The Washington times., 1901-07-15
THE TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES.
All Arrangements for the Teachers
to Sail July 23.

Il
All arrangements have been completed
Tor the sailing on the transport Thomas
from San Francisco for Manila on July
| - of the largest party of school teachers
that ever left their country for foreign
shores. The party will embrace the first
large assignment of teachers for duty in
| the Philippines. and are to be sent in
pursuance of the policy of the Govern
ment to implant American ideas and in
sututions in the far off possessions in
! the most practical way and with the
utmost celerity. One thousand teachers
have been called for by Prof. Atkinson.
superintendent of education i'll the ISL
ands. and $40 will sail on the Thomas.
The party will be $50 strong, the other
twenty being the wives and children or
other dependents of the teachers. for
whom the Government is providing free
transportation. OF the teachers, 10 are
women and 80 are men The salaries to
be paid to theia by the Government
range from $500 to 81, 500 in American gold,
which represents twice that amount in
the Philippines,
Col. Clarence Edwards, Chief of the
Insular Bureau3of the War Department.
is pushing the arrangements with all pos
sible speed for the departure of the party
already made up, and is anxious TO COM
plete the quota of teachers called for at
the earliest possible date. To do this an
extra force of clerks has been employed
in his bureau, and even then the force is
compelled to work overtime. The teach
ers are expected to instruct their pupils
in English. They are being drawn from
every State and Territory in the Union.
under system devised by Superintendent
Atkinson. Through the lnsular Bureau
he has caused invitations to be sent to
representative educators and educational
institutions in all parts of the United
States requesting them to recommend ca
pable ana experienced persons for this
service. Applicants who come before Colo
mel Edwards thus endorsed receive places
without further investigation, and the
Government makes contracts with them
for three years. Those who endorse APP
plicants also youch for their moral char
acter and their efficiency and adaptability
to the work. The rate of pay will be gov
erned largely by the recommendations of
those who vouch for the teachers. 1t is
understood that no applicants are accept
ed unless they are graduates of some
university, college, or normal school. or
have some peculiar qualification which
has caused them to be strongly recon-
mended by competent persons. AT the In
sular Bureau it is said that less than
per cent of the teachers thus far selected
have not had the advantages of a col
lege or normal school education. If they
choose to do so, married teachers will
be permitted to take their families with
them.
The work of forwarding the teachers
will proceed as rapidly as possible. even
after the Thomas has sailed so that Gov
ernor Tafts task of establishing civil rule
in the archipelago can be rendered all the
easier and expedited as much as possible
through the aid OF educational influences
Only forty-eight American teachers thus
far have been set TO work in the Philip
pines but by Dr;.ember it is hoped to
have in operation the whole educational
system which has been planned for the
islands with great care by experts. The
indian Office has co-operated with thu
War Department in securing some excel
lent material, and already six of the best
teachers in the Indian Service have ac-
cepted places in the Philippines. They
have been selected in the belief that their
experience with the red men of the West
peculiarly fits them to deal with the ma
tfves of the Philippines.
Few of the teachers chosen have a
knowledge of Spanish, although 1t is be-
lieved they will acquire the language af-
ter a short residence in the Philippines.
AS they are expected to teach English.
most of their work will be with children,
and necessarily VIII pe largely element
airy. AT the Insular Bureau sample Of
the textbooks that NAV be used in the
Philippines is on exhibition. 1t contains
a 1000 word history Of the United States,
the Constitution, the Declaration of In
dependence, and a map of the country.
The pages are printed alternately in En-
glish and Spanish.