The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-20
BAD LITTLE FILIPIN0S.
An American Teachers Experience
with MischievOus Pupils.

Columbia Is. c. Dispatch.
According to Mr.. r. d. Epps. of this
State. a college graduate. now conducting
the school at Binan, Laguna Province
Philippines. the most radical change made
by the American teacher is in the mode of
punishment. Native teachers have made
the boys undergo torture, hi they pinch
the girls upon parts OF the body which the
native costumes render accessible.
ITO write intelligently of the Philippine
school is out Of the question: says Mr..
Epps. in a letter. Il nave just been read
ing a little book, which describes forty
seven distinct tribes who live in these
islands, and there are doubtless others
never visited by a white man. Each tribe
has its own dialect. customs and peculiar
tiles; hence schools adapted to the needs
of one section might be quite unsuitable
in a town a few miles away"
The Spanish method of making all the
children study at the top of their voices
is here described. Continuing, Mr.. Epps
says: THE children here are certainly full
of mischief. though I am told in other parts
of this province they are easily managed.
One native teacher decided not 10 worry
about discipline, so she built a large pen
in the yard and into this she put all the
children, allowing the classes to crawl
through a crack when wanted for recita-
ton.
Many biographies distributed through
out the islands represents Spain as the
largest country on the map. and ii is almost
impossible to change this false impression.
Many of the native teachers return the new
maps and books. saying they were all
wrong. as the United States was made to
appear larger than the Philippines and even
Spain. In view of this it is a task TO try
to teach our language and methods. but ii
is already a partial success. There are
probably twenty young men and women In
this town who have already learned enough
English to carry on a fair conversation.
while hundreds of children have made such
progress that it is very little trouble 10
make them understand and answer ques-
tiOns in short sentences.
THE native teachers are cruel In their
ways of punishment. The boys are some
times made TO kneeI and hold their arms
horizontally in front OF the body until they
are exhausted. At other times they have
their ears twisted or are logged with bam-
boo canes.
THE female teachers usually punish their
pupils by pinching, and pinching is a seri-
Gus matter with the average girl, who
wears absolutely nothing but the thickness
of gauze or mosquito netting, and especial
ly so when the pinch is applied even beneath
this slight protection. 1t is not a refined
torture, of course. The Americans abolish
such methods and invent new ones.
1T remains TO be seen whether We car
teach them to be honest and truthful. Al
present they do not possess these virtues
/ believe they really love to lie. and they
often do so without any apparent cause.
1T has so far been impossible to have
regular attendance. There are no laws Il
force it and the parents do not seem to care
anything about it. 1t is a common thing
to ask why a certain boy is absent and re.
ceive the answer. He fly de kite and spin
de top