Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-07
Public Opinion on Iowa Subjects
as Reflected in the Iowa
Newspapers.
The News Of Iowa From Hun.
dreds Of Differeut Towns
and Communities.
IOWA TEACHER IN PHILIPPINES
TFontanelle Observer

IOWA TEACHER IN PHILIPPINES.
[Fontanelle Observer
Letters have recently been received
from Miss Mae Frurote. who is one
among the eniightening forces OF civili-
cation in the Philippines. She is sta
toned at Laoag Ilocos Notre, on the is
land of Luzon. and began school work
the first of October. Its location is not
known but che writes that in the event
Of trouble 1t would take three days to
get word to Manila. She writes: "One
of these schools out here is enough to
drive teacher raving distracted. Ev-
cry child talks or studies at the top OF
its voice, and the native teachers rave
and shout. and that is all there Is of 1t.
Some Of the native teachers know lit
tie and some don't. My three are pretty
good, comparatively. The man at the
west side is very good, but he has 40
boys in crowded room. Nothing but
bamboo benches and bowling mob.
They are the worst children on earth
anyway. These people would shock an
Indian village speechless. have class
OF large girls at the central school and
they are not SO bad. The western
school, where have charge OF two
teachers, is q caution They can speak
neither English or Spanish and the
teachers do not seem to know much
more. The idea that the children seem
to have is that they must repeat all the
teacher gays. say what is this?' and
they say 'vo. ish dis?' It is killing.
There is one email blackboard out 1T
that school and the poor little sinners sit
up on high bamboo benches with their
feet dangling or. The house is bamboo
with woven bamboo partition, the most
picturesque place imaginable, but not
particularly conducive to school work.
The schools. like everything else under
Spanish rule, were in the fifteenth CEN
fury. We are getting along quite well.
I have just been having very animat-
ed conversation with my landlady, who
speaks six words In Spanish and speak
twelve. She speaks Ilocano fuently.
The boys offered me an after-dinner
cigar Gas all the ladies smoke here) and
in declining / explained to them that
only the women Of the provinces Of
Missouri and Arkansas smoke in the
States. The island schools are very
much in the embryo state as yet. Our
schools are In session from to 10 a.
m., 3 to p. M. and teach aagin from
s to in night school, We have school
every day except Thursday afternoon.
but think ne will soon change that
and have but Ave days in the week.
fear these people are not to be trusted
yet. They have too many Spanish no.
tions and have not the slightest objec-
tions to fighting in revolt Just for the
fun Of It. That is speaking OF the Taga-
logs Ilocanos are much better and
auieter. My two teachers in the central
schools are the Observation-Disclosures Of
padre. The great-grandmother was
an Agcoila, one OF the leading families
o fthe province. She had power enough
with the padre to oppress the people so
much that they arose and killed her and
cut of her legs and arms and nailed
them to the church door, starting the
first Ilocano revolt. How is that for
family history