Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-02
Tine Reer That rHade milwaukee Famous

at the time of the American occupation
there were nominally nearly 1000 schools in
existence in the islands. Those schools
We're very inadequatey housed In the
larger towns a few brick buildings We're
erected, but the majority of the school
houses were frail and -periShable structures
had his living apartments in the school
house, condition of affairs which would
not usually conduce to sanitary surround
ings. Under the American government a
great advance has been made both in the
number of schools and the provision of ade-
quate houses. In many of the provinces
large well-built structures are completed
or in process of construction. Some OF
these cost from 5000 to $4,000
The Spanish system was defective IN su-
pervision. The governor OF the province
was nominally the inspector OF schools 1or
his province, but in many cases seldom
visited them. The parish priest was the
local inspector, but after the schools 1eii
under the control of the municipalities the
friars no longer had the same authority or
took the same interest in the schools as De-
fore Under the present system me inspeS-
ton is thorough and frequent. Inc lslalus
are divided into thrty-siX school DIVISIONS,
and superintendent visit schools OF their
districts every few weeks. The et1ect upon
the native officials and school teachers Is
yery salutary. The Filipino Will WORK IL he
is stimulated by the presence of higher au-
thority In the absence of this he often
times neglects his work
Schools Well Supplied.
Under the Spanish system the school
supnlias were extremely deficient. General
Weyler during his term OF office as gov
ernor general from 1883 to 1881, visited
many of the schools, in which he look great
interest He found a dearth OF the most
necessary supplies for instruction such Is
pens inks, paper, blackboaros ana Doohs
MANY OF the children were entirely wlthoul
these things Almost the only BOOK IN gen
eral use was a little religious manual 1or
Instruction in Christian doctrine. Al lie
present time all the schools thau are ~ ~
a large variety of the latest and best Ameri-
can school books and school supplies. Ihese
are Civ an freely to pupils or loaned 10 thein
whereas in Spanish times the teacher III
MANY cases received a monthly allowance
for the purchase OF stationery, Whlch was
not always expended advantageously lor
the schools. Another evil or that perlou
though rot officially recognized, was the
practice that widely prevailed on the part
of richer parents of paying the teacher a
special fee to devote an extra amount Vi
time to their children. TIE school lils.i u g,
ton. therefore, while nominally free. was IN
practice largely confined to children OF the
better classes. The present system carries carries
out the American idea of giving advantages
of education to all classes alike. rlch anu
poor Some of the brightest students at the
present time are found In the country uis-
tricts and are the children OF poor Peopie.
This is the case with a NUMBER oi those
Philippine government for education in
American schools
Education and Wealth.
"In span;sh times the petty aristocracy
not only monopoliZed the Improvement IN
material affairs but also such enlIghten-
ment and education the race has gained.
The result has been more than ever 10
divide society among the Filipinos into TWO
sharply differentiated classes, the Irst vi
which c the very small number OF euucateu
families who own haciend2s, ouliolhSs any an,
other sources of wealth, who live IN peauti-
fully built houses adorned with the artiStlc
woods Of the islands, who speak the opahisi
language who have possessed themselves OF
the charm and grace of the spanish man,
ners. and who seldom fail to attract and
delight the guests that with unfalilng nos
pitality they receive into their homes: ! ms
class is however. but the mere fraction OF
the race itsClf-ten to a dozen fainllies usu-
civ in towns of from 10000 to 20,o0o people
The rest of the population, which 1orIns liiS
lower class, has been left in the unchanseo
condition of ignorance and poverty anu ,.s
dependence upon and submission 70 ,hs
dominance and control, both ecohoHic anu
intellectual, of the genie ilustraoa. mas
been continually accentuated>oy each "uueo
gain acquired by the wealthy class.
In the second place the Spanish schooi
system, though founded and supported py
the government was never secular III ch a.,
acter. The Spanish friar. VINO was .i.e
or of the school, and not only directed its
conduct but determined the subjects wnlch
should be taught. In the BRIEF ana inpeL
feet course of primary instruction when
was given In these little Schools church
catechism, church doctrine and sacred MS
tory were emphasized almost TO the exclu-
sion of the other subjects which are neces-
sary to fit the Filipino child for ms posltloh
in life whether 1t be humblesor fortunate.
This. however, was not the only undesira-
BILE effect of this arrangement. whatever
may be said in praise of the work or me re-
lgious orders in these islands, IT cannot De
denied that their attitude during the last
fifty, and particularly the final thirty, years
of their influence here was excessively nos
tile toward the enlightenment Of the FIN
pinos They actively sought to debar them
from any sort of modern knowledge, from
gaining a position of independence ana SET!
respect and from entrance into any klno
of leadership of their own race. IL was, IN
fact this obstructive and retrogressive pol
icy on the part Of the friars and the. gov
erning class that most Immediately airected
their lives that provoked the Filipino into
IN~llt