Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-06-18

teachers to augment the American
educational forces already in the IL
lands are graduates of the best uni
versities, colleges and normal schools,
and thay come from nearly every Sec
ton of the United States. They
were selected from a larger eligible
list of candidates than ever before ap-
piled fer positions with the insular
branch of the government
Bureau OFFICIALS Gratified.
The bureau officials in speaking OF
this matter of teachers and of the
teaching work in the Philippine is
lands said:
More than eleven years of our edu-
cational experiment there has demon
strated to those who have inyest1ga-
ted the subject that, as noted sdu-
Gator on his return from the Orient
said, the achievements of the bureau
of education in the Philippines make
as bright and inspiring a chapter OF
history as was ever written and that
our insular service offers an excellent
opportunity for honest, energetic and
well-educated young men to render a
most conspicuous service for the gov
eminent and for themselves"
1T Is very gratifying to the officials
to know that there Is such an in
creasing interest In it's insular POS
sessions and that it can depend upon
young, clear Drained and clear-mind-
ed men of good education to enter its
service and assist in the solution OF
some of the problems which daily con-
front it.
Students and travellers in the ORR
ent in recent years have returned to
the United States with the report
that the east is to be the center of the
greatest governmental activities OF
the twentieth century, and our posi-
ton in the Philippines has made 1t
possible for those on the ground to
get an insight into these problems
and take a very active part in their
solution in so far as the participation
by the United States government IS
concerned The development of the
American public school system in the
Philippines, modified to meet local
conditions, has been a most remarka-
BILE one during the past ten years, yet
the opportunity for further growth Is
great"
Birds of Laysan Island.
Recently an expedition was sent
to Laysan island in the Pacific
under the joint direction of the
United States department of agrf-
culture and the University of Iowa.
The duties of the members Of the ex-
petition were to make report on the
island and adjacent similar Islands
and reefs as places Of refuge and
nesting sites for the millions OF sea
birds that from time immemorial
have resorted there yearly to raise
| their young or to rest while migrat-
ing.
Reports of the work and the ind
ings of the expedition have just been
published by the government. One
report is by Prof. Homer r, Dill OF the
University of Iowa and the second Is
by Prof. William A. Bryan of the Col
lege of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Early in 1909, just before leaving
office, Theodore Roosevelt established
| by executive order what is known as
| the Hawaiian islands of reservation,
as a place of refuge and assured pro
lection for the seabirds. Not long
! after the order was issued, and before
! the government had established
patrol of the island group, the chief
! one of which is Laysah island, party
of feather hunters landed on the place
and killed more than 1000 birds,
mostly albatrosses, for millinery pur-
poses. The United States and Iowa
scientists found on Laysan isla0d a
large shed packed full of albatross
wings
Thetis VIII Protect Them.
Now he revenue cutter Thetis has
been ordered to patrol the coast of the
island of Laysan and the adjacent
islands, and the captain has been told
TO arrest anyone caught killing birds
or interfering with their nesting OPP
erations. Despite the awful slaugh-
ter of the seabirds by the feather
hunters. it is believed there are
enough birds left to restore the feath.
cred fiocks to something like their
original numbers, provided protection
can be systematically enforced. The
government recently has been very
much interested in the preservation
of bird life in all parts of its domain
During the Roosevelt and Taft admin
istrations there have been set aside
particular reservations on the Allan
tic and Pacific coasts and in the Gull
of Mexico, and there, under proper
government espionage. the illegal kill
ing of seabirds has been stopped. and
the gulls, the terms, the ibises, th'
spoonbills. the fiamingos and thu
other birds gradually are comint
back into their own.
1t Is estimated that on Laysan is
land and the reefs adjoining it Their
are at present about 100000 birds
J ranging in species from the little mil
, Ter bird. which is Of an interesting
habit of life, to the great man-of.wa
: bird. which follows ships for hundred
, of miles over the trackless waters Q
the ocean.
Lighthouse keepers, revenue cutie
officers and, In fact, all governlnen
] officials whose duties take them nea
the haunts of the seabirds, have bee
ordered to exercise due vigilance
/ protect the lives of the beautiful crei
: lures which not only serve man b
/ adding attractiveness to the ocea
$ wastes. but in the case of the seabirc
/ do good service as scavengers.
e His Philosophy.