River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-03-06
From the Philippines.
Iba, Zambales Province, P. l.,
January 1000

lba, ZambaleS Province, L. l.,
January l, 1902.
DEAR JoURNAL:-I have just read
with much interest your edition of
Nov. IA, which came to hand this
| first day of the new year. | have
been transferred to Zambales Prov
| ince which is a long, narrow, noun
famous province lying on the west
| coast of Luzon, between the China
Sea on the west and the Zambales
mountains on the east. It's south
ern port, Alongapo, is about eight
hours by native steamer north of
| Manila, while it's northern port,
Bolanao, is on the Gulf of Lingayen,
| $50 miles farther to the north.
It's population of 100000 is of
three types. In the southern part is
the Tagalag and Spanish Mestizo,
an able, adaptable, energetic and
| cunning Filipino. In the center is
the Zambalenian, lazy unambi-
tious, tinid, shrinking, Filipino.
In the northern part is the Ilocano,
a more steady, Industrious, consist
ent Filipino. In the province are
some twenty towns from three to ten
thousand, in fourteen of which
American teachers are busy teach
ing English in the day and night
schools and are giving glimpses of
American life, manners and Gus
toms at all times. Iba, the capital,
| Is a coast town Of 4 200 inhabitants,
little south of the center. It's
houses small, rickety, dirty and
close together, are of bamboo and
nipa. It's streets are narrow and
sandy. It's inhabitants are igno-
rant, indo1ent, and probably not
trustworthy. It can be safely said
that not over 20 per cent. of the
population, exclusive of Americans,
can read intelligently an ordinary
newspaper local printed either in
their own or any other language.
Every pueblo has it's school,
Yes; but such SCHOOL, Frequent
ly the buildings are rickety, filthy
shacks where the pupils squat in
rows on the floor. Many Of the
native teachers are ignorant, lazy,
| Indifferent, friend of the Alcalde
or some other official, and know on
| ly few words of English or Span
ish. However, all of the school
houses are not rickety and all of
the native teachers are not indiffer-
ent. There is strong desire on the
part of many to learn English, and
frequently the number of adults in
night classes of pueblo aggregates
more than one hundred.
It is the policy of the Educational
Department to station American
teachers in those towns most friend
1y to the Americans, and wherever
| American teachers have been sta
toned there has been a great change
| for the better. In these pueblos in
competent native teachers have
been exchanged for more competent
ones, and we are often surprised at
the rapid advancement of the young
er pupils, many of whom can al
ready converse with you in ingram
NAUTICAL English.
Life in the Fi1ipines is decidedly
different from life in the States. A
white man here does nothing that
| he can trust his muchacho to do.
When he gets up in the morning his
bath water is ready and his
clothes have been laid out. When
he takes his seat in the dining room
his nuchacho stands at his back to
anticipate his every want. When he
returns in the evening after a long
ride, his bath water is ready, his
pygamas" and "chine1as" are at
hand, and his muchacho is anxious
for his bodily comfort. His greatest
pleasure is perusing his mail after
a steamer has arrived from the
States. Very Sincerely,
CHAS. E. PUTNAM,
Deputy Div. Supt. of Schools,
Zambales Province.