The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-02-07
THEIR LOT is HARD.
Women Teachers in the Philippines
Subjected to Hardships.
Minneapolis Journal:

Minneapolis Journal:
g, II. Holden of 1916 Park avenue,
who is thoroughly conversant with
social, political and industrial life IN
the Philippines, says the government
has made a grave mistake in sending
young women to teach school 10 the
islands While denouncing the as
signment of women teachers to Luzon
as an outrage, Mr.. Holden does not
wish to assume the role of critic.
Somebody, he says, has made an eyre
gious blunder which will soon be per-
ceived.
No sane man, in Mr.. Holden 8
opinion. would think of sending de-
fenseless young women into towns
where they would stand alone against
the natives. A young woman teacher
in one of the coast towns, for example,
would be completely isolated from
white man or white women OF her
own nationality. She would not even
have foreigners to keep her company,
even if she could understand their
language. She would have no bed, FOR
the Flipinos do not know what bed
is, except a place to sleep on the
ground. She might meet an American
officer and his wife, but that would be
all.
Mr.. Holden, in company with Roy
L. Squires, a graduate of Minnesota
university, spent five months In the
Philippines recently. 1t was Mr..
Holden second trip to that far-away
country. and was undertaken for the
purpose of investigating the lumber
and sugar interests. He had many
other business ventures in mind, IL
conditions struck him favorably, ont
being the construction of an electric
railway to be utilized in getting hemp
from interior villages to market, bu
the islands are not yet ready for suct
enterprises.
81 have been induced to free N.
mind on the subject of women schoo
teachers in the Philippines, said Mr.
/ Holden, "for the reason that so many
OF my friends WAC have daughter
! anxious to teach in the islands hav
importuned me to tell them what
think about it. | think it an outrag
that young women should be sent t
the islands at all, whoever is respon
sible for it. It is bad enough for me-
teachers, but what a young woma
would do in a native village contain
inc several hundred Fiiipinos and onl
two American soldiers, as | found
} one place, / don't know. She Nigh
} as well be buried alive. She woul
potreven have bed to sleep in, unles
she took one with her. And | don
J know what she would eat, certainl
not the stuff that the Filipinos devon
, with satisfaction, stewed grasshoppe1
| and other delicacies. Unless the youn
7 woman could have food furnished he
) by the commissary department OF tn
government, she would starve to deatl
Mr.. Squires and myself would ce
tainly have passed over had 1t NJ
6 been for the kindness of the commit
sary officers in letting US have prov
sions.
!, "We studied the islands CAREFUL
~ ;-te the bn-- ea:,:.
ploring and investigating althoug
, most of our time was spent in LUXOR
, From thorough knowledge of Il
> conditions existing in the towns an
, villages out of Manila, we know VIII
;, a young woman might expect in tt
, way of accommodations in then
She would be a thousand times bett,
off in one of the Indian schools
, America.
"I'm in favor of educating the Fill
pino, but the school books should
handled by men. think we ought
retain the islands, and am with I'll
, government, but we must''not send OF
, girls there.
"The Ckinaman is the big man j
the east. He is the fellow who ca
accomplish something in the Philip
pines I found John Chinaman
bright individual in the island
quick, eager to learn and out-classin
the shiftiess Filipino at every point.
Mr.. Holden is at loss to accou1
for the lack of information which il
duced the recommendation that lad
teachers should shed their softenin
influence on the Filipinos. SIT
easy said Mr.. Holden, ''to take
trip around the islands on a nice bos
equipped with all modern comfort
The inspector, who is to recommen
, benifcent things for the natives ca
, view the little towns Nesting ale
the coast, and picture in his mind
civilizing influences flowing out frol
the teachings Of noble yc ng wome
on an oppressed and down-t rodde
people. The thought is beautiful, br
let him go ashore and penetrate int
the interior. He will find enough
make him hurry back to his ship. 7"