173 
ceived careful consideration at the first two meetings of the year. 
This well-known bill is in the interests of vocational training, 
with special reference to agriculture. It augments the extension 
work now so largely carried on by the agricultural colleges, and 
provides for the training of teachers to teach vocational subjects. 
On the whole, the bill is very broad in its provisions and, if it 
were to become law, it would act as a forceful and widespread 
stimulus to the teaching of agriculture and related subjects. 
President Gilmore, of the College of Hawaii, presented this mat- 
ter at the first meeting of the year, and enlarged upon its benefits 
to Hawaii before the principals' section of the second meeting. 
Formal action favoring the measure was taken by the association, 
the branches upon the other islands were notified, and recom- 
mendations were sent to the Territory's representative at Wash- 
ington. 
The work of the School Fund Commission was most heartily 
commended by the association, and the recommendations of that 
commission to the Legislature were formally seconded. Mr. 
Wallace R. Farrington, chairman of the commission, presented a 
succinct statement of its conclusions with regard to the best edu- 
cational policy for Hawaii. A brief digest is as follows: 
"First, that throughout the American mainland the public school 
has a recognized prior claim upon the revenues of the country. 
Second, that the demands of public education are principally met 
by a specific tax on real property and personal property levied in 
sufficient amount to meet the requirements of the public schools. 
Third, the income from the public lands is almost invariably 
turned over, in a large measure, to the cause of education." 
The ability to speak, read and write the English language is of 
paramount importance, educationally and politically in a land of 
such cosmopolitan population as is Hawaii. Emphasis is placed 
upon "establishing the relationship between the thought and the 
spoken, written or printed symbol for the thought. This relation- 
ship is the basis for all of the child's future work. 
'Tn schools where the mother tongue is the tongue of the school- 
room, this relationship is established by the home, and the teacher 
gives attention principally to drilling the child on the recognition 
of the written or printed symbols, but where the tongue of the 
schoolroom is not the language of the home, as in Hawaii, it is 
necessary to first establish this relationship before giving the 
needed drill on the symbol. Only in this way can the teacher be 
sure that the child is learning to talk, write and read the English 
language." 
This work naturally receives special attention in the primary 
grades. Mrs. Knight, of Kaiulani school, conducted a round 
table on ''Methods of Teaching Primary Reading," which was 
well attended, and where marked interest was shown. 
Of great usefulness as an aid in teaching English, and of high 
educative value in itself, is the arts and crafts work in the primary 
