El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-07-02
FiIiPinOs Play B all
American Sports Take Firm Hold on
People Of Islands and Base
ball Is Most Popular.
-B 81 Frederic J. HasSfH
, AsHINGTON. D. G.. july =


government The Filipino may be
wild eyed for immediate independence;
he may see in his race ali the vir-
tues which no alien American could
improve upon, ne may wish with all
his heart that the Americans leave
. the islands tomorrow, but just the
same. he viii get out in a hundred
candle power sun and swat the ball
and root on the side. lines to q fare
YOU we'll Football. baseball vOuey
pail. tennis, bowling, track, field
/ events and bicycle racing also enlist
the lusJy young Filipino and key to
high pitch the interest of his elders.
Like American Sports.
All American sports are ~~1 meat to
the Filipino and the prime favOrIte
with him is our own great national
game Of baseball The intermediate
school which does not support a nine
today is no school at all to the rising
generation and high school or nor
NAL school which should fail to train
some kind Of q nine or track team for
the seasons sports would be an OBJ
Ject OF rld1cule from one end OF
province to the other. The natives
nave learned baseball so rapidIv that
lhey frequently defeat picked Ameri-
can teams and they carry off more
lhan their share of the hOnOrS against
crack Japanese or Chinese aggrega-
uOnS- A superior all-FiliDinO nine is
on the Pacific coast now. Dlavina- some
OF the best college and club teams
Ihere. having been sent to conquer
american and Filipino fans
A few years ago the cockpit was the
great center of attraction i'm every
town A loud persistent drOninE
sound like. the humble of bees on
sundays and holidays meant that cocks
were ripping each others hearts out
for the enjoyment of everybody in the
town that could get there. Today the
cock pit is passing into eternal limbo
Its brutality still has charms for the
elder generation. Dut the young Fill
pinos the youths in whose hands the
government Of their country will some
cay be placed prefer good, clean, live
" American sport.
Baseball the FavOrIte.
A baseball game in the PHILIPPINES
Is q great sight The field is crowded
with spectators before the game be-
gins. The hundreds of white suits
against the green grass Of deep sea
hue makes a pretty color display. The
teams arrive with a retinue of school
mates who are proud 10 act as an es-
cort CT honor 10 the defenders Of their
school banner Cheers and jeers 20 Up
from the assembled partisans as the
gladiatOrs step forth.
The umpire may be an American. but
is Just as likely TO be a Filipino. If
ne is a Filipino he may be verl. shy on
English and everything else. but YOU
may. be sure that he can say three
sIrlkeS- yer out and "oaIl four. take
ina base The roofing is also done
In English. and as the game goes on
the tropical WelIin is split BY such
loud endearments as slide. you gink.
snde' don't mind him, Pedro, he's got
@laSs arm on you mutt, YOU
couldn't catch a carabaO-'' where did
you get the bamboo batg" throw the
bonehead on the bench" English, las
she am spoke on the Philippine dfa-
mond. is also enriched by such apt ma
tive colloquialisms as "sin virguensa."
ga he sH.--
loco All this is q gentle way of in
forming delinquent players that they
are shameless idiots
Every play starts the crowd groan-
ing or cheering. If the play is a par
Ucularly rotten one the fans stamp on
the ground, knock their Bnuckles to-
gether and switch from baseball
English 10 their own dialect When
FaoIo Ians SIX men in succession and
reures his opponents in the ninth in
nlng with the score one to nothing in
MS favor, hats and handkerchiefs. and
even coats go up in the air and every
body jumps up and down and shouts
when MaSdalinO steals in to the plate
and wins the game by an eyebrow
the excitement redoubles.
Have Place in schools.
sports Of some kind now have a
place in every school in the islands
whether II be in a provincial center Z
or in an Isolated village. The bureau I
Of education takes official cognizance
prizes Every province has a scholastic
meet where the various events are con-
quoted just as they are in this cOuu-
Try and under the same amateur rules.
There are also interschoIastic meets
where hundred or more native ath-
leteS compete. such as IN the Visayan Z
meet the BlcOl meet and those OF 3
northern and southern LuzOn and I
Manila The elimination of the sea-
son is the athletic tournament held in /
Manila every February in conjunction Z
with the Famous Manila carnival. (
where the athletes and their American I
instructors gather from every part of I
the islands. This tournament not only I
interests FIiptnOs. but is one Of the {
big events of the carnival. Every year
new records are hung up and some 4
provinces hitherto among the also I
rams forge TO the front The athletes /
are given a royal sendOff as they leave
0y boat OF train for Manila and those ]
VINO return victOrs are received by I
citizens committees and bowling
Schoolmates who give them round OF I
banQuets and balls.
EVen the governor general or the I
vice governor attends the sports and
Adct- governor general FORBES may be D
considered a patron Of amateur sports Z
In the islands He has encouraged {
them, not only as a crack polo player
out as consistent supporter Of
School athletics For years he has
heen giving q complete baseball out
fit to every school which organized a
nine for the first time. Justice Adams
c Carson offered the BicoI cup several !
years ago. which is contested for by
the pupils of Albay and Camarines
Dean c. Worcester. secretary of the
interior, is another high official who I
has always boosted sports as a means
Of arousinC the latent powers and
improving the physiQues OF the people
He is very proud of several Of his nor
Christian athletes. He counts that
day lost I'm which he has failed to
convince a G. string warrior that il is
tetter TO make their ancient enemies
break their necks chasing a baseball I
than TO perforate their hides with
poisoned arrows.
association Formed.
The great growth of sports led to
the formation three years ago of the
T hilippine Amateur Athletic assOcia- {
C"n. of which governor general Forbes
is TIE president Tt is conducted along
the same lines as the American fedora
tion and all records are officially
listed No worlds record has been Z
broken. but marks that the Orient I
never knew before have been set up. I
Filipinos do very well in the races and
can show 10 seconds flat for the 100 {
yards From this association has
grown the far eastern Olympiad the
organization of which is due largely
to EiwoOd s Brown. director of ath-