The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-08-09

THE PHILIPPINE SCHOOLS.
From the Denver Republican.


No more unmarried American school
teachers of the fair sex will be taken
b. the government to the Philippines.
They get homesiek too quickly. they
long for the fn~ir-skinncd. rcd-cheeked
youth. and speedily throw up their
job to return TO their native land
where bcaux are plentiful. The Fill
Pine youth h. @ a substitute.
This statement dashe 20 the ground
hopes OF certain misses who were fig-
uring on drawing free transportation
10Th w. and n salary or from $500 to
$1,000 "a year for "A year or two In the
colonies"-uniil the romance "A
knocked out VI the thing. The uuwel-
come news IN given by George Robert
Summers. n OF the 900 American
young men Gnd young women who went
four years x on the transport Nc
-lelland TO the Philippines TO correct
the aim OF the dark-skinncd little pco-
pie OF the east whom Uncle sam had
acquired. MIR. Summers IN the guest
u his sister at 900 Lafayette. He tells
a most interesting story OF the little
people who fought so long and v~aliantly
against Spain. And after four years
daily contact with them his opinion In
that the Filipinos are To make good
The young man thinks well enough az
the islgncs To affirm that he viii spend
nj least four more years. there before
returning To his native land. Fifty per
cent. OF the the imported American
teachers arc staying. Mr.. Summers IN
as brown as the proverbial berry n
has the health To go with the color. The
climate II similar To that OF Colorado In
the Summc warm days with COO
nights. blankets are always needed at
night. The better educated classes OF
the fiilpinos are companlonablc: they
make good friends. they posscss many
excellent traits. Among many other
things the Philippines is a good place
'or hustling yourg Americans to make
money. lie thinks.
In 1905. by law. English becomes the
official language. The school going
children are learning English In prefer
ence To- Spanish. the present official
language. Their clcers are attending
night schools. especially established Tor
them. 10 learn English. Two genera
lions from now. SO Mr.. Summers thinks.
English will be the universal language
of the Islands. Then IL VIII not seem
80 far from home for Americans thcrc.
IL really does not seem so far AT this
time for American ways and customs
arc crowding tn. There are 1000 Amer
lean troops. thousands OF plain every
day Americans are scattered through
the Islands engaged In hemp raising
and other industries. School tcachcrs
add to the number. The Asiatic squad
ron drops into u port every once In a
while: American tourists are placing
the stands on their route. So u Is not
so nwfuily lonely for Americans already
In ~ islands.
THE natives themselves nno help
seeing the great bettcrmcnt or Condi-
tlons since the United States crowdcd
out spain" said Mr.. Summers. Con-
ditions arc many times better. moral
conditions especially. Under thc old
Spanish regime all marriages had To
be celebrated by the church-thc frinrs.
Spanish priests. The fr!ars made. a
charge Of 100 pesos-S5O In gold. That
amount looks as big To n poorer Fill
pino az $500 does TO the ordinary Amer
lean laborcr. So you can readily see
that the poorer classes speedily forget
marriage ceremony: y.hcn they wanted
TO live together rs man and wife they
did 80. and many others with them.
When tho United States government
made the agreement To- take the friarS'
and from them-thc frinrs owned about
everything In sight-thc friars con-
scented To move out or the districts
where they were not wanted. Many
left tho islands. American priests took
their places. the wedding marriage fec
was reduced To something like Amcri-
can prices and the lower classes have
got into tho habit again or having n
ceremony performed. In Nlgan. where
| am n teacher in the high school. we
have an American bishop n eight
American priests. NIEan is n city ~
5000 on the western coast. $50 miles
north ~ Manila. Included In tho pop
ulation are about 1000 Japanese and
Chinese and a hundred or SO OF Amer
leans.
our school building cost $50. 600.
There are eight American teachers and
nm American principal. as well ~ a half
iuzcn native assistants. some III whom
are equipped with an American college
education. An additional grade was
established asst term n We now hav
nine grades. Pupils getting u certain
per cent. Ia n competitive examination
ave the privilege ~ attending an
American college four years. with
transportation both ways end every
expense. living and school. paid By tho
government.
1t seems to be n common impression
In the United States that the United
States government liz paying for all
these schools and what goes with them.
Sui this ~ not true. the colony gov
rrnmcnt Is cif-sustaining. IL IL pay
ing the freight. There Is "A high school
In every province. More schools are
boing built. They ar" modern In every
way. In Nigan we have "A dornitnry
attachment ~ which there are forty
girls. School hours are from S To- 10
and ; and .. This In becausc OF the In
tense heat In midday. The natives
take kindly u the American schools.
"Of course ~ IN generally known that
the country il solely an agricultural
one. Hemp. sugar. rice. tobacco n
"roCoanuts are the Staple products.
There H. not "A soldier within 1850 miles
20 Nigan. The soldiers are stationed
In the southern parts. where the Moros
and other ha~lf-civilized tribes make
trouble. In these sections there L. a
little nghting going on now and then.
| and several other Americans rode nifty
miles inland several months ago. and
not ono 81 the party n n more
formidable arm than n penknifc. We
get u little recreation In hunting deer
and the Wild boar. fishing and playing
tennis and croquet and baseball. The
natives like American games. They are
bright In school. just as apt AZ white
children"