The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-18
SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES.

We Judge from indications that those
Filipinos who so urgently insist on the
independence Of the Philippine Islands.
a part Of them represented by Manuel
/. Quezon, a delegate from the Philip
| pine Islands to Congress, do really in
their hearts object more than any
thing else to the great school system
which the United States has estab-
lishcd in the islands Of the archi,
pelago, and they grudge the expendi-
! ture of money which is made on these
schools. 1t is no part Of the plan Of
the intriguing Filipinos to educate
the masses of the people. On the con-
trary, the chiof families of the Taga-
logs, the leading tribe Of the Island
of LuzoD, and of which Quezon is
member, want the masses Of the peo-
pie to remain in ignorance and SER
Witty, so that they can the moro
easily guide and rule them. There is
not the least idea in the minds Of any
of the leaders Of the Filipino independ
ence movement in the Philippines,
Of real government by the people,
nor any conception of popular liberty.
What these agitators want, the dearest
desire Of their hearts, is the privilege
to boss aud rule over the masses Of
their native country. The Macabebes
the tribe that was always friendly to
the United States, are especially de-
tested by the Tagalogs, and if these
could once have rule over them, there
would be at once reign Of terror for
the Macabebes such as is seldom wit
messed in the history Of the world. The
grievances Of the Tagalogs against the
Macabebes on account Of the latter IA
voriug the United States, have taken
the form Of an undyiug resentment,
and undoubtedly it would be a hard
time for these loyal tribesmen If those
Tagalogs could have rule over them.
The schools established by the United
States are in general operation through
out the archipelago. We have there
1850 teachers and 1865 enrolled pu-
pills. 4 point in the educational system
of the Filipiuos, insisted upon by the
United States management, is that
Filipino teachers shall be employed in
these schools Just as rapidly as these
teachers can be sufficiently instructed
to ct them to teach. The teaching of
course, is in the English language. This
also is something that the Quezon
crowd resent. They want to establish
the Tagalog dialect as the ruling
speech of the islands, They see the
English language rapidly superseding
the Spanish, and they don It like that
change; they see it being made the
this makes them grit their teeth 1t
seems as though they would be better
content to retain the Spanish language
than to accept the English. But their
chief design in this is to make the
Tagalog dialect the speech of the Fill,
pinos. This, however is an impossible
dream, for the Tagalog dialect is not a
language capable of being developed
along educational lines. 1t has no
/ literature, il has no comprehensiveness
no root in the masses Of the people,
| and there is no reason Why il should
be made to prevail over any of the
other barbarous dialects found in the
islands
| A feature Of the educational system
of the Philippines under American
management is the establishment OF
normal schools, in which native Fill.
| pinos arc instructed and trained for
work as teachers among their own peo-
| Al oil a.. 80 f,I AZ.
Quezou crowd, and the resistance to
the English language comes in forcibly
at this point. In fact. under the in
hucuce OF the Quezon style of poll
ticians there is a determined resistance
| on the part of the old Spanish
schools there against the introduction
Of the English language. They insist
upon instruction in Spanish, and de-
mand their share Of the school money
to maintain schools entirely out Of line
with the course Of public instruction
| as laid down by law. All tins sort OF
thing is encouraged bv Quezon and
| his people, and the American influence
is fought back with blind fury at every
| stage where a fight has the least
chance. Every little while we see in
the Manila Times a ruction in some
school that refuses 10 give instruction
IN the English language, but resents
the Withholding Of public money and
attacks the school management because
such reactiouary school is not allowed
to do ms 1t pleascs and get its share
Of the public moDcv contrary TO law.
The imcricanizing of the islands
through the school instruction in the
English language j. progressing TO such
~ c.tcll ihal .hc Q#c ON crord sc.