Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-20
THE PROBLEM OF THE PHI. lPPINFS

WASHINGTON. February l9.-Af-
fairs IN the Philippines arc going
| through a critical period. The COM
| pick system Of education and admins
| tration that VIC built UP is getting its
| final test. We know that the orSaniza-
| ton is efficient; that il will work We
| have still to find out what effect it's
| workings have on the mass OF the
| Philippine pcoplc-in how far they are
| willing or capable OF receiving the
! benefits.
| There is the question of the English
| language for Instance. The whole
| school system OF the islands has been
| making every effort since it's inception
10 teach its little brown pupils tho
tongue OF their new country English
| to-day ls more generally understood
| IMAM spanish ever was. though spain
! held the Philippines for centuries You
| can Ret about the islands more easily
! speaking English than with any one
| Of the Filipino dialects. II would seem
| that tic English teaching campaign
has been great success, and this Is
undouhtedly the case to a great cx-
| tent Yet there are intelligent Amer
| leans who believe thS; the lower era de
| school work should be carried on In
| the native dialects
Why English In Taught.
| They say that the many thousands
! VI '''p'l9b tulihleH OF inc poorer
| classes only 20 10 school for :, r.w
| Years. 1hcy spend most OF that Time
! learning the new language Then thcv
| :" home. take up their native dialect
! again, and forget what EugIish they
| knew. According tn this theory II
! would he better 10 take them for tho
! limited tim" At the teachers disposal
| and give them AZ much solid, general
| instruction As possible in their owu
! tongue. Thus they could get some
| thing out OF the school that they would
| retain.
Tho weight OF opinion in the Islands
| IS against such course. There is no
literature worth mentioning in any
Filipino dialect. There arc none Of
| IN" works OF nformation or hooks on
how 10 do things. that English ia rich
| in IN word, the English lanruag.
| as tool Is incomparablv superior to
| any native dialect and even {: the ma
| jority never make use OF il, any step
| toward establishing IL is stop in INC
| right direction. But tho mere fact thai
| sHch I DISPUTE exists, shows that the
| school question is not solved
| Admitting this, there is no doubt as
| TO the remarkable work done BY the
| Bureau OF Education. 1t IS tho bureau
nearest the people MANI OF the other
| bureaus have 10 work through it 1t
| teaches over 800 600 pupils. and ON
I III
| done more, perhaps. to establish friend
snip and confidence between the peo-
| pie and the government than any other
| single influence Yet we cannot regard
| It's work as done. It's future as a mere
| matter of routine development, Tn,
| pernancnce OF it's results has vet m
| he established. The present school svs-
| TEN cannot accommodate more than
| half of all the children of school arc
| in the islands
Patience Needed with IIilI Folk.
| The education OF tho hill tribes is
| Just beginning. They present a prob
! lem much moro dIficul, than the civil
lizcd Filipino. Shy. savage. supers,i-
! tl"us. they have To be hundred and
coaXed' with infinite patience and toll
| GRANGE II the Filipinos arc given
charge OF the government OF tho is
| lands, one of the surest tests OF their
| spirit and their ability will be the way
Lhey carry on the education % the
| ifusaos and the Mangyans
The Filipino himself often 6isnlays
| a keen appetite for knowledge. Th.re
| are two higher schools At Manila with
! a combined enrolment OF over 200 as
we'll as the University Of the philip
pines: The latter institution Is very
| popular. but most of tho younc I-iIj
nino college men take courses in lcttors
and the fine arts. In the present stage
OF DEVELOPMENT OF the country it would
| be much better If they cared more for
the sciences and engineering
In the lower schools n very successful
| feature is the work in manual train
| ing. II is no mere sidc-line. more or
| Tess OF mere novelty. as il is in tho
! United states. An ola Spanish friar
| MANY years ago said that the brains
| OF inc fllipinos are in their fingers
! They arc deNtcrous in the most delicate
| operations to high degree. Hence the
| Misunderstanding work produces some
fine results, with a true professional
! finish, unlike the patiently amatcurish
| products usually turned out hv such
| departments In these Misunderstanding
/ rooms may he founded new Industries
| for the Islands. The lace making work
| has been greatly stimulated.
Great Health Campaign Pressed
! one OF the most important works of
! the Burcau Of Education has been the
/ way II spread the propaganda of ,he
| bureau OF Health The Health Blu
| rcau work in the Philippines is as
| fundamentally important as tho same
| work in tho Canal Zone, and the re-
| suits achieved have been as great we
/ found the islands in q state of almost
| unbelievable cleanliness, swcDt pcriodi-
! cally by all the plaques of Egypt, and
| every step forward was made against
forces of ignorance and supcrstition
! There were few educated and intclli-
| gent natives who realized that condi-
| tions needed lettering, but that was
| about as far as they got.
| The Health Service fought the
! cholera until instead of sweeping away
a third of a city, tho plague took only
| few hundred victims. On one oc-
| casion the people OF Manila would not
| believe that the cholera was among