The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-04-01
Che philippine islands.

William H.. Taft did as president of
the Philippine Commission, was to send
to the United States for one thousand
American school teachers and when
they arrived in the islands he was in-
strumen' al in establishing system of
primary and normal schools and this
proved to be only beginning for there
are ,w upward of ten thousand teach
ers employed throughout the Archipel-
ago giving the Fiiipinos their first
schooling. The English language has
been adopted in al the schools and in
time it is safe to assume that the Eng
Iish language will be the common me-
dunn of communication in all the is
lands.
Another important factor in civiliz-
ing and undermining the Fiiipinos is
tho building of railroads. Itis general
ly conceded that railroads are the enter
ing wedges of civilization and prog
ress. Previous to 1908 when the Unit
ed States first took possession of the
Philippines there were but one hundred
and twenty mics of railroad in the en-
tire Archipelago. These one hundred
and twenty miles comprised the Ma
mia Il Dagpan railroad on the island
of Luzon. There are now under con-
struction eight hundred and three ad-
ditional miles of railroad on the is
lands of Luzon, Panay, Cebu and Ne
gros. The above mentioned islands are
said to contain deposits of coal, zinc,
silver and gold, but although a few
mining CONCESSIONS have been granted
little or nothing has yet teen done to
ldeveiop them.
The fertility of the islands is cuff
cient to support q population five times
as great as the eight million souls who
inhabit them so 1t is only n stural to as
sumo that In time the Filipin0s WILDE
come very rich territory with railroads
running through the fertile islands and
the islands containing the mineral Ge-
posits to insure q speedy market for al
products. One can only see into the
Philippine future through optimistic
glasses.
In addition to the railroads and ttle-
graph lines being constructed in the is-
lands there have been good wagon roads
built between provinces and sections
of tie islands that were formerly al
most untraversable. This also insured
the natiye, speedy market for theil
, hemp, rice, sugar, tobacco, coffee, Goes
or what ever else they produce.
1t would take more time than thu
writer is allowe to enumerate the many
, improvements in the Philippine Is'and'
! since Spain relinquished all claim OF
3 them in favor of the United States, re
! ceiving as consideration twenty mil
, | lion dollars. The Improvements ar
not only in the islands but in the peo
= ple who infabit them also.
Previous to the Spanish-Americal
= war the Filipinas were in state o
!, Christian tutelage. The majority o
) them were childlike and simple and
. seems that the Spanish government ba
a tendency toward keeping them thu
: They were for long time subject
!. the rnies of the Spanish friars, to whOI
the world owes the Contamination {
IA the Filipinos for they are the only Nj
n lay or Oriental people in the world wh
;. are Christians. Although the native
: were taught the arts of agricultul
!. they were kept otherwise ignoran
~ The N atural result is that they lacks
40 ambition and were content to get
= bare living from the soil and let the f
i, ture take care of itself. Now after t.
We ars of American dominion the cham
that has been wrought is gratifying
= behold. Formerly indolentthe Filipin
30 are n Nv energetic. Formerly deni'
10 all voice in tie affairs of the islam
they are now installed in judicial 81
=. other positions which they never dreal
n of holding. Everywhere in the islam
,at can be seen gratifying results of the
-. fiux of American energy. The Fill
-. nos realize that American domini
mt means only paternsi guidance and Il
,al realization gives them hope for tn
AL future. Their faith in the Unit
cs Estates has been constantly increasis