The beggars who are privileged to come to these homes, come at the right
time, take their pennies, and with a "Thank you!" shamble off.
CHILD LIFE.
Formerly lessons never bothered the small Puerto Rican, or indeed any
other Puerto Rican child. He played "hookey" all day long, and no truant
officer disturbed him, or dragged him off to school.
He never saw a schoolhouse or the inside of a schoolroom. He never saw a
book. But, for that matter, neither did his father or mother. They can
neither read nor write; nor can many of their neighbors.
The Puerto Rican city child often lives in a crowded basement, with many
brothers and sisters. The child of poor parents in the cities is not
usually very clean; but then he has very few opportunities for bathing,
and his only playground is the courtyard and the streets.
His little country cousins, who live where pools and streams are found,
spend much of their time in the water. They find it pleasanter to paddle
in cool streams, beneath overhanging tree ferns and banana trees, than
to roll in the dirt.
They object, however, to wearing clothes, and are allowed to go without
any until they are ten or twelve years of age. Even at this age they
shed briny tears when compelled to put on one cotton garment.
These little country children learn to be helpful at a very early age.
They fish and catch crabs; weed the garden; dig potatoes; gather fruit,
vegetables and coffee; and do errands.
But they have one bugaboo, and that is the wild dog. This animal is very
fierce. It sometimes leaves its hiding place in the forest, with a pack
of companions, and carries off sheep, pigs, and calves.
If very hungry, it may attack a child; and so the children keep a sharp
lookout for it.
Children in Puerto Rico sleep on the floor or in a hammock, and they eat
whenever or wherever they can find fruit or vegetables within their
reach. Sometimes they smoke, too.
They have no toys, no books, no pictures, no fine clothes or homes; yet,
for all that, they are cheerful and contented. They have little, but
they seem to want little.
The children of the wealthy and well-to-do dress and look very much like
the children in our Southern States; though the babies and very young
children sometimes wear no clothes.
These children are sent to school, or are taught by a governess or tutor
at home, until they are old enough to be sent away to school.
Then they are sent to Spain, France, or the United States, to complete
their education.
The girls study and read very little. It is not considered necessary
for them to be well educated. They are not allowed to walk about the
streets alone, but must have a servant, nurse, or attendant from the
time they leave their cradles until they are married.
EDUCATION IN PUERTO RICO.
Not more than one seventh of the 850,000 people in Puerto Rico can read
or write. Only one child in twelve, between the ages of six and sixteen,
attends school. (In 1897, of 125,000 children of school age, only about
28,000 attended school - about 19,000 boys and 9,000 girls.)
The buildings used for school purposes are seldom anything more than
thatched huts. Sometimes two or three rooms are given to the school in
the house where the teacher lives.
Many of the country districts are without schools, and no school
privileges are provided for three fourths of the people.
The schools are of the old-fashioned, ungraded, district-school type,
and are for pupils from seven to thirteen years of age.
Pupils are supposed to study arithmetic, geography, grammar, the history
of Spain, and religion. There are few schoolbooks used. The pupils write
down what the teacher dictates, or copy what the teacher has written.
The one book they use is the one from which they learn to read.
Arithmetic problems are often worked out on the floor with bits of clay.
There are from fifty to one hundred and twenty-five pupils in each room,
and two or three teachers. The pupils sit on long benches or on the
floor. The boys and girls have separate schools; but the white and the
colored pupils attend the same school.
The pupils are bright and quick to learn, but there is no discipline in
the schoolroom. They come and go as they please. They stay at home if
they wish, and no truant officer disturbs them.
Many remain away from school because of a lack of clothing. Others
remain away because they prefer to play in the streets. Their parents
are careless and indifferent to the advantages of an education, and make
no effort to induce their children to attend school, or to study.
This unfavorable state of things is soon to disappear. The United States
is now rapidly introducing schools and capable teachers into every part
of the island. The people seem very glad to take advantage of the better
order of things.
RELIGION.
The established church of the country is the Roman Catholic; but other
religions are tolerated, and a few Protestant churches are to be found
scattered over the island.
The people seem to be little interested in religion or in their
churches, and Sunday with them is only a fete day or a holiday.
HOW THE PEOPLE AMUSE THEMSELVES.
The people of Puerto Rico have two hundred holidays or feast days in
their calendar. They are always ready to welcome new ones, however, and
have within the past year added Washington's birthday and the Fourth of
July to the list.
Last year they celebrated the Fourth for the first time.
