Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1904-07-21
Philippine ESSAYS.
Compositions by Scholars In Our New
Possessions.

compositions oy Senoiars In our New
Prosecutions.
Substantial proof Of what American
school teachers are doing In the Philip
pine Islands g offered by the Chicago
Tribute In q set Of compositions written
by Filipino pupils. The Tribune OF.
cred two cash prizes to the children
in the school at San Mateo who
should write the best essays on Amer.
lea" Vfncente Santi ago, twelve years
old. who wrote with pen and ink this
year for the first time. won the first
prize. and Ismaelito Amado. thirteen
years old. the second. Mr.. Hoye, the
teacher. allowed them no aid. and their
papers were not revised except by
themselves. but their penmanship is
almost copperplate. and their spelling
and grammar are not at all bad. The
lenses Of verbs proved the chief STUN
bling block. Ismaelito Amado's essay
was neatly typewriter.
Il can easily realize that the Amer.
lean government is much better than
the Spanish government" wrote Ismae.
Ito. The difference is, Spanish
government had not much interest to
teach boys and girls. and 1t did not
have any free schools as the American
government has. Every school in the
Spanish time were not free, and IL a
person wished to stud he should buy
or pay all the books " lich the teacher
gives him for himself. So think here
Is reason why many of tie Filipinos
DO not know how to read and write.
Everybody knows that the Philippine
Islands are a poor CO untry and that
many Of its people are poor, also. Now
most of these people have sons and
daughters. They wish them to learn
but could they learn lif their fathers
and mothers had not enough money
to pay the teachers?
But as I see to the American
government, do not do, these facts at
all. They have free schools. free
books. ETC.. to be used, by the pupils
in school house; and SO, though
some Of We boys and ,girls are poor,
we can go to the American schools
easily, without costing uA anything"
Only four years ago the little boy
who writes on the type} writer this
essay on the American school system
hid In tin hous with his play.
mates. and watched .-e battle in which
Gen Lawton was killed. That was his
nrst acquaintance with Americans.
The r;dme of the governor of the p.
Is IF. William H. Taft" wrote the
wiz .er Of the prize. He is a good
e [ernor. Before the president in the
,,/SNs. would change this governor and
would give another employ in the u
s. But when the peoples in Manila
knew tnat the president in the U.
would change this governor. They
wrote to the president and said that
II ne would please not to taken this
governor in the p. I. SO lie stayed here
United States is a very strong coun.
try, the writer continues. Peoples
IN the United states were all very
wise. Most Of them can read and
write. And they are good.
Schools are very many in the
United States. The boys and girls in
the U. S. Should not stopped to go to
schooi Till they are wise; so when they
are fullgrown they are all wise and
some Of them were doctors. lawyers,
merchants. priests and some were
teachers.
THE Americ ms is better than the
Spaniards." says Vicente, because the
Americans wishes to do good to the
Philippines. And the PHILIPPINES wishes
to do cool to them also"
The American pay anything they
like, writes Carmelo Cristi. sixteen
years old, but the Spanish govern.
ment did not give anything to the
poor people. also IL they like woods
or anything else they did not pay for
it."
A photograph of Mr.. Hoye's school
shows about fifty of his two hundred
pupils. extremely bright and neat-look.
ing boys and girls. Nearly all the
essays give good accounts Of our plans
Of government.