The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-11-25
EAGER TO BE EDUCATED
American Schools Follow the
Flag In the Philippines.
OUTLOOK Is VERY. ENCOURAGING.

Done, Reports Professor F. lei. Hil-
der.
zone of the first and best results of
the substitution of American authority
for Spa nish rule Is that everywhere
throughout the archipelago the school
house follows the flag. As the army
advances aud fresh territory becomes
safe and peaceful, schools are at once
established. regulated by the broad and
liberal methods OF American educa-
tion.''
This is one OF the many suggestive
declarations made by T. lei. Hilder,
| who recently returned from the Philip
pines after a special investigation
along educational lines. Professor Hill
der has made report to Commissioner
of Education Harris at Washington,
advance sheets of which have been eb-
| tanned by the Chicago Times-Herald.
The results of his investigations prove
| conclusively, in his Judgment, that the
Filipinos are fit to become the wards
of this republic. Among other things
Professor Hilder says:
"Under Spanish rule education In the
Philippine Islands was entirely under
the control of the religious orders and
centered in Manila, but instead of COM
mencing with primary schools and ele-
waiting the masses of the people they
began by establishing colleges and
schools for higher education"
St. Joseph's college in Manila was
founded by the Jesuits as long ago as
1895 and graduated it's first class in
1901; the College of Santo Tomas was
founded by the Dominicans in 1911,
and the title of university was con-
ferred on it by the pope in 1915. and
the College of San Juan Lateran. also
a Dominican institution, was establish
ed in 1880.
The Jesuits have made the most
earnest and enlightened efforts in the
, cause of education, but when they
were expelled from the islands in 1767
the Dominicans took possession of the
institutions for higher education that
, they had founded and Incorporated
them with their own, and they have
resisted all efforts to sever them from
their authority and to place them un-
der state supervision. The result of
this system of higher education has
been to instruct and polish a few
thousand of the weaIthier natives and
mestizos, who have demonstrated the
intellectual capabilities of the race as
statesmen, lawyers, artists and writer's,
while the great mass of the people
have been left in abject ignorance.
ut is true that schools were estab-
lished throughout the islands, but lit
tie progress was made in them, as the
majority of the teachers did not un-
! derstand Spanish, and what few rudi-
ments of education the children ac-
quired were forgotten when the chill
dren left the schools.
"Knowing no language but their
own. in which little or no literature
exists, large proportion of the Filipi-
nos are woefully uneducated. No
j Asiatic language serves any practical
use outside of Asia. and the people of
the Philippines must acquire q Ian
3 guage that will open to them q wider
! ! range of literature and place them in
touch with current events and the
worlds store of knowledge before they
; can make substantial progress.
"Side by side with the education of
the children in English. the work
should go on of translating English
literature into the native languages, so
8 that those of the Filipinos who are
beyond the school age and cannot read
lily acquire n foreign tongue may not
be without good reading and be kept
In accord with the new ideas acquired
! by their children.
2 Manila, being the metropolis and
also the first territory to pass under
the control of the United States, has
been the first to demonstrate the bene-
= fetal effects of the new and enlighten-
2 ed policy of popular education. AT
present the public school system of
Manila embraces Il schools, which are
maintained at cost of nearly 10000
: Mexican dollars month. equal to near
! ly $1,000 in American currency, with
n regular attendance of 5000 pupils.
They are in session every day in the
: week except Thursday and Sundays
!, from 7:30 to 1920 a. N. and from 2:30
until p. NJ.
1.-TWO of these schools, for boys, are
i conducted by % Jesuit fathers and
one. for girls, by Spanish sisterhood
of whom II act as teachers. These
three schools embrace a high school
with academic work for boys, some
high school work for girls, q CONNER
cial school Tor boys, common grade
> work for each sex separately, a nor.
Q NAL school for males and two primary
D schools for boys and one for girls, one
9 OF those for boys being a training
4 school for teachers in connection with
a the normal school. In all these schools
great interest is shown in the study OF
the English language, but beyond this
the studies have been altogether in
= Spanish. This will be changed to some
extent In the coming school year-June
q 1900. to March. 10O1-so as to embrace