Hayti; or, The black republic.St. John, Spenser, Sir
History
Hayti; or, The black republic.
St. John, Spenser, Sir
Haiti; Haiti -- History
The Sisters of Cluny have also an establishment near Port-au-Prince,
where the daughters of the chief families of the capital receive
their education, and their institution is well spoken of. I attended
one of their examinations and school exhibitions, when recitals and
acting by the young girls were the amusements afforded us. Some of the
pupils appeared to be remarkably bright, and they acquitted themselves
of their tasks in a very pleasing manner. Since I left Hayti, these
establishments for girls have greatly increased in importance. There
are now as many as sixty sisters, and twenty others called “Filles de
la Sagesse,” who have established schools throughout the country, which
in 1883 were attended by about 3000 pupils.
The Christian Brothers have also many schools dispersed throughout the
country, principally, however, in the larger towns, which are fairly
well attended. They are reported to have had also in 1883 as many as
3000 boys under tuition.
It is generally thought that the teaching in all these schools is not
such as to develop the intellect of the pupils. As might have been
expected, too much time is given to trifling with religious subjects,
as teaching the girls an infinity of hymns to Mary, and to the study
of the lives of the saints. Such, at least, was the complaint made to
me by the relatives of the girls. Nothing appears to be able to avert
the evil influence of the immodest surroundings of these schools. A
gentleman told me that, entering a room where his nieces were sitting
sewing, he heard them singing a most indecent song in Creole, probably
quite innocent of the real meaning, and they told him that they had
learnt it from the native servants at the school; whilst the pupils at
the Petit Séminaire have often suffered from the utter depravity of
some of the lower portion of the population.
In one of the official reports on the principal lyceum, the Minister of
Public Instruction remarks:--“As regards studies, discipline of pupils
and teachers, the national lyceum has fallen into a shameful state.
It is to the superior direction that this abasement of the lyceum is
in part to be attributed. It so far forgets itself, as to give to
professors and pupils scandalous spectacles, which attest the disregard
of propriety and of the most ordinary reserve that a teacher ought to
observe in presence of early age and youth.”
By this account it would appear that the pupils have often but a poor
example to imitate. I should have set down to political feeling this
strong censure had I not known the lyceum in my time to have fallen
very low indeed in public estimation.
Poor, however, as the education is that is given in Hayti, it is
nevertheless an advance; and if ever revolutions cease and peace be
kept for a few years, the Government may yet turn its attention to
founding educational establishments on a solid basis. Of this, however,
there is very little hope.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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