Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-19

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
MANILA. June II. 1904.
The official opinion of the inclinations,
habits and capacity Of the Filipino as a
laborer and mechanic may be ascertained
by reference to pages 22S and 229 Of vol.
1 Of the Handbook of the Philippines and
Catalogue of the Philippine Exhibit. Pub
hshed Under Authority of the Civil Gov
ernor Of the Philippine Islands by the Phil
ippine Exposition Board" This volume was
written under the direction of the commits
sion for free circulate at ST. Louis with
the idea of educating the American people
concerning the islands and correcting false
Impressions that have been formed con-
corning them. Upon the pages referred to
we read that:
The progress of industrial education has
met and probably will continue to meet
with certain obstacles in the Philippines.
The people have been accustomed under
their earlier instructions to regard educa-
ton as a means of putting themselves in
position where manual labor Is not required.
Hitherto the Filipino youth has looked upon
the instruction of the schools as a means
OF preparing himself to become teacher,
a civil officer. a clerk, lawyer, a physician
or priest. That phase of education
through which the young man expects to
become skillful workman has lain almost
entirely below his horizon. This is not so
much a fault of his race as 1t is a fault of
the nation under which he has been sub
ject for three centuries. Spain has impress
ed upon the Filipino her lack of apprecia-
ton of that kind of work and that higher
form of skill which comes from systematic
education. Whatever progress, therefore,
is made in industrial education must be
made In opposition to a strong prejudice
hut nc rot,
vincible.
Will Initiate the Westerners
Standing upon stage of civilization dis
tinctly lower than that of the civilized peo-
pies of the west, they are likely in the
course of a short time to initiate the mem
bers of that nation with whom they are
brought into closest relations, particularly
when that nation removes all obstacles to
their accepting new customs and habits.
In the course of time, when they learn more
about America and come to understand
the marvellous progress which has there
been made, and that the wealth of the
production of that country rests largely on
the fact that America Is nation of work.
ers, it is hoped that their ancient preju-
dlces will fall away and that they will be
inclined to accept with certain rnodficat ton
American ideas with respect to industrial
affairs. They likely to be encoura ged
in this view by the introduction of ma
chiEery and various appliances by which
the ratio of human labor to product is
diminished. At present they are almost en-
tlrely without tools in any way suitable to
the cultivation of the SOIL and the only
carpenters tools with which they are ia
mlhar are those used by Cinnamon, which
were antiquated centuries ago.
In the public printing office with its
nne modern machinery. they are gradually
adapting themselves to the new conditions
In view of the fact that Americans who re
how hn,
to receive are not ashamed to work their
ancient aversion to labor is beginning to
appear somewhat absurd. One of the deli
cate tasks of the Industrial schools Is to
break down this ancient prejudice and on
their success in this undertaking depends
the possibility of introducing and carrying
to successful results system of industrial
education. Hitherto compare lively little
has been accomplished This is due In part
to the lack OF appliances. and In part per-
haps to the difficulty of acquiring a knowI-
edge of the Filipinos attitude toward this
work and Of hitting upon the proper means
of overcoming his prejudices. At the same
time numerous requests have been received
from the provinces asking that facilities be
furnished for industrial education in some
of the simpler forms OF work. and to fur
nish legal basis for such instruction 1t
has been especially provided in the pro-
vncial schools of secondary instruction
that the curriculum should embrace manual
training. Under this provision steps have
already been taken in many of the prov
inces to provide an industrial department in
the provincial schools"
Objections to the Chinese.
On pages 24s and 249 of the same volume
the objections to Chinese immigration are
presented from the official point of view,
follows:
THE federal party and other political
organizations in the Philippines, as we'll as
the only labor organization in the islands,
vigorously oppose the further admission of
Chinese. On the other hand, American and
foreign merchants complain that the labor
to be had IS altogether Inadequate and
the chambers of commerce have sent q
representative to the United States to urge
an amendment to the present congressional
legislation, which extends the Chinese ex-
clusion act applicable to the United States
to the Philippines, on the ground that it is
necessary to admit Chinese for the business
development of the country.
THAT the opposition to the admission of
Chinese is chiefly due to the competition
which the Chinese have offered in the mat
ter of store trading is obvious to any one
who has looked into the question The
Chinese laborer becomes merchant within
a year or two after he reaches the Philip
pines and then begins a competition with
the Filipino tradesmen, which, in the end,
drives the latter out of business. Unlimited
Chinese immigration would In the end rele-
gate the Filipino to the position which the
Malay occupies in the straits settlements.
Most of the avenues of business would be
commanded by the Chinese, as they are
now at Singapore, and the islands would
ultimately become rather a Chinese coun-
try than a Filipino country
1T is no doubt true that were the doors
opened 1t would tend toward a much more
rapid commercial and industrial develop
ment Of the islands. but not perhaps along
the lines anticipated by merchants and
others. 1t has not been possible in Borneo
to introduce the Chinaman into the fields;
he has declined to become a farmer or a
farm laborer, and the same result may be
expected in the Philippines.
1.-The development of the Philippines by
Cinnamon would be at the expense of the
Filipino people, and merchants and others
who wish to invest in the islands must
take into consideration the fact that labor
is likely to be for some time more expensive
than in the United States measured by the
product of labor.
1.-The admission of Chinese coolies would
present a great argument against the OPEN
ing by the United States of it's markets to
Philippine products measure in which
the Filipinos are deeply interested
Limited Chinese Immigration.
TT Is the opinion of Governor Taft that
1t would not be just to the Filipnos or a
proper course for America in the develop
ment of the islands, to do more than to ad-
nit, under reasonable restrictions, certain
limited number Of skilled Chinese laborers,