News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-08-05
Interesting Lecture in MOrrisviIIe by
M. 6. Stone.


The lecture by Hon. Mason S.
Stone at the Cong'l church last
Thursday evening drew a large audi
ence and was an important feature
of the Summer School. The speaker
was introduced by Prof. Beebe. Mr..
Stones recent experience in educa-
tional work in the Philippines fur
nished an opportunity for wide obser-
walton and the lecture was replete
with interesting information given
in a most entertaining manner.
Following is synopsis of the adj
dress
Magellan never saw this archipel-
ago, as has been claimed by the
Spanish, but a Portuguese first dis
covered the island Of Manila in 1870.
The next year, because of its COM
handing position. it was established
as the capital and walls, streets and
plazas were laid out and council
for the administration ofjustice was
formed. The old city or wall city is
much less in area than the city as
whole to-day and is occupied by the
merchants and offices. The Chinese
occupy a place in the land even to
the most remote and secluded cor
ners. Trade is almost entirely in
their hands and has been since their
settlement there, because the Filipino
is too indolent to be anything more
than a laborer in the field.
During the $50 years of Spanish
rule the island was a scene of war,
rebellion and bloodshed. The tribes
of the island have entered into sew
eral great rebellions. The first oc-
Cured in 1854. but the rebellion OF
1896 is the more nearly connected
with us. At that time an organiza-
ton of about 10000 was formed
against the Spanish. The govern
ment of Spain learned of this upris-
ing and endeavored to capture the
leaders and 100000 was given
them to disband. The uprising con-
tinued, however, and the outcome is
still fresh in the memory of everyone.
| The work for the civilized American
soldier in the islands of thsu- Philip
pines cannot be comprehes ~ by us.
Military maneuvring was almost
impossible, as there were no open
roads or open fields and the natives
fight with the deadly bolo and keep
in ambush, where they can spring
upon their foe, deal the deadly blow,
and then escape unframed. For a
civilized soldier to adjust himself to
these conditions was almost an I'M
possibility. 1t became necessary to
torture the captives in order to OBJ
tain information.
The land of theislands would cover
an area about equal to Japan. The
islands number in all, from the small
est to the largest, about 1900.
There are no general mountain sys
TENS or high peaks, but some of them
rise as many as 5000 or 10000 feet
above the sea. There are eleven vol
canoes, the highest being about g.
900 feet above the level of the sea.
Not all of them are active.
There is little to say in regard to
the climate, as so many accounts
have already been printed, but the
average temperature is from So de-
grees to 90. The suffering in the is
lands from contagious diseases is
very great.
The land in some localities is very
productive tor sugar cane and rice,
in fact the richest rice land in the
world is there, bnt the inhabitants
are too indolent to cultivate it. The
Filipinos in some localities seem to
be more ready to die than to strive
to gain something to eat.
There are eighty different tribes in
the islands and they speak as many
different languages. This fact may
help us to understand why there is
so little unity among the inhabit-
ants. The natives live mainly out of
doors, the house merely being a sleep
ing abode. Mentally, these people
are able to remember or disremem-
Der, as they see fit. They have a
great faculty for remembering for
eign words, but forget the simplest
problems in mathematics very easily.
By nature, these people have very
little sense of honor, which is one of
the greatest disadvantages to the
work being done among them by the
teachers, but the teachers are doing
magnificent work and through their
agency great work will be accom-
plished in the islands of the Philip
pines.
| Finds Them Useful.
"She>approves of chaperons."