ns of th e d ci ni t.r o f Fn jnrd o, nnd th e board hn · a uth o ri zed th c ;lirc hnse o f ninc t_y- th rcc nn d u fr nct io n uc rm; of Jn nd in tb c :; uhurhs .o f the to wn upo n th e hi g hwu v be t wee n t hn tc ity nn d Lu q uill o. ut yresc nt the prop ofty of ;IJnnu nl F. B11rnlt, ns n s it e fo r th e sc hoo l; nm plnn s nnd sp ec iti cn ti o n . h11v e hee n rrc pnrcd hy t he de¡)ur tm e nt of pu bli c;. workS for nn sc hno buildi ng nnd n fo ur room shop nnd 11Lbo rnto ry builcli"r1 g <>f 111nso nq; to be crec t ed im111 ccli at ely. lt i• hoped ' tbn t tbi s .scho<il mny be ope ned du rin g th e sum me r , -ncnt io n of tb e present year fo r th c holdin g of s pec inl co ur.-es fo r p1íb li c •choo l t eac hers. It is th e des ig n o f th e sc hool committec. tlm t th is in s ti t uti on s bnll fttrQi sb man ua l t rn inin g co urses 1111 d co ursc in ag 1,ic ulture nn d t hat th e re s hnll be co nn ectecl witb it n mocl c l sc hoo l for prn cti ce tenc hin g. and a normal depnrtm cnt.

A t th e tim e o f th e writi ng of thi s re por t , .Jl\n un r)·, 1900. t he ci t y of P o nce hn s al Ao upproprinted $20,000, go ld , fo r th e e• tr1 hli s hm e'nt of a mnmm1 trainin g hi g h scb oo l , to whi ch it is th e purpoac o f th e in s ular go \•ernm c at to ndd. a like s um , Wlld do ne in th e ó f F ajard o for th e er ec tion of buildings nnd tb e eq uipm ent of tbi s sc hoo l. .

Th e fir s t of the two o pp osi te v iews s hows tlie Fajardo s chool s it;¡ . Th e land l?urchasccl by th e board in clud es th e ridge uniting th e two high bili s m th e backgr ound ,

Th e seconcl vi e w is of th e c ity of F a jardo from t be proposed sit e ·of th e buildin gs . 1

BECT!ON V -PllDU.llY EDUOATION

Th e hi tory of prima ry edu cntion in thi s isla nd previou s to the Am eri cn n occu]llltion has bee n bri efly trace d in th e s ixth , seventh , and eighth section s of th e r eport of th <r secr etnry

During thc s]ho lnstic ycn r e ndin g: in .Jun o, 18!1!1, there

rcpo rtecl in thi s is lnncl 12 town sc h

l

nnd 313 rura l

hool s. Th e r e w e r e reportcd to b ±20 co nntr,r cli s tri cts without

hook Th c re wé 1·e 19,80± boys n el gi rl s cn ro ll cd of whom H , '¡20 boys nnd 7.153 g irl !<, a totnl of 21, 73 pnpil s, werc r c ported tobo in nct unl nttencla nce. / 'l'bcre wer e re ortccl 26",630 ebildrc n bc twccn · tho nges o f i nncl 16 years who wc r without sc hool nccom modntion .

Thc t otal o t of thc co nnn o n se hool• wn s re ¡>orted to be 'li\203,000 , of whi'ch so me $1!3 .000 wns pnicl fo r tca qhcr•' sn aries, íi35,00<) for hou se re nt. 1n 1d for sc hoo l s ul.'plics. Thc 'c s tati s tics, howeve r, like n.11 th o sc hool ::1 tn t 1::1 t ics, 1 ni ·c but n.pp)\oxi mnte ly ncc urnte. • The cost of th c 'chools pc r pupil e nroll ccl wns $(1¡j)O, o r more than it is in th e Sta to.· o f llninc nnd M 1¡;:w uri o r most oi tHe So u t bern Stntes of the Un io n. Thi e xp e nd iture for seco ndnry 1\$ wc ll ns: fo r prinlarr educa ion .

Of a'tot.• I "[' c nu o of •íi379.2 H , or s lightlr ornr 6 perce nt, wn.... de,·o C'd t.p public instruct ion. :re w dé ,·otcs lü per cent of he1· to l re1<on ue to h 01· puhli c sc b oo ls, whil e tbe <worngc of tbo tot11 l lod1l • nd genera l re 1·cnu e' of tb o Un ited Sta tes derntcd to h, O \ " r 24 pc r t'C nt.

Th e wcr c, n:s n . rul e, hcld in tenchcrs' res id e nccs. There wc rc ¡lrncticn llJn o tcxt-book..:, nnd jn but n ,-cry few of thc lnrge r towns wn s t 1cro nn.r . choo l fm 1niturc wort.by the na me. i\fethod s of Ín $truction we rc nnt i mtcd. A lnrgc portian of thc t im e in g-i rl s' l:'Chools wn8 de \·oted t} ornnmC'ntn l nccdl e work. to the injur.r of hoth th eir tl1t'il' c11cru l hC' nlth . ancl cnte('h is m und (·hun·h doct1 ·i11 e were tnught in nen r y nll Jo>l'hoo ls . 'l'he mcthods of in stru cti on in othe1: brnn chc.. wcr c hn.;;ccl upon th o:ro usc cl in tb csc Jn.ttc r s uhjccts-t hnt is, se t to c{ ucJo> ti om1 werc mCmoriz cd IJy thc pu\Jil s. :.Muny i:Whool · wcro tnught nlmost entircl.r h.r pup il tenchcrs . w 10 wcre 11 ot ccrt ificatcd or· exnmii;i cd o r in nny wn,y uncl cr gon•rnment co ntrol. we re he ld hy toa..:hcr¡;;, in mnit.r int' t.nnl'CS . upon n prop1·ie tnry tqnure, ·omcw lm t in thC' Engli s h Ch m·ch. which re li e \'Cd tbe m from nn.\-ise 11Jo>C óf lc1:,1ul reJo> J)Q11.-.ihi l it\· or interfcrc n('c o n th cJlnrt of pttre nt5 or \\ 'cn lthi cr pupiJ g1lnicl fcc:;, an the fcc-payi ng J?ttp 0 lti . in thc 111njorit.'· of in s tnnccs . rccc i\·ed pru ctknlly nll the in struct. 1011 g in•n in thc :-;(')100 1. Thcy ocC' npied thc front tiC nts thc moh1l c \'O lgus behincl wcrn' frequcnt ly regttrd cd n · li ttle more thnn sp.cctn torJo>. ·

Availing 1t,q1f of an in s ulnr npp r o¡Jl'intio n of $31.0UO fo r sc hoo l books nnd thc insu lu r hoarcl mude nrrnngement.8 with ,-nr ious publi s hin ¡¡: hou ·e, in tho Stntc• for t e xt-hooks n11CI c lrnr t. su lli cic nt tó prO\-id e Rll t h sc hoo ls of tbc iJo>l nn d. Thcso purchnscs were . nmd e in of ycn r , nnd he hook• hnn\ .been d olive red an d distributed t o t? e '"hoo ls t hr oug h t he Engli s h s up orl"i so rs A detniled st.atcment of t h di ·t 1·ihutio n nnd 13toc k o n hnnd ncco mpn ni es the trcn s · urer' rcpo rt.

In order to 1 '\l't a prospoctfl·e d e rnancl fo r Spnn i ·b tmnslntion of s tandard A.m c 1'ibni1.text- hooks, three of t hc principnl publ'i s hin g h o uscs of tlie Stntcs b e b cg un th e publicntion of Span ish so 1·ios of thcir hcst modern works. As thcre now is n s uitnb [e, up¡ >ly fo r a n1· d e mnnd tbat th c .·cboo l1' mnk e upo n the Americnn pllJ>hshcrrJ, it will not bp nec.' e sary to purc hasc in lnrge qunntities hereaftcr. Pres umabl)· t hestoc k at presc nt in tl e sc hool s w11l be s u(ti c ie nt, witb n few suppl e m en tnry

EDUOATlON h'f PORTO RIOO.

pu1·c!\ases to mect spec ial iteeds, to provide for ali tbe'pupils nt presc nt enrolled for twQ .or tbree years to come,• bowever, reccirn muc'h hnrd er usagc in Porto Ri co tbnn in tbc sc hool s of the Stntes.

Tbe number of tenc hers nt pr ese nt e mRloyed is 67 more than lnst ycnr Wbile In t yenr there wo.s frequently an en r ollment of over 100 pupi ls for a s ingl e tencher, the enrollment this yenr is limited to 50. fhe e mployment of pupil tenchers js probibited. The •choo ls are e htirely sepamte from teacbers' resicjences. The cntecbism, c hurc h doctr ine, nnd ornnmental needleWork are no longe r taught. :Textbooks nnd rending cbarts have been provided for all the sc fiools by tbe in s ular governmeut. Th e propri e tnry s tatus of tea0hers has been abolisbed, nnd th ey are now emp loyed by loca l boards under conti:act.

A system of grad.ing ho.s been begun iu sc hoolil having more thnn twQ de partments. Girls who we re formcrly without o.'uy sc boo l fa ciliti es in country districts nre now admitted by law to rural <JC boo ls . Tbere nre 2,000 modern school desks loa ned to the in s ular gove rnm e nt by the city of Wns hingtou, wbi ch are be ing di stributed. American tlngs hnv e nlso' bee n furnished the sc hoo ls, tb e com-tesy of Lnfayette G. A. R. Post, of 'ew York ()ity . ·

There bus bee n a geneml r e novntion nnd r epniring of sehool build- · ing: thrnugbout tbe is lancl, as will appenr from · the reports of tbe diJfercnt s upervi so r a. Engli s h p oclagogical literJLtm:e, nncl, so far ns it cun be secured , Spnnish p cdngogical litemture is bi:n ng suppli ed to th e tenc h e rs A tenc hers' bull e tin is iss ued twic e or three time s a te rm by tbo insular board. giviug outline• of lesso ns in pby s ica l culturo nnd uutu.re s tudy, and v1u-ious sugge tions for the nssista nce of t enchers. A mnnunl of sorno 300 in Spnnis b nnd .Englisb, has been preparad by the pres ident of th e board for tb e use of the schools nnd is now in JJrcss. ' ,

;¡' he d eta il e stat istics of th e publi c scbools of tbe is lnnd for th e fir st e 1·m of th e prese nt seholnstJC y ea r ai: e givcn in th e tables ut the e nd of thi s sect ion and in tb e appondi x. Th ey show thnt tti e r e wer e e nrolled in municipal sch oo ls of the is land 2.l, 392 pup il s , of whom 15,*40 were boy s nnd 8. 952 girls; Th e 1we mge dnily nttendnuce wn s 20,103, or 82 per cent of th e total. Thi s lnrge p e r cent is due to th e fu ct that in muny of the sc hools th e r e is a wniting li s t,. nnd th e child fn iling to nttend loses bis sen t. thousnnd one hundt ed nud se ,·cnty -five pupils appli e d for ndmiss 1o n to t he 'schoota nnd were rnfuscd for want of nccommodation · , About 3,000 c hilí:lren nre rccc iving nll their in str uction und e r Am e ri can tcnchers and, nbout onethird o f th e total number e nroU ed recciv e English in struction from Engli s b- spealáng tenc he r s .

Ornr 15,000 c hild rcn nre ju s t e nte riug the schools nnd do not know how to r cnd or write, while U6 per cent of the tota l e nrollm e nt is in th ó lowest three grades. N ine hundrcd and eighty-four nre doing · whnt we cnll ndvnnced work; tbnt iR, th ey are pres umnbly .ciipnbl e of pe rformi .ng easy probl ema in long div isio n, and soma nre studying fmctions nnd dec imals in nritbmetic. · ,

Two hundred and e igbty- even rural 1md 295 town teacb ers are cm ployed. Of the town teachers 119 are m e n ,aud 168 women. Of the ruml teachers 259 are men a nd 36 women. Of tbe 620 sehools proYided for in the insular budie t, 38 are closed from failur e of tbe muu[cipalities to proyide proper uildings or to se lect tenchers

IN PORTO RICO.

he r e nre 9 ruml schools r epo rt.ed with nn enrollment of leas thnn 20 pupil s , while 309 school s report the full enrollment of 50.

['h e nvorngo age of pupil s onrolled is a fm otion 9ver 9 years. No. 1 gives th e clnssified stntistios file in this office for the / pqnc1pnl date s from 1 6± to the presc nt time . . We do not know whnt the bn s is for determinfog th e sc hool population wns in 1880 and 1886. Evid ently it vnri ed , from th e roturns prese nt.ed. In 1898 and 1 99 t!>e figures are the returns from 69 municipnlitics of the to.tal populatlon between ± and 16 years of nge. The percentuge of ch ildren of school nge t.o total wns returned ns the same in the fodependent r eport• by tb e 69 1nunicipalit1es._,._ \Ve "bave not yet ' sec urcd th e stu tisti cs of .schoo l populati on for 1699-1900.

It will be not.ecl thnt the nvemge ntt.enda nce has risen from J 2 per ce nt in th e principn l t.own• in 1880 t.o 2 per ce nt in 1899 .

Table No 2 pres entscompnrntiveatatisticsof Porto Rico, the Unit.ed ' Stnt.es, Hawnii , nnd .Jnmnicn. Wo are indebt.ed for tbe Unit.ed Stnt.es stati s tics to the reportof the United Stnt.es Commissioner of Educntion fo1'189i-98, 1fór thc Jnnmicn statistios t.o the nnnunl report of the educntionnl clcpnhmc nt for 189i and theOfficinl Handbookoí Jnmnicn for 1 99.

In es timnting th e per cént of pupil s in the low es t grade we h1w e tuken tho pe r ce nt 'of the. onrollment for the firs t s ix ycnr of the American c ity •chool nnd of the first sLx s tnndnrds of the J nmnicn obool s. ·

Tabl o No. 3 s how• th e t.otnl up\>roprintions, in s ular und loen!, and tbe t otal in s ulur and locul app r oprmtions for education for the pr esc ot ttnd the pre ,·ious economi c y enr. '

· It s hould ·be not.ed thnt tcxt-books nnd t enchers' liltlnri es, now pnid foc of tho in s ular trensllry , were formerly c hnrged upon tbe mun1c 1pnl re,·enu es .

Tabl e 4 gh1es a co mpnratin} s tntem é nt of the to tnl revenu es n.nd toWI cducntionnl np proprintion s nnd tnxes for educntion pe1• cnpitlL iu Porto Ui co, }Jnwnü , nn<l somo of th e States of the o'111on, nnd th e United Stutes ns a wh ole. lt will be secn tlmt during th e prose nt eoono mi c yea r th e pcr ce nt of th e total re venu e devoted to e<lt.J.catio n is doub le that tl e,·oted to thc snmc object in 1 98-99 unde r th e lnst Spn¡1l h prnsup uesto, but thnt it i• s till le"" thnn onc-lutlf the p er cent of th ll total gcnem l nnd loen! re,·cm1es dernted t.o this purpo se fo the . United Statcs .

dctnilcd s tnt.em

th e

es tabli s hed fór public-school t enche rs. Secondary-schoo l téache r s ll' Cl'C expected to be ¡¡rad ua t.es holding a ooc he lor's degree . from nn · of high cr mstru ction, auch ns co ll eges or of . Am e n cn or Europe ; or of normal .fic hools w1th ª"'l>enence . '" prnctice t.enchers. Prm cipnls were r eq uired t.o be oo ll ege o r normnl,;cboo l graduat.es, grnded-school tenchers normal-school graduates or gmduates of soco ndary schools with one yen.r's experi e nce ua a teach er, while rurnl t.encbers receive certüicat.es upon exnmination . The board >ubsequently establisbed ce rtain regulations . for examinatious for tcnchers, upon which nH"al , grn.ded-scbool, and principnls' nerti.ficates wcre grnnted. Th ese examinations em brnce Spaoish aod English, nri thmetic, geogrnphy Unit.ed Stat.es hist.ory, aod sc hool methods. Hcrcaft.e r for principn\s• certificat.es spec inl exnmiimtions in algebra1 gco metry , and Qhysicnl science will be roquired. Tenchera w,ho hel<l till es under the Spanisb law were nllow.ed to reo ew tbem in accordance 1 wi¡h the regu lntions ab-endy ju Section II of this report.

IN PORTO RICO.

º \' to th e pr cse nt tim e 62 certificatcs hn \'0 bec n gm nted by th e in s u nr board. Ornr 800 of th ese hn1•e bee n given to nntiv e 1\pproximntely 775 hurn beeu grnuted in ex change for title.• beld nnd er · tbc Spnn·is h hiw nnd 26 upon e xnminntion. 1

W e wo uld cn ll nttc nti on to thnt pnrtof the reportof Mr. Miller,ot Di s tri c t XI, dcnling with met hods of in s tru ótion , for wbat scem$ to d ver.i• f1iir and just es tim11te of the su·ength nncl weakn ess of th e force in P orto Rico at tbe pre ent time.

Four .time.::; n ycnr, in Janunry, April, July , nnd September, un exumination is he ld ut th e hend of encb d1strict. Th c les nncl rcg uJntion s go,·erning "theso a copy of th c :+ipa nis b questions given in Septembc1· (nnd in Ñnnun.ry, 1900) , nnd n brief sta teme nt of the resu lt of iliat exnmination will be fuund in nn appendix lo tbi s roport. . .

Tb e i:e arc nt prese nt U American teachers emp loyed in tbe i s lancl bes ides th e Engli s b s upenri so rs. Three g e ntlemen, two of whom are norma l and one u co ll ege gmcluate, are acting ns principnls of gmded Tb ere is one Jndy . n college and normal gmduate, actjng ns prm c1pn! of a gmded sc hool. . Ali of tbe other teachers hold first-grnde certlticiites or normal o r co ll egc diplomas from tbc tntes. Twclve of the Arn c ri cnn tencl1c.i·s· nre mon--rthe rc mainder are wom e n. The,· havo bcen nppointed, ns a rule, opon the recommendation of the pre $l. ·d e nts of Stute normal schools. But fow of th em know Spnnish.

During thc summc1· vacution of tbc pr ese nt yenr 48 Porto Ricnu re granted Governm nttrnn sportation to thc Stntes in or<l el' iliat they migbt s tud,1 b e Englisb lnngung e nncl Amerimm scbool method s. l\1nny of thc e teachers h1w e rc turn e d nnd nre doing ox ce l l e nt se n 'iec in the :-ichoo ls ber e. Th e Stntes of New Yo'rk, Venuont1 , Ncw Hnmpshire, nncl Minnosota hm•e offered fr eo tuition to l;'orto nican tuclents in thcir normal sc hool s. Thc Chnntnuqun As.;;e mbly ha gmnted Porto Ri cun studénts a like privilege.

In aclclition to th e-'f-Oach er ' Rull et1'!i th e ms ulnr board is furni s hi1w pedagog ieal papo rs nncf litem ture in J;;ngli s h llnd Spnnisb to tenchers: and r ec1ui1·cs of nll tcnchers of the is lnnd for t.he prese nt year tho st udr o'f Bnldwin 'ti Direcc ion de lo. ·

On llcrount of tho fact tbat loca l juntas were illcgullr constituted 80 tbut th e legu l sb1tu s of th e teuchcrs the,v employed w1,; undete rmin ed, . !md beca use these junttL• did no t appoint teacbers until the clo e of the vncntio n , tb e anticipntio n upon sq.laries, proddcd for hy law, cou ld not be pnid duriug the ·umm c r months of 1899 .

A spcc inl reco1nwendntion witb refcrence tq reco rds during vucntions is inc lud ed in thc last section of tbis r cport.

BEQ'I'ION VII-REMAR 8 'AND RECOKJr;JUt'DATIONB .

Mr. Allcyne Ir eln nd publi shes in McClure's Magazine of Februal'I'. 1900, un "rticl &that pre e nts e1·en s tnti s ti cs in nn attmctil·e form. ln thc\ re latirn industrial vnlue ?f the tropical and co lon 1cs of EiYgland, he s how s thnt wh1le England exports over $2o worth of goodi; per nnnum uud rece ives over $12 wortb of goods pcr annum from cach inhnbitant of her tempernte colonies, s he exporl.5 bnt GG cents worth of good s and receives but 11 cents wortb of go'od; per aunum from each inhabitant of her tropical colonies.

. +n tho same nrticlc be class i(ies the coloni es three bead.: .

EOUCAT!ON IN PQRTO RICO.

Tiloso wh er e production is nccomp!i s hed by contrnct liibor; tbose whero U1ere a pre8:8urc of populat1on; tbose \1 here tbere iiJ neither :i pre88 ure of population nor co ntmct labor. We lenrn that in colonies of thc fil. t class th e 'production per cnpita is over $45 iu tbe second wh il e in the third it is but $11. • '

The Ql9ducation is prinmrily n. question of nnd ,erond nrily a qucSiíonOt:!ii'.1bit. things be in g OQµa l tbe chi l drrn o f worke r s !'re in th e school s htb e children of in the fo the 1s lnnd of Tr1111dnd tb e e lldren of th e coohes ª"ª in lin' •c hool s 1rnd thc cbildren of th e neg rocs are in tbe streets . .

In l'orto Rico tb c re is certnin ly a lurgc id.J e c luss, and tb c re is not pressure of popn lcitio n ns e xi sts in tb e Britisb co lonics mentioned In· )fr. Ireland fo bi s nrticle. Th e productiv a cnpncity of the people njip roximates tbe lowes tof the three standnrds menti oned. The wealth pcr capitn per annum that it crentes i near er '111 tbnn $.!5. Jn furthering populnr educntion in this is lnnd, tben, we híLvc tb coa· ten d wiili the disadvanta'ge of n low pl'oduc ing on tbe part of tho peop le, and tb e sm all public r ernnue in prf'portion to th e school popul11t10.n thnt r e• ult¡¡ from thfa , aud lnc k of mdustl'i ous on th c pm·t of a' largo e leme ut oi tb e co mmtmitL of. Porto Ri co come froni the ¡)oc kets of a wealtby sepamt:ed by a socm l nnd mci11l g ulf from prolel:al'm.t._ Th1 s, we behe,·e, explmn s the utter nbsence of a public ;c ho_okl"ut.._nmo 1i g t he pco pl e nnd tbo apntbv 0 1 · active opposition tlmt O\'Ory sc hooJ r efo rm from tbut of Genernl in 1 65 to tbe time has e nco.untered. It is n cred it to th e progrcsS iv e unh-e rnnd to th e Spnmsb Gm·ernment as wcll , tlm.t ns mu ch proO'ress ns i; actun lly ev ide nced hns becn mnde during the last four decudes. ,l \ :J'h cre nr e in thi s is lund whero th c re is nata s ingl e building) >111tnl!lo for a pnbl1 c wher e there arc probnbly nota bnlf doze n out of n populnbon of 2,000 or 3,000 thnt btwe n da.ily in come of n Ootlar, nnd wh ern th e 1wemge dnily income of a fnmi'I." is less thnt 20 ce uts. Such p,c ople cnn not $Upport 11' publi q-schQol sys t em. P111 ·cnts1 cn n npt c lothe ánd fee d thelr cbildre n in inwb u. wn.)· ns to cn able thcm to reueh·e th e an cclu ctnti o n. · . &une e \·en do not n bocly of mcn at the ·niu e tnn e sufüme ntly well cdu cnted and s uffi cie nth· inlc r e"tecl in the ea umtion of tb e masscs to form the nucl eus of ll locnl schoo l ad.minl•tmti on; nncl if th e s upport of th e sc hoql s wa s left t o tho muni ci palities thc coerciv e influ e nce of s orne gencml law enforce<l hy sn.11ct1011 s nnd pennlties th e publi c se hool s wou ld r etrogm de instead of ntlrn nce. Thi s fa ct is s uffi c ie ntly recog nized by th e Spnnisb-Americnn <'dncnto r s in geneml. In tb e congrc"" of 2,500 cd ucntioni st.. of Spn in n11d SJ?llllisb America, at whi c h ncarly 0 \ fe 1·y Spnn ish spe nking cisAtlnntic country was r ep r •e nted, be ld in Madrid up on the four nnniversary of th e discovery of Americn it wns rc:;o ked · umong other things- ' ' · ' . Th.at this aseem bly, without decidinl!' th e quefltion na to wh ether pri1uary inetnt c· 11.0 !1 11! n ¡>e rmnnent ·or tem¡>0mry Cunctiou o f th e Statc, but oo ns id e ring nctual con1ht1 011s, <ecla rei it to be al -important that the conimou schools shoul d be su 1>ported the general revenues of the country in the same mrumer as other greRt nationa l llllt!rests.

•

And we note in the report of i\fr. F e rl'tlz , th e Costa Rican delegate, lhnt this meets with bis full 1a)>proval.

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO.

In th e report of" th e co mmittee of twelve upon rural sc hool s in con. s id erin g conditio ns on ly r cmote ly nna logou s to those of the Spani • h . •.A1p e ri cJtn countri es., it it; stuted: . .

E,·er): step t o w:ml the high e r tnxing unit lende tQdislribute lhe burdea o f pub · mstrurt1ou more eqmd ly In fa ·t, the argument fo r remO\-in g a po rti on of thebun en fro 1:n thc sm nll tax.mg. U!1tt8 to th e once is one thnt. juatifi es u.e in callin$ u1>on P.OC 1e t y to ed uca te mdn·1dual s o r families that (\te too poor to pro\' ide for th e1r own to educatc th emseh-ee. ·

The nctnal expe ri ence of the i s land has de•¡10n atrnted tite failure of · ª"l'. •.ttempt to s upport th e sch<><,>ls from lOOlltRr municipal treasuri e.. is nbundnntl,Y in the sec r etu ry '• report upon the school s durmg th e Spa.111 s h régtm e The rent of llChoolhottses wns not pnid snh\r ies wer e e ight or ten y enrs in nrrcars nnd at the prescni 'Yh<:n th o only charge upon tbo is that of provid mg bw l!1in gs, henches, chnlk, and paper for the pupil ,, 1.11 \"ery mnny uistan ctis ba\·e not been oponed becnuse th e loen! nuthor1tícs r e lu ·e to mllke e ven thi s1101·ifice for the cducntion of their cbildren. Nor is thi s confined espec ially to Porto Rico. It is tme of nll cou nhi es whcre condition s prevai l. From the re\ricw of th e . Teports o f th e Italtnn sc bool inspectors in the Reme Pédagogique of F e bnmry, .1899, we lcnrn that th cre nre ca¡res in Nap les Sicily au d ' vhere tho scltool s are s upportcd by the ,; herc snlan cs of tcach e l'.S nre sevc n ycar.s in arr cnrs . . . 01ie. of th o conclusio.ns that we can mo t cer tainly drnw froto th c co nchtions hcrc, thcn, 1s thnt th e sc ho ols must be for sorne tim e to comci or in ln.rge pni:t from insular trensurs. Ass u_n11!1g .th! s , the ques tton nntumlly nn scs, whnt s btilf1í{í th e respectiv e 1m·1sdwt1on o.f the ce ntml nnd locn l educntionnl unthorities ' uud er tb ese co nditi o ns l At th e rrcse nt tim e th e local nuthoritics elect t bc t cnche r s, se lect .th e sc hoo nnd co ntrol 1111 property pur chuso,d pr°'c1d ed by mumcipal fund s. lo 01;der t o secu re th c openmg of th c school s, how c \•e r, as u res ult of tb e emergencics thnt nctunl.1y 1t has hc en. found necessn.ry to iss ue two general ordel'.s one nuthor17:11.1g pre• td ent of .th e board to,nppo in t tcncbers l oca l authot1t1cs {íul to do so, th o other nutboriztng him to rent bouscs for sc bopls , nt t? e chnrge of tbe municipnlities, \vh e r e loca l nuthoriti cs ncg le<:t to do th1s. In other word s, th c theory of lOOlll nutonomy Jrns hee n mf.ren ched uron in V.vo of its most esseotin l details in o rder to provide cduent iona fa cilities for thc clt ildren. ' It wot1ld sce m tbnt as a genera l. principie authoriiy s hould accom· pan y tit e purse; I where tbe of is qmde from th c 111 s ula1 · fund a th e 111 ular autb r1t1es sltou ld nppotnt th e tenchers and tbnt _if nt a.11.1', 'tim e th e gener.nl Gove rnment sbQu ld he cnlled up;,n t.o pro vtd e bmldmgs nnd s upph es as we ll ns tcnchers nnd text-books 1t s hould nt tlmt,. time tnke ful! contr ol of th e sc hools nnd ndmini sicr th em more th e sc hool s of a gr eat c ity -1\8 tbe school s of New York .and Ghicngolire adrninistered-thauas tbe school s of a st.ateor provin cc . : Und e r tb e h1w in force bcfore tbe American occupntion the appoinl· of tenclters made by the central 11uthority i1pdn recommen· dntion by the mu11101pnl bonrds, nlthough the municipnlity psid thc snlnry of tbe tcnc hor. Tbi a co ndition nt prese nt is exactly reversedtbe maular government pny s snlai;ies , tbe lOOlll government nppoint.o tbe tencbers . ·

EDUOATION L."( I'ORTO mqo

.

i.; nder the militnry gov&l'llment there bns bee¡1 this decided extcnsion of locul nuthority on tbe theory that it was only through the exe r cise of >ttch rights thnt the people co uld be educatcd in self-go1•er nm ent. Jn tlri s co nn ection a quotntion from the anuunl r eport from tbe· Commis.-; ioner of Education fo1· 1897-98 will be'of interest:

Thc consec:i.u e nce of e ndo wing indh-idual s nnU locn l commnnities w¡·th euch abunjlant po wers 1s a consta nt education in politicul po we r ami s:eneral ael -directiou but it j:> m ost oxpe.ru!.i\•e o í ao as waste of tune ami of Clll''l!'Y lil co nce.ra cd. P cr<.-en rn g tlus, 1t is qmt e natural al firet to suppoae tlu1t it. iaall ? 111i :itn ke and that \lº.rc and si mpl e, is.t.T1e nnd m Otl t s ince 11 reuao nahl e at. a munmurn of expe nchture of mea.ns. This 1s tbe ,·ie w oi :<tn tesmeu in m o nu.rch1es, and lik e w ise of such theo ris 1e as Tho1Qa.e Carlyle nud mcn o f great ability belonglng to bi s sc hoo l Froude, Ru skin, and othera. The trend of n)oclu rn his to ry 1s ngnin at t_htim, it seem s to th e m t o bu a fal se n eceeto be retmced alter manifold Jm,·e developed. But progrese of narnml science, ami th e con eeq uent a p¡>li ca ti o n oí itsdisco,·e ri ee t o m echnnH' in,·en1iou s which &we la!Jor In t.h e directio n o mere drudgery , and turn it tDward directiva th e11<.-qmreme11 t.oj kn ow ledge, is a n underlymg motive powerwhicb w o rks 1rre;1 slllbl¡· toward d emocmcv.

When t te ol' int!u s.t ry in a co mmnuity (as in Asia ) is only S cents a dn,· íor eac h mha >1tant t there 1s no reasouable demalr.d for d emocmcy. It is a polifü:al diseaee and must be su ppreseed. Nor has i ta time íullr comeeYe n wh e n tbe mumal production oí a g:;pte luU:I reachcd on l y lOore \·en 20 c..-e1lt8 n day pe r inhnbitant. oiª 20 ':1 1 0 11 tl1e part o í the m asees t o create íor th emselves by in diviil ua\ effort tbe

inatitutions¡ U1 e coll ectio n nnd •

The printed {>8jJC oí boo k nn<I periodic:al is diffm!ed widely and more wi d eb• and lh e l'O nsequence l8 a C:O:p le at ech opl tbrOl;ph li fe. lf the e lemen tary 8Choo\ but

1lic higher vocnbularies u.sed ,!li poets and the literary c lRES, and t o human 111n ong ci vilizOO nati ons n ncf constnnt stim ulati on towanl tfi e cu lture tha¡ comes o[ the mtU!te r y of boóks. H ence, too, t here ia progresa in sclf-dir.ccth-e po wer aml a l'O nse<¡ue nt impati cnce of ' clirccti o n in minute details fro m a 111aate r who requires

will increaec, and local se lf·go\•e rnm en t will become w1iver@8 l and rcnm m so.

. can we th e attainment of tbi s normnlly dem oomtic co n d1t1on of soo iety in Porto Ri col So far ass cbool education Roa politit al ure con ce l'n ed we bn.ve to choose bctweeu two thiugs-a rup td progrcss of thé scbools and in crease in their efliciency as a menn s of elernting the eon dition of th e people, and t11e theor eticil of local se lf-government in a li bhe detnils of political life. State a1d .und State control are the nnturnl r eco m·se of all communiti es wb ere there is no urgent necd of rnpidly rai s ing tbe g euem l leve] of . edu ca· 11011 ¡md intcllige nce orof assimilntin¡¡ large foreign populations. V{e note from the report of the Commiss wn e r of Educntion, just quoted, thnt "a policy of centmlized co ntrol ha s be en ndopted in tbe !ive divi•1o ns of Australia, neccss itnted by the co ndition s of newly se ttl ed ' ('O untries, ente rpris ing, nmbitious, and impatient of tbe s low development of natmul :fo r ces." ' lt is nlso wo rtby of remnrk tbat in onr w·estern States and in tbe Cnnndinn Provin ces, wb ere there bn s been felt to be nn impe rntiv e <[e mnnd for the rapid nnd eflicient in stmction of ali the people in order I

EDUCAT I ON IN PORTO RICO.

At the prese nt tim e the tns ula r gover nm ent pay a approximntely U tow nrd th c s upport o f tb e scbools for ever y doUar paid by the municipaliti es , anc'l tbi s money co mes from the customs and in ternnl rev.en ue of th c island . A single s pecia l !ax for the excl usi ve use of school s bns bcc n levied, as be for e méaltioned.

.

Porto Ri co is

lcs- tbe educnt1on of

social

two

des

of out

ed

ent

tb1tt in Po'r to Ri co wo have not 11 . . eve u nnd er the li be rál frunchise at l?rese nt grnnted in th e wh ere but a s ma ll pcr ce nt of th e total population is qunhfi cd to vote. In & n Jtmn , whcre tb e pe r cc ntage of illitemcy is as low m. an .y other p111·t of th e 1s la nd, and mucb s mall cr 111 th e mter10r .d 1str1 c ta, nnd wb ere th e re i s n. g rentet· Co nce ntrnti on of than m .th e oo un try aud smnll er muni c ipa liti es, out of a total oí oYer 32,000 but 2,250, or approximately 7 per ce nt . we rn q unlifi ed to vo te at th e rece nt muni Cipnl e lec tion.

Therefor el if educational administmtion wer e left .e nti r c lv to th c juntas 1t "'.ould not be left t o tb e people at larg-e . SchOÓls would be udonm s t cr ed by u s mull nunonty . Th1 s minority is. not >mpe ll ed by any motive of se lf- m teres t to exert its elf in favor of uni ve rsal. Hnbitnnd rn cinl nnd soc inl prejudices nrc co ntrnrr to their so domg. In man y cases they po s ib ly see in tb e edu cutioi1 of tb e mnsses a clnnger tbat threnten s th eiJ· own politica l and econom1 c s uprcmac,y'. 1t fa .thi llls t fn c t, w e be lie ve, more thn n nn y thut ex phun 5 th e f ilure of l oca l nutonom y in sc hoo l adm ini stmtlon 1u th e past. ·

. Th e se ntim en tof thc cla. s .i n Porto Hi co not to be gutherccl füom t he s tatemcnts of 1ts more hbc rul progrCi'S 1vc nnd far- s igbtcd T hc ren ll y e tfectiv-e intlue nce , 1 o nc tbn.t cmi'ies ro the pmc' tt ?n l s id o of sc hoo l is th c ¡m&:; h•e or npnthy, • 0 1 ncg lrc t that c bamctc r1 zes th e local sc hool bQd1 es. Wh e r e ve r nnv . e link in th e chnin of ncts ncce ·snry to op en and s upport sc hoo l und r the co ntrol of o. Jocn l hoarcl , th ll,sc hool is more or Je,,,¡ of. 11 fn1lur c. 1f tbo boa 1·d s upf>1i es buildings, tb c build in gs ure not nn d nre not rencly. o n. tim e; if it th e ten chers , politicul np11n os 1ty lo cal pr e1ucl1c es lcad to no nn.ppointm cnt, fr equ ent • p oo r ' whcn tbe sc boo l is oponed: If the mur11 c1.1:>n hty .1 s to furn itu re, .,..n d nre fo¡¡thcoming ., . Fº nss nr o th o ope nmg of pubh c sChoo ls o n tuu r, " 11th pro pcr fñc1 ht1 cs, mu s.t be s upportcd and contr oll ed by fi ce nt111l d?Pª ' "m ont direct ly t o th e go,, cr no1· him se lf. . Ass ummg mp1d raisu(g of th e p eo p lc of ]'orto Ui co to an 111 te ll.cc tun l and soo 1n.I s tandard , creuting t he denurnd for democrnc\· tb11t 18 tb c o nl .l'. ¡ruam ntee of s ucce ·•,ns indicatcd in the quotntio'n frorn Dr. Hnrr1 s s rcpo rt, req mres the inter vo ntion o f the in s ular go,·e rnm ent to ami dir cc t th e p u bli c 6c bools, th e question ar1 ses. HQw ca n tb1 s mos t readil y be 1 .

We s ugges t that nfter tbe prese nt cconomi c ycar so far ns ¡m1cticab le th e sc bool syste m be s upported by tnxe. levi ed spec i.fi ca ly fo r tbis pu1¡oose. Tbougb revennc so de ri ved does not possess th c ndvantugo o! <ic ing dete rmin ed to tbe dallar und ce nt beforebuod, a. is the case . wh cn appropriatio ns u.re as ide from tbe co ll ec tiv e reve nuea, it cnlls th e attention of the p ep p le to tbe fact tbat th ey are paying !axes to >t1ppo rt tbciJ· sc b09l s,' and cr cates a so nso of pu bli c interest in tbem 11 n\l of r espo1is ibili ty ÍQ)' th eir maintena1,1co tbat it is des imble to enco umge . · · W e wou ld r ecomm end, ul so, fo r tb c sa me rea són , that tb esQ specifi c htxcs be tbose tbat ore collected most directl y from tb e peo ple tbem;c lv es . W e would r ecbmm end '. tbnt tbi s mon ey be 80 appr"/riated as to provide for the co mpl ete s uppart of certn\n sc bo ols, an tJmt any 111 oncy rai sed by th e. muni cipalities be use d e it:b er to s upport se parata sc hoo ls or be in cono ection with th e ios ulnr upp1"11priation .o ns to lengthc n tb o.tim e sc bools are open or to meren.se tb e mnge of , ubj cc ts ano nccommodatio ns in th c sume. Th e prin cip le s ho uld be tlmt tb e in su lar nuthoriti es s bould not bnve to depcnd upoo tb c 111unici p11 liti es in an y way to scc ure th e prompt opcni ng of sp bools und tbeir propet· provision with b ouses, f w ·niture, nnd s uppli es.

As soon 118 poss ibl e tb e p er ce nt of t be total loco.! and go nct'R I r evenuc of the isla nd devote d to edu cation s hould be mude to approximate thut in t ho Th e cos t of publi c in stru ction is incrcns ing the wor ld OVOJ'. Tb·e pe r cent of th c totsl •:e venu e of e very gov e rn11! ent de l'oted to tlie mam te nnnce of 1ts publi c sc boo ls grows largor cvery ,rc¡l1' :' If we were to es tnb li s h tb e pe r cent of the Un ited Stutes io lliOO ,' nnd to maintnin ·it for te n yca rs , tll c lntter co untr y would be far nhcad of us in tbe proporti o n of its r eve nu e devoted . to tlfe public <c ho ols by t)l e e nd of dec ud e. · \V e beli e \•e, furtl1 e r , thut tb e r es ul t of s ucli eJ<pe nditure would ' he in th e e nd to eco no mizo in e xp enses fo r poli ce, co urt.s , and pnbli c ehn riti es. For exnmple, th e city of Sa n Juan, \vitb u population of 01 ' c r 32,000, · 22 teuc he r s and pnys $30,420 fo r schoo ls. In nd<l ition to tb c ms uhu· pt1id for by th e ce ntl'lll govem111e nt , Sun .f uun 82 nmn w1pal po hce men nt an expen se of $25,570 un11u11lly Th e c ity of...L imn, Ohio , with pcopl e, e mpl oys 88 tcnc her s a nd spe nd s $50, 000 per a11num on its publi c sc hools, and but H- poli cc me n nt nn nn nu nl expen se of but '11 , 15 9, 57.

Th c city of A.l' ec ibo employ s -!5 policemen in addition to th c in ular po lice, a11d 7 tencherd, in th e city prope r. H e r C'-.--pe nso for schools is ahout$7,000 forpoli cc ove r ií\10,000. In 11 tow n in J\!Io in e of t hesam e po pulntion 25 tenchc rs "'º e mployed nnd tb e school s co•t 12, 000, nnd lmt 3 policcme n ar e employed nnd thc po lice force costs $1,200.,

In tbe ,;illage o f Ju an Diaz tb ru·e nr e emp loyed 10 polí ce mcn nnd 3 ll'nche rs . ln D icki nso n, N. Dn.k., n. tow n of o.bout th e sn me popu lation, 8 teac bers nnd 1 poli cermrn are empl oycd. ,

Tnylor , Tex., em pl oys 18 teuche r s nt un expense of iii l 2,000 for its '" bab is p e r annum,¡, whil e it en¡plo ys but 1 policemnn , nnd its poli ce dcpnrtm ent cos ts l!>l ,000. Humncao, a of nbout tb e smn e s ize, 1

EDUCATJON IN PORTO RIOO.

hlllploy s 7 tenchers nnd 12 poli oe me n. Whil o in twenPy-five repre se nt ntive towns of diffcl'e nt pnrti:; of tlie Union there is not nn in s tnnce in tb_e expe nditure for poli cc is more thnn 60 per cent of tbat for pubhc school s, und tb e nrnrnge e iq>enditure fo poli ce is about 20 pe ce_nt of tbat fo1· publi c sc bools, twent):- fiy e municipaliti es of Porto !-lJCo, of eq !-lal a\•erngc populat1on , tbe number of police emp loycd is nenrl y tw1ce tb e number of tenc h e rs, nnd the munic ipal oxpenditure fo1· poli ce i• npproximately twice tbe municipal approprintion '1or · scho o ls. . ·

In th eso es tinmtca we lenve out of ncco unt the fac t thnt tbere iS n bod.y of in s ular po li cc , pu.id from the genero.i\ revenu es , nt an annuul of Th e of iu s ulnr nblice emp lo:¡o _ed , includ mg oflice r s , 1s nbout two-th1rds tb e number of tench e r s. Th c in s ulu r approprintion for lh e s upport of ·tbi.s bod y nlonc is more than one-hnlf . the ins ular nppropriation for p¡iblic sc hool s, including text-books &eco ndn..ry educntio n,. ndministrntioa nnd s upervision, nnd co mm on: school tenc he rs' salm·1es.

Anothp r phn se of tb e ooonomi c s ide of thc school question which we mi.y di;;cu"" h e r e brie fly is tb e .o urces of wnste in tb e sc hool sy• t em ns ut pre.•e ot admini ste r e d . Spnin d e rived a larger rev e nuo from Porto Ri co thnn Grent Britain does fro m .Jnmni cu. She ilevoted nenrly th e p o_r cent of ho1· r eve!1u es t o public A much )1tr1ter proporti o n of th e p o¡iulation of Porto Ri co 1 of Etuopenñ e xtmc trnn in .Br iti•h is nnd. per ce nt of th e people of Po rto Ri co are ilh te rntc, nnd but.54 p e r cen t of th e p eopl e of Jamaica. In tbe nttcr how ever, no nccount is tak e n of vnrious privnte ndowm ue .to the "phihintlu·opy thnt hns animnted . the peopl e ·of t e moth e r co untry nnd tbe wcalthi e r r es i\i n ts of th c co lony, a s1i irit · sec ms to hnv e hcc n almos t c ntire ly nbso nt in th e rol e r s of Porto fü co . Howernr, th e cost of enc b pupil e nroll e d in tb e publi c sc hools o{ thi s is lnnd the lnst y enr of th e Spanish rule was $9.90 while th e · cost p or pupil e nrolled ln Jamai ca wns$-!.10 4pproximntely, less tbun hnlf thnt"llmount. Th o sc hools hav ecos t more p e rpupil in Porto Ri co thnn th ey h1w e in thoStnteof llfainco r tbe tnte of l\11 sso uri although in th e s tati stics of th e Am e ri ca n commonw en. ltb s nre in ciuded tb c e xpe ns irn publi c-school $yst e m s of tb e ir largo r c ities . The cost pe1· r,upil c nroll e d the prese nt ye.ar in Porto Ri co is 58 ce nts bigb er thnn , · t h e avemge cos t in thc United Stntes, d espite ·tb e facttbat 31 per ce nt of American schoo l population is in cities of ov e r 8,000 inbabitnn ts a r e highly orgnnized and expensive s y stem s of 1n s truc ti o n.

Th e writer of thi s r eport wns at one time ' principal of a sch ool in • New :Ul'!', Minn . , ·ollment for 1898 is reportcd ns 1,100. In _th!-8 mty 1s an e fli cie nt gmded sc hools . iu proper bmldmgs, wh1ch were e r ected a nd by th e town, a puhli c prepn rrng for tb e Stnte Umver 1ty, witb laborntories nnd !1 b mnes , a nd !'mong th e e xpe nclitures fo 1 ' publi c schools mu s t be m c lud ed a co d1ndcrnble amount for henting nud the s pec in l jnnitor se n· ioo n ecessnry ov nccount of tbe northern c lim nte . The total aununl ex p e nditure fo r tbis syste rn of sc hools was $13 000 United Stntes c ur roncy. The c ity of San Juan, though mu c b \nrger thnn New Ulm. I,100 e xactly the sam e number ns th e former pince , e nrollad m 1ts sc hools. Tb e numbe r of I?U]lil S per teacher is grenter tbijn in t ho l\1inn eso tn c ity. Th cy are m imper.fectl,y li ghted nnd

EDlJCATION

• n•ntilnteJ building , with clefcc ti\·o snt1itm;y conve ni coces nnd wi.th<;mt P.1:opm· sc h?O l furnitur e . Th 9re i::i no' se.co ndnry in ::itrn ctio n ollcred.. lh e e ff ec t1v enes.'!i of the sc.hoo l &ys tem 1s, upon lL co nsen ·nth·e es tmtnte, not 50 po r ce ut of the one in tb e Stntc'i. nnd y e t the n111ou nt for E11luri es nlone ii:; within $2,iOO of the e ntlre cost of the Mrnn esotn sy •tc m, nnd the total expencliture is il30 !20 or $1 i ,.J20 more thnn in rase o f th e Ame ri ca n sc hoo li:t. It is lhn.t in , an where :;c hool facilities nr e so de fec tive, nnd the wealthprocl uc mg power of tb e as lo w ns in Porto Rico , fnct s like tb eso 1ll't' worthy of se riou s C'O n8id e mtion.

Thc following group of \"i e w• is j;nken in th e g md ed sch oo ls of 811 11 .Jn:rn Pu e rt.a. de 'fi e.rrn, it.s ¡;;< ·hooli:; -<>c·cupy rented huil dmgs. Sr hop l furmtur c nnd eqmpm ent is mu ch Euper ior t-0 tbat of un\· other town iu t be is land.

\riint are so m e of th e r enso ns for th e high pe r c1tpitn e>.1>e nditure in Pu1to Ri co 1 ·

Lu c k of propc r buiÍdings W c bcliern tbnt in tb e es timntes of :'(·hool e..xpe nditure in tb e Stn tes th e inte rest U}\On fund . irn' es ted in a !>í'l'lmment plnnt .i s not inc-lud ed . Tb e of this is.Jnnd Wl'l'C nctun ll y paymg f o r r e nt of sc hoo l hbnses 111 use 111 the mo nth of Or«e mbe..-, (8!19 , $3!1,368.!7. \Yith th c 11d<l.ltio!1al sch oo ls that will be opL•11 ed dunng the pre:se nt year in 0 1·cler to pro ,·i<l e roonl8 for nll the !thut t·ttn be t: inpl oy ed un<l e r t.h.e appropriation s, an of npprox1mntel,v $50,000 mil l>e nere"811 r y.' This is 5 per l'<' nt upon o ran 11n·estment of over $1 , 600 for each one of th c 620 tenchers prodded fo r in o ur prese nt cst imn te .

T he town schoo l build;ng in th e U nited Stutcs l S lii872. Ihe most s uperli c ml gla nce nt th e damp ilJ ve ntilated , ill ncl.a pte d, co nfin ed qunrte rs th o llve m gc P o rto sc hool \\' ill t·on vrnce u. person thnt th ey so fnr as prnctical uti1ity is co ncc níeq, but a s runll fra c tion ot' th e value ns a prO\•is ion for education of th t' ave rage building in th e Stnt es . F or schoo l bu ildin gs we 'r e paymg foar o r li ve tim es, as much ns is puid by tbe Amei:ica. ns. H owever , in ndditiod to this we must take into considemtiou tbe fnct tbnt in th e rented school s aro opeoed late and irregutbey are s ubject to co ns tnnt cs.Pecinlly where , ns 111. mnuy in s tnn ces, th e c redit of th e muni cipnlity 1s poor; and pro¡m cto1·.s pre f e r nhnos t uny other te nnnt thnt can be sec urod , Au t1pprec1nble pnrt of the tenche r 's time nnc)· e n e rgy goes to miste io nttcmpting to give in struction in improyer quarters, wb c r e on rniny s huttors mu s t be c lo secl and sess 10n s di scontinu ed , whe r e th e pup 1l s can not be clnss ifi"4 111.1d lfl"OUJled. methodi cnll y ·nnd in s uch n 1ray as to nllow n propc r d 1s tnbuti o n o f tun e nncl offort .

A b_uilding owned by th 9 municipnlity g ives the sc hool a s tat us in thc mmds of tb e peopl e, mnk es it n fa c tor in the locnl publi o lite thnt 1t t1l n ne v er be wb en it from o ne to. nnothet' nnd hns noJ e rmanont loca l hnh1tnt1on. It would be 10teres t10g to deter min e, · it co uld be with accuracy, bow grcat nn inttu e nce in soc uring finnn c inl nnd moml s upport fo r sc hools is tb e fact that · thc schoo l is nssoc iated in the min ds of tb e mnture generation wi.tb ec rtnin buildin gs and s urroundin gs of th e ir yo nth . Se ntim e nt of locn lity ndds much to th e strengtb with whi c h the p ubli c' school. takes hold of tho hen rt of th e community.

littl e c hildre n ca n n o t do seat work or sil c nt s tud y beca u se th ey are on long ben c hes without des ks, we find eleme nttt of WRJoJt e 111 sc hool wor}t\tbe.t go fnr to nccoun t for th e uu sati sfa c tory r cs ul ts at pre.<;e nt. ·

T o tb ese of lL pedagogic c ha m c ter s houJd be added anoth c r of no mean ünportnn ce , is , tb11t tb e health nnd vitnlity of th e co ming gen mti o n is se ri o us lv iitfeded by th c .unf1worabl o pby sicnl env iro nm ent und er wh icb tb e chfldren work in schoo l.

Anotl¡er so urce of bi g b e xpenditu re is th e e mploy m e nt of poorly qunlifi od t onc be r s at snlnri es cou s ide rably grnate r tbnn thoso paid in th o States . Th e o.v e rnao snlury of tenchorH and prin c ipul s in country cb ools nnd town sc hoot of th e Union is i\21 7. In Jamaica tb e .nlau {> f th e muj o ri t y of te11c h e rs nppenrs to be but $160 per nnnum, ri ses in ex copti o nal in s tnnces to $315 Th c average s"hu·y pu id to ali t eac bet·• and prin c ipals in P o rto Ri oo tb e prese nt year is **3 5 and ho use re nt; nnd y e t th e qualifica tion :;. be re, if we take into c on ide m tion tb e whol e tencbin g for ce , are mu c b lowe r thnn in eitb e r of. tb e other countries me ntion ed . Th e amount of ré turn s for tlic mo ney paid is th e di sc iplin e is poore r, tb e work more un sy stlo:· mnti c, and th e me tbods of in stru c tion nntiquate d . Of course in this s tntem e nt w e s peak of tb e t enc hin g c lnss ns lL whole , not of tbe e xcep· ti o ns to be fouud in tbe large r town s und more importnnt school s 1 In rés um é, we would r ccomm e nd tbat ce rtnin g e ne rnl tnxes le vi ed s p ec ifica Hy for th e s upport of th e school s ; that th e in s ular gover11me nt e r ec tand eq uip publi csc bool bnilding• , beginning \vith tb e h ecuuse tb e prope r s ite s for rural sc hool bnildings can uot be d e ter min cd until pe rmnn e nt hi g hwnys nrc con stru cted througbout th e is lnn B1and th e d e ,•e lopeme nt of an · e fti c ic nt sy stem of country sc hools aun ·' ruml sc hóo ls is imposs ibl e until wo have a larger body of co mpetent nati vo tcachers; and third, thn.t imm edin.te provi s ion be mad e fOr th e t mini ng of t eacbers tbroug lio ut th e i land in schools wh e r e !Jiey wiJJ sec in practica l operation the mothods of in stru ction o.nd orgnnizutiou_prevu ilin g in tit e b os t sc hoo ls of tb c S tntes Su c h tmining scbool s must b e for th e pre.<;e nt unde r t ea che r s and ali s houla·giv o in t ru e· ti o n in E ng li & -h ; or, n is be ing don e at prese nt in Pon co ri nd S an Juan, th ey s hould h1w e nll th oir courses in Engli s b . It woul d 11 ot be a d"" it"l\bl c tbin g to import t ea c b e r s from th e Stntes for t hc oo mm o n school s of P o rto Ri co. lt bns bee & s uggcsted tha t tb e presc nt unifo1:m school y enr .of dnv s, 55 days mo re tlmn th c ave rage schoo l yeu.r m th e country d1 s tr1 ct.s nnd town s o f th e Stn tes , • ho uld b e d ec r eascd in th e ruml dis tri cts an d more sch oo ls for tb e co untr y c bildr c n estnllli s be d. Of coursc . th JS lo nge r se b oo l y ea r is on e fa ctor in mi s in g th e per capitn cos t of in s trµ c· ti o n in P<;>rto Ri co . . ·It will b e se e n by r e fer e nce to th e sccr etnry ' s r eport. tbat "ambuln·

EDUOA!l'ION IN P ORTO RICO. 51

tory , or itinemnt sc hools we r c common tb c first balf of tbe ce ntury we r e " compl e tely di sc redited " on nccountof the poor r esults th ey gave. · of the teache rd in Porto Rico u.re married ami ha ve fnmili es nncl th e teac hin g populetion <loes not lX>!<Sess th o srun e mo bility that it cloc• in th e States . Th er e is nn ov e rsupply of tciwhers in so rn e di s. at th e time, 'Yhile ou o dis tnc t r e ports tw oh •e school s not o¡>c n becnuse qm•hfi ed cnnd1dates to occ upy th e m .can no t be found, yet it i; imposs ibl e to g e t th e teuch e rs in th o ove r c ro wded di s tri c t s to lea\•e ·th cir own ne ig hborhood ÍU ord er to scc m·e nss ured pos ition s e ki c wh cre. Thi 8 conclition would hu.ve its intlu e nce upon th e s ucccss of ri'ny dys tem of itin e mnt sc hoo ls t hat might be es tnbli s bcd. 1lo we ver, we mnk e. IL ftu·the r recommendnti o n tbut a fiv e mo nths' ..·hool y cnr be autborize d for ruml sc hoo l•, nnd tbe pr ese nt numbe r of rnml scbool s be doubled. Thi s co uld be don e with n ver y • li<>bt tn crcase in th e pres upu est-0. R eadin g in tbe Spani h language 1is ca tm1 g bt th an it is in En'g li s h, and ti\'O month s of etfcct ivc woi·k und cr proper co ndition s, nt IL tim e of th o yenr wh on r\lin s worc leadt fr oqu e nt 111u.I nttc ndnn ce could be mos t reg ulnr, mi g ht gh'e th e children SLLlti<' icnt knowl e d_ge of r e1tding- 1rnd in th oir mo tl\or tangu e and of t hc simpl e · prmripl es o f c tpb e ring to be of great pmcti c1tl be notit to · t hc 111 in the ir u.fter life.

lt mus t be rem e mb e r ed, howe ve r , th11t th e disndvunbtges of ll • hort te rm are mu c h g r eutc r in P o r to Ri co tima th ey are in th e Sta tes. Tbe Am eri ca n pupil s pend s bis vucnti o n in a hom e wh e re th e re at·e bo oks an d J?aper s He is cOñstnn t ly" thro wn in contnc t witb reuding mntter und 1s nssoc iuted with pe ople who r ene\ ·1md wri te. Th e Porto Ri ca n ou ntry c bjJd g oes h ome to a .hut o r wi g wtim . fl e sees no book o r pnpcr or pu go of nn y n.o for writing 1mcl f c w oc'Ca.81on s to expresa hun se l f rn writrng . The re 1s du.ngcr thnt dt1t iiig u lon g vacat:i o n h e will relupse, so fnr ns b j¡¡ litc rarr educa tion is in to tb e sa mc co nditi o n o f mental blonku css m vhi ch he '1"11 • nt th e bcgiñning .of th e previou• sc hoÚIJlti c ye ar .. \Vb do no tadvhm nn y attemptatEn g li s b im;tn1 ction in rnml sc hoo ls , cxcopt fo r o ld e r l; upil • ancl wh or e tench ers hav o a co mpcte nt knowl odgc of thnt lau g uage . In • t r uctio n in Engli s b in rm11 l sc bool s is no w a >o urce of wns te. A s condu ut e d by tlrn tea cb e rs with o ut a kn ciwl edge oí tit e lnugunge, it ac hi eves no prác ti oal res ults nnd hns no edu ca tional m ine . Th c rural soh oo ls , lik e th e c le me ntnr y scb ool s of India , 01us t , us ll rul e, for aom etim e to co mo be schools o f th e \re rnn cula r. . l• th e is land ju's tifi ocl in us king for fed e ral nid for e du cnti o n ¡ , Thi s '" 11 qu estion that cun b e cli sc ussed fro m severa! s tandp,oin ts . Will Fc duml aid pny 1 W o he li ove thn t it ultimate ly wiJJ in lessening tb e expe nses of adminis trnt io n. in jn creas ing tbc pr odu cin g ca pnc ity of lh o pco pl e, nnd in edu cntiil g fr o m th e high c r ola s.es of l'ortq Ui C11ns a 1.:o nune rui nl nncl indu dtrinl cln ss thut, migrat ing rmturally fr om th e orn rpo pulntc d i s land t o th o So uth ;\Jn e n can countri es, will o p e n mnr kcts fo r o ur manufn ctu_1·es und fi eldli of in ves tm e nt for our cupital. F o1· th e fi scal ye ur c ndin g Jun e 31 , rnoo, th e Unite d Stntes 11ppro'pl"Íated for th o s upport and cdu cati o n of som o 40 ,000 or 50,000 Jndinn «hil d re n ut a mos t li be ral cs timu te , $ 2, 92 91810.5-!. l\1ay no t tb e 21JO,OOO or 300, 000 child re n wh o 11r e gro";ing up in P o rto Ri co without nn y schoo l fa ciliti es whate ve r, to-be a charge upon th o in s ulnr andf cdcrnl Govevum e nt, as k with justi ce tbut its bounteo us hnnd be

EDUOATION IN PORTO m r,o . stf tc b ed forth to nid them in h&omin g politi cn lly i>nd economically

Educntion is not n pnnn<·on. nnd Fcde¡;¡¡,l,.¡lid would need ro be qx pe nd ed und e r th e wi se::i t nnd mos t judicious c9ntrol nnd in acoord- • nn ce with me th odzs lcn rn ed from our experiruce in the po s t witb th Inclinn s. nnd with th e ncgroes of the Soutb . . Tbe ig nornnt clnsses 111·0 sel f-i' 11ppo 1ting. ""e quotc from th e li"t sc hool ropü rt of Virg1nm:

From th c f!tatistics fu n 1ished this omce by Col. the llble nnd nndit o r o f ¡mb licm::counts, it_ie t.o&ty the JU>groes o f V,ir· ginia. cost th e 8'1nt c onmmlly abou t lull f a 1mlho 11 doUars 111 cxeCllS of the ent1ro runonnt of tax: ee pnid into th e t-rerurury by th em. \

1 Evidentlr thc kind of ed ucnfion furuisbed fhe neg roes is not the kind to be furni hed th e nt pre•e nt illitomto cln&;es of Porto Ri co. Tho pro b lc m here howcYcr, not complicnted b)• Lhnt. cxceas i\re T?Ce pre judi co thut exc lude s tbe colored children not from nssocintwn \yith white C'hildren n pupils, hut. e Ye n from receiYinJ? th e bene6t of 'fhite in stru ct io n. The r n more n mixtm:e of rnccs, nnd the blnck 111 rc is rin the minodtv . Howc,·e l', indu s trittl is wbnt is needcd The three tmiuing of the hnnd s, nncl training in thrift nud other phnse" of sc lf-eontrol " hould ue the e nd townrcl .rbicb l!'ederu l nid sbou ld look. · : In co111p1tring n!!'!lin tbe nC¡l"ro CR of th c South witb th e Porro l{icnn penso.ntry, it mn t: t' be hornc tn mind thnt th e r e aro broad left out of nc<•ount, but sti ll the s imiJnrity of co ndition s is grcat cnough ro render th o following cxt111c ts from the r cpo rt of Superintendent Soutball, of Virginia, vulunhle: · menial pursnit¡;: in which the ir_ parente engngod, and in whi ch, ftc?m the of thin8'8 they mn st nlso engnge 1f they nre to work nt ull , lhey 13'.rav1tate to the c1t1 ce, nn d 111 1 many in1:1tl\11(-cs l>ecome Yngnbondaund criminn lP Therc.is something rnditfllly w:roug a1?0ut syat.c m o f \>u.bli c educnti on that does not_ele\•ate th<: etandar1d o! citizcn ah1pi....ancl mc.rease the hvmg power oí tb oee educated Ul tbe pubhc echoole Jn the hght oí prceent il,líonnnti on it múst be conícAsed thd.t tbe negroee oí th e South are not makmg 1meh prygrcse in moral and material de\•clopm e nt 8f the cntes o r public educntion had hopod. The fnct ie, our conunon echoola are not gh•mg b:k knowlcdgc thnt tcncla to cducate him out.oí his e nvironment rolher than to n1J );¡m in making an honest th•ing, and becom.ing a good nnd profitable eervant o f the Stnte. The cducntion tlmt we aro giving thc negro mnkes him di.BSatiafied \\;th mcninl purauits in which his fathers e ngnged , nnd in which he mu.st unsage if ll! to _ make an hon eet lh·ing nnd bccome a useful member of the commumty in wlu cb hé Thnt this is true muy bo loorncd from astudy of tbc conditiona o f tho mee, n ot on ly i n the South, but nlso in other eectiou s of tite COlllltry.

Fede ral aid scbools, if es tnbl" s hed, w e bcli e ,•e should be under nn • ndminis trntion índependent nn<l sepamte from the ndministmtion of tbe in slllnr sc hool •, one free to nct witbout consulting loen! politicnl pre judices , fr ee to c h oose teacbers, ro estnblisb rul es of sc hool gover nm e nt nnd to plnn coursea of !:!tUdJ indopond· e¡1tly of locnl' iqte rferen ce. Tb e system nlre.ady established for th_e control of lndian scbools offers us a suffic1ent precedent for tb1 work., fr_om the fir •t the ¡>?li cy of subs_id.iziu!l" ohurcb or m1ssionary m st1tutlon s \¡e fo ndnm11stermg fund s we would bnve tbe pr111 c1ple ngnm obsen•ed thnt author1ty norompnnies tbe purs e.

EDUGATION IN PORTO :RIOO.

Advnnccd educntio n co1'td not be attempted in school• nt pre ·ent. Tbern are no cbildren ro receiv e it. Agricultuml colleges aro. out of tbe qu est ion until we hav c good primary scbooli!. As wc ; tntcd before, tb e e lemoats of n common school educution, prnctienl tmining in the mnnunl art.s und !lncl the c reution of habita ol order nnd s.vstc m and tbrift nre the tbrec object8 ro be nttnined.

Th ere is no discipline in the Porro Rica11 scbools ro dn;y, und to secu rc this we must hn.ve Americim teacbers. ÚntiJ the pup1ls 1n·c cclu cnted in ·chool a or homes where they n.re tmhjected to 1:mch clbuip liue i>nd id cus of order n.s we hnv e in tbe Sbites they will not be fit to govern tbemselvcs . ¡

Wo should, th or eforo, recommona thnt if Federal nid be gmnted th c money be expended for schoo ls und c r tb e direc tion of properly. c¡ nnliti ed Americnn tenuhcrs; tbat thcse schoo ls be c r ented a.nd placed in those towns wh o r e th c r e b; n suOfo ie ntly lw·go ' sc hoo l populntion to i;;, upport uc h irn institution from locn.1 utte ndnn ce. 'l'h e p eopl e 9f th o i:-ilnnd nre too poor to send th e ir c hildren awn.y from hom e, n.nd wc \yould not rccommL•nd 11 i:¡y::;tem of bonrd-ing1 tiChools u.t tbe prcsC' nt time when the _ n ced of in str uc tion itse.lf is so nnd urgcnt, '"ro rcqtdro thc usé of ali fund s urnilable.

To cnc b school therc should be nttnch e d nn indu s trinl depn1:tmcnt, and possibly a s d1ool s nving¡o; bnnk; nnd, ns high e r gmde:; wor e e1:1 tub · li];l;IH'd, commercinJ co uriles . The in struction sbo uld he fro111 the kindcrgn rten ro tbo bigh schoo l if th e rc we re one- in ,Enulish, from Englisb t e xt-hooks und under Engli s h- peuking IJ.·he money might be exp ended under th o co ntrdl of a co nuuission or of a t'Ommi s ion cr of cducu ºon, who s hould a.lso uct ns s uperintendent of tb e insulnr sc hools u 1de1· the n uth o rity of the Bureau of Educa-. tion ut s bould rcce ivc tbo advice of tbo in s ular board of eduent10n in q estions reluting ro tbc distribution of effo rt differ e nt pnrt.s of \tbo islnud , nnd in thc se lection · of s ites and in the,jlljtllblislmlent of sebools.

·w e would recomm ond', furth or, tbnt so far llS tbe relutión of tbe in uldr s upe rintcnd ént to nny bonrd or co mrni ss ion is concerned, that be defüied in mu ch tho 5"1110 w1w us rccommertded by t he educa1.:ationlll oommission of the city of C hi cago, n body wbich 1·eprescnts tbo vcry best exporience of the Stutc8 in so hool udmini s tmti o n .

The following 1:.1cctio n , ns determining tbe rclation of th c :;Üperinte nd e nt ro the bonrd. ure quoted from the recomm e ndations of this eo mmission: ·

tX:. l. (b) That he havt! the general cho.rge a.nd aupervision o f the t-mchers and

with tbe 888istan t the super· viso rs, nnd the principale, the determinntion oí tho couree o f etudy, thc ch o ice of tcxt.·books and appamtus uaed in teac hing in Uie scboola, within die a¡Jpropriation of the board, and subject to diSRpproval by a u111.jority vote of nll t ie members thereof not later than the accond meeting after the report is made thereto; " '

nnt ho rize, promote or reduce teachers a.nd flx their ealnries under the schedule )ltO· vided, and diamise under the rules any appointees named in tbis eection: l101rttu, That ali ench appoil:!_tment.e, promotiom1, compcnstttion.a, and ehall be reportad to the board. aud ahall ato.ud ae final, u.olees disapproved by a majority vote of all tbo members tbereof not later Uian the eecond meeting after tbe report ia made thereto: furtlltr, That none of theeo appointmenta be made an1 l no tone.he r be promoted until aftcr examinatlon and approval by an examining bonrd h ereirut fter provided for;

Th c chlcngo cmm :1i ss ion further rccommcnds the emp loyment of n nmnnger. Should thc in s ular govcrnmcnt dm·ote n lnr crc s um to the eo n¡;¡tru et ion 'Of sc hool hui1dings nnd the purchn o of s uP· nnd furniture thc ycnr, i:; uch nn oflic e r would be needecl, unl ess tbi s pnrt of tite honrd 's dutics wcre tmn sfc rrcd to the bo11rd of pnblic works. ''°ºc¡uote fro111 tit e rcpo rt of th c com mi sion thc foll dw in g r ecommcndnt1on8:

salnry nnd m eth od of e mpl oy·

Sr:t. 2. That he ahnll n omi nnt e s ubj ec t to the prior npproval of thc boanl 1 nppo int the ard1ilect or ar:chitectr1 o í fM? h OO I builtlinjp'l.and nncl th forc th e constnict1on nucl repmr of au.oh bmldmgs c1ther wholly o r m )>art1 nn<l for the ¡mrcha....qe o f ali !!Up pli es req_uired for th e bonrd and 8Ch oo h!, o r ofticeni nn,d employeea o r tite honrd : Prot•i<lecl , That he mayL '!ith o ut 1mch prior npproval , cxf;>end far repnirs uud 1mppli es u 1mm not to e xceed $:::00 in each cnee. ·

th e . ro nst m ction of ali of thc janitor, c ngin eera, ami oth cr pcrSone who m he shull requiro to assi t him in 'l!tund as final unless disnppro,·etl by a majority vote o r';f¡ the mem bers thcreof not lnt c r tluui th c seco nd meeting n.fte r tho re¡>0rt is mnde thcreto

SEC ó. Tluu ho ehall pe r fo nn nll othc r e xecuth-e duti es relating to tb e busi ness o f the bon rd hut no ! subj cct to itti

me

SEC

$F.C.

--, nmning to

rforman ce of t'ie

EDUOATlON IN PO)\TO RICO. 55

do not tnke into eonsidemtton the fnct thnt a tcncher coming from the :itatcs in c urs both for trnvcling nnd ior r es iden ce and board whilc in the· is lnnd much hea , ier thun tbeir owu. lu Japnn the sa lari es of foreign tencher" nre tltree times that of 11ati 1·es As n rule, importcd tcachers nre pnid higher sn lari es in nll co untri es where they dq not bcco me permnnent r es1dents 01· take up 1 tcaclting for s upport whilc mBBtering the lnnguage.

Jn the isolnt1on of nn in ter ior town, without societ.}1 without the to whicb s he is nccll8tomed, without nny co ubwt with t hc outside world, nnd without s upplies nnd fncilitie s foi· tcnching; the lot of the Am e ri ca n teneher is bnrd ind eed. nnd the mere pittnnce of "41) or $50 n month will not co ntinu e to nttrnot to this islnnd for nny IPng t lt of timo those who represent bigh • tnndnrds their pt-ofession. Kor can familiar with both lungwlges uud with n. knowlcdgo of school s upe rvi s ion be secured for $900 n year.

The sa lari es pnid to Am e ri cnn tcnch e rs be renfter shou ld be ·nt least i'üuo, $100 nllow éd for pussnge , for th e 9 or 10 sc hool month s , uml supel'Vbiors' .;a lnri es s hould be not less t¡hnn i!\1,200. lt is ulso thought thnt the English tenohe rs s h oul d be g rouped in ce rtnio centers wh cre good grud ed school s ca n be cstablisbed nndcr their1lxclusil•e chnrge. \\' e bave tricd s id e by s id c in th e is lnud the experiment of th o Amei·icnn •c hool at Ponce nnd th e mod el and tmi ning scbool at Sun .Junn, wbere aU the tenchers nre Americnn s and stud eo ts nre .clnssified in gmdes, nnd the pltLn of inclhridunl t enc hers in the. smnller towus ; Thc American sc hool s, with all co urses give n in Englishl are tinqualiticd s uccesses, des pite th e d isndvnntnge s under whlcb they have luhored . Mnny of th e American tench e r s more farnrnbly situated hnrn done good work in s mnller towns, but of ' the two experimenta the former bns been fnr the more s uccess ful.

not

nppronKI

Po s ibly thc mo t serious " ingl e que tion tbn.t fac es the educntionnl d e ¡>nrtln1 e nt of tb e L• lnnd nt tite pr esent time, ncxt to tbe qnestion of sclioo.l support, is thnt of co mpctent t cncbc rs. Tbe ·pnst bi s tory·of Porto Ri co-tb c fn ct thnt Spnin cxploitcd publie office for the benefil of her owu citize ns-<J xplnm s the jenlousy with wh icb the illnnde rs regard introd uction of offic ial s or tcn chcrs from without. They

Th e chamcte r of tb e instruction in English is unsati sfactory. CoJmtri es that hav e hnd far more e xpe rience than we in tcnching th e ir ln11¡rth1ge to a foreign s penking populntion appreqiute more fuUy the ditli cnlti es nnd nnt1 cipnte leas immedinte results. .A.m e ri&ns nre in clinM to (\Onfuse cond itiou s in Porto Rico with ' those prevailing in fo reign speaking comm uniti es in the United Stnt.es . In our own eo untry the child of the immigrant is nssocintcd _ in bis ph•y and in nU hi s li fe outaide tbe school , exccpt thnt pnrt of ib spcnt in tbe domestic c-ircle, with English s pcak:ing ch ildre u. :¡le is taught by teachci hnvin g 11 pe1 ·fect of thnt lnngunge . He is , so to definit ely committed by h!S r es idence nnct futm·e citizens hip to nn spenking cnreer. 1n Porto Ri oo the child frequently benrs nót a word of Englis h outaide the sc hool. Hi s tcacher hBB on imperfect knowlcdgc of tbe lnn gunge. Th e tcnc hing is mec hanical nnd nrtificinl , limHed to the pnrrot-líke r e pctition of t,be phm scs of the rbnrt or primer. l'ronuncin.t1on is fal se-ofte n unintelligible to nn Am e rican-ttnd, furthcnuor e, the conditio ns nnd of tbe ch ild do not impress him with th e conv iction thnt Engli s h is to be bis evc ry -dny lnngnngo in nftcr life . Afte r n centn ry the problem of tcqcbiug Engli• h to the Dutch childr e n of the Cape of Good Hopó is n se riou& onc. To quotc from the r c port of the s uperintend e ut-geneml of cducntio n of t.be Cape of Good Hope fo r the ycnr 1898:

Out of 50 aelected worde in spelling, 18 rrtudente out. or a class o f SS bad an average of 34 words wrongly epellOO. 1 ln learning fnulty English , moreover, the veruncular cd ucnti on wns I

EDUOATION IN PORTO R! OO . for in Dutch about of the candidatés got no mark s iit •nll.

Another in spector , how eve¡-, r eports from So)1tb .Afri ua: M}· expcf ie nce is thnt the best Dutch pupila nre nt th c eaenc time the best EngliHh - /

Anotb e r repor ts with refe re nce to no.tive c hools: grent obstncle to progress is th e languugc dlfficulty: Th e teacher has · e ofteil. English o nly indifforeutl y, ,whil e hie pupi18 / W thnt in th e tenc he rs' trninin(r .choo ls th e chief diflim1lty in the wo r:c of th csc in s ti t ution s is th e lim1ted kno\.•lcdge of Engli sh possrsscd by th e µupil teuchers wh en th cy begin cours.

An o th e r in specto r rcpo rt. of bis nntiv e pupil t caeh e r s : pupila i n :-ehools o í lenrning C\'e ry t hing lllL'Clurnically by rote. l.t n111•.y be i:o lid parc nth e ticnlly in connect ion w ith thi s 1·cpo rt, tha t ' e len rn from it thatof th eco lored clüJdre n in th cCnpeo f Good Ho pe 70 P.01' ce nt go no flu ·the r tbnn th e :seco nd ycu.r's work, and in sorne di s ti·icts neu rly 82 p c r ce nt of those e nroll ed in ª s ubstauda.rds" o r tb e very lo w es t grade, Co ndition s S'tnnewbat s imilur to um· own.

1 To rettirn to the s uhj ec t of tenchers, it bas ulr cady hee n s t1Lted. "that tb e !iRlaries in P orto Hi co ª''erage much hi g he r thnn in th e States. 1jeacbing here is looked u pon ns n life profess io n by the larger per cent o f those emplo.\' ed in th e sc hools. Thi. bus ndrnntng"" and dis1tdvnntall'es. Th e numbe r of s upe rnnnunted t cncbei·s s till giving in stru ct1011 is ve ry large. Antiqunted ami faulty metjiod s become fix ed long m;e, nnd it is imposs ibl e t., co r rect them. Th ere is a te nd ency to 'loo k ujJon tb c tenoher's position ns creating n. ce rt:ain ofli cinl s tatus," rigbt to s upport by th e Go rn rnm e nt, that is detrim entnl t o good work nnd t e nds to preve nt th e stimul1ttion of co mpetition and profess io nn l rivalry. W e urn inclin ed t o believó, 1tlso, thnt i younger n"1en und wom c11 thun many of thos e now e mployod are not more open to new ideas nnd mod e rn methods, but that th ey iJ;1pnrt " fr es hn css nncl vigo 1 · to schoo l life thnt i. very dcs irabl e. 8nl1tries paid by tb e State are us ually mu ch high e r thnn those pnid · I¡ ' lot11 l nuthorittes. It is easier to ndd to 1tppropriation s from gen-eral fund s "thnn it is to those that are pnid directly by the people for tHe s uppott of an in sti tution in tb e ir own locality Th e tencher .vas "Oo ve rnm e nt-ofllcial und e r th e Spu ni sb hiw, "po li tical pro tégé, Rn<l cQ nscque ntl y WUB well re mun etil ted in th ose mre in s tanc cs in which bis sn lary w.as reguhu·ly p1ticl ..

Th e eco no ru i'c co nditi o n of teachers, ·howeve r, is rilu ch worse ' tHnn thnt of tbose in th e States . It will be much improved, eve n though th e sa lari es were lower tbnn th ey 1u·e at prese nt, provicling they a11e paid regul1IT ly and promptly Howeve r. we would not r cco mmend tlie lowcri ng q_f sa laries in v1e w of th e prcse nt need of rapidl y in c reas . in¡: and imprl>Ving th e tenching dn ss. It <loes seem, Riso, nd visabl e to' pay hnlf salai•ies during vnc11tion to tbose tenohe r • who ar e actunlly in atte ndnn ce during that p e riod upon authorized summer courses, either in this is lancl or in the United $tates . Th e additional vlilue- of the servi ces of the tenche r s who hnv e enjoyo:d thi s advnntage is s ufli cie ntl y gi\eat to justify the expens e.

EOUCATI ON IN PORTO RICO.

As is seen from TnblJ> 2'bf Section V of thi s report, male teachers form 65 per ce nt of th e e ntire number em ployed here and but 36. per ce nt of tb e number e rnployed in the States. In Ontario but 33 pcr ce nt of th e teachers nr c mafos ; in the Cnpe of Good Hope but 38 pcr ce nt. If th e per ce nt of men and wom e n tenche rs were r e vei-.ed 111 Porto Rico the r es ult would be benefirial. Prncti cally ali th e chi lclren nre of un nge and ndvan cem e nt in s tudies wh e re tb ey can be co ntroll ed nnd eclncated s ucceil8 ful.ly by women . Tho mornl inttu ence of wó me n il'J better. Th cy do not smoke in th e sohoo Jroom; their conrcre:ation nnd c xnmpl e is more e le vating in C\·ery way. Pure nts more rend ily trust th eir children to th em.

Th e Sprni s h -A mericn n Pcdngog icn l .Co ngress, aJ1:eady refcrred to in tlnssectton. rccomrll e nds thnt corducati o n be begun 111 tb e low es t grade!i . of º tbe puhli c sc hoo ls of ,pain nnd Spu nish ,Ah1eri<-n. W e bave nltcmptecl to do thi s in Porto Ri co, but it can o nl y be don e 1ru"ccesafully womc n in cbnrge of th e sphoo ls. Not on ly this, but, as. a rule, wonien nltio ha,·e bcttcr discipline nnd ncnter schoo lroom::s.

Tb e grent <"u rse to eduont101¡ in Porto Hi eo is "politi c• . Und er the Sp11 nl • h Go\'Crnment t he tenc he r was frequcrltly a •politicnl ngent of tho Govcrnmont, th é p ro t ég6 of tb e c11c iq1ie or po li tical boss of tho 111u11icipnlity. This fa ct has lefttmditi o ns und c t•• t oms in .th e schools Llmt cn n bUt s lowly in any cu::ie . Th e more cxt ensnr e emp loyment of wom e n will basten th e ir depn r t ure. Jt is cl oubtful , th o ugh , whcther at nny time J>?litics can be · .

Sr hoo l socia l co nd1t1 o ns hern are :POSstb ly not w01'1'3C thu n rn and l!ltlv . T o qu ot e from tlie report of )Ir . Bace lh, mm1 s t er of edu cntio n qf the lntter co untry :

l h1n·e v i.sited village fM• h oo le where, lh e were inMan .a ncien t ¡m lacc th e rooms ex baled an odo r o f eo d e<! lm e n. One teocber s1 pped wm e atl(I lnugbt.' iu patOis ru1 orthogmp h,Y de\•i.eed by his o wn · fancy. Another bUEied him aell in couspinng bis !!Upenors at ali the shope aud croeeroads. dno th er to so dnmk that hia tmpi le had to lead him h ome, while h e continued mean tim e 10 perbrate upon his subhme missio11 M an instructor.

4

W would not ha'"' it in fe rred tbnt tb er e llre man,y in s tllnces wbe1·e s nch conditions as here dc.sc ribed prevuil in Porto Ri co, but th ey are not"e ntirely abse nt. F.iv e s upervisors r eport .teac her s cli !!<'_liarl!'ed for intoxi cnt ion in th e sc hoo lroo m or for wors c co nduc t requu:mg '111Htant Th e tcaching forQe of no co untry is entirely fr ee fro¡n t hose ":tbo. di s bonor their pro.fe ·ion . •

An Italian normal sc hool professo r wri tes, s penking of th e. teachers of mountain hamlets very s iluilar to those of tbi s islnncl : lt. ie n ot to be wondered if, fairl y eettled in their pot!:iti ona, th ey themeelvee to wine aud gambling, and aow t-h e eeed of ·revolution insteaJ of words of peat.'e and IO\'C, Th e r es ult of mpid\y cxto nding partinl ed ucation to th e peop le .of thi • islan<l may be to provid e a fertiln grou nd for p erni cious ªº?'"' lheories. Th e inOu enco of women in the schoo ls may do sqmethmg to pre v-ent ·resu lt. of tbi s so rt that it may r equire rnuch for es ight and prudence e nt ire ly to avoíd.

.

• .

This brings ru; to of th.e mos t asp ects of cducation hei-e that is how can 1t be g1ven an mdustnal chamcter l The old !o rO:s of needlework are being discoumged: They injure tbe eyes and of tbe pupils ,. and take th e tim e of sohder for an nccom fili shment of httl e practica! utility .

of agricu ture weré form erly taught to boys, but thnt

EDUCATION IN PORTO RICQ.

$eoms

be no doubt that in u echool wh ere the e i ldren are unahle to ex-plain th e Himpleet allusions in tl1eir rcndi n g hooks, which thcy hun.i read o , ·er till th ey almoet hiwe by ro te( the N:ie n cc teach. e n cc lo h11Ye to listen llY af te rd uy to much of the so-ca lle<l 8Cient..'e tea hing in ou r jhools:. ·

1 Anoth or. ' Jl eukin g of ugri c u ltum l tcac hin g in the co mmon ac lJJ>ol• b.is di str ict, •

ITh ia failur e is scal"OO ly to be wonclcred nt wh c n nn e beare in mind tlutt the teac h ¡>ernsa l of text·l)()()ks lh ey do not underetand or gra.sp. Tb e h.>ilc h c1'8 hnvc done their best¡ ami thnt is the most tlmt can be sa id in ra,·or o f t it e nttempts ntagticultd.ml teac ti nClmt l hne mct \dth in Juin aicn sc h ools. Any systcrn o f ngriculturoJ h nd .!K)flle co n ree of traimn g; 1tmch m ore is s uch n necesj,\rlrnt is gcnera ll y preaen t ed AA c ultivati o n consists or the o rth odox coll ection or yqin hill s, with hcre and there n fe w sick ly looking cnQbnJroS withont any mentor future prospoot. Pe.rhnps lherc are u fe w oth e r thin jlll, lmt whut is said of tbe cabbageti opplies to them equa ll y. The principal traininK of th e ch il dren 8 a ge¡'3t the idea oí excluding the yam from any future scl1eme o f practica! a¡rricultural re<.>eived to q u estio ns oh prncticnl 11gricu lture nppenr to havc been given from obfreryation nnd expe ri c n ce made ami gained awny from th e sc.b ool@ \A n\I th e snme in s p eo tor say s later, s peaking of text-books: ,: t Jotm of nuutual labor, particu larl ' • wb en p ul on by means oí an e,q ri cul tuñll fo rk , elll)>loyed and u!led iu n workmnnlike mnnner, 11 wo uld be v e ry h elp íul in?amai cn !fhe s lo.rd d c partm e nt o f tb e model une\ tmining sc bool nt S an Juan , h 0¡\veve r, 1s u ruos t pronoun ced u cccss, and th e Por to H.l cn n pupil

s howing nn intcrest nnd nptit

th e

EDUOATlON IN l'ORTO RICO. 59

Ho w¡ivo r a pure ly book ell ucation is not wnntc d bere It may mnke i)('ttc r 'p o lid c ian s than c iti ze ns . In ali (!C bools, no1111nl llC hool s, :llld in s p ec inl in s titution mnnnnl tminmg be gh·en nnd school · •r: ll'dcns s bould be es tn.bli s'hed und e r competent s pecial in s tru c tor , so tlmt t he p eopl e o f th e islnn d may becomc tboroughly imbu ec\ th c irl t'.'u t hnt .hnnd trn.ining i s 1\n cssentinl pn r t · of comp le te ccl u cut 1011 nnd te :u: hc rs muy be prcpu r cd in tim e to extond this in st ru c tion nll the >e hoo ls

. In thi s s ub jiiét,as in English, tb e diffi culti c arn too g r ent to be • u cec,.,; foll y met if our force s n r o St"fl tte r ed. Effort mu st bo concentmtcd li r' t in " few ce n tc r• from which li g ht cn n be p assed from hand to hand t o the re m ote r di s tricts of tbe is lnnd .

Di •c iplin e in m ost of · th e sc hool s is poor. Hnb its of r eg ul ar ity, or dc r . nnd systc m, untuugbt in th e home und not und e r stood or nppre· l' i11ted by thc tencher, nrc. .Th e r e mu s t. bette r s tan.dnrd s of o rd e r in th o school betorc they will p e r form then· full fun ction of tond1i11g th e so lf-co ntrol nnd res¡;>ect for the of others tbnt n1·e th c most esse ntinl el e me nt of civw iu s trn ct ion.

111 ¡)reparing tb e ir r epor ts for tbe to muk e s pec ml m c ntion of the ph ys 1cn l co nd1t1011 of th e c b1lclrc n m th c ll<lhools. So foras cxact dntn na to frro wth nnd ¡ib ys icn l deve lopment are co rtee rn ed, th e r es ul ts of th e 1r ob e 1Tntion s hav e !;'ivcn. us littl c tbat is definite. Tb e ge nem l howeve r . of tb e s 1tuat10.n ni'e 11pparent-tbe c hildre n from tbe of tb e hom es of i• lnnd nr e ill -fed ancl poo l"l y d e ve loped phy s1ca lly as ' compnred w1th llio ·e of no rth e rn climes. Thi s is pnrtl tho res ult of mee nnd h11b1t :t nd pnrtly thc resu lt of pove r ty . '"' ith" t h e r et urn of 'co mm e r c iul nnd ngr ic ultuml prosperity will be better fed and but th cso are r es ul ta wlnch 1t 1s not 111 thc powc1· and o f tcnc her to ecure. I t mny be diflicult t o overco m e c hmnti c nnd mein l s uffi c ie ntl)" to "in terc t tbc yo,uth of the land i_n pbysicnl trafr1i11g, es p ec inlly 111 outdoor spo r t. . Tb ey nr o st1ll s ub¡ ect to t he trnd itio n'l! bnbits brought to thi s co untry fr o m th e Pen111oult1<

A 8pa 111 s b p edngog ica l \Vl"i tcr co nnotes " m c ia.I d iife r e nce wh e n h e 'ars: · · ·

Úne of the cauece thnt co ntribute to the of th e A.nglo-Snxon nlfE! is the scpunt tion between the life.of th e man nnd t be l1 [e of the c h1l<l. At ali th cse IJOO/>le are interested in tmining, and it ia no t unusual to see n i:eo n of 1ig 1 poaitio n and takiug ¡m'1- nutiQnal b'1UU ea. In fa c t , a m g1strate recc utlr aubj ected to genera cnticum1 c;>n the of. the papc1"1! by renounc-iui! lawn tennia u¡xmbcmg prom oted to Rlu g b Jl:O@lllon .111 GovenU n ent. or !'11Ch impo rtan ce is 1>h ysica l exercise regn rtled. Durrng titear ea rher yeara, J1owe,·c r1when physical nc t ivity d o minnte:a ttll tbeir imyu l81..'I!, .t h e you ng meu are suryoun deu ,, i1h coudi ti ons cxooptiona ll y to t hetr ph:rs1cnl Th'y etudy 111 <.'O ll cges, like Eton nn<l d1 s tnn

e in the work

uperior

e

Until n co r.P,s of tcac he rs co mpetent to gi\"e in str uction in these s ub

eqti is prov 1ded-und tbi s will be a matte r of so m e years at ) eas tw6 wou1c1 not nttempt to fo r ce inst 1:u ctio n in agricul ture nnd manual trnnung m th e ruml und s malle r v1llnge sc hoóls. A s tntc mc nt of the \•ie ws of in s pec tlrs and s upe rin te'nd e nts thn t ba,·e com e und e r our obsermtion wouldl be, Witbout prop o1•ly qualified t enc he r s suc b in s tru otion is a waste of tim e.

From nnothor circu lar of tho Pedagogi cnl Muso

of Mnd

Another impo r tnnt lhat mus t not be o \·erl ooked i• thnt a nmjority of th e peopl c of tlH • <l? !'ºt " (>eak pm·i: Sp1rni • h Th c ir lnngungo is a pnto i• a)m r s t umnte ll1 g 1b le to th c nntfres of Bnrcc lona o r l1ndrid It. pos· ; no lite mttu·e nnd li ttlo vnlu e au into ll ectunl Tnerc 1$ 11 bn r c poss ibility that it will be 11cn rl y w eusy to cducutc th cse out of thcir µntois into Eng li s b as it will be t o e du cu t e them mto tb e e lcgu nt tongu e of Cnstilc. O,nly fr o m th.c ve ry in,tcll cctual .mino r ity in Por.to Ri co, trai ned tn Em and w1tb 1d en ls o f ed u?ttio n nnd govern me ut,,b1n ...,c we to nntu.:1pute activo re 1stnn ce t o th e mtrodu c tion of the A111 ". r1 ca n sc·b oo l systcm und th e Eng:lish lun g ungc . ' The grent prob · IQrn 'ª, on e.? f o ,·c 1·001 111ng npnth.Y und 1gno ran ce , und lending th e blind So1 110 per ce nt of th o people upwnrcl by patli s tbnt l encl to mdu s try . th r ift, nnd self-co ntro l, and rcspect fm : tb e digni ty of la bor . nnd wo rtb. of c humcto 1'. Thi s, wc b e li eve, lllllst be don e iit first by n 61·01 h11ncl .11nd hy o. a utbority . It will requi1'e tbe iuv esbn e a t o f lnrge bums und e r ]udic1ou · co ntrol. \V e ha.ve th e advantnge howevcr , of !1 nm c h br oncler expe ri c nce in our o\vn country nnd of le;ar ned rn other lnnd s more exte ns ivo than hav o ev'e r before bee n b!'°ught to. be!'r upon a s imilar prob lem. Th e r c is no th

nditio u.e nml th e ve ntiluti o n werc l>ad. "lieute," conltlstin g o ften o f o,·er 50 peop le, all O\'C r fl"fl wdcd, livcd und e rn eath th e t:<'hoo l room. J-l erc l J.?h·c th e dimensione o f throe fonne r sch ool roo ms thllt 1 t ook 111 y8clf : 25 feet by 12, <.'O ntainod 110 c hildren ; 22 by t:i, ,<.'O ntained 97; 36 by 13, <.'O ntain ecl 128. Th e ruo m1:1 in nll .cusce h all low C<' ilin gs. The \'aluc o f th CHC h o uites mri ed, from u eh nky w oode n bu ildi n g in Simtur('t· that 1hl'Se flC h oo l roo m s were nll, nmted by the month, u o n e o f th em bcing o wnOO. by lbQ

• Fu nutnre and schoo l appary¡.tus were ot the deseription: .Not ouefo urth o f th e c hildren h3\·e desk twc;ommoclat ion in th e \n ajoritr ol Ul e achoo ls, and nul .more thun o n e- lrnlf in th e ,·ery best. Th o q n a nli t.y o í might sufe ly IJe ¡;ijguifi ed by :t.('ro. Two o r tbrec S panis h rc11tlel"li, aO metiml'S nn nrithmelic, j!"rtu nmnr, n ncl a\l mn c·h tb e worse for wcn r , wM generall y a li thu t th e sc.h oo l l'fl1t ld boast . In ¡.¡o me in et a n cet1 tcnchet"8 hall l o wrile a nd CQm poae th ei r o wn pl1y and ancl, judging lron\ sorne o f the quesriona 1 ha\'e h ear. \ (\Sked, th ey WL·ru certainl y n ot co mpetent to J o thi s. " th e qunli ty o f thc teach iu g in fonuer dnys, it mny bo juilgcd by the fu ct th c Íft Ct t\iat h e WfUI S UCOOl:@ful goe.;1 1 think, t o prove the in e ffi c ie n cy OÍ th e t ench era iP d ue t o lac k oí ed ucati o nal ftt ciliti ca. · 'rhere Wl\8 forme rl y no g n1di11 g. Th e t.et1clul r j[át h ered nl>o\1 t hi m t enor so o f the' am i th e d1d what th ey liked. I do n ot know b ow t o d el!Cri bc th e m e Oiode"'i usecl. I luwe n ever seen before. Ali l know is thot ali the pupila etudied nt 110 top o f th e ir voi ces, th e tenc h f r addin bi s full shn r e to th e confus io n _ yea r the t o tal uumber of p1;ile is 1,lqtl, as follo,ws: Snu Juan, boye, J.50; g 1rls 1 300; Sautu r ce, 2.SO¡ Pue a d e Tierra, 200. 'ri

As t wo o í the aclloofs have n ot n open n m onth 1 it is l m t>OeBible t o give n pcro f Ultft ndnn ce, but . thia yen r it , is ,·er y good sin ce the ec h oola ope n ed, ce rl:uuly over 90 per cent.

Of the 21 teachers at ¡>reeent, 4 hn,•e princ ipal certiílcatee, 15 h nve gmded certifiand 2 h a ve kind erga rten ce rtificates. ·

Some peo pl e who hnve visited Porto Rico ea):' th nt the nnti\'e c hil dre n aro n o.t J to diffe r. M y o pinion is thnt W\lh ¡>roper m e th ods, ap¡>árátu e, nnd booKs, they '\\, ll ahortl y co mpare fa vo rabl y with c hi dren at h ome: Jn tbe p ro port io n o f '' dun ces'' is ve r y sma ll ind eed. Tbi e f1lct is illnstmted m th e new ac b oola is nll in nnd nll th e teache re are Ame ri cana, f should llke t o tind o \·er, 20ft ('h ild ren in the Uni ted $tates wh o, und er s im ilar oonditious,

ror eport or othcr

Th

Th e J(raded sch ool bnilding nt Caro lina hRS three r oo m s, th e size o f tm.eh bcing nbou t 25 by 30 feet. Th e r oom s are s upplied with bench es and ta b les, bnt tbi s Cur. nirurc give1:1 ne.ith e r conve ni e n ce n o r comfort . Tit e is wo rlh 3,000 pesos.

Ali of the ac h oo l buildi nge o f this municipali ty hnve 1ro n roo fl', und the h cat from th c m Í8 injurious alike to th e h ealth O[ tit e pupila and to th e ir \)'Ork in the .are in th o muni c;¡>ttlityof Trujillo Alto o n e gmd ecl,'sch oo l ot two 1rnd hrn rum l scb oo ls. , •

T h e bu ildin g at. Cn.traiso ie an exceed ingly poo r onr. It is s upport.ecl 4 or 5 feet. aho \' e th e gtound on bl ock s nf wood . Oth e r poeht i:»r: tbrough tho cen tcro f th e

1iws Jt i s fnn1i shed with o1d benchee and tabl es. Th e room is SO fcet long nnd 20 that ut. excep t 1111d o f tabl es for writin,f<. Th c room it1 25 fcct long anrl 20 fee t. \Vi de. It iH pfivate

occupi C!! two ol th e al ca lclla. Th e roomB nro 25 gy 25 Th e y nro inmfficiently lighted , arld are loca tecl in. a JJrflrt o í th e luw n wherc thc worde 1u u l p reae n ce oí man y idlc peopl e iaju rc th c. di BCi pline of the St·hool. Th o roo m s aro prO\•ided with bcn chee n.nd tabl ee' o f old pattem nnd wi th hna a sc h oo l o f tw o r oo nia, t wo rurnl ech oola, aud y et to be o¡>enecl N dne of tit o 8C'hool building8 belonge to th e

littlo prott!cti(ll1 uguin1:1t min. tL eac hool is ins nffici en tly euppl)ed wíth bcnc h es a u d h1 hl e1'.

o t.wo roo m a giVe n fl oor space o f 35 by 15 feet. ".D h e bui lding is

uil

l\fedianin Alta is 40 fee t. l ong and w icl e.

1N

RlOO.

thnt o ld toxt..book.e llllli!t not be U8P<l, tl1efle nre still to be fouu<l in co?.y corners of the room¡.¡ or in UU8WSpicious looking: 00xe8, placed tbere by th e hands or the master.

won l, .hi a idea!J t o th é nlphuhet. H t! oftcn mixcs thc two, nnd his work Ji confmm1 g und uu.le1m1te as n rt'tt Ult · ln teaéhing the more nd\•anc·t.'Cl the most OOuu n ou fault líes in in1mfficie11t ex ¡llanati nn. Thc teacl1er usunlly fails to aruusc thnt '-igorous ''11880cintio n of ideaa " which muketi n word, 11 fnct, or un iden w o rth the knowing.

In soml· o f tb o ¡¡chools discipline is very lnx. Muuy tcnChers ¡xm nit 11tudy ing in a' loud \' Oice.

•

few boys tuwe bt-oome obsti nau.• and in imt>NJeer co nduct and luwe bccu di ain i ssed from &·hoolt ·

A 1>ropcr clRSf:litica ti o n of the pupila is diflicult iu many places. In moet echool!wlwre both boys íl.llll gi rle are eurotled th cy llre kept in sepamte Ther;e is n u i-c hool in thc distOct <loing more ad\'llllf..'C(l work thlln the thirtl grade. : ;::¿:.g ..iu learning to reaJ and to write.

Mony ví the l!t!:it peop le of the dist rict do not sen d thcir children toschool becñ.use oíthcir tltE with the colored t' h.ildreu ••.\bout thre&fourths oí thoee enrolled ih the 84.'hool are n ot 1n1re wbit e.

The sum of $i05.20 Id bil.8 been nppropriutcd to l?ªY th q rc nt o í the f!Cbool bliildingt:i o f th di fl tri c:t duri11g the c urren! ycar; ¡¡,g.;,oo has been set llpart' to !>BJ for teacbrni' ret;itlences. T.-be monthly fldlary o f th e tead\ers n ow employed i@ $16.5; the ainouut paid for fnrniture and materiol s is n yery variable 1111cl uncertai\1 tih',quauhut i1 is \'crr littlc • •

Tlfu total lax:a.li on oí tho d istrict., 011 th e nnthority of th e@eerelnriea o f the cliffer· of her tnxes for ac hool purpoees; gh·ee 8,65 per t"('nt; 1.'mjillo .-\ lto, 8. 70 per 1..-eut, and 10.00 per cent.

Hio iEO $1.06; Carolina, $0.38;

$0.MD.

The total coet per espita attending, u.eing lhe pre!!ent enrollment ruJ a baais, is M follows: ·

Ri o Piedrse, $5.70; Cnrolinu 1 Sl.&I; Trujlllo Alto, Sl.42¡ L'liSQ, $3.54. All the above quotationa are in gold, and <lo not in clade the cost of salaries, textIX>Oks, and-.Mupen•iaion, pllid by the insular government. •

The enti.re municipahty of Trujillo Alto, the echool at Cednl8 in Carolina, and most of tb c schools of LOisa are reached with considemfüe difHculty. Much oí the tim e it is impd!sible to reach th ese schools on nocount of swolleo streama. Th e echoo.ls at Cerriasco, Infi erno, and Cedras can be reacbed only by ee,·cral miles oí bridle path.

'

In most ports of thi a district. the '1rple wish to ha ye a echool opcned by an English

. parta oi towns as an immoml entTOuoding for the pupila. It aleo eeema to me that greutly fojured.

Th o difllculty ir'lay be O\'ercome by mki ng the roof project a fe w íeet and then by ' leaving a space o f two or threc fect betwecn the roof and the a:ide of th6 building. This will gi.ve a free circulntion oí air immediutely benenth the roof, will remove a very important 80Ul"C(: o f drowsinCf'.18, indifference, and ill healtb, and \\'Íl1 u;iakc better diac.ipline more wo rk posi!ible.

ENGLlSJ-1 SUPER VJ SOR'S REPORT FOR DISTRICT NO. 8.

Dr. Iniulor Board of .Eduootion, San Jum1: , ;.

I 111we the h o n or to present tb e English supervisor'e report. for t.he dietrict of my report to the hoñorable board of educntion,. 1 preewne it is wmooeasary Lo call utt.ention to th e difficulty, anct? in sorne caeee, tbe im¡>Oe11ibility

/

to gatber reliable data, owing in sorne ca.sea to the etorm or last Aug_u!t and in othera to misplsced and lncomplete data. I wi eh t-0 thank the 8.lcades aud their oílicer!, and the teacbere and ')>8tro ns of t he echools who have so kindly 888i!ted me in eecuring aut:h data 8J:I I am able to present.

The district of Fajardo embraces the nort h eMt eád or comer of the island and t b e i!! land of Culebra. in it is triangular. Tbe óoaat line forme the nortbeaet and eouthcast !!idea, and the thtrd or 4iterior eide is formad by the moWltains, beginning Rt a point at t he nOrth a few mile8 eaet of Loisa aud ending on the eouth a few miles cruit of Hw nnooo.

J received my appointment )'(areh 24, 1899, being tbe firat supervisor apeointed for this di.etrict.

The 4Lble shows tbe nrea of the municipa1ities1 tbe popu lation, and the numbcr of schoo ls: -:

Tbe total C08t per capit/.pe.r pupil attending is $10.40, exclusive of booka. Among worthy tenchera Mra. Francisca P imental · deee rvea spocial mention.

obtain e xact data in N bo to the time when ecbools

flrat established, owing to the eto r m last, but it i.a claimQ!i by most reliable ree:idents tO. have been about the year 1840 that the tirst. school fo r boye was establisbed. and neart¡; twsmty-five yeare later beforethe girle' echool was eetablished.

1he number' of ac ools bu increased very elowly, httle attention having been gi \·en to rura l ecboole

scbool at Culebra has no

t wbat is

buildinga are too@ma.11 and in man y ca.éee unfft\·om.bly

general co nvenien ce as well

bygienic and

Too often in

little, 88 rent is to the school fund @. 1 have failed to learn, however, wliere this monefi goes No building@ have heen built eepecially for echool purpoees.

number of doors' and wh1 c b , owing to the clelightful clima.te, are left open, adm1tting an abundance of hght and fresh a1r.

Th e ac b oo l fumiture is always insufficient, and even that which is in the schools is hardly flt for use. Thc old benches, without backe, aren to rture to tbe children,

clMe

EDUC TION IN PORTO RICO.

table sho ws the number1 sex, and age·oc tbe tetfchers in this dietrict

r cérl1ficate held , salary,

erable.

Oood.

Do.

Tolent.ble.

purpoeee is Ufken frominconveniebtl y

Seldom doce a echool poeeess a clock U'iat will keep correct time, a thing so very necessary in. all schoolroome. · ·

Tb e sanitary conditions of the outbuildings are generallY very bad.

Pba°fe:!¡e

matter how tbe teacher, the be.et resultIJ can hardly be obtained at present. Tbere is a tendeney to return to old metbods, altbough this, in many is almost

!f1k:e:;

even a lunch, durmg ec bool boure, and J:rough this the whofe echool ie dieturbed. Tb eee faulta the.. teachere eeem willing to correct, but the natural tendency is to to tbem.

e pupila in P orto Rico have surroundinge varying lUI much o more tban

Lh e Uruted State&-f!Om.e and sorne bed.

No atten?oh is fliven to age l.n c1888ifyinfi pupila. and ability are hereW ore, and aocial standing over

The suepicious watchfulne@S o.ver girls at home eeems to bave an eHect oppoeite to t lu\t upo!l e haracter. Girls are n ot that eeJf-relitfnce, eelf¡>rotec tion, and oí chamcter so much to be d estred in woman.

of really nouriahing food , pro!rly prepared. The food in the great majority of Casetl cOnaim of rice, beans, sw t potatoee, planta.i.ns, and a very poor gmde of codtisb. Very little meat, bread, o vegetables are uaed, by tbe better claee. It ap pesrs etrange that more corn i8 n ot ueed here. In th e United Statee Mexico, and Sou th America it takee the placd of both bread and meat) is very heatthy and andcheap can be produced at ha1f the ppenee of raising rice. ' Clotbing, except with th e better clas@ee, is of tb e eimplest deecription. In m oet for boye, a sbirt and palr of panta; Pupils engage in very few gaI1?.ee or sports and have littl e exerciae• 1 that the make the moet progt"e88 between the agee of eix to twelve. t>egin to think themselves young Jadies and gentlemen and too old

. Tbe ¡proportion of wbite to colored )>npils is difficulb tq 'decide, but eeema, accord 'r!!:d their children T.1children are aleo anx.ioue to att.end ec.hool. So anxious indeed, they to attend that where the aocom.modation is insufficient it is bard to koop the Qut of.tbeecboolroom. Thechildten learn English very rapidly,and anxtou1are to acqwre aknowledge of that language.

IN

RICO.

. The in rur:nt districta a.re so bad and there is such a lnek of footbrid thRt !t 1t chfficult and.dnngero!JS to attend sc.bool: er r 11\00 ' ers aud creeks 111 th1e 1s gre1u, nud cou ld be lessened \'ery "tm!ch . 1 é a r and placmg foot toga acroef3 @ma ll creeks nnd hnin boatmen to nttend at m·er nt the houl'l! children @houJd pass to and frofu So .far as tbe supen·isor of this ie courer:ned, hie routes are, exce >t m the or ca.eesi.easy to but m e."tceptlons the conditions kreof terrible. n one 1t _tS mud and mow1tain and mire in anotbereeR aud

In one ca..<:e a bont is needed nnn in nuother n bulÍoon would be conth do not aeem u:i underatand the rea l object of nn exnmiuat iou either ºid.sefor 'ce or for the pup il a. The teachere were greAth disnp¡>0inted becnuse they cou not the before examination da\', \:_Jn theechools las:tsummer before the mtroJuct1on new system, tbe nuswers questious were committeci before exanunat1on dar and the exnmiuntion titen took the form of an Teachei;s be enco urngt?d to orgn nfae soc ieties o r t ench ers' meetinge nt points tbem 1 meetmg nt lelJ!lt mouthly todiscuss the subjecta nnd meth-

In th e JlTC\>nmtion of ¡>apere 011 various subjecta nud the discussion of tite snme grcnter would be arouscd iu school work. Duriug the summe r holidasl Y• 1•d tbeea,::hen insbtute Ph ollld be held at some c:on,·euient poiut nud e\·ery teacher lou to attend or forfeit his certillcate.

·

The questton of schoo l fuuds is one that calls for iuu nediate action Motu?'' must be hnd to carr): on the fe.w no whn,·e. Therenrein thiadi8trict34 Scbools enot!gh cluld reu begmnmg be to flll 200 echools more. We must a system of 4lxntion, somethmg: like the be.et iu the Un ited . Sta tea. 11-Y reg&d1i ng taxes, populatioa, etc., wa.a obtain ed by tJ1e aa@istaiice of írow actual records, or from the most

. Respectlully aubmitted. .

FAJMtDO, January, 9, 1900.

EooAn L. H1LL, E11gli3J, Superiiior.

ENGLISB SUP&RVISOR'S REPORT FOR DISTRICT NO <&.

.This scboo l dietrict includes tl\'e puebloe nnmely Humacao Yabucoa Juncoe and the Vieques. Tbe to\rn o( ww/fonne rly included 1 bu t took place Naguabo wns dro >pecJ.. and Jun cos added' ife fª .on líthe extreme enstern pnrt of ís land of Porto i:aRico: most 'd8Jtern po in t, ita moet southem, nnd Population nnd r:ch,ool d Humaooo-:--Populat1on, .18, 706¡ c.1?1ldren betwee.n tli e nges of 4 and 16, 4 690· chilren pubhc and pm·ate sch ools, 616· number of schoola 'reeent • In c;>perat1on , ff ID the town and 6 in the country· ainount dietributed anuJuy for the schoola, $7,685. ThiB inclndéd pnyment oí tenchers and rent oí be Yarcbºld.-Popu lati«?n 14,132; children between th e ages of 4 and l6, 3 988 numr o 1. ren attendmg and pri\late ecboolS 437· amount a' ro' riated annually $5,033. Tbere has n PTO\'Íaion made by boa:U of educaSgn ror Cour and rural t at present there are no rural echoole in 0 ration • O\ung to the o the towl by th e cyclone of Augu.et 8 1ast. pe ' sch in town and I h ope to ha\'eoue rural echool in opem· 2ª;¡ftd to :umacaol.-Populntiol?, 8,567; children between tite annually ap¡romat«i., r of children nttendmg the schoole, 123; amount 8,418¡ children between the agee oí 4 and 16 2 528· children a n.,.mg acuoolsl amount anuually appropriated for support., $s Íl5. ' nt1on, .6,964¡ records are not very plain on the subjecb of scbool 1rland bewg n remote point littl e nttention aeems to bave been Pl!'tb o!_. 1 t t led preeeut wntmg there are threo scbools in town and four ruml WI ll ""ta anee, 1601 and ruml, 200. 1 HumR'cao is one of tite citieso f Porto Riconnd tite moet important in the <lNll . ctpart. lrdt!1ns a of 5;000 in the city and uendr 9,000 in its rural urUJ( 1 ion ncco mg to the Umted States ccnsus tak en this December The rinci 1 thee.ntire dietrict is e ugnr, witb herc nnd there sowe tobacc0. ras

·l

EDUO.ATION IN PORTO RIOO.

larga commercinl houses engaged in tbe production and ebipping of sugar to aJI rommerClal porta.

Prior to th e c:yclone of Auguet 8 las:t a number of beautiful haci e ndas could be the vicinity. At present their owners are bnsilh eugaged in reconstructinJ

!i:f'

in for the {'ntire islnnd¡ the isll\Jld Wll8 dh·ided in to two dietricta, north and the inspect· • 'orB hpd their reeiclencee in San Juan¡ they made very infrequent visita, nnd one can ' th e kind of work tbat Wll8 perfonned.

·

of 581in cluding both eexes. . : snpen·iaor took chnrge of tite diatrict on the 2d of April, 1899. The orin izntion of theechoo le of Hunmcno, which wn.a th esmñe ns nll parte of the islnnd, begn nbout 1860¡ before thnt date thé.re wn.s n o regu lar organfaation The Go\'ernorGcnom l nt thnt ¡imp wns ' Don Juan de la PezuclR, who gnve the flret ordcr 'awnl any rcgu ar of public instruction fo bi s admi ni etration echoole weré estab1is.h od of thc finrt., sccond; an<l t bird cln.ss, \Vth a eala ry for tC{lChere of 550

litutjncao the teachel'lf werc compellcd to tench 20 P.upila, the ayuntamiento pa.ying · 12 (Sl.50 United Sta tee currency) for each 1mp1 l exceeding that nümber • tite teachen at thnt time ahould be mentioned DonR Vicenta Cannona,

1eacller, Dona Caaimira Berrios, who ga \' e the flrst inetruction in reading in the BisCartilla y Caton or San Caeiano AH thoee who 1eamcd to read and write at Roig, a of Catnlonn, Spain, who hnd n first and second clasa school, and who taught drawing in all ite bmnchea He obtained a great name on the is1nnd for bis melliod of teA.cfüng, and n numbcr of prominent llorto Ricnne of to-dny auendcd bis echool. bui1t.ª

also mu.sic. of mufilc and French wae under tli.e direction of ProfSsaor Allnrd, a natlve of Fmriee. Commercial bmnchee were taó.ght by Mr. Vlcetlte Rodes, wh o had bee.n a bookkeepe r in the Bank of Barcelona, Sp!tin. Tbe of the Germnn' )angunge apd mnthematics wll8 Mr. Yoma.a, a GermM oí j!ren t knowlcdge, who was n ml\Ster of the living nnd dend lnngungee. '.this college was ·1e first ofita cll\88 in Porto Rieo, etudents attending from 811 partaof the the cap ital. A 1nrge oumber of bis pupils repreeent t<H.iay the leaders 10 the n\ngiste.rial, medica], and legal profeefilons, l\Jld are prominent in ngrieulture and oommerce. Bmnacno and the entire ielnnd remember with pride the na.me of this grent benefact or. ; · was erected for tWe echoo l is to-day occu¡>ied by a troop of The superior 8choo1 for bo)'S in Humncao wn.s etart:ed in 1866. The rural echoola

ology, chemistry, natural°history; Cl\' il engineering, and drawing wero nonunatly hlllP"h't. In the yeR r 1881 a superior echool for girls was eat.abliehed .o r a gmde wh1c? was cnlled normal. . As the nonnal school at San Juan wns not yet.-eetablis.h,cd,

who is now principal oí the school, a native of this city, with long e;s:periencc. Be etudied and practi cad hie profesa.ion in tite schoohl oí Humacáo and Ponee, and hisdegreeaea Complyingalwnfuswith theexactingnature

1:t

scfiools uncler him advaneed s tep by step, nud are to-dny prominent lawy ere nnd doctoi-s.

Don Demetrio Va lcrn , a native of in which plaoe h e flret t/)ught echool , 1 hna nlwnye hnd tite reputation of nn excc11ent teache.r whercver he has taugbt. At present he gmded in t e pqblic echoo l in this city.

The p ub lic schoola o[ Bumacao . . · is the case oí moet towm buildings. as p n vate propertr and coate the citv for rcnt 85 (ti:: ng at preeent is W?nth. It. is d1vided iuto four Ia"rge roolll.8 o( peeoegood ,...,1, States c urrency) a W1th a y ard for recese purpoees Th proport1one, good light and air ._ ($12,000). .(s yatueQ ' purJ>08C8, wtuch wh e n co mple ted will be a g altebnng.a bwldmg for 8cboo1 far sch oo l use. rea e t to t e c1ty and well aqapted

Th e bndly in want of furniture and m rl , . . , . • !><>Y8 and girls ie •U S, wi th an attendwice o f b ut 275 al. Th e mscnption liat for $º8 accommodatioM. The council hnd iu the of lack o f

Cor house and mat:ria1, whi% ta x pe rca pita for l" for each i!thabitaot. to the nwn be r of 685, wh o were enrotled last · e ._ o ar cost th e city $18 .01 , In Juncm the rooms u.sed for sch 1 yea r. 1 on seco nd ftoo r, with

i:;r ªdd .aiii. T¡hey are oor

Th e b uilding is private and l:mg the phi.za: Thc building ie on a comer to th e improvement 1 good, but I · 1 bo · "n ere are two a.man buildin used f · or .>:ª· private property and th e town SS 20 , one o r girls and he e:c1etmg h ere are no t very good b t th paya _pesos fo r both. that 1t ia ahuost unpoesible to . ' u e to wn 1.a so m1ae rably au116xpoor th e to Humacao d'?n¡e. There is a mo ,·ement on foot to ] 'abucoo.-This cit mg wit 1 separnte municipality there. to get a buildfug Cor from l the that it W88 a very diffi cult time.. Now we ha ve a very nice " e aecure:ct a room and etarted on ROod hght and ai r 1 the windowa open ing "ü. There is Dreeze . Tbe builaing is large eno ug h íor sch oo l e sea, ered Y msunng a conatant per month. pur]>o&es an costa the c1ty 25 pe808 Vi eque• .-In thiatown th e re are two , fl b •1 rue Cor: boye and on e for girle . Th e ef¿;. gir1.e !o r .ec hool purp6eee, and !argaairy p le nty i;i;agoodme witb trn-J ing renta Cor 20 pe&o8 per month Th • eamta ry roudition. Th ia build· palitiee are of tbe usual descri · · attached to the different mun.ici· lig.ht and air. The furuiture room generall.Y, with plenty 8 in th e c ity schoo le o f fe w rude des ka. t¡rniture C0!18iet8 of bcnchee and 8 ni.so º'· the furm ahed by the board oí Th ey hold. li eht 1ot $ 1,180 per month . are two pnnc 1pa la one American t y b 0 teac or ft ve years. There lady téach e r at o Tr8• a nd on e nath•e at Humacao, and one and 14 rural · teRch ers i n the districl A iere are 14 graded teachers, 2 prin cipals an x:iou.s to leam th e n e w methods as rubos le rdthey are and exception o f t wo teachcrs ·b ¡ 1 • Y e o f educatton w1th th e others ah ortl y. "' om <eem

wh o will

Sch ool e u rollmeut and a ttendance

EDUOATION IN PORTO RIC O.

e!ctoLOG ICAL CO'SDITIONS.

The character o f the pupila will fa.,·orably with that of _pupila in the Stalef wbo have been laboring under equally adver:ee condition.s. Generally tbey are anxious to lea.rn, reepectful, and orderl y. The girle eepecially eeem toª&güflftte the e fforUI put forth for their advancem ent. Tlie pupils are claeslfted

much The ir home eurroundinga are ratb e r diffi.cult to describe, bcing of web a vanable nature. Th e better claee of pupila are 1Urroundéd witf1 everything

and tbe anriety showo to aoquire knowledge are the 81lllle.

Th ei r aize in to age, 88 taken from ac tual pbysical meaaureme.n t, is: Boye:, o ldest pupila, 14 yea ra-height, 59 inch es; chest, lS iucbee; neck, 13 inchee¡ nrqund the muscular part of tbe ann, 10 in ches. Y oungeet pupils, 5 yeare-beight, 43 c beet, 12in cj}ee; n eck t llinc hee; ann 1 lOinc h ee.· 0Lrle, oldeat, 17 year&h ciglit, 59 inchee ¡ ch eit, lli incnee; neck1 lOf rnchea¡ l\fOUnd the arm , 9f inc hee.

now and then codfteh. There is n o variety wha teve r, and the i>09:r people aee m to be xery well eatiafted with their food. Th e ir clothing variee accordinfi to tbeir e·

Case, b ul, l ere

C h.ildren do n ot organize in clubsor societiee. Such things are practic:ally w1knc:¡wu. They progrese more rapid ly between the agee o f 8 and 14 years. Th e propartion bctween black and whhe vari es accord::f to tbe diffetedt to wll! 1 ehould tftink on

Kr'oet of the parente of th e bette r eta.es pre.fer to k eep their chUdren at h ome rath e r thll.n l have them 8880Ciate ,,;th c hil dre n of t.h e lower ¡:1888¡ or all are auxioue to · ha,•e the ch ild ren e mbrace t h e educational faci itiee as mtro· d ucetl by th e board o f education . Thie caste dh1tinction, eepecially in towne, is a ' 'e ry lhard prob lem to eoh Ori•e. prev1ous pagee will be found, b y munic ipaliti es, the rent paid for ech ool build· ings. For teacher&' res ld e nces ao a\'erage of about 10 peeoe per month would be a com;ct figure . Salaries for teachens : $75 per month , in Humacao; grade tpa.QJ;tera, $50 per month; in the other to wne of the dist rict, grade teacb era, $40 per fuouth, and all rural teachers $30 per mon th , Ameri can money . . Th ere has been as . yet. nothinS' expended fo r furoiture and material in any towns o f the dietri ct , with -' the exceptio n of an expenditure of about $30 in the e ntire districM for the casee reqUJred bY: law for th e .ne'f text--booke. The total amount to be rai.sed for MU)>port of 8c'hoola during th e laet pe riod waa $20,588, wi t h a po¡m lation in the entire d1strict of 58,76t), ·whic h wo uld give a taxation }>er capita for ec iool purpoaes of $2.10. Tli e difficultiee of communication nt times are very great, owing to the frequ.ent

also makee tripe é very ten d Tays. eacbet11' examinationa were held in Jul y and September , a.nd weIJ oouducive of rerJ

as

tud e of the peoÍ>le toward 'En gli eh ie ve ry fnvornb le ; in moet caaes it amounts to .an interest that is aetoniehing. Ali po:rente deeire their ch ildren to be taught. Eoghsh ne well 88 Englieh echool methods, most of tbem real i:r.in¡¡t the &!"08t beneOts t-0 be d e riv ed from th e el.tange from an obeolete method o{ teacbmg and inatruc tion to one that ia thoroughly modcni. ' If 1 roay be a llo wed to make a in thie coonection, it would be that a larger number of American teachera be employed. For inetance, in thle diatrict there are but tw o. In tl:ie to wn of Juncos.there ia nota penlnn who speaks Engliah; the ea.me is true in 'pjedraa. Thia renden lt. very diffi· roake ve ry much progrese in teaching English. An Englieb teach e r in eve ry tow,n would be a great ndvantage. Tb e advent of the lady Englieh h e¡.-e in Humacao h88 advanced mattere 50 per ce nt !Wipectlully s ubmitted . '

HulUOAO,

1899.

effects of

EDUOATION IN PORTO

h

for )i\ire to come. The people show more pluck

to be ablc to th e girle

n o one

Fdiool\ bae enough desks allow ali ,lhe _pu¡>ils to at ane time. 'Mr. )lan?el lionza les has sixteen A.menean desks m hlB school, ; which accommodates 32 a muc h more American appearance than any o[ tbe other.scbools. two of the achools of Aguas n o blackboards bad been funushed when 1 la.et \'if'ited them , and one of th e teacbere had ueed tb e ft oo r and w11;1ls as a blackboard to teaeh arithmetic. Another rural teacber at Massas, be.mo of. had arro nged a row o í s pools on a etring ond mad e 100 holeti m a m we.ro woode n to tench the children umnber work. Very httl e material has e nj oyed by. the. pupil.s, and. they are fut. lro ming gaxnes that cause tbem to think that the time 1s entirely t oo short. Ali very friendly toward each other, the enthu&iasm with which they enter iu to ;their (lllmes is eqnal to thnt of A menean boya. l\lost of tb e m etud y !éll and 8 re equally as bri@ht and leam íast. They eee m to be about. two years béhtpd boya oí the same l_lge m th e United States in m ost of tb e ir etudies, on a cco unt o! poor but lh1s I think th ey wi11 mak e up in íro m three to four yeare by ll\e 1r a¡Jtne::s nnd application The mnrk ed progresa eeems t o be 1:Qade both by boya

S::

e ntircly of rictf l\Jld beana, addi1¡011 of oodfish and whe n these can be hnd A great oí ohve 011 ts used

cent of tb e c hil dre n are black aud the ree t whit.e or colored. ... 1-'nrents are beginning to rea.lize the odvantage of a.n educa!iºº and ai:e tryms to •et the.ir c bildren clo thee eo mn y nttend school. Tb1s matter 1e a senous )Inny oí th e ruml c luldren n o c lo thing. At tbc the home of th e c hildren are bn.d 1md d e trunent.al to th e best ree ulta m

Onlv 'about JO per cent oí tb e ch ildren are atte ndin g echool at th e present time . The° total COl!t oí ac h ools paid by th e municipalities for th e yearending July 1, 1899, nml the nppropriation fo r ih e presen t year a re as followe:

th e new books, whi ch are the pride of both teacher and pupil, and the favorable attitude of the ¡>eople toward Englieh and the American syetem even in ita infa.nc).. among them, we can hope for great strides in an educatiQ.nal wa.y among theee people, tbe children of whom will undoubtedlr fulAll our fondest hopee citlzens in Porto R ico.

The information former sehool work in the d i$tric t was furnished mainl y by the secretaries of local junta.a. h Very reepect(ully, J. C. HuFF, &1gfiah Su¡>m1iaor.

Th'e preeent superviaor took of district April l. At tñat time district con tained on ly fou r town&-namely, Guayama, Arroyo, Patillas, and Maunsbo. l t was en lo.rged Sept.ember 1 to inelude the towns of Sa h nRS and Santa Isabel.

The firet echools tbat were eupported by the eity of Guayama were opendd in the year of 1820-on e school for boye and one for girle.

On April 1, 1899, the city wa.s ten publie in the eity aud di!°tn'!;e instroction was being the gi rla were attending the publie schoola. Their time was lal"1J'3lY spent

partinlity waa ehown them m every way. Most of the J.?Upile )\·ere from 9 to 14 yenra of They could, as a rule, read well from the e1mJ?l e ren.dera, but could neitber read nor write script and knew hardly anything of ar1Fhn1etic. Thie co ndition appears to me to have been¡ due to the fact that catechis 1f1 and Christian doctrin es rect!h·ed moet attention in the scboots, a.ud that reeitations and examinationa "·ere eonducted orally.

At 'preaent th e nuthorized ib the school couree are receivi ng all th e timo is pc n ui tted. &.ch teaoher diatrict are tbe following : J osé Mp( P'alés, the present principal o1 Guayama sc bools, has had an experience of M an educator. readily

The sehoo ls of lrrpyo opened in the yoor of 1825. 111 the year of 1870, Prof. Enric¡;:,e Huyke was emt>loyed by the mumcipality of Arrovo as teacher of the !:

ex tendS'the entire width of the ieland ,of Porto Rico. On my first ins1>ectio n of bis schoo l I found boya who had beeu eeni. from San Juan t Ponee, Fajardo, tmd many other towna • Profeeso r Huyke is of Dutch de&Qent and nota nnth-e of Porto Rico: speaka

EN GLlSB SU PERV ISOR'8 llEPORT FOR NO. 6.

In cluding the municipalities o í Guaya111a, Arroyo, Patillas, Maunabo, Salinas, Santa 1 bel.

The dietance from the western to th e eaatern extreruit.; ta about. 45 milee, whil e 11 té r C0)1tain rural echoola.

Tbe towns for the most part are situated on the coaat, wh ile the barrioe are situnted in the mowitaiha ata di.Btance of (rom 5 to 10 milee from the coaat. The latter are reRChed by bridle paths, eowe of which are extrewely dangeroua, eepecially in rainy wentber.

ficient knowledge of English t.o take up -their studiea in that Profemor HuYke is at present. a member of the insular board of education. · .

in the' year of th0&e of .The achoo lhouee o f Guayama iS: a brick building, fonnerly ueed as thealcaldia .

to incloee in the near ,future nnd aleo to improve thesnui'tary conditione. T be build· ing is the property of the muniaipality. The furniture eonsiet,, of benchcs and writing desks of home manu facture, and aleo ten American deslui o f These eupply acate and writi ng deeks for 300 pupila. Each room i8 w1th two or porta of world , a globe, and a elock.

111 Arroyo the schools are located in two targe housee. The bo;r•' hool occupies onu house while the otber ia divided into two pnrte--one for the girla' echool and tbe ..

Pl,lfi!

Tb

is a large

of

Th e !C

EDUCATION IN PORTO

•

The diffic ulti ee o f communication betw ee n Salinas, Santa Isabel, and headquarters

• clt1\' • which ot prc8ent fonns a mud about 18 d eep, cove ring the en tlre length of ibis stretch. The rood is full of treache rous hol ea, Yarying in depth from 3 t.o 5 fcct. On m y last trip to Salinas l was compelled to ha"e a. <?f oxen follow m e through this etretch t-0 pull m y horee out ol theee hole8 by bitclwig a rope to th e pommel o f the eaddle.

l ha.v e ece n a yokc o f o x e n 'mlk into o ne of these boles ond ethóther to death bcfore th ey could be ex tricated The sun driee the mud o u the surlace or th ese bolet;i so i t appears the aa tbe ph,1.ces are n o t deep. Eor tJ1is reason il is 1m¡)()@l!lble e ,·e n for the nam·es t-O l:hem Co mumnicnti o n between heodquurtera and Patillas 1s very m rarny wcn th e r , na the Patillas Rive r r isee \·e.ry eudd e nl y and b ae a \·ery current. I MW .¡ o x C11 drowned nt th is ford wl;ule attemp t111g to cross the nY,cr after a &lx honra' rain 011 Novem be r 28 . · ·

Whil e viaiting the rural ec.boo l at ?tiulna, a barrio oí Patilla!, on hto nday , NO\•embl' r 2i, my horse slipped 011

Th

repo r t on

Th e co nditi on o( schoo la nnd ch ildren

to be but titile- be tte r in the ,to wns than in the barrios.

ntire distric t thnt wns not being tll!ed

In April, wh e n l took chnrge of dietrict, I found but one

e

ecbool

boys in

my firet imrpectio n e Yery o the r ech oo1houee in the dietrict was occupi ed . by the teac h.er's fnmily a n o th e r fnmily , ih e ac h oolroom in many cnaee being ueed fo r s leepmg and p u rpoeee.

.?.t present th e t.own ech oola, for th e m ost part 1 are plnced undc.r tb e eame roof, and ali are entirelh eepnrated from teE!id e ncee, wb1le th e ech oola in tbe barrioe are best oUBeB in th e ir particu1ar bani O@, en'tirel y independen t o f

Child ren 11.re frequ e ntl y nbeent fr om, the rural sc h oole for lnck of clothing nnd food 1 nnd in ma n y caaea it. is reported that pupils remain in the echoolroom dnring the n oon becauee th ere is n?thmg fo r them to en t nt h ome.

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO.

the town hB8 echools up to this year. Both a boye' and girll' town echool were ºS::" pre\f1ous to 1864. In Juana Diaz there ha\•e been from one

EDUCATION IN PORTO RICO.

•

The buiiding is wortb about SS,600 and coet8 S36 per mopth . It wilJ not be avail· nble next year.

:\t Capitan ej a the girle' echool oooupiee the betit houee, near the cente; of the barrio, located on the Ponce-Guayama rOad and abo u t one hour from Juan a Duu, over

1876. rur:aJ schoole in Aibonito dif!l'rict were opened in 1878, 1880, and 1Ss.. 1reepecb\'ely, wlule one n1ral. ac:hool for girle waa opened Cor a ebort time in 1897. fhe first n1ral toochen:1 recen·ed 15 peeoe per month, but in 1880 thie amount was mcreased to 26 peeos per month, at which figure it remained np to this year. ·

The of board of education of Barranquitas furniah0s the fo ll mterestingowing tnfonnatton:

The finit board of education, then called "ComiRióJ\. de Pueblo sobre lnstrucciún Púb1ica 1 " hcld ita first 8e88ion in 1838, ha\'ing under the prol•ic;>f ª:° o rder of the Gove"?ment i@eued in 1834. Tbe flret echool eetabli@hed in th.1a d1stnct was one for boy@, m 1841, with Don Josa Antonio Martinez M teacher,

wbich it opened under Don Joae Gomez, wb,o held the · poaition u ntil' 1849. From that yenr up to the preeent tune theechool hRS cbanged t.eachers flfteen titnes. two echools of the tia.es were to teach reading, wri t ing, rebgion , aqd momia, Rnd the md1menta of antbmetic. The tenchel"8 receive<l no salary, but were permitted to c..-ollect 50 cents per montb from each pupll, pro,·ided tbey were not too poor to yay. During the yeare 1856 to 1864 fh·e other !K'.hool! were eetabli.shed in adjoinmg bnrriOI!, Out none were kept open beyond three vean. ln 1886 a fourth cla.as achool Wl\8 establilfüed in one of the barrios with the Pro,•iE!iC?n _that it Wl\8 to be moved to an adl>:-niafc barrio everr; e:ix monU1s. In 1877 p:r·

a public one ancl has aince remaiued euch. In 1889 & rura l echool was establi@hed in the barrio of Canabon 1 and is still open.

Not long iúter the eetn'? lishment of the pr;eaent came the hurri cane of A:uguet 8 of th1s year. After tlns hu rr1 cane th e town a u thoritiee were generytl ly of the opiriion t h at it would be pmctically impoeai.ble to flnd appropriate buildmga for school purpoeet! under l.be oew regulatiorui, all tbe old buildings being baclly damaged or deetroyed and onee very eauce. Bowever, by dint of energy, !!leven Mll'Rl achoole were reopened ID tbe ne1gbborhood of Coamo· in one in.stan ce an uitused brick coffee storebouee being fitted out. 1

The condition of the achoolhouaee tliroughout tbe district is goocl. The San lldefonSC? BChoolhou.se has been enlarged, and in ali inetancea t be buildings used are well venti lated nhd comfortable 01,1d ac1aptecl to the purpose far whic h they a re used . In no case ,the teoc her and his family live. in the echool, as was farme r ly the caee. The m.a3onty of the ec.hools aren.a conven1ent1¡· eituated ae cou ld be expected in a O?Untry where the rouds are not in the betit o condition and eettleruenta a distancelong apart.

, Lla!'oe th e owner oí the building at present occupied hrui gi\'en notice,that Jie w1ahee to use the houee on tbe Jet of January, and anothe r is being fitted up for tbe schoo l.

At Santa Catalina the teacher owne the echoolhouse which is well located and adapted to echool purpoeee. It is about one and one'.-ha1f hours' ride (rom Otown, \'er a fair trail

The Pedro Garcia echool is in a large building partfr vaca.nt, localed. at the top of a ranga of thre;e from town, over a bad trail. The room is airy and light. , Haya les 1a tbe distant oí the Coálnaac hools, being four honre' ride from town a h ill y, mndcly roa.et The h ouse was p ut up by tbe teac h er laat 81,Jmme r an<Í 1s one of the betit rural achoo lho usea in t h e diatr ict at 9<HJma Arriba is eituated on road t.o Haya les, about twohouJIB from town , m the bwldmg formerly ueed as ref!ldence and schoolhouse. The partition s bave been remo\:t<I and leave a. J?leasant, well·ventilated room

At Pulguillaa tltt! achoolhouee 1e located on tbe roed to Ba.Uanqnit.aa three houn from town, at the top of a very long, eteep hill. . ' Juana D1az fonnerly had 3 town echoole and eeveral mral BChoole ali occupied by lht; families as a residence. The town achools are now ali ln O)le Jorge btick bmldmg, a atorehouae and now divided by partitione iuto lar:ge roome,

it so ae to accommodate both schoola .

be made large enough to hold both boya' and girls' echooll!, and tbi.s will be done

.' an addition has been made lo le.ét year'e building mak.ing it quite Ea tisfactory. It is sorne distance from anyother houaeand ie a half hour'e nde from town, on ihe Villalba road.

\ "illalba, two houn (rom Juana Diaz, over a roed which croesee the river eleven timce, hRS two ac.hool building& nnd the scbool havO" a. teacher ror the girls' echool yet. The boye' echool OCCUt>tefl prepared far 1t la.et aummer. I t is light, and a iry, located in t h e h ttle which O\'Cr 100 1

•

The Caonilla ruml echoolhouae is the bcst and moet dH6.cu ltly approached houee now in uaeas a school in Juana Diaz. It ie threehoure' ride from town, mb@tlyovera or:ilÍ \t ie a large airy rTOOm not

The&e buildings are ali very fair and far superior to thoee used far echool purpo&el vr:fute =d three benchee. Ali have been reoently supplied witb bookca.ees, and clocka ha.ve been. purch..00 for eacll achool.

The Aibonito ec.hoola are poorly housed, moetly owing to lack o{ proper buiJdings (nlRny having been destroyed by the etorm) and alao due in a meaaureto the lack of l•Uort on the part of tbe t.own authorities. The graded echool tbere, a lthough t h e only one in the rliatriot with a principal teacher, ie the poores't bouse u.sed aa a ec.hool in any of the fil'e towne. It WB8 built far a resldence and no chMgee have been made in the b u ilding. Thé four room.s ave}1ce 28 equare ea.ch, floor

echool. The kinderaarten is sJowly being l!llpplied with tablee and benchee and tbe 01hef three grades llave three tleaks and flve benchee ea.ch All have bookcaeee. The to\\tn paya $20 per month far thia house, eetimated to be worth $1,000

The nn-al sclioo l at Aeomante. is situated on a m uddy trail one hour'a«ide from Aibonlto to the eouth. The b uilding is sma.ll and poorly situated for the children , but n better, eo ithe authoritiee atate, can not be found.

At La Plata, aleo, the ac.hoolhouae i s small , but it is well eituated in a thickly a miserable tmil the murldiest in the district. The echoolhouee was erected laet aummer and n.acheap aa it poeeibly could be. The town •paya in rent alm06t 6 per month on the coet of the building. It has a pa fm-leaf roof, a.nd is and wry enough , altbougb half tbe people ID tbe barrio wish the school remol'ed. '

The furniture in tbe@O echoola ie very poor, coneieting of tl:iree benchee and one

oTJ:! thepe echools has a clock and one has no teacher'1 table.

The :qui taa town echoole hnve recently been put w¡ider the eame roof. The the beet tbat can be eecured in town and is estimated to be worth '900 and.coeta the !Own $9.60 per montb. Tbe rooms now uB6d have each 6ve deeks and eight benchee Hincado are reePectivel twoand tbree hount' , ride from Barranquitas over very bad traile. Each ie in a sm.all to1l86 with very little &:hool furniture. Tbe houeea are rented fo r '8 per month and are wortb aboute160 ench.

1 ·

equare meter& ea.ch. The rent paid is $15 .60 per montb and tbe bwlding 18 wort.h l

EDUCATION IN PORTO RI

$1 ,500. The furniture ia very J>OOr, cons isting oí flve benches and desk.s in ali. The vi@ion ia ninde for four ruml tenchers in Barros, but non:'i>egan teoching until weeks after the tenn begon and no report on their ecbools hM ye t been made. th!ir

other th r ce towns have accomplithed but littl e iu this directio n. Ali have found houses for the teachers e.pnrt from 1.he sehoolbou!!eft ande\·erywhere the eize of scboolrooms has been •

The distribution oí began late in October and has been going on ever since as tbe booke nrriYe nml cases nre su;>i>lied. has receh-ed a com . >lete .eet of the bookanml n sup ly accordiug to th e orde ventln tbedistributi on. tenc herg i n thie dietrict w1B1 , cry few e.."<ceptions ex nnged ofd Spanish certiticates for thoee th ey now luwe. Oí the 33 lettcb ers three hold certificates, ?J a cor responcling certifiootc, except one, who is n l>riucipnf Oue runll tencher hold@ n gmde ccrtificate. There nre 19 ruml teachers, 17 of tl1em holding lhnt certitlcate. Ali bf tb ese teacbera hov e been n<.'Customecl to luwe the more advanced pupila t.each the younf:,"r onee , to let tlze f"j>ils study nloud , largely to teac.h words and phra...<:et! the new .&": to th e ocquirement of the English language nud the of their

The attendnnce in the ec hools is ve rr ir regu lar in most cases. Frhm neglect of pnrentA, lack of c lothee, 19ug distanCe to ech oo l, muddy roads, cOhtinued rainy wOOther, nnd !!icknC88, mnny children ne , ·er go to schoo l ; while feast davs, lac'k of desire, and dn.ily do wnpoura of rain keep those enrolled nway from scfiool · times.mnny

1

Sorne teachera did not keep good nttendance and many teachera did not know how to keep tbem nt all, and did not begin to do it until after t e drst visit of the supervi$()r.

It mny be genemlly stated thnt the Porto Rican child is more eaaily go ,·emed child ie or telling untruths whenever the idea entera bis 6ead. Ne ,•er h1we I yet hnd a boy in U1ese schools confesa to mieconduc t; and th'e guilty one, nlthough seen in th e witl stoutly maiutain hie innocence. 1

The new local of education, it ie ho 1, will 8,rently .the of the achool plant in ench town. The supen•1eora,. w1th paymg salaru", reporting on a li th e schoolf! and diatributing book@, havo no time to l ook for echool hoUses, and if the new board will there is n o i:e880º why all the echools pro, ided íor

Ee1a1As, Engliah Su'perviMw.

ENGLISB 'SUPER\'ISOR'S REPORT FOR SCBOO L DISTRICI' NO. 8

Dr. Board o/ Educatio11, San Juan.

SrR: 1 have tb e honor to present the following annual report echool dietr1ct present supervisor took charge of thie dielrict on October 9, 1899, «>ming from district, which tweniy barrios, ti.re on the north the municipality of AdjuntasJ on the eaat Juana D1az, 011 .the weat Penuelaa. ocean forma ita eouthern linuts. There are ni} records m exl8te!1ce oí any.chnnge m 1he boundariee of the district for the past 18 tbe far:fb est to the north and is distant 9 miles on the nuhtary road to AdJUlltas. El Cato IS the hnrr.io. to the enst., and is distant 6 miles on the to San Juan Lii<1on tbe moet westem barrio, is reached on ly by a bndle path, and 18 dtstai;it 7 miles. ' Tbe barrio baving th e altitude is Montee Llwl<i,, r:eachW paths wlth precip1toue ascent until the h e i.sht of about 1,600 feet 18 n:aCh ·. e distm1ce from the city is only 6 mil es, nnd yet two and one-half hours 18 required to

The ch ildren are div1ded in th e echools nccorcling to their reading. In rurnl schools .those ju.et entering acbool nre placed in one group, those kn oning th e rudi· u¡:

in the most

As alm06t nll we ll-t<Klo persone Ftere send th eir childrcn to schoole¡ th e public echools draw almoet from lhe poorer homes where comforte are unknown nnd only a baro exiatence 1s eked out. The children are ali 1small, sickly looking, and underlecl. One day recently during the noon hour I notióed a number of boye around tbe schoolhouse. I neked wh y did not go home to eat, nnd th eir

tYn'1 \ibfy 'ery pOorly clad, almoet without O."<ception shoelet!8i and euffer much P-ing to and cireumstancee.

oi block children is not O\'er 10 per cent, but fully onq-half of the remainder are of mixed blood, and more than that number are • th em them to go tosettbemoutolthe way, especially as itcoets thOm nothing, while n few pnrent.e, pnrttculnrly in the towns1 are thoroughly nwnre o thc ndynn· tngee of un educntiou and nnxíoue for their children to get one.

·are the moet difficuit of Bcce88, nnd duriug rain y aeaaon can not be by horses: San Patricio, Montes Llanoe, Tibes, l\laru.eno, nnd Quebrada Limon . The (ollowing bave guuu bridle pnths and can aJwaya be reac.hed, except wben the rivera are too to ford :. Mayaguez and The following have fnirJy Rood ronda: Machuela Ambe., SaD Anton, Bucana, Portuguese. 'the folfowing have military roade: E l Cnto, Man c l!uela AbaJo, distri ct ha ve been pbtained f:rom docuuientsand írom the city treasurer. are 67,8.?5 cuerc!as tbat are reported.íor taxee, but, acco rding tothe troaaurer,Jn order to avo1d taxatlon about 20percent IS 80 that tbe actual ar:ea would be nbout 81 1426 cue.rdae, or 74,912 atree. a tnft e over J7 square miles on which taxee are paid Thl8 mclude the city of Ponte, and public highways. Takmg.the ae a it nearly that excel't on the enstern border, whero 1t dt::\·1ates from a hnd i trifü'-we have a d1etance (rom nortb to aou th of 20 k1!ometers, or 12 un ea, an ffi' ea&. to west lhe same diatance making 144 square mdei!. Theee are noto cia l 08 no meaauremen teare 9 1 0 record except for the taxable land ieferred to above; T 1 ho present populalion ie 56,212. · hand Owing to the previoll8 unsettlecl of the COl!ntry, the data at cemin l.he educational work in the past 18 not nlways rehable. The nx;ords on i_n the arJ\1ivee of the cit_y and from wlüch the groa ter part of 'the present l8 tnken, are not indexed. 'and in order to find ma terial. needed one to note t e .¡linee and take auggestions from en1plt>yeee vereed m tbe o f the counc1 a nd the courta. Much valuable h el 1> has been obtained from Se.flor Gilot, one of th e

secretari ee of the city hnll, wh o ha.e rendercd man y years o f serviCeamong the reconl!f 01 of the ishmd by th e Span.iards mit!f!ionaries of the Rom1111 Catholic Church accompanied tbem, and ac h ooh1 o f n religious chnracte r were eetubgirls enchJ•en.r. How long this cou tribntion was co utinued the rooords do not stat e. W e cnn 01 y infer from t hi s si n g le record tbat public schoo ls ha.el lo n g before e xi sta.!. lnstruction in the ach ools being e ither in tbe banda of the n un s or directed by th 6 rufe c h urcb, no timn fo r ed ucation wns set apar t\_ b nt expondituro WM u1et 1\.11 the need demanded or th e chnrch requirod. " • no¿ scbools were farm ed o u t to tenchers as n matter of business, nnd with little or no to the bent}fit to th e pupil. The comm iesnrio o f Guaragtu:! told me t bat a ccr· tam teac her held two school1t-<>n e i n ' his barrio, whil e tbe pr incipal o n e wns al Adjuntas. H e fni;med out tbe former to n young man who Wtl8 getting his ex-peri· en ce to e\·entunlly hold a schoo l of bis own. Sci lnx was the system that, although

1':e:

wpecinÍ consideratio.n for lu s chifdren, wh il e the poor were utterly neglected, and in irome instanccs refnsed ndmil!S ion to the echool. This in fonnatio n is not ofliciaJ, but of com mon report by persoÍls wb o aredE!pe_nded upon fo r the tmth in othe.r mattel1!. Tbis information does not appoo.r to be volunteered in o rder to abuse the Spani!h management, but more for the of compariso n

Th ere are n o w 43 eohoo ls opened nncl doing excelJ ent work. Five more will be opened in Jn.nuary, whi ch will make a totn l of 48 in tbis district.

We have no meana of knowing how manv ch ildren to.cJay are o f echool age, but rolle, whi1e 5,000 wére o f schoo1 age. That is to My, that 24 per cent attendcd or, rather, were 011 the school rolle. lf we p lat"e the mcrea.se of chi ldren or sch oo l age in tbe ea.me ratio as the population, we may ea:r that we have 7,080 c hil · tiren of school nge. Th ere are to-day on the school ro11s 2,040 pupil s, giving on utte ndancc of over 28 per cent, na ngainst 24 per cent in 1895. Th ose on tbe rolls t<Klay are in actual attendance.

SI9.03. Th.is doee not include the expense to the ins ular íor the ecbool· 270 each per y'ear. .Any addittonal number of chil dren wou ld in crCaae the expen ec proportionately, s iu ce e \·ery school has about ita full compl ement oí 50 ,rupils, ami' neceseitnte more buildings, m9re funuture, more .As to th¡ ,·a\ue of schoo l buildinga, th oec in the ru,ra l distric ts nm in vnlue, includin¡:

J;::1

1 belongs to th e Two are r ented for n tt>rm of two yeara and one for ll

tfi·: rsc.hools or clasaee nnd two 5 cla8@El8 each. Oí the teachere in th e city, 7 are mnll'i' nnd 7 are femnl es, 2 female principals nnd 2 male principals. Of tbe ruml teachcni, 5 is the enme RJ! thnt in the mml sch oo ls.

The municilM\lity peys to th e teRcbere a sum in addition to their salary paid by thc ineular goverñni'ént, for house rent. In the cityit is $151 while in f.forz:¡ $3 to $6. The municipality nlso fonii &hee cha lk , mk, pena, nnd papcr for th c pupila.

Of the butlclinp in the cif1· each contain s the required 450 ;BqURre feet and O\"Cr, witb ·two exceptione. Ench building has commodious lard.e div1ded for both

They are nll <'can, well Rired, ami entirely

EDUOATIÓN IN PORTO RICO

The ,di!cipline o f the echoo ls is exceUent and will compare favornb ly wit h th e E<•hoola of the Uniticf Stntes. Tenchers are qui ck to ada'pt themselvee to the new wo rk Ouly 7 of ali theee tenchers aro

. lurnds. J would recommend, th erefore, that at tlie <.'Omi ng vacation e \·ery teacher be ndvieed to prepare for such a coul"80, and fucilitiet1 be granted th e rh to e ithe.r atte nd th e no.rmal school at Fajardo or that tntn8J XJ rt ation be gh•cn them to atUmd sume sucb school in the Uni t ed States that will offer sra¡ci ol indu ccmcnts. child can be indu cecl to run, but a pnre n t never.

To distinguiah tbechild of pura b loocj from th e otheni is eomewhat d iffi cult, owl ng to the mi.xture of the n egro w1th dark Spaniards a11d Borcnquins, the aborig· inal mee of lnclinn.e. However, th e percentiWoof puro negro c hildren iir not so largo 6 in niml districts. Th e negro r>upil , or where there is nbout th ree-fou rth.e of negro blood, lsearnest

Joly :ng li sh is the coming language of th e ielan d, if the desire to loorn it continuea 88 it ie tt>.cJny. Jt is surp r ising wliat devotion the J>eOJlle feel townrd every thing that . particular cll\88 o r individuals, with thei r children on their backs to and from echool, or they carry them m.ilce over ronda for tb c cb ild. Children go without their mente m order to o btain 11 11 cd\Jcntion. S u ch is n ot to be !ound in evc ry quorter of t h e globe. Pntriotiam iltdisplnved on e\1c ry hand Every echoolhowk h M! ita floating stars and stripee. On the death of any prominen t. officia1 of th e government it i8 alwa_ys flown at hall-mturt. Th ey lo\•e to sing the songs of the uati on ami qn te r most

..'·º;!1J8í that th e y do this witb even more ht:l&.rtfelt thanks thon our own boya. As eome of the o ld cr ones express th emsel vee, th ey fool that th e is f ree, Í/"\.<c from foreign op p rel@ion. , ·

The cbi ldren ha\' e tak eÍl henrtily tó Uie new Ch ristmas nnd the accompnnying f%!h : wri tabl e Chris tm a.8 trec. Thi8 waa il rcvelation cvfn to tbe parcnt& Then tite gut h eri ngs.

• :Tt1!;,

thcir woUc the organi1..Rtion of Uie " Patri otic Soc iety" unde r wfi oee· fOfltering care th c first Ameri can 11001 wRB, on the 6th day of Februury, 1898, opened (o r th c adEngli8h teachere Th e higb 91:bool opc.r;i.ed November IS, 1899, is a1so distinctly Engli.eh in il:l:I tuition and oecu pice tl1e amñc building.

Another sch ool that h RS mad e a history among the schoola of Ponce is that of the Pnulist fathers. Thia coll ege was opened on the 4th o f October, 1896'. Th e fi1'8t recto r wns the Re\•

P. D. Lórenw Bourd witb a st.nff of eight 8.f!f!istants. J;.t had a lis t of 104 stu denta, ali boys. They taugÍ1t geqmet r y, phil oso phy , ,Eñglish;;¡ rhctoric, histor y, Lntin , and re li gious ph il oeopby. Th e sc.hool accompH ied ret1u lte. The laet rector was Rev. P. Ffancieco Vicario. Th e ech ool <'Jo8ed n poú th e the United Statee

in

V1croR S. CLARK, Prerident lr18ulor Board oj Education, San Juan, P. R. Srn: lu pUll!ullllce with iustructions contained in your' letter dated October 18, J , to aubmit the rollowing report the echoo le of my districl4 . . .

Adjunta.e and Maricao on the north, San Gennan and Lajas on the west, Ponce on the eMt., and th e Caribbean Sea on the eoutb. Yauco bae a.n a.rea of 60,000 equare • cuerdaM and a population oí 27,337; Sabana Gra nd e an area o [ 86,600 square cuerdae anda t>pulation of 10,604¡ Guayanilla an aren of 30,000 :Juare cucrdus and

echc:i in the town and 11 rural

1 aarumed c harge oí t.hie district April 19, thie year. 1t then Yauco, Guay1m illa, Ponucl88, 1md Adjuntas. f waa. tho firet Englieh sui>orviaor to cover this hietorical point of "·icw little can be eaid with reíerence to tbe echoohi of y this district. Tho flrst echoo l wna established during Jul)', 18281 in the town of Sabana Grande, uud later, in t he year 1839, an old record 1.8 found whjch read.B 1\8

ns also varioue women tcaohing girla . The number of boye is 30 a.nd thq nmnber of girls 36; the tenching is and iuspected by tbe di.rectore of the respective military dietrict8 ' '

auft?a establ1ished in tbe town of Guayanil'u in the ycnr 1886, and m Yauco and Penuelas and girls admitÍed to the same scbool, it

o ld, thn e-worn cUBtom, whicb it is indeed well to modiíy now, a:nd which will re.t!Ult in the utu1ost benetit to the heretofore neglected female pqpulat1on.

From ·t.l,le da.te of thé esta\:>liehment. of schoo le there eeems to ha ve been a elight but eteru.ly in c rense in their number, und th ere has hardly O\'Or been a time wht:ln

young mind M th ey could.

All indicalione point to about ten yt¡ara psst M the period the standard o! th.e achoole was at highest. Since titen they have deteriorated in the muniope.h· tiee of Guayanilla aud Peiluelas, and in a leseer dcgree in Sabruta. Grande as well, • until we find mnny, at the time of the A.merican invasion 1 supported at the expen se • of the muni c ipulity, but giving nlmoet nothing for vnlue reoe 1ved. An instance wns the e lc me1ttary girle' school of the tow11 of Penuclas, as we found it, with an enroll· ment of 72 pufile, ,·orying in age from 6to15 ycare, only two oí whom in the 8tudy o arithmetic to eta.ge ol eoh1ng the problema in mu.ltiph· cation, and th e rest fortunate 1f they eucceeded m ·loommg tite numbers and bow to coun

The ladyteacher, old nnd infinn, m.¡naged to giv8 eome inetn1ctionºin needlework , which would kee{>' the ch ildre n occupled, nnd mnde fair progreae in the inatructlon of the relig io ua te:rct-book, Doctrina Cristianah ond that was all. lt eeemod thtlt eome of the echools had been supported witb t e sole purpoae of doing honor anrl Hving up to the c ustom almoet unmemorial of a echoolhouee and a echool for ench town.

Yau co ha.e succecded in keeping up her standard, eo that at nny time m the paat a child wae euabled to receive a fair common school education, and thi.a is tru e Wf we ll of Sabnna Grande.

_In Guayanilla nnd Pef\uelns h88 for years ond echoola lJ:cen · g 1ven about as great a eetback ns 1t was po88Í'6'\e for recc1ve. '.l'he cauaé is attributOO to the fa.et that of late years public atnfe and ofllcial favon ti!m h ave given riee to the odmiMion of teach e rs of IC81 ability and with greater fondn CIJ! for political advancemcnt than the intereete of achool affaire.

EDUOATION IN l'ORTO RICO.

• 85

Of t'he former teacbere in thia district there ie not had achie':e? ihat has made him known to any exten t _outeide the hmltf of the mumc1pahty he lived though no doubt tbe best i_netructor who has a sch ool m thc J>i'St is etilÍ a g:nided teacher in tbe l auco school, Mr. Antomo Lebron. Mr has taught in the same building in Yauco for twenty-two ycare paet. and 1here are few of the young and of town who bave for a i:im at lea.et, becn of bis ecboo l. Hte eerv1ce dunng thC80 years hae mer1ted and not in kl'CJ>ing with tbc size, wealth, and of mumcipahll.ee. . has pro,·id cd for the town a fa1r for füe grndee eetabl1ehed • thercJ 'V11il e it is the beet that could be prov1de<l 1 there uo other au 1table tmildinge availabJe, nnd it is satil!factqry, yet the town reqmres a OOtte r one. Tbe two on the ground Ooor nre lhrge and plensant., eave for the fa ot that tl1e doors open directJy on tbo strcet. The four roome on the first floor a're cool. c h oo rfu! , li¡.:lit, land bave n beautiful view of the eurroundi n g i:oom 1s l':tooéa.ingly Jarge, the other th.ree a trifle emall. The building 1s eubetanllal, m good ntid located near the cente r .of thc town , •

As rural buiif!inge tbpee prov1dcd for G ua.m ea are excell ent. m whicñ the two scllools for boys are located could f!Ot be bettered eve!l 1! 1t had be.en for thc purpoee. It is constructed of bnck and w1th. th1ek walls, and ie sufplied witb elabomte waterw orke, an exf..oel.lept cistcm, PWJ:?P¡. wtu!? burin , anc the likc. Tl;l e rooms are verK larga ru1<! hght end lhe. enttre bwl< 1e • nro ll_lfS:C nnd li ght, the On ly being thnt U1e buµding is old and somewbat shnbtiy in appearnnce. The bm ldmgs for t.he other rural echoo ls are what _may be (•nlle<l i.regular." They are ali of suffi c ient size, light, and airy, though m moei

echool of &bana. quite _satlail;\Ctory. The rooms are ligbt. and epacioue and the en tire bmldmg. It lB decid· e<IB'r ia the h1..'8t)

o f new oonetru étion, hi([h from th e ground, nnd hgbt. · Guayand la has pro\'idod the largest and 'Íineet houee m tbe town the graded iM· hool. It is centrally located, fronting th e plaza. One of the rooms te localed on the $.round ftoor and is large, light, cool. The two roome the floor above ª1' everything that could be dee:irod, bemg aleo large:, cool, and. light, and overlookin¡.t the p1aza. The woodwork and wall paper tlte rooms 18 new e legant. tudood , Guay'anilln echoolhouae or wh 1.ch_she may well be J?i-6ud.

In Penuelae, beca.use of lac k of _funde, a building has been prov1ded w1!-1ch lB not \'ery eati.efactory, bemg mconvemently constructed for lhe 1hrce schoole and the rooms being too sma ll to properly eeat a clR.88 of 50 Th1s building: is only intended for lemporary occupaocy, as a better one w1ll soon be rural hou.ecs. there ifl an excellent bui ldin g fn Barrio Rucio, newf and conlnt ning two solendid clasa rooma, one of wbich• is used for a _boy e' school !he olher a girls' school. This building i& ull that be des1red. The reuuunmg fou r rural sc.boole occupy buildinge large enough, hght enough, but old and eomeand sanit:ary conditions of all in. thia district aro lent. mattere are attended to atrictly by the ID the towns m niral districtaa.e well; they are not Th e bousee i:noetcaeee are bu1lt b1gb ami the closets are apart and at eome d1stance fro m the bmldmp.

The furniture ancl appamtus eupplied the achoo l.s nre the eame as have beeu 1,n .use to r eeveral yeara paet. Th e gmded achoola in the ºdifierent towm:1 bave a. suH1cient lillDlber of long bencbee without ba.c.ke, and long desks to claeeee¡ 1he rural sc.boóle rarely have eufficient deeke and some bardly suffiCient bencbee to Feat the c laseee. The teaChers' dcsks and chaira anewer the but po more, nnd nearly one-half tbe entlre number of echooJe are not euppbe<l w1th. c locke, the tuache r being compelled to furnisb one of own _o r to employ a

The new text-books which havo been '!" uae emce the of the t'Ce m to meet every requirement and to g1ve tbe utmost,.sattefacbon They l\xce llent progrese in Engli.ah and are adequate to the demanda of the ID ali t-he brancliee o f study. I believe tbe people as well as the appreciate ! hat a higb clt\88 and very excellent set of bave been preecnbed and are l m use.

, In ge 1mral the chamcte r of th e pupi.le is d ocilo anc,l nuQ tiouate, deeiroU8 of 100.m mg, ª!1d , ttbO\:e ull, I<? epeak the Engheh nnd amenable to kindly o f rulmg and metru ct.mg th em. In th e 8Chool8 t 1ey are c1888ified at firat as to age a fterwards tl1 oso who are more or lesa advanced than their companione are trausferred 1to the .c ln.eses best suite<! to th eir compre h eneio n The1r h ome 1mrrow1dmgs nre gen em ll y poo r, thou$h th &children of the beet pnr. e nf:age attend sch ool min glc with out objootion w1th th oeo of tb e poorer clase. A large rrn !nber of the ciuldren a.re undereized for tbcir nge wben comparcd witb tbose • or Amc r1 cd . Mnny 12 years o\' nge are uot more thau :J fec t 4 inchee in b(tight, nnd o thei;s o í 9 years are but 3 íeet 10 inchcs. Th eir principal food is rice and bean.s and oo nd1ments o f the íi:p.its of thc is lan d. clothing ie simple, but a.a il rule ncat rmd s uffi c1ent far the1t"a bsol ute need&-fow m proportion wear shoes. At play th ey genem ll y fartn emall cliquee1 but tbe boy e nnd girla rurely plav or aml180 them in th e1r studiee is most perceptibl e bch\·een the ages of ¡ four-fifLh e of th e populntion belong to th & co lored cllU!S. The are d1vuled .mto clll8í*l8 called 1 respec Livery , " 1>rime m " th e whitea; ' eeguuda.'' trunted n:1th 11 ttirce.r&i' the mulatloest and 11egroes. Parente are aU d ee1roua far th e1r chil dren t ó nttcnd ac bool. The ªJ?I>enmu ce of Am erican teachers monopo lizing ali their tim e during the c \·c 1 nings nnd 00 days that sch oo lhou see nnd teachere' reeidenccs oí Y nuco by

tl;:S

Jaud within the respecti ve diahicta and th e busine88

us a.e th c woret st rotc h oí countr y rond to be fo und 0 11 thc iellmd.

mountain trail e wbi ch load to a majorit.y o í th e ruml 1JCh oole1 in dry weath er nnd nt their best are hard to tmve l, and during th e miny apelle dangero ue delaf nlso ie o fte ntimee causcd by the swoll en etrcams, whicb, alter hdavy ram a, late, ir not have met ";th s uch poo r in tb e hfuíi· a íair sho " ·ing. In th e exam inationa but t h ree

The teacheni o f the severa ! towne co mmunicate ahnoet with one another ubo ut echoo l a Uair!, ami h old f:requent to diacusa methods of teaching. The n11:nl t bnchera of th e different municipalit1es I hn" e met twice' a month fa r to ure nll d ceply intereeted in their work, and th ere is great unit y in th eir ac tton a1:::J .

The principal reco nunendatio n whi ch I cou ld,make, nnp whicb I be li e\·e ia.th e moet impo rtnnt and nece681l ry impro\•ement in the B;C h oo le, is better. furn1ture nnd to l SC\'Cml inetnnces oí young girls (ainting aw¡y in th c ech ool roo m, and 1 am co rwmced

IN PORTO RIOO.

bne been broughton frow ex.bauetion in endeavoring ·to maintain a pooi. 'Yhich be<:nme too ecvere n tns.k for their c:onstitutions. On this accotmt I am 1tt81stmg th e t.eac h e ra PU!ling their CIRS8Ctl through caliathenic drilla, both ¡ the11 mornmg and aftem oon eee@IO llf!. In the Y nuco scbool Li e utenant Furlow COOl· manding of E le venth Infu.ntry }he re, has kindly non CC? mm1m o n ed. offi ce rs nnd a pnvate to metrnct thc different classes each day m the exerc1 sce na taken from the Manual of Arme. Under tbeir inatructio1( c h1ldren ha ve mad e cx cellent prógrCSEl, nud indeed th e commands, given in Enghsh, are e x ecnted promptlv, with snap, nnd surprisinglv well. Wit,ho.ut .mod e m sch?OI furniturc a school cap nevei- nppear to ordcr nnd d18C.!phn e can not m n foil dcgrce be maintnined , and the eystem and method 11of Amencan ech ools can no t progrcse 11t1 they ehould. · ltwill al eo be to wee<l out& few of theold teachers retained in thescbools of kccping ")l. with the new and ndvanCC(i . I the ne wly elected boards of school lnl8teee, as they aU are in thia d1stri ct of moet e xcellen t ami cnpnbl e men, will, aa promPliV-M poesible, remedy the tt? the best of thcir ability 1>romote ihe wclfare of the ech()())s m the1r reepect1ve d1stn c te. Respcetfully eubmitted.

Y AUCO, P. R. , Dece mW 6, 1899 Cn>.s. E. FOOTE, EnglUh

ENGLISH SUPERVI SOR'$ REPORT FOR DISTR ICT NO . 10.

1118TORICAL ACC'OU?.'T.

Supe1•vising district No . X has neYer been in of nny other supervisor

On Mny 13, 1800, when the unclcreigned formally took Charge of the work the Jjetrict was compaeed of the municipalitiea of San Gennnn cabo Rojo Lajas' and Grand e . According to th e redietributi o n of Septe:nber 18 1899 S&'bana · Grande waa placed in c hnrge oí Supen·isor Charlee E. Foote, of Yauc'o and Maricao wae. taken from Super\iso r Mellowes and added to We district le there ie no offie1al. eurvey of the if!lond, it is impossible to state the orea of tbe dietrict. Th c table or giveti the papulation by municipalitiee according to the United Sta.tes oí tb1e year, numbe r of children of achool nge, ancl_ number of 8Chools 88 proposed m the budget for the preeent achoo1 year:

EDUOATION IN PORTO RIOO.

Publi (' schooli, werer.rob;bJy not estab liehed IUl such uhtil the early part of thie cenllll'Y. Tbe finit gir ti echool wae establiehed about tbe year 1820 at San Gennan. TwO echools whiCh have exerted a "'ide inftuence were fl')nducted by Don Santoe H11tteetini, wbo aerved twenty-one yeara, from 1855 to 1882, and Dona. Carme n Borras Battestini The latter aen•ed a.e teacher from ,1866 until tbe end of the llll!t R" hool yeru-1 sbowing a record of forty-three ¡·enrs of continuous aervice in the same t't hool. Nearly ali the middle-aged J,>COPle o the town hning a knowledge of reading and w-riting received their instniction frorn these two indi,•idualé. Another teacher whose name cteeer"ee mention is Don Loreto J. Montalvo, at present in sen•ice at Cabo • Hojo. Nearly ali the thirty-three years of hie work were spcnt in that town. We m.a.y 1 nleo mention a private echool, conducted by Rafael Janer at ?tlaricao; which ranked NI one or tbe lending schoo ls of the island. The general i!{icorance pre,·niling in the Tb':1re

hired a pnvate teacher or sent thetr children to the town l!Chools.

SCUOOL BUJLDll'\0

lt is eeen from the abo,·e table that tbe number oi children of echool 8t{t? fonn 82 ¡>ercentof total ¡>opulation, the 48 banioe only 22 are prov1ded with showmg that thus far l'_rov1elon..for the education of the m&88 of the people is "Very O.ne school m chargé of an American teacher haa been added to eoch mumcipahty f!lll ce l&Bt ycnr. At thie writing the follow i ng echools remain vncant on account of th e lack of teachers holding legal certificates:

S rural echoole at San Gennan .

2 rnral echooIB at Maricao. l pofrition at Marica.o. Kind e rgarten potrition at Lajne. lt ie to gh·e any hieto.rical. account of the schools in thedistrict on account ºf lack of rehable data and the bttl e mtereet thus far@b wn in educationa l matleJ'll.

TEACBERS.

The accompanying table shows number, namee, certificatee, experience, and Mlary of teachera in the dietrict The m•erage age "of teachera i 89 yea_n:, ond the

r:;:

betwceu 20 und 30, and 1 bel o w 20 years of nge . ' ' tite wo r k of the tea.chers is far better than y; waa last yea r under t hc

As improvements we note the following pointa: / in nttention to duty. ·

3. Neatuese of schoolroom.

4. Definite orcler of work.

The weaknesaes to be noted are ns fo ll owe: thou ht.

Teach.el'8 are to do the reciting for the There are too mam· superficml ex]>lanatzous on part of th e t.eacheni R8!imilation o n patt of t h e pupila. 111 mauy tenc hera <l o not h old t ite attc n bon Qf the clase. Thcre shouJd be more teachmg by mea.ns of q ueations Teachors tal k too much. Th ere U¡ too littlo tmin i ng of expl'es@ion, ora l ami written. Tench or's must Jearn to recognize the fact that a child's know ledge is his OYm ideas expreseed in his o wn words .

3. Somo tcnchers co nd uct rec1ta ti o11 s in co n <.-crt.

4. •Some lcnchef!3 a ll ow help fr om other mcmbers of thc olruie, euch na co1>y1ng, thus culliYatmg

5. The wt!akeet of ali ie d iscipline. there is a Yaat impro\·ement, thero rcmains much to be clone. It seenui thntthelorto Ricnn child comes toschoo l thorougb ly imbUed w ith n tota l dim?gard for lnw and order I n man y echoo ls the discipline is bnd, becauso the teachers them t;iekes nernr were di!ciplined.

a _proícssion, teaching is cons ide.red too much ns only a brcod-enrning .trade. \Vlulc tn the Stntea yonng men and women are ambitioua to bctter their condition nnd_ to high!!r pol!itions, many of teachcrs ha,·e rcmained content with letting · hYes J>MB m n rural echool, eammg only enough to sustain their families with d1fficulty, nn!1 yet t_heee same are continuallr boastiJ?g of their long experiand lay!ng to epecml when their bns bee n m A wrong d1rection· . m conaeq uence of wh1ch they are pnet 11npro ,•c1ncnt. meo nncÍ \\"Ornen enter the profession with modern methbde new lifewill be mfu8e41nto our schools.

In t h c $!!tded schools t h ere is n \·n.st improvement, as these tene hel'8 are in clo...'lC cont'nct wath the American tcnchers nnd h nYe the opportunity to atudy Americon mcthods pmcticnlly app l icCl

The accompnnying tn.bie sho ws that 64 cent- o f ali children enrollcd' are boya, 36 cent $'Irle, ii.2 per cent are white, :.-.8 per cent oolored, 81.4 per cent are of llog1timnte b 1rth 1 nnd 18 6 per cent o í illegitimnte birth.

lt is a noticeable fact thnt tbe number of colored c hildren ia ra t hcr amall as compnrcd with the white. It muat n ot be thought, that tbe number of colored childrcn is amnller iu proportio n to population according to roce. The populntion of whitce ie far grenter thnn the popu latiou of coloretJ. people. H e n<.'C a a:mall enrollment of co loted ch.fülren.

mnte birth , wJ1il e iu t h e Cnbo Rojo scbool it is only one-tenth. lt mwt not be , ieion hns been matl e for thc instruction o f ali classe8. With th e ad '®t. o! more knc hen in Cabo Rojo the prOportion of legitimnte to illegitimnte wiW'be greo t ly lt i1:1 a leo notit-enlJ le thnt the proportion of co lored Chil drc n i n th e rura l

wi t h lnst year'e onro llme.nt, the Hegnrding the c haructer of the Porto Ricn.n @choo l boy nnd gir l1 it mu.et be eaid to the ir cree.lit tbat theh are \'Crv courteous, td fcctio n atc, nnd willi ug to do well whun <:ome to echool witb littl e o r no home eduC'fttiou. Thc n,·cmgo boy upon entering ¡.mthered u¡> from hie contnct with thc American eoldicn. "Be hna httle orno

tu right moth"es, nnd in 90me instances tbey theruseh-es tfo noteet tite right" cxample. l-l owever it muet be remembered that tite child ie uot to be blamed for hUl condition when we consider hie home eu rroundings. For t b is reaao n mnny of the better c lMS

Of Juwiug tbetu il,1 lntcllectulllly our compare fa\·ombl y with American being IJright n n d haYing exce llent memorh..'8, n though tl1ey are not t hiltkere, not through

clnss. Aceording lo age t he American c h ild is further adnuced, aFtbo ugh the Purt-0 R lcan child cuu {' ntcr school 1tt an cri r lier ngu 0 11 R{'(.'O Uut o f bis fuHer pl1ys icn l dovclopmcnt, dua tó l-lii uatic t.'Onclit io ne. C hil drcn oí four or lh-e )1eni-s o ( ugc, 1\8 íl ru le, uro lnrger th un thosc oí th o en.me uge in tho Stutcs. f

Lhey appear móre earneet and interested ' in tbeir echool work, while the ,rounger to give vent to their miachie\:ous inclin,tions to the detriment of

As compared with Am e rican children they do not advanoo M rapidly, fo r variou8 /

th e poor once of tb e towns a re not properly fed. main food they ha ve is ri ce, bcnns, and codfish, it can Qe obtained. This appliee only to th& poor class. The children ªPJ>en:r pale n.nd lnnguid. Man y do not nttend schoo l on account. o f lack of prope'.r clothmg. Frequent complnint.s are benrd from teschers that chiJ. dreu are abeent lrom ecbool on account of fe\'er, colds, bronchitis. Much eicko f thc home is fnr better, nnd consequently the physical condition of th 6 child. iu

It ie to be that the boya are. 80 thoroushly addict(\(i to gnmbling.. I n to their kite flyinff, top and mnrblce appear to be amuaemente. ey do not iudu ge in any ou oor sports fully exercif!iog

h\ rt.--ce ive

Statislics

Milan, oí Lejas, received a certiflcate. .At the September:examinatio!l ten of lh e 81\me candidat.68 preeented thenUIE!h-e& agnm, and two, Dommgo Commrns nnd Modesto Cordero of Sabana Grande, reoeived gmde-echo:c>l certittcates., . The eubjecte whlch appeared most diflicult to the ca nd 1dale8 were anthmetic and l t seems strau¡le tbat candidates were mt rprised at be ing sul>jected ton fair examination at prncticRlly no CC?Bt So!ne tbougbt that at. least .th ey ought to ha\'e an outl ine of the eub1ect-matter m wh1ch ther were to be exammed. Sorne thougbt that q uestions could be obtained for r.rev1ous study, and others t hot)gbt that their standing conld be mised by \laying a ec in proportion. Ali these • thilÍgr\..show to wbat a corrupt system of exanunotione the people were accruitomed. Oí couree now it ie understooQ. that the examiriation is the same for a.U,_ honeetly f'Onducted at littl e or no expense to the candidate, and demandmg cifnte a full

for principal's shou ld be s ubj ected to n much severer tcet. as in the StatCf! me n Of far greater ability can be aecured at th e same sa4u"Y or lees than tbat received by our prin cipal&

As so few Of tbe candirlates paeee<l in the examinat ions held last sumruer, ele ,•en EC hoole of tbis district still romain vacant. lt is hopecl thnt thesc will be filled alter the Deoomber examinations. ' .

Teacbers' mectinge ha\·e been conducted for iu etruction. in coneultnttons regarding organizat ion, and aicl5;ng teachen in the. deUuls of .tbe1 r work. tcachers lack originalit)t ; hence, m o.rder to have thmgs done r:ight from thc beginning it hl\8 to be done by the supervi so r. Ae un exnmp le:i let 1t be atnted that n ot u !!in'gte Porto Rican teacher made a daily progmmme eui ted to the conditions of his ECbool, aimply becaUBe it was 80mething new to lhem.

As a whol e, the poople are favorably inClined to the study of J?nglieh, nnd it must be said in justice to our teach el'Bi that1 nlthough eo me o f them w1ll never learn thc language' well 1 they havc done remarkobly well in teacbing it. Th e.girls eeem to sho w gres.ter interest and make better progrees tlum tbe boye. .

Regarding the difficultiee of communication, let it be said that the worlr: is h1unJ?Cred by bad road@. This is 80 well known that it is not to entcr mto detru la. · '

l. Th e grnducl schoole at Oabo Ro JOnnd San German sho uld rooei ve an n.dd itional tcncber u eoon as boarda are organized to take nction.

2. The $200 pro,•ided in the budget of San German for books should be to Jhe fund for schoo l fumiture. Tbis will be reconunended to the new counc1l M 80011 he organized

I

r h1 the flnit rwd only

triét eince ita fawidation in April, 1889

Lru!t ycar th erc wero

of

schoo la in i\laya,gucz

( 4 mrnJ, 4 clementary) ¡ nnd in Lns ) [anna

A.ilast'O

(6 runtl, 2 elementary)

The presc.nt 32 scboola or Ma"nguez were ope.ned on Octobcr 2, 1899, in buildinga tempontrilbsnmtcd by the municipnlity pending tbe fanuntio n of tbe board of by the lawe of

There ie nn entire lack of suitnble buildinga far l!Ch oolhouses, but the beat J>OSSibl e sclcction ha&.bccu mRde. Fonnerly ibc nnd tenchera' privatb reí:!:idem'i.'11 were combincd nnd scholars · indiscriminntely admitted without regard to space or \'entilnti on. Our !!Ch oola no w art! entire ly eepn ntW from privnte rea.idences and u sq uarc yord of 1:1p.nce ·ie 11 1l otted to eac h pupil.

The six·grncle @Chool, occupies. one with and well· buil iugs. Th e " Th e A11usco fonr·gmdc mixed. sc hool ie all in the aai\1e building aucl th e thn."fr' gmde 'nt LU! ")JarÍIU! two gmdea of wliich are at present worki ng) are in on e bmldm!!'. ·

Of r1vat c schoo ls in 1laya guez nt presc.nt exie ting mention shoulcl be made uf h bOys' Mr. Hoetoa; boye' school, Mr l\Iouge; able <lire<:tion oí Mr. ProfetJID1"8 Fout ru1d Mtlximiuo lnwe left a goocl mune for work in yennl pR!:!L

The school ac.'Comrnodntion is farfrom odequate far the numberof child re11 of school age. Some 500 applicanta far admi88ion in )fayaguez and 800 in tbe adja· cent bnrrioe are "\lhout nc.-commodnrion.

'fhe umnicipalit.y of Ana&:a hne 20 barrios, on ly 4 of which are at pre8ent eupplied with sth oo ls. Our fanr·grade mbccd ac h oo l 11ooommodatee 200 pupila and mau y

Bite haa beeu aelccted for a perman?nt

Tbe overflowing of tbe An!U!OO River on August 8 caueed great deetruction to

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO.

95

properfl/c, and communication between Anasco ru1d Mayaguez and that district wl\8 nnd mieery r.tt ,·ail and eerionsly inte rfere with the attendanc.e of tlie children. f'here it! one ''ate !Chool at AnR8CO (boye) kept by :llr. Garcia. Profeseor Surrio Ramiur U. d in bigh reputntion IL8 a teucher ol former yean!. Lu:it year there were two gi rls' seh oo ls in AmU!CO and one rural girls' 8Chool.

rQUUding dietrict i8 cu)th·ated With coffee, and tbi s year'tt Crop W88 sru iJt by tbe hur·

nud suffering of the poor are heartrcnding. ::\1oet of th e run about The streets are fl lthr and homes uncared for. Lieutenant Foo ley, during.bis short :it:ir th cre, busiecl hameelf in the cond iti on of the inhabitante He took an

ii: 10 be Attachecf to th e local junta. Tllere WRS a eplend id building th ere which we ip1ended to aecure for our three-gmcle schoo l, but unfortnnntely tite hurricnne com· plete ly wrecked it. •

)[ore are, however, being daily enrolled. We sti ll need '\inother room at Las Mariaa, onr pi:esent building beitig inaufticient for two grades. imitar co nditfons intemrifled aecount for the unsatl s fa c to ry coudi tion of ruml Lust yea r there wns one ¡;irle' schoo l in l..aB Murias. ""'1' l'here is an en tire lack of suitable school funiiture throughout this dietrict. Seat· ing accommodation of the n1dest description is prO\iided, but blackboards, charte, pc118, etc., are needed everywhere, and th e lack of thesoscriouel)' imoedes the teac h ere m the oí their dutiee. Th e respective have solicited th e

1101 be looked for. , .

reJ:::1

iubrs (wi th th e exc.-eption oí Llmon } witb and well ventilated. There 1s ._ ).!'rea t necd o f plnygrounds and outhouaes in moet of the scb ooltt. T e.xt-books are in a li th e echoo la. Moro wil1 be providecl when secure cnsee aro fur· oI teachers in this district is49 1 as follows: Threeprincipn.j!, 2 male, l 2 ru1d 2 male; 15 grnded, 8 female .and 7 mnle ¡ 27 rnral, Th e ohl·fnshioned method of tmining the rn e m orbent theiexpenae o f th e mind, so

t he aim o f our inetmctors. Wh erever poaaible kindergarten metbod8 will be adopt.ed. 'Xnttire study, mn@ic, phye:ical drill nlready pmt of each tes.cher'e cfaily kro-htc of Atte ndau ce is good, but many teachere explain that were clocks proVlded 1t would lle bette r. ·

The chnmcter of th e children leaves much to be clesircd, aad reflecta much die-

1ion into grades is n ece@Sftri ly a elo w procc8B. Taking reading as n bRsis, many fl('ho lars who wonld otherwiae be in R. htgher gmde nre kept baclt f? r the !r want of knowled.!Je of this subject. Others able to rcod aro poorly preparcd in nq,vabers and 11rithmetic. For this rea.son th e majority tb e pupila are still in tbe nncl

o.f. the i:n me nge in ou r own country. No doubt th e cau.se 1s wnnt of proper and n utntiom!I food, hoalthy exerciae, a11d proper clothing Attention is bcing givcn to the gtLmCS in arde r to improve their phytique

·

Fully 35 per cent of the c hildren in tbis district are colored'

following tabl e the rent paid fot ac h ooh1,rent paid for houses for teach taxatton, sc hoo1 appropnattons, etc.: ere,

7b

The difficulties o f conuuunicnti on are \'e ry great, particularly durin'g th e rain Fo r five mo'nth s of the yea r it nlmost invariably mine in the afternooii a lmost impaasabl e.• Jt is and even daugerous to tra,·ei 'V:e hnve orga nized wee kly tenche rs' meetinge in l\ltWBg\!ez, Anaaco, and Lru! fo r lhe rea.son above stated they are spnrsely aitc nded. The recent hur9mte upaet ali postal StUngementa, ancl for a tun e great in co nve nicnce Wtll! m ctneeq ue nce .

In the Jul y exa mi!1ati'?n. sonie thirty were e xnmined and in Octobe r 10 pre!*>.nted From lntel y mad e, I expect quit e R number of e xamineee in The dceire. to learn and speak English is at fe\'er h e'ght.. Very rapid progrese h M and th e JX\ rents a re mamfceting

Reapectfully

JonN MELLO\\"E:3 Engli,Jli Supen.i«>r.

ENGLISH

Prttidnit of

S

mmar1 ee of sc h ool but in non e o f the towns d o they existas oonvenient

th e we ll -mformcd

};DUOATION IN !'ORTO RICO.

There is thereforc needed a lo ng a11d pe.tieut pe ru-

as h! Aguada, to th e beginning of th e century , !Wd whi e h i11 Aguadilla l>t..-gm abntptly w1th th e date of 1847 , altbough there aro mtental e\'idences that rt"<.'O rds of many ¡>re\•io us years ha\" e been k ep t. A s a rule, th e ec hoo l buildings in thie district ttre in n.n unsntisfactory conditi o n thcn Jure a adaGted, fh"Mt., for th e h o me of th e teach e r and Wis family aud , !lee [!r

t he to wn s t he r etipons.ib ility o f obtai n in g cnti re ly !'CJ>a rat ed from a residence ci th e r that of the teach er or uny oth e r j >er80 n 1 and co ntuining pro¡:>e r tb ere W SK e n co uutered muc h diffü;u l ty, a nd thi s is es. pecfolly true in th e case of within the to wn prope r.

m1my wind o wH nnd d oors, whi c h afford excelle n t ,·entilnÍlon. Ho we ve r , ns it waa lmilt for n town hall and not for a ac hoo lh ouse, it p rcsents many incon•\"enie.itee@. Th e rnlu e of the huilding is $25,QOO. :\l oen hns h il'C(I fo r ita g raded ac hoo l b uil d in g a 1-sto ry ""oode n etructu re, form e rly

with t ho ex<..'OJl ti on of thc midlll e room there are many wind o ws and s pl endi d ,·entilution .

Aguada tr"'as hired a 2!@t o ry wooden @tmc ture, fonne'.rty used tU! a dwelling hou QC. lt hru; a frontage of 38 .feet a n d a depth o f 23. Tb low c r tioor is equally dh•ided

· Ita ,·aloe is $550.

preseot the two g md cs occupy a wooden stru cture of one s to ry , used ns a ilwelli ng h ouse. Jt hM a f-ronta go of 23 feet nnd a depth of 28 fee t. Its value is S200.

Sa n Sebastian is fortunate i n that it own s it s oml building It is a wooden struca lowet floor will be occ npied by th e kindergarten grade. Thia bui lding is 50 by SO feet nnd is va luad as $800.

Tho tw e nty lh rec ruml sc h ool buildinga in th e d iat ri ct are Jl corly a li o.lik e. The majorit)" were fo rm e rly cb untr y atores ln \"entilatio•1 and light they are not fnr behind the o ld -íMh io ned cou n t ry sch ool ho uscs o f New E ngla nd. No o ne of th em h M a value of over $ 150.

Qf th e 38 tcachera, two are 1American Jadies, o ne being in Aguadilla ami th e o the r in Aguada• • Th ree teachers h old ce rtifi cat es as princi]>a ls., nam c ly, Manuel Jane r , Arturo Janer, a nd Dalsy Vogel, ali tcnch ing -Gt. Agno.dilJa. On l y o n e rural teacher hASa corti fi cate above th e rank of hisschool , namely1 Eurcbio l:'erreras, of Satl SeOO.S·

gradcd ochoo le. towns cach tcaeher in a graded ec.hool rocei " es 540 per montb. Tbe rural t each era receh" e $30 per m o nth ·

embers

f th e variousschool bo?rds are notabl

I ca n stat e t hn t, ns o. rule, ali the teachere of thi e dist ri et except Artud Q Jan e r and i\lnnuelJanér and th e em ploy in tenching old ami vic io118me thoda. By this I mean that th ey teach the abst:ract before the con crete-the definitio n before the gcogmp hr. s 1:>end weeke in teachin g defi11itio 11e of 11 rive r,' ' 11 mountain," "nation ;" a.nd th e hk e, without o nce speaking o{ the rh-e r n hundred y ards away, th e mountains whicb may be eeen from the wmdo w, or o f the uati o,n in whi ch we a re. Th oee who t<iach grninmar im1ist upo n wo rdy recitations, carelCHS of tho idea . 1 s hould mod ify my ewoo¡>ing l\88Crtions by stating thnt some of our ,young rural t.eache rs are leurning to tcach ana are beginning to show good reeulta, t

y boye and girls not merely into the same room, but into the same buildintJ. The older girls themeelvee do uot hke it 1c! ::i1:8:iil. formerly táught mainly in needlework and catechit!:tn, which instroction ha.a them quite devoid of mental training and diecjp1ine. Again, poor boya are lel!S advanccd

EDUCATlON TN PORTO RICO.

'

1hnn u\o well·to-do, for the reason that in fonner ycnrs thcy re<.'CÍ\'ed lees or the h':ll' her'IJ time tlltm the lnlter . Again, 1JOme boya urC more clc?\'er in arithm e tfo than is hard work to introdu ce written e:uun inutions. Thc must(l r is n ot familiar 111orul, nnS pmctical trylining equal to now r ecei\'ed by the of il1 i

1-o nuuonplace to eay that climate und rat..'e must he reckoned _with. -phe cli mate of it1 lnnd will n ot J.>Brm it a to undergo the mental "tnun thnt an evc rvday 1ll•l ight 10 th e Bostouum A.nd the or th e r:nce. IO\'O ol the 11i¡.rn in preferen ce to th e lhmga 1gmftcd, o r words to 1de2_18, rh e tonc to logu; th e tlppear

thc you lh o f lllinois or of Wiac:o m1iu recel\'e \i1d 1leide fro111 the of cl imat e 1md mc.-e are th e IC!E! but slill l°'.'riOU.!:' UlUtlers Íll\'Oh•cd in h ome life, ÍOOCI, proper clothing, n nd tite hk e. Á8 an nlmo::: t.' unh"er83 l nlle there is in my dist;ict no .rart. o f for th c parti cular t1!'(' o f th e c hild re n. Thc.'y may n ot reoo.1v e the1r 111 pr1vacy1 may no t in peat.-e nnd comfort, 11U\\" not have party gatlumngs ol boys nnd g1rla. \\"hilO. this is tn1 e of ali, it is won!C In the C.1\Se of th e poo r. In th e ho mes o f many, oí the !alter there is &1ln•e ly the 1>rh-ac y clue t.o d et.•c ncy1 not n picturc that even sug· µtl:cts nrt n ot a good book , nota ncw epa ¡>e r , 8("llr<:cly a plat.-e to eut and ílk"C ¡>. in thc erute o f boye wh o have h.onli'fl of lhts and they are is not thnt !ove for ho me thnt 1n the hearts or ThrouJCh a cu1-1tom gerieml throughout the i8-lttnd, w hich 1 eup¡ >Ot"Q mus t htwe iUs n 1\8bn , though whnt the renson is 1 am unabl e to diBt..""O\'er, the c hildren as _well 11'1ult.s luwe no eo rl y brcnkfast. J\l oreo \' er, so poo r are eome pnrentB, espcc1ally m the coimtry th ere nre en ti re days <luring whi c h eo me sch ool c hildren do n ot ea.t. ln the mu.nv a boy has no more than a ¡>air o f n o nd escript trousera and ru1 underilhirt ruu Of )1ole:!, und some ( but theee refuscd admittance to the ech oo ls) do not e ,·en J>OBSel18 the · ü nlik e th e boyt1 in the Un ite<l States, th ose of Po rto Ri c.'O ha,·e n o clubs ' for debate, 8CK.-i ttbility, o r sports. The history o f th e island d1d n <?t afio rd op¡>0rt.hnities fo r free d ebate e \'Cn to adulUs and at pft'l:!Cllt a boya' debe.ting club would be a dangerous und c rtakfog, c.-onsidering how public and. othe r are ,no w dh1cuaeed. Th e custome o f tlie land hardly allow boya social clubs, amce there a l'llllcd game, ti in wbic h two sidC8 of indcfinite nmnbel"8 in nn open ti c k \. Th e game nas no mies worthy o f the nnme IUld amounta to ft rough-and-tumhle fight o n a large acate. •

It is we ll kno wn what orga nizati o na or clubs will do for boys; h ow th ey pr<r 1lnL'e a lave for diatrict, achool, o r c lN!Bj how tbey teacb th e boye to go\:etn. and be tro'·enied; them co nceptione o r law , arder, eqwty, and ¡ustioo. lme is this that a great }, nghshnmn o n ce said, 11 0ur s ystem of common aw o wea 1U1 l)l'!!'t to the club8 of und Rugby.".

4

Among the school c h1ldren of th1 s .d1stnct; alx;mt. o ne-e1ghth are colored. The propo rtion o f U1e co lored in th e school popu labon 1s mucb larger, say two to lh e. Th e reaso n why there are co mparntively so few c.-olored in the HC hools ie greater ln<'k of interetit for educat1on runong <!Olored, comparat.ively gryiater p;>ve rty, and @ome pre¡udice especiall y in towna, CXlstmg o n the pnrt of the wb1tee agamst blacka.

From t Ata by \!nrious teachel'8 if. is lenm ed that boy11 progrees moet rapi11\y between th e agea of 8 and 12, and that girl e are be.ckward until tlu) age betweeo 13 nnd 15.

The¡ following are the a\'erage hei¡bUI o f boya: S1.x ye.are of a.ge, 1.165 me en!; 8 , agc, 1.230 meten,; 10 yearsof 1.325 metcrs; 12 yeareof age, 1. 300 metel'I! ; 14 years ol 1.550 metere; 16 ye.ara o f age, 1.600 meter&. it is 1carned thatgirl a of 13 are tallt.ir tha:n boya of 16.

Agnndilla promiaed to give to the graded HChool teacbel"8 $10 montb bouee rer1t and to the rural teachere $3. Ae a fact the teachera rece1ve notlung. In Moca., and Rin c.-on the school boards promieed give t.eachere suma \'U r ying from $4 to $12 for houee rent.1 but m faet they give nóthmg. Moreover.

representcd by the limit s of the nirnl !K' h ool distri cts oí tire nnmicipa.Uties t1.bo\'c mentioned.

Th e npprox hna te aren of the e n tire di s tri ct is 132,000 c uerdas, o r 206f aq uare miles.

Th e population o f cnc h municipulity is as followa: Camuy ,.11,123; Lnree, 21,H3 ¡

lal'Su mcd c hurge o f thisdistriclon OctobcrlJ, 1800 Prcvi ons to that lime l:!C\'· crn l 1mpcrvisore, wilh h endquartcrs nt Arecibo hnd \ºÍflit ed Comuy and Hatill o, nam c ly, l\fr . Lutz, Dr. Ui opc l, nnd Mr. Hall. Tl1 e o the r threc town e of th e districl • ' "'·ere in chR.rgc of l\fr. O'Neil , at present supervisor o f AfJundilln di str ict. nndCamuy Hntill Q nnd th c three towns nbo\'C mentionc<l w erc m th l! Arec ibo nnd Ai-,'1.L'l· dilla dialricl@, respectiYely, until the rcd

EDOCATION. IN J>O RTO RICO.

9811 c¡\fíee storeho ui:'C. Th e otht r in the cfütri ct are ali rented 1 ruul many oí 1he niml schoo l nre en.dly in naed o í repait.

Thc te xt- boo ks nsed are th oee issued by th e in solar boarcl oí educntion.

The numbe r of teachers emi;loyed in thia dietrict by th e local lllld ineular boards

in 1111 niral m1K so me to wn sch oo ls no uniformity'in text-book8, most pupils htwing a <l ifferen t edil io n ami a clft83 nlo ne. ·rna._..gi fü..'ttlion ancl gracliof.t did not exi PI to any ex lí'nt. Now, h owe \·e r , in most oí the largcr to wqe, gradecl systeme 1111\'c been introcluced and th e pupils are l'O nseq ne ntly aclmncing m ore rn¡ >idly. The t'1:11":'iflcation i n th e n1111l school!i ,·cr y s low ly , to the many irregulnri ti es thnt exit1te<l the old s :rat e m

In the mart.(l r o í th ere ' has becn muc h impro\·emen t in 1111 sch ools. In 11 11111y oí th e th e ch ild ren are inclin ed· to study ul om1 , tl \' Cr y bud habit

in regarcl to Mellllin g th e ir c hilrlren to ¡.l(• h oo l. Thi fl t.'O nditi on , h owcver, existe chi efly a m ong the lo wc r The hl'lwuc n thc ngc::! o í 12 and l t3. Abo\lt l ó per t.'C nt of 1h e c hilclrcn tLre co lored. fli:-tricU'.'. Ali th Cf<O mcetiu@'S are we1 1 nttended and t ntH'h interest iS manifested, h c lrl e ,·cr y thrce m onlhs hy directfon of th e immlnr bon rd . The (•xnm i nn ti o n l! are held ut th e h eadqun rtera o f the En glie..h su per · ií'Or anclare under his ku¡ >e n ·ision º' t-h f'CÍCr'CIJ( 'O to th e ntti t m l e OÍ t1,1e ¡lCO ple to ward J<:n ,1.tliflh , l do not lhink th ero a tic hoolbor or !:!l·h oolgirl in thi s district who doce not dcttirc to learn to spenk ancl write the lnn"gnn,:re. , /

Heepedlull y submilted E W H UTC1nssos

A;\l liY, Jm11w ry 16.

E."GLISH Sl: PEIWISO R'S REl'OltT FOR DISTUICT NO 14

Ths distri ctof A recibo in c ludes the mWlicipalitit.>soí A rec ibo, Utmulo, und 1'1fc:'8C th rce nmnicipnlities h 1we in ltll nn aren of 458,210 sq uare cuerda!!. Arecibo lm a 1l'populntion oí 37, 01 {) inlmbitnnta; Utundo, 43,675, 1md Adj unt1U1 1 19,571 . Tota l, 100,266.

..

After th c of lieucml Eaton R! di rec tor of public iu str uction in Porto \ ' t !riel includ e<l thcmuni cipn lilic!!o f Ai'ecibo, Cnm u y, l;lntill o, Mnnnti ,nnd Barcclon e tn., thc sum tohll of t h c sch oo ls bci niz thi.rt-y niu e. •Th e to ta l mun bo r o f sch oo la wilhin

district. Acco rcling

October

the

towns w ero made to fon11 the preeen

lhe preeent limit s of th e di111rict 1.s tbirty-one. ,

On the 15th o f June Dr. Hi opel a rri\'ed in .A.recibo, nnd 1 was tran&ferred to the district of Utuarlo . On October 1 1 waa ngain placed in c h arge o f th c district, Dr. Hiopel being tnm@fe rrcd to Ponce.

1876, and

were establi@hcd

aituntcd nt

and

n

Among the fll'8t public ech oo le establi shed in thisdiatrict wc r e o n e for boya and bi1'i8:hi: from in ¡>ropo rti on to th e nmount e:q>ended. eom e o f th e tee.cbel'!I

Jnan Massem3 1, . D o lort.'t! &rbóea, D . ol th e three municipalitice Arecibo is und oubtedly in th e bcst condition wi regan;le t1e h ool builcli:;r· On ly o ne b uildj.ng, that OC'Cllfii ecl by th e eix grndcd echool.e oí tbe 0u':J ft8 lnrgc for a sch oo l o ! 50 childrén .

although o nl y re nted,

this district. Lan'!I, whif·h is nppnrently n ' 'c ry rich t.own , hne a ln rgc four -room bnild\n g, formerly uscJ

wcnthcr. On the othcr h a nd , being built o riginully for re!i d ericca, they nre afien proximitv of t"Cfli<lcneet!.

Th c vahie of ruml l!<•hool bu ildings mny be n\'emged nt (rom 800 to 600 pesos eac h '/ ( $ 180 to $300).

Imul l'<ltmte uml un s uitnblc hmlitnro i11 one of th e most scrious dmwbnt.ks agains whi{·h thc tciwl1er has to contcnli. Rurol schools uslmllr contnht from three to eix ¡>lnin lxmchl'ff with o ut backs. 1n front. oí thef!e uro "placed long writing desks, alth o u¡th mnny oí th o ruml fl<• hoo l::1 Juwc on l y one o r two of th esc. Tbe deeks are e.ntire ly too long, aud, n rule, loo high íor l!lllll ll childreu.

With thi s c liu,s of fonliture it is nlmo¡;¡t imp<M§!ible t o thn(ordcro.ud discipline !;O to th e propcr conducl of n sc.h oo l. .- o c hild cnn be oxpected to rcmuiu quiet, acn tCf l 01111 11 un<..'Omfortablc bench, wilh no upporteither fron tor back, oue @mnll blnct'l>0ard. Tow sc l1 oo ls nro be tt.e r off in this pnrlit:nlnr¡ but in uo CtU!e is thcr u snflicicnt rOom for n dnss oí 8 pupila1 um1 usunlly numbe r from 12 to 20. ·

Thc tcxt-boo ks u.re th osc l'C(.'Cntlv immed by th e insu l11r bonn.I oí educntion, nnd hn\' c $.ti , ·cn nnivcre.al en ti sfocti o n. 'l'h e n'trungement of exercises in thcse book8 hns bt>eu oí th o nid in gh·ing th c Porto Ricnn tcnch ers nn iden o f Ameri<·:tn sc hoo l methods.

1 n etatc of liffnirs.

•

In the wh o lc dis1rict there nre 31 ten<'hers. Oí thePC, 4 h o ld principal'e cert ificateti, O certificates, aud 18 rural cert.il icates. ln mnnv C118C8 th e tea ci h ersnrc rapidly learnin¡;c 1md ;l.(IOptinJ! American f'Choo l 111eth0tlfl, hnf thcrc ia. n stronN tendency to d in g to thc old methodof teaching rule$ nm1 to be co nrnuued to memory ami aí1erwards repeated with pnrrot-like cxat•tncg::i in r lll&I. Discipline, with R fc.w flhinin1Z exccp ti ons, is nniionnlv !ax, ami it luui been a dillicnlt matter to dccicled improveme.nt tuiiler the new f!ystem.

They bit''º n ot th e !olllflt!mbundnnt v itality of lunericun c hfülrcn , nnd nre not M prone to tnifK!hic{-mn"lti1111ruul pnmks during echool ho11n1 U th c,· hn,•c n fnult il mijlht be SRid that they ttrcnhn OPt too plinhle, thnt th cv receh•e imprcsHion s too becn nccentu..nmg to rcacl.'

The bcFL ¡n"OjZ'rcsR in etmly is mnde bet wccn th (' ªb"6 oí s ix nml ten yenrs.. Ve ry íroqucntly re,·ipwed, fl8 the tenclency towanl eupc rfit'ial ie 1<till ,·ery atrong.

Jn ctU!Cfl of irregulnritv oí attendance th c pnrcntg are to blame. In th e <.'O untry clist-rirt.t1 mp.ny h ende o f Útmilica mnnifc1:1t n moat eurpr1@in1Z incliffcrcncc us • to th e cduca ti on oí, Jheir childrcn . TI e i1:1 not trne lo s11cl 1 nn exteut in th e towns, and t ow11 schools nre ncarly all full to o ,·crtt ow ing Thc eix grnded schoo ls of Aredbo have 11 11 attcudnnce oí aoo ch ilclrcn , anti there nre c noug h to fill four more schools if we hnd fh em.

'fhe chi lclren do not scem to know how to play 88 Amcricun cJ1ildrcn do. This is courngce \'iolcnt cxércise, nnd for thie l'CMC>ll 1 do n ot he li C\'C th cy will ever tnk e that intcresL in ath lct ic gnmee which onc 8Ci!8 nmong Amcricnn sc h ool ch ildnm.

B owe\•Cr, it must be borne in mind thut mun y o f tlu 'St' c hildre n, cspecinll\' in tli c country districts, llrc íed ou n cliet poorly cn lculuted ío r n robuat or e\•cn )1calthy physirnl d evclo;¡>meut Thi s CO IU!.Ísta of rice, bcnns, hnunnns, n few vcgctables of the country , co ce, nnd OCCW!io nnlly dri?<1 eo<1ft!.! h. In nh\ny cnace thc meuu is stiU

EDUOATION IN PORTO RIOO.

moreJimited. ln the towos lJih rich and poor li\'e

surrl?undi

among

metera;

poorer

be

In tJ1is district. th e problc m of communicntion and the transportation o f íumiture nnd sup,Pliee ia n difficult one. Outeido ol th e town rtehools of o nly in tite diHt-riet ca n be reached from the h eadquartcre, Atcc1bo, w1tb a voh1cle o f a n y kind. Jn most CllRC8 tite lf'!pervisor can visiL the on. horseba.ck, but.all booke ancl eupplies DlU.IJt be camed by pack mute, an rnoouvement and expenswe mode o f tmnsporlation. l ,(ind mnnx tcachers etudy ing for th e next cxamination s, in th.e hope or ccrt1flcntc8 of n grade. A.JI tb e seem to rcnh.'.e th e ne;cess1ty most 'gru tifying , · nud fricljon inevitable in the c hange from tho to th e eyetem are diminishing ehould be !Dude for open 1!1g 111oreechoo ls m towns lll.! aoon R8 J>Oe81hlc. Th c unpro,·ement m tbe ech oolH 1e ,·cry, mnrked, bot " ª must ha,·e more o f U1em. ?

E!\'GLJS H SUPERVJSOR'S REPORT ron DJSTRJCT NO 16.

V1croR S. CLAnK, Prufrft71t 111ttUfar Board of Educolion,

1:1Chc_>0l. The tenc !1 e rs aét>m to c nj oy feuding th e Bnlletin. J 11 Lhe niml sc h ools a !P'CRt chFndYanWgc nr1 scs from the that ll g-rcnt manv are far from th e and are @O poo r. Th l?ee t'O nJ1uona f1lll8C a deu l of tnrdit1ess ih the m o mmg, nnd !Om e nbee.n ces. Wh en o n t..'e at schoo l, pupila con not breakrast until th e c loec of th e 11ft c rn oo n.

p upil s. thus fnr bce n e n roll ed are, to say thc leuat , very hright , et!J>Cf:'!Rlly so 111 11nttat10n; even more,80 than tho n\·en1ge 8Ch oo l child of tf1e StalCf!, bnt m ruem or)' so nrn are !:!ndly npparently f'ludyin g t-0 propuro themeeh•ee for the rec itall on ancl a.ítern:nrds ltitting ll \"Crything go out o f th e othe r ea r As n nile t_h ey are we ll-bchR\"ed. rn the ac h oolroom, C \"CJI wbile not directly und e r th e sun·e 1llnn cc ol th e m charge.. Th_e,, uro fairly quiet during study period.8, but nt other times flt!1dymgw1th eyes and ears, thinking to recei\·e a d ecpcr nnd m o re unpret!l!1on by com·exmg the tbought to th c brain by tw o eenees. No doubt th1a 1111ght tfe rve it8 purpoac 1f tl1 e student stu dicd singly but with many togcther cach is npt to re<..·eweanother'a impre&!l Om!.

to thrce groUps, ooc h in advnnce o f the renders dneeitlcntion difficult especially in Lhe rural schools. An o ther difficulty 111 th e way of tlie admittance o f sh1denle throughout th e year to take the place o í those droppe<l o n Rt"<.'Ounl oí nb@encet1 or extended illnees. and n o t .age forma th e bru!is of classification. '\. Bearmg d1teclly o n 11lness are tbe home su rro1mdings the food the clothing and Th e ho me 1mrroundings o f tb e majorit,· an'., o f th e The' food ta the moet.11.1eager, and th e clot.hing?-:<m 90mc it ,\•outd take n doubl e e xposure on a \1ery 8C:Dl!:ILl\·e t'Rmera plate to d e tect 1t. Othent are dressed fairly well aud eeem to make an e ffort to bette r Lhern seh- ca in thi a directioo, so ruJ to a i:egulnr attendam.'C at t.CC h oo l. Can we not h e lp them? MOt!t Qf the children are ·anxious to .and the pare nts are an:cious to he lp th e m !fCCure cducational advantsges; but 9' comes l>Qforc a.J I else. Som' of the h o mes lll!lke one rlonbt the l ruJt lin e national HOng, 11 Be 1t e\·er ao hlm1ble, 1herc'11 no place like ltom e.'' \Vhat a híe tt must be l Whnt a pity to sce tJ10ee who can hardly walk trudging for 2 miles through mud and O\"e r rockB lo obtain a start toward education rofinement and 'fhis a11swel"8 the queslion , u Do parenta 'desire send their 1 c hilTh e ch ildren .Ji.&J1c.-e moet rapidly between the ages of 10 and 15 Of the 2,013 students in diatril't 15 about 18 per cent are negroes-som e fu11 b lood and &ame mulatto. No at ali are to be found among the students. Even we re the,natural tenden cy in thatdirection. they are thrown togetber ao little outsid of the1r @Choo l life that the social side o f their nature baa remained undeveloped.

Communicnti o n bc tw een th e Hix mnnic ipnliti e!i o f di stri ct 15 . in c luding Vega Hilja, \' egn Alta , )Junnti, C ial es, Bnrccltm e tn , a nd )l orovil!, is .durin g th e rainy eeru.ion Rlnios t impoHe:ibl e. Thnt he tween th e to wns nnd the nua\ sc h ools is wonic The ro: 1ds, m e re tmil e O\' Cr mo mítain tt.nd m ll e v ruul from barrio t o bnrrio, hctome c hann e lS for m o nntniu to rrcnts Or are HO ex tremcly ' s Jippery thnt it is cxlremel v diffi cult for a h orsc to 1U!C(lnd th e m Be twetm· Vega Baja nnrl V ega Altn th u roaclS uro good, nucl ul so between Vega Buja nncl Manatl, and in th e dry &'1U!o n th ey may btwo me bo tter. From Bart.'Cloneta to th o Palmas A Itas rural ech oo l it il' twe ntv minut es' rid c. From th e BlUn e IOWll to Fl o rida niml sch ool it mtwQ houT1!' rid i F o rty minutes ..ene to reach l\ la nnti from Bnreel o ne t4, and from th e re il i1'1 fifteen minutes to Te n"a Netwa rural echool : aud it is tw o h o urs to Hi o Arriba 1lel Po ni e nte, and thirtv m inut es to Rio Arriba Suliente. Between Manati imd Cic las it ji t\\·o h o urs with t nv e r to cJ'Olle 11 times From Cial es to h e r niral the timo hM n ot becn WM.'Crtained . The time between l\lorovis and h e r• two farthest l'd 1oo ls hns al.!:!O u o t 1tecertninécl. To the two uenreet it i8 ami forty minn tes, rea.pec ti\' e ly. Th e trip fnm1 Ciatcs t;o )forovis tnkett . four houM!, and that rro m )foro vta.to Bajll fh' e honM!. Th e ho!11etl und road1t together rendered the V.fre 11uu le in @e \'e i1 ho urs. Th e returu to Baja can be mart e in one ho ur and tuteen mi nutes. All theee records could be c ut down in th e dry season . " ye t during my atny in Vega Bnjfll there been no of ahh oug h one will probflbly occur l!horUy Dunng theec exommnttons, wlu c h last from two to four day@, the teatchen Jnither at th e headquarten or íown mttcd, where exammatioll8 are give n tberu by the inspeclor, Lhe queetione bemg forwnn:led from San Juan.

fttg=;1

lcurn onr language becnuse it will be necessn.r y t h em in the . .

:::t

Tht;

their aecretariee do ali in their power to advanoe our work , Qo l y they are rather elo w. " . rn J would lh!'tfor thcgood or ali runtl .teachen hve w1thm a re880nable d1stnnce of the1rechool&--My 1 mde. Tb1s w o uld a prompt opening at the proper time. Secondly, I wou1d rooommend that t.he Be8l!IOÍ1 o í ntral achoola be placed at. five h ours inatead. of aud that th e per clay be f¡1 1\1fe

EDUOAT!ON IN PORTÓ RI CO.

Junn 1 in conjunction with the inspecto r, upon the 1()('8. 1 juntás the neceesity of prompt.uction in school mntters. With my limit ed fomiliuritywith mvclistrictl can offer n o other 8ltAAeSlions ut prese nt. • folubmitted

D ttElHJEll, 1800. /

f:SGl.ISll 8l:'PF. R\'I SO R1S REl'ORT J.'01? llllJTRICT SO 16,

Tha dislrit't of Haytunon , fli nmt ed on th e northeaatern coast, witli the boundaries o f thc Atlantic Ocean on th e north, Rio on th' east, Barranquitaa o n the @o uth, nnd \ 'et-ra Alta o n the west , has Rn nrea o f 590 f.l<lU\re mile;i, which is npproximnt e h · bi¡;ectcd hy the fnmous Rio de ln Pinta, winlling ik wn y throujl'h the entire dis triú t, ll o win µ in t o the Atlanti c Ü<'Cun nenr Dorado

This district is com 1)()flC(l of the following nmni c ipnliti es: Bnynmon, Toa Baja Dorado, Ton Altn CoroMI, Nnranjito, nnd Comeriom, mnking in nll n to tal of 7 mun.ici: pnlilit?l'!, with u lotu l populntion of 63,50.5.

in cach inunieipality nnd )>re("idCd eome of ou r best teac hers, 44. d1str1ct.

Th e oí educatio n in this diFtrict dates back to the year 1812, when they há,·e S:L'<'Omplishecl. It eeems remarkable that nfter a period o f eixty yesl"!l of e ,·en prete11tiC?1is N> little real ha"e bt..oen_ made, especially when we c:o ns1de r thnt Spa¡ n mnks herself w1th the e11ltghtened nnhons o f U1e worl 1f.

The public-school of thi a district, with a tota l yn_Jnc o f $25,015, nre ono ami t.wo fmmé huildingP, fonnerly dwellinga, with a PCa tin g- éa¡mcity bf 50 pu¡>ils eoch, ami are re ntcd by th e muni c ipalitiee. Under theee circumstances it wi 1 nob' he 8llrp rhli11g to lea.rn that the hygienic pnd sanitary co nditi o ns irr the graded $Ch ool8 are rnry whil e thosc oí the ruml schoo ls are depl orable. 'JJhe Curnitnrc of f.11 c former, whil e 11 0,t e legant 1 is suitably conYenient; but. in the latte):, alwnys scarce und entirely lackmg. Appamtus nnd text-books are furni shed by thc iurmlnr boordof education nnd eorrespo nd n1th those in use in the gmded (!J:h oble o f the United Stutes. ' ftic.1ltea iesued hy the insular board of educntion, while th e rurnl sc ltoo l.9 are under th8 tlllJX!n·ision o í teachers h olding certi6cates from t110 Htune aource. rhe c!e¡)()rtmentof the J>Upils is both n11d pmiseworthy, each child domg h1B or her best to exce l ancl promote th e mtereste of the echoo), being 8\'er ready any error.nmde by n clüSSmate nod to a 1mrprising ClnN!.1ficabon ncc.'Ords.w1th advnucement mther tlum w1th age, as new pupils are co11stantly beiniz e nrolled. Jt would be e \·ident eve11 to euperflcinl olJffCn•ation th nt the word 11 home" is a name only to moet of th etie ch i1dren , wh oee dwellings are ihi,itched huta nnd p)ay,irround the stret.:. Th e actunl of the a\'erage ch1ld of 6 yearsof age 1 6ncl to he3 fe8t in heightnnd c hest meaeurement22inches¡ al th e ngtt oí , 3 fcet 6 inc hee in height, chest measure 22 inch ee, and those of 12 4 feet in height, with n cheet mea.eurement of 25 in chce. Th eir food i8JrinC1pally

mea.ne eu joy n.11 our murket afforda. C\'Cn th e food of the lntte r J can uot recOmmend ft8 beiug nutritious. Clothing has been looked upon 88 an unnecessary article fo r ch il dren, and l am reUably infonned that only si ooo tbe American customs were introduocd have the cbildren been clo th c..'Cl with uny degreeof respectability.

The mcthods c mployed in teaching ha.ve becn so eructe thut no nccurate nccountn.s to progreea mnde can be gi\'811 nt this date. lt is true , howe,·er, in many localiti es only ó per cent oí th e population are ab18 to read and write. Tboug? muoh inferi or

EOUOATION IN PORTO R!OO.

10 the American schoo ls in tite wny of ad,·nncement and alJility, 1 flnd muny

" Aurora" (l\la,- dny game), "A la limon" (fruit gam$, etc., while

American schools in th8 dist-rict nrc as follow1:1: Bmf(lmon.-This achool hne nn enrolhnent of 50 pupila . with 81! mnny npplicntions far a()mif!lf!ion on fil e It is equipped with ali llCCC880ry furniture , and ali nCCC:f!@RJ')' ii upplicit will be purcha.sed by th e new local board nt once. JJ,o4ado.-P11 p1l s e nroll c<l, 44. TnlJles nnd bcnchee werc suppli cd th is wcc k , nnd n\Voihcr n cce88nry suppliee ha\'e l>een ordered. This school is located in gmded

qua,rtcrs in th e !tmdecl l:!C hoof A c hnnge tn ne w quurtenrwilt be \\·1 thm Ion clnys. Th e n ow build1n,1.?: , whe1 com pleted, wil l be o ne o f th e hnndsome st s truc· H1res in the dietrict. No pains arn bc int epa r ed in this building to suit

think o f witl be nclded while the ba ll is r.olling , Too Jllta.-Thi s !Klhoo l hae 5b pupila bus building necesl'llty furniture under '?Í co1tBtructioi:;i. lt ts. l?Cftted m the ,&lme bu.1ld111g 81:1 th.e r?irls' gmded sch oo l, 1s upetn1 rs, hns a scati ng cnpnc1ty o f 50 pupil a, and 1swell "entiare 46 pu¡>il s enrolled and ali necef!88ry funiiture under oourse f! Í t.'O ns.truction. Thie !Kl hool is located in the SRme building as the graded f!Ch oole, l8 lendid location, nnd tbough a lower floor, is in e\'e:y respect n building. 1!ecceeary fur. niture is und e r couree of <..'Ons trucbon nnd matcnal will be pufcl1Med rmmecli&t81y. Therc are 290 ¡>upils recciving ali th eir instruction uuder AmeriCR!l in my but a resident of Porto Rico can i!murnerablo difficulti8s i!1 the wu.y oí communicatio n throughout the d1etnct., wh1 ch l8 at best far expechtiou.s. Toa Alta and Toa Baja are the only towns reached by roade. llridle )>llths, whlch ni-.e genem ll y \'8ry dangerou.s owing to exce@f!1yo 1:'ftUll!, thread theit wuy O\'er the mduntaine, nnri Rre. the only menue of between the town!. For th 8 1dx·honr nde from Buyo01011 O\'e r the bndle path leadl

ed in tbi s is.la.nd wh1l e l yn n not help w1th .ª.n:iti c ty t h \·nrious instilntions whi c h be.m g l!l:'tn bl1 1:1 h ed, lest th e tr H("CJUlf'lt1on of da.zzl e . th e n1ind a.nd de.Cent the p nr¡:i:c>Me we 111 \' te w-nnm e l )i of g1\'mg the ¡M.'O pl c of this is land a ª'!d practu:a l educa ti on-n eve rtheless r ecomm e nd thi s C..'<pcdient, and 1t wtll be an honor and credit to ali participant's i'n its <.'On1:1 u1111nati on. When a hoy luia. mastercd the of. educati on and, as ie o fte n th e case, is tbrown u pon has own for a h\' e !1h ood, h e s h ould be pl"Cl!cnted with a plnin eleo n treatmg o f the of cn ttl e, npd co nt.ainin g o f .o rdmary Lrmt and planting, rmfting, e t.e., a.cco mpani ed by 1n stn1c ll o n pi ates :\. boo k of th1.s k1nd wo uld. be o f 1n va lunbl e R88istance t o a yoang fttr mur, whil e ex l11b1t 1o n a.n nd where prn;ea are o ffc.red fo r superior prodv c ts, wo nld al eo ben h e lpful 11hmulu.s. R espe<:tfnlly sub mitt ed . E.13. BRJJXIEWATEH, JJ.111yliah S11pen:&.or

PART II. SECRETARY ' S REPORT .

·

. S m: th e ho no r

c

lnnd.

.

c

EDUCATION IN PORTO RICO. 109

ue utmlized th e good e ffedl! ac coruplished by the previous law Th e eig htll section is devoted to t he exam in11tion of tbe aeco nd orgnniv dcc r ee in 1880 nnd th e results it proCtuced. The last aec tion r e\"Í e ws serondary, high e r, and profcss iona l in s truc tion from the sume date to the c lose of th e pani s h rnle.

Very r ea pec tfully , ·

OF THE

SULAn lioAno OF EouoAT

of

tep;

SAN JuAs, P. R. , Janua1'y ll! , 1900.'

nted

mark the cducntio111tl

J n fir s t I co r\tin e myse lf to indimting the

of th c

est institutions for

s truction up to th c y ear 1820; in the second and third the fir;t n.ttcmpts to e noo unlge educntion, du o to privnte and contrnucd for th e t)1irty-on e yeti rs e nding in 1851, wh e n the Government begn n to 111 tcrvl!110 moro dircctly in questions re lating to tho school s.

und 5 th e fü ·st nttempts 11t primnry nnd. th e bcg mntng of seCC? ndnry under tb e J es urt.J... lh o of the orgn n1 c decrce 111 th e year 1865, of thc vu rwu s v1 01sa1tud es 1t e nco untercd , while the seventh is devoted to th e so-call c d r e fonns of Gen e ra l. Snnz in 187±, whicl¡ com pl ete ly

SECTION 1.-TKE EARLIEST SCHOOLB:

Óne Of the m e n who luw e ln.bo r c d mo:-;t f o r th e mom l nna mnteria l 11rogross of Porto Ri co, 1wd who dedi cnted hi · c nti r e life to tenc hiug , IO ll OJ"h]y fttlfilJing th e J;'fOIIli•e whi c h he ruad o UJlOll being Se nt to ord e r to acqmre tbnt knowl e dge whi c h it wns imposs ible to obtni n in t hi s is lt.md, wns Don Jose J. A coktn., editor nnd co unne n· tutó r of th e firs t Histo n · of Porto Ri co . ln n di soours c whi c h h e pronoun ced in 1 882' nt tb e innug urntio1) of th c c h •il in s titut.e of 8CCo ndnry · in s tmctiou , of which he was appo i nted nc ting direc t o r , that ge ntl e nmn sa id: nucl generous sp i r it who ¡>romoted th c impro\'ement o f 1mblic inst ru ction. To pro-of Fria r Jorge C hm nbers, c h airs o f f!t.8UUna r and in the co n\'ent o f Dny.iÍp, Cordovn., n.nd Qninon es s uppli cating th e m onnrc h in 1895 , in th e m e lan c holy dn.<•s p f the pcnce o f Basilea1 in the name of th e a y untami e nto o f th it! cap ital, to re.mo\•e to th is c ity tite Pontifical Uni\'e rs.ity o f Santo Do mi ngo. 'I

Ther c i s , indeed, :a s ingular co ntrns t between these fa c ts nnd those c·oncernin g •educatio n' give n by Gen e ru.l Cou nt O'Re iHJi in hi a report for th e rear 1765, wh e n thc is land bnd H,883 inhiibitnntil and 24 towns. " In or<ler thnt it mav be bctte r und ers tood ," snid tb e nbove- méntion ed ge ne ra l ," how bave liY e d nnd s tilJ liv e, it 1.uus t known t hnt in a li th e is land th e r e are on ly two 8C hool s for c bildren, of wbom, o utside ::innJunn nnd th c village of San Germnn, f ewnren bl e to r cad,"

Those who know tlie system of _publfo in Spni n, ancl hn, e not forgottcn wbnt ·co ns t1tute d prunary 111 s truc t1on th ere IQ the second half of the ixtee nth ce ntury and th e 11lmos t e ntire ln e k of importanc e o f Porto Rico nt that tim e, t 1Ul find no cau se f_or s urprise in th e .fnctll g 1rnn, s mce they know tQo we ll thnt be re, as 111 Spnm, th e be ne fits of cducntion were rese rved .so le ly for th e ri c b.

At the tim e thatth e Count O' R e illy made bi s r e po rt tbere s till e xis ted in Spnin the ce le bmted frnternity of San Cas io.no , whi c h, like the ncn dem 1cnl school of the noble n r t of primary in stru ction, a conti nuation o f th e frnternity, ma intnined for tlrn spnce of a century and a lmlf tll e monopoly of elementnry instruc tion , grnnti ng nnd nppoin_ting tcnchers, roquiTing onl_v that they a hould barn been approved 111 Cli ri stian doctrine, s bould be correct in lifc nnd c us tóms , ol "pure blood, " nnd should be nble to read, write, and eip he r.

ls Tb e re for c it s urp rises u::;, and must s nrpri se all wb o nrc nwnrc of th c mi :;c rnbl c s ta tc of th e tre.us ury in tb e ln s t ycars of th c oig htoc nth cc ntur y nnd th c lirs t o f th e nin c tce nth , that in th e y eu.1· 17U!) tb e u y un tumi e nto" o f San Junn s hould sce k f o m· teac h t 'S to es tabli ::; h an ''Úquu l numh ci· o f school s for gjrl s , " o ne in eac h óf tb c f o ut· squu.rcs of th o cnpi tp l. In th e archi ves of thi s municipality, ncco rdiug to Se fi or D o n P edr o A nge li s, in hi s P o rto Ri can nre found th e whi c h ref e r to thi s matte r, from whi c b we know th nt tl1c schoo ls w c re op r n cd , thn.t th o in s trn c ti o n giv e n by th c teach c rs wn s co nfin ed • imply to th e ca t,cc bi s m nud needl e work, tll!Lt they tb e munifi ce nt • nlary of $50 pe r y ea r, nnd tb11ct four y enrs "fter, rn 1 04, th ey had not ye t r ece h ,ed th e ir 6rst pny m e nt.

If th e a y untami e nto nt thi s tim e began to cs tabli s b school s for g irb , it is·fair t o s uppose that th e r e e xi s t e d ! oth e r s boy • , wh ose teac hei:.,; w e re cqually wc ll re mun c rnted and whose 1311 lal'les inn sam e r1 sk ; whi c h l1ts t fac t , nf te r all , oug ht not to s urpri se us , s in ce th e re was s nch cq mpl ete d es tituti o n nt thnt cpoch.

Th ese sch ool s , if s uch 11 nlllll e may be " Ppli ed to th e m , n clnss of phil oso phy es tabli sh e d by th e Domim cnn friars and nu t horized by le tters ro y nl of Au gus t 2-! , 1 i SS, and sorn e printte schools k e pt by monks and pri es ts "lvho tnught Latin nnd sae rod hi s tory nnd •to wh10h we r e ge ne mll y admit ted th e childre n of t he wealthi e r fnmili es , were . t he onl _y ce nte rs of in s trn ction t.hnt e xis ted in San Juan at th e b eg innin g th e niu eteenth ce ntury . . _ . . . Th ern e >.; sts 11 docum e nt of th e year 1815 wprcli g1ves us aclear id ea 'th e s tate óf edu cntion in Porto Rico nt thnt date . This is th e roynl 0 1d e r o f May .J:., o rdaining tbnt th e vi oeroys, presidenta, and gov e rn o rs s ho uld vis it th e esta bli s hm e nts of educntion rtnd th e hos pitals in ord er to nmkc imita.bl e re form s. Th e governor-ge neral, wh e n he communicated t h e ord e r to th e r.a th edra l c haptf.r und the ayuntami e nto thnt th ey might na m c a r e prese ntativ i:1, to nccompany h1m said that ·they wtiuld pr oceed to mnke th e vi s it, " beginning with th e class studying in t he conv e nt of Santo Domingo, sendmg first no ofli c ial l e tt er to th e ns we ll as to th e oth e r pre lates nnd person s he longing to th e sc hoo ls and hos l!itals ;" thut the sa me k:ind of vi s it s hould be mnde " in th e viUnge of Sa'n German wh e r e there are sc hools and hos pital s . " San Germao, nccording to thÚi ofli e ial letter, wll8 th e only town in th e is land that requirecl in s pec tion by the Government, it is logica l t-0 SUJ?pose that in tb e rernaind er .in struc tion waa lirnited to th e m er e teac hrng of tb e ca tecbis rn and reading giv e n by the sac ristan or th e pri es t of th e pari s b, as was th e c ustom in Spain, or by sorne indi vidual wh o, by teac bing th e c hildren able t:o pay tuition , gnin e d th e nec essary menn s for subsiste nce .

1 1 il nu CATION IN PORTO RICO.

.

.

T o w e have alrend y s tated s bould be add e d that royal pn t e nt of 1816° authorized th e chair of !'nntomy m th e bos pibil of tbi s c ity by Dr. Don José E s paillot, who ·m aft e r w11• 4i • tingui shed for bis efforts to diffu•e knowle dg e all • oc ia! du sses and that in 181 9 th e Ftnn c isca n frin.rs found ed .in th e 1r conve nt a of th eol og y . ·

BECTION II.-nra' ERA OP PRIVATE IlllTIATIVE ( 1820: 1860).

[t would be impo&! ibl c t o co mpreh e nd th e mnrch of public ins tru c tion in Porto Ri co , its vici Ss it ucl e.s, the co ns tnnt progrei:i:S a-nd. which is o btierve d in it, a nd th o of Jl!'O] ec t s, dci.uj ns soo n ns con ce iv ed, if we did no t tnk e mto º <?' \S ld e1u t1on 1ts adn mce in Spa in , nnd th e and co n. tu!1t poht1 cnJ wln c b thnt nati on bus oxpe ri e nced ·mee th e beg mmn g of th e nm e te e nth ce ntury , whi ch hu ve had , nnturally , u .. pow erful intlu ence u pon he r nn me nt coloni es . ' . 'J' he. Gove rnm e nt dés irin g t o !''ta_bli s b in S pai¡1 !' sy•t e m of educn.t1 o n whose eff ects would be more e ffi cac1o us nn d ce rt.hm thnn those obtnm ed up tó that tim e, un d O. sch ool fr om wbich ge nuin c teac he rs go out , c reate d at Mndrid a t t h e end of 1 80 6 ti lll?<l-e l. scho ol fol lowed tb e id e a s of P estallozi bút Nnpoleo n lrnv m g rnvuded Spnm two rcnrs la.t.e r nnd begun th e so !call ed H wnr o f i.ndepend ence, " th e sc bool (li ::;nppeared without hav in g bee n n.ble to g 1,·e nny wbn tev.er. i:ie veml yea r s passed , du r in g whi c h no o ne gnve nu y spec ml ntte n tion to publi c in s tru cti o n until, in 1819, the Gove rnme n.t took of t he •c hoQI, following th e Laneas t e r sy stem of mutual rn struc ti on wh te h h11d b ee n found e d two y ear s previou s a t th e e xp e nse of seve rnl nr1 sto · cm ts of Mnd.rid , nnd rni sed it to th e ca tegoi:Y of a norm irl

With th e N11poleo ni c im' ns ion carn e a con sid e rabl e 111 libe !nl in s pi te o f the c hurc h , hnd s u eceed e d m e nte rrng Spai'! . F rom 'th at da te th e refore begnn th e great struggle bc tw ee u th e pnrt1 ' " " " of th e a n c\ e nt id ea s \narntnin e d by th e c hurc b th e ,fgn o mnt 111 11ss df th e , p opulation and those who d efend_ed tlie .n ew of humnni t y in th e1r onwa rd mareh. Tb e latter gamed "th e1r fi.rs t v1 ctc;>ry in t he y ear 1 820 , th e s ho 1t pe1iod of th e U: (1 820-1823) be mg clis tinguis he d for th e many we r e mtrodu ced 1nt<> th e <l itfe re nt bmn c h es of th e adrmm s tration. , In th e J?lan of s tud1 es for 1821 e duca.tion wns d eclara d fr eet .apd it .waa among othe r things, that scbool s shouJd be !Jlllabl1 s h ed m e very _village of ov e r 100 inhabitants, and thaton e for e ve ry 500 of s liould ·l?e li '·bed in th e more populou.s publi c mst ru ction remammg m t: harge of th e g e ne ml edueatJonal ofli ce. . .

It is from that sa rn e date (1 820} that the \prog1'ess of edlleation m Porto Rico really starts. IJntil that time fu e ri c h had to p rovide for the education of th e ir childre n more or less sat1_sfa¡>t o r1ly, but at that date poor and ri c h 'y e r e completely despoil e d of th e •c hool fa c iliti es forrn e rly at th e ll' di s posal, ª" th e rn?oks had , bee o expelled from th e ir eonv e nts a 0 d th ese were sold as nati onal property · ·

Thi s complete lack of th e of in struction, this. state of orpbiinnge which th e Porto people felt lame nted , 1s perfeetly t my ed in tbe followmg pamgmphs wh1ch we take _ fr'?m the r e po1 t give n by the ayuntami e nto a few years urgmg th e neees• it y of establis bing a good eollege in the 1Sland .

tb e mc lnnch o iy nnd lam enta bl e 19 th o f A:J? ril , • • • '" lf rom thn t tim e t h e yo uth o f tbi s is lnnd have th e loss.of nll men ns of educnti o n. " • • Aftcrwnrd cnm e th e t e rribl e calnm1 ty of ;\fnrch, 1820 (th e Co ns tituti onul o r Lib eml Co r tes of th e 1820) .

H H ere th e c lo1stcri; e ,·en we rc de:;e rted, th e c huicieS in Lntin , ph1l osophy il nd t hcolog.r we re e nd1•d , nnd y outb wept bitte rl .r it'l int cl l ectuaf W enlth y p1u·cnts fo und neith e r uid nor r esource for tb e ed ucn ti o n of tb e 1r dul cl l'e u, wh o remnrn ed here 1so ln ted nnd reduced to th e eq ua lit\• o f tb e uti fo rtun a t e nnd th e he lpl e•s • • * or th ey fo un d th emselves impe ll ed by necess it.r o r fnte to se nd .th.e m to No r th Am e ri cn to be edu cated us wéll ns poss ibl e. tb e bemg worse tlmn the di seMe itse l f wbi r h th ey we re . try in g to nvoid .' Th e Gorn rnm ent wn in cnpubl e of ntte ndin g. to th e necessiti es. of edu ca.ti o n, no t o nly o n nc:count of th e o f wh1 ch we hlw e ulrcnd\· s poke n, but nlso beenuse 111 stru ction 111 bad not yet bee n nn d wns ln ckin g n. S,\-ste m ?f good o r bud whi ch mig bt be upph ed to P o rto Ri co . Pr1rnte unti nti rn wno lnrge ly dern lo ped , th er efor e, con ce ntmtin g alJ i ts s tre ng th in tb e ta.mi ento . nt hend we re fo und th e men of mos t wo rth , nnd rn tb e R oyal Eco uo mi c Soc iet y of Fri e nds of th.e Co unt ry, whi ch ha? been fo unded ih th e year 1 by Mny or on e of wb ose prrn mp•I a im s wn s to estn.bl is h a sy ste m o f cdn cut1 o n. · D eceiv ed without 1111" doubt by tb e fnyombl e r e ports r ece h•ed fr o111 Madrid co ncernin g th e Lan cu.s ti·inn or Mutual In stru cti o n ·hool, of whi ch we huye pre1·io us ly spo ken nnd whi ch gin-e su cb poo r r es ul tl, .fi n e ffo rt ,v.s mnd e her e to e•tnbli s h a sc hool of tb e sum e cl11Bs . In th e r ecortl" of th e sess io n ce lebrnted by the Economi c Soc ie t y o n t hc 17th of Aug n t . 1820, we find th e followin g :

purpoHO o í es tablieh ing in th e capita l 'l no rmal schoo1 of mutmll insttuction, bnm:a pro feseor fr om Eu ro¡le o r Ha m füt to prepa re tenche n:!, who. ahu11 afte rwnrds pracfü.-o th eir profotll!ion in th e d ifferent to wn e of th e is lau d.

Th e entbus in$m wns g r ea t . Tb e s ubsc ription li s t aoon rose to 1,200. heilded by tb e GO\·e ruor -G enerul. Tb e r epresentative of th e Soc iety in wnsco mmi ss io ned to co ntra. et fo r a tenc her, rece1nn!f far tbi s purpose n d111ft fo r n co ns id e rabl e s um of mon ey, but th esc boo1 wns no t f o und od, b eca use tb e d111ft was protested on account of tb e fnilu re of t he bo use on whi cb it wns drawn.

•

In t bn t snm e vea r tb e Aruntami ento s tudied way a and methods for establis hin g pdnmry schools , for only tw o exis t ed in th e capital , nncl

ED UO ATION IN POKTO RICO.

fo r tb e lnrg es't fund poss ibl e townrd auch t en rhin g , sin ce nothing bad b ee n nss ign ed for higb er education.

Tb e tfrs t of tb ese probl ema was soon sol ved.

On e month after bein g ns ked, th e regi atrndor diputado of school s , Do n Fmn cisco Tnd eo de Rh-ero , presented his Methodicnl In s trnction npo n whnt Primary School T enchers Ought to Obsen •e in th e Teachin g of Cbildren , a doc urn ent of tb e greates t impo rtan ce, not only on 11 cco unt of bein g tb e fir s t of that cl ass found iu th e his tory of Porto l!ico, but beca u•e in it tb e nutb o r introdu red som e of tb e prin c ipi es of t he Lan ca trian sc hool , toge ther with th e most important preeep ts o f th e pl11n s of s tudi es decr eed in Spain tbat sn me y enr . Tbus , it begnn hr • t nting thn t edu cntion s hou ld be free; th e sc hoo l ho urs s ix, divid ed i1ito two sess io ns; th e nge fo r e ntc ring th e sc.hoo ls . s ix yenrs, in s tru c t io n t o lns t four y enrs , nnd to in clud e tb e elementary st udy o f r elil¡'ion, 111ornl s, 1·ending, writing , grn.ll)mn.r, orth og rn.phy ; arithm e ti c, pol1ti cs , mnnn e rs, and th e co nstituti on. I i: ord ni ned th nt th er e s bould bo a ge ne ral nnd publi c exnminn t ion enc h yc nr; defini te ly prohibited co r1io ml punis hm e nt, as hnd bee n do ne by tb e r oy al dec ree of 8, 1813; nnd r ecomm e nd ed tb e of nss is tan ts in t he d ir ectio n o f tb e sc bools who s ball be se lccted by t he t enche rs fr om nmo n{l" th e best schola rs. If t hey are fr9 m outs ide th ey m us t bo • cxn mu¡ed und appro 1•ed by th e Ay tmt am1 en t o.

Thi s ce le bmted " in s tru ct iou," mu ch nppl a uded by a li till e notabl e pe rso ns of t h e capital nnd approv ed by th e diputatiQn nnd G overn ment, co ul d not be put in to pmct \cet s in ce, ns it. wns .ho ped to es tablis b th o Lan castril\n No n nn l Sc hoo l w1th1n a shor t tun e, 1t was no t th oug ht hest to clirnrt th e fund s to o th e r usos .

As for th e Eco no mi c Socie ty, it est nh li s hed in 1822achair of ma thcma ti cs nnd nno th er o f drnw in g, whj en coi1 tiuu ed fo r ma ny yen rs, aud nnotb er of gmmm nr in 182-!.

j!lie fo ll owin g yea r, 1 25 , a Lnti n sc hoo l was in we r e-t.a ug ht Lntin, J?bil osophy, mo ml a nd dog mnti c th eo logy , a nd CIVll 11n d ca no n lnw Th i,s school )asted bu t a sh ort t itn e, and 'ébe sn me 11 my líe sai d of th e clll\irs of juri ·prud ence fo und ed in 1823 . . Ábout th e midd le of th e yea r 1828 th e r e a1Tived in P o rto Ri co th e arder o f l t'eb run ry 24, in wbich the S uprema Go v·e rnm e nt as ked thitt men ns s bo ul d be p ro posed for es ta bli s hi ng co ll eges in thi s is lnnd. l t t hen co ntai ned 302,692 inb ab ita nts ; and were. in th e énP. ital, ncco rdin g to on e of th e r eco rd s of th e Eco nom1 c Soc1ety, o n) y 'two or t h ree schoo ls, nml tb ey did not g h•e nn y sat isfnc to r y r es ul ts. '• Th is rcnso n added to th lac k of r eso u rces fo r s ustain ing a co ll ege, wns th e rn use ¿¡ a bando nin g th e project . T en ye urs late r th e Spani s h Go vcrnrn e nt di s posed .that uui rn rsi ti es .sho ul<l be in ali .its for wbwb 1·enso n the su b¡ ee t w11S agn m d1 scussed he re wtth t ho 'llilme res ult a s be fo re .

Pri vnte educati o nnl begnn t o in cr en é in third decade of th e prese Qt ce ntur y . . .

Besi des se ' ·eml p r ivnte scbools , two of wh1 cb en¡ oyed a ve ry l¡'oo4 re putation two impo rtnnt co ll eges were es tnbli s he<l n bo ut thi s tim e; whose duration w RS extremely sbort.

Abo ut tb e_year 183 0 tb er e ca rn e to this is land lieute nnnt-co lon el of infantry, D o n Carpe¡;n a, Coun.t of Carpegns , wbo .f1:om th e heg innin g took g rent m.teres t m .co nsequ entl y ntdmg Soci e ty in th e 1r works. In 11mtn.t1on of whnt .se \re 1'a l nn s -

toornts of Madrid had don e so rne years before, he wi sfred to establi•h in tbi s island "school of mutual instruction , the principal object of whic h was to de mon s tmte the ndvnntages which nnght b e obtained in instru c tion by following this syste m . On th e 10,th of April, 1833, hi · school wus opened, and two y•ars afterwards, in view of the gooo/ r es ults obtainerl, the Economic Societv ngrced to ll'ive the count nn "bonomble and so le mn tes ti¡noninl of lts npproointiou " for the greut serv ice which h e hnd done th e is lnnd in putting its youtb in a patb hith erto un".&n o wn in prnctice." ·

Tb e seco nd co ll cge >1•nsfo und ed in 1837 by sc ve ml pri ests (re ligioso' profesoi·es do In• eso u elas Pins) whom the puplie des ignnted by th o nnm e of thc uEsco luv.i os. " 't hi s college waAh. iu s talled with much pomp . Boarding pui;>tls were admitted to it, 6nél l>CS ides th e brnnchcs corresponding to prmm 1·y in st ru cti o n th c followiug wo ro taught: El emontary ulg-elmt a.nd geomet11y, geography, Ln.tin, d:rn to ri c, Fr ench, Itnlian, drn.wing\ musi c , s urv ey ing, and co mm c rcinl urithm e ti c . Soon afte 1· so me of t 10 profe· ·01'8 leít tbis co ll ege, wbich wt>S culled tho "Liceo of San Juan," und foundcd tw o o tb e t'S on tb e 81\lllO bas is as lb e lirs t, one• he r c aud th e other in tbc city of Maya gfic z. In tbe ?ear 1831 th e open in gpf th e Co11ci!i1LI' occ urred , a nd townrd the e nd of 1832 D o n Rufo :Manue l .l!'e rnnnd ez arrived in P orto Ri co , th o mnn tO whom th O is lnnd owei:; mo$ t in tb c nmtter of A mnn of knowledge nud tp1limited lovc of educa tion , to which be co nsecra te d h.i s Life and bi s m o ney; a bro ud mi nd in wh:i c h th e libem l idcn• of his epoc h germinated quickly; a h eartn lways ope n to wh11te\'Cr s ign i6 ed and aid fo l' th e destitute, Fatb er Rufo , as h e was co mmonly cnllcd o n of bi s pl'i es tl y stnte , \vas fillin g the chail' of ex p e rim e ntal in tb e Univers ity o f Santiago, Spain, wh e n tb e A bso luti st r c1u•i o n of 1823 le t loose its wmf th u po n ali th o e wb o had tuke n pnrt mo r e OI' le&; dil'ectl y in th e l'CVO uti on ary mov e me nt. DcprÍ\'ed of bi s c b1tir. in th c univ ón1 ity aml e ve ry wh erc persecuted, he wnnd erecl about for se vuml years until, in 1 32, he wn:; nppo inted ca non of thi s cntb edrn l c burcb .

lt w11s tortunate for us that th e pitil ess torrnnt ol r enction s bo ul d sw eep to ou1· bor e• so wi se ahcl pbilanthl'Ol)i c IL mnn . H e hnd hurdl y urriv ed wh c n he ngain giv es 11 loase re in to hi.t; in cliunti o ns, 1mrroun d:; himself with you ths wbom he initiated in · th e natural c ie nces, nnd se nds to fqreign countries for tit e nppamtu s neccSSl\ ry to forma pby •i ' c11l 11nd cb.em ica l labornto ry . Prevented from 11tte ndh1g to l'ts pupil s by bi s brokcn healtb , h o proposcd the ccss ion of bis laboratol'y to tb c r ector of tit e Sem inari o Co nc ilinr in order thnt tbey migbt be able lo co ntiñue tb e •tucü es whicb tb cy bnd begun . Th e otfer wus accepted, but when th e c lasses wcrn to be oponed thc cccles iasticnl c haptc r • d ecid ed thnt thc tenc hing of s u b profan e s ubj ccts in n acbool of tb!lt nnture wasnotoi1lyunnecessnr.v butexb·emcly dun gero us, s in co itmi ght C8S ily distmct 01·clut ngethe inclination of tboso who tbougbtof d edi culin g th e mse l ves to tbc pri es thood . Fath e r Rufo th ern for c r ece ived b11ck bi s apparatus-"gain, and two ye11rs afte r ce ded it gratuitiously and in 'pcrpetuity t o l.l¡e Eco no uti c Soo iety of Fri e uds of tb e Country. As is seen, the inst ru ctio n hnd ndvan ced \•e 1'Y littl e at tb e beginning of the yea r 1840. N ove rthel es•, Porto Ri co th e n occ upi ed the samc nrnk .a.s far as primary in st ruc ti o n is co ncer ned ns the mos t importl111t c iti es of Spain. In the inter est ing book, Tb e Porto Ric;a n fr om th e p e n of tb e ex-sec r e tnr Y. of th e interior , Dr. J;>on Franci sco

- EDUCATION IN PORTO RIOO •

• de l Valle Atiles, we find trnccd in a few lin e.s by one of the moat cultivuted Spaniard s of the present ce ntury a sket.<lh of instrnction in Spuin in the year .

" I s tudi ed in the bcst schools in Cndiz," h e 81\ id "where they t11 ug ht m e on ly (very we ll, it is true) to read , write , and cipher. And do y ou know wh y tbat wns tho bes t schooU B ecu use in it writing waa t11ug ht aeco rc!in¡ to th e Englis h metbods, besides co mmou and decimal frnctions. • • G eogmphy ! Hi storyi Phy sics'i Ch e mistryi Natura l hi story i Oh , tb e l'e no pla ce to learn sucb tbings . " Thi s 11·u.s th e otnte of in s trnc tion in Cadi z, then undoubte dly th e most. culturcd city in ali th e P e nin s ula.

IECTION m .-l'JllVATl! INITJATIVE ( COllTillVED ).

At th e bim e wh e n tb e Couut of Miraso l curn e to tb e islimd a s its governor the Economic 8oc ie ty wns in its npogee. To th e ohnirs of 11111thematics nnd drn.wing, which it bád s us tain e d s in ce 1821 , it had adde d seve ra ] o tb e rs in th e co urse of tb o e twenty-two yea.rc;, includ ing nt the tim e tb e ío llowin g: Arithm etic, eleme ntMy a lgebrn , e leme utnry gco m etr y, ' dJ11wing, Fre nch , English, l'hetori c, ¡¡-eography, physics, cb e m is tr y, and co mme r cinl nrithmetic , As th e somety bad no · phtce for th ese clas8es, a nd tb e se minoTy, on tb e otber hand, needed so metbing to g ive unimation , its neur1 y e mp ty hall s, on ly .ª few of the wea lthi e r stud e n ts were fom1cl, tb ey ngre!?{I. to um te th etr dasses. Thi s plan wt>S npproved by royal order of 1843. Th e soc1ety c• tnb lis h ed th e ir co urses on th e lowe r tl oo r of tbe bu ilding of th e se minary . whose pup ils . attended so me of tb e m, s pec ia ll y those in nmtbem;ities, dmwinll' , ph ys ics, and c h emi str y; it nppears t bat by tht.it time tb ese stud1es w e re no lo nge r co ns idered ped lo us, o r at lenst t lmt the d eclin e of th e semi nary ba d lesse ned to e scrnpl es of th e cat)Jedm l chap te r · '.i'h'e tlat ter m¡¡ ptctm·e prcse n ted . by the um o n of. tbese .c.ou r ses of study; tb e va1 1o us a nd pnvate schools whteb tb e n ; lhc c hai ra of lnw estnbh s hed a few yea rs before, fn e n tw ned by D r. Don Gnbr.iol F e rr e r in hi s Me moria of Public In s tru c tio rdn Porto Ri co, and tb e rccent cr enti o n of th e s ubd elegntio u o f phnrmncy, two of wbose rnost impo1·tnnt obligntions were the i uspection :of c.,tnb li sh me nts nnd tbe co ncess 1o n by mep. n o f an exnmtnattotf o! thc dcgrce of li centinte in phnrrna cy, were without d o ubt lnrgel y mtlu cnti a l in cuu s ing th e Co unt of Mfraso l to r ecei ve with c ntbu8i t>S m tbe idea of c r cnting n co ll ege wbe r e uni ve r s it>' studi es migbt be wh ich wns prese nted in the publi c sessw n he ld by the in 18±! to awnrd. to th e .althou g b bis o.b¡ect, luclg mg frorn tb e r eport g 1ven by the Audiencm 111 r egnrd to th1s colcge was rnther politicnl tban educatio nnl ; that 1s, to pre ve nt tbe me n from goi n¡¡- to the United iu search of tbat knowl· edge wh io b ,wns imposs1b le for th em to ncqmre h e r o. .

The principal ditfi c 11lty naturally c uco untered , thnt of thc rnoney neceSSl\ r y to estnb li s h this co ll ege, whi c b fr om th e first was cles ignutc d by th e nam e of Centra l Co Uege, was soo n over co me. The po pular s ubscription opened by tbe governc¡r-gcucrnl to $23, 796, of whic h $8,65 9 had becn coll ected th e followmg Y"':''• besides the 600 whic h thc Economic Societv had offered to co ntr1bute annunlly its maint.enaa ce . Severñl me morials w e re writ1 •

·

.

co ll ege . F o r him se lf n11d with th c sa mo o bj ect Fn th e r Rufo promised t o sc nd nnd s uppol't bi s "two best pupils, one o f wh o m s hou ld s tudy ne w me tb od s of teac hin g in Spnin Frnn cc , nn d ·B e lg ium, nnd tb o o th e r th e naturn1 :sC' ic nces. In ·1846 t he f o ur yo uth s set ou t f o r S pa in ; nn d t wo ha\"fo g di e d nhn ost. ns soo n ns th ey arr ived , t he S pnnís h G o vc rmu c nt t oo k e hnr ge o f th e edu ca ti on of th c o th cl' tw o. Do n .Jo e Juli 1rn ;\ cos tn nn d l) o n Bnldil' io ty d e Cn<t ro. wh o ret ul'n c<l ix ye n rs a fte r nnd boga n a t o nc t o diffu e th cir k now l cdgc nmo ng th c i r fe ll o w-c it ize m3. Bu t in t he mean tim e th e p ro jec t of th e ce ntrnl co ll ege hnd d ied. As it wns v inwe <l un f av o rn bl y by th e roy nl nudicn c in o n tb e g t·om1d t'.ba t re.so urces wc re lac kin g fo r lts Go ,·crnm e nt did not it t o es tnbli s h it, espec inll y ns t hc l'e we l'e ne it he r s ufli me 1.1t its s upl?or t no r pupil s c no ug h to mnk e it.s c i·entio n obh g ntol' V. rh e l'efo l'e 111 18! 8 th e Go ve mm e n t o rd e l'ed tb e r es ti t u ti on o f tlie s uma co ll ec ted for thnt pUl'pose. \

Th e fn te befo ll th e pe titio u pl'ese n ted by th e Soc iety in th e y e1u· 1 46- thnt . th e G o ve rnm e nt s houl d estn bli s h, at its own e xp e nse, th c s tudi es of secondal'y in tl'u cti o n d cs ig nated in th e ge n plnn of studi es o! 18! 5. H e l'e is a of tlie 1·epo rt mnd c rn th e yen l' 1850 by t he nb to m ey -geue ml m l'Cg!l l'd to th e s tndi cs wbi ch o ug.ht t o be cstab lished in thi s is lnnd :

On the 101h oí 8e1>tcmber, 1846, the Hubscri bor had th c ho norOf gh-i ng hi s opi nio n to t he ex-Scnor Cuptain -Gencrol Co unt o f Mi nuro l. • • * He tho ugh t tha t th cre f?rgottcn in a.. n! nnry (conci lia r) w hcre, besidce the instru c· ti on eepecia Hy pcrtmnmg to ti.ns mell tut1 on, th ey tcoch mnthc.matiet! th e Frcnch and Engliflh lnu(tllng<!2, lllld chcmistry, whosc pro íessOrs are b,· Economic oi of the Country. This establishment propcrly org111i· 1zed would snt1sfy the necese1t1es of t hc epoch \'Cry well w lt ho ut nt 1>rese.nt going to thc cxpe.nace of whi ch co uld oot be etiis tai ned owing to th e wn nt of the net"e!ea ry menna . Thlfrefore p ri mn ry inet ru c:ti on nntl n pnrt of l hc bmuc hes of eecoudnrr inktn1ction ebou ld be the ou ly f:ms.ia oí auy plan o í etudies which may be íormed. ·

As is sce n by wh nt w e ha ve snid , th e inte rve nti o n o f tb c Go\·ernm cnt in th o ma t tel' of education had bce n nlm os t e ntire ly iu effcc tunl durin g tl1 e fil' St ha lf of th e nin e tee ntb ceutury. It had d clcgated its fun ction s in thi s direction t o tit e E conomi <; Socie t y of Fri e nd s of th e Country.

E DU OATION IN P ORTO RIOO.

As th e latte r wu s s ubsidiz QY th e former, th e s ubsidy being gen ernll v ins ufficie nt fol' its need s , cducation in its hands could nevel' be stiible nor subj ected to a de finite plan , espec iall y as in a majority of ci1scs th e professora hips we r e fill ed grntwtou sl)' by me mbers o f tb e ;oc ie ty, o f wbom it wns not alway s p oss ibl e to e xact n faithful fulfillmcnt of th eir duti es On oth e r occas ion s "th e snlar y of th e pl' ofessor depe nd ed o n t h c s mnll co ntribution s of th e pupil •, with th e r es ult that ni-: :soo n a.s t he num ber becu.m e muc b reduced it was n<!cessa ry to e nd t he co urse . The on ly s tudi es tbat wel'c sus tain ed with o ut inte rruption from th eir establi s hm e nt we r e dmwing nnd mn t he mati cs , g e ne rnlly in dml'ge of compete nt perso ns . The soc iety tri cd to g ive unifol'mity to ¡o.Q IJl C of th ese s tud ies, su cceed in g witb at"ithm e ti c by mea ns of th e p ubli cntion o f a te xt-book fo l' use in t he sc hool s of th c is lnnd . A s a to iís ultin g bod y it l'e¡:e iv cd fr om th e G o ve rnm e nt fi s ubs idy of $1,000 until th e y eal' 1828. nfte r . whi c b tim e it mi sed to . Th e woht of r eso urces of te n . pre vc nted 1t fr om puttm g good ideas in to pmc ti ce. Th e in s tru ct io n of g irl s was. so mething tbat e nga.ged it s "t te ntiou fr om tb c 6rs t. As far ba ck as t be vear 1820 th e soc1e ty t r icd - to m"ke armn gem e n ts With a S pani s h hld y who was dir ec ting a sc bool fo ,. gi rls in .St . Th om as to es tabli s h hcrse lf in thi s <:"Pita!. ]he soc ie t y fu r th e r t l'ied to e ngage an othel' teach e r , wh o, hke t he fír st, · kne w Fre nch nnd Eit g li s h , and was li vi ng in Sa nta Cr uz; but i n th e cnd it was comp ell ed to abandon th e !dea, to lack of funds. to susta in th e schoo l. ;Fro m 18!5 th e socte t y .pnt d th e expe nses o f 6 g 1rls in t be prí va te schoo l o f Se ño ra D' A u rn, who pnssed to nnoth er snhool whe n tbi s o ne w as c losed, in 1849.

Se ve ra! of th ese es tabli shm e n ts exi s t cd in th e i l a nd at t he beginning o f tb e yen r 1 850. Th e re we r e s ix pri va te sch oo ls in th e capital, fo ur, ro ,. boys aod t wo for g il'ls , besides tb e fou r publi c sc hoolRs uppor ted by t he ay untami e n tos. Th e r e we r e also schools o f both clnsses , although oo a SJnaU cr sca le , in Sa.i1 G e rmu.n , Guay um a, P o nce, A g uadilln, Hutnt\cao , )Ifly ag uez, and Gu g nns .

Sorne yc tlrS pl' ev ipus th e OÍ-lfa oizati o n of prima r y had beg un in SP,nin , bu t ru¡ Pol'to Ri co had bee !t go ve rn ed .by law s sin cc 1838 non e o.f th e r eform a hu.d bee n rntl'odu ced 111to th 1s 1sland. l n apite of' th e d emnnd s of publi c opini o n, th e l\l nt tc nd ed es pec inll y to th e b rn nches of seco ndal' y rn s tm ct10n wh1ch sho uld o pe n th e d oo l's of t he u ni ver s iti es to th e stude nts o r put th e m in th e wu.y o f e ntering n. l?rofess ion nl ca r'eer , for whi ch reruc? n. p rimary in st rnction r e mnin ed e nt1 rely in th e hand s of ·th e ayuntami e ntos 01' of pr ivnte in dj vi duals. . . .

On this acco un t it seems to us qui te na t ural tha t th e a utho nt1 es sbould ha ve call od th e atten ti on of th e G o vernm e nt to th e matte r , and tbnt as a consequ e nce th c firs t dispoaiti ons mnd e by it should hav e been fo r _prima ry in stru cti o n, th e • ?!!r e offi cinl li tera tul'e o f th e sub¡ ect is in6ue nced by tb e r e1gmng op1mon of tbn t epoch,. tlmt to make s m·e o f th e co loni es it wns necessn r y to kcep th e·cotom sts in ignomn ce.

8EarI01' IV.-EAB.LY P:&DlAJLY 80HOOL8 .

Th e fil's t indi cation of Gov e rom ent ioterve ntiion in matters of prima r y in s tru ction dates from the year 1810, wb e n nn wn s iss ued by Gov e rnor-Ge ne rnl Me le ndez that the re s hould be d1stnbuted to th e

schools writing copi es, p rim e rs moral readers cn tec hi s ms and papcr nnd thut there sbo uld be annuni e xnntlnntion s.' The renl oi prim a9• in stru ction, did not begin uutil the nppointm e nt . of n pubhc sc hoo l com m1 ss 1o n , 111 th e year 1838, al1d the pre parntion of n co urse of stud y for tb e is lands of C uba an\I Porto Ri co fo 1 84c5 . I was 1:ot r ea ll y co mpl cte d un.ti! 1881,_ wh e n, by n r oy al d ccr ee, an orgnmc ilct Gencm l Despu¡ol w ent mW e ff cct.

'l'he fo ll ow 111 g quotation from th e p ren mbl e of tbis lnst e nnctm ent traces bri efly th e. u nccrlni n .n nd s low progres · of th e scboo l sy•t em from the publ1 ca t10n of tb e first decrce, 1111865 . wbi ch wn nfterwnrds prnctically nullified during two lon g periods oE co nf us io n nnd disor· gnn izntion, nnd whi ch it wns nO)V proposed to &ofund by tb e·ne w nct:

The ste p to.wnryi unifring public instruction oCcurrcd in 1820, with the ll¡>provnl nnd. officm l puhh<!t1 tl on o( the work of th e tiecretary of jhe ayun tami ento of th e capital, Mr. 1'"'rnnc1aco Tndeo de Ri vera, pnt itl cd Mcthod of ln structio n Cor Priman· .. th c roya l decrt.>c of Augnat 3 1, 183-1, \'.!fCU tcd iu Spni u pr0\·i1icu1l com 1111 ss1011a. 'J'hlli tl ecree wna ex tend <.1<1 to thi a is laml iu OctolJer oí th e snmc year. nnd uncler o r t hc co rm ni $ iOn Urna estnbliahed th ere were appoint cd 111 the. t.owns mto wlnc.h the 358,836 people oí the islancl were grouped town commt!lt!1on.s, whose duty 1t was to nrrange with teachcrs Cor t he organu:.atio n of schoola, for .tho plan of 8lL!cl.Y, bours of nnd books o í Somo pro\'l 81Qns to regu late th e grun tin g of teac hers' certifkates were attempted. m 18;16, when the i_al.nnd had 6() municipalities n.ud 450,000 inhabitant.@. After 1848 ca.nchdutcs for p<>:<!ltions as teachers wcre aubjooted to nn exami.nation. In 1850 the BC.hools were cl1,'itled int o linee c lasses, wilh th e rcepecth·e AA lnries of charge J>f th e to 20, 15, 11 , in townsof t he flnit , scco nd , nnd third cllVJ!e@ ref!pective ly,, prov1dmg thnt'. tbeae .s hou ld in s tru ctipn onl y in .rei:!d ing, cateSpn1111:1h grn m\nnr, nr1thmctic, and wr1tm g. In 1851 tb e prov mcrn l com mieWM ree lacCd by th c royal ncn.demY oí bol les Iettres. There WM l\ circular issued bJ: th1s acndemb in 1853 admitting more poor children to lhe achools simplv hod prnctically no .resu lt, íailecl to pro ,•ide ío r truc h ·schoo ls in their budget. So f.ar as mstmcllon of g1rle 1s conoorned, there were only 48 schools in WQJ_ne.n theislaud in 1856, when women were nu tl1 orized teacher l!ho.u el be ca ll cd

Tbcso ore t he pri nCipn l ste\>e In tfu.., lnbo ri ous progrees of public instniclion in thi e 1.sland up to 1854, w len the popu lution of the isfand w88 000,000 nnd th ere were 69 mumc1¡>ah h es.

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO •

•ndd ition , . its own parti cular duties. The town were c; pec inlly directed to s tudy tb e mean s of SUJ?POrting schools where tho fniled to do so , tb e provinmal commission s to s ug"cst nn orgnnizntion for pnri sh and dllage schools of bigber grade both boya and girls migbt nttend. Exnminntiou s wore to be hcld b efor e a SJlecia l commi ss iQn of teac bers o f botb se xes nppointed by th e provin cml co mmi ssio n. . : This lnst body nddressed a c irc ular le t te r to th e s ubordinnte commission in Mny, 1838, r equiring, nmong other things, a prompt render mg of the sta tisti ca l dutn wbich must be se nt by tb e governor to th e royal rommissio u nt Madrid . 'l'b e. negligence, e.pathy t and ig norn nc e wb10b hn.ve always chn.racter iz ed local commiss1ons, In.ter kttown ns local juntas, nppears :froni th e ' 'er y fir st ciro ulnr of the .governor, dnted the 20 th of D ecembe r of th e •nme yenr, in wbich it . is stn ted ; .

Th e nttention of the ¡novinc inl co mmiasion has been es¡>ccia ll y culled to the lack Ctf nccurncy nn d errors pi;vso nted in th e dato fron1 ce rtnín to wns . Som'e have not rcpo rted n.n eig hth pnrt of th eir popu lation acco rding to last census. So me have rcporlcd, withont distiucti on, men, women, boys, rmd g1rls wh o know ho w to read nncl \\Ti te.· Some ha\'e not distinguished properl y those who know to rcad and those wh"o k nb w ho w to write, so thnt they report the latter as many. times tho number of the {orm er, nnd lhc provmcial commissio n has correot.ed it nnd nccumte.

In th e sorn e c irc ular it i• directed tbnt the nyw1tnmientos shnll organi za scbool s ncco rding to n good system , make nrrnngement with the tenchers as to tb e plan of iustruction, th e h ou rs of sess ion , nnd the boo ks to be u scd in th e scbool s; tbnt they sbnll ndmit , without fee, ali poor c bildre n who wi sb to nttend, nnd that tbey s hall es tnbli sh rural •chool s .

'

In 1838 th et·e wcrn formed tbe co nuni ..s ion s whi c h hnd been nuthor· ized. in Spa in in 1834. 'l'he e possessed ndvison· mther than ndminis· nuthority and wore np1,>o inted piinripnfl.r for th e purpose of prond111g a to tbc co nd1 t1o n o f thc srhool• for the spec inl co m by th c <?en_trn l go \·ernm ent to fo rm n plnn of publi e 111 struc t1on. Ih esc comnu ss 1ons we re of three cln:;.-;es: · • ¡1¡ P1·0,.,. in cinl co mmi ss ion s sen ed nt tho capital. . . •2 Di s t ri ct oomrni ss io ns sented nt tho h cnd town s of tho di s tri< Ll . . 3) Town comm is:sions in ench o ne o f tb e muni cipn liti es of the t 11 c t.

'.fhe t wo were co m.posed of tbrce fatb e r s of fnmilics, t be pnrish pr.1est. nppomted .by thc Gornrnor-G e nern l wh e n th rro werc more th nn

the. gO\·erno.r tbo nn? the J?res id eu t of th e ayuntnnu ento 111 the d1str1ct co mm1 ss1on. '.J:h e thord w ere formcd br tb c the pri st, and prop orly qualified fath ers of faniili es, AU three co nrnuss to ns .wcre oxpcc ted to s upen ·ise nnd c nco urnge ¡rimµry sc hoo ls, nnd fur111 -.h data for s uperi o r nnth o riti cs . .Ench l m , in

In 1846 tb e Count of Mirasol, one of the g °'·em o rs wbo took most iltt<\.rest in. th e scboo l question, directed the muni cipaliti es .to in clude in their a s um fo r th e purc ha•e o f boo k s nn d Eupeh es for tbe obildre n in ali where tbere wna. no.ta reguluy for thi s ob ject . l ' bree yen r s late r th e provonc;ml publish ed it. reg ulntion s for ex nmination of tencbers nnd tb e r eqw re me uts for apJ?Oi ntm en t to publi o sch ools. were \"' orn l nnd 1 wr1tten and w er e to 111 olude the followmg brnncbes; R e ltg1 o n , moral s, cntec hism reuding writ in g, and aritbmotic ns far ns propo11tion, t be rule of cO nn.:ion nnd decim al frn ctioua, grnmqll\.r, scbool metbods, and specin l metbods of r ending nnd Wl'ltlng . .

Schoo ls we1·e divided into tbree ncco rd ing to tb e t o wn s m whi c b tbey were • itunted , and were grn nted in to tenc h el";" · These last e nnctme n ts were rn nde by unn de. la I ez u e la 1 1n ord or to furth er the in te r est.jl of pubh c 111 st ru c t1 o n, c r eatea m t he r o)' n! of in of tb e formar provm c ml com m1ss 1011 w1th nuth or1t v to 1ss ue certtfi cates to teachers by exnm inntion, to 'make s uc h p1=ovision as seern ed co n\·eni ent . far public in stru c ti o n, to appoint nnd dismi ss t-0acbe 1:s, to r eport f-? tb.e , g.o,·ernmcmt upon publi c scbools nn d to s upol-v!se th e the is land. Tbe id en of Geuern l P ez u e lu 111 ostnblish 111 g tb1 s wns i ndicated in nn officinl letter whi cb h e nddressed to thc Govornment, fr om whi c b we qu ote thp fo ll owing: Convi nced that the e.n cou mgemel'lt of ¡m bli c inetn1 ction nnd of in this is lsn d ia, flrst, s duty of tlie second, a matter oí pubhc utthty fo r I

RICO.

renson of ita p Ngre88, tho islnnd is now prepnref,l, l pro¡>osed nft e r 1.ny to g1ve th cee u1atters u.11 tb e support compatibJe with ex 1s tm g laws. Weighty bm!:lne58 hascommand ed my att cntio n sincethen and obliged me not o nly to project, but tosl!bmitall ma lters.conceming tb c {>rhuary to. pronnc1al Junta ee labhehed, tb oug b w1tb tb e reservatlon tha t. 118 reso luh ons s hou ld alwnys be s ubnutted to me for mynp 1:koval. This junta howo r four. i,ndh·idunls wortl.1y c hamctur and d e ,•oted to the .. !netrucu on of yo nth aud to tbe examination o í th e text-book..a. l thereíore con.sidered

wh1ch ehould ha.\' e for its object thc cx tension oí a kn o wledge of and Castillie.n iu th e which 1:1houhl enco urngc IQC8.] ta lc.nt w1th prizes and reward.s, shou ld se rve .the Go,·ernn1eut

an ltduca ti onal hody or as an excculive m and fnrth

of Bell es Lettrcs on the Qlh of Marcb, 1851, and also to one r elating to the number of poor cb ildren_penuitted to attend the S<J boo ls, iss ued 1J1· the su me academy tb e 3d of December, 1852. 1t is undoubted ly an er ror .of tb e eclitor of the prenmble to tbe deoree of 1880 to place these c1111ctm e nts in 185 0. At tbat date, too, no reductio n WllS madb in tbe li t of s ubj ects perm itted to be taugbt to yoor cbildren in the public .,.. bools. Tbe branches me ntioned rendmg, catccbism, clementary gmmmar, arithm e tic, and wi·iting were nB thnt we ·e. in c lud ed in the primary com·se of t hot date.

th e inte re1:1ta

pubte in slrnction, would con· fe,t more .bencfit. UJ

country thnn the junta aln;ml y me nti o ned. I have, there· !ore, dev 1aed u conshtu tl on for auch nn acndemy, wluch is s ubmitt ed here with. lt is .see n thnt th e s pher c of 1wti911 of th o ncudo my wns not on ly to s up rv1 sc th e scbool s, but to e ncou rn ge by 11 11 mcn n• poss ihl e th e de velopm ent of ge nem l cu lture nnd th e fiu er nrt.;.

"Durin p th e term of Go vernor In P ez ue lo "StL.)' S Dr. F e n e r, in th e work nlr endy quo ted , " th ere wer e innugumted for tb e firs t time in Porto Ri co publi c co ntes ts in wbi c h our earli es t barcls were given an to tb.e ir wbose \vorks, tbo ugb they may not me 11t s pec 1a1 e ncounums ns h tenuz neve 1·theless not be left e nti r ely in ?b livion . Nnti ns whose i;1tell ec tual life g e rmmntes und e r th e conditions and w1tb t e s lowness of ours can not, witb tb e ir first totteri ng s teps, nttain tb tbreshold of tb e sacred temple of ApoUo, upon whose a ltnrs thos on ly can bul'Jl incense wb ose s pirit lllls bee n tmin ed nmoug untion for their tnste nnd c ultur e."

Tµ e plan of tbe academy, so far ns primary was co nce rned , Was extl"e me ly in co mple te, s.in ce, ns it1 lea.r ne cl f ·om its cona tituti o n, e.uch one of th e me mbers was an m s pector of th esc oo ls of bi s owu vi cin ity . It WllS nntuml to s uppose tbat tbi s elose s ufe r vis ion over es tablisb of i.n s tru ction would give most exce l ent results . However, th 1s WllS not so. As n matter of fnct, tb e nen emy introduced no far renching r e forms in method s or orgnn izati on The cli s trict nnd town co ntinued th e. same as befo re, anc\ the provincial commiss1on bnd r enlly s utrered sunply a change of n¡1me, ns tbe directora of th e nr nd emy, for th e most part public oUibinls, coulcl not de\•ote tbem se lves . to questio ns of primary instru,<:tlon. llforeover tbe from its very beginn mg ns mu ed a diirere nt characte r tbat mtended by G ene ml P ez ueln nnd devoted its elf especinlly to th t r.art of its fun ction s wbi cb r e ferr ed to tbe e nco umgement of bell ettres and tb e finer arts . ·

• Sbortly befo r e bi s r etum to S¡:lnin, nt th e e xpimtion of bj s term of office , Ge ne1:aI Pezu e la fixecl tb e salar ies of teac ber s ncco rding to th e of th e1r scbool at 550, ±40, nnd 330 pesos pe r a nnum, wbi cb 1ncluded th e !'e nt of th e1r bou ses . H e ord ered, furtb e r, tbnt prirnte schools nnd b1¡¡'1 e r S<J hools s bould be estab li s hed on ly in town s of firs t nmj seco nd cln ss,' and thnt S<Jbool s for g irls s ho uld be estab li s hed ' in to.yn s thnt on ncco unt of th e ir wenltb, population, and otb er advnntages ought to possess th em. Finnlly he co nside rcd tha t th e re s bould be dmwn ·up a promotion li st of tenchers. . W e wonld cnll s pec ial nttention to t be ord e r iss ucd Academy

Tbe e nnc tm ent of tho ncndemy of nex t importan ce WllS doubtless tbnt referring to tb e gm ntin g of titles to wom en tenc bers. Tbe is land possessed ver y few women competent to take cbarge of th e instr uctio n of g i.rls, and as tb e prejudi ce agni ns t plncing tb em in chnrge of meo wi\S s till grca ter thnn at pr ese nt, nnd few people possessed. menn s $Ufficie nt to e mploy govern esses , tb e pr ob lem of . femn le eduontio n was u se riou s ou e. Tb e E co nomi c ·Society of Fri end s of th e couutry bad nttemp tccl to get over tbi s difli culty b)\ tnking under its pntrouage co rtnin privato sc bool s alrendy in ex isle nce, but tbcse ne ve r gave •lltisfncto ry r cs ults. With th ese co nclitiou s 1in view the A,cademy of Bell es L ettres 1mthoriz ed worn en to serve as teno ber s, tbey did not bave certificatcs, p1·0,'1ded tbnt ama le teacher we r e sec ured to. tcncb th e s ubj ects of th e p rimn ry co urse in tb e S<J hool. Tb e Academy of Be ll es Lettres, in 11 word, clid notbing of g r ent for the deve lopm e nt of th e publi c ecboo l syste m, a ltbough 1t exe rci sed a hnppy influ e nce as a fitcrnry socie.ty durin g tb e f o ur tec n yenrs and ío ur month s of ita ex1ste nce .

BECTION V. EARLY B:EC01'DABY 8CHOOL8-THE Jl:StJITS .

From wbnt wo bav e just sn.i d it i s e vidont tbnt until tb o yenr 1850 in•truction wa.s prnctically left to priYate th":t \)l'imary, nní t r uction was confided to th ose wb ose educnt1on nnd trammg Jefti mucb to des ire, ·and thnt thi s was s uppl emented only by an exoeed ing ly sca nty in s trn ction given by tbe tencb e rs emp loyed by tb e Econom1 ic Sooiet y and tb e few private scbo ol s and acnd emi es tbut th en cxisted

In tb e year 1881, th e sama date tba t th e Roy al Acndemy of Lettres wa.s es tnbli s bcd , the Seminary of the Dioceses was author1zed, by Royal order of tb e 3d of to gmnt tb e of bacbelor of philosophy opon tbe co mpl etion of a co urse of 's tudi es pa!11ll el to that required in Spain. Thi s measure, howev e r, wns not s uffi c 1e ut to c heck the decndence of tb e seminary , for there we rc few yo11 ng men who felt themse lves cn ll ed upon to enter th e pnes tbood . Further- . more the chara cte r of th e in s titution lcft muc b to des ir<1, as we may infer 'from tbe wi s b of tb e Government to s ummon J es uits to tbe is lnnd to tnke cburgeof tbe in s ti·uction in thi s seminary and r e form ija courses of s tudy, as well a.s to 11Ss1une co ntrol of the seoo!1dary which tb e Sooiety a fe w yenrs .befo r e. bad d.es1red to iouvin ced th11t they co uld uot r cn hze their pro¡ect of foundmg. a smg.Ie oll ege.

. .

So it finally cnme nbout that m 18581 m ¡> conference between tbe GovQ l'llm ent nnd th e "l'"tor of tbe semmar:!' nn<I th e fatber. s uper!or of th e Jesuita an agreemeut was mude, ¡u acco rdan ce w1th wh1cb co ur sea werc in the seco ndary ia st1tute th e ea me yea , and

RS th e r e W!I S 110 building in wbi ch to pince tbis in s titute, tbe rector of th e seminnl'y permitted it to use pnrt of hi s own edifice, retnining what WllS necessary for th e r egular c lRSSes of bi s own school. Tbi s ¡>l' ivil ege wns grantoo only t e mpornl'ily , pending the time wben tb e Go1·erum ent should pl'ovid e th e J es túts with K building design ed éspec inll y fol' educntionnl pm1>0ses.

It is wo rth v of note thnt in th e r eport prese nted sbortl y after to th c Madrid Úornrn me nt to sec ure nuthorizntion for th e pnyment of mon ey iiwoh- ed in th o exp6nses of thi s sc hool, on e of th e renson s . that th c ro un cil gn1·e t o jus tify th e es tnbli s hm c nt of seco tidnry courses wn s th e sn me ns thnt me t with in th e vuriou s e etiti o ns preSe nted in 1838 , to wit!. th e necess ity of youn g men from going to th e United titntes to ·ecure th eil' edu cntton on of th e radien\ and pe rni c io us id cns that th ey brou g ht hack with th em. Th e mens· ul'es augges t cd by th e coun cil fol' the s uppol't of th e i ns titute Rl'e indi cnted in th o following paragrn¡•h ot its repol't: . C? nYitu...'Cd Of_ th e and immed iate OÍ a scco nclary msti tute orgarn 1.ed with th e co urses no w rfXl Ul red 111 Spam, m ard er that. it mn,· a posa ! o í the royal trerumry , n.nd with th e endo wme nt8 fo r m888CS and annive rsaries, nnd fo r th e s up po rt oí nnd o th e r pi oua obj ecQI whi ch hn,·e noo.ru ed to the be nefit o f lh o rc.lig iou s t.'Or¡>0 rati ons of Santa Dom ingo and San Fnm cisco, at presen t.

In thi• way seco ndal'y in s truction wna finnlly es tnbli s bed in th e is lirnd.

·

· ·

At this tim e th &Eeonomi c Society held its clRSSes in two room s of th o low e r s tol'y of th e buildin,g occ upi ed by th e Di ocesan Seminnry . gidn g in s tru ction in the s ub¡ ects be far e me ntion ed. Am o ng th esé nre w o rt hy of note drawing, nmth e mnti cs, phy s icnl nnd chem · is tl'y . In th e lns t two s ubj ec ts the in atl'um cnts and lnbomtol'y pre· se nted t o tb c society by Fnth c r Rufo we re utilized.

Th e pl'illllege of us ing:. th e building tbey th e n occu¡:li ed wn s gmntecl t o th e J es uit temporanly , but littl e by little th ey es tnbli s hed th em· se h·cs mor e see urely nnd approprintcd ndditional qual'ter s, cli aposse S· i ng the t ench cr s of th e Eeono rm c So cicty. Lnt e l' th e doctora of th e se min al'y itself wel'e o bligad to givc up tb e il' own cln ss room., so thn t finnll y th e J es ni ts becnme mas t er s of tbe e ntil'e building , wh e l'e th ey r cmnl ncd úntil tb.e in s tituto building in Snnturce was buil t fol' th cm fr o m t he provrn c ral 1'6\"0nu es of thc is land. A few yenrs lnter , ho we ve l', th ey wel'e obli ged to gil" e u¡> th e il' sc hools in Porto Ri co o n acco unt .of tb e mnll num be r of pupi s nttending th eil' college nfte r th e es t ab li s hm ent of th e S"'Í" nclnn· In s titute in 1880. · • As o ne e xnmpl e of th e diffi c ulti es ,¡,bi ch "11 nttempts to forwnr d pu bli c in str ucti o n mct with in th is is lnnd nnd of th e s lo wn eas of th e pl'ogrcss th a t wns mnd e . we will s ketc h bl'i etty th e of th e es tn b· li s hrn g of th e lndu s tl'in l Schoo l ord e l'ed by tb e Madrid Go1,ernment in 1883. Th e ru en, Do n. •fo sé J ulian Acost a nnd Don Romnn Bn)do ri o t}r de Cus tro . who , ns w e ba ,·e snid, hnd bee n se nt to Spnin , s uppo l'ted th or e by th e. s ubd e legnti o n of pbnrmn cy nnd th e Gornl'n · ment,. bnd 1tbout compl eted their s tudies . • Aa th e Gov er nme nt hnd pl'omi sed to gh•e nn appointm ent to th ese yo ¡mg mcn in Porto Rico ns s oon ns th ey had ohtnin ed th eir diploma s

EDUOATION IN PORTO RCOO.

fr om the unh·ers ity the .>Gov.eroor.Geneml Ol'dered tlmt menns be 1i rovlded for the eatabli s bmenb and support of chaira of chemistry nnd mec buni c arts, whi ch they were to fill , and which wcre to fo1111 the h""is of the Industrial School. Imm ediately measul'eS were tnken to tind s uitable qunl'tel's and the lll•terinl resourcea necessnl'y to comply witb th e gov ernor'a decr ee . Th e y eal' Mess rs . Acostn nnd Bnldorioty were dil'ee t ed to begin COW"SCS 111 commercilll and agricul· t uml g cogmphJ nnd botnny , which wer e to be paid for by tbe cham· !.>e l' of comm e l'cc nnd th e Economi c Societ y, nnd it "'"" plnnned to ndd to fih ese cours e s oth er com ·ses in ngrioulturc nnd c omm e rce. In 1857 l\ aeco nd arder cnm e from Madrid dirnctin g th e os tnbli s hm ent of sc hool i-1 of s urv eying n.pd architecture , nnd it wns con s ide red n<ll'i snbl e fol' motil·es of economy tbnt n \I th es e s ubjects, togethel' with seco ndnl'y aubj eots , s bou ld be taught in " s ingle in s titution. Tb e re upon inlormntion looking to th e orgn.nizntion of s uoh n s choo l wns askcil ÍOI' from a li th e ad 1cisory hodi e.• , nnd t lmt pl'es ented by th e mos t impol'tnnt of tJiese, tb c r oyn l coun cil , W!IS finnlly adopted in 1860.

.

Acco l'ding to tbe r epol't of thi s coun cil , th\)ugh th e g eneral th eory of Ruch nn es tnbli• hm ent na was proposed wns cornm endnbl e, it did not scem ndvi sa bl e to ntte mpt so elabornte a ac he rn e on ncco unt of the finan cia! burdcn inrnlved for th e is lnncl in s upportin g such a lnrge .. 11mnber of professors of the nn t uml and cxnct sc ie nees , th e exceed · ingly s rrnul number of pupils who wel'e in a J?OSition to profit by s uoh in s tru c tion , nnd , finnll y, o n acco unt of -th e e nhre nbse ncc o f nny proper building to ho uae s uch a schoo l. With tb. ese con s id crnti o ns in d ew it wns r eco mm ended ns more practicnl to l'CS tl'i ct t he )¡)l'o¡·ect to th e es tabli s hm e nt of chnirs in th e s pecinl aubj ects of ngrr cu tul'e, co m· mel'ce, navignti o n, nnd s urveying. T hi a l'eport wna s ubmitted to th e Jll'Ol'in cinl gov e rnm ent une! r efe l'red by it t o Madrid, l\nd th e negoti · finallY, encled witbout any school being es tnbli s hed. / Mennw)nl e tb e y oung me n, Acos tn nnd Bnldorioty de Cn tro , l'enl npos tl ea of in tru ct\on, arnil ed th emse lvcs of every mcan alJl t hand to cxtc nd the ndvantages of th eir own lcarning to th eil' fell.ow·country· men, nnd Porto fü co owes to them, as a mntter of fa ct, a lal'ge p1Ll't of tb e cultul'e that it now enjoys. Th e Economi c S ociety wa • com· rn encing to declin e. Without th e mate l'illi l'esburces to mee t the mnuy de mnnds upon it, it st ill co ntinued to s upport in s tru c tiou in th e bmn ches thnt it bnd ' all'endy begun , and mnd e runny vnlua bl e s ugg es· ti ons fol' th e e nco umge me nt of edu cati o n. . Tb ere wa.s a co ns tnnt s uccession of privnte sc ho ol s nnd ncn de mi es. Th e publi c sc hoo ls l'Omnin ed s ubj eet , so far ns their o r gnnizntion and t'o ntrol we re co nce rn ed . t o th e ca pri ce nnd ifn o mn ce o f th e ayuntami entos nnd th c tenche l's , o n ncco unt of lack o s uch a legal Ol' fltl nizati o n ns finull y in th c:: orgo.. ni c dec ree of G e ne rnl whi c h fo rm s the t a pi e of th e next clmp tel'

SECTIOll' VI.- TBE DBCREE o:r 1866-GOVBBNlOlfT llfTEBVEMTIOlf TN PBIKARY IMSTRUCTION.

Th e orgnnic dec ree of 1865, more g enorally kn o wn fr om th e nam c of its nuthor ns th c decr ce of Gonet·al Mess ina, cncounte l'ed from t he out· se t s tr enuoua oppos iti o n. Thi a is exv. lained in pnrt by the fltct thnt publi c in s tru ction in thi s is lnnd was s t1 1l in no s tnte nnd the

ne w r e form was bu sed upon a plan of st udi es in force i'n th e ls lund of Cnbn, whi ch wus far in adv11nce of Porto Ri co in c ulture and materinl prog rcss. A furth e r cause of opposition wns, doubtlcss , tho natural mclmntion· of th e people to re•ist an innovation w)li ch they were too · ig nomnt to w>,d e r s taud, th e benefits of whi c b tb ey we r e not i n a po i / b on to apprecrnte.

Tb e o rga ni c dec ree co mm e nced by dividin g primnry in s tru c tion iuto clcme ntary and s uperior. Th e firs t inclnded the following s u bjects:

Tb c Cnth o li c creed , ole me nts of sn.c red hi sto ry, rendin g, )V ritin g, e le· mcnts of Spanh;h grnmmnr nnd orthogrnphy 1 c lcm e nts of nrithmcti c, nnd tb e cl cmc nts of ngricu lture, industry, nnd

S upe ri o r in st ru c ti o n, bes icl es carrying th c just montion ed fúrt her, included thc tirst principies of g eo met ry) lin ea l dm ,;ng and s ur\•ey ing, e lcmcn t of geogmphy and b isto ry 1es¡>cci all y th ose of 8pain); nnd n geneml o utlin o of pby s ica l •cien ce and 1mtural hi s tory .

In gi rl s' school s ngriculture, ind ustl'y aud comme rce, gco metry , druwing and s urvcy in g, ph ys ics,..a nd untura! hi story we re rep luccd by"' s ubj ccts more nppropriate f o r th e :;ex-eleme ntary dmwing nnd nn e l cmc ntar:t co ur:;c in dom cst ic hygi e ne.

Elementary in s truc tion was obligntory; s uper ior, op tional. Conforming with the gmdes.of s tudy th e r e we r e s uperi or and e lem e ntarv sc bools nnd n. rlass o f sc bool s kn ó wn so me tim es as " in co mpl e te,h bec au se th e r e were taught in them on ly a partof th e primary subjects, n.nd sometim es ''te nporary " or '' nmbulRtory ," becnuse th ey remuinecl but a hort period at a sl ngl e ¡>lace and were r e moved from time to time to other locn liti es in order that th e c bildre n of th e diffcrent vilfuges might euc h recc ive in stru c tion for two or thre e month s· n. yea r . ·

As Gcnem l 111ess inn full y und c rstood th e im pemtive necess ity of good teachers fo1· th e s uccess of the plan he had d e vi sed, he orde r ed thnt th e r e should be fou nded a normal school, with a mode l sc hool for practice teachins nnnexed to it. Besides th is he directe d thut th e r e sbo uld be ulso i nfant scboo ls and school s fo r adults, i n th e lntter of whi ch the working peopl e co uld r ece iv e th e 1 ' udim e nts of an edu ca tion He also gave ali 11oss ibl e e ncoumge me nt to the e tubli sh · me nt of private .c hoo ls. l<'inally, in addition to ali this, he directed that th e r e s ho uld be estab lished special schools for colored ch ildre n, wh ere partietúar attention should be devoted t o th e moml and r eli g ious in stn¡cti o n of the pupil s . '

Article 39 definitcly pro hibited coeducation, as fo ll ows: ln no school o f any c lMS ehall ch ildren o f both eex:ee attend togeth e r, not even tho ugh the schoo l quartcrs be complctc l y sopa mtcd.

'Vitb r eference to metbods of in struction , nrticl e '17 of th e d ecr ee provides: . "' o r mutual o r lancaa tc nan me:lTuchou where\'er th1s eecme more desuabte. or th c y may in aJJ CtlE!ef:I whcre individual in.etruction doca nQt eeem

Suoh was th e importan ce given in this d ec r ee to moml and religi ous instruction thnt in article 38 it was e xpress ly provided that it s hould r ece ive first a t te ntion among th e s ubj ects of th e schoo l c urrí c ulum. '

As the muni cipaliti es we r e to support th e schools , it was th e id ea of the Government thnt tencbors the n in ser vice whose cmtificates bad

EDU OATlON IN PORTO

heen granted hv the Acadcmy of lle ll es Lettres s hould be r ephlced by graduates of th e norm nl sc hool. It was ordercd thnt at fir_st tbe teachers s hould be appointed by th e g°'·ernor upon nollllnation by t heir ayuntami e nto s, 1t being und e r s tood that the lat ter s hould J>!'Y for their s uppor t. l t was prov1d ed la.te r tpnt the school.s sh.o uld be adve rt1 sed and th e teac hers appomted by competitiv a exnmmatlou s. Primnry and superio r t cnche rs mu s t possess s ioual oertificntes, but for incompl ete u.nd rnfnnt n. s nnpl e "ce rtifi r ute of aptit ud e"-good cham cte r and abihty to rend and write-were req mred. Tbe s tatu s of t eache r s was r enil e r e? . • tabl e by n provis ion that th ey ro uld only be remo ,·ed from their UP?º just co mplaint, es tabli s hcd by due process of ,ye re oblwed t opa)' the house r en t of 111 to th e1r llll lnry. t'encbers also rece h·ed fees from th eir pup1l s to !'ªY them, which we r e lix ed by th e loca l juntn . tb ey wcr e .o rbidd e n to gh·e priva te lesso ns. A lnte r 01·der prov1d ed tb e .foll o wmg ¡.::;nln.rics: ' l'crannum. ...

Th ere were orde r ed cs tnblL•hcd 283 sc hool , tb e cost of which wns to be$85,Mi-O.

.

Th e forme r town co mmittees were r e plnced by loen ! 00 111llosed in the towns th e nlca ldc, a superi o r te.ne.her , mem Jcr of tb c ng ric ulturnl comm 1ttce, n me mber of t he fi) untami e nto, n p r iest, nn d two fathers of fnmily. In the smn ll e r they 90 mposcd of th e Rl ca lde, a of• the nyunta n;11 e nto , tb e pa ri s b· pri'lls t nnd four fathersof fauuly. Th e r e was a s pccrnl sec retury, wbo had t,he ri g b b to Yo.te. ,. .

Upon t \1 e di sso lutio.n of the R oya! of 13ell es Lettres w1tb the nppenran cc of tb1 s its fun ct 1on.s were OSf!umcd by n new j unta , k nown ns t b e S up e ri or Junta of of the governor ns pres id ent, a palnce officm l ns nce ·pres1deut, tweh·e members.

. · · ¡

Thi s is in substa nce t be orgn ni c of :who se J?r111c1pn nim it is see n wns thorougWy to publl ? rnstrúction, co.rrecting tb e d efects of th e pnst ami nss urm g 1ts rap1d developmeut rn the future . .

The rndical natru·e of tbe project, ho w0\•er , prevented ma ny of 1ts prodsious fr om actually e ff ect. As •oon ns published. the nym¡tamientos begnn to ob¡ect to thoso feat_ures thnt r elated <!SJ1C<:ui.ll y to the1n. Th e h· protest'i l>ecnm e more v1gorous n.nd were. R.Cti!e l y seco ncl ed by th e teache r s tbemselves, so tbat a seri es of mod1fic'ltt1ons r es ulted that led to its practica! nullifi catiou, es peciall y between tb e 1 yen r s of 1860 nnd 1 74, when tbe r evo lution of Sept:ember and the establi s hm e nt of th e Republic co mpl etely chan.ged the bnses.of pubb c ins tructio o in this islnnd. So that for nll prnct1cn.I 1t wa.'i n<;>t until 187±, wh e u a governor was se nt from .Madl'ld w1th de.pot!c a uthority to d es troy tbe work of th e R e pubh cans/r t hat th e orgi1mc decree of Ge neml M:ess ina actnn ll y went into full e ect.

The protests of the ayuntamientos directed espec ie.Iiy against the increase in the pay of teachers and the other financia] burdeos placed upon the muni c!palities in the inte r est of public Thcy refu sed to .co ntr1 b ute to th es upport of the normal and prnctice sc hoo l and petitioned that the salarie s of teache r s be i!Í:imedmtely lowered. Th e a lcaldes considered it a lack of r espect for their position that s upe rior teachers s ho uld receive a hjgher salary t!Ían th ey themselves.

. In _this co nn ection Dr. Ferrer, in bi s Memoria upon Public ln struct1on m Porto Ri co, sruys:

The municipaliti es were protesting fnr ancl wicle thnt the iela.nd wnS not prepn.red for. so "splendid 11 a refo r1!1 118 the govern,or deaired; if the ayuntam 1Cntos resented the fnct that superior tenchera received n en lar)\of Sl ,500 ayear or more •. than that of th e ami íe!lcheni ah. how co:itd it be stnh1s?

So ge1!eral conditiona aud the ª\>'1thy thnt prevailed, Crom the oftlcial •¿1 every

It is e vident that as tho tllcnldes wcro llt the sa mo time th e presidents of the l oen ! juntru¡ they did not p u t themselves out to fui-tl¡er ef the by no1!1inn.t in g t eucbers and pro · v1d111g the d1tta thut th e s uperior ¡unta r e<(u ired.

Tho teach ers, on tb e other hllnd , we r c pl'Ofound ly cli ssnt isfied upon lenrning that tho id ea of the new refor m wns grnd unlly to replac e tbcm by th e yo un g teachors so on to grad un te from the no nnal scb oo l, nnd to dcmnnd for n. s uper ior titl e n. spec in1 exnm in n.tio n, nnd thu.t lid soo n ns their sa lud es hnd been i1w r eased a one-tbird part mei;_e thun they were tben receiving Lh e ir schoo l:s would be decJiired ,·acant nncl fill ed by competitive examinlltions. So they immediately opposed ·an otl'cctive if pnssive resiste ncc to th e pr ov is io ns of the decree.

Tbo mos t vigorous opp os iti o n, howeve r, was fr om tbe lady tenchers. As we nlreudy seen, tho R oyal Acudemy of Bo ll es L e ttre s hlld gmnted certifi cates I? many Jadies who <lid not the s lightcst knowl edge of th e prnnary school s ub¡ ects, o u conditío n that th ese s ubj ect s s hould be tnught by 111 0.le teuchers, and that tho ladies th cmse lves s honld tiik o c barge of se wing and sim ilar bmnche•. With thi s · C!Jndition in view the orga ni c dem·ee hnd J?l'OVid ed thu t ull s uch t eache rs mu s t ta \rn nn exmuinutio n in exchnn g mg their certificntes. This protes t, if not th e prin c ipa l one, bnd e ff ect in modifying th e d ec ree,. becnuse the number immecliately atfected wns large, and thcir com plamts we r e broug ht befo re the supe ri or junta by person• wbo hn d much pol iti cul inffue nce. The resu lt was t hat tbe decree wns i11odilied so thnt i\n exa mi1mti o n ns only required whe n the tenchcr wished to receiv e a hi¡¡her sa lary.

Among the di ssn ti stied men ruust be co unted those who desirod to th e teacbing profess ion and found themse lves ob li ged to study 111 th e model sc\\oo l to obtain the title of primary or s up erior tenche r. . th e resisted ali petit10n s and protests of tb e mu mc 1pnh t 1cs .

Th e l s t of July, 1866, was the da te the d ecree went into effect. 11y1rntamientos and loca l juntas delayed se nding the data a1id iofo rmation req uired fo r the establi shm e nt of aew schools. As tL"

res ult the governor desig11Bted, by au order issued the 14th of April, tbat year, tbe n um ber and classo f school sfor each town and thesalsry of teuclier s, directin¡¡ t he municipaliti es at the same time to pay for tenchers' r es id ences in additiOn to th eir salari es, and to tako mensures to in clude th e neces,sary item s for th e s uj>port of th e schools in their budgets. The de lays, nowever , preve ntecf th e holding of competitiva cxam in ations in the s ixty-o ne although the teachers had petitioned for saJa.ries, and, accora ing to the dec r ee, these schools 11rnst be cons 1de r ed vncant . This re ulted in th e fi .r st victory foi· the cnemi es of t he r cfo rm .

Soo n afterwnrds the Goverument was obliged to modify paragmph GS of t be organic decree, whicb provided that the teacbers s hould be pl'Ov id ed with proper reside nces for their families. Th'e ay untami e ntos had protested vigorously ugninst this. On th e 24th óf July, 1866, co nseque utl y, t ho o rd e r was issued stating: . .

The pub li c welfnre demande t hnt .there s hould be proyided a sui tabl e aqd dious room for th c sc bools, to be pa td far from the pubhc fond s, ru1d nota remde.nce for the teacher 1unl bi1:1 frunily.

A few months ln te r the r e was created a of genera l s upervision of public i nstructioit compo•ed of two members of the s uperior junta.

The most importnnt modification of the decree was that of the 9th , of Jun o, 1868. W ith refere nce to t his chaugewequote th e fo llowiug . from th e preo.mb le of the orgaaic dec ree of 1880:

For many reasotH!, and partiQularly op account of tbe conatant oppo@itiou of the uvuntamieÜtoe, who were on this occasion rather short-eighteü protect01'8 of the

of schoolhou.scs anrl the salaries of a li teachers except thoae in ruml 8Cbooll!1 who received but 15 ¡>esos a ut outh in 11ny cnse, 1mppresscd many !!Choo ls, and tinued assi.etanta m superior schoolt! 1 tbat. th ere was opened in lhe defenses oí 'And judicious íortress o f pubhc iu stn1ction a tlrat breach Umt soon led to ita negldt:t and none n íorcement. •

Th,e sll.larics' provided for we r e as fo ll ows: '* + l'&ot. l m

A few mo11ths before the revol'ution 'of 1869, which bad such farrench in g effects in t4is is land 1 primury instruct'ion wns in prnctically tbe same position ns before the publicatiou of the decree of Gene ral ' Mess iua.. The nmnber of sc hools nna of pupils a t te nding was cons id erao ly lhrger, howe ve 1 \ des p ite tb o fact that those directly in c?ar ¡¡:e of pubh c instructiou ana t hose who s hould h1we bcen acti ve m 1ts · :mppo rt, ns u. rule, took littl e in terest in it.s advancement.

From a circu lar of the Governm e nt, dated tho 30t h of June, we quote tpe fo ll ow iag: ·

l\Iany municipnl corporntionsl in facta majority oí thoae in the Prbvince, nre proved by the inmqncrnble ft ed in explnnat1on of thcfr negl ec t to. BCldopi comp li ed with lil e ordere of the Government, and to have opposed to 1U! w1s hee the tt¡>uthy and srstematic oppoait.i.on o f wbo believe that

nuU1entic unofficial testimony 1 tbere are towns that are fully as backward m echool motters at the prcsent time as before the rcfortru1 introducOO by the decree of the

lOth or·Jun o, 1865. It would be a long story to enumcrnle ali thc caW:!eS for thia conditiou. Th e most importauf., howm•er, ns th e Government is fnmk in stating , is th o nbeolute lac k oí tmc putriotism nnd ch1ic spirit 011 the part of l!Ome l oca l junt as c harged "ith th e f:U¡>en•il!lon of 1>ublic instruct1 o n , and U1 e prm·ed negligc nce of numy teachers , who, after soouring their certitllot:ea, treat tb eir poeiti ons · the luck of /

Accordi ng to stiiti. ti cs in o ur possess ioo , ii; D ece mber of 1864 therc WCl'C 122 SC hOols with 3,488 ch iJdl'en in attendance, wbose instruction

In Jun c , 1867 , there we r e ulrendy 296 schoo ls in wbich 9,472 ·ch ildi·en rece iv ed in st rn ction, nnd wfücb cost the Stnte $90,83 3.

Two years afterwnrd , in .Jun e, 1869, tbe had 313 schoo l•, tb o ugb tbe ntte ndnnce wns le , 8;jl_29, nnd the publi u expenditu l'e for sc bool maintena nce wns $88,136 .

Kn owing tbe hosti lity with whicb thc dec r ec of 1865 wns recei,·ed , nnd tbe tc nac ious re1Si s t.nnce opposed to it.s enforcement, it is easy to npprecinte the satisfnctio n with which thc is lnnd received tbe dece ntmlizing poli cy that follow ed tbe l'evolutiou of 1 69 and tbe svs tem of municipal a utoo omv es tablisbed in 1873 during th e sho l't lile of th e R ep ubli c. 1 Articl e 24 of th e constitution of 1 60 say a :

Any S puninrd may estAbli s h inat itutions for cducation with o ut pn.wious pennission, aubject o nly to i n@pectio n o n .mntt ers ¡>ertaining to sa nitary and m o rnl condiliOni:!.

Tbe muni cipal .s ys tem nllowcd full autbority to th e ayuntamientos, nl so in qucs tionis of in s truction. Thi s nuthority, to be s ur e, wns o ccns io nnll.Y misu se d , nnd th e lnw was mi s interpre ted by mos t of th e muni cipnliti es so thnt the res ults we re not alway s ·s ulutary. Ho·we,·er, the nutonomy which the y e njoy ed wa s not e ntirely a stel'il e ben efit, tor in tbis c po cb th e p eopl e of 1'orto Ri co realiz ed, tbough for a bricf pcriod, ono of 'mos t cherishcd idcnl s, th e establ ishm ent of tbe c i,·il rn s titute of aeco ndnry in s tru c tiou.

BECTION Vll.-" BEFOB'MB " OF GENERAL BANZ.

A formidoble r cac tiou followcd th e fall of th e lle public. Th e Span · is h Gov e riiinc nt, fe arful that the liberty c njoy od by it.S co lo ni es dul'ing t hnt s hort p c riod might ultim11te ly lencl to th eir loss, resolv ed to ndopt rc press h ·c mens ures nnd initinted n policy thnt nggnffnted th c oppo s i· tion ab- eadv pre rnilin g to th o nclmini s trnlion of Madrid. , qenc.ral "Sn nz, wh o hnd bee n thc !s lund be fore th e re r o· tution of 18G9, and who sc pre n ous adn11mstmt1on had· bcc n noted fo1 ; its politiClll ¡Je r secution s , wns l'e tnrn cd to the i• lond with full authority fr o m th c s upr emo gov rnmeut to re sto re thc form er politi cnl orgn111zntion .

A,·niling himse lf of tbi s th e new gov e rnor begnn by SIJ.pp ressi ng. ¡mm edintely upq)1 hi s nrrivnl, Ci\'il In stituto, thc mo stt- populn1· cducntiounl cs talili s hm e nt in th e is land, nod thi s wa.s followed by nnother ordel' l'e mm• ing nll Porto Ri cnn tenc he r s from the schook Thi "'ª" ncco mpl is h ecl through sec re t proceedings ngain s t tb e upon informut,ion furnish ed by th e politicnl nll'cnts of tb e Go,•e rn · me nt. In thi s conncotion th e go\•e rn0,1' sny s in ht s Jetter to tbe Spani sh mil1i s try:

Most o f th e tcach em, o n accotmt of their racli cnl and autonomistic p«?litical vi e 'l'·e, th cy unfort.unnte ly tmn emi t to thcir pupil.81 aro so wing n seed for th e

EDUCATION IN PORTO RICO.

inture welfare o í the pro"ince " md th e the bitter fruite of which nre co1_1duct render th e m

In the same Je tte r tb e govcrnor r eq u ests authorizntion to import Spnnisb tcncbers to take the pince of tbe Porto Ricnn s.

It wa thus thnt G e neral Snnz, wbo still chel'i s bed against thc peopl e of th e is lnnd for having r equested olii s l'emoval from tho so ugbt to nvenge the injm·y he bnd received. He <lid more, how e ,·er, to wenken th e hold of tb e nntion he repre•e nted upo n th e is lnnd tbnn all tb e agitation of ¡Jl'ev iou ycnrs u1:tan tho part of those wh o wcre unwilling to s ubmit t 1cm sc lvcs to the despo tic gov e rnm ent of tb e Spanisb g c n e rnl s. . .

A s th e tench e 1 we re rc mo,·ed it is e \·id ent thnt the school s were not ope n nnd the c hil4ire n wer withont me nn:J of i ece iving instruction. 'L'h e Spanish Gov•·mne nt hcs itnted at fir • t t o gmnt th e authorization to import teacbers frotu th o req ues ted by Geneml Sn nz , but a t Jn st y iekled in vi e w of the bal'm tbnt its wno can s ing to th e ... diool s . .A.t th e 1"ln.m e tim e, how e vcr 1 it wa s not fully in sympathy "'ith tb e proj ect s of its l'e prcse nrotiv c m P ol'to Rico, and h e for hi • pn rt bnd found it necessn ry t o modify bis plan s on nccount of th e · 111 o ml press ure brou g ht to ben.r upo n hjm by th e con se rvntives . lt th1 1s res ulted tbnt som e of th e sch oo J· w c re tangbt by Porto Ri cuu tencbe rs es p ec ially 1·ecomm e nded by the co nse rvnti "e party, wbose inf1u e nce wn s th é n ali po we rft\I , wbilo r mn.inder were in c hnrg$} o f tcuc be l's brougbt from Spain. J lt naturnlly follow s thnt tcnch e r s w cr e appointccl from poLi t ical co n ancl upo n privnte reco mm eu dat1 o n mth e r timo because of- ' thcir qunlifi cation s fo r th e ir po- ition . It is nlso worthv of not.e thnt 1he Spnnish teac he rs we re, ns a rul e , l c:;s compe te nt thnn the Porto l!iyn ns, and that th eir sc hool s gnv e poorer res ults tban tboso tnug ht by t he tha c hol's of tb o is lund.

The sc hool s b ncl been e ntire ly close d for about a Y"!'"· Th .!teacb e l'o 1rcre nomin¡tted by clec tion, s in ce tb e S pa111N·cls were tbe firs t to rnfuse to • nbmit to competith·e e xamination s. Those Spani s b tenc h ers who 11·cr e bc tter q unhli ecl e itb e r did no t len ve Spain or r e turu ed imm edi:tte ly nfter th e ir nrrh·nl he re, so thnt those remain in g . in the islnnd wcy0 teachers unnbl e to nppo!ntment in th e P e nin s Ula. A pnnc ipal cause to pl'e ve nt th c m1porti1twn of good w1.s tb e fn c t tbnt ten che rs snla ri es hnd been lowerecl. In adclition , tbe fnct that nll appointm e nts we re but tempornrr , ns th e Go,1 e rnme nt of )Jadrid refused to gmnt sc hools in propri e ty on account of its projcct ed rcorgnnizntion of public io stru c tioo, t e nded to di sco urnge good tcncbers from seeki ng pasition s . ·

To mnke tbe cond it10n of parents wbose c bildren wero of an age to receive instmc tion s till worse , General Sauz pubü sb ed ori tbe Bth of Jnnuary, 1875, s hol'tly nfter tbe res tomtion of tbe Bourboas to tb e throne of Spaio, a clec l'ee by whicb, under tbe pretext Qf r eg ulatin g. privnte in struction , only Spnniards and tbosc nntives wbo had distin • g tli s bed tbemselves by ndbesion to Spnin were permitted to teacb in l>rimte scbools. A s a res ult prirnte iastruction also fell into tbe 1ands of tbe lenst competent teacbers.

Certain mensures in tended to better the conditioo of Spanish tcnch er s

wid e ned s till further th e breac h be twee n them and the t ea ch e rs of the co nntry. A.mong may be mention ed th e cir•:u.lar of F e bruarr , 1877, by which it was decreed that t eac hers appoiuted directly by tl1e s h,ould be paid in oflicia l !"'oney- that is in go.ld. A. Jar effe ct 'vas prodn ce d by the r e nppomtment of t}Vo Spam s h teache1 , one in the ca!ntal and th e other in Sauturce, who had been r e mov ed b1· the ay untami e nto on acoo uut of the unsati sfa c tory re sults given bi• th e ir schoo ls in th exa minati o ns of July, 187 .

Th e sam e year Genera l De s pujol carne to Porto Rico , a gove rnor who de,roted bi s wniu attention to the reorgn tüznt ion of U pon pis arrim l th e islaud was reported to hnv e 731 , 648 inhnbitau t.<, and aceording to the oflicia l s tati s tics of Octo,.ber of th e same y ear th e re we r e in exis t e nce 324 schools nttended br lJ.097 c hildren of both sexes, whose iu..truc tiou cos t the State 129,!56 pesos anuually. Dnr · ing th e e ntire e leYen yenrs s iu ce 1867 the in cr ease had been but 33 schools and 1,625 c hildre n in attendance. Th e reasou for this smnll increa se had been a matter of s tudy with the ne w governor , as nppenr; in th e prenmbl e t o bis organi c dec ree :

"Upon investigation of causes that in 1868 nullitied the good effect of the orkani c dec ree, " be sa.y s, ª 1 have become conl-·inceO tbnt th e chief nmong th e m was th e fact that its w1d e rlying principie s, alihougb apprecinted by th e more inte lligent e lement of the populntiou 1 were not untlerstooa by the masses in ge neral. Perhnps there shou.la hnv e b ee n a period of pre paration ¡ that n pers u11Sive and authoritative voi ce s hould ha"l" e b eeu hea rd ns tne l!rec urs or of the comiug r e form ; tbut before heing put iuto opemtion 1ts n ecess ity s hould ha'·e bee u repe•t· edly e njoineq upon th e peop le, until nt las t th e tenc hing body, th e g e ne ral .Publi c, and the corpomt io ns unde r whose contro l it mus t · be carr ied mto e ffect would hav e bee n so thoroughly conviu ced of it,< vnlu e and necess ity as to ha,·e bee n willing reaaJly t o nccept th e economic burd e ns it iwposed. "

With the object of beginning hi s work upo n n secure bas is th e go 1.. ernor comm e nced by dh•idin g th e is land into two distri cts of north nnd so uth, nnd npJX>lnting an in s p ector for enc h of th e m, whose dut¡· it w l\8 to r epo rt d 1rectlyto him , nnd to furni s h data ui>on the co nditi o11 of publi c in stru ction. H e n1•ailed him se lf nl so of th e dnta co ll ected br hi s pred ecessor , General La Portilla. A.t th e same tim e h e npproprlnted 5,000 pesos for th e purc has e of sc hool s uppli es, whieh were alm os t entire ly lacking nt the tim e. Th ese men s ures, t ogether with the influe n ce which he cons tantly exerc ised by word s and le t te rs upon tb e nlcnldes and local juntas , and upon those wbo se c hildreu could b e in th e scbools, w ere pr eparing th e gro und1 so that in 1880 wh e n the d ec ree orgnnizing in strnction · appeared, it wns r ece h•ed with full fa1•or· by th e people.

.

Before beg innin g the exa min b:tio n of the orgunic d ec r eé of G e nernl D espuj o l, we wisb t o s k etch in b ri ef outliue th e co ndition of publi c iu s tru ction in Porto Rico before 1880 . R efe rring to o fli cial docn· m e uts , whi c h will unturnll y ha v e mor e weight tbnn unoflicial iuform n· tion gathereNt·om other so ur ces, in r egn rd te iu compl ete schools. ns tit e ruml sc hoó ls we r e th e n ca ll ed, the class of tenchers tbnt tanght thew and th e resu lts secured, we quote th e followiug from the memo· ria upon th e condi tion s of priumry iu struc tiou , prese uted to t he

EDUCATlON

governor by th e two in spectors, Don José Bobadilla nnd Don Alejandro Infie;¡ta:

As to teac hers [1!8\'S th e first) no spec itied scholRStio requirementa were enforced. What was th e certiJfoate o ! quahflcatton:'! neceseary to teacb in schools o í th e low est cl1U!8? A state me.ut of fitn ess nnd good character ÍBBued by the local junta and

a be e::c:amined. Most of the o ther school boards, however, dispensed with this ef:tirely. Moreover, sectiou 7 ol th e regulations published by th e on section of the same regulation.s nuthotized the appointment o f. any neig b bo r of good reJI..h1:!° made in a commend able de@i.re to extenQ the school priv

t ut fo r protecting their o wn unquah.ti ed protéaéa. W:t¡racbcal J>enefit could resu lt from placing at the head o f a scboo l an ináustrious nn honorable man withinooroplete schools, with a few ve ry rare e::c:cep t1 ons11 tbe three or fout. or dve poor

si de rab1 e leM certainty than the nrithmetic table then popu lar in th e ieland, and the y were igno rant of nume ri cal notation and reading, ·and writing poorly , eo that i t ie easy to aee thnt no greo.t benefit wae to be deri ved from the few daye' inetruction they receh·ed before leaving the sch oot:

A.nd Mr. Infi es ta says:

Tb ese Htabliahments fo r pop ular inatrncti on were rather a burden than a benefit

s.ingle ,P8J'801l wh o cou ld read o r wri te found in moat o f the barrios wbere tbere were theee moomplete or tem¡>0rary schoole . Tltese were known as rural echoo ls, nu<l , fheed

presented. 1 who know th e e nd envors of the Government to place public inetrocti on upon n worthy Msis that wouhl o ff er a gunrantee of real retm lts,

ngent of th e Go ,•ernment, but a so urce o f inepirati on, notan inatrumeut of co rrect ion but an e nerJretiC defen der of the teacher, who shou ld fulftll his duties nnd work carn estly. for th oee wbo, iu tbe ieolntion of t1l e distant barrios , consecra te t he ir livee to the priestbood of teacbiug, I repeat, 1 can not vi e w with out alarm tb e

genemtion that is rising, and for thia reason I 'fee1 it my ruty to call tbe attention of t he Governmeut to thet1e conditi ons, for this generatio n representa tbe futu ro of the country.

So fm· ns th e e lem entar y nnd the s upe rior sc hoo ls we r e co ncer ned, bo th th e in spec tors complain that the cbildre n e ntered without necessary instru ctio n, sorne hnrdl y knowing h ow toread and write. In thi s co nn ec tion we quote th e following from th e memoria of Mr. lnfi esta:

In 1880 1 made my fil'llt tour. But fl ve towns hnd ma¡>8 in tbeir sch.ools. As a

abortly afterwards lbe Govemmeut lent ite generous aid, rrO\-idiug each o ( th e echools with a map oí the world , one of Spain, nnd a re.lle map of tbe provin ce. Eepeciall y in the gtrls' echoole geogl'!Lphy was abeolu tely imk.no Ym.

'Vith refe r ence t o th e s upplies in úhe sc hools, we quo'te th e followin g fr om nn ofli cial doc um ent sig.ned by General D es puj ol:

Coming' do wn to recent times 1 may fur th e r info nu yo u t.hat e ig bt mo nths after my ani vnl, nnd wbil e the nyuntum ient os trere still directl y by th e go,·. ernment, th e eq ui pme nt of th esc hoo ls o f the whole islnncl could no t hnvc been woree. 'IJ here were boys' sc hoole in the pdn cipai to wn e, whi ch did not bnv c n s ing le wTiting book, some hnd but tbrcc cop ies of t he gnun mnr , th is, Íl otw iths tandin g th e thnt the tench er hncl ne.ksd fo r t hese booka repea ted ly, nnd peti ti ons for th cm had beeu poeeeesed. J3uL now, with uy untrun ie ntos e lech.'<l by pop uhrr ' 'O le, of thC 11 618 boya ntte nding l he sc hools oí o ne o f th e most importa nt to wns o r th e is ltmd on l v 63i bn,·e senting nccom modn tion. 1f th i.11 is the th e ce ntra l govern· nieiit hnl:! just distributcd echool fo r 1, 120 ch ildren th e superior scboo ls or t he is.land, whnt mus t hn ,·e bee n th e co nd iti on before, wh 1 iu o ne of th e heads of dCpartm ent !f, with O\'e r 100 chil dren e nroll ed, th e re were t wo month s hgo but 2;) scn ti! pro,·ided by th e nn cl in th e publi c schools t he rc wu.s not n @ingle writing des'k. A trifl e o,·er n year ngo th e gO\·eruo r-gcueml pro ,·ided 1,000 t:is

condit ion in the priuc.ipn l wh nt mus t be tl1 e con ditio11 of ! he schoo ls i u thc \'lllage::. ,

Acco rdin g t o th e su me go Ye rn or tb e a t te ndnnce of pupils wn-; 1\-X tr eme ly 1tTegul a1·. In 38 t owu s, so me of th em heads of depa r tme nt . bl1 t 12 pe r ce nt wére in nttentl nnce, in o th e rs tbi s num ber wn ¡.¡. reclu ce cl to 2, 3, or .J: pe r ce nt. Th e n. ve rn ge ntitendnn ce in the isJnncl was 11 . 65 p er ce nt. ·

SECXION VIll.-THE DEOlLEE OF 1880 AND THE LAW OF 1867 .

Thi s wns th e cq ndition o f publi c in i:; tructi o n wb e n, ou tb e l s t of Septembe r , 1880, Ge neral Don Euli ¡¡ io D es pujnl p nblis bed"th e orgnu ic dec ree wh ic b bcnrs bi s nnmc nnd wh1 cb went into effect tb e l s t of Octol)er thC sum e year. In t hi s, ns in tb e pre v io us dec ree, in s truc tion is di d ded into elementar y and s uperi or. Tb e fir s t in clud es t be followin g s u bjec ts :

(1) doctrin e a mi cleme nts of snc r ed

(2) fün din g.

(3) Writin g .

(±) El ements o'. ¡¡ mm.mar. . .

(5) E l cme nts of a ntbmeti c, w1th th e legnl wetg bts, mens ur es, an cl illone\·. · .

(6) ºTb e mer est c lements of geogrn ph y.

(7) A n e lementary o utlin e of ag ric ultm·e; inclns tr y, and comme rcc.

In nddi tio n t o a. mo re e xte ns i\re tr cn tm e nt o f the s nbj ects just e nume rated . ec:o udar r in s trn cti o n tou c he cl upon th e followin g:

(1) Eleme nts of 0 geo metry and lin eal dmwing and s ur veyi ng

Elc ments of hi s tor y und g e gmphy , es pecinlly those of Spnin.

A n e lementar _v outlin e offh ys ics and natural histo r y ndapted in rh eir nppli ca tion l<> tb e needs o comm on life.

It is ev id ent thn t tb ese wcr e pmcti call y th e snm e as th ose embraced in e lementa r y ¡\¡id s uperior in stru ction uude r th e decr ee of 1865. Th e onl y differ e nce was tbat in elementary in stru ction g eogmphy wns r equired , nud s ligbtly more wns e xpected in tb e way of g rmnmar and arithm et ic . In s uperior in s tructi on a higb er standard wn s established in g eog mpby nnd history. Tb er e we r e tb e sn me r equiremen!B es tab . li sli ed for th e in stru ction of girl s as h1w e already bee n noted in cons iderio g tb e decr ee of Gen e ral Mess inn. ·

·EOUOaTION IN PORTO RIOO •

..

In ilddition to s uperior and elementary s chool s, tbere have exis ted si nce 1880 nuxilinry nud rural scbools whi ch wer e s ubs tituted for tbe now 'complete ly di scredited "in compl ete " schools of tbe pren ous dec r ee . Tb e auxilinry school s wer e tbo se s ituntcd in baml ets or barrios ou!Bide of tbe larger population centm:s , nud had nn atte ndau ce of nt lens t 20 pupils. Rural scbools wer e those es tablis hed wh er e th e r e wn s no g roupmg of dw elliu gs, with a n nt te ndance of at l ens t 15 pupils. '(h er e were nlso es tahlish ed infant sc hoo ls wbi cb mus t be taught by 8 is ters of Charity, and so bools fo r adul ts . For th e establi shm e nt of private tb e onl y r equir ement wa s tbet th e prin cipnl should be nt lens t 20 yea r s of nge a nd p<>ssess a legn l certificnte ,

In tb e sn me munn e r as in th e pre \rio us decree, ele mentnry ins tru cti on was obligatory , with the singl e differ eucé that it wn• now g ratui tous only for poor childr en. A f ew y en r s lttte r , wh en t he· economi c co nditi Qn· o f mos t o f th e muni oipnliti es wns be tte r, in s tru ctio u wns 1n nde e ntirely gratui to11 s ce rtifi cntcs we re to he obtnin ed by e x nminntion.. Ih co nfornrity wi t h another n.rticle of th e de.c r ee , wb\ch af te rwnrd s went in to fnll efl'ect , nuxiliary· nnd rural sc hoo ls were ob tain ed by competitiv e . cxamineti o us, nnd schoo ls becomiug vncn ut in th e futur e we r e to be , provided with tenc he rs

Thi

be npp ointed two in s pect or s

s

t be

, who s bould r ece iv e $1, 600 (pesos) sn l: ary,

t mveling expenses per nnnmn.

Th e s uperior

(p

of p ublic in s tru otion, c r eated by th e dec r ee of

65 in pince of th e ncademy of bell es -l ettres, was now des ig na ted th e provin cial junta. It was co mp<>sed of tb e Jl!·esid ent, wh o, was th e goveruor, or in case of bis abse uce hishop , and tw elve member

A secretary was appointed who was nota member of the junta and who was a salari ed officer. Tbe lo ca l juntas r etained the same na.me and fun ction under a different con s titution. By tbis they were composed · of _th e alcald e, as president, a of tbe ayuntamiento, the pari sb / ancl three fathers of famihe s wbere the 'population of tbe m11ni c1paltty was 11ot more than 10,000 sou ls. Tbere was an additionnl member for every 4,00ll inbabitants .above this number.

A s to ruml scbool sessions, article 48 says: ·

The eeF.sion ehall be not more tban fh- e hOUf!!, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m ., m order that the cb1ldren mav be at liberty out of sófiool boul'8 to BBaist their parente in domesuc duti es and field laboJ"!. /\

Tbis decree fixed tbe cbool age at from 6 to 12.years. It nlso pro vided for the establishme nt of a normal scbool for male teacbers and fonr model scbools for female teacbers . Tbese latter were first estab in tbe capital 1 Ponce, Mayaguez, and Humacao, tbe first two r ece1vmg appropnatíon s of 900 and 800 rcspectively, and th e Jatter 700.pesos. As tbese schools were prnctically absolute failure • it 'Y"" decided to establisb in tbeir place • noi·ntal scbool for womer: '.fhr s scbool nnd th e normal sc hool for men, whicb wa. provided for rn tb e decr ee of 1880. " ..er e not establi s becl until tbe 8tb of February 1891 . . . 1' •

Th e. decree of Despujol was in force untif 1898, wb en , upori the of an autonom ous goyernm e nt, the Spanisb law of pub· h e. ms truct1on of 1857 went rnto force. Stránge as it may seem, thi s lnw of forty yen.ro before wns mor e progr ess ive .and compreh ens ive, and gave freer phw to ·loca l autonomy tban the decree of De sp,ujol. lf tb e Jatter appearea u pon tb e • urface to show due deference to local authoriti es in of publíc in struction , in its practica\ workinipr it placed m tbe hands of tb e gov ernor. As already ment1oned. loca l ¡untas wer e composed of al cald e, ll councilman, tbe pri est , and of fnmih es, o r more, ncco rdmg to tbe populntion of th e d1stnc1. W1tbout. t-0 tb e size of tbe httter , the perso ns ch osen to fil! füe se pos1t1 ons were, as. a rule , tbose wbo wer e least eminent for th ell' mtelh gence 1and ed ucat1on , and it wn s not un us ual to tind lll emhers of th e local sc hool board wbo knew neitber bow to read nor bow to wfite. So it bappen ed tbnt tbe admini s trntion of the scbool• fel,l in.to th e bond • of tbe alcaldes, the councilman, and the p1:ies t, ?'"rnth er .mto tb e. hand s of tb e firs t .of these, who, ns pres id e nt of the ¡_unta of m stm ct10n and of the ayuntami ento , th e two bodi es sch.ool nmtters, po •sessed prnctically absolute autbority. fb1 s _wa s especrnll y th e case wb ere, in in stances , tbe alcalde wa · appomted l>y tli.e junta, wbose principal me mbe rs we re officm ls o f the ndmrn1 st11lt1on was a bw·eaucrnti c bodr. without any ind epend ence or prestige in tb¿ n¡ind s of th e public nrid dooile to ali tbe ordera of its pr es ident. ' 1t that th e exe rci sed pmctically absolutc n!ltbonty rn_-tne_appomtn,ient of in 'the creation s nspe ns 1on _of. n.nd, rn a word, in ali tb nt 1cfe rr ed to pu bite ms tru ction. vYb en tb1s fa ct · became evident somc of tb e _more liberal of tbe city councilmen of tb e of capital , P?nce, J\;fay11gn ez _San Ge rmnn, Ro¡o,, aud Adjuntas p1ot es t ed n¡;amst u ·m1?at1on. of •? hool adm1111strntíon by the central nntbor1ty, wbrcb prnct1 cally dep1w ed tb e ayuntamientos of mony

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO. 135

of tlle rigbts that tb e hnv nl19wed them. B11t wben the question was hro ugbt befare tnb!lnals thes.e declared tb11t the governor possesse d author1t.i; to rn ali sucb mntters, denyiug to the tb e nghts.wb1cb th.e law s gave tbem, and iotticted upan tbe counc1lment for re?elhous cor;duct .ancl as a warning to otber•, a nna a pubb? repnmand m tbe Official Gazette.

Tbe pohtical and relig1ous tbat begnn in the island upon tbe restorntion of the monarcby and bad sucb unfortunate upan public instruction continued to increase . There was ber e a SJ?ecies of política! inquisition by a Conservative or Spnmsb party, as !t was Called, irt arder to distinguisb ' rt s members from tbose Porto Ricans wbo desired to remain under Spanis b sovere!gnty. npon tbe conclition tbat Porto Rico sbould posrights •as the otber Spanisb provinces. Tbe ·J?urpose of tlns mq111 s1twn wn s to preserve tb e s upremncy of th e party m the government and to sec ure for its mem bers ali tbe position s so that Porto Ri cans were excluded prn ctically from ali public alfices' of importance unléss they bappen e<l to be member s of th1 s party.

'.!;bese same persecutions mad e tb emsel ves felt in scbool affairs. Tencbers wbo se política] or religi ous ideas clifferoo from tbose maintarned by the we!·e • oon er or later of their scbools'. As a proof of th1s, and m arder tbat th e standpomt of the Government nlRy be see n , we copy tbe f_ollowing strong statement of its polícy from the reP."rt of one of tbese mspec tors , Don Ju.no Macho Moreno in bis Co mpilation of Law s of Pri.mary In s truction of tbe Islnnd oí' Porto Ri co:

The mif!t!.ion of an !nepec tor o ( primary in st n1 ction in tbese countries distant from the moth erlo.nd 11.nd mfinenoed by currenta of thougbt, censumble-iC We may nOt app ly to them Ü!ª stronger term oí perniaious--demands dutieeand conditionawhich onlr be completely th oae officers who are fully inspired with the hidden, und •to RJ?pl y to it ali the t.bat th e grnvity of th e Qrcuauitances demand an caut enzation. lt 1s .the. duty c;> f the insJ>t?CtOrs to appl{¡ all their connecbo n mere verbal expretieion of uncondi tional ndhe@ion to our prin ciplee is not t: 11oug h.-J there muat be deeds and actual proofs.

, To one reads tb e r eP?rts by tb e first two inspectora, ?liess r s. Iafie s ta nnd Bobabilla, fiv o years after the enae tm.ent of this dec ree, it migbt with good r easo n appear that its public1<tiob bad innugurated 011 em of rnpid and ce rtain progress in publi c inst ru ction. nn opinion woulcl be e rron eo us . It 1s .true that to sorne exte ut ,.¡¡ modrfied tbe former system and thnt th e r1ghts of tencbers wer e m()i·e fully guamnteed. But in the more esse ntia.l mattera of school organfantion nnd ' method SI of in s truc tion there wns no change. Tt is true that th e fn c t that the politicnl and prívate interests of tb e :1Icnldes ayuntamientos wer e ca ll ed into play led to' a notable mc renso m the number of sc bool s. As a co nsequen ce of thi s , bowever, 1 tbe salaries of th e teachers were less frequ ently paid tbah eve'r befo.re . In mua y cases tb e municipalíti es were not only indebted to the teacbers for th e 1r e ntire annunJ t;n..lary, but nl so mnde no provision for furnitur e nncl material s for tbe scbool s. " Th e scbools are in urgent need of furnitur e 1 " w e rencl in report .of )!fr. In fi es ta; " th ey bnv e not n. :sent for tbe mnster , a cruc1fix, a pnm cr, or a clock to ennbJe the

ing out of u. schoo l progmm , nor co untiu g fram es, nor bh1c kboord 1 11 01 s ulli cieut bc nches fo r tlí e pupil s, nor Íl cuse for th e books."

If we cons id er the t eoc h.ing fo rce . we find os n rule thnt nnd a¡Jpointments were ginn for politicn l rnth er for profeg,¡ io nul · q unlifi cation s . In nn cxaminn.ti o n the reco mm e ndnti on of nn influ e ntinl / pntron he ld more w c ight t lurn th e merit.s of nn e xnmine e. P eo pl e fn ncied tbn t th ese ab u:ses wo uld be co rr cc tcd wh e n th c normul schoo ls wexe estnb li s hcd iu 1891. but in n s bort time th c$e. too, wcre d isc recl. ited, nnd ns the numbe r o f pu\1ils wh o c ntere d th e m wns rery limitecl th e exnmil uttion r cq uirement. )Ccnm c mor e lnx nncl recouun e ndnt ion s carne to mo re nnd mo re inftucnce with 'V edó not wish to he unclcr, t ood ns snying thnt nll th e J<hool-tenche rs werc wortWe&) . There wcre mnny. ns th ere nre ut th e preseu t time, with renl ab ili t , · nnd tru dc,·otion to tb e ir w o rk. But th e !? l'eate r numb er of them ";e re e:xuc tl ,. tb e ·

In a r epo r t pre•e 1itcc\ t o Ento n the 2Sth of Jnnuary, 1899. by n tencbcr nud in :i!J>ecto r, Mr. Jose Fmnci sco Dinz , spea king of th e condition of P o rto Ricn n nch e rs befor c tbe occupntion of t be is lnnd by th e sny:s : '

th er luwe su ffered. Thcy l\·e.re not pnid, tf1ey werc nQt re-ipected or in th e1r work. Th ey were not pro\'i<h.:.d with ntCRns of instnic ri on. of \ hem occupied mere huts in pince of nnd, to NlJ> th e pllmnx, they were persecu ted

* * * ln thi@nbso lnt c lnck oí nnr S\·s tem, which, far aa th e publi c welfnre iP concem ed, doce not e:tis 1, th e te11cher 1U.turnll y luui dcserted his ca lling o r imagina tion, in cu lth·atin g hii: asthe ll c ideal, in fo nnii hi.e charactcr1 in n word, in anything thnt.d oes not ha\'e an inuned inteeffect in mnk 1g him pass hi8 oxaminadon . lt is see n thnt pu b li c in!Sll"t1(•tiou wa s in thc s nm e position in Port o Ri co wh en Spanish o,·er e ig nt r censed thnt it been e ightecn y enr · ogo wh en tJ1 c orgnnic dec r ee of 1880 we ntJnto Th e larger numbe r of schools nnd the h1rgc r ntte nd unce f pupil• indicuted in tbe stn ti stks s ig niti ecl lit t le wb e n th e org nnization of th e sc boo ls a ncl m ct bods of in s tructi o n w e re completely neglbctecl . nnd tbere was no prO\;sio n mude for sc hool huildings or fo1· 01 of th e nid s necessn r.'· tQ effectirn in stru cti o n. Admission to th e publi c schools, while open to both sexes in th c town . wn s ou ly grunted ¡ to boys fo th e co untry. Coeducatio n wn regnrded ns n ,·e1T dn ngc"ous ex ¡Je rim e nt, nnd 11 1:1 th e rc we r e no rnml ,;c hools fo r tlie luttc r nnlurn l . ' · did not purtiei p ate in the benetit::; of ed tt l'at io n. S peahin g ol ncceso ity ol es tnbli s hin g schoo ls of thi • ch nm ct e r . Geneml Despujol in o ne of bi s let r s to thc oloni nl mini ste r , sny s : As a @:enern l propoa:iti on 1 fa,·or l'f! tublishing rural hoo ls for gi rl s. Aa a rul e, populat1on ie ecatte.red in remote nnd inaccesi!ible without re ligious ins tn1 cmny be snid thnt t& fnmily in ou r se n@C of the word 4oes not exi5t in tbe rural clis·

EDUCATION IN PORTO RIO O.

Tbese s1tme co ndition s " 'e r e reported a thonsa nd times during th e cig hteen yenrs thnt the dec r ee was in force ; and indicnte bow Littl e ren l study wns ¡r ivc o to the qne st ion of io structioo by the G°'•emme nt, wb ose morn interes t wns that it.. statistir.nl r eport.! sent to i\fodr id shoultl alw ..ys indi cate somo in cr ense in tbe number of pupils nnd of $C hool s. Th e prin ci pnl arg ume nt ngnin s t coedu cntio n wm3 th e gr ent dn nge r thnt would r es ult fr om ossocintio n of th e in th e sc hooL. :rnd th e lon g distnn cc from the home s qf th e children to tliose estn bli•h me nts; but at th e same tin) e thnt the edn ca tiounl ndminis trators prese nted tbi s nrgument tl1 y r ecog ni zed th e fn ct tlmt tl1 e moi'l1I co n d iti on of the L'Um l populotion cou lc\ hnrdl y be worse than it theu wo s. C\'en th ough coec\ucntion ond schoo ls for girls hnd be-en es tnbli s hed. Th e ,· neve r sto pped to co ns id er wh eth e r nnd gi rl s' sc boo ls mlght not h1t,·e climin is hed th e en! thot so sever ely ce11 s ured .

On th e llth of F ebrunry , 1898, th e nutonomous ,constitutio n went into e ffec t , whi cb cl eclared th nt n co lony bod fu ll nutl1 ority t o· form it• ow n system of e ducation. Th e depnrtment of e ducation wR8 ¡>Iaced in the hnn ds of two me n of unus unl obi li t.r _ nud '\"h Otook unu s un ioterest in ed ucntionnl mntters, Mr. Manu el F. R ossy lmd Dr . J oseC. Ba rboso , wbo imm ediately comm enced to clear t he grou nd for a mdicnl r eform of the whole sys tem, of publi c in struction. th e S pnn is h · >c hool law of 1867, which wu s's till in fo1•ce in Spn in , wos enacted in tbis i s lnn ci. Th er e was s ubs titu ted fo r the prod ncinl juntt• a council of publi c in stru c tion , whose object wns to gnre iuformatio n nnd mnke suggestio ns in co nn ection with ali qu estion s r elatiog t o th e pubÍi c 8_t h09ht. From a n act c rentin g this oo un c il w e quote as follow s:

The prov in cial junta tentatively created by the diatrust.ful orgnni c decree rreeentnt in force is euspended. Though i t WRJI a poe:iti,·e nd\"RDOO upon tho pre,·ious oí <1f of C\'ery o ffi cinl o r pri,·ate corporation thnt in itl3 ow n in dh·idunl dl)('rncter mny ha ve clemonstmted zenl and interest in public instructio11 1 and oí ver· ha\'e public ly pro,·ed their to

The co úncil co nsisted of member s, di\'ided into three sectio ns, char¡¡ed with matter s to questio ns of prim 1t ry in s tru c· t io n, quest 1on s of seco ndnry ia st ru ct io n , nnd professional e ducnti o n and bell es -l ettres. Th e co un c il had thc in itin tive in s uggesti1ig to th e Gover nm e nt reforms in thc sc hool organizution. In nddition theJ· com menced th e neces nry stnt i ti cn l work for the proj ected r ef c¡nu. l: nfort unat.e lv di sac ns ions nhn ost imm edinte ly nrose amon g the GO\·ern ment officia l , nnd between th ese nnd th e ju ntn and the b en d of th e depnrtment of educ1\tion, so thnt the lntte r resigned the ir chorge.• the 22d of July of tlie . ame yeny, fivc mon th s nfter th ey bod ful um ed the m.

condition8 now ex is ti n¡r, woul<l be, in the opi ni on of \Je<>J>le whom 1 cons ulted, nn occusion of grea ter e\"i l than good 1u d a dCtrimental infl uence 011 the monil a o f th e comm un ity. ·

From th e ir s tati s ticnl r ep orts we prese nt the fo ll owi ng r eli ab le dotn , which wer e furni shed us througb th e co urtesy of Mr. R ossy, him se lf former ly th e sec re tary of ed ucntio n. Three and onc-hn lf montl1• he fo r e tbe Americnns took possess ion of the islnnd , or 011 t he 30th of .Jun e, 1898, there were in ex ist e uce tb e followii g sc hools

·

· As we hn ve nlrendy mention ed, seco ndnry in s tru ction WRB es tabl ishecl 1n 1851 , nnd wns p lnced at its begi nning in th e hnnds of th e Jesuita. Although the tenclency thus give n to t he seconclnry schoo l sub ject sn t isti ed for som o time th e clemancl of publi c op inion, g rnduo.lly di sEm ti sfnc tion nrosc, nnd o ut of ita unh-e rSttl des ire for a in s titutc , s imilar to those in Spnin. During the few months of tb e Spanish R ep ubli c thi s n.•e iration of the people wRB for a moment realized. "So . in 1 83," says Mr . A cost n, in th e cli sco urse a lrnady mentioned , " for eve l' unique nnd memorab le in our nnnnl s, in which tbe ala.ve s were e mnn cipated without th e s lightest sign of social di sco rd, ayúntami e ntos were mnde reslly to represent the people, nnd the gloriou s fir s t nrticle of the co nstitution of 1869 was procínimed. In the m idat of nll these generous\ nobl e, nncl t!>er e we r e revi ved nll th e lo ng cheriohea des ires of for pnblic edn ca tion. Tb e pro \"Ín cia l d e pntation , eqnnll y infu sed with thi s s pirit, nnd availin g 1t se lf of th e fnll itutborit;r thnt tb e lnw granted it, complying strictly with every req uir e me nt 1mposed, providing for the impartinr appointme nt to chairs o f seco nda r y in stru ction by publi ccompeti ti on and with th e npproba ti on of tbe Go,•er nm e nt, actnally sa tisfied the d e mand a of pu bli c opinion. The resnlt was th e c id l of 1873 ''

.How eve l', t:J hortly nftel'wnrds, as w e hnvc s nid, th is in s titute wn s s up1"·e· ·ecl by G e neral Sn nz , nlld the J es uits r e mained in chargé of isec'Ondn r.r in struc tio n.

This co nditi on co ulcl not encht r e . howe,·er, because of th e breacb bc tween th e prog r essive pnrt.r nncl tb e J es ui ta , which ke pt wid e niu g, on ncco unt of tb e prepondernnce thnt re li gious in s truc tion bore in th c cc> ll eges of th e lntter. So it hap pe ned that in 1882 th e Civ il ln stitut e o f Seco ndaq\,l nstruction was tinnll.r es tnbli shecl , opon tb e model of th c S puni s h ms titutions. During the fil' st yea r in s tru otion wus givcn hy temporarr pr ofe&:on;, nll of wbom we re P o rto ltican s. The seco nd ycnr th c profe•so rs were appo inted permanently, nnd were nll the1u Spnn inr ds, wi th the excep ti o n o f n s ingl e Cu ban. D r. Ferrer tbu; describes tbc cnth us insm that at t ended th e foundntion of thi s in s ti tutjo11:

with whi cb lh e cstnblishm ent of t he inetitute waa received in om·

The co rp of profe ors ol th e institute dnring its fir st years left nothing to desire. H oweve r, a Httl e lnter two of the be•t _Professors resignoo, one opon bi s oominatiou ns profe ssor of t he U111v e rsity of Habana, nnd the other upon nn nppointment in the Iostitute of Pamplona , in s¡¡in; two d1ed, and of tb e re ma.inder one re hµ-ned to Spnin nn d a the other emp loyecl th e mselves more in politica l intrigu e nnd scheming for personal profit thnn in matters of 111 struction . So tb e_i nstitute fell gnulunlly into discredit, aod fathers preferred to confide the education of their children to teachers ot private co ll eges th nn to th c instituto itself.

In witb tb c o ffi cinl elan of stu dy th e fo llowing brancñes we re tnugbt nt the time th e Spnmsh so ve r eigoty cea.sed: TWo courses o! Lutin nnd Spanish, geography of Spa in , universal history, rhetoric, poetry, log ic and e thi cs, nritqmetic ancl algebra, geometry and trigonometry, physics, che mis try, natural history, nnd th e el eme nts of li hysio logy ancl hyg ie ne, nnd e lem e nts of agriculbnre, F r e nch or Engis fí , ancl r e li gion ancl mora l in s tru ct itm. According to tbe reg ul ations tbe periods were one h o ur and,a ha lf, but in nctnal practi ca they wero np .fong e r than an h our . Most of th e professors gave lectures in acco rdan ce witb the progrrunin e ; others cJh; d ed n pnrt of the time in c¡uestio ning tb eir .enpil s upon matte r s pre vi o usly di ctated. Th e repli es were genernJJ.y com m1tted to m emory frorn lecturea, notes, or t ext-books'. ' ·.

The estnblishm e nt ·of th e in titule cos t 5,000 pesos . It was s upported by th e provin cia l de pntat ion fr om the p r ovincial r evennes until 1891. Th e annunl expe nditu re w l\8 approximately 20,340 pesos for sa.lnries and 5,200 pesos for s upplies. It wns maintnin ed by tb e Ge nera l Government from 1 91 to 1 9 , wh e n it wRS again returned to t he provin cia l <)eputation. Th e annual nppropriation s we re at tbi s period 26,610 p esos for snluri es and 4,250 p esos for s uppli es. Th e nnmber of stud e nts mntriculnted a ncl the diplomas grnnted them by the Go ve rnm e nt are give n in the table nt the e nd o f this sectio n.

Th e yero· of th e es tabli s hment o f tlie instituto, 1893, there wRS lik ewise orgnrt ized a profe ss ional schoo l for the preparntion of s urveyors¡ builders, co mm e r cinland indu s trial agents, nnd e ngi nee r s . . This schoo was very bort liv ed. Th c num ber of studcnts was, RS a rol e, very s mall ' on ncco unt of the st ri c t examinntion s r equired for ndmigsion, th e lack of pr eparntion that tb e stud e n ts mauifes t ecl, ancl, above ali , 0 011 nccount of th e lack of prnctica l in strn ction nncl excess of theory in tb e cou rses given b)' th e sc hoo l.

•

Like difficulties occurrcd in en.se of the b·nde sc hool es tnbli s hed in 1886, and s upportecl by th e nyuntnmi e nto of the cn!}itnl. The object l of this in s t itntion wns to fnrnisb Rn oppart unity to wo rkm e n nnd others to acquire n brond e r nncl mo re •C ie1lt1ti c kn o wled ge of th eir parti c u lar nrts a nd trnde•. Thi • schoo l, like tb e professi onnl sc hoo l, wa s closed

for of pupil s. Th e la tte r were compellod t o complete variou s tbeoret1cal co urse;; bef.or e ntt 3mI?t i11g so tha.t many d eoe r t¡)d t4 e schoo l w1thout hnnng r e1 lly ma•te r ed th e p re lilllin arj• . / po n the s us p e n.sio n. of .th ese sc hool s of their co urses were / to c1nl rn_ tltute, tbus e rnn g n.sn n e xc use forincren .srn g th e alread y h1 g h snhll·1es of ce r tnin prof essors . '.I:hi s <lid not r e• ult rn th ese " prn cticn l bra nc1ies . 1 ' ns they were cn ll ed, g idn g any better resu lts.

In d ew of these co1l'iderntio ns . in 1896, t bro ua h the e ffor ts of ;\fr. Ergoscuc . th e dt;p utati o n n new trnde sc hool orpbnn nsy lum . wtth th e se ns thl tfn rrnn ge me ntof fur111 s hm g a ho¡1 nnd mnchm e r:r necessn r.v for n prn cticn l masterr of th e "? u.l'Ses., Tlu s sc hoo l was closed nt the beginninir of th e war witll th e States . and th e sbops were ¡lestroyed durrng tb e prese nt yenr · Tb e no111ml school s forme n nnd wom e n we 1·e es tnbli s hed in 1 891. Th e or en!ne from pain. It took but little time to eonvi nce the pub h c of th01r la ck of knowledge of mo de rn me th ods of in true· tion. Thl s, united with th eir docile s ubmissio n to nll the ord.e rs nnd rccomm e nd ntions of the ·hi g her offic ial s of th e uo ve rnm e nt nnd th c cbu r oh , and tbe .ope n in wh1·ch th ey he l'a ali tlmt wns in nny connecte d w1tb the Po rt0Rica 11 s , nnd the nct i\re pnrti ci pntion in po lltJes of one of the teac b e rs. wer e s uffi cie nt ca uses to bring tb ese sch ool;; ihto co mpl ete di 8c red it.

We now. to ed ucation at es tal¡ li s hm e n ts founded by pr1vate socie tie s oi: md1ndunl s . Am o ug s ho uld be me ntioned tbe Free of Publi c In stru c tion. estnb li s b ed aboht th e year by certn m fr1e!1d s of po pt'.lnr fo1· the purpose of pro\' 1?111 g th e peo ple w1th. ll1 1'trt!ct1 011 111 mnthemnti<..' !:i) d11\wm 1¡, and certn 111 brn.ncbes of phys1cnl sc 1ence . '!'b e exi ::i te nce of th is mstitution wns cut s hort by disno- l' cements nm o ng th e professo rs .

There were with th e Secondary In s tituto estab li s hed 111 the 1s lnnd. fh e prrncipa l on e: were the fo ll o wing: In Ponce, the A<;nde.m.", El Estu.d io, nnd tbe Uo ll ege of th e P a ulis t Fathers, wh 10b la s t r ece ff.ed n. s ubve ntion o f 5,000 p eso• · from the prm·111 c!11l de pntnhon: m th e Lyceum: rn the Ly ceum: 111 San Germnn, E l There wn nlso 111 Snn •.Junn n.sc hoo l E sc ue ln Pi ns," unde r thecho.rgc o f the E sculapmn Brothers. Th1s scboo l 'rn• ope ned in a bu il ding fo nn e rl y occupi ed by the Jesu it Fnthers in Snnturcc in 1895 ancl recc iv ed n. sub ve ntion of pe os per nnnutn from ' th e pro v Íu c inl deputation. Th e. d ep utnti o n a lso ,¡¡rn nted 3,000 p e.sos annmtlly to the Coll ege of th e Mothers of th e jitc r ed H ea rt which wns founded in 1880, and occupied "·buildi ng co nstr 11 cted for its u se in Snnturce. Th e two bmlch11 gs fo rm erly occup1ed by th ese schools no w house t!rn Orpban Asy lm1 1 for B oys nnd th e Orphan Asy lum for Gir ls, re•pect1ve ly. \! ·

Tb e Eeonomic Soc iet \· during il• 111$1 , ·ears es t ab lis h ed vnrious free co urses, nmong them he in g o ne in boÚ kkeep in O' nnd others in the brnnches required by nnn1l mn chini st.rs. e ,

Unh're rs ity com·ses hnd nlwnvs bee n demnnded b\· those who we re notab le to se nd th eü· c hildre n io the Spnnish o r American univers ities · usun ll y fr eq u ented by .th e young m e n of th e is lnnd. The prin '':"'"ººcipal for no t supplyrng tbis need was lack of funds; but when , in

1 the prin cipal pb yoicltins, ht\V)'er s, and pbarmn cis ts of th e island Gove.rnmeub M ad ri d for authority to estnblish s u ch nn mst1tut10n , to in struction gratuitous ly the s upremeauthority r efu se d the1r r eq , es t. · '

. As it was use less t o ins" ·t "P.ºº th e demand. all th ose in terested 111 t:Ji e furth em nce of s u c\l u l:i jects, by co mmon accord, indorsed fl. pro¡ect, by ;\Ir. [:num no V egn, to fonnd a society for thc ptU'pose o f pr.o ndmg. n ece•51to u s yo utljs who had di stíngui sh ed them·'Ck es for the 1r leamrn g n1¡d nbilitv ns testiJied bv exanuuation s with the men n:s of purs uin g tbe hi gher"'¿ourses in tbe'U nited States'or in Spn.in . . i'his soc iety is s till j 11 exi.:3tence nnd bn s furni s hed pro feasio nnl C<d ucn twn to men nncl seco ndary edu cation to oth er.s. lt wns f9und ed rn 18 O, L>nU is known as "Ltt Sociedad Protec tora d e la ;Inteli gencia." · · a Th e honor of having estnb li ohed high e r cou rses in the islarid eve n f? r n. short belongs the Porto Ricnn Atheneum, a sc ie'nti1i chterary s9c 1cty 111 1876 aucl wbich hns from il• very begi n· 111ng work?d for th e !nte ll ect un\ progre ··· qf th e is lan'd ,.·s uppor ted ..:c.n: rnl of l e8: r111n g, nnd opened j.ts hnl1 to .nll persons able und w11ling to g l\'e pnbltc lec t ures, nnd holclrng nn nu nl sc 1e ntifi c nnd lite rnrr oontests .

This s?<tiety, nt the s uggestion of :Mess r ,. )!nnu el F. R ossy a ncl Mun uel Alzabm·u1 rece ntly ntternptcd to secure nutbority from th c Gove rnmc nt at to ope n unh·ers ity co m'SCS . Th c ath eneum ofl'ered .. necessn n: c\rnute r". se r\'i cc of 111n11:'- of it s members who pos"'Cl:!::;ed t11 e d1p omns req u1recl b,. luw ns m trnctors nnd an nnnunl . b J , g mnt to ¡jny t e ex penses of profcsso rs o f the of Habunn. who migbt co me to exl11nii' e th e stud en ts . Th e Government gra nted autJ10ri7..ntion so ught nnd gtn-e legal for m to t he " Institute of II1gh e r Stpcl ies;' ns. it wn · clesiFcrnnted, to inclicnte its peculiar 'chnmctcy. ·: 1trnug umt1 !rn occ mT e< on th e lOth of Octobcr, 1888. Thirtythroe sl ucl e nts m11 tr1c ulnted thnt yen 1· 111 the diffe r ent fncu lti es 18 of T.he fol lowing y en r there wer e 26 m'ntri cu1t ¡n·o,·ed tinnnmnlly lm rd ensomc briiig professors. from 1.fobn na , nnd 'ns therc were mn ny othe r wmntJ.c1pntecr e :x1:>enses 1t wns fo un.d to co ntin e in s.tru ction to the stu<lies to aclm 1ss 1on to th e Hnbunrt _U n1vcrs 1ty . So, ufte r the of 1890-91, only these scco ndary s ub¡ect s werc r eq ujr ed and th e stttde n ts to Hnbnnn Rt the expe nse of th e go ve.rnment to tnke th e exnm in ntio ns. l'h in stituti on imm ecl inte ly begnn to declin e nnd ce a ed to ei;st a fe w )·ear s lnte r. Th e most vn luu ble and sens ibl e co urse cstab lish ed by the nt heneum w ns thnt fo l' miclwive.s, es tubJished in tbe year 1892 nnd co nducted by Drs. H e rn nn cl ez nnd Bnrbosn y Tizo!. . W e h1we intentio nnll y left u ntil the la· tan accou nt o f 11 11 eduentional 111 s tit.ution wh ose was qu!te different from tbnt of any alrcndy 111cnt10ned. I ts ob¡ect wao to rn s truct workmen in ali tb e subj ec ts of 111 os t dir eot ami pmc ti cnl inte r est to th etú . Tb e id ea wa s . s ugges t e<l by Mr. Jose Gorg il s, ' nnd th e s chool was nctua ll y s tar ted \Yitb th e coope rnti o n of l\fr. l\lnnuel F er na nd ez, in th e month of dctober, 1896. The workmen we re tnught by mean s of l ectures and in strudtio n in r.ead ing nnd writi ng wn s given tbose requfring jt.' Th e:classes estnbby th e Popular " we r e as follows: (1) Reading and wr1ting , und e r th e dtrecti on Dr de l Vall e a nd th e t eac hers Tilllolhee

Lumbans, nnd Cordova; (2) hist ory of Spnin, by ]\fr. Philip

(a¡ politicnl ecouom,r. b)· Dr. Barbo'!"; (-!)popular lnw ,_ by i\Ir. Ross,r ; tn ks upon tbe works of miles, by Messrs. Jo e Gorg1l nnd Snnch ez , Mora les; geogrnph,· o! Porto Ri co. by Mr. Armnnclo Morales; pmcti cn l etbi cs, by Messrs . Fernandez Jun cos nnd D1-. Geonuga .

More 'tbnn 100 workmeu nttended ench of tb e essions as student . • nnd tbe in s titution only di snppenred during tbe re ce nt politicnl cbanges / in tbe island. So fnr ns pmcticnl res11lts were concernecl it wes one of tbe most importnnt in s titution s founded in Porto Rico, nnd its object wna not on ly educationnl , but politicnl na well.

Tbi s is , in brief, nn outliue of tbe bistory of publio in s truction in Porto Rico up to the time wben Spanisb nt.)' ceni!ed.

Altbougb tbe estnbli s hme nts s upported by e Governmeut were very few, ns bns been se.en, it is uot to be under tood by this th e intell eot11Rl leve! of tbe people o! Porto Ri co w ns low ns m1gbt be inferred from tbe few men a s of cuJture nt tbeir dis posnl. It is sufficient to remember t he co nstnnt struggles mnintnined ngninst tbe Spanish Gov errun e nt in the s pbere of id eas, wben it wns imposs ible to undertake n pbys icnl on nccount of tbeJ>ec ulinr geogmpbicnl con· ditions of tbe is lnnd, ID orde r to understnn thnt individual effort hud to make gbod tbe s tudi ed ueg lect of its mi era.

So it r es uJted tbat in tbe principal town s tbe cuJt ure of the Porto Rican stu dents was m11c!t s11perior to tbat of the Spaniards, ns is ed de nt upon mere cnrso ry examiuation of tbe periodicnls and publicntiou s of tbe time. Tbi s naturnlly wns not tbe in tite sma ller town s, es pecially in tbe couutry, wbere tbe inbnbitants were under tbe com· plete domination of their mnsters, w-itbout otber menns of defeu se than tbeir innate intelligeu ce and wit shnrp ene d in tb e s trnggl e to evade h•w• tbey believed oppressive nnd to escape obligation s that tlre.r believed unjust, and when tbeit· uatm'lll acutene s wes not s llffi cieut to effect tbis tbev took refuge in a · pnssi\·e resi s tauce ngnin st wbich ali tbe efforts of the Govel'Ument we1·e fr11itl ess As a rufe. Porto Ri cnn; fl'om tb e principal t¡¡wns and mnny from the most importnnt d llnges bav e nlwnrs so ugbt in prirnte study th e c ulture tbat it wn s impossih lc ·otb e rwise · to sec ure nnd the arlllB ueeded in their s tmggle witb tb eir ndversn.ry.' · &cm1dary IJCl1ool cnrollme11t, 1883-1899.

EDl]OAT!ON IN PORTO RICO.

PA'1-T IU .-REPORT O:P CABHIER AND DIBBUR81:'G OFl'ICER.

SAX Ju ,rn, P. R. , Jan@i·y eo, 1900. Srn: I bal'e tbe honor to •ubm it berew itb n s tntement of receipts nnd expenditure s on accouut of tb e b11reau of ed11catio n from l\foy 1, 18.99, to July 1 , 1899, and of tbe board of educat ion from July 1, 1899, to Janunry 1, 1900. Tbe moneys reoeived -and disbursed ou account of the burcau of education prior to JuJy 1, 1899 , were derived mninly from appropriations from in suJar fuuds, and were accounted for montbly to tbe finan ce seoretnry of tbe island. Ten thousnnd Apple· ton's Ftrst Renders bnd been previous ly purcbased, payment therefor being subsequently made direct insular funds without reference to tbe burenu or board of eaucntion. Tbese books were tborough ly distributed tbro11gbout tbe island and lonned to tbe childreu atteudiug tbe public scboo ls. A large nuruber were sold, however, ahd 1·eve nue· derived tberefrom. A portfon of tbis source of income wna nfterwards used , by order of tbe governor-gen e ml, to liq11idate obligiition s incurred for office e xpe nses and printiug in excess of special funds available for tbat purpose prior to JuJy 1, 1899 Since July 1, 1899,' a number of Rentlers bave been sold and th e mon ey s received for tb e same bnv e been p laced to the credit of tbnt fund . '.Ihe total received. from tbis sou r ce wtis 70. During Apdl, 1889, a donation of $80 was reoeived from Mr . George Finlav, Britisb , ice-consuJ , ns a nu clellS for tbe ¡iurc bnse of a ster eopti con for educntional purpo.ses . Soon after hssuru ing tbe duties of bis pos ition tbe cllrector of public instru ction , recognizing tb e fn ct tbnt good American te;rt,-books were few in number in tbe island, nnd excess iv e in pri ce ns well , nnd ing to enco urnge their iutrodu ction as qui ckly as possible, ordere..l n s upply of standard works from vark;n s publi s hing bouses on cousignwe nt, wbi c b were sold nt cost, no profit be ing derh·ed therefrom. Tite b9rea11 of educntion , tnkiug nd\-nntnge of tb e Governrnent tmn sport sérvice nnd the posta l fmnking pri,,ilege, wl\s e nabl ed to do this. On ¡ JuJy 1, 1899, tbe board of education tm11sfe1Ted tbe coAsignment 1 nccount to tbe di sb urs in¡i- officer, wbo , in bis private capacity, ass umed nll responSibility, pre vious co nse nt tb ereto baving prevfously be eu ob tain ed from tbe publis be r s interested, the former relativo pri ces being mnintnined by bim ·

During tite mouth of May , 1899, n kindergarte n sc hool was e tnblisbed in San Juan nnd n smn ll tuitiou· fee cba rged. The s um tbus r eeeh•ed wns $2ó9 .10. Tb e snlary of th e direcior nud the c urre nt expenses of tbe scboo l wer e de frnyed out of tbe fee s rece iv ed . Th e Rcboo l censed in 189 9 , nnd wns se lf·s11Stnining throughout th e t rm of its eXi.stence, the board of educntion ru e re ly furuishmg s uitnble qunr· . ters nnd necessary th e lntter ba\'ing been t111u s fe 1Ted to tbe new model nnd trnining sc hool. '

During tbe montb of June, 189V, nn npproprintion of $500 wa s gm nted th e bureau of ed ucation for tb e purcbnse of a printiug press, witb ita nccessories, for tbe use of the bureau . Thi s press was ordere d, but, not possess ing s uitabl e qunrters for tite use of tb e snme, its .. ery ha s bee n delayed . Tbe nmount npproprinted for its purcbnse will s oon J>e used.

.

During June, 1899, a s um of money ($1 ,8 70. 98t r epresen tiug tbe earnings of tbe Secondnry Institu to Wll S received for the secret&r y of the

o

• inte ri o r, nnd thi s nmmmt , less n s mnll ·um ex\Jcnded in 'clos ing up th e books of that in sti tution , was placed o n d epos 1t in the bank. t.

During Jun e, 1 99, a s um of mouey (8107.65), th e enr uings of tbe sc boo l of arts a t the be neficencia, was tur n ed ovgr to the bureau of ed ucntion for th e secretn r y of th é interior nncl pla ced on deJ.>OSit in th e bnnk, less R smn ll expense incurred 0 11 nccount of the be neticenciu.

During th e mon t h of ::llay, June . nnd Jnl yn-•sessments were co ll ected from e mpl oyecs of tbe b uren u nnd board of educntion linbl e for the 51une, for nCcount of t he in s ular teachers· pen s ion fund, nnd tb e nmoun t collected (890.3'1) is now ó n depos it in th e bnnk. ·

During .Tu h -.1 99 . by direct1on of the presi de11t of th e bonrd of educntion , n number of dnmngccl nnd u:-eles s n.rtic lcs OJ fnrniture were di is· poscd of nt pub li c nuction to the high es t d't)c noticc of th e 8nmc bn\ring bee n publi s bed in tbe dnily pnpcrs. Thc nmoun't receh·cd from th e •n le($109.20), le. · a s ma ll eiq Je nse in cu rréd in co ndu cti ng the sn mc, wn s placed in th e b an k. • Dnring ,Tul y nncl Se ptember n s mnll s um of monoy (869.48) wn , rece h·ccl ns fecs for t enc be rs' exnminntions, ü·o m whicb th e expe nse incurr ed by Eng li h s uper\"'i so rs in C'ondu ('ti ng tbe e xnminnti ons wns ¡miel. thc r cmninder being didded among thosc c ngaged to ro rrect th c ¡mpers.

On ,J nly 1, 1 9ll, the iñ nl nr board of cducntion wns cren ted antl n new S\"Stem of clisb ursements becnmc neces ·nrv in order to co nf.orm to thé requ.ircm c nts of th c Un ited States milltnry scr dc e : nnd th c cnshier nnd disburs ing rcquired to mnke bis rcquisition s for funds nnd •ettlements for the smue through the auditor of the islnnd. i nstcnd of through the finance seor etn r,r of thc is lnnd ns · Respec tfully s ubmitted .

H. B WrLDORG , Ca•liier ancl .Di8b111.,i11g ú.Jficer B0<11·cl fJf .&l-t<c<ltion. Dr. V. S. CunK,

f(l,9M.OO 3,000.88 G711.C•2 26.,636.00 3,l'JM.00 1,941.00

3;891.00 3,009.60

7fi0.tl. 2,235.68

UH.l!O

2,971.20

6,20'l.89

6,9'&8.00 2,M0.00

8,9«.80 069.40 123.,681.00 9,686.00 8,503.6013,'E76.1$2 <1, 659.40 1,069.80 40,&M.71 6,269.00 J ,248.48 5,620.00 2,846.00 4,268.00 1,264.00 42,687.94 8,866.1 0 l,iM.00 967,779 8, i08. 18l l ,337,4M.81 102,000 <&0 89,868.47

AP.P'P.ffDIX II.-EXAJCINATION , RULES , A1fD Q.UESTI058 . •

RULES A,.'10 REGULATIONS GOVERN'ING TE!E CONDUCT OF EXA.llll NATIO NS FOU TEACHEUS

EDU.OATION

PORTO RIOO.

be followed exacÍly, oxccpt. for iruch changce 88 may be provided in th e rulee and queations accompanying it.

4. Tbo examinee must be supplied by thc Supervisor with exrunination booke, pen , and ink, and after all preliminary arrangemenls have been made and all the students are ready for wo rk, copiee of the questione to be ueed are to be given tbem. Thc ::::tCJJ::,ons muat be and announced, as / T:é

be extra time and accond trial, or to tak e the examination at nny otber time or place. t1:e tbey lutve completed their work upon the cntire Uat o ( No atudent elm.11 be nllowed to communicute in any way or concenúng d'y subject, eave with th c examiner in cbar_ge.

7. No explanat1on whateoever ehall be mnde co ncerning the questions, and no teache r or other peraon shall be allowed tocriticlaeorinspect the work of tbe exam· ineea whil e in Each s tud ent is to rel y eolely upon hie own judgment rui t.o the meaning of every qnestion.

8. Anewere a.re to bo written in black ink, and uot witb lead pencil, and are to be resulta Will not be gi'•en or vocabularies may be u8ed in language papere. panied by t h e certifica.te and schedu les required, propei;ly ftlled o ut aud eignesJ,. fPorto Rico Board of Educatlon.]

PRL'\IARY SCHOOL EX.AMINATION, SEPTEMBER 18 TO 20, INCLUSIVE.

E:<A.lfES i>ROYE810NAL PARA MAESTROS.

J. Al ensenar la Fi.eiologia it 108 nifios de lo.e gradoe inferiores ? Cual debe ser el fin piinei_pnl del ml\.C8tro?

2. Oite tres conv e ni en tes estímulos f:'i cstudiar y compare su valor relativo. que prefiera, pnra ensena r la Geografiu dJe f¡=ciones le hun al bncer esa distribución.

6. 1\1anileate lás ventajas que loe edificioe para cacuela.e pt\blicas, ocupadas eoln· mente con eete obj ecto, tienen sobre loe edifimO! particularea 6 de otra especie en·que • residen familia.e , deede los siguientes puntos de ' •ista: , El higienico y eanitano , • b El de IR disciplina , e r! las escuelas, Presente un programa, en eue puntos generales, para loe estuctioe de loe eeis anoe, incluyendo el estudio de la naturaleza en loe dos primeros ailoe ¡fiel de Jla :. cuatro 61timoe, re lacionado la historia con la geogra a en loe d os

7. Por la frae e "recitacion tópica" entiende una relación hecha por elalumn o ción tópicag '9.barcar loe varioe puntoe incluidos en e l tóeico que ae eligió, siguiendo el 6rden lógico. F.ste debe ser exclusivamente el tmba10 del alwnno y el rct!Ultndo del ejivcicio gradual del pensamiento y la cxpreeion, que empez6 en loe grados primario«: Diga qu6 ventajas tiene este método de rooitación ao"bre el qu e ae Jimita li repetir de wemoria loe libros, tomando para e ll o loe sigui en tes puntos J e vista.

'

EDDOATION IN PORTO RIOO.

8. dice; "El nifio entiende d. fondo aqello que tmode producir." Diga lo qu e de!>e por esta sentencia, y mlll}ifteste la tdca que V. tenga acerca de &U aphcacJ.ón pn1ctica en 4L escuela primaria.

PRwAR\' SonooL EXAlll.NATION.•

OEOORAPÍA.

[Pregunta bMadaa en la Geografta elemental de Frye.] , requiere la primera ó la segunda, y además otras cinco de las preguntas

l. (J6) Eaboce un mapa del contorno marítimo desde In ciudad de New York hasta la deeembocadum del río Orinoco:Pusituando en él á New Orleans, la 13Penín.eu1a 1 °':-1de1oe el canal d e Panamá.

2, ; (15) un mapa y t ree de sus principalce tributarios &ituundo en é l, KB;D8M City, Pittaburg, Dlinoia y H e lena. llO par e l mapayl lugar de loe md1cad oa.) ·

3. (10) Déscr!bn una. de las mtaa tmnscontinentalea desde Ohicago hasta la costa del Pacíff{j¡ y doe que hata e n e l ca mino. • de á r bo ee de Puerto Rico yhaga una telaci6n deecrip-

5· Indique la aituaci6n y baga una importante deecriptiva ó histórica una de las ciudades siguientes: Moecow, Liverpool, Atenas, Leipzig

6. (JO) Deecribn e l animal llamado Reno. ¿Dónde 6abita? De qué ee alimenta? Cuálee eon eus, ueoe? 9ite dos anima.lee que eon vecinoa del Reno.

7. i (19) Ind1que lae1tuaci6n de un&; Norte-América, Sud-•mérica, África, Awm-aha Y Euroea, l as cuaJee han l!ldo colomudas á caUBa de su riqu e za mineral y cite la c lase _de obtenido en cada "región. " ' .e. (JO) Cite cinco de donde han venido emigra.otee á Puerto >:_ diga en qué parte de loe E:itadoe Unidos hay un gran

9. (JO) Cómo ee produce la goma y dónde ee encuentra <:on más abundancia? Cómo y dónde la eeda, las perlas, el o pio, la pimienta, e l tabaco y el azúcar?

[Problcmaa bftaadoe en la ArftméUca. clcmcnl&I d e Wentworth .]

l. Un ug-ricul U:?r Jaa 4-5 partee de sus vacas en un grande establo y4;t restoe.n uno ,8 1 llene vacas en e l grande ¿curtntas te"ndn'l e n e l pequen.o? :: k1 l6metroa por hora?

3. Un hombre vendió una casa en $240 menoe de lo que había coetado y perdió e l de lo que pagó por ella. ¿Cuituto le costó la casa? •

4. Un agente vendió 450 fanegas de trigo á rnJ.ón de 80 oonta\'08 ,. recib1ó $9Ápor .eu comisión. ¿Qué tanto por c iento ele comis.i6n fué el que ·

cuá!lto monta el RB_egUro do una casa. iri e l coeto del aseguro es e $60 y e l tanto por ciento es e l l. J-4?

6. ¿Cuánto ee deberá pagar por una bicicleta ei el precio corri(!:nte es de $76 y e l descuento 40,S'?

7. Un comerciante compró una tela á $3 . 20 la yarda y la vendió con un beneficio lle 12. 1-2 por ciento, deecontanqo en el recibo el po r pago ni cdntado. ¿Oúantoa t'Cntavoegnnó porcada yarda ele tela?

8. ll.1-6 ¿do qué número es la 7-8 parte? ·

9. El eon id o corre li razón de 1,120 pies por segundo. ¿Á qué distancia lle hallará eJ trueno, cuando este es oído 13 eegundoe deepués de haber

l. l El d e enfon.ar In individualidn.d y la iniciati\'n.

2: El de e jercitar In facultad ele e.icptesiou.

{

2. El de ejercitar al raciocinio.

10 ¿Outlntas libras de 9ueso, compradas á ratón de 10 centavos la libra, deben eel'I ,·enchdas con una ganancia de pn.rn consegui r un beneficio l!quido de $10.

IOIOMA

l.

Bob

(TmdulCl'L

(26)

los que haya en la prc(b) Haga una lista de los nombres y BUB reepectivoa modiílcndores en In pregunta ºl."

IIl8'roRlA.

Para ruralta y elementalta.

(Preguntas btundna en el·Libro Primero de la Hlltoria americana do F.ggleeton.)

1. Uuga una hrev e relación do los deecubrim.ientoe de Colón, en unas diez líneas, indicando la foo hn en que y bajo qué auspicios¡ int propósito a l hacer e l 'Viaje; el del continente ameriamo, de inglesa. Qué e fecto produjo su labor en "la ulterior coloni:r.ación del contine nte?

n.".IOCiR.do ¡¡u nombro? Cite detalladam e nte algunoe de Jos aervicioe q ue prestó á su para. , .

5. Quiénes fueron loe tivales principa les de loe ine:leees en la coloni1.ación del contin ente norte-american o? Qué l{l:terras con esta nación precedieron á la Re \•olución? Qué gran General <lo la Revolución entr6 en batallayor primera. vez e n eetaa guerras'! produ jo en la mayo r los F.etadoe Unidos.

IDIO)IA EIJPAROL.

[Pam Huralce.]

1. Definición d e l artículo, su dh·ipion y declinaci6n.

2. Definición ri el adjetivo; sus gmlios.

8. Verbo; s u división y con jugación.

:: eeparnbles é iri aepa mblee'l

EDUOATION

SOHOOL EXAMINAT!ON, FfRST )900.

ODBRS' ExAM I NAT1os.

ISOLPJ3A.

Ruralu )

's boat ie at tbe ehore, Th e do1l ie in my hand.

al es¡>aflo l lo anterior. Haga una lista de los nombf'E*'! y verbos que alU indicaudo e l número, perso na, tiempo y principales fonnaa de loa

(25) Indique loa equivalentes espat\oles d e laa siguientes pafabraa inglesas:

l1at, havo, ba ll , bi s, pin, put, do ll , mat, you, bring, door, open.

F..stá en este árbol gmnde y ve rde.

Federico, lo veo. ¿l>ucd es ver.hue \'OS en el nido?

\'OO.

&XÁAIESE8 l'ARA MAESTROS PR1NCU'ÁLE8.

de lo que Com prend e el exámen para maestroe de-escuela graduada, los deben R)>robar In.e asignaturas de A lgebm., Geomctria y Fieica elo-

divisor de 2x1-2x1 y Ox•--Ox.

estudio

ingl éa. ¿Que chLSe tl coraci6

es?

dceque consta. Fonna p881VR.

Juan aprende trca idiomas. Andfürie gramatical de esta oración. Deci r loe

t i rregu lar'! ¿A qué COD)ltg&Cion pertenece? ¿P o

y r su forma? ¿F.e TCJ!·

t l agua,

ici.a,

hacha,

hru)1brt,

y como int.6rn"ª1.

crito. 11

6. (lOl Sii;!1Hl cac!on ele loe ad j ecti voe ten ninad 08 en °"°' en ino, y e n ario.

6. ( 15 Definición y diferencio. entre la eint.uxis reg ul n r y la ílgumdu. Licencias¿Cuantas 80 n ?

7. ( 15) ''De sus c u1tibad oe jardince, de 108 C8peeo8 ycmmam nadoe boequee, de loe 1>nsHl coe olivoe, verdes lnurel es y acopadoe mirtos de eus ubundosoa pnst.os alegres ' ' all cs y coyados, arroyos y fu enteti que en est.u ri ve m ee h ayan, no más ein o q u e 8t en alguna parte de fo. tiem1 loe cnmpoe E líseos ti e nen nctento, es am duda en est.u. "-A.nnl ogfa y ortografia d e lus palabrua que com po n e n e l p1tmfo ant.Orio r

8. ( 15) F...ecriba'I. bre,·es lineas acerca d e l tumnto que le eéa m ea familiar , bien t!C refiera 4 Historia, bien á Ciencins, cte. LENGUA E81

moo.

APPENDIX . IV.-BLAlntl Al'ID CONTILAOTI.

RULES GOVERNING THE PAYMENT OF PUBL!O SCEIOOL SALARIES FROM TEIE INSULAR FUNDS. I

(1) The payment from t b e !nsulnr funds for teach e rs f<?t nny mtmicipali.t)'." sh.nll / for Lhatmumc1.pahty

(2) Th u snlnry of no indiv idual teacher s hall be higber than tha t. 888igned m the sch oo l laws .

(3) Teachera aha11 be pttid only for the dliys thcy are ih actual een;ice, plus the legal bolidaye eetabliabed in the achool laws. If teachers close echool durwg legal echool day111 or are unable to hold ecbbol because the requfred by law o.re notJrovidod by Ute municipal authoritics, their s hnU not be pnid •. no diacol\llta being mnd e for pe nsion fun d. ruf:J r:tl1 crcd i ted to tbat municipality and mny be used for thc employment of additiomll town o r rural t.ench e rs atany time when said credit is larga topay a teacher's sn lnry for a eufficie nt lengt!1 of time to wammt ºJ:1inft ru1 by "'id board.

By comnumd of Brig. Geo. W. Davie, commanding.

{Thia eupereedee a11 former inetructiona.)

SAN JuAl'\ , P . R., Ocwbu es, 1899. To Eugli1l1 Supen:iaora: order. ·

The checka are sc.nt you for the foil October salary. Th ey must be rot.urned to U8 for rectificatio n where,•e r , for tbe reasons elnted bclow, tit o t.eacher is not enti tled to receive thc full ealnry. ln the vouc b e rs inclosed for ench muuicipality, uccompnuying th e checks, w1:Jich rcce1ved

You will yourseH ou t the column h eaded 11 .Amouut r ece1vodi'' (lntering after cnch teacher's nam e t.he amount to which ehe is entitled, nnd inke h e r signatu re . shllll send the corrected check by muil to the tenchcr direct. from this ornee, as wc • sha ll already ha,•e received h e r a1g na ture to the voucbers. Alter thia month the number or corrected checks will be com¡:mmth-cly emall. }:;}lch vouchcr .muat be nccompanied upon its rcturn to thi s ofllc..-e. by the aigned slips of you will be governed br the following rulce:

l. Ali pnyments will bccomputed upon a lwuaof twcnty workingdnysofaix hours cpch for tite school mont.h. •

2. Teac h ers will oo·pmd onlv for the dil.ys they have actually becn tcaching, w1tho ut any reference to the date or thei.r contracta.

3. Teachers muet show th e ir lega l certificntee and their contracta in order to receÍ\'C check!!.

ie for inetruction givcn in a building, part.oí which

5_· In Cft8C oí schools or more than four tenchere wbere Wnchers hlwe been dnys' ealnry for such serv ieC, but in no case ahall more th an one tencher reccive Sllln.ry for cnrolling pupil a nnd eupervisi ug repllil"8 in schoolh ouees for CJ1ch eix teachers employt'd.

EDUOATION IN PORTO RIO(!.

6. Where a person who doel"not h old a principaJ'e ticket has been e lected principal o! a school, and in nll casee where Ul ere ie a diaJ?uie betwecn two or more teachera holding prmcipal's certifica.tes as to which ia prmcipal, on will pay the preecnt month the graded echool salary to euch t.eachcr or teachers, resening t he queetion of ndditional ealary for the deci.rdon o! this board.

7. In case o[ discre¡mncy between the ealary stated in the contract and the enlnry stated on the pay rol 1 the salary on th e pe.y roW is to be interpreted aa the proper salary. Tbe mspector may use bis judgment, bowever, and re fer casee of doubt to

to eee that n o ndvantage itJ táke n Ot tenchera by storekeepere and othera chC<lke, and if complainta are made the to cash the checb thcmaelvC8 nnd pay the tenchers in caah

In general wherevcr ihe school la.we bave not been co mplied with, wherever rolle are not kept and proper care is not taken oí books, the euper vi8ol'tl may w1thhqld eatary, pending íurther inveetigation, aml shall re.fer the matter immediately to tliie omse.

• Very rcepcctfu11y, V1C'l'On S. 0LARX, Pruidn1t I111ular Boar<l of Educc1tio11.

BOARD OF EOVCATIQN.

l'\8U-i;AR

1 havo thie clay rcceivcd from the 1 Bo recib ido en esla fecha de la Junta inaulnr board o C education th e fo llowing Insular d e Inetm oció n loeeiguientelibros echoo l books and eupplies, fo r the proper y materinl de eacue1n , que cuidaré y J e-

and return oí which l 1un pereon- ' 'o lvcré, de lo cual EIO Y und e r th e ntlee oí th e con eugeci6 n nl

ISigned)--

reglae

VII. Spteial txaminalio1' report.

Examination

TEACHER'S CERTIFI CATE.

This

Gmnted

tbe followingqualificatione:

Po

OERTIFICADO DE MAES'fRO.

/

(b) In consideration of en.id eervice, eaid party o r t he first par t to pro-

to h position, o r in lieu o f thia, witb -------- - ---($ ), cuJTency of Unitcdth(>. Statee, far each month of the ye.ar¡ to pro\•ido a puitable room far h._ scbool, eeparate from h .• reeidence, in fumiturc and material for h school and school and its viciuity. Said party of rs il: currency of l he Un ited Statee, which vouc h e r e bou ld be a legal orcler upon the director oí J>ublic in,elruclion for ita fuce vn lue, as provided in the scbool lawe of Pon.o R ico; and in nll ótber respects thie contmct is subjcct to said lawe. Signed (in duplicate ) 1

{b) En consideración á dichos eervicioe, loe pri meroe 6 eca la j unta cecola r , m ismo y su fnmiha, s u categoría, 6 d · por cada uno y todoe loe meses del allo ¡ R!TC8'lo rio QJIC previenen 188 dieposi cionee eecolarce; proveerle con loe noc-esa-

Juan,

'fEACHER'S CONTRACT.

U1lilcd

aujetánd08C'

de la ley escolar

Concedido

Quien

Pruidenle de la Jwita

Pr .. : ;,¡ ·&;,;;,¡ ii:-d. & cy ·&J;¡,¡,¡

Trtt13r "oj" . . ... . x¡aclitr. {Date) • •..•.

conee.rvación de t:Jlieza é higiene de Ja eecucla y su vecindnd ó cercanfM. Ee rernn tnn rcronto como tennine cada mes la cantidad <le •.•..... ($ ) 1 moile<la corriente de loe Estados Unidos; cuyo j ustificante eenl una orden de pago por va lo r 11. In \rista eobre el director d e inlo que t'Cf!}>e<:ta. á todo lo demás este con-· trato se eujet·ant á dichas leye s.

Firmado por Pruidenle

&crttario

Tt.rortJTO

CONTRATO DE ll.tAES'fRO.

APPENDIX V.-GEl'IEEAL ORDER AND REGULATio'lis GO..,;Rl'llllG THE Ill81JLAE BOARD 01' EDUCATIO!f

de cgnhy 9.ualified .toocl1 er of th e island . of enseíhm7.n elemental, 11..utoriduly approved by the director of public título ha eido debidamente ªJ)l'Obado por party of t!te eecond part, na publica, entre (a) Snid pnrty of the second part (a) :bicho maC8tro 80 compromete y agrocfl to tench in the publi c schools of com•1ene en ensena r eu In eacuela ¡>úbh· · • · · · · -•in rmclr gi-ad e orgnu:l es ns ca de ..•.•.....•. , en el ó grados regulalions governing scbools iñ l>orto y obecn•ar y cump lir las reg l na prescripRit.'O , during the legal achool honrs oí tas po r las leyce eacohuee de Puertp O\•ery lega l echool day oí eaid peri od.

. perfodo.

Diatrict. Xo. Cabo Rojo, San GermanJ Lnjas, Maricap, La.e Marias Af\asco1 Rin cón Aguada All\l&Clilla, Moca, San Sebastian. ' Distnd No. l';J.-Arecib;;,lJtundo, Adjw1ta.e, Hatillo, Camuy, Quebradilla, leabela, Ln"'8.

3. 'Fh,f powcre and dutie1:1of thie board and theofficere thereof ehall be thoee statecl in the regulntions of thu board, na approved by the G0\1emor-Gcneral. It sha11 be tlie duty of the individual rnembers to n.ttend tl1e regular l:le8fiiona of t.lie board and of ita committeee, uniese pre\'ented by ex1..-eptiona l circumatances. Each diatrict repba,•epowertorequiretheenforeemeotqf the preeentechool Jawsand euch lawsasmay • be bereinafter enacted for th e regulation of publiceducation in this ielnnd¡ to recom· Sí chargee afiecting the legal statW! of too.cheni and the legaf\ty of teachel'B' clections • and contracts, and of tb c constitution of local boarda. The Authority of the individual membel'B in their respective clistricta, however, sh.all not exceed, an<J ahall in ali caaes be aubject to, the authority oí the board itaelf and o f the exccuth1e and standing comm1ttoes of tite board.

.::S"!t1;Jt

order to tb e mtlividual memben!.

5. The foHowing arder is hereby doolared to apply to ali óffioore of the insular board of education, to Engliab eupeni.eora, and to ali echool teachera sc.n•ing in tbe public echools of Ut.ia iHland: •

'' Official or othcr employcca of the inaularOr municipal are forbidden and prohibited from taking active part in any e leclion, or mfluencinJ, or attempting to influen<.'C or control, any vote or votera (other tliau tbeir own individual voteYfor or ugainet any cnndidate or candidntee, or from tnking active or conspicuou.e part U1 1wy co nvontion or c lootion holdú1g, or to be held, or permitting their mune to be uaed U8 mcmbers of political committecft or aubcommittees, and are wanied that s uch action on their parí.¡ upon satiafttctory cvidc.nco thercof will ca\180 them to be immediately diecharged; and. if the name of auch \>c.reon ehnlÍ be announccd as the member of any co mmittoo or subcOmmittee, he ehal immediately aud publicly 1"e8ign or he of thc board of cducation, and euperviaors when the ecboola, in ne<..'Ordancc witb the general laws Wld rogulationa goveming euch e."tpe ncliture.

7 The fo ll owing gentlcmeu, ha\•ingconaented to serve under tbe' conditions of thi s are bereby appointod membcrs of . 1Br;dj

for 'Diatrict No II; Henry Huyke, Arroyo, for Diatrict No. ID ; Roeendo iitatien:r.o Cintron, Poucc, for Distnct No. IV¡ Bnrtolome Eete\'S., .Mayaguez,. for District No. V; J. Ruiz de Sagn:<lo, Arecibo, for District No. VI.

EDUOATION IN PORTO BlOO. ·177

ll. There e.hall bia a presidQ of the board, by the military go\'en1or who shall be euperintendent o f public instruction. Be ehall bave the rigbt to on a11. mattera ¡n;eeented f-? Lhe board for its consideration, and 88 a member of any of the president from the offioe becaU88 of sickne:@f! or from other caUJ1Ce, the appointment of an Bcting president t:1hall reet with the m1htary governor.

ill Therc sball be at leaat four teg!llar meeting& of the board held each year at tbe ofllce of tho _of the boaid. of educalion in San Special meetings may .be by the pree.ident of the board or by the executive oommittee. Ata.U u,.ootmgs 8lX members ehall constitute a quorum., but a amaller number may adjoum. . IV. The insular board of education shall not in any one year contra.et any debt or mcur any expense greater tban the amount of the 8Chool-funds aubject t.o theirorder for tbat year.

V. The caahier and disbnll!ing officer and the eecreta.ry of the board the pre11ident of the DOrJ:?.81 and indW1trial echoo l at Fajar4o, and the president ó f t'.be Univeraity of Porto Rico, when the same ahall be eatabliehed, shall be ex officio membens of the inf!ular board of education. Ex officio memQers ahall not bé counted in :i ahall havo a rigbt to vote on all matters presented them in 'committeedutiee of the board of education ahall ' be:

1. To receive complain to11 and petitiona from cltizeni or teachera adecting public instruction, and to acL upon the same.

2. To A{lprove tbe appointment of administrativo oftlcer! a.nd teachere in secondª1. determine the coma ot studiea. examinations, and stand- . ard of requiremen'ta to be maintained in echoola of difterentgradee¡ tograntcharters

of learning in Porto Rico.

governmt;nt, aitd upon the neceesary for the supportof tbe 81Ulle, and to auperv1ee and Control th e erection1 maintenance, and repairaof buildinga occupied

local boarda of achool trusteee in cacb municipality, wben for any reaaon tlie el6cted board of tn1etees, or any member of the same, can not or will not serve. · •

teachera' cturfng vacation

VII. The Ínaul& r board of education is hercby autJ1orh:ed and r.equ ired , eub ject to the "approval of th e military govemor, to eetabli.ab dnd organize ao many publi c or common schools as may be néde83ary for the accommodation of ali the c.hl ldren the island entitled by law t-0 inatruction tJ1erein, provided, however, that the expen se ahall n ot exCeed Uieamountof the appropriation or bodgetprovided therefor m any one yee.r. '

VI1I. The insular board l!ha ll also ha ve powerhsubject to tbe approva1-of the mili-

auch manner 88 th ey may deem bekt ca lc ulnted to promote the intereata of lhe echoola of tbe is land.

cbued bui1dinga so erecte<l thereon e.hall f! the property of the insolar gov· ernment of Porto Rioo, to be ueed aolely for purpoees. Deeds ot oonveyance ahall be made to the insular board of education ae tt'U8teee for the irum.lar govem· ment.

X. Tbe insular board of education .shall al!!O havo power to regulate tbe rurehaee of fumiture and ec.hool suppliee fo r common 8Choolt, high and al inltitu· tione of eeoondary and higlí er edocation, and auch other echool8 as may come under ite imm.ediat.e contro1.

X 1. The il18ulnr boo.rdof education ehn11 ha ve power to adopt for use-in the ee,·eral public 8Choo1S oí the i.aland suitable text-book.e, which shall be unifonn, nnd it shall require thnt thc systcm of instruction in the eoveml public schoole o( the islnnd shnll l>t!' ne ncarly uniíonn as poss.ible.

And lhey aha ll adoptat their diacretiou, modify or repcal by-lawa, rules, nnd reguJntions for theirown go\'enimentand for the organi,..ation, disc.1plfnc1und manngement of t he pu blic schoo ls of ea.id island. and adopt auch mensures ns sha.11 promote the goOO ord11r and yublic utility of sn1d scboole, provided that such by-laws, rules, and ehnl not confiict with the Conetitution of thc United Stutes or th e geXÜ\. appointed by t.Ji'militnrv go,·c n1or, who eh1ll l receh-c a sulary to be ftxed by tbe militury governor. Tb"e CW!hier nnd disbursing o ftker shnll, before entering upon bis duties, execute a bond to the U nited States l--ionm1ment in the í:!Ulll of fort.y thquennd dollnn!I or 1mch ¡further or greater eum us ma'' be deemed neccsaarf by the auUitor o r the is aud, l:!aid bond to 00 or n character eñ.ti.sfnctory to the mihtary go\'en*>r, aud to be tiled, as in geneml o rders, nmnbcr one hundred and cle\'en, current seri e& oí fhi s bonrd oí cducotiou, und Hhall keep n foil tmd fuir tu.'COunt of all receiptl:l and disbureem e nts1 nnd rende r an ftC(..'O Unt oí tbe monthlv to the auditor. Be a.hall render to th c board n selniannua l report oí nll disbursemCnte, nnd ut t h e close oí the ch of ¡11 text-booksi school sup liee, furniture:, nnd perso nal property of the board of education, and it be his duty to supervise the distributioti of t ext-booka and oth e r echool suppli es, to see that fnnthure and personal property of th e board is not injured and deetroyed¡ and in case of sucb injury or dcstruction , to the mune to the board He sl1a l nlso n iceh-e lmd keep ali bonds, insura.nce pohcies, decds1 and vnluable papera belonging to the bonrd.

Rico

XJV. The insular board of educ:ation ahall appomt eome auitab le pereon to act ns sccretunof the board, whosball receiv ea aalary to be fixed by the military governo r o Th e eecrc tarv ehall be a pereon ha,ing a knowledge oí both the En61ish and Spanish lnngungca. Lt sh nll be the duty or Ule aecrctn.ry to nttcnd the mectmgs óf the t o k eep a record of thc proceedings, and to do nn6 perfonn ali such other duties ns

it is cstabliehed, the norma l and iudust1ial echool ot Fajnrd o, and any nnd al! high ech oole or eecondary ec hoole now establil! bed , or whkh m11 y in íuture be eatubliehed, and any and ali oth e r industrial or normol schoollf'\\•hi ch moy in futurc be L"StnbliahcdJ eh a ll bo publicscJ1ools of tbe ieland insular board

A"VJ. The insular .boa rd o f cducntion rnay rcqu irc aecurity to be giv e n fo r the fa ith ful f!rfonnance of his dutiee by any officer or emp loyec or enid bóard, in such require of any

XVll . Th e echools o f tbe ielaud shall be clivided into diatricta, to be known as euc:;rvirring dietricts1 and supervisora of schoole shall be employ ed to super\iee and tT1:a:re ea.me. They shall tske of aud dislribute ali text-booka and eupp.l\ree furniebed T!i:d.d of;h!!;rah:11:i:ct them in tbe echool laws, or whlch may be them by the board or the preeide.ut thcreof.

All euper \•ieors hereafter appointcd by the board shall be men ha\'ing compctent command of both tbe Englieh and Span is h lunguagee, rutd ahall be grnduates of n onnal ecboole of landipgoroí univel"l!itiesorcqllegetiof higherirurtructtou. 'Vherbv thc board in it.e by-law e. · ··x1x. Thc insular bonrd of Cch1cotion elm ll be govenicd in ali thinge by the orders of the military go,·emor , and ehall render to him, th rough tbe preeident of tbe bonrJ, an nnnual rcport, sbow in g the condition and progreee of the public Eehoole of the is hmd

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO

Al'PB1'DIX V.-BITBA<rrl FBOK LBTTBBI.

The following letter is printed as a to s upen' isors:

11 l bcg to can to your ottention the caae oí Mr. --, "teacher of tbe rural scbool of --, bo.rrio --. Mr. has been n pub1ic-echool teacher in thie barrio for !-.han ycars ¡:t, and though 66 years of age was appointecl to by the ocal board of prior to tbe opcr.uug of the

11 In the pe.rfonnance of bis dutiee during the fira:t term he hni gh·en no sati.Jdactic;m whateve r, and has failed to obeerve alm08t ali of the ecbool ' reguJations. Bis haa 1l>eeu dueto advanced agc. Hissight ia so far gone that be can onl .Y with d1fficulty ri?ad and "Tite, and he hñ8 otber\\;se g_rown quite feeble. He ie a plea.saut old ma111 wcll known throughout the district, and one the poople think a greatdeal of

11 I percdived fr om the be_ginning that b e would not auccecd under our new ,system: lt nn-1:1nu8Ua1 litS long and honorable ser,•ice certain ly entitled him to and hta frtende were promincnt nnd many.

''I thought he Bbou ld be Fiven a fair frinl, durinf wliich time he would probably and to his !rienda tba b e "" Ul! iucapable of performing

11 l ' ieit.q(l bis echool tbe le.st tim e January 19th, and found hie record o f atteudance i11 poor co ndition and tbat he bacl ma.de little or no pr_ogrees witb his cla..'"6. I inlormed bim it my duty t<? withhold his snlu.ry for the month of January and to recommend lus dwmseal fo r mcompetence; that l l'·ould n ot like to eee a b1ot put on in the this 1ateday; that l advised bis rel!ignati.on, uude r which cond1hon he would be pw<l !!alary for January. He conecnted to the arrangement , an"d l took with me his resignallon1 to take eHect at the end o( the present month.

·

11 1 the matter later to the trust eee and fouud them pe rfectl6• agreeable to stand in t e light of my

"I belie\·e the <.'OU11!0 taken to ba,·e been tbe wiaeet under

The fo il, wing is quoted from a Edith V. Hollobe.ugh, principal of the :\ me!14:an at Ponce, "Titten m Apnl, 1899, and explaine eome o f the diffi cul u ee w1th wh1cl1 the teachere are obliged to contend: Y A'e befbre stated, we have 300 pupilst ranging in age fror:n 4 years to 16 and 1>e rhape "o lderl ' Ve have 5 teacbere, 1 of wnich teachee only Spantsh and doee not speak one r.·ord of Enii:lisb. 1 ' w 1 We fot1nd it very 3i ffi cu lt to grade them to an y ve r y f:llltisfactory RB n o o ne to know about¡ 88 muCh Eng:Jieb as tbe other. Finalty we to grade them aC(.'Ording to their stan ding m their Spanish studi ee, and we found tbie a ' 'ºl}' good Way to do. Even yet we keep paEF..ing th em up and down as we Jeam the,ir standing, trying to get them in tboee cl&.fl!IE!8 where they can learn to th e beet &dyant'age Ae n th.ey a re diBOrderly, and one o( the firet thmge d 1d wae to tne1st upoo march mg mto and out o í c.1888 room onlerly

cloeed, and neyer think o f opening tbem until ca lled upon t o recite. We bave bad considerable t rouble teaching tbem to lrtudy, and the firet few weeks we took a baU hour each and aítemoon we could go from one to the oth cr, requiring them to_ tbe1_r books and s:how1ng them ho w to etudy. We have tbem pretty well trained in th1 e one now. Tbe momeot tbey are sea ted in thecll\B8 room they open their books and to atudy but they bave to be spoken to quit.e fr&. quently, as they are very apt to forget to \ook at their boob, but just &round the room.

11 0f conree we can not accomp]i.sh it al1 at once1 and we are when we notioo a small improvcment. ' Ve etarted them all m .A.ppleton'e Firet Reader requi ing thcm...Jlt.o spell nnd pronounce conect ly, tea.ch ing thom the different .;unde of tbe 1ettens., the diacritical ma r ka. We 4idn't require them to do ali this at onOO, of courael but I am now outlining ou r plan of work. 'Ve teach them tbe uee of the diacritica mark, the eound o í tbe letterls, and we tea.ch ¡them to spell by BOund as well !UI by larger pupila are required to gi".e U8 the Spaniab word for every Enghsh word rn th e1r aleo to te11 tlB the mennmg or the word in Englieb, and

PORTO RICO.

be able to use it in an English eentence. Their reading let!eOn tbey inu.st tranelate in to 'panish, nnd te ll os in English all about the lest!On they have jqst rend, while wc correct their eentencef3, tbeir pronunciation , etc. Sometimes we are three or four daye cm one leseon, as WE>never le&\·e it until we know it thoroughlf and can talk cour5e I am dcscribing my own clMl:I, as do not know

"In thc nft ernoon we have Simone'e Met hod for Lcaming Engli@b. From this we leam the verbs, English namee for different ob jt>Cts, and ha\'C exerciBCS to translate.

able to Ul!e in conversation. At fil"8t 1 couldn1t get one of them to M.y one word to '· it ia doubtful whether 1 '11 admit them to thie cl8i'8 again his term. This bad a mimcu lons effect, nnd every c hild hns somf!thing to say to Since thnt time I ha\'e ha.el no further trouble. l ta1k in English entirely, employing the SpaQish only to tnmelnle wbnt they do not c¡uite understand . 1 epeak very and there are

;1:rJ; Jf

expe r imcnting with 1\8 expcricnce nlo ne will tench ne what is beet to be u.sed, and no two tcachent can employ tbe en.me methode and IJ() euccessful.

"Every da_y: we aro obliged to turn pupile away simply becaUEJe we have no room for lh em, and almost breaks our henrt8 to aoo them turn away often both ttg =. admÍU . They are

11 Some of our cl88868 are about ready for IL 'secon d reader,' and if you ha ve auy I would be glad if you will eend, perhap@, a hundred here . We tan probablycollect for moet o f thcm . I wou ld aleo like an arithmetic, R United States history, a geography, anda grammar, Read &:. Kellog, H you haVeit. Th ére will be paid for. Th e y are for our mayor'8 littl e girl 1 who recites to me da.y for an hour, and "·bo Engli@h \'ery well , conaidering the adnntagee she haa had for leaming it. u!l e:c!l } tilikee l to 3, whi ch we find ¡>lenty long e nough for the c hildren to @it on atmight chaira with no desks and low benches witb n o backl!. E,·en in two houMJ they get \'e 'Íy ti red and restl ees theee warm 11fternoona."

EDOC•ATION IN R!OO.

APHtlDIX VIl.-TEACllBIUI ' BULLBTIJU.

[Porto ruco BOll.ril of F.ducatJon,)

TEACHERS' BlJLLETIN NO . 1, CONTAINING OUTLINE OF STUDY Alm PROGRAMMES FOR PRBIARY CHOO!.S.

{bsucJ by authotltr or the ln..cular bo&.rd or educatJon.)

• l11w1.1lar lx>ar1 of rd1.1c(ltio11.- Vi ctor Clark, preeident; George ü. Groff J oee E. &l<lana, Henry t-iuyke, R H Todd. ' of fl!e boord.-Yictor •', Cla_rk, prcsident and insu lar aupcrintendcnt; H. B. \\ 11iorg, cnalp er nncl U111ted Sta tes dtSburaing officcr; Enrique H ernnndez, J .-b.'TRODucr10.s.

Th e fo llo wing outline o í n co ur8C of eturly is publi.l!hcd as n tem¡>Onlry guide for grnded 8Ch ools, pcnding i.he up1>eura"'uce oí ll nrge .nnd moro

Aa all th e tcxt-booka an:!not in .our hnuil s, it ia not ¡>OeHible to n.ea:ig1l 1h e exact amoum for c1tch year, hut npprox1mately ihe work lnid ou t in the following acheme must.'bo S hor t will be given differout sch ools by the Enghsh nud othe r mspectot1!, from time to time, without pre,·ious notice, n_nd are urged to keep the work up to the sta ndard rcquired. The regulaw1th refere1n-e to mu.st be .strictly obecned. These booka are pubh e propcrty ond the teacber is held responsible for ali books in hiB or her hand.s. ahoulcl last two or three yent1!. The school hours are lo ng enough to enable.1mpda to prepare lessona at school, and no home work is required that will th.e UBe of books should be distnbuted to pupila at begi!1!ung of study per1ode, m order that one class n1n.y atudy whiJ e another rec1ting. Books shou ld be collected at the close of e \' e rr study period or rec1.t.atton. Every ec hoolroom ahou ld be gro,ided with a water-tight Jock case in

No text-bOoks.can be used

,In regard to the P!og!'Rmme, mucb iB left ut the teacher'e discretion, a nd it is J?f!f· m1tted teachers to dlSID.188. the youngest chUdren, th oee of tbe fintand aecond gractee, irop:i.,school one hour earher tban the schoo l closes each aftemoon eee@ion. Every t.ekh er, howe ver¡ post in or her \Jchoo lroom, where it can be plainly aeen, a o í t 1t; da1l y work o{ the scbool, and thi.s programme must. be foUowed. Thof!e subm1tted w1ll aerve 88 modpls. 1= than the firat three are eepecinll y to note the fo ll owing the violatione of wh1ch may them and their positiona:

l. No teacher 18 perm 1tted to Iq we the ¡achoolroom during regular ecbool hours ª!lY l egal school da.y for the purpoae o f attending to busineea not <»nnected fgít\hn!: OO&cher is expocted to be at bis post of •

2: aubetitutee n 4t authori7.ed by the insular board o f 0ducation is po@lti\·ely forb1dden.

houre is not permitted, the full

4: Tcaciere are held pereonally tesponaible for tbe condition of text-booka and for the1r proper retum at the cloee of the achool year.

0UTLISB OP co R8E OF &runv.

FLR8T \ 'EA.U ( FIRST

1'1MTTEBlf,

Spani1h.-Reading from chart 1Teach the worde before you teach tbe alphabet· MSOCiate the worda with thc objects. • , ' .&1glill1.-ltcading lrom cbart. Teach the eounds of th e words, giviug the Span isb

=RICO.

and t.·henever pos.Ari1hmdic.-Teach counting in Spaniah RDd Engli.@h. Jf111ic.- Kind yrga rte n motion eongs.

l!ECOSD TEllJll.

. .Anthmttic.--Covering the work in the flrst. eight le@SOne or Part I of tbe ari.thmetic, orally, in English and Spanish, and teach the numeral.e. Mmic.-Ca liethenice and general lessonsas outlined in thf' Teachers' Bulletin.

tmith.. thc fif8t reader, CO\•ering about one-third °"-tbe book.

Oral ancl writte n in English and S.ra:nish.

Mu1ie.-Caheth.e.niee a.ncl lCf!Sona af$ befare.

8F.OOSD \'EAR {SECOND GRADl.'-PRl)IAllY)

P I RSr T ERX, Spcrnilh.-Review first. part of the first reader, ami continue, coveri n g tbe eecond one-th ird oí the book in advauc-e. .&gliah.-Re,•iew thP c h art Begin Appleton's Finrt. Reader, reading about twenty l0880m1, o r m ore if polll!!lbl e. O r, with tbe Riverei.de Primer, complete the fit'l!t flíteen · and complete Part I in English and Spani!h . .Miuic.-National airs, kindergarten aongs, general ICMOns, and cnlisthenice as outlined in Teachers Bnlletin.

Part 11 witb written exercisee in Eng1ish. Or Rivel't!id e Primcr-1Cl:!80ns 16 lo 40, in clus1\'e1 with written exercisee. A.ria1md ic.-The fil'8t twenty le9$0ns , Part U, princi pally in E nglish, extending the writte n exerciaee. and general lesson s as in ftnit tcrm.

Ri\'el'8idc P r imer-le!950118 41 to 75, inclusive, " ' i t h writlen exercises.

..A 21 to 44 , inéln.o::h·e, of Pnrt II. .VulfiC.- ali.ethenics and genera l leesons as in prc,rioue term.

TJltRO YEAR ( TIHRD ORADE-1!<.'TER)IY.OIATE )

, )xrni.tli.-Rtwicw of first lesso11s of thc Second Reader, ro mpleling in ackanceabout OllC·third erf th e book., .., ·

J::11glilfh.-A. thorough re,·iew of the part of Appleton's R ender olrendy read¡ Ri\'en!ido Primer1 leseons 45 to 87, in clW!i

EDUOATION IN PORTO RICO.

TUIR¡) TEIUf.

•

.s)xlnil!h.-Comp lete t h e Second Reader And bcgin work in Prime.nui Nocionee de Lengua je, of the book, teacñingorally thepartaof speech. .&1(1_li'1i.-Comple te the Rivenride Primer and Reader.

Ar1thmetic.-Cóm1.11ete Part III o f the book. .:\furic.-Calisthemca and genera l leeaona, as provided in the bulletin.

F'OURTil YE.AR (FOURTB ORAD.:.11"'TERXEDIATE)

•

ó)xmi•h .-Rc \•iew tboroughly the firet 15 1e880nS o f and continuep completing about one-third tbe book. In reading let thc pupil read th e geography • aa a reading IC880n 88 !ar os 20, allowing three <laye a week for cloeequestioniog

Primer; si ht reading irom material provuled in the for teachera, and the story of in the F.ggleeton history; language 16880n.e begu11. )

Aritlimctic.-A. thorough review of Parltlil , comt>le ting the first IC880nsof Part IV. N11•ic.-Calisthenice nnd general leaeons, a.e outhn ed in•teachere' bulletin.

Spcmi•h.-Continue the language lessons¡ read the geogrophy 88 far 9.8 11 North q u.eet:ons and top1cal work three of th e week, a.e indicated for

Arilhmttic.-Leeeona 11 to 28, inclusi\'e, of Part IV. Jlfutic.-Ca li sthenice and general leeeone, as indicated in bu lletin.

Spaniah.-Langunge IC880n.e eontinued¡ geography 88 in the Previou.e terma, North America and the United Statee. Engli.ah.-LanB'lioge le880ne continued; Eggleeton's history , reading two da ye o f the weelt, and quet1t1one one day of the weck, a.e indicated in previous tel'lll.Si completing about 18 ch a p ters of the hietory thie year. Aril11mdic:.-To lceso n 65 in Sdvance. Mu1ic.-Galistheni ct! and general le930ns, na indicated in bulletin. Í :

J'IJTB Y&AR.

FllTl':Rllf

pa11i1l.,..:.A. thoroulith rev1ew oí tlle ancl o{ 1 the Janguage le880ns, <..'On leeaons 1mc1 th e history, continuing so BB to complete nbout twenty·fh-e c bapt!!'i8 of th e bi!tory Arillnnetic-A thorough review, ond 55 to 60 tn adYance. •

TUX.

Sptwia/1-Ltmguage continued, wiU1 more fonnal gmmmar ancl th e r eading of llistoq•. Continue 111:guagc let!80 ns. .Ar11/1mttié-Com,rlcte percentage as gh·en in thc tex.t-book. geogmphy o f the continents. Ul:!C tb c booke for iudicated in bulletin.

TllllU> Tl.;RX.

written exercise@.

Ar1tl1111etic.-Thc first

leeso

of

Thi a work ah o ulcl be in Englieh, anti writl cn work s hould be e mphaaized

nnd genernl lessonH,

pro,·icled

S{m11i•h-Complcte th e Jnnguagc lesso ns; ·rending Span ish sclcctio ns. · E11gli"/1-Contm11e lw1i,runge lt'SSO DS, introdncing more of formul gmmmar, nnd read litc mry t!t! l e<."tio 1tB bearin g upon Amerit'l)n hi s1ory. AriJlimNic-Reviow percentage nnd toJc e mens11rnti o n in advnncc.

easil r bv all

and \•iJ!itore. A thnt is n ot fo llowecl is worse than use letM. E ,·ery exercise n11m cd for n cerhun h ou r nnd minut.c s h o uld bt.>gin a t tl u.•t minute and clOf!C as T eache re and pupils l!houtd. forro tite of to vnriety; S1e ch ild' s interegt and nttcntion Oag if held t oo long to o n e kind o f work. Wriling ahould o.lle.mate with book study, numbera with drawing ; p h yaical exercisea shou ld follow work inv ol\'ing li tt1e m o ve me nt In providing s tudy wo rk this mntter shoul d be conai d e rcd und variety of occuputi o n providcd. Th ere s h ou ld be a tabl e nt whi c b pupil a may atand to c ut, pnate, model , o r urmn ge forma, oll owing littl e c hildre n the m o ,,emen t wl!ich they neod. W o rk ot th e blackboard furni ahes op¡>0rt unit y for vari e l y in positio n and mov e mc nt. Seat work h us two genera] aimefor each.

Tt1e teac h ere must bear in mind tbe abeolutc neceseity for da.ily preparation of the wor k of th e e mfuing day Th e teac h er muat study no Ieee than the pupil if s ht' is to be succeetdu l. Queetio1úng should ne ve r be from th e book, aud Bbove all do n ot pe rmit yo ur pupil 11 to repeat tbe words o f th e book in recitatio n .Metno rizing fó r repcti ti on is not on ly worthless and n waate oí time, but p<>8itivcly hnrnúul to tJ1e pu}>il A doee not und cnrtand what h e repcata word for word from the book ;

ow n

The

E.DUCAT!ON IN PORTO m oo.

Libro d e Lectura-T he American Book Company, Washington Square, New York.

·

Primel'08 Pasos en Literat11m-Sih•er, Burdett & Co., New York.

Primenu¡ Nocione8 de Lenguaje por Bartle tt-Silver, Burt1ett & Co., New York.

ENGlJSlt.

Carni6x Rending Chart-B. F. Johneon Publishing Company. Richmond, Va. Firet Rcader-The American Book Company, Wnshingto11 Sq nare. New

Rive rside Primer and Hcade r-H o ughton, l\tiffiin &. Co., Boston, Ma..QS. Tarbcll's Leseons in L<tnguage-Ginn &. Co. , Boeton , MRBB.

Lecciones e n Lc.nguo.je, Espanol-lnglés-The Am eriCl\n Com¡:ny, New York.

&. Q;.,?\n8:fon, MIU!S.

Music--Song Book Cor Home and School-Ginn & Co., Boston, Maae. a them,

The board Qas also made arraogement to havo tranelatcd ror the uae of teach ere of thc echoo le oí Porto Ri co one ol the beet worlu! 0)1 primary tcaching in use in the American l!Choole, entitled Waymarke for Teachen, br Sarah Arnold. Thie book w ill contain a full outline for nature study , adapted to l orto Rico.

lt ie the intention of the boRrd aleo to poblieh a complete manual for teacheni!, <'.O ntaining n conree of etudy for the primary and eecondar y sch oo le, a.e eoon M practicable, and the manuec:ript of this book is now in course of preparation.

{Pono Rico board o f cdncatlon )

TEACHER'S BULLETIN NO. 2.

[ l11ucd by authorit y o( thc ineular boord of cduCAdon.}

EDUOATION IN PORTO

ing while tite pupiliiof another grade are studyin$, ancl tlie t wo gradee ¡tiou ld be

permitted, ahd the teacher @bould see that sU th e {>:Upils are emp loyed-some of t.hem in s 1l ent eturly , preJ.>Rring t.heir leMOn s, othere in oral or wntten recitations.

Before openi ng the exerciseeeach momthe roll should be called and notice

withholding a teacher's sa lary in Porto ber o f mmutee late being en tcred in tbe book. Local authoriti cs ehou ld report ' who are tArdy at echool to the beattheirpoetof dut.y. A teacherahould be at the ac hoolroom, a8 a rule, at least

del !!alón. No ee permitirá el estudio en alta ,·oz, y cuidará la maegtra de que todos loe mftoa estén ooupadOt!; \11108 preparando en silencio sus lecciones, otroe dando claae ó haciendo tratajos eacrit06.

By careful ett1dy of the outline of tbe

much work her grade or grades ebould complete eac.h tenn , and s he s h o uld ao arrange her wo rk 1\8 to eecure this result.

Antes de empeiar loe e jercicioe cada maftana1 ee proceden\ á paaar U\ lista d e aei!tencm, anotando 108 nombre& de los alumnoeauaent.ee.. Uri libro de asistencia. inexacto, eenl suficiente razón para q ue

en c ualquier eecue1a de loe Eetadoe Unidoe. Se loe alumnos mol'0608 y

tor, dándole d. conocer loe nombres de

:n

cederá al deecuento de eu !Ucldo, en rell\Ción C\)n la falta en el cumplimiento del deber. El maeetro, en general, debe ha11aree preee.nte en· la cecuel& quince

y prestarles la neoesaria atención. La rapidez y la regnlaridad de parte de ambos, es decir, do. parte del maeetro y e l diecJpulo , son factoree esenciales que contribuven al buen éxito de cua lquie r escuela.. · Por medio d e un Cf!Olerado

6 maestra ee pondrá al corriente de la. labor completa que deben e fectuar su 6

S. Clnrk, president¡ George G. Gro ff, Joaé E Officcr1 of lll!¿ S. C lark, prc@ident and ineulnr euporintendent¡ B . B. Wiborg, ClUl hi cr and United Stt\lee disburaing officer; Enrique H "ernand ez, sccretar y. l .-G RADJSG l'UPILS ASO ARRA$GISG rnoORA)UI ES.

Th e eupervi aors will vou in gradnlly lhe firsLy car's pupifa wilfbe in c hargc oí thc Aiuericnn teacher. The regu lar tcacher tenc hinJ.? the low est gmdes sbould clllS!if\' her pupile, ae ll rule, ure:n the

ahould fo rm one c lns@, tll.oee "\ºare beg innin g the lirsl reaJeranother, and th o8C who aro beginning th e í!CCO nd reader th c third clu8a. 'fh oee who arcnble to

bt' 'in tbe n<lvnnced cln.escs. Ae a nile, e11d1 tench er ('l.tn teach two gr.ndee or three grades, following th e first or second progrnnune auggeetcd in the bulletin. pupila of one grnde s hould be recit-

] .-ÜLA81F l<lACIÓN O& 1.0S ALUMS08 Y PnEP, \ltAC IÓN DE LOS PROOIUllA8.

Lo@ lnspcctorce n.yudadn al maestro e n Ja c lnsiflcnción de los alumn08; y el Boletfn del Maestro, No. r, servirá de concadom americana. Como regla tz:eneral pilra la clusiflcación de sus a1um 1108 lo. que em pic1.an la lec tura de 1118 cnrtM for-

e l "Sccond Roo<lor, " ltt tercero. Los que son ca.pucce dceatudinr Ül>ograifn, subieudo leer y t!l!Cribir fltcilmente 1 podrán ingresar en las C'lases 1mpcriores. Loa nlu rnnos d e un gn.1do dantn s u lección mient.rus que csludien los que pertcncc:en

ln arithmetie t.he tenc her shou ld bcgin by countin,g with obj ccte. Th e We ntwort.haritbmetic wi11 be a sufficientguide. Wh en th e English t encher a.rri\'C8 ll.he will 988il! tnn co with the urithmeti c in English.

IJ.-H ow TO TEAl O READISO.

lt is our pur¡>Ot!e in th e bull etin to g ive su8'te5titms to teachers as t o the mpthods oí instrnction in diffcrent subj ccte. U muet be unclcrstood, h o we \·er, that eucceseht l tcnc hing le f!Qmethin,!!; tbat can not. be t.nught from bookz!. Th e most we can do Is to ftfford hintM o f vñriousdevicee thut have proved of vulue in tite h::mde ekillfu l t<.11ch el1! word. As th c r eading c hnrts ha ,.e no t nrriv ed, exc nai vo uao mu at be made o[

mOC8tro\timpc7.ani hn-. ciendo contar los objetos, ei r,·iéndoac nl efecto de In. aritméticn d e W entworth como guia. Cuando ll egue In. maestm de iuglée, e lla aynchmt eón la nritmética ii1gleea.

'

] 1.-C<))IO DEIJE Á LEEn.

indicncionee aobre métodottde eneeiinnza el método 6 el procidimiento más ventn.que podcm08 hocer es dar inclicncion CH

aUabeto, flino por Jo palabra. l'or

th e board Th e pri1iciple ti.l!lt th e 1>ri n ted word nitd th e concrete o bj ect thnt i1 r e pr ef!c ntoJ 1o ulll be ll.8$0C int<..od fro m thc fin3t in th e mindof thepupil s h ould nlways be obse n ·ecl. F or instau cc, we are t eac hing u ncw 'wo r d, "flng, 11 to a c la.<uJ oí l' hildre n wh o are ju.i:"t l>eg i nning to rerul. The cla ss s tand s nround th c tene he r ncnr .the b ln ckboard Afjer rc ,·iewing t.h e wo nl!'I 111 pren o us lessona, the tencher drn wa n flag upo n th e board. Tb e n i.c h e write< t h e won1 tll' a wh ole umlerncath t h e d ntwing. S he 1cll a s h ort s tory aOOut th e fiair :m d w r1 te sentencez:i in \·oh-in).! on l y kuow n won.ls nnd '· thc n uw wo rd ll11 g. Wh e u 1h e c hild ro u can read the scn te ncea eas il y, they are direC' ted t o pick o nt the word flag Some c hild may he :11lowt.>cl to emse th e wo rd and 1111 oih e r t o write it Wh en th e lcSf!On iao ver the word ' 1 fiag '' s h o uld be writte n o n the board iu s ig-ht of th e clws in thc list.of 1\11 th b word s len rne<l lfO far. The de,·if:!:i o f era.sin g th e word from huvin g itwritten in atznin by ot her pupil a secu res conCe ntnu ion of o.tt c nti o n upon th e form of th e word, nnci is nn e xcellent o nc. ·

sie m pre e l prin c ip io q ue establ ece la n ecCl!idud y In co m ·eni cm :iu. d e nsociur e n ::

Si estamos e nseilnn3o , po r e j e mpl o, la uu cvu pa lllbrn " ftug ," btmd e m. il ni nos l>rin c ipmntes en la'lectum , se dispondrá u Clase e n c írc ul o y de p ié al rededor de Ja maestra ce rt.:n d e lll p17.nrm 1 y e ll u, d espuéa d e repMUr tl údudosnm e nte ltV' pulu bros nprendidaa en las lecciones preced e ntes, tli bujnní una ba nd era en 1u J)iz nrm., colocand o bajo e l dibujo la palnbm. Elln podní referir ciertas h hrto ri as co rt as

alumnos, y :i m1iafh mi 1mrn pa lahm 11 banden1" (ttug) . Cuan do ya pu eden los nh1 oa leer Mcilmente pillabras se les nyudani :í sncn r e nt re e ll as la pnlubra bandefl\. Luego se hnnl. bormr di c h o \'O<'tlblo por un o el e los niílos pnnt qu e otro la nu evament e Al finali7...1tr

Ju tb e scco nd p ince, nnd with m ore

fraeo vokiéndola t't. haéer escribir nu e ,·am e nte por o tros a lumnos, es un mé todo qu e cpncentra tod a la ate nció n d e l ed ucando e n In fonna del vocablo, y desde lu ego, ef! excelente.

Co n loe m1ts nde lnutad os ahunnoa la lectura habni de asociarse d espués á ci e rtas observaciones de cosas interesanleíf por s u nntnral e1.a. propia J..n maea tm.

teacher plant lL fe w a-raius of coru in on e box o f earth (a cocoanut ah e ll o f en rth will do ) a nd a few beana in anolher When abe plunta them, let he r write on th e boa.ni the w o rd for " co m ," and .. 1 1 !

m e n wh b build the plant out of th e benn · or , com . She thue co natru cts, as t11e phmt genuinalea and gro ws and de\'elopa, a story from it whicb is writte n on the board and k ep t b th e children in t.beir booka. Th ey learn to rcad and t o wri te at the same time. Th e st.o ry wHl rcad some thlng as fo ll owa: A fe w worda beihg taught each day , th e

repeated until ali the pupila in th e c lal'8 cnn rcad tb em with C8$ and llrmnge th e worde in to 8enten cet:1 thé idea.e they have nct. ual o bae rvaHone o í th e plan t , aupportcd by th e ex plnñnti on of th c tencber:

cajón 6 e n un coco con tierra, y algunns habichu e lns en otro. Al eíectmu la siembra ella escribirá e n la pi1.arra los té rmi-

que e l suel o, el aire, el agua y la luz son los obreros oonatructoree d e la planta,

cerce la {>Jauta, e lla ideant un cuento que r¿

c i6 n damos como eJemplo de uno, cuyo.a palabras se intn e nsenando poco á J>OCO cada día, n ecesitándose tal vez un m es para la enaei1an1.a comple ta d a todas ell rut. Se escribirán las ífll8C8 en la pizarra y los alumn 08 las repetirán hasta.que puedan leerlas fácihnente , co mbinando · eue té rmin oe para formar nuevas fl"8808, y e xpresand o hui ideas que les sugie ra la obsen•aci6 n constan te de la. 1>la.nta. La ro n sus e8ll

EDUCATION IN PORTO RIOO.

PW. NT LESSON

Here' ie a bean.

A p.Jant ie a sleep in it.

This 00.by p lan t has a root and stem and lea\'ee.

Would you like to aee it wake from its put the bean in th e ground. 'fbe min will fall o n it , nnd the aun will wann it.

· Alter a while the baby plant will wake B ut how?

EJEllPLO.

H é aquí una habichuela.

En eu )nt-0rior está durmiendo una planta.

:&a plantita tien e una raiz, un tallo y hoj as.

¿Quieren Vds. ,·eria despertar de su aueilo? ·

Pocos dia.a después se despertant la planta y ealdnt buscando luz. ella se alimentan\. ¿De qué f:;:g :::

1!a

and aunahine

sol. as

well, s houtd be tau g ht bot nn y with th e a lumn os tlprentlerán la. Botánica ain•ién-

eJ:d com thev mny Jeo.rn the two greatclaeaes ¡ d e la habic hu e la., e llos conoce rán la diferinto wlii ch the fl o we ri ng planta are e nc in que e xiste e ntre lae <loe c lases ® divided 1 as follows: · 1 plantas que tienen flores.

Tca ch t h e m to noti ce- H é aquí d e que modo ae bant ese

Th e eeed lea.ves. th e seed leaves ] á obsen 1ar los cotiledo- · of th e bean are doublc, of th e oo m single.

1 nes, d oe en Ja b.abichuela, un o e n el maiz. PJant an orange eeecl, and, if yo u have Se sembmn\ uha d e naranj o, y si room and facilities , a ri pe cocoannt or the el espacio ee suficiente, un coco madnro seed of any oth e r of ,the pnJm family. Let [ 6 bi en la sem ill a de alguna otra planta the pupils notice thn t the up pe r tenec iente t't. la famili a de lee palmaa. seed nnd th e Call Be hará d e l naran jo

that 8Cnd up o ne<leaf and 1 ntenciónsobreel

f with the palm or orange tree, that there y hu! que naccq co n una sola. Entonces 1

attenti on to t)le fnct that the com or th e ! qu eao n d os la.a grandes olaaee d e plantas: eugar cane or the pnhn tree nearly las y exógenas. Tambi e n so. th e ir foil diameter nt once and then grow les pued o ll amar Ja aten c ión sobre el tall, and that thef' grow etraigbt up, and hecho d e que e l mai•, la cana de azúcar

fate ral b udeatth eeideastodeterminethe crecimiento e n lo nf ' tud rectilinea l con • forro or whol e plant at ita maturity una ye ma termina e n e l extremo del carryingit up in a etraight line towat.d tall o{ lacualeemucbomáegrueeayíue rte the h ea.vena. O.n the otber band, ahow que as yemas laten.lee, siendo aquella. la them that treea of tbe orange-tree cl888 que determina la forma d e ese vegetal,

vigorous. or more vigoroue, than the ter- deearollo. Enseftarles también que loe nunal bud at the topl and coneequently na.ra.njGl!I y demá.a llrbolee de la mima the tree grows out m ali directiorut- claae, no solamente crecen en longitud north, ea.eti eouth, and west-e.e well as sino en grosor, eiend<rlfUS yetñaa latera19e toward the beavenB. Show tan voluminoeas y fuertes como la Yema

b&rk iteelf doee not grow with the tree, sentidos: Norte, Sur, FAite y Oee:te, y

hut new bnrk is conBtantly forming next to the wood. Get cross Heetions of th c pnhn 1-rec, and of the orange or oth er @imitar timber, showing th e eucce&!h·e rin ga of the two-eeed leaf plant a and th e

ndemds Ye rticalment.c. Hace rles ,·erque In corteza se raja formando unas especies de eecmnlUl 1\ medida que el árbol crece. porque la r eferida capa n o se ex tiende en eu cn.>cimientocon In madera, ein6 que''ª formando otra nue'Jl entre In antigua y la madera. Por medi o de eeccionesrsctica-

fou r little planta in th e schoolroom to •. ob@ervntionancl exprcssion, ancl in ex press ion o f monv differe nt kinde, by meane of om l words; Cor c hildreo ehould lJe tuughl to describe orally whnt aec l>cforc them , nncl al.so to pluce their ol::iservnti ona on pupcr in the form o f written words 1md 111 the fonn of dmwinjl!

los anillos concéntricos que presentan las dicotiledoncna mi en tras que no ofrecen ninguno las monocotiledoncas, haciendo obeennr co mo el tallo de ét!tas ec com¡>0ne de c.-elul osu con fibras lei1oens, laa f!

matitas de la para enseilar 11 leer, c11cribir y dibujar (puee los ninos dibuja-

.

EDUCAT!ON lN PORTO RICO.

1118TOK\' LESSOS

hero of thi s sto ry is Cltristopher

Columbus. Do you kn ow whnt hero mcan.s?

No on e kn o ws just when he was boro. far írom

hom e RCtOB:! the soo.

Hi.a fatbcr nnd mother l h·ed in a benutiful c ity cnlled Gcnoo..

Bohind th ei r h ome was n grent watl oí mountnins.

Awlly in front lay thc ehining sea.

LittJ e Christophcrdi<l n ot like th e high mountnins.

The y were black nnd ugly to him .

But h e dear ly lo\•ed the blu c sea with nnd dremned."

HIKTOR\' LE8SON.

Th c hero of this story ia Christopher ColumbUB.

Do you ltno w whnt hcro meo.ns?

No one knows ju.et whcn he wns ho rn. 1t Wl\11 nbout thc yenr H3.5.

ThiB little boy'e home \\'1UI rar from hom e ntrot!a the i'Ctl.

Hi s íather und mothc r1ived in a IJcnutifol eih• cnlled lienoa.

.Behiñd U1eir home was a great wall ol mouutains.

.A.way in front lny tbe greatshiningaea.

Littl cChristop her did uot like the high mountnine.

They were black and uglv to him.

But h e doorlY. loved the 'blue Be1l with Hs littlc whitc ca¡>S nnd big wa\•es. JJRt nlone on the shore and

..

For th e ¡mrposeof cla..Qf!ifyiugand comparing the resulta of t he plnnt lel180n , a littl e diagnm1 1 somct hing 88 follows, may lJe prioted upon a lnrge s heet oí paper and hung in th e t<t h oolroom for th l.! Uf!e o [ oldcr pupila:

estudio el e la Bot.d.mca. Se ejercitan1n los ninos en la obscr\'ación y expresión, ,·aritmdo loa ejercicios ora lee, pues es esa. la manera de e nsenarles :1. describir verbalmente lo que sus propios ojos h an , •isto para trans mitirlo deRpués ni papel por medio de la escriture 6 del dibujo. La comparaci6n y clasificación de- los resultados deducidos de In lección sobre las plantas, se dis¡>0ndn1.n en un pequeno diagc:ama parecido a l eiguiente, qu e podrá

Sfepoaici6n de aquellos alumnos de mds edad:

YLOWJ-!IUSO l'l.ASTS.

f>LANT/\8 QUE FLORECES.

attentiou and to multiph' the lin es or BSeocintion in the miad .o( th e c hild Describe Genoa ; te ll about thed ista.ntcountry of Italy ¡ draw mape ¡ describe th e long eea voyage. lrupart ali the informat ion thnt you can, with reference to Columbu.s, in o ml lessoll.8 to the cbildren .

E\·ery month tJ1e child s hould lenrn

A.l propio tiempo el maestro' completnrú su labor refiriendo cuentccilloe deslina-

Describirá. In ciudud de Génova; hablará d e aquel lejano país ll amado Italia ; tru.-

nU\os en sus lecciones orales, todo cuanto 6 re!aciona"*' con la WsEl ni.no uprendent , ademds, mcnsual

te n on th e bonrd. Thé c lll88e9 sho uld repent them indi,·idually. They should be out. ' ll'ASllll >l'UCORY OEX.

No 11.rmada dd ¡mfl.al d e la Vt!Uganza, NI tcftldll

mente deapués. Se les enseilnn1. t1 pamfrascnrlM y 11 ve rtirlns .del castellano al inglés y \!tce-veraa, procurand o siempre

JO\'A OltL 0 PARN'A90 EIPA1'10L.

u r mnd11. del puftn l de la ve118f11Wl ,

teni da IR \'Hle en M!lMre impura,

como la forjó vuCl'tra locura

torpe lnlquldRd:

cual la htt d e la e.petftnza,

t'l 1& li bertad.

Gorda de Q•ttc:do, ( 1'tnc:uda ).

llfDI ORl' ()U,

d<K.'ll llttle blrdle •r.

ai=:

blemente. Loe ninos la repetinin. Se cnee.nardn eu ingll>s hw palabras de su historia, explica nd o eete tema, teniendo en c uenta la rección que se les mnii.

EDUCATION IN PORTO RICO.

The lnnguage work should contain d.ic· tnlion excrci.scs in botb languagea. Read Engfü h and ha.ve the pupila repeat them after you from memory.

IIl. -CoR REST EVESTS.

The eaae and aecu ra c:y with which we fix knowlcdf; in the mmds of pu pile de-

1 lt is the law of ou r nature that exciting e \·entl, lik e wa.1'8 a nd battles and great natural catturtrophee, havf> unusunl power o fnr ouaing natnmJ int ercst . Wbileechool shoulcl be an agcn c y fo r ethical culture, and shou ld not encoumf!'. to too grent an e xte n t purely martial ilh:'ls, sucll events i! uri:r y:1 mat>o·f thatcontin e nt. Teach its :relntive Po@llion with reference to Porto Rico and Europe, ceee_cially Emdand. State tho prin cipa l h1storicnl with

in ancicnt timce; tlmt was rounded by V asco de Gama; that it was lute r settled ..

hnigrntio n of th e Dutch colonies forther north from the limite oí sottl e m en t iu t h e thirties in ardor to escape frOm British control. Pescribe the people-their patrinrclud ha"bit e of lifc\· t,hc fn ct ththnt ev are a J>Mlora l peop le, ivinJI on their fo.n l11:1, carmg litfl e for th e outtude world o r for commerce or war ¡ principaUy eugaged in raie.ing, great hunters and · De@cribe Ule opehing of the cliamond n e publi c ; th e buildin g np of J ohanneeatl partti of the world. The defilre ofi , outUne map, the dietance anl the maii;t política! lacte from the beetauthorities you have at hand. Tell of tbe previoue con 8.i ct between the Engliab and the Dutch in South Africa, and the great defeat the Englieb eufiered at Majuba Hill, tbe virtual political independ·

E n loe ejerci cioe de lenguaje ee incluirá. e l dictado en amboe idioma.s. Se leerá d. lot1 difJCÍpulos un corto pármfo en cast.e-llano y ee les exigirá después que lo escrimemoria, el trozo ekogido.

TII.-HECH 08 CoRR IFSTES.

La facilidad y exactitud · con la cual fi j amos loa con oci mi entos e n ·la mente de loa alumn oe directam e nte de la

t 1 13!

se r, que loa a corlflc imient.oa , como lna

en noeotroe el interés. Al propio t1em1>0 Que la esc ue la e-irve d o 1lg_e.nte pam la cu l· tura ética, aín sugerir de una manera exagerada id ea.e pumm e nte marciales, c iertoe hechoe, como por ej emplo la guerm del Tmne\•Ml , pueden eernr áloe m008lt"08 prud ent es para ensnnchar loe

an cha e l contorno del mnpa del Africa meridional , rei yn Ee tiene llll buen mapa de di cha región ee e\' ihLrti dicho traba10. Se explicarzt In poe:ic ión relativa oon Pu erto Rko ,. Europn , uepcciolmente co n Inglate rra 'So refe rintn loe principales h echos hi etó ri cos que áese paf8 se refiereri. Se dint que au parte más meridional fué,

Gama le dió la n1eltn, s ie na o colonizada

6

Norte, pum á In. dominación ing lesa, d eecle e l Um1te d e 8\te&tablecimiento en el grado 30 de latitud Su r . Se hablant de ese pu eb lo y de sus 1mtriarcales costumbreti¡ se hant \'er que es un pueblo pru!loril que vive en sus propiRB estancias,

J:fa :l

exclusivamente l 1a criR de ganado, y f!ieudo además loe habitantes de efl8.8 región grandes caz.adores y UXJ>erl08 tiradores; que ellot1 son extremadamente

ción de las min&IS de diamant.e eu el Estado libre de Orange, y ee hablará del deecubrimi c nto del oro en la República del Sur de Africa, de la edificación de

:n

tantee extran jerOf!, procedeutes de todas partes del Univereo¡ las pretencionee de eetoe para g«?zar del derecho e lectoral ,· y e l conflicto de allf nacido entre lngleeea

ence of the Boere that Tell eomething of Cecil Rhodee and the

y Boere. Al mismo tiemw e l maeetro marcant en el mapa las prineipalee

lo cual ee acudini ti las fuen tes de información más cercanas y do'IDtie autoridad en e l MUDto. Se referirá la primitiva

paper notices of them "tb e eventa of tbe preeent war.

tremenda derrota de Majuba Hill eufrida por 108 ingle90t!, y e l delinitivo reco nocimiento de la independencia CSBi absoluta de 108 Boore. El mae8tro dirá lo que eepa de Cec: il Rhod4..'8 y de The Jamcstown ntid, procurando eiempre enterar ti sus alumnot1 de las condiciones del Africa del Sur y de su importancia ulterior como

IV -THE PHYSI CAL ' 8JnE OF EDUCATION.

ita1:;, and vicinity, the phys1cal weliare of your pupi1s ehould be your concern. We appreciate tbe !act that poverty and de&-

in food and ratber diecou.raging. It will be neceseary to teach s,upile and Lrente the neces-

a habit with tbem1 before radical reforma Üd tcach ch ildren and parenl8 tb e advan · of better foocl and better clotlili;g,

industry, thrift1Rnd

We ehould

ing these flve tbing:e, upan whi ch hea.lth depende:

¡a¡

Suflicient nutrition.

b Sufficient clothing.

e Cleanlinese, whi c h in cludee per· eona cleanlinese, cleanliness in the home, pure water, and pure air. ' Pbyf!ical exerciaé.

e) Moderatio n. child ehould not be sent to school witbout bis brea.kfaet. The blood which feeds all of thoeeorgane upan which phy· aical and mental activitiee di.rectly or indirectly depend ia depleted of ita nntriment in the morning anda further drain upan it, uniese it ie replenisbed with {ood, leade to the pcnnanent weakening of tbe child. Dwell upan thle fact ¡ prcach the

corrie

nte de la.a ú l timhs notic il\8 de la guerra actual, publicadas pbl' la prensa.

JV.-PARTE FhucA DE LA EDUCACIÓ N.

El velar por el bieneetar fJf!ico de loe alumn ot1 h un deber que incumbe a!f::eal e:'i:; rrula higiénicas condi ciones. Compren fa

actualmente muy difícil la realización aquell08de proyectoe i deadoe para mejorar la alim en tad6n y el modo de veet.ir de sus habitantes. Será necesario ensenar á los nifloe y t\ sus p(ldree la utilidad de la industr ia y del ahorro, haciéndoles comp render que la labor f la economía con reforma.a en aue h ogaret1, alimentaci6n é

Si 11. ptldres é bij oe demostramoe las ventajas de uni¡L nlimentaci6n mejor y la utilidad del vestfdo, remoe por otra pa.rte la industria, econa. mfa y ahorro. Ad vertimos 9ue toda la eneenanza eobre higien e y calistenia debe concentranse en loe eiguienU:s puntoa eeencialee para la ea.lud:

Sufic iente nutrición. • e l

hogar ¡ agua y aj.re puro.

Ejercicio corporal. Temperatura.

W

nitlo no debe preeentaree t\ la eecuela sin haberse desayunado previavidad ffeica y mental, necesita nutrirse r.b/:

debilidad del nin o. Loe maestros deben in sistir eobre eet.o J!tmto, predicando

-

The value of the scie noc of psychology to th e teecher is to enal)le him t o know what U1ese laws are. It is ¡mrt oí th e art of teac hing to confonn methode of in structio n to thesc laws arter th e y have

logicnl lawe we are tra,·eling w1th the c urrent n.nd naturc MSiettl our work. When it. disrcgnrds these laws we are frequently tnweling against tbe current or R.Cl'Ol!A it, dh·erted from our oourae or held back by the fuct that we are oppoe,i ng nature's way of doing thinge.

La Psicología permite al P.rofe.eor descub rir y apreciar esas leyes Y es una parte del arte de ensenar llegará la armonía con esa.a leyes d e los métodos de

Si marcha nuestra ensenanza de acuerdo co n laa leyes seguimoe Ja corriente de la c1vilización , prestándonoe su valiente ayuda la NntumJeza. Pero, antee con tra la co rri e nte y como tr!tbnjamoe eu

/

EDUOATION IN PORTO arco.

about theeo facte; to etud¡; thelll.9Clveeand tbe ir f!hildren during t e nex+ month, the 8880ciation of their own ideas; to ask tbemeel vee írequentl y, Why do 1 think of thi! particular tb.ing at this par· ticular tim e? You will eoo thnt your present thought is connected with aome

r,!uda forma de la asociación, ee dock 'Asocinción por Seme janza. " Soa mu· chas lo.a aplicaciones prácticas de esta ley. Unicamente ped1ruoe d los mnee· tros que mediten eeoe hechos; que ee et· ludien á si mismoe y á eua alwnnoa du·

0:1talm=:

füread o'f ll.8SOOiation tbat coanects them.

the cl:inmcter of consciou.e.n t9 and etatee of ooneciousness. Ae it is, we shall omit thie o r reícr the teac h e r to text·booka Cor furth e rexplanation. Th efollowinitextwhich wil 1 \ be íumiehed by thia o ffi c.-e for Sl.25. Another excellent peychblogy for

Sc.ribn e r. rily, 1Jut beca.use they areassocinted with other thoughta and 1d ena that have pre· ceded them. Tbi e ie cnlled th e "la w or

wit.l.1 th e idea oí un onimnl, aad this }» comee a fi.xed nnd penua nent naeociation, inni.riably recu rrin g. rr it were not for the law of ll880Ciation the word "cat" m.ight ca ll to h1s mincl nny other object what;..ocver, ami nll tenching wou1d be im· possiblc Thie associntio n does not dc-pc nd upon th e fact that thc word 11 cat" LB s imilar to the animal cat 1 for the word

1tl!! 1:::i:i

imngc of the en' luweoccnrred t ogethe r eo oft.en that one recalle thcotheron acoount of co ntigui ty, na psychologieti! expresa it.. Thia is called "aaaocintion by co n· tiguity." On theotherhand, the picturo of a cat will recnll the anima l .A cat wilh ccrtain nnd fenturetfwill r ecn.11 eome otber cal we have known. Thia is not beca.u.se the picture of tho cat has been MSOCinted neceeímrily with any parti cular cnto r that thunnimnl with the

Si hubiésemos d<hons.iderar la P s icología en el ó rden lósrico de lns ideas, em· pesaríamos por tmT.ar de la conciencia y de sus diferentes estados. Corresponde al•maestro el et1tudio de esas cuestiones, y por eso nos limitarem99á indicnrl eel libro escrito en caatellano: "Pedagogfll ¡lf:!ico16gica de Sully;" $0.iO. La mejor obra para los maestros 11 Talka to Teachers," de James Henry H olt & Co., ae proporcionará d los maestros e n esta oficma por $lt2ó. Otrn excele nte psicologia para maeRtros es 11 Psycho logy for Teachere , " de Ll oyd $0.80 (Charles Scribner's Sons) .

Ln ley psicológico. fundam ental es, que

de nucatroe penaamient.oe é id eas anteriores. Esto es lo que ha me-ricido el nombre de 11 Leyde Aeociucióu. '' !

bra le sugiere In idea de un animal, pn>duciéndOt!C ruif en su mente unn 880Ciaci6n durndera !{Ue en lo sucesiYO le &erv irá si,. empre. 81 n o existiera .In ley de nsocia· ciún, el vocablo gnt.o podría despertar en su imaginación In idea de otra cosa cua l· quiem1 lltlciéndoee desde imposible

gnto con e l animal á que '@e refiere, pues e@U ,·oz difiere en loe dietintoe id iomas, cat, gnto, c hnt, etc.; lo cierto que la. imngcn de ella y Ju del propio animal ee han fonnndo juntrui tau frecuentemente que no ca ¡>08ib lc ya recordar u,nn de ellas sin que eurja In otra por efocto de

Tbe work of tbe teacher ie to fix uaeful (acts and uaeíul habita in the miuds of bis

ture. by 88 man y ties of 88SOCÍBtion as pos. sible. Tbatiewhy well!e pictured words as \yeJJ na written words in teaching language and readiug. It ie why we U8C the plant in the ech oo lroom, nnd the bla.ck· board exerciaes ns well as the book. It is in order thnt tb e pupil's mewory of ' tbe wo rd and een tenco may be by beiug nseociated w1th the thmg, and hl8 knowledgo of the thing be etrength· ened by tb e llabita of thatbave been cu ltiv11.ted tbrough his languago les. son nncl bis reuding. I

NOTE WJTU REFEJlENCE TO TFIXT· ' HOOKS.

As soon Re ¡>088.ible we ebn ll make ar·

public echoo ls at catalogue prices to par· ente, nucl we h ope in the next bull etin to give ali.et oí theee dealers nnd the prices at which th e booke nro eo ld. Bida upou regular roll books been rtf::!

:ysogra::

pecialmente? Ellos 90 couYenoorá.n en· tonces de q ue siempre el peneamieuto actual 90 e ncu e ntra en conexión con a l·

de eeo encadenamiento de idene durante loe 5 6 10 minuto& anteriores, ba.etando el

Lo. labor del maestro consisto en fi j11.r hechos y hábitos útiles en larbente de

la estructura mental de eµs alumnos y

de palabras dibü.jadas y de vocablos eacri· tos, porque as.r enaeilamoe á la vez la lectura y e l lenguaje. ' Por eeo también introducimos las plantas en Ja escuela sirviéndonos por igual d e la pizarrn 'y del libro. Es pam robnstecer el recuerdo de la palabra y d e In l'ruse e.u la memoria d el n i n o que procum.mos asociar e l Yocablo

ooetumbre adquiridn d e e:tpresa r 1118 ideas euse ridas emt>leando e l mismo procedi· que srr,•i6 para la lectum y laa lecc1oues de lengunJe

NOTA DE

Tnn pronto como ee pueda tratarem os con los principales libreros para vender

Boletín podremos presentar, la lista de

también los tle Asi8teucia 9ue

Contigüidad."

Por otra parte e l dibujo delgnto recuerda 11 ese animal. Cierto gnto, con camcteree y mttrcM especiales, nos recordará otro de esos nnimalce que haynmoe conocido ya. Eee no nace en n oeolroe porque el referido dibujo hnyn Hido necesari.awente asociado con

ciation-R880Ciation by s imilarit)" Thc doe al Indo llllO del otro¡ en este cnso la l>nwtical npplicnlion of thia law 1.s mnni· naociación no unce pues (.je In l.'Ontigüi· · old. Wc aimply 6.f:!k tcachers to lhink . clnd s ino ele In scme11u1za. Tul ce la se-

daye of the scbool week , forenoon nnd oftenioon 8e88ions.

Tbe words of the "Plaut lcason " in this bullctin ha.ve been token (rorn rook I 1 Graded Litemture Readere, Maynard , Merrill A Co., publiabere, New York, and thc worde of tho 11 8to ry of Columbus" from Volwne lI of tbe Wake Robin Se. ríes, Potter &. Putnam Compnny, New York .

tnuto cualquier libreta de papel blanco rayado al lapiz para inBCribir en e lla á loe alun1nos1 ind1cnudo eu edad, loe dias de la semana eiCOlar y Wi seeio nce de la mal'lturn y de la tardo.