The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-03
'Eduontion lie now compuI.ory."

"Educntion lie now compulsory"
been done in the villages. and roads
nave been built from place to place.
lhese roads are as hard as stone and
as smooth as the floor They might
De used for automobiles, but there a, 9
none on the island. The material used
Tor surfacing them is q yellow ola,
, called CASCADE, which hardens 10 a
cement, and makes a good, permanent
highway.
Education IN Guam.
When we took hold OF Guam trere
We're practically no common SCHOOLS.
There was a little college at Aeana.
although IT was centuries o.d out
I this was hardly equal 10 the ordinary
country high school of the United
states. There were also private
SCHOOLS. run by the priests but. as a
rule, the people were illiterate and
many could not write their own mes.
When Governor Leary tool, luld he
sent out an order thai every man
and woman must learn TO write his or
her signature within e certain number
OF months. and that Uncle Sam would
furnish the copy. AS a result OF that
name
Governor Shredder brought out some
American school teachers but the
revenues grew short, ana they had u
go back. Since then other schools
nave been organized, and they are
now to be found In Agana and in all
the villages. These schools run from
the hrst TO the eighth grade Edu-
cation Is compulsory, and the children
are all learning the rudiments of an
euuca ton. There is e high school In
Agana. but III has only about thirty
pupils, and there Is aieo tho College
OF San Jua de .Latram
some school work is being done by
the Protestant missionaries. of whom
there are some Congrega tionalists and
others. a better missionary work could
DC done by the American Catholics. for
the field is peculiarly theirs The rs.
landers are devout Catholics. but like
the tilipinos, they have been cursed
py the rriars and they need the live,
progressive methods OF modern Amert-
can Catholicism for their develop
ment
Among the Chamorros
But who are these people of Guam?
are they Chinese. Japanese. Ma1ayans.
or crosses between the Malayan and the
savage head hunters? They are far
different from the F'ilipinos, although
they have the same semi Spanish civil.
lzation and dress and look much thc
same. our Governors have sent to tho
navy Department some Interesting in
formation conSerning them. They come
tloIl race known as the Chamorros,
"hich was In Guam when Magellan
landed there in 1921. Magellan saws
that'tha natives were wariIke. and tba+
they defended themselves with stones
anu lances. Legaspi. who called al
Guam In 1865. says %tnat the neoI,le
l.Ved In the water half the time. and
that the only meat they ate was FISH
pats and dying foxes A Jusuit father
VINO wrote of the island in the seven
IN century, says that Guam then
Hao oo.ooo people, or five times as many
as no." The Inhabitants lived in towna
or villages. having clean houses Of ba M
boo. rooted with cocoanut leaves and
olVided into rooms by mats, which we're
woven In one piece, He says that the
men We're SO corpulent that tley seem.
90 swollen, and that they shaved their
headS with the exception OF a topknot,
Whlch was allowed to grow to the
height OF three Inches The woman baa
long hair, which they bleached deaa
black. A
Baseball In the PaciAc.
these ancient people were healthy
aio vigorous and the missionaries saw,
tnat tAey oaptised go ..cn who were
eaeh 100 years old. They were great
ath!etes ana were expert sprin tiers.
:, aii'- SIllHpGFS. The people OF
Gua!h to-day are resunl!ng their inter
est III athiet!es. Our marines have intro
auced them to The delights OF baseball
ana there are now bail clubs everv,
Wnere. Every school has its club and
there are naval clubs and civil clubs
ne little Guamites are excellent hall
prayers and the native teams have
peate those of the officers again and
again. There are now tennis courts at
| Agana and the desire for gymnastics
is growing.
Our Cousins OF Guam.
But let us lock at the Gua,nites. of
to-day There is a good slice Of tne
Old Chamorro in them. They have also
oeen mixed with the Islands about and
win the Spaniards. The Governors re.
ports say that the Spanish officers who
nave ruled the country In the past have
intermarrted With the native women.
ana that to-day the names OF the US.
Per crust Include the family names of
nearly every Governor for the last ons
hundred years. Qua m has four hun
dred and it is harder for one born
ontsce that class TO gain admit,ance to
me houses of the Torreses, AIartinezes,
Calves or Diazes than for gutter snips
TO enter the most select circles OF Amor
ica.
This upper crust has Its own recep-
lions and ballE It's laws of silhouette