The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-06-21

the universal modes Of travel for level
streets being the jinrickisha, and the
chair, carried by two coolies, for climb
ing the hills. 1T only costs - cents
~ cents American per hour to hire
strong coolie to tr9t you around in
'ricksha"-labor is cheap. 1t is very
busy city; everyone seems to be work
ing.
Tho just south of the Tropic of Can
Ger, the climate is cool and pleasant.
Rosy-cheeked natives and healthy look
ing white people are to be seen every
where, such contrast to the pale
white and brown faces in Manila,
across the China sea.
shall not tire you with any more of
the wonderful things we saw here. The
immense European business houses;
the hundreds Of Chinese stores and
shops, where you will be cheated if you
don't know how to buy, but can get
bargains if you know what to pay; the
harbor, dotted with the ships of every
nation Il saw one American flag on the
Siberia" from San Francisco) hun
dreds of sampans and junks Chinese
small boats on which many people live
all their lives; the hillside park and
little pine trees; the large oranges
growing on bushes only two feet tall;
the pretty Acknowledged girls in trou-
sers; soldierly looking English troops
in the forts with their dark Indian al
lies; the police including English, big
Indians and slouchy Chinese, all these
| shall leave to the books.
We saw but few women with de-
formed feet slowly trying to walk
along the streets; Chinese believe their
women should stay at home so the
'better class" are seldom seen in pub
lie; to keep them at home is doubtless
the origin of the custom of binding
their feet. Foolish as this custom is it
is not so injurious as that practiced by
some Of our irls-deforming their
waists by tight lacing.
May 9Th we sailed for Singapore.
At the Kowloon ferry landing there
was stationed on night duty big gray
haired Indian policeman. you Amer
icans?" he asked US as we were wait
ing for the boat. eyes" me like
Americans" he continued. "Ameri-
cans very nice" Returning later he
volunteered to instruct my ''ricksha"
man, who spoke only Chinese, where to
take me. After had told him where
l desired to go and he had in turn told
the coolie, he said, "You like beer?"
l answered 'No," but he pretended
not to hear and said Eyes, me like
beer, too" Ten cents for beer doubt
less made him like Americans still
more.
CHARLES Z. HOVE,
On board the S. S. ''Sachsen" off the
French-Indo-China coast, May II, 1906.
PHILIPPINES AND STRAIT SETTLEMENTS
SCHOOLS.
During the two days the writer was
able to spend on the Malay peninsula
he could observe the school system but
little. What he saw, however, con-
WINGED him that the schools there are
far behind those of the Philippines, both
in modern organization and efficiency.
The English colonial policy seems to
be to improve the colonies through use
full public works and increase trade, in
cidentalIy beneftting the mother coun-
try, as most of the trade is with her;
most English colonies have commodious
harbors, fine public buildings, good
roads and railroads, but they are heavily
in debt.
In contrast to the English material
IDEAS of colonial government which en-
courage no particular faith or creed
and tolerate all, was the Spanish, which
by gentle means or by force was usually
successful in converting" the natives
to Catholicism, and doubtless thereby
benefited them more than by any other
means.
America, On the other hand, relies
chiefly on her free public school to up
lift the Philippine people and teach
them to help themselves. No other
country has so quickly established an
efficient school system for SO many
people.
We have many advantages over our
English neighbors on the Strait of Ma
lacca. We work in islands where the
people are almost all of one race and one
religion Christians-while they have
Indians, Chinese and Malays whose re-
ligions are Brahman, Buddhist, Mo
hammedan, Christian and others. Nat
urally there diverse races and religions
will not mix and each must have its
own school in its own language. In
most part of the Philippines we have no
difficulty in getting boys and girls of
all classes in the town into the same
school room.
Raffles school in Singapore is the best
school on the Straits; here the English
language only is taught and all the
teachers are English; the pupils are