The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-08-04
HEAD HUNTERS
HOW TO GO SHOPPING
Igorots and Ifugaos Are Learning to Send Their Chill
dren to the Little Red School Pursuits of Peace
Keeping Philippine Savages Busy.


side with pick and shovel. instead Of
hunting each other with headaxes.
II 10. In fact. a veritable social revolu-
ton that Is being accomplished An of
the mountain province is being literally
gridironed with trails and roads, the most
inaccessible districts being opened I'D. A
through route for horseback travel has
been nearly completed all the way from
Southern Benguet to the extreme north
ern end Of Luzon. Telegraph and tele-
phone lines are being extended over hun
dreds of miles Of territory. and the
watch towers on lofty peaks, hitherto
occupied by native sentinels on the alert
for raiding bands Of head-hunting foes.
are deserted.
At Bontoc capital of the subprovincs
of the same name). wonderful improve
ments are being made. Here, where half
a dozen years ago no white man could
have -ventured without an armed escort.
the men and boys are being taught brick
making and lime burning. A deposit Of
magnificent clay for the purpose was
found near the river. with unlimited guam
titles of sharp sand suitable for build
ing near by; also limestone. To-day the
people of the entire village of Minac. in
that neighborhood- are burning lime and
furnishing IL to the government Of Bon
toe Province. They are becoming indie
pendently rich at the business.
Building Work Cheap.
These facilities. with unlimited labor
obtainable for nothing under the system
OF the ten-day tax. make building work
exceedingly cheap. A large brick school
house and brick clubhouse. as well as
building for the offices Of the provin-
cial government. OF stone and brick, have
been put up at Bontoc; also a prison for
Wild folk who misbehave themselves, and
a small. but thoroughly up-to-date. hos
pital A canal has been constructed in
cidentally to furnish the town Of Bontoc
with an abundant supply Of pure noun
tain water.
1t is expected that the hospital will be
of inestimable usefulness Most OF the
wild people seem heartily willing to give
up their ancient custom OF curing ply
steal ailments by human and animal sac
rifices. and come to the doctor showing
a touching confidence In the ability of
the white man TO give them help. Pack
ages of simple remedies. with a small
pamphlet of directions in English and
distributed among the villages; likewise
large quantities of quinine and other
safe and useful drugs
recently discovered drug has been
found TO be specific for the very un-
pleasant tropical disease called "yaws"
1t happened that Bontoc Igorot, afiiict-
ed with It was unwilling TO 90 to the
hospital. but was compelled to do 30,
receiving the one injection requisite.
Then he began to complain bitterly that
no medicine was being put on his sores
But the effect OF the drug soon mani
tested itself. and he went about town
excitedly demonstrating his improved
condition to all who would look Some
days later he disappeared. and the doc
tor was much disappointed. because he
wanted him for an object lesson to con-
vince others OF the efficacy OF the treat
ment- To the great surprise of the hos
pital staff. he turned up again soon af-
terward with thirteen other sufferers
from ''yaws." whom he had brought a
distance of fifty miles from his native
village. in order that they also might DO
cured.
Educating Girls.
In Benguet the wild people are build
ing schoolhouses and sending their chill
dren to them The boys are taught to
construct looms. and the girls to use
them for making cloth. Each girl, on
completing her course of education.
takes her loom and returns to her own
village. thus extending her newly-ac-
Quired knowledge of weaving to her
family and friends. At Bua Is an Igorot
only make cloth. but manufacture ar
ticles OF clothing for sale Baguio. the
capital OF Benguet. is growing by rapid
strides, and new and substantial build
ings are springing up on every side. On
market days (Sundays). the two market
buildings are filed with vendors, and the
scene resembles a county fair.
Useful plants and particularly vese-
tables. including the Irish potato. are
h.{v rla In ha I'M nS he ayf1I
people. Their agricultural methods at
present entail great labor with limited
results They patiently clear a forest
tract with bolos, turn over the soil with
primitive implements, and SOW seed.
Then, after a short time, the growth
OF weeds drives them to fresh areas,
where the performance has to be re-
peated. What the Americans propose
10 do is to provide them with modern
tools of husbandry. and with carabaos
whenever possible. A number OF plows
have been given to chiefs. but a broken
plowpoint or a lost nut soon relegates
the implement to the scrap heap. Thus
IT is obvious that collateral industries
must be developed, and that time alone
will replace the sweet potato patch with
fields of waving grain Meanwhile the
sweet potato. which seems to have been
introduced very anciently in that part
of the world, serves the useful purpose
OF an all-the-year-round emergency ra-
ton.
People Are Clever.
A point by no means to be lost sight
Of is the fact that these wild people OF
Luzon are not savages of an ordinary
type. Not only is their physical develop
ment superb probably SURPRISING that OF
any other race of human beings IN the
world. but they are highly intelligent and
even clever. Given the advantage Of two
or three generations Of such educational
opportunities as are now being afforded
them by the Americans. and they will
far exceed in intellectual qualifications
the Filipinos of Manila and other coast
towns Indeed. II does not seem at all
unlikely that in the future they. rather
than the Filipinos, will become the domi-
nant race in Luzon, controlling the af-
fairs Of the island and even those Of the
whole archipelago. In case we should
voluntarily surrender sovereignty. In
the meantime. while trying to uplift them
In the scale of civilization. the govern
ment OF the United States is making
every effort to protect them against civil
lization's evil infiuences-especially the
drink and diseases which have under
mined the morals and physique of 90
many primitive peoples on coming into
contact with the corrupting Caucasian
In the Land of the Free.
From Judges Library.
In our country, where can one really