The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-12

they have proven their ability to gov
ern themselves.
In talking of educational advantages
in the Philippines, young Lacson says:
Education in Philippines.
There is hardly problem more diff
cult and more intricate among the in
Vulnerable ones that the government of
the United States has to attend to than
the governing of it's newly acquired col
Onies. This difficulty is greater in the
case of the Philippines than in the rest
of them, not on account of natural
causes, but of causes which have mad
vertently crept into the relations of the
two countries.
The Americans have wrong idea
of the Filipinos and the Filipinos have
a wrong idea of the Americans.
To correct this ought to be the duty
of not only the Filipinos that come here
but also of the Americans that go to
the Philippines.
1t is generally believed that the ma
jority of the Filipinos are without any
education, but if any weight is to be
attached to the testimony of foreign
traVelers-in the Philippines we shall
find that education in the islands is not
far behind that of Europe. We find, for
instance, that Mr.. Robert H. Micking,
in his book. "Reeollections Of Manila
and the Philippines" says: There
are very few Indians who are unable
to read, and l have always observed
that the Manila men serving on board
ships and comprising their crews have
been much oftener able to subscribe
their names to the ships articles than
the British seamen on board of the
same vessels.
Equals Harvard.
Nor has our higher education been
neglected. In 1871 the Colegio Real de
San Jose was founded. In 1921 the. Uni
verslty Of San Ignacio also came into
existence under the auspices of the
Jesuit Fathers. The Dominican friars
established in 1911 the Real Universe
dad de st. Tomas. All these UNIVERSE
ties have existed before Harvard was
rounded, and though they cannot boast
OF one-tenth the number of HARVARD
graduates they can boast that their
graduates can pass any examination
that Harvard ever required.
With this in view can we say that
education in the Philippines has been
sadly neglected, as some claim? To say
SO would be to go against the ire
futable evidence of facts.
But then are We going to say that the
educational system in the Philippines
is perfect and cannot be improved up
on! Neither. Education In the Phil
1pplnes If carried out as it was planned
would nave produced people better
educated and better able to govern
themselves according to the American
standards; but, unfortunately. the dis
honesty Of those in power and some
other causes hindered putting in prac-
tlce the most appropriate system Of
education that could be framed for the
Philippines.
The Old System or the New?
The educational system in the Phil
lpplnes as it was found by the Amer
leans was incomplete on account of the
causes mentioned above But was the
government justified in supplanting the
OLD system by the new American sys-
tenn? No one can tell; the future will
answer. We can only hope that the
system will be modified as soon as
some of its points are found defec-
tive.
Leaving the public schools. let MS
give glance to the colleges and uni
versities. These have been since thew
were founded in the hands of ecclesi-
astieal corporations which have con-
trolled the education in the Philinnines
Among these corporations the most
prominent is that of the Society of
Jesus, commonly known by the. name
OF Jesuits. They were in charge of the
old University of San Ignacio and of
the Royal University of San Jose and
are yet at the head of the Meneo de
Manila. W
1t is owing to their efforts that the
most prominent men in the Philippines
To-Day are able to discharge well the
duties of their positions. The three ma
tive commissioners the chief Justice of
the supreme court. the solicitor general
and many others have all been educat-
ed by the Jesuits. Rial, the great
est man that the Philippines ever pro-
duced, was also educated by them.
Their system was success in the
philippines and all the Filipinos hone
they Will be left to continue their noble
| work.
A