The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-27
HASkIN WRITES
ABOUT PHILIPPINES
Continued from Page 50

TO the influence of the Spanish friars,
they are more easily controlled by the
school teachers than by either the civil
or military authorities. The rural
teacher in the Philippines is the natural
leader OF his community, and his func-
tions are so numerous and so novel as
to be quite outside the limitations Of
the same calling in the United States
He is appealed TO in cases OF oppres-
sion, he settles political disputes, pre-
sides over all functions, superintends
the building of roads and bridges and
has even been called upon to assist IN
dispensing bandits. That the people
are anxious for education is shown by
the fact that the attendance is sixty
two per cent. of the enrolment as
compared with seventy-four per cent.
in the United States. The wisdom OF
the broad educational campaign inau-
gura1ed by General Otis is becoming
more important every day.
There is little variety in the perna-
nent occupation OF the Filipinos.
Forty per cent. of the men are farm
ers. The women are very industrious,
and are especially clever at spinning
and weaving. With the crudest kind
o1isite fabrics, and make hats. mats
ana carpets of an exceeding fine quail
itv. The returns Of the recent census
show that the proportion of women en-
gagged in remunerative occupation IN
TIC phi1ippines is more than double
those similarly employed in the United
States. and three times greater tnan
in either Porto Rico or Cuba The
Fi1fninos began work when very
Young. only a small portion Of the
female population accepts work as
domestic servants. this being line of
anaeavor almost entirely monopolized
hv fba men. Great difficulty was ex-
na-ianced in classifying the various oc-
c,,r,a +ions because of the tendency
among the people to dabble in SO many
zie4erenr kinds of work For instance.
. man might be a farmer for several
,,o,,rs during the day, a coaehman IN
tba evening. and be looking after some
ashirp apparatus late at night
JACK OF ALL TRADES
The Filipino is a jack of all trades
90 1oos ar none. The range Of oecu-
-at;o, he will attempt seems 10 be De
1-o,,7 estimate. I heard man telling
about one versatile native who INSIDE
az 4wo months had been lawyer.
r,1a,+a-ion oyerseer. a coachu1an, a bar
.a,aar and a waiter In a restaurant
-Tna sriuar,Itls TO effort and concentra-
tion has not been great because OF the
fertility of the country and the small
demands of the civilization On account
IS having been a subject race so long
The ambition OF these people mas been
sr,,ntad by the seeming hop'eIessness OF
thar future. But now that they nave
O. on,orfunfty to develop themselves
o,z ~aao the reward Of their endeavor,
= i believed they viii become respon-
sive 70 the possibilities awaiting them.
The principal wealth Of the Philip
,;nas has always been the products
IF the sol. bur the individual holdings
- tho people are so small that they
%, hardly be called farms. The
.,-.-aga size OF each holding through
o,,+ 4fe Archipelago is only eight and
ba1s acres. while in America the
ga size Of all farms is about 15a
an-as Less than half Of the available
= e--;r,,It,,ral land of the country is I'M
So cultivation. The most valuable
rr,7,1et Of the islands is hemp rms
i 4ha fibre taken from sort OF pan
tain generally called abaca- Ii IS
s.f,-,;Iar 70 the banana plant and grows
.,,or,-bara else except in This latitude
- = <errred all over the world as Ma
.;1a Hemp" It grows wild and all
a4-a--,4s 70 propagate IL in other
aI,-,etas have failed. The land upon
,,-t,;cb II grows is always fertile and