Omaha daily bee., 1912-02-04

Is fhr-on year, the monthly average be-
Ing. considerably less on account OF the
ma sly absentees during part Of the time.
r. The New school DuiIdinss.
New school buildings are going UP
throughout tho archipelago and sl00o,0Oo
viii be spent for those erected for pri-
! nary scholars this year. The school
J iauses of the Spaniards were long, low
buildings Of one room. with heavy walls
and a roof Of tiles or thatch. The floor
was the ground, and the windows were OF
wooden bars, Many OF the new buildings
are Of reinforced concrete, and not a few
have two stories. The roofs are OF iron
Some OF these buildings are after plans
drawn by the students at Manila. They
are made on the unit system. so that
rooms can be added as the school grows
II is said that many Of the school houses
now going up in the country districts are
superior to the same class in the United
States. In many out-of-the-way places
there are school rooms stu walled with
bamboo and rooted with thatch. All are
built to suit tropical needs. Very few
Of them have glass windows. and all are
well up from the ground and light and
airy.
Many of these school buildings have
Fairgrounds. and others have gardens and
ornamental lawn plots which are kept by
the children. Some have base hall and
foot ball grounds. ana the trade schools
have shops Of various kinds.
Industrial Education.
The most interesting feature Of this
educational movement is that IL Il every
were carried on along Industrial lines.
The little Filipinos are being educated
not to become lawyers. orators or clerks,
but actual working members Of an indus
trial nation. They are taught the dignity
Of work. and even the children Of well-to-
do families and Of the rich now 20 into
manual training and work on the farms
and in the school gardens.
The manual training begins with the
primary grades and runs through the
whole course. the children specializing,
~ they wish. as to what they shall do.
AT the present time there are $1,000 boys
and girls who are thus engaged in learn
Ing some kind Of industry which viii en-
able them, TO live independently when
their school years are closed In the
primary grades. which include children
up to 10 years OF age, they spend from
one-haf TO -three-quarters of an hour
a day in Industrial work. The little ones
learn the hand weaving OF the native
fibers. beginning this study at 6. They
also do little gardening. At z they are
taught basketry and wood working and
pottery. The girls make doll clothes.
hem towels. napkins and sheets and begin
to mend their own clothes They also
learn lace making and embroidery. Ia
is the same in the next two years, and
at 10 domestic science is added and
further instruction is given In the
branches already taken up. This manual
training IS continued throughout the
eighth grade. the children being allowed
to specialize as they or their parents
wish.
Courses In Farming and Gxrdeninx.
In all OF the schools there is nature
study, and the children learn about the
plants OF the islands Some Of the schools
have farms connected with them, and
special instruction is given as to the
chief crops There are altogether 5000
or se,ooe acres In such farms, and on one
Of them. consisting Of about fifteen acres,
eighty boys worked last year on an aver
age Of about two hours day. They
maintained fifty-two garden plots and
planted and harvested peanuts, tobacco
and corn. This was at Batac. Many Of
the common schools have gardens where
vegetables are grown. They have tree
nurseries. and there are classes OF seed
selection and In poultry raising.
In the eighth grade courses are given
In housekeeping and household arts. The
girls learn domestic science and they