Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-07-13
A CARGO OF TEACHERS
Transport Thomas viii Sail with
Many School Ma'ams
TO TEACH THE FlLlPlNoS.

portaton to San francisco, Then Sends
Them 10 Manila Thousand
Persons to be Selected and List
Already Half Filled,
Within the next few days process
sion of several hundred men and wo
men will be hurrying across the con-
unent. Their destination will be the
Philippine Islands, where they are TO
teach the little Filipinos the A 3 q
of the English language. The trans
port Thomas has been many times
across the Pacific, but never has it
carried human cargo of educators.
When it leaves San Francisco on the
23rd of this month it will have pas
senger list or about six hundred souls,
nearly every one OF whom has been a
teacher in this country, and who
now proposes to spend the next three
years under tropical sun, sur
rounded by children of yellow skin.
The school teachers for the Phil
ilpines are being generously treated
by the government. They are given
transportation across the continent to
San Francisco, including their sleep
ping car fare, and they are also to be
carried across the Pacific without
expense. More than this, they are
allowed to take with them any MEM
Der of their families who may desire
to make the trip, although these adj
ditional members OF the party must
provide their own transportation to
San Francisco, the government car
rying them from that port to Manila
free of charge. There will be on the
Thomas. therefore, quite number
of relatives Of teachers. Up to the
present time. al arrangements have been
made on the vessel for $40 men and
ITO women, including school teachers
land members Of their families.
The paw to be given the school
teachers ranges from S15 TO $l25 a
month. in gold, which IL worth twice
as much as native silver. The only
qualifications REQUIRED are these;
Applicants must be either normal
or college graduates.
They must have several years ssuc-
cessful experience in school work and
be now engaged in teaching.
They must be physically sound and
able to Withstand tronical climate.
and willing to accept whatever loca-
tion may be assigned to them by the
! general superintendent Of edrcHtiOD.
1 Even these rules are not strictly
adhered to, so far as being normal or
college graduates or present work OF
teaching is concerned. for MANY OF
the leading educators of the country
have selected persons who do not i'll
these requirements and are yet con
sidered admirably adapted to the
duties which will be required Of
them.
The teachers are not even required
to possess knowledge of Spanish, be-
cause it is the intention Of the author
titles in the Philippines to bring up the
little Filipinos in the knowledge OF
English. 1t is to be hoped that event
uallv English language will snpplant
Spanish, although it is realized that
this work will be tedious one.
There is no preliminary examina-
ton for teachers to undergo, the re-
communication of the College faculty
or school superintendent being re-
garded as sufiiient evidence of the NOR
ality, apathy. and health of the appli-
cant.
One of the interesting details Of the
proposed sheme of education in the
| Philippines is the care which is taken
not to mix religion with public school
instruction.
Religious instruction Is, however,
not to be ignored entirely. Priests
or ministers are to be allowed to teach
religion for one-half hour three times
a week in school building TO those
pupils whose parents or guardians de-
sire it and who express their desire
i'll writing
Primers will be the principal books
from which the school teachers will
give their lessons. They are such
books as would be used here in the
lowest grades. The old familiar sem
fences, like This is cat, !" will be
painfully spelled out in the little Fill
ipinos schoolhouses, just as they are
in this country.