The great problem in Porto Rico will be rural education. Probably 800,000 of its 950,000 people live in the country or in hamlets. The cities are already providing for teachers' training-schools. The field of greatest usefulness for the A. M. A. lies in giving the young men and women a fair education under Christian influences, and sending them out into the country and village schools.
The people of Lares are deeply interested in the school and willing to help the work; the location is as healthful as any in the island, and Lares, as a great coffee center, promises to thrive and grow.
The education most needed in Porto Rico is practical, industrial education. Santurce, near the capital, with a large, poor population about the school, dependent on their daily work for their support, furnishes an excellent location for an industrial school. The people and children do not know how to do anything. The women are "lavenderas," or washwomen, the children carry water, the men do odd jobs, and all are poorly housed, poorly clothed, poorly fed. The children need manual training, and gardening for the boys and sewing and cooking for the girls. Next year it is proposed to start these lines of work at Santurce. Head and hand and heart can be reached and trained for a better and more useful Christian life.
LOSS OF SUPPLIES FOR ALASKA.
Our missionaries at Cape Prince of Wales, Mr. and Mrs. Lopp, sent us in the spring their request for supplies of provisions and other necessities for the coming year. This request was immediately fulfilled by purchases in San Francisco, and the supplies were duly sent out in the bark "Alaska."
We have received intelligence from Dr. Jackson, at Nome, that the bark "Alaska" was driven ashore and wrecked in the surf on Wednesday, June 6th. In this letter Dr. Jackson mentions that the wrecked ship contained a cabinet organ for the Prince of Wales mission, which was ruined, and that the ship also brought up a turkey from San Francisco for Mr. Lopp's Thanksgiving dinner.
The next day Dr. Jackson wrote us a brief note, saying: "The bark Alaska that went ashore on Wednesday went to pieces in the storm yesterday, and the supplies for the station at Cape Prince of Wales are a total loss, even to the Thanksgiving turkey, which was drowned." He added that he hoped to meet Mr. Lopp sometime next week.
The destruction of these supplies renders it necessary to send others at once. The faithful missionaries at this important station must not suffer. The friends of our Alaska mission who have so generously contributed to its support will not forget this additional financial necessity coming in this strange and unexpected calamity.