Evening star., 1901-04-23
Report Made by Representatives Of
Missionary Association.
NECESSITY FOR HIGH GRADE SCHOOLS
Capital Awaits Decision in Case
Before Supreme Court.
WORK OF THE CHURCHES

Porto Rico to investigate the condition of
missionary and educational work thus far
established there by Americans, and the op
pOrtunites for it's future development This
deputation consisted of Rev. DR.. Beard
senior secretary of the association, and Rev.
e. S. Tead, a member of the executive
committee. Their report of the trip, which,
it is understood, will be laid before the an
| nual meeting Of the association shortly to
be held in Boston, is follows:
Porto Rico interests the visitor in many
ways, but the chief attraction is the peo-
pie, who present the spectacle of a race
| confronting some of the fundamental prob
lens of existence and the bewilderments of
civilization enjoyed by other people for
centuries. A new light has appeared above
their horizon and they are asking, What
does it mean for US? Strangers from an
other civilization walk their streets, peer
into their houses and stand in their market
places looking with eager interest on the
strange sights. The calm assurance and
quiet self-confdence Of the American, to-
gether with his manifest sympathy with
every attempt to acquire the new forms
and customs of the states, is new expert
ence for the Islander He realizes that
something unusual has Instead of
the haughtiness of bearing of his old-time
oppTeSSOrs, he finds conciliation friend}i-
ness and disposition to help him find him
self in his conditions. He does not
fall readily into the ways of self-help nor
into the processes OF self-government.
Composite Race.
The Porto Rican is a composite. When
the Spaniard came to the island 400 years
ago he found a race of Indians. He min
sied his blood with theirs, resulting in the
Mestzo, who is thus part Indian and part
Spanfard He has straight black hair often
high cheek bones and a yellow, almost
white skin. Soon the Spaniard discovered
that in crushing out the Indian he was kill
ing the goose that laid the golden egg Be-
ing too proud to work he imported negroes,
which accounts for their presence in the
island today. There are over 5000 of
them. The third class consists of the Span
lard and their descendants Although there
are nearly one million Inhabitants, yet the
pl operty is practically in the hands of
10000 persons.
Since 1895. when the agitation in Cuba
began. times have been bad and many Of
the planters withdrew land from cultva-
ton, so that at present one acre in four is
productive This threw a large number of
people out of employment The terrible
hurricane last August swept away sl3O00,-
900 in a single afternoon.
American capital hesitates to go into the
island until it's status shall be determined
by the decision of the United States Su-
preme Court. When this comes wealth and
enterprise from the states will work wOn-
which are delicious. are not seen in our
markets. The orange tree now grows wild.
though beginning is being made in its
proper cultivation. Most of the coffee goes
to France and Spain.
Widespread poverty is evident there. In
some places it is great and forced upon
your attention at every turn. The market
places show it, for all commodities such
as articles of food, sold in the smallest
quantities. A squash is cut up into small
pieces, an inch square. Meat is sold in
little blocks for few pennies. Small piles
of beans and peas and potatoes, small
baskets of smaller tomatoes, little messes
of green's invite purchase of the poor wo-
man., who haggles over the price of her
comida or dinner. This bit of meat, with
the vegetables. is taken home and made
up into delicious soup over Il little braZier
of charcoal in the open court of the big
house in which she has a room or two for
her family. Many of the smallest children
go naked. One garment apiece serves for
the older children and often for the grown
up mother and daughter The father, when
he can get work, earns 80 cents a day as
farm hand, or 30 cents if he is boss or
dray
Shacks Homes.
In the country districts the people live in
one-room shacks, built with a few poles
covered on the sides with the bark from
the royal palm tree, and the roof thatched
with punches Of grass tied together with
strings of palm bark. There are often no
chair, table, stove or beds within. but a
hammock swung from the roof. This
shack contains one sometimes two, or
even three families, and the floor at night
is covered with sleeping men. women and
children, lying fiat, without pillow or COW
ering.
In some of the towns where the greatest
poverty exists Spaniards reside who
worth all the way from 100000 to $l,oo0,-
900, but they are not touched by this con-
dition Of the poor nor are efforts made to
al
and In some of the stores little baskets of
coppers on the shelf hold the amount
which the merchant intends to dispense
that day. All sorts Of bodily deformties
and diseases are displayed by these beg
gars such blindness, twisted feet,
dropsy, sores on the back, bruised legs,
paralysis, women carried in carts or hob
bling along on their launches, or men
seated by the wayside holding up manned
limb and begging for a -pittance.
The need of the island is general hos
pital, equipped with modern appliances.
Here is a chance for some benevolently
disposed individual to build an institution
that would do vast amount of good. A
hospital could be built and equipped at a
comparatively small expense. Miss Atkins,
connected with the Presbyterian mission
of San Juan, has twenty-five to forty calls
a day from patients who need hospital
treatment many Of whose lives are lost
because Of the lack of it.
The education Of the people Is receiving
the careful consideration OF the authorizes.
DR.. Brumbaugh, the commissioner OF edit
cation, Is working night and day on this
pressing problem. At present 10000 chill
dren are in the public schools. but 100000
remain as yet unprovided for. There are
500 teachers about ninety Of whom are
from the United States. Both Spanish and
English are taught and the children are
quick and eager to learn. There is no high,
normal Industrial school or college in the
island though Fajardo has raised $4,000
for a normal school. Sixteen school In
spectors are in the saddle visiting the diff
ferent sections Of the island, and their SER
vices are much needed to keep the native
teachers to their tasks, which, sometimes,
they are disposed to shirk.
Religion Is not allowed a place on the
curriculum for reasons which are satis-
factory to the authorities There is wide
spread desire to learn English and at Lares
the clerks in the stores meet Professor
Scott in the night school that he has open
ed to study the language.
On Educational Lines.
The Presbyterian mission under the wise
generalship OF Rev DR.. John NJ. Green,