Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-10-05
WOMEN TO THE FRONT.
Are the Real Factors in Business in
 Philippines.

WdSHiuSlOH, U. C., OcC. D. Flll-
 pino women are the men of the archi-
 pelago. Of course, that sounds para
 dox!cal and, in a physical sense, it is;
 but 1t nevertheless expresses a con-
 crete fact. The native woman are
 the real factors in the progress of
 the islands. They are making for the
 success of the Philippines in a com-
 mercial and material way. They are
 workers, and they are ambitious and
 intelligent. They are full of businesi
 and the development of the islands since American occupation is due
 largely, if not entirely, to the wo- men. AS a rule, the men are a poor
 lot. The women are better developed physically and mentally than the men, and they are more deeply inter- ested in the practical things of life. The men are bright enough, but they devote much of their time to politic., academic discussion and gossip. While the women, even the younger ones, are not specially particular about their personal appearance, the men are devoted to the fashions. They think more about the cut of their clothes, the style of their hats or the set of their neckties than they think of how best they may promote their material prospects. The women run the households and they, far better than the men, know what an estab-' lishment costs and where the money is to come from to pay the bills"
 This curious, interesting and im- nnrtonf ctafaf1nonf paada hy nair~ Bessie A. Dwyer, an American girl who for four years has been assist ant librarian of the American library at Manila. Miss Dwyer, who is a daughter of the late Judge Thomas A. Dwyer, of San Antonio, Texas, went to Manila about four years ago to make her living. She has won an enviable reputation in the work she chose to follow and is beloved by thousands in Manila, both natives and Americans.
 Do you know" continued Miss Dwyer. speaking of her experience in the Manila library, 'the better class es of Filipinos are gone mad over education. They actually are daft on the subject. They will go hungry in order to read and study. No sacrifice is too great to be made by parents in order that their children may have to obtain an education and, I may say. no amusement Is too engrossing to distract the atten- ton of the children from their books. the result of such interest as this is manifest everywhere. The r~no~nus ,F thn rrort. of .h~ g-f--z. mentally has been really astonishing since the Americans came into pos session. Tn an industrial and com way. too. the development of the Philippines has been wonderful.
 In Manila. living is cheaper than 1t is in the United States. partly for local reasons-the luxuriance of everything that grows being remark sble-and partly because no duty is paid on imports to the islands from Europe. Every important article is cheaper in Manila than 1t is in Am erica. but. of course. the people do not make so much money in wages as they make in this country.
 The natives vho can read EnsIsrA literally deFour our library. It vas founded by Mrs Harry Egbert and she to-day Is the librarian We have about zs.0ea volumes. about one third of which Is fiction Our books circulate largely among the aruv posts and camps In the fsiands- The library has accomplished great good in the islands and is being ths uoTe widely and generally used all the tEme-