The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-10

paper man, who had accompanied |
Major General Corbin during his tour |
of inspection, gave his opinion as TO |
the conditions of the rebellion Each
narrative was distinctly interesting |
and we have the advantage here Of get |
ting the news. first hand, which week !
from now will be flashing over the
wires To all parts of the mainland.
Mrs. Conee's account of Aguinaldo
is extremely interesting. 1t shows the
man as he is, plausible, polite, fun of
high flown compliment and with that
Spanish veneer which is simply nau-
seating to the blunt Anglo-Saxon. He
is anxious to go to Washington, but if
the Washington authorities are wise,
they will keep him where he is till the
affairs of the Philippines are settled.
The presence of Aguinaldo in Washing
ton would not add to the pacifcation
of the Philippines.
1t is evident also that Aguinaldo has
a great deal more to fear from his own
people than he has from the Ameri-
cans. BY the latter he is well cared for
and given a life of ease. No doubt he
! is carrying on some intrigue under the
very noses of his guards while pro-
| Tossing a love for the Americans and
their institutions. He inherts both the
vices of the Chinese and the Filipino,
and acquires double amount of dupli-
city from either race. But there is a
section Of the Filipinos who consider
Aguinaldo both a traitor and poltroon,
and were it not for the stalwart Ameri-
can guards presence Aguinaldo's life
would be worth very little purchase
money, and daily the hand of the as
sassin, CLEANS dagger-lighted near his
heart. Aguinaldo filled a frame, but
his portrait has been misdrawn, he is
very much smaller man than he has
been given credit for Compared with
Touissant LOuverture, whom Napoleon
overthrow in Hayti or San Domingo.
Aguinaldo is a very pigmy, and the
more one knows of him the more of
pigmy one thinks him.
School question as exemplifed by the
Misses Gray, is nothing but what one
can expect from those unorganized and
primitive districts. This return of
teachers broken in health will by no
means be the last. There will be many
who will break down under like strain
The scholastic future of the primary
schools Of the Philippines will depend
as was pointed out in these columns
last Saturday, upon the Normal train
ing of the brighter Filipinos. If they
do not take up the work no one else
will, and the supply of teachers from
the mainland will steadily diminish,
until there will be only the useless TO
obtain.
In seeking for American teachers for
the Philippines only young men should
have been chosen and these should have
been put through as vigorous an ex-
animation physically, as men do who
pass into the army. OF course one can
recognize the desire to get female
teachers, so as to open schools for girls.
The Spanish system, if system it can
be called ignored the education of girls
almost entirely, except in the towns. In
the country places the girls were not
even taught to read. AS for the idea
of co-education, both in schools and
in colleges, the notion would have been
regarded as Anathema Maranatha nv
the Priests and Friars, and so strong
is this feeling now, that mixed schools
of boys and girls have not been estab-
urirl l.,
teachers had to be obtained. But in OBJ
tanning these a process of wedding so
as to get hold of the hardest might
have been adopted.
The idea of taking an army of teach
ers into a new country, to fight ignor-
ance' was magnificent one, and cap
tured the imagination. No effort upon
such a scale had ever been made by
any country The conception was fine,
but the working of the details has not
equaled the conception, and this was
bound to be from the nature of the
case.
The third flash of light upon cOntem-
porary events in the Philippines came
from newspaperman. He thinks that
the Filipinos are broken and subdued,
and regards the isolated attacks upon
our troops, as merely sporadic, having
no connection with any general move
ment He has, when with General Cor
bin. had exceptional opportunities for
observation but even military men do
not agree upon this subject There are
many military authorities who say that
the Filipino will remain unsubdued for
years, and that even when apparently
subdued, he is treacherous and liable to
stab his protector in the back. The
Philippines form problem harder than
Porto Rico, and harder even than Cuba.
though the latter may eventually lead
us into more trouble. As far the Phil
ippnes are concerned we hold them in
our own hands. As far as Cuba is con-
cerned she is open to many kinds of
intrigue both European and South
American, and threatens to be a seri-
Gus thorn right under the sole of our