The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-02-13

is the island of Guam. You will find
ii on map Of the Pacific ocean lying
IL that group Of islands to the east
ward Of the Philippines, which are
known as The Ladrones Or the MARI
ana islands. 1t is small island, only
32 miles long and about eight miles
across at its widest part.
In this far-aNay island, fringed With
coral reefs and covered with a dense
tropical vegetation, are 1900 children,
most Of them born the subjects Of the
boy king OF Spain, but all growing up
now under the stars and stripes, says
the Albany Argus.
Before Uncle Sam took possession o1
ne island the children Of Guam just
lolled about and did pretty much as
they pleased. You will see by looking
at the map that the island lies well
within the tropic zone, and conse-
quently the weather there IS always
like warm summer afternoon-one
OF those afternoons in vacation time
when you don't even feel like playing
baseball. but like to swing in . ham
mock under the trees. or take on
your shoes and stockings and go pad
ding in the brook or along the beach
These children may never have ex-
perienced cold day which sent the
blood tingling in their cheeks and
made them step along lively to keep
warm. You could not explain to them
what snow was, or give them an idea
of+he pleasures of a SNOWFALL tight.
II YOU were to tell them Of country
where, in certain months OF the year,
tho water turned solid in the lakes ana
bonds. they would not be able to be-
lieve you, for ice they could not COM
prehend.
Many Of the children went to school
for awhile each year, but when they
Ma learned to read and write they
considered that their education was
hnished. Having learned to read ana
write. the children went out to help
their parents gather the cocoanuts and
dry the meat which Is scooped out ol
the hard she'll. This dried meat of
the cocoanuu is called copra, and the
PEOPLE OF Guam sold it to the traders
Who visited the island, exchanging II
for cotton cloth, knives, -four, and va
rious other articles which they couio
ret in no other way, and sometimes
getting money for it.
The traders took the copra away
ana pressed the oil out OF 1t, selllng
it for good prices in the markets "a
the outer world.
The folks of Guam had little
matches where they raised yams-
which are something like sweet pota-
foes--and the bread fruit tree gave
them q food Of which they were espe-
cially fond. Everybody who ever has
eaten the fruit Of the bread fruit tree
likes it and wants more. It Is round
fruit. about the size Of a small water
melon. and when baked it beats any
bread you ever ate.
So the islanders did just enough
work to keep themselves from starving
and the children lived an aimless, lazy.
ignorant life, with no books to read
and no pictures to look at, until one
dav an American man-of-war sailed
into the harbor Of Agama, the town
where is the capital of the island, and
took possession of the place in the
name of the United States.
Then Capt. Richard Leary was sent
out there as governor. He issued an
order Immediately that every child be-
tween eight and fourteen must go to
school. He also issued a proclamation
urging the parents to learn English at
once, so that they would be able to
help their children with their studies
He found that some of the grown-up
folk on the island could not even write
their own names and so issued an order
that every man and woman in Guam
must learn to write his or her own
name before the 1st of July, 1901, or 60
to Jail. Those who could not write
their own names told one. of the cap
tain's clerks what it was, and the clerk
wrote ii down on piece OF paper
which the people took home, where
they copied the names until the. got
SO that they could write them wltnou'
looking at the copy.
The children have frightened W
wonderfully, and desire to learn al
about the outside world, and especially
about the United States. They are not
content to learn to read and write, al
they used to be, but study arithmetic
geography and history.
They keep themselves cleaner, ant
pay more attention to their clothes
than they used to, and in every way
they are getting to be like other chill
dren who have the American flag float
ing before their schoolhouses.
Before the Americans arrived ths
children of Guam had few games, ant
what they had were not very interest
ing ones. But the American marines
and sailors stationed on the island
taught them to play baseball, and now
several clubs have been organized
there.
When Capt. Leary took the childrer
Of Guam in charge no special attention
had been paid to them in 200 years.