The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-17
OUR PHILIPPINE PROBLEM.

OOk FEkILlPklIsLs ENS0Lk-tus
A. g CnInuhnun's new hook an the
Mastery of the Pacific has chapter on
the American attempt. in the Far East,
to carry a part of the white mans bur
den, which will be read with keen in
terest both in Great Britain and Ameri-
ca The author insists, as we are glad
to see, that no such problem has ever
presented itself to Great Britain or any
other coIonizing power as that which
confronts the United States in the
Philippines" He points out that the
essential requirement is to fit the Fill
pino character for the administration
of American democracy. This involves
the forced adaptation of a political sys-
tenn to absolutely repugnant conditions.
As studied by Mr.. Colquhoun, the Fill
pino lacks certain civic essentials with
out which state cannot stand. Thus,
he has no public spirit in the wide
sense. The peasant will follow
personal leader, but not from
patriotism. Brave and reckless when
properly led, bright and hospitabie in
his private relations, he lacks the spirit
that YIELDS together people into
collectively his characteristic is Jun
trustworthiness. added to the power of
deceiving the most vigilant." He is a
half-civilized, clever, irresponsible child,
who has warped ideas of right and
wrong; he is never honest, as we count
that virtue, never truthful. and never
lay is the LATEST of Orientals. and the
Filipino is not the least lazy of Malays."
Mr. Foreman, the highest authority, de-
clares: 1.-THE best of the natives neither
appreciate, are grateful for, nor seem
to understand a spontaneous gift.
Mr.. Colquhoun does not concede his
suits of centuries of struggle and prog
ress las found in Americal ready-made
upon the half-fedged Filipino IF the
little brown brother were altogether
simple and amenable, the danger would
be less, though still considerable" IF
unnaturally stimulated, he may grow
up into a Frankenstein." He frankly
insists that the introduction of modern
education to overcome at one stroke for
the next generation the evil tendencies
of the Filipino, half hereditary and half
because, beautiful as is the theory, "it
involves an entire subversion of the
laws of nature" for the education
which creates character cannot be
crammed in few years" He foresees
there, wiz be let loose "a mass of half
conceited natives =. who
will turn their attention to promulga-
ton of sedition or equally undesirable
practices" and cites India in illustra-
ton. He by no means deprecates edu-
cation, but looks with favor upon eff
forts in that direction, provided too
much reliance is not placed upon it;
and he urges, as a sine qua non, that
the civil service should be pure, firm,
and intelligent from top to bottom In
as a system of quasi-indepen-
dence, which he does not approve, has
been instituted, his final advice, as one
who sas seen a good deal of govern
ment, in Oriental countries, is to <in-
terfere as little as possible with the
customs, prejudices, and religion of the
Filipinos. and to keep tight hold"
That America may relinquish the ISL
ands does not seem to occur to him as
possible.
The gfst of the advice is not to try
and make Americans of the F'ilipinos.
who are not built that way" but to
let them remain Filipinos under the
strong hand of American sovereignty. |
This means. of course, the colonial sys-
tenn and although that is somewhat adj
verse to our national traditions it is |
better than to vitiate our Anglo Saxon |
life currents with a vast infusion of |
Malaysian blood. We have all the mix |
lures now that we can stand.
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