SCHOOL LIFE IN PORTO RICO.
PROF. CHARLES B. SCOTT, PORTO RICO.
SCHOOL BOY IN PORTO RICO.
I was sitting in my room at the hotel at Lares, tired out after two days on pony-back, my first trip into the mountains of the interior, and my first experience on horseback. My long ride and consequent fatigue, my position, far from home, family and friends, in a new region where language, food, customs, all were strange, made me feel most lonesome. Only a good night's sleep could ward off a threatened attack of home-sickness, a longing to see the land and hear the language "that God made," as the boys in blue express it.
Suddenly a new sound aroused me, drew me to the porch, and brought a relief which only travelers who have been far from the homeland can realize. Four young girls on the next porch, scarcely visible in the gathering darkness, were singing:
"Mee condree, teez os tee,
Shweet land of lee-bertee,
Os tee we zeeng.
Land where mee fathers died.
Land os tee peel-greem's pride,
From ef ree mountain side
Let freedom reeng."
No one saw the tears that came or knew about the restful feeling which followed me into dreamland. I had not left my country. Its spirit, its love of liberty, the happy "songs in the night" which it had put into the mouths of its sons and daughters, had preceded me.
Every night during my stay in Lares, the four girls, one of them a daughter of the alcalde, or mayor, who made me understand that they had learned this song from their teacher, sang America for "el Americano," whose coming and talk about a possible school had made such a stir in their beautiful village.
When we opened an American Missionary Association school in Santurce and later in Lares, was it strange that America was the first song taught to the children? How quickly they learned it and how they sang it, with a spirit and enjoyment which I have rarely seen equaled. Then followed: "Rally Round the Flag," "The Star Spangled Banner," and "Marching through Georgia." They were the best means of instilling the spirit of patriotism and most effective agencies in training the pupils to keep together and follow a leader.
One day I heard several Porto Ricans singing with such spirit and earnestness a strange, rather weird melody; they told me it was "Borinquen," their national song extolling the beauties of their island home—called Borinquen by the original inhabitants. When I proposed in school one day, after singing America, that we would try Borinquen, if one of the older young ladies would lead us, the quiet that came over the school, the brightening of faces and air of expectancy, removed all possible doubt about their love of their island. After that America and Borinquen usually came together. Every Porto Rican and Spaniard learned to sing America.
PRIMARY CHILDREN, LARES, PORTO RICO.
But the songs we sang impressed on these music-loving boys and girls thoughts other than those of love of country. Within a month after opening most children could sing "Jesus Loves Me," and the little primary children rarely failed to ask for this when given a choice. Later came "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and other religious songs. When they afterward heard from the Bible, read in Spanish and in English, the story of Jesus taking the children into his arms, the song had prepared for the story and the story made the song mean more. Nearly all learned to say, in Spanish or English or both: "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
So the songs opened the way for Bible stories and Bible verses. The little first grade children studied about Abraham, and the others learned about David as a boy, a shepherd, a servant in the king's palace, a fugitive from Saul and as being King of Israel. Nearly all learned the Twenty-third Psalm and several of the Beatitudes.
We were afraid the parents might object to the religious songs and Bible stories and withdraw the pupils from the school. But they did not, not one, so far as we knew. Several told me that they wanted their children not merely to learn to read and to become intelligent Americans, but that they wanted them to grow up as good men and women and were glad to have them taught these things. During the last two months some time was given nearly every day, in each room, to Bible stories or Bible study.
CARNIVAL, SAN JUAN, PORTO RICO.
We soon found that our Porto Rican boys and girls know very little about study or attention or self-control and obedience. In most homes they do much as they please. In school they had been accustomed to studying out loud, to learning by heart without understanding, to reciting in concert, and to talking as much as they pleased. They are quick-tempered and apt to fly into a passion. They lack greatly in perseverance or "stick-to-it-iveness."
The schoolroom was a noisy, distracting place for a time; the playground was the scene of frequent uproars and even fights. They seemed to have no idea of playing together or following a leader or of organizing and keeping up games.
But they were kindly and friendly in spirit and most courteous and polite, much more so than most American children in similar schools. They certainly appreciated warmly what we were doing for them and were most anxious to do as the children do in American schools. They lacked the life and tendency to mischief of American children. After a few weeks there was little trouble about discipline or order, and they learned to control themselves better and to pay better attention. It took months to break the habit of studying aloud, and will take years to instil habits of perseverance and self-reliance.
The most helpful means of training in attention, instant obedience and self-control were the daily calisthenic exercises, which they all enjoyed and entered into with spirit.
Space permits only hasty reference to other lessons taught without books in our school, lessons in self-respect. Every child was expected to pay a small tuition, in money or labor, only a peseta, equivalent to twelve American cents, a week, but enough to inculcate the feeling that they were paying for what they got. At first it was hard to get the money. They had to be reminded again and again, but week by week they became more regular and seemed to take more pride in handing the teacher each Tuesday morning their silver coin. Much to our surprise there was, toward the last, very little delay or difficulty in getting the tuition.
In the Santurce school a sewing-class was organized to give fifteen very poor girls, all colored, an opportunity to "earn their tuition,"—as we told them—by sewing for us an hour or two every Saturday. Most of them had rarely handled a needle. They did not make many garments, but they learned considerable about sewing, were as regular as clockwork every Saturday morning, and appreciated better the education which they thus earned. Wasn't this better than some book lessons?
Another lesson in self-respect came from the idea—which the children gained without a word from us—that those who attended the American school must be clean and must have clothes and shoes and stockings. At least half of the children at the Santurce school came from the poorer classes, most of them from the shack district. A walk through this section would show most of the children under seven absolutely naked, and nine-tenths of the parents and older children barefooted, the girls and women bareheaded, with only indispensable clothing, often ragged and dirty. A glance into our schoolrooms or at the company trooping out at noon or at four o'clock showed only children with shoes and stockings, as neatly dressed, as clean as those coming from any school in the States. The dirty or ragged or barefooted would not come. Before or after school, or on Saturdays or Sundays, some of them could scarcely be recognized in their home-clothes. The good clothes and the shoes were often worn only at school and at the fiestas or on holidays.
How many times, looking up absent children, we found that they were away because of dirty clothes, or because the one good suit was being washed, or because shoes were worn out. Frequently we furnished them with shoes or clothes, trying to devise some way by which they could work for them, earn them. This education in neatness and self-respect was not book education, but it was more valuable than much learned from books.
NATIVE HOUSE. SANTURCE, PORTO RICO.
During the school-year our two hundred and fifty school children needed and used at least twice as much clothing as in any similar previous period of their lives. Does not that show how education and Christianity increase needs and develop business and commerce?
But we have been talking about schools and pupils with scarcely a word about books or classes. We had them, much as in American schools. At first, with children who spoke and understood only Spanish and teachers who knew little Spanish, there were great difficulties and progress was slow. The book and class-work were not as interesting or encouraging as some of the other lessons I have told about.
The children were quick and "picked up" English rapidly. When words would not serve they could talk with hands and head and shoulders and whole body, much better than can American children. They were patient and had good memories, but found it hard to think. I judge that they had rarely been expected or taught to think for themselves. Arithmetic was hard for them. Reading in Spanish—where each letter, vowel or consonant has, in general, but one sound and there are no silent letters—was very easy. But reading and spelling in English—where they could not know what sound to give to a letter, and what letters had no sound—was most trying. However, they did, even in reading English, as well as we had any right to expect.
SAN JUAN HARBOR, PORTO RICO.
Were there no discouragements? Hosts of them. But the encouragements were so much greater. It was hard to get them to study. Sometimes it seemed that they would never learn to think. The noises of the street, the curious crowds about the doors, the dogs which would insist on making themselves at home in the schoolroom, were trying. It was warm all winter—how odd that word sounded to us!—between 85 and 90 degrees on Christmas day. But most trying and discouraging of all was the irregular attendance, day after day, one-fifth, one-quarter, even one-third absent. There was much sickness. During February and March grip and "catarros" or colds kept many away. But much of the absence was due to carelessness, the almost weekly "fiestas" or church feasts or holidays, the errands to San Juan, the lack of clothing, the fear of rain, anything, everything and nothing. And yet they were deeply interested in the school, and parents had sacrificed much to send their boys and girls to school and were anxious for them to get an education. But the lower classes have not learned to do anything regularly or in order. They attend school as they eat, work and sleep—as they live. This condition calls for another lesson, outside of the books, a hard, slow lesson which the schools must teach.
Did the American Missionary Association schools pay? Did we feel rewarded for some sacrifices and privations? At Santurce a colored mother came in just before we left the house for the boat to the States to thank us for what we had done for her three girls. Her face and eyes told more than her Spanish tongue could convey to us. At Lares the whole afternoon and evening before our teachers left there was a constant stream of children and mothers and sisters and fathers, Spanish, many or most of them, coming to say good-bye, to thank the teachers, the Misses Blowers, Blinka and French, for what they had done; to beg them, many with tears running down their cheeks, to come back to them in the fall.
And yet we have only begun to plow the ground and to sow the seed. What will the harvest be? Only He can tell for whom the sowing is done and who alone giveth the increase.
As this magazine goes to press our missionaries are leaving for the work of the new year in Porto Rico. During the summer they have been busy among churches, Sunday-schools and Endeavor Societies seeking to stimulate a larger interest for the wonderful work opening in this island territory. An extensive campaign has been carried on throughout Ohio and Michigan by Prof. Scott and Rev. Mr. Edwards. In the East, Miss Blowers has told the story of the needs and possibilities of the Porto Rican children. We appreciate the cordial interest manifested in this work. These missions need reinforcement by the increase of the number in teachers and evangelists. There should be buildings erected for the schools and chapels at different points. New fields should be occupied in the near future. The work demands a large place in the interest and contributions of our Sunday-schools and Endeavor Societies as well as our churches.