The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-08

$ One of the leading furniture manu-
Iacturers OF Manilaiis authority, for the
statement that in. wood carving the
flllplnQs soon becomes the equal OF the
japanese artisan. The Philippine is
lands are SO near the equator that the
heat OF the sun during the middle Of the
Gay and the almost; twelve months of
summer !llNl must abe taken into considera-
climatic eond tions and FOR the fact
that the inhab itant eoff the tropics lacks
the spur ssof, necessity which ever urges
on the dweller in higher latitudes, one
IS incilned to excuse any seeming lack
Of industry Sure it ia that those who
come here from America and Europe
DO not, as a rule, do enough manual
labor to enable a comparison to be
drawn between them anadrthe natives. s..
Besides those who work in the, fields,
on the: streets and in the factories, there.
Is an army of fishermen and boatmen.,
& Fish forms a considerable part of the,
food supply Of the island, and these are;
brought from the ocean, from the rivers
and from the lakes by q hardy and
active people. Much of the Commerce
is carried by water, and the boats are.
manned m! y natives. Except where the
tile business the stores are kept by
Flipinos, the men and the women, shar-
ing the labor, as they do IN France.
/. And speaking Of the women, 1T must
be remembered that the woman occupies
q much higher place in the Philippines
than IN any other part of the orient.
The Filipinos contend that even before
Spanish influence made itself felt in
the islands woman was accorded an
equal place with man and divided with
him both the hohors and the RESPONSE
bilities Of the home. However this
may be, 1t cannot be doubted that at
| present the rights Of woman and her
position in the family and in society
are respected fully as much as, in con-
tinental Europe. Her influence is felt
in Industrial and political life, as well
as in the church. At one reception a
lady law student delivered an excellent
address. 81. s5..:..s q $... IL.
/ Uuder Spanish rule education was
confined to a few. In fact, one of the
by the natives was that educational ia
7 cilities were denied to the masses.
This. too. brought the Jesuits, the
friends Of education, into conflict with
/ the friars. But comparative few Of
the. people enjoyed the advantages Of
higher education, and these were a con-
trolling influence in their respective
commu mites. AS in Mexico and in
Cuba, the cultured men and women of
the Philippines are thoroly refined and
polished in manner. g.
The american government has had no
difficulty In finding men competent to
4 fill theSoffces which have been assigned
to the natives, three Of the seven mem.
I:bers ofsthe commission and three Of the
Isegen supreme court judges being Fiji
l#pipos. The governors and ma ors aTe
nearly all Mlipinos, as are most sofsthe
Judges OF theslower courts. x S*.S )
4 AS theresis no satisfactory service nv
private boats, the cammiss lon IS FURNISHED
us ascoast guard ssgsner for a#.tour Of
the the i iaf e ths passengers Paying the
4 cost sof subsistence, and we Wereathus
era bled to visit the principal ciifies.
4 AN gil Of these plaees we found a groaup
.Eofa intellectual and public spirited men.