Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-22
Most Interesting Upon the
st. Louis Exposition Grounds.
NATIVES TO BE SEEN
FAIR REPRESENTATION OF e5 PER
CENT OF THE POPULATION.
View Of a Typical School in the Islands
Remarkable Advance in Education
Resources Of the Archipelago.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Rec0rd-Herald.
ST. LOUIS, October H. 1904.
The Filipino exhibit occupies forty-seven
acres of space and has cost to date 81 400
co., OF this 500 900 was contributed by the
exposition company; the remainder, 81 ,200.
COO comes out Of the treasury of the island.
small portion Of that amount will be re-
funded, because an admission fee of 30
cents Is now charged to enter the Philip
pine inclosure. and the daily receipts vary
from 5000 to 5000 1t costs about 81 600
day to maintain the exhibit. for there are
1.257 people to be fed. clothed and cared
for, as follows:
Constabuiary. 2SO yfsayans. .......... 120
Igrotes. ia Bagol,os. .......... 30
ai as :" hn'p'oses On srounu' Id"
The exhibit is in charge of DR.. William
P. Wilson. director Of the Philadelphia
commercial museums, and 1t was collected
and installed by DR.. Gustavo Niederlein.
an eminent ethnologist. who was connected
with the Latin American department Of
the Chicago exposition and has since been
engaged with the Philadelphia museums
DR.. Niederlein is remarkable man. and
so complete and so interesting an exhibit
within the two years that he was en-
ployed. With phenomenal energy and skill
he searched the Philippine archipelago,
seized everything he could find that illus
trates the life, customs. commerce, arts
and industries of the people, and installed
them here in scientific and attractive
manner
Best Colonial Exhibit Ever Made.
1t is the first attempt of the United
States to exploit a colony, and without
doubt it is the best colonial exhibit ever
brought together. There are ovcr 40
buildings. which contain epitome of the
resources of the islands as well as the life
of the people. could not learn the num-
Der of articles in the catalogue. but it must
run up into the hundreds of thousands.
Several of the notable buildings of the is
lands are reproduced. In the center of the
group is a reproduction of portion of the
ancient walls and two of the ancient gates
of Manila-reasonably accurate. Another
building is a miniature reproduction of the
Roman Catholic cathedral there, while an
other, which is the best of all, is a type
Of the residences of the higher class of the
native population. quite as perfect as the
reproduction of Thomas JeffersOns man
sion in another part of the grounds.
1t should be said, however, that from one
point of view, the Philippine exhibit is not
entirely fair. 1t does not give accurate
idea of the condition of the people at large.
1t represents the best. the most advanced,
the most progressive, the most highly CIV
ilized portions of the population, and gives
the visitor an intelligent idea of what
about per cent. or perhaps per cent of
our little brown brothers are doing.
Hence it must not be taken an accurate
picture of Philippine civilization. Nor will
it be just to measure the future progress of
the people of the islands by the standard
established here.
Fortunately what is termed the ethnolog-
ga IF no h tbQ l,vyy, <Jn
mentS-illustrateS the other side of the pic
ture, and in the scouts, the constabulary
and the naked heather of the native viii
lagos, you may see a fair and Just reDre-
sentation of the remaining 90 or 81 per cent
of the 7,50oO0O human beings that were
added to our body polite by the unforeseen
and unsought consequences of war.
Lesson of the Exhibit.
There has been considerable discussion as
to the propriety of bringing these groups
of natives over the ocean and exhibiting
them to the public, but 1t is time the people
of the United States know by personal OBJ
servation something about the condition
and the character of the inhabitants of our
insular possessions and their qualification
for independence and self-government
From an educational point of view the ex-
hibit has, therefore, been worth ten times
what 1t cost, and it is to be hoped that seri-
ous-minded people who have visited the
Villages nave Regarded them tnOuSnttully
and have recognized the lessons they teach
1t is well that they should see and know
the six sultans and two dattos and their
subjects from the Lake Lanao tribes of
Moros, because those are the only part of
the population of the Philippine Islands who
are not reconciled to American occupation
and they are now fighting to prevent the
emancipation of their slaves. The anti
1mper1aliStS can the real thing; they
can come into direct contact with some
of the "sultans" that they have talked so
wisely about and sympathize with them
because of the treatment they are receiving
from the government of the United States.
They can have an opportunity also of max
ing personal investigation of our fellow
citizens. the Bagobos from Mindanao, pic
turesque lot of savages. about whom prac-
tically nothing is known except that they
are slave holders and practice human sacri-
fees.
The Negritos.
The negritos are also very interesting
Here are forty pygmies. the lowest grade of
human creatures under the Jurisdiction of
the President of the United States; more
debased in morals. more feeble of intellect
than the Digger Indians of California yet
they are very interesting in many respects
and the intelligence of the children particu-
larry offers encoura cement to those who
would lift them out of their degradation.
They live on roots and herbs and upon the
trophies of the chase. There are less than
lo,oOo negrltoS remaining IN the Islands,
and they are dying off so rapidly that 1t is
believed they will be entirely extinct be-
fore the middle OF the present century
They are evidently closely related to the Az
rican pymgies from the Congo river, who
can be seen half mile farther up the hill
The negritos climb trees like monkeys and
have wonderful skill in the use of the bow
and arrow. The smallest children shoot
with amazing accuracy, and there Is a |
naked little rascal, not yet seven years old |
who can hit nickel with an arrow every |
time he shoots Shortly after the EXPOSE |
ton was opened the grounds were infested |
after them The boys of this village |
promptly abated the nuisance with their |
bows and arrows. They rarely missed a |
bird. The full dress costume of the negrito |
is a dirty cotton rag tied loosely around |
his loinS. The chief of the villa pc uuear re n |