"Haas to Basel"

A report on his arrival in Kibi and his early activities in the School. Koforidua he found in two parts - old Koforidua now deserted, and with the houses falling in, and new Koforidua, ten minutes further away from Akropong. At Kukurantumi they had much trouble with their Kibi carriers, who effectively went on strike for more subsistence pay. He is teaching the boys in the school to make their own clothes. He has instituted a new regime (timetable) in the school which includes reducing free time for clothes washing and ironing on Saturdays from the whole day to the morning. Also, whereas before the boys had been given unlimited time to go to the town for their food, he has now limited their two mealtimes a day to a total of one hour each. Unless the teacher himself is supervised he does not see that work is being done in the coffee farm. Two cases are offered of parents pleading that their son should be allowed to remain in school after being expelled. In one case a senior boy had come back from a mealtime in the town late and drunk - there had been a heathen festival in progress and Haas laments that under the circumstances in which the boys have to eat they have no way of stopping them participating to some extent in such festivals. The missionaries agreed that the boy should have the choice between expulsion and a beating, and the boy chose the latter. One sad case which had just occurred was that of the senior and most gifted pupil who had simply disappeared without trace.

28.04.1870

28.04.1870

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