Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-30


discontinued. and hence more difficult to
manage he would become. Also, truth
to tell, the Spanish ruler himself knew
practically nothing Of the higher do
1nestic arts, and his idea that his home
was his castle, and what went on within
Of no concern to the outsider. he handed
down to the Filipino
The Filipino. however, was far reader
to assimilate the beneficient changes Of
fered by the Americans. He promptly
Learned that sanitation, both at home
and abroad. lessened the danger OF
plaques, which since time immemorial
had moved down the native population
like grain before a scythe.
This readiness on the part Of the Fill
ipino was an absolute requisite to the
success OF the work of the teachers.
Had the American successor to the Span
ish ruler undertaken to compel a newer,
cleaner method Of home life. the work
must have been foredoomed to failure.
The Filipino is proud in his own way
and has a strong notion of what are his
personal rights Anything akin to ty-
would have defeated the whole scheme.
Hosts Of domestic science teachers
equipped with the best of training have
gone to the Philippines this past decade
with high hopes and unbounded enthu-
siasm for the work before them, only
to return presently with blank failure
the record of their Philippine sojourn.
Those who have succeeded-and the
success of these has been tremendous
have done so through intimate. sympa
thetic understanding of the Filipino. the
code and traditions which give him his
own peculiar point Of view and his es-
sentially peculiar home life.
Nothing in all the course Of study Of
fered by the school Of household indus
tries has seemed to interest the young
women SO greatly as the study Of santa
tion hygiene and the care of infants.
While the Filipino himself may have
definite reasons Of his own for desiring
cleaner and more wholesome living con-
ditiOns. the young women have learned
that to q lack Of knowledge may be
charged the terrific death rate among in
fants. Out of each three round-eyed.
smiling babies born, one dies before 1t
has lived year, a victim OF Ignorance
and insanitary environment. Innate, uni
versal mother love was quick to value
and acquire knowledge of anything which
eventuates in saving the babies.
But nothing in all the school is SO
variously interesting as the changes
wrought by the study of cooking In
times past the Filipino had the scantiest
variety of food. which was prepared in
the simplest fashion. meat being heavy
item of his menu The greatest delicacy
OF the Igorote was, and in some portions
of the islands continues to be, pot roast
a la F'ido." Many Of them still eat dog
stew. but the majority are beginning to
learn that there are numerous other
foods vastly more palatable and satisfy
ing.
Nearly every one who visited the Louis
lana Purchase exposition in st. Louis
anna ami nto villa <h0
puppy feasts of the nude, satin-skinned.
which never lived to be a dog and have
day, was specially fattened for the
feast, and when a stew succulent to
Igorote palates and savory smelling to
lgorote nostriis was ready, the whole
village fiocked up to the pot, and each
dipping his hands in brought forth what.
to his notion, was the daintieSt morsel
of the late deceased puppy, cut down and
life.
Many exposition visitors will remem-
Der also that while there were industri-
GUS workers among the women of the
village. invariably the toiling was done
by the aged and no longer comedy ones
The pert. graceful and well favored toll
ed not. neither did they spin. and 1t is
a sale SuTIllSe tndL solomon was not ar
rayed like one Of these. Their sole bust
ness in life was to be as attractive as
possible to possible husbands. In fact,
about the sole requirement for WIFE
hood was attractiveness.
These latter days. with newer methods.
have changed that. too Even to the
farthest remote Igorote village maiden
has come knowledge of that oft-repeat-
ed truism that husbands are vastly more
easy of requirement than retention
Even the Igorote maiden knows that If
she is to get and keep a husband she
must know modern methods OF conduct
ing the modern home, which the men
have acquired liking for.
So it happens that in the cooking
classes are the youngest and prettiest
and brightest of these future wives and
mothers. And even in their dress they
herald the new day. The picturesque
and fantastic costumes have been dis
carded for simple checked Bingham
frocks under all-enveloping white linen
aprons.
In sharp contrast to these cooking
school girls are the young women who
are studying in various other branches
and clinging religiously to their gayly
lowered skirts. tight at the hips a. the
stamp on an ink-blotted envelope, aow-
ing away to voluminous breadth and