The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-03-06
n BEL LEADER rs
NOW A FARMER
And a Manufacturer of a Spe-
cial Brand of Hemp
Braid oriHats.


engaged n farming and-In the man
ufacture Of special brand of hemp
braid for hats, is the enticing pic
ture Of Philippine Industrial condi.
tons drawn by j &c Muermafa, for
merly division school superintend-
ent of cebu. P. H., now rural
school specialist in the United States
Bureau Of Education. Aguinaldo's
peaceful pursuit is typical Of the
change that has taken place in the
Philippines during the last few
years.
air. Muerman describes entertain
ingly the remarkable educational
advance in the islands since the day
the first American teachers disem-
barked from the United States
transport, Thomas. dozen years
ago. 'uahampered by academic ira
ditlon. and face to face with prob
lens of education that were as big
as civilization itself, these educators
and those who followed them have
gradually developed system of
Filipino schools under Filipino
teachers that Is rapidly transforming
the social and industrial life of the
islands.
Compulsory Industrial training,
fitted for the needs of every Filipino
llsie, is the most distinctively feature
of the ISLAND schools. The Americans
have carefully studied the POSSIBLE
tiles of the valuable raw materials
abundantly at hand in the islands,
and are able to show the Filipinos
how to make the most of them. Ev-
cry Filipino school boy is required
to do a certain amount OF work with
native woods and dibers; everyone
must learn to till the soil by actually
doing it in the school garden and in
a plat of his own; ond every Filipino
school girl is taught certain essen
tials OF sewing and other home
making arts. .Ail the children in
the schools are Obliged to pass
Through this, period OF elementary
training in the everyday tasks of
life.
! Most significant in the scheme of
Industrial education is the recent es.
Establishment of the Philippine School
of Household Industries. Two hum
bred women from different parts or
the islands were brought together
at Manila. shown how to adapt their
native skill in embroidery and lace
making to the demands Of foreign.
markets, and then scat back to-
their homes to form centers of in
dustrial progress in their own COM
munitles. The government has es-
tablished a sales agency to dispose
of the commodities thus produced,
and So far the demand has greatly
Exceeded the supply One Filipino
woman who was trained in the new
school has 500 women work ing un-
der her and is receiving from firms
in the United States orders for
thousands of embroidered shirt
waists and handllerchiefs. The
beautiful pima cloth, made from
Pineapple, is one product of which
special attention is paid. Before the
Americans came this cloth sold for
from ten to fifty cents yard; the
demand for it now is such that it
brings from $3.50 to $500 yard.
The hardest thing American
teachers in the Philippines; have to
contend WITH says Mr.. Muermau,
lis the American spirit of hustle
and hustle. The American is in too
much haste. He wants to get ev-
erything done at once. He tries to
overturn In a few weeks the tradi-
tons of centuries. And yet, com
ing into country where the ideal
tends TO be that of manana-never
! to do today what you can by Gly
possibility put of till tomcrrow-he
has really made astonishing head
way in Transforming the Philippines
into a country of today, where
things move with something like
American hurry. The old folks
shake their heads and sigh for the
good old times, but the young peo-
pie, boys and girls alike, are glad to
take advantage of the more efficient
methods. They play American
games and accept to educational op-
portu1lt.es offered them with equal
adaptability, and it is through them
that the new Filipino, civilization is
making its way rressthly
"Agunaldo with his hemp weav-
ing fad agriculture may be a less
heroic figure than the willy general
who for 50 long eIuded the Ameri-
can armies, just as clean streets and
city high schools somehow make less
noise in the cc1cert of the powers