The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-30
Women Teachers in the Philippines
Subjected to Hardships.
FOOD is BAD; ISOLATION AWFUL
G. H. Holden, Familiar With Insular
Conditions, Thinks Women should
Never Have Been Sent.

G.. H. Holden, of 1916 Park avenue who
is thoroughly conversant with social, po-
litical and industrial life in the Philip
pines, says the government has made a
grave mistake in sending young women
to teach school in the islands. While
denouncing the assignment of women
teachers to Luzon as an outrage, Mr.. Hol-
den does not wish to assume the role of
critic. Somebody. he says, has made an
egregious blunder which will be soon per-
ceived.
No sane man, In Mr.. Holden's opinion,
would think of sending defenseless 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 men or white women of her
own nationality. She would not even
even if she could understand their Ian
guage. She would have no bed, for the
.Filipinos do not know what bed is, ex-
cept 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, graduate Of the Minnesota uni
versity, spent five months in the Philip
pines recently. It was Mr.. Holden's sec
ond trip to that far-away country, and
| was undertaken for the purpose of inyes-
tigating the lumber and sugar interests.
He had many other business ventures in
mind, if conditions struck him favorably,
one being the construction Of an electric
railway to be utilized in getting hemp
from interior villages to market, but the
islands are not yet ready for such enter
prises. @
t'I have been induced to free my mind
| on the subject of women school teachers
! in the Philippines" said Mr.. Holden, ''for
the reason that SO many of my friends
who have daughters anxious to teach in
the islands have importuned me to tell
them what think about It,. think il
an outrage that young women should be
! sent to the islands at all, whoever Is re-
| sponsible for it. It is bad enough for
men teachers, but what young woman
would do in native village containing
several hundred Filipinos and only two
! American soldiers, as I found in one
place, I don't know. She might as vel
be buried alive. She would not even have
a bed to sleep in, unless she took one
with her And 1 don't know what she
would eat, certainly not the stuff that the
Filipinos devour with satisfaction, stewet
grasshoppers and other delicacies. I'm
less the young woman could have food fur.
nished her by the cOmmissary department
of the government, she would starve tt
death. Mr.. Squires and myself would Ger:
tainly have passed over had it not beer
for the kindness Of the commissary Off
GERS in let ting us have provisions.
1--WE studied the islands carefully ant
got into the heart of the country. We
were afforded every facility for exploring
and Investigating although most of ou
time was spent in Luzon. From thor.
ough knowledge of the conditions existinf
in the towns and villages out Of Manila
| we know what a young woman might ex
nect In the WaV Of nd films -,
/ them. She would be thousand time!
America q
I'm in favor of educating the Filipino
but the school books should be handled BY
! men. I think we ought to retain the
islands, and l. am with the government
but we must not send our girls there.
"The Chinaman is the big man in the
east. FIe is the fellow who can accom-
| plish something in the Philippines.
4 found John Chinaman bright individual
in the islands, quick, eager to learn an
out chasing the shiftless Filipino a
every point
Mr.. Holden is at a loss to account fo1
the lack of information which induced tn
recommendation that lady teachers SHOULD
shed their softening influence on the Fill
/ pinos. 1T is easy said Mr.. Holden, st,
take trip around the islands on a mic.
4 boat equipped with all modern comforts
The inspector, who is to recommend benz
f1cent things for the natives can view tn
4 little towns nesting along the coast, ant
picture in his mind the civilizing in
! fluences flowing out from the teachings O
] noble young women on an oppressed AM
down trodden people. The thought i
beautiful, but let him go ashore and pen
citrate into the interior. He will fin
enough to make him hurry back to hi
shin -