The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-03-26
FAvORS AMERICAN SCHOOL.

FANORS AMERlOAN SOHOOD.
The political student or reader who
takes no note of the deeper develop
ments in the new possessions of the
United States is neglecting a very i'm
portant and extremely interesting field
of American affairs. The news dis
patches from the Philippines, for ex-
ample, of contests with "ladrones, "
and similar events, contain but the
most superficial facts and circum-
stances of the real course Of events in
the oriental regions Of the United
States. The newspapers of that coun-
try are better sc urces of information,
are truer index of progressive
spirit and development along encour-
aging lines than are the dispatches
which furnish the daily news from the
far East. But daily paper of Ma.
Mia is some six weeks old, when it
reaches the far western reader, and by
this circumstance its value and i'm
portance is somt what discounted.
Education, the public school, is the
main agency, in the East as well as
the West, on which dependence is
placed for enlightened and enduring
progress The contest there is between
the public schools and the parochial
schools-the schools of the friars. For
centuries, under the rule of Spain, the
latter had been the only recourse at
home of Filipino youth seeking an
education. Since American posses
sion, the American public school has
come in as the rival of the parochial
school. In a letter to the Manila
American, Bishop Jose Evangelista,
in charge of the diocese of Manila, of
the national Filipino church, endorses
the manifesto of Archbishop Aglepay,
stating the position of the Filipino
church and its recommendation of the
public school system, and urges all the
members to send their children to the
American schools to be educated.
The bishop is convinced that the
hope for united country is the Eng
Iish language, which will be the only
means of communication between the
people speaking different dialects, and
will make intercourse with the United
States and other countries possible. J"
He had observed the progress in Eng
lish in the public schools he had visit
ed, particularly in Manila, where hun
dreds of young men had acquired
enough English to enable them to hold
responsible offices. The inducements
will increase the number learning
English. In few years the language
of the courts will be English, and the
lawyers and clerks to be successful
will have to know English. The peo-
pie are urged to send their children
to the American schools because they
are better taught, and in more useful
subjects. The prelate enforces his
recommendations by reference to the
results of popular education i'll the
States, which furnish the most intelli-
world, and gives practical turn to
his citation by reference TO the famil-
lar industrial facts the United
States, and adds: 1t surely needs no
explanation from me to show that the
same educational system that did this
Tor America will do the same for us,
and that the same friars and their
schools will continue to do as they
have done in the past, which also
needs no explanation.
He demands the entire separation of
church and state, putting the schools
in the hands of the government. and,
referring to the past, for reason, in
part, asks: Why was it that COM
merce was entirely in the hands of
Europeans and Cinnamon? Simply be-
cause our people were kept occupied
with counting the beads of the rosary
and the feast days, while they were
counting the dollars nf profits we
gave them.
Hostility to the friars crops out
here and there through the bishop
letter. They are regarded as the
monopolists of property, education
and spiritual privileges, the enemies
of enlightened progress and every other
thing that is for the real good of the
Filipino people. ave will never again
put the conscience and brains of our
children in the care of the friars, - is
a declaration having a very pro-
nounced strain of the Declaration of
Independence. The leaven of Ameri-
canism is clearly working with q
vigor that in time shall leaven the en-.
tire Filipino lump.