Arizona republican., 1899-07-27
PARADISE ON EARTH
What fhe Philippine Islands
Nay Become.
The Most Marvellous Climate Known.
Once Start is Made Toward
Civilization Time Will Bring
About fhe Change.

Washington. July 26- Surgeon
General Sternberg has just received an
interesting letter from his brother,
Major Theodore Sternberg, who is at
Iloilo, in the Philippines. He says:
81 have now been in these islands
nearly eight months, and up to date
have seen more delightful weather
than 1 ever saw before in any country
in the same time. When 1 think of
the beautiful homes at Los Angeles,
Cal, and at Pasadena, with sub
tropical vegetation, l cannot help
thinking that when the same kind of
men take hold of these islands they
will be the most delightful spots in
the world.
81 look forward to the time when
there shall be American homes, Amer
lean families and American schools
here. 1 want to see American ideas
grated on to this native stock, and l
believe the graft will grow and bear
fruit Catch these natives young and
they can be made, the rank and file
of them, good, useful citizens; but
what can you expect when labor is
not considered honorable, when the
foreigner Will not get up to help him
self to a cigar on a table in the same
room, but will call for. d servant to
get it for him? 1 am proud of the
fact that Abraham Lincoln stood for
honest labor and it's just reward. We
must show these people by object les
sons the honor which is in honest la
| Dor, the delights of American home
life on the farm and the dignity of
owning your own farm and living
on it.
Il have met many inquiries as to
when are the Americans going to es-
tablish schools. These people are
anxious to learn and want schools,
and after the f1ghting is over nothing
our people can do would meet a
quicker or more grateful response
than free schools.
81 fully believe that the rate OF
wages paid is the real criterion by
which to Judge of a people. Not far
from Iloilo is a sugar plantation. The
owner, a foreigner, paid 81 Mexican
money, or 81 United States money, a
month for his laborers. just think of
it, 81 per month for a man. The man
who wishes labor at such a price is
the man who believes in colonial gov
ernment for these islands. 1 want
these people taught to earn and get
decent wages, and that is the bottom
of this whole question for the future
and the elevation of labor here. That
done in these islands will make 1t
easier to benefit the people of the en-
tire Orient
''It makes me tired to read the
speeches and newspaper articles
against American occupation of these
islands, The 1st of Nav Is the
Fourth of July of the future of these
people The American Indian melted
away because he could not and would
not lead the settled, Iaboring life of |
civilization. These people here, l fully |
believe, the peasantry, quickly catch |
on if shown, and will soon use Amer |
ican ploughs, put on shoes and stock |
ings, go to school, get up caucuses,
l1CA6lSg NObG anu AO4I AOA
office as readily as our Americans do |
at home
''Those who have had an oppor
tunity for education are as highly cul- |
tivated as any one, but continental |
rather than English. A man is a
creature of environment anyway. |
One of the funniest things illustrative
of this l noticed the other day. l was
introduced to a Chinese meslizo, who
talks English with the most pro-
nounced cockney accent. His his are
used or not used, with all the other
pecuIarities of the cockney, just as if
he were born within the sound of b.
bells More than that, he thinks Eng
lish calls himself a BTitisher and talks
of his queen and our navy, and yet
he never saw England-he is product
of Hong Kong. America must create
the environment and time will do the
rest.
1T is because 1 know and reaEze
the philosophy of American ideas, the
part these ideas are of the world, that
so wish to see every one of our glor-
ious soldiers who wish it enabled to
here and each become a center
of American thought"
-:o:-
HELD IN CHECK