The San Francisco call., 1907-01-13

are the pioneers OF commerclal
progress IN "A frontier country, and
their influence is widespread and Of in
calculable good. Even in the remote
provinces outside the inhabited Chris
tisnized country the inherent American
pioneer tendency To construct and de-
velop is showing the native how the
white man does things. Sometimes
these Americans are officers Of the Phil
ippine constabulary or native civil pO-
lice. sometimes they are school teach
ers. sometimes. ss in Mindanao, officers
Of the regular army; often they are in
special Government service as forest
ers. coast survey men. etc But. what
ever their calling they have adopted
the practical Booker T. Washington"
method Of preparing the people for
social and intel loctual advance by
reschinE them how TO do things. They
are showing the people how TO build
trails. roads and wagons how 10 cul-.
rivate produce e. rdens, how 10 buy and
sell their goods In "a recognized market
place; how 10 use hoes, rakes and
spades how To quarantine their live
stock care FOR their sick and the chill
dren, observe the rules OF hygiene, boil
their water in time of plague sCareG,
and a thousand simple things neces-
Sary if 4 people are TO advance. Then.
TOO, in Tie Philippines there are the
out-and-out industrial men. lumbermen,
miners. plantation owners, in greater
numbers than one would Judge from
reports from the islands, now engaged
in ''cevclc lcpmcnt TO q surprising extent.
The work OF thcse men is always a
practical object lesson TO the Filipinos.
who are amonr tho most adaptable of
people Socu in the Philippines there
viii be factor Waicl. in the space OF
few wears, viii doubtless contribute
more to the advance Of thc islands than
anything done by The spanish in all
their three hundred Years Of occupancy
And this factor viii be the completion
II Of the projected railroads. il April
II last forty engineers, surveyors and sub
II contractors arrived iu Manila Active
II construction work ON the lines in the
II southern islands has already been be-
gun by the j. 6. White Company OF
II Detroit
II Everywhere the Americans are active.
Now. this is the difference between the
. Spanish and the Americans fn thc Phil
ippines-that while the Spanish accom-
plisheo more than H-e can oven realize.
II IN Christianizing seven and half mill
/. lion people. outside 0f their church
buildings and missions They loft I'm tho
. country. As whole, littlc material evil
dence Of thcir conquest They did not
imbuc tho people with industrial ideals
\ The Americans on the other hand. are
making for higher Industrial and con-
sequenuy more general civilization.
The greatest good tnai can be con-
ferred on the people Of The islands"
said General Leonard Wood TO the
writer. would be TO get a number
Of intelligent white settlers 10 come
4 and develop The country. The Filipino
4 is Intelligent and especially ant I'm inli-
= a. hon
life thar almost anything VIII grow
A and q thrifty farmer VIII live on its
. products from the start. This view OF
Il General Wood IS shared by the busi-
ness men Of the islands. It is the
. attitude OF the Icilipino Chamber OF
. Commerce, composed entirely Of Fili-
. pino men of the Philippine Progress
. League, whose executive committee is
II made up Of delegates from each Of the
II I'VE Chambers OF Commerce Of Manila.
n representing the Spanish. American.
Chinese Filipino and international
II fGermsn and EnElish) Chambers OF
Commerce. Probably almost any one
4 who really travels in the islands VIII
reach this conclusion. II is the most
natural manner in which we can take
I'D the white mans burden to ma Ike
it prove Ret such stupend0us burden
after all.
To find out what is being done in
the Philippines. what arc the needs Of
the people and what the opportunities.
the writer recently journeyed for i've
months in the archipelag go. covering
over 1880 miles by land and rivers. A
month more was spent in Manila. Much
OF the travelling WAS over the sur
Neys OF the proposed railroads. The
longest single trip was overland be-
tween Manila and Aparri the northern
most part or LuzOn distance Of 33s
Smiles bv the survey Of the projected
. a Ice
ular horse trails and footpaths How
ever on this journey the writer made
a side trip through the mountains Of
interior LuzOD into the wonderful un-
. known country OF the Igorrote Indians
. The so-cslled head hunters" marvellous
. engineers who have built stone rice
. terraces. like giant steps. up steep
mountain sides for distance Of from
2S00 TO 1000 feet. and who excel us
. 81 the United States IN their methods
. 5f irrigation. for. by mixing their
water for irrigation with fertilizing
material. they fertilize and irrigate
"a one operation. Including this side
4 "trip. more than 500 miles were covered
1n horseback between Manila and
n Aparri.
Like a great continent are the Philip
"A pines when one travels through them,
20 long does il take to cover appar-
emily short distances on the map. The
sOO-mile journey between Manila and
II Aparri took seven weeks. Almost
n Everywhere one sees the influence. di-
-ect or indirect. Of the American who
ioes things. Never was tho way mo-
lotonous. u leads through the wonder
ul mountain region OF Interior Luzon.
temperate zone in the tropics. and
7oVn the great valley OF the Rio Caga-
an which is. at once. the Nile and the
Mississippi Of the Philippines 3 region
little visited by Americans. but unusual
Y fertile and producing practically all
he tobacco raised for commercial pur-
MA poses. The scenery and resources OF
Interior Luzon are fairly Characteristic
II the interior mountain regions OF
he entire archipelago. while the low
ands through which the railroad will
un before crossing the mountains
much resemble the coast districts
throughout the Islands. In the noun
ain regions OF the Philippines one