The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-08-29
SCHOOLS WELL SUPPLIED.
Almost the Full Quota of Teachers
Ras Been Secured From the
United States.

The division of insular affairs, war
depart ment, has received the annual
report of Prof. Fred w. Atkinson,
the general superintendent of public
instruction for the Philippines, which
covers the time from the enactment
Of the Philippine school law to the
close of the last fiscal year, June 80,
1901. The school law mentioned au-
thorized the appointment from the
United States of ! 900 school teachers,
Of whom Prof. Atkinson says 7S1
have been appointed. There was no
scarcity of material from which to
make the selection, more than 5000
personal written applications having
been filed.
Speaking of the general conditions,
Prof Atkinson said: "The Great pres
ent need is that of adequate and
suitable school buildings. Present
school buildings consist, generally, of
one or two large rooms with several
teachers carrying on work in each
room. These rooms are everywhere
overcrowded and many have no win
dows or floors. Sometimes one teach
er has one to two hundred pupils"
The education of girls has not been
| thought as important as that of boys
but wherever school for boys is es-
tablished it will be the policy to es-
tablish one for girls. 1t has been
planned to conduct the teachers in
stitu,cs in all the provinces at an
early date. Evening schools have
been established where practicable,
arousing great interest upon the part
Of the people. One high school at the
capital of each province will be estab-
| lished in 1902
DR.. Barrows, city superintendent of
schools of Manila. reports first six
months of his work: "The most sig
|
nilicant change is that which has
taken place in the attitude of the Fill
pno teachers. In December the plan
as adopted of having the teachers in
English devote at least a half hour of
the forenoon to instruction of the Fill
pino teachers and at the same time
the announcement was made that very
shortly Spanish, as a medium of in
strnction, would be abandoned. With
very few exceptions. the teachers ac-
cepted the proposed change of Ian
guage and their attitude has now be-
come one of real eagerness for the
adoption of English. They have also
SO far progressed in their knowledge
of English that it would be possible,
with the opening of school in June
Q9oD to use only English. Almost
without exception, our teachers are
becoming appreciably more loyal to
their work and more conscientious in
its discharge.
THE question of religious instruc-
ton in the schools has also been set
tied and without friction or any loss
in the attendance Off pupils. Upon re-
ceipt of an official copy of act No. "a
? OF the Philippine commission, which
forbids any religious instruction by
the teachers a comprehensive order
was issued forbiddlng the practice OF
religious devotiOns or their employ
mcnt as means of punishment. the dis
r continuance of all teaching of the
, catechism or religious doctrine, and
the removal from the school of all
books containing snch matter, and re
moval from school rooms of all reli
1 gious figures, emblems. placards, etc
r These orders were in every case com
piled with. There is no protest from
, either parents or teachers, and as
above stated, no diminuition in the at
tendance, the school year closing with
the largest attendance in the histor,
S of these public schools To many OF
y the teachers the change was appar
c emily welcome"
81: