Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1902-01-01
PROGRESS IN FAR EAST
Filipinos Beginning TO Learn
to Speak English.
USED BY EEWsB0Ys II MANILA.
Some Infe-estfaE observations hy
Frank VI. Higgins the Results of
Civil Service Examinations In the
Philippines-ReEui OF Salaries
and Privileges In the Service

Civil Service Examinat ions In the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF Salaries
and Privileges In the Service
Frank NJ Higgins Of the Philippine
civil service board, who has returned
% Washington. speaks very interest
incly of the condition of the service in
the islands. says the New York Post
The meri; system has been we'll es
tablished there, but. of course, is sub
ject TO the usual inequalities and crude
nesses of such enterprises in their ex-
perimental stage Both whites and na-
tiyes have been admitted 10 public
employment through the competitive
examinations. The difference between
the races appears most plainly in the
character of work each is naturally
best fitted TO do. The natives are
clever at tasks which are essentially
mechanical. Many of them are skilled
penmen. for instance. and in drafts
manship they excel. but in matters
requiring sound discretion or technical
knowledge they are deficient Their
work of any sort in which precision Is
of chief account has TO be scrutinized
with especial care A pretty good evil
dence of the stage of clerical efficiency
reached by the Filipinos is the record
of the examinations up TO and includ-
ing May 81 of the present year. Or
those natives who applied none passed
the stenographers or typewriter's ex-
animation, though there were five ap
plications for the former and fourteen
for the latter. In bookkeeping there
We're twenty-seven applicants, but
only one passed. and SO Oh In the eX-
aminations corresponding to the basis
examinations in this country, prac-
tically nothing more than the three
RS" g. per cent Of the applicants
passed the lowest grade. 80 per cent
the middle and less than IS per cent
the highest.
All the natives take their eXamina-
lions in Spanish. that language and
English being the only ones used
among the official class in the islands.
The native tongues alone are spoken
by a large majority of the natives.
while the more Intelligent and better
educated know Spanish as we'll In
deed. the only classes of natives who
could be of any use in clerical places
understand Spanish. and most of these
are studying English also with great
industry. All official records and pro
eeedings. of course. are in English.
and our tongue is spreading over the
more fhickiy populated parts of the
islands with such rapidity that the
coming generation. If the Philippines
continue under control of the United
States, will have good practical COM
mand of it. Even the newsboyS now
cry their papers in the streets of Ma
Mia in English. and the natives gen
orally seem TO delight in practicing
their linguistic accomplishments on
any stranger wearing the appearance
of an Americana" albeit all they have
learned to say may be Good morn
ing" or How do you do?" 'fhe fears
entertained in many quarters awhile
ago that the language barrier would
prove an irremediable menace TO the
happy relations of the races seem
therefore to have been groundless.
The more ambitious natives. al
though taking their examinations in
Spanish and often making pretty bad
fist of them. are willing TO work hard
to get ahead and attend diligently
the night schools established to pre-
pare candidates for government EN-
ploy. Thus far ii has been imprac
ticable to appoint even the best of
them to clerical positions of RESPONSE
bility. The lower places. however
which they are competent TO fill. EN-
brace, including laborers. about four
f1fths of the whole number. The pay
and privileges in the civil service at
large are graded according to the re-
spective importance of the places
This is what makes the natives ap
pear to suffer so by competition with
the whites; but the reason offered for
this discrimination is that the white
clerk cannot live as the native does
and must pay more for everything
Sometimes the difference seems harsh.
especially when the drop from the
white TO the native salary is very sud
den. Not long ago. for instance. sew
eral ex-Soldiers of the United States
army were called upon to resign places
worth $50 a month TO make room for
native employees at S12-50- To the
native this was a pretty large salary.
the figures under Spanish rule rang
ing from SO upward. But they found
II hard to understand why they should
not have $50 a month like their white
predecessors. Moreover. the discharg
ed men could see no reason why they
should give up their places to natives
who could do the same work no better.
1t was fruitless. perhaps. in their state
Of mind. to try TO make them appre-
ciate the fact that the governments
policy is to use Filipinos in all the
civil branches for which they are COM
petent.
The principle which regulates the
difference in salaries holds good also
in the matter of vacations. Mr.. kig-
gins is of opinion that a white civil
servant who takes care of himself has
ne necessary difficulty in living in the
Philippines He must adapt himself
reasonably TO his environment. and he