The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-03-14
TEACHING IN THE PHILIPPINES,
Difficulties ~Encountered by Americans
Girls No Longer TO lie Pinched.


Girls No Longer TO lie Pinched.
COLUMBIA, 8. O.. March 13.-American
teachers in the Philippines are making
progress. although finding native customs
somewhat hard TO overcome. According
TO r. D. Eppes Of this Stnte, who Is now
conducting the school at Binan, Laguna
province, the most radical change made
by Americans Is In the method Of punish
ment. Native teachers have made tho
boys undergo various fortunes as a pun
ishment, while they pinch the girls upon
parts Of the body which the native COS
tunes rendered accessible.
-To write ~intelligently Of the Philippine
schools Is out Of the question: says Mr..
Eppes, in writing home to a friend. Il havo
just been reading A little book which
describes forty-seven distinct rib who
live In these islands, and there are doubt
less others never visited by a white man.
Each tribe has it's own dialect, customs
and peculiarities; hence schools adapted
TO the needs Of one section might DO quite
unsuitable In a town a few miles away
Tho Spanish method Of making all the
children study at the top OF their voices
is here described. Continuing, Mr.. Eppes
says:
The children here are certainly full OF
mischief, though l I'M told that in other
parts of this province they are easily man
aged. One native teacher decided not to
worry about discipline. So she built a
large pen in the yard and in this she con-
fined all the children, allowing the classes
TO crawl through a crack as wanted.
MANY biographies distributed throughout
A. ia -I. Onatn M. tho laruaat
country on the map, and II is almost impos-
sible to change this false impression. Many
Of the native teachers returned our maps
and books. saying they were all wrong,
as the United States was made 10 appear
larger than the Philippines or even Spain.
"In view Of this il is a task to try TO teach
our language and methods, but it is already
a partial success. There are probably
twenty young men n women in this town
who have learned already enough English
to carry on a fair conversation, while hun
dreds Of children ave made such progress
that il is very little trouble to make them
understand md answer questions In short
sentences.
The native teachers are cruel in their
ways Of punishment. The boys are some
times made TO kneel 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
bamboo canes.
The female teachers usually punish
their pupils by pinohing. And pinching Is
a serious matter TO the average girl. who
wears absolutely nothing but one thick
ness OF gauze or mosquito netting, and es-
pecially so when the pinch is applied be-
meath even this slight protection. 1t is
not a refined torture. OF course. the Ameri-
cans abolish such m~ethods-and invent
new ones,
1T remains to be seen whether we can
teach them to be honest and truthful. AT
present they do not possess these virtues.
/ believe they really love to lie, and they
often do so without any apparent cause.
IL has so far been impossible to have
regular attendance. There are no laws
TO force it, and the parents do not seem to
care anything about it. 1t is a oommon
thing TO ask why a certain boy La absent
and receive the answer He ply de kite
an spin de top