Arizona republican., 1907-06-23

compel the attendance of truant pu-
 pills. Having in three different towns
 total attendance of about fifteen
 hundred pupils this record will bear
 comparison with any public school
 record.
 The remarkable avidity with which
 the students drink in English and the
 elementary subjects has been a sub-
 ject of considerable comment Edu-
 cators differ in their estimate of the
 capability of the child to acquire a
 language. but the number O; words
 learned-not simply memorized-daily.
 is generally conceded to be from five
 to ten. My experience, corrobOrated
 by others, with one class showed at
 the end of one hundred and forty
 school days. a list of nine hundred
 words which had been assimilated in
 the time mentioned. This list did not
 include at least several hundred other
 words which the pupils had acquired
 from other sources. in the elementary
 subjects requiring pure memory work the average Filipino student is most
 excellent. He falls down hard. how ever, when the subject involves req soning and this weakness is true of the native in general. In initiative powers he exhibits striking character
 istics.
 "A great deal has been said concern ing the treachery of the Filipino. Gen. Chaffee is reported as having said. History affords no parallel of whole people thus practically turning war traitors. and in the genius of no other people was ever found such masterful powers of secrecy and Assimilation. This may state. perhaps, the condi- tions in rather strong terms; but it is undoubtedly true that dissimulation is fine art with them. As a people they seem to follow the principle of not telling the truth when lie will an swer. There is, in the history of the race. a psychological reason for this. What people under the hand of tyran- nical and oftimes vicious authority. would be otherwise?
 There are those who speak of Americanizing the F'ilipinos. This condition can never obtain. The req sons are obvious. A tropical climate. a people whose limitations are soon reached are conditions which all the energy and intelligence of our boasted can not surmount. Again. | to attempt to transplant the habits and customs of a temperate zone to those of a tropical cline is in itself and certain to be mark l ed as a failure.
 Tt is extremely difficult to gain an l accurate conception of the actual con- ditions. Religious, political. social and i industrial conditions are so complicat- ! ed as almost to defy solution.
 ''The term 'heathen.' as applied to the Filipino never was more incorrect | ly given. With the exception of about | two hundred thousand inhabitants, the | islands are Christian. Some of our an6 sincere missionary | friends would doubtless be much sur prised to hear the Bible stories. es pecially from the New Testament. | which my pupils in the high school | could relate. There is a diversity Of | opinion relative to the wisdom Of at | tempting to win proselytes from the | Roman Catholic church to the stand | ard of the Protestant church. Un- in many instances the con ditions upon the advent of American | possession. were ahominable: but even l in the short space since intervening, | American bishops have by investiga- | tion and direction created a cleaner | and healthier tone in religious circles. | In India, China, Japan and elsewhere, millions have not even heard the name | of Christ, and would it not be better to direct our efforts where at least in the main, we need not antagonize those of like faith. Experiments in political affairs are uncertain in their results. especially when the experi- ments are made with little regard to history. Mistakes galore were made in the establishment Of civil government in the islands. To be convinced Of this. one need but read the acts or