The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-21
OUR TEACHERS IN THE PHILIP
PINES.

To the Editor of the Globe
We are informed by the correspondents
at Washington that the War department
is considerably wrought up over the
marriage of sixty school teachers on
their way to the Philippines and are
considering the ACCESSIBILITY of requiring
contracts that teachers will not marry
during their term Of. service. ThiS is an
astounding tribute to the wisdom OF the
Catholic church in requiring celibaey on
the part Of its teachers and missionaries.
Again We are told the government ex-
acts a pledge that dthese teachers will
contract to serve three years and accept
such assignments as may be designated
by the Superintend mt. Another acknoWl-
edgement of the practical wisdom of the
Catholic church in exacting u VOW OF
obedience from its professional teachers.
But, stranger than all, we are also in
formed that the insular bureau actually
faVorS the plan of allowing teachers to
take up land claims, to become the CEN
terS Of American communities. the very
thing for which we have been Derating
the ffiarS, namely, possessing the land
and making their communities the cen
tiers of civilization, and, incidentally,
greatly enhancing thereby the value of
their holdings. When these same teach
ers begin to develop their land claims
and to speculate on their increased val
ues, the government may pay still an
other tribute to the wisdom Of the Cath
Ole church, which eXactS a VOW of pow
erty from it's teachers, by passing laws
to prevent land grabbing and real estate
boomS among public school teachers in
the Philippines. We will then have a
corps of teachers equipped with all the
chief characteristics of the hated religious
orders who have heretofore exercised the
function of civilizing the Filipinos, name
ly, celibacy, obedience and poverty.
But if We are compelled to follow SO
closely In the footsteps of these despised
orders, why not employ the friars them
selves for the work? They possess many
diva tn. cd
ers. They are already on the ground,
they enjoy Thorough organization they
have had centuries of experience, and,
above all, they speak the native tongue
more calling to conquered people than
to have their conquerors forced upon
them. Yet this is precisely what We are
doing to the Filipinos. We propose to
degrade them first and ciVilize them af-
forwards. Yet another advantage pos
sesSed by the friarS is the fact that they
profess the same religion as the Fill
pinos. Still more dangerous than tam
pcrins with a peoples language is the
attempt to tamper with their religion.
This fact has been fully realized by the
administration in the case Of the sultan
of Sulu, where it has actually engaged
Mohammedan teachers to instruct his
Mohammedan subjects, SO as not to Of
fend their pagan religious SenSibilites.
Yet in the case of the millions of Chris
tan FilipinoS it pursueS precisely the OBJ
''billing and cooling Protestant teachers,
under a Protestant superintendent, ig-
norant of their language, out of SYM
pathy with all their traditions and Gus
toms, and protesting. in fact, as well as
in name, against all their most sacred
religious beliefs. The bitterness which
such a policy necessarily stirs up is al
ready evidenced in the recent proclama-
ton, though falsely attributed to the
friars and not approved by the Catholic
authorities. yet calling on the Catholics
in the Philippine Islands to resist their
American rulers as the declared enemies
of God. If we want another Ireland on
our hands it would seem that We are tax
ing the Surest means to secure it.
w r M