Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-29
FILIPINOS ARE LEARNING
Good Progress in Converting Them
Into American Citizens.



Education Of the Filipinos as Fill
pinos, with a view to making then
good Filipinos, is the practical view O.
the educational problem presented II
the distant insular possessions which
is taken by Frank r. White. director
of education for. the insular govern
ment, who is visiting the Unitet
States.
The process Of making over the Fill
pino into an American citizen or al
independent citizen Of an Independent
government is not the subject OF pres
ent consideration Of the bureau OF In
sular affairs of the war department
which is, at long range, the directing
brain of the insular government, says
the washington Star. The process
according to Director White and the
WASHINGTON officials Of the bureau, Ii
greatly simplified by proceeding on the
hypothesis that the surest way ano
the shortest cut to the advancement
of the PHILIPPINES to a point where theil
inhabitants will be ready either for in.
dependence or for eventual assimila'
ton into the body Of the American
nation Is to make them self-respect'
ing, self-supporting, wholesome
healthy. clean-minded and clean
bodied members Of Philippine society
as 1t is today constituted.
It is the belief Of the officers of the
insular bureau and the insular gov
ernment that, regardless Of the parti-
san attitude towards the Philippines
as evidenced in the party utterances OF
party platforms in the United States
the present duty of the administration
of the islands is the betterment OF ev-
ery condition Of the inhabitants and to
LET nature take her course with the
politics Of the problem.
Today in the Philippines industrial
and scholastic education are proceed
ing hand in hand. The present form
of educational administration took
over the business Of instruction in the
Philippines nine years ago. At that
date there were 1000 primary schools
in the Philippines There were no in
termediate and no secondary schools.
Today there are 4,121 primary. 245
intermediate and 3S secondary schools.
In the nine years the enrolment has
grown from an approximation based
on guesswork and partial figures, OF
100000. to a total enrolment for the
fiscal year 1910 Of 610,4s3, with a
monthly average enrolment for the
whole year Of 4S4,SSs.
Over Nine Thousand Teachers
There are in the teaching corps un-
der the direction of the insular gov
ernment 9,0SS members, Of whom
S,403, or more than go per cent, are
Filipinos. Director White remarks
that, with the rapid increase in the
number Of school teachers. students
who have received their full course
in the public schools Of the islands,
the competition for positions as
teachers among the natives Is becom-
ing keen and that in following out
the policy of the administration the
Filipinos Of superior attainments may
go as far as they like in the general
process Of advancement.
Today the primary instruction of the
islanders is practically in the hands
Of Filipinos only. There were during
the last year, for which complete fig
ures are available, 14S Filipinos serv-
ing as supervisors and assistant su-
pervisors of the large and small
districts.
The introduction Of outdoor sports
has been received with enthusiasm
throughout the islands. Baseball, fol-
lowing the flag, took hold with ven-
geance. Throughout the public school
system there are baseball organiza-
tions. This years annual carnival at
Manila brought together the high
school teams Of the bigger cities Of the
island. At the same carnival there
were track events in which insular
records were broken and, what is bet
ter, a spirit of sportsmanship-som
thing that Spanish domination and
Spanish systems of instruction failed
utterly to develop-is being aroused
among the little brown men. The
girls also take to athletics with vim.
They pose on the side lines at the
boys and mems events, carrying their
school banners like real American
girls, and shrilly cheering for the
home team. and they take part in
their own sports as we'll. Basket
ball is the favorite game, but track
athletics, gymnastics and gym" work
indoors in wet weather have taken a
hold with the girls.
Show Results Of Change
The affect of the athletic training
is manifesting itself on every hand.
Already the school children Of the
Philippines show the results of the
change which the possessions are
undergoing. The pupils stand better,
sit better, run better and walk bet
ter than they did when American
methods were introduced in 1903. The
languor is going out and giving place
to ginger.
In the more retired, less civilized
provinces the UOSS uoNS DeeSS
ball teams just like their bigger and
Weather brothers in the cities and
towns. They also have uniforms, con-
sisting of caps and shirts. For the
present trousers have not been sup
piled, but by exercising care in base
running, particularly in sliding. the
absence of such adornments is not
missed.
Industrial education in the Philip
pines has developed by leaps and
bounds since the Americans took hold
Manufactures of all sorts, suitable to
the character of the country. have
been included in the curriculum, and
fine concrete and steel buildings, veri-
table factories, have replaced the nipa
hut schoolhouses Of old Spanish days
The abundant and superior varieties
of hard woods in the Philippines have
made the manufacture of furniture
the principal and the favorite form OF
industrial education in the schools.