Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-02-23
rrAOHIHa TIE 'EILIPINos.
WIN. Mustard Writes Of His Inter
eDting Work.

Rev. R. v. Maloney BY an Abilene
boy, VIM. Mustard. telling Of his
work in teaching the FiliPinos will be
interesting to all;
SANTA ILocoS Sur, p. l., Jan. . -
School commenced June IS, though
did not get here until July 5. We
had q pleasant journey across the
Pacific, Q nice visit at Honolu u, Yoko'
hama. Kobe, Nagasaki and Shanghai.
We stayed night and forenoon in
Hong Kong, but had no time for light
seeing. We arrived in Manila June
81. The rainy season bad not yet
commenced, bat typhoon arose be-
fore we left, and we got our introduce
tion to the wet season oy the worst
storm they had had 10 four years.
We were assigned to Ilocos Sur the
day after our arrival, but we could
mot 90 for four days on account OF she
storm, and the sea was very rough
when we did start. We arrived 10
Vigan, the capital OF this province,
June 80. We were we'll received by
the American teachers here, and we
stayed in vigan until July 8. Santa
is four miles southeast OF Vigan. !
am the only American in Santa but
there are quite number in Vigan.
did not find the schools in Santa
in very good condition-they had
been without an American teacher
since the preceding December. The
work here was entirely new to me
and it took me little while to learn
something about it. The people here
do not live ON farms, they live in
little villages called barrios, or in the
larger towns, called poblacion. The
province Is divided into districts, and
each district is under the control OF
some town. The town then Is COM
posed Of the larger village (it may be
good sized towu) where the govern
ment Of the town is conducted and
the town officials live, and the barrios
in the district, including the farming
land as we'll. The barrios are COM
bined into districts suitable for gov
eminent and school purposes. The
area Of this town is probably 80
SQUARE miles. We have four teachers
in the central schools, and six barrio
schools with seven teachers. We
have over 800 pupils in the central
school and over 900 in the barrios.
The farthest away barrio is five miles,
: another is four, but the others are
nearer. / ride horse TO those that
are far away and try to visit them
once a week. Our central schools are
fairly well furnished with desks and
benches and black boards but some Of
the barrio schools are poorly fur.
nished. Some Of the teachers know
very little English and. the best OF
them do mot have correct pronuncia-
ton. We cannot accomplish very
much With the majority Of the pres
emit teachers. A great many are en-
ployed just because they can speak
little English, though they may be Of
no account as teachers. We shall
l think have better teachers, how
ever, in the near future Pupils in
the advanced classes In each town are
much better than some teachers, but
they are quits young, and the high
school in vigsn is doing good work
in the preparation Of teachers. Chill
dren do not seem to do much during
the first two years in school, but
when they begin to use English In
conversation, they usually advance
rapidly. We have both the bright
and the dull pupils and the bright
pupils are more numerous than ! ex-
pected to find them, and they are also
quite anxious to learn. We have only
forenoon session Of school except In
the higher classes. The session lasts
from 81 to. 4 hours, beginning about
$50 or 8 o. m. do very little tsnch-
ing Of the pupils. | have teachers
class every afternoon IN which l teach
! the teachers for II hours. We have
forty weeks Of school in the year In
GLIDING q four weeks normal inSti-
tute which all the native teachers
must attend or lose their salaries for
vacation. The public schools are
closed during this institute. and the
American teachers are the instructors.