Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-06

III ID NJ El three separate tasks as
/ Ia E MOI educators of p r IN g
| lzzkCzzSxfgl races. In the south they
have opened schools for ne
groes. in the west they have offered
educational advantages to the Indians,
and upon this side of the Pacific ocean
! they are now providing the benefits OF
education for Filipinos At the begin
ming of this latest effort to eliminate
| illiteracy the educators encountered a
| somewhat unlocked for faetor-a thirst
| for knowledge that did not hesitate at
great sacrifices in its pursuit The ques-
! ton now at issue among representa-
tiVes of civil government in the Philip
pines and among American residents
! of the islands generally is not Whethef
the natives will avail themselves OF op-
portunities presented, but whether lhe
| Filipino of the future, If educatlonal
facilities are expanded so rapidly as
! the demand requires, will not be TOO
highly educated to interest himself IN
anv work less ambitious than COM
! mereial career or profession.
From the man in the street one IRE
ouently hears the assertion that the ma
tive rapidly acquires learning up TO a
certain noint." From school teachers
and Supervisors of school work comes
the statement that the Filipino Is not
only a god student and an apt pupil IN
urinary work, but that he Is no more
| limited in capacity than the youth OF
other lands. His tendency Is 10 ue-
velop as good an education as he can
get in the school he attends and 10
| Continue his studies out of school. BX-
nerienced instructors assert that in TINS
particular the islanders are more IKE
the Japanese of the present period tnan
the rising generation of any other
| country.
Among persons of intelligence who
are in touch with the situation as re-
suIt of residence in the ISLANDS there
is a divergence of opinion as TO What
nolicv should be followed by the Uhlleu
States I'm the matter of the currlculeni
nrovided in schools for natives, pet al
agree that the desire to acquire euuca-
tion is earnest and practically unlNer-
cal among the civilized peoples. En-
| co,raping progress is being mace al
| scboois where pupils from the more re-
| mote provinces are received i1ouSltiS
| snealxing the American interested III NJ NJ
| dustrial enterprise in the fnll tpi, ppiIis' .
4 deprecates the higher educatloh loI 10
/ tives upon the ground thal ttlei ee 49,
Il nraeent a far greater need Tor lapot
slliiIed and unskilled. than for leglols
~ we'll educated young men ana young
| vtor,an The educator insists tnal
,,bora the demand for broad education
| ie On insistent good must come 70 tIle
neonle as a result Of this demand pells
met.
| rrbera have been many cases OF phys-
;oa1 injury and innumerable instances
of privation as a result OF the zeaiou9
| efforts of the students. AS rule Pu-
nils in the grammar schools come TO
! the class room without breakfast pIo-
vided with two or three copper gu cen-
tavos-coins worth a half cent-Mith
1aa
luncheon is usually bought from street
venders or small stores. Sometimes II
consists of rice with chopped meat. put
un in banana leaves, or dried lsn OF
a howl of soup. Oftener the children
buv "dulce"-confectio containing NJ
tle nutrition. There were so many lit
| tla sufferers from malnutrition among
tba children of the poorer classes in
| Manila that luncheons are now oelhg
served in the school buildings.
The average high school student VINO
| is asked bv a teacher to perform an
unusually arduous task often deprlVes
himself of the proper amount OF Time
for sleep or meals to accomplish II.
| This has been particularly noticeable
among students attending normal insti-
tutes during vacations. Both young
| mon and Young women at the vacation
| assemblies have been found burning the
midnight oil until or in the morning
and resuming their studies at 8 O'Clock
While perfectly honest and entirely
altruistic Americans in the Philippines
| disagree as to what courses OF study
| should be emphasized in the schools
all are agreed that the Importance and
dignity of agriculture should be more
| strongly impressed upon the minds OF
the children. Because a virtual state
of peonage existed among the laborers
upon the haciendas during Spanish
times, tillers of the soil were looked
upon as mere drudges, The spread OF
English education and the upgrowth
of western ideals may eradicate the
notion that the farmer is at the bottom
of the social scale and his occupation
one to be despised. Just now, with vast
areas of untenanted soil available for
cultivation. there is. proportionally. q
smaller need for clerks, merchants
physicians and lawyers than there is
for expert tillers Of the soil
Recently an American judge of