Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-02-25

AsHINGToN. D. c. Feb 17--Afairs the
wv Philippines going through a. critical pee;
W riod. The complex system of education and
administration that built us is getting its hnal test
We know that the organization is efficient tha II VIII
work We have still to find out what effect It's work
ings have of the Philippine ,peGple--ln
how far they willing or capable of receiving ITS
benefits. - -
There is the question of the English language, for
instance. The whole school system of the islands has
making every its inception to teach its
little brown pupils the tongue of tner new country.
English today generally understood than Span
ish though Spain held the Philippines for
centuries. You about the islands more easily
speaking English than with of the Filipino
dolects 1t would seem that the Enssh-teaching
campaign has been great success and this is I'm
doubterly the to great extent Yet there are
intelligent Americans who believe that the lowergrade
school work should be carried in the native dialects
They say many thousands of Ffpino
children of the classes only school for
few They spend of that time learning the
new language. Their they go home, take up their
tive dialect again, and forget what English they knew
According this theory it would better to take
them for limited time the disposal and
give them much solid general obstruction possi
BILE in their thus tkey could some
thing out of the schooI that they would retain.
Tine weight of opinion ISLANDS against such
a course There is literature worth mentioning in
any Filipino dialect There of the works of
information books on how to do things, tIat Eng
lisn is rich in In word, the English language as
tool is ncomparably superior any natiye dialect,
and the majority never make of it. and. step
toward establishing it 10 step in the right direction
But the fact that such dispute exists shows that
the school question is solved
Admitting this there is no the
markabIe work done by the bureau OF education. 1t
is the bureau nearest the people Many of the Othe:
bureaus through it. 1t teaches half
a million pupils, and employs nine thousand Filipino
teachers. 1t has done more, perhaps to establish
friendship confidence between people. and the
government than any other single influence. Yet
cannot regard its work done, its future as
matter of routine development. The of its
results has yet be established The school
system cannot accommodate than half of all the
children of school in the islandsv
The education of the hill tribes is just beginning
They present problem much more difficult than the
civilized Filipino Sny savage, superstitious they have
be humored and coaxed, with infinite patience and
tolerance If the Filipinos are given charge of the
government of the islands, tests
their spirit ability will way carry
the education of the IfIgaos and Mansyans.
the Filipino himself often displays~a keen appetite
for knowledge There two higher schools at Ma
Mia with a combined enrolment of twelve hun
dred well as the university Of the Philippines The
latter institution is popular, but most of the
young Filipino college men take courses in letters and
the fine arts In the present stage OF development OF
the country, would be much better If they cared
for the sciences and engineering:
IN the lower schools very successful feature is
the work manual training. 1t is mere sde-line,
more or less novelty, it is in the United
states. old Spanish friar many. years said
that the Filipinos in their fingers.
They dexterous in the delicate operations
high degree, Hence the manual training work proc
duces fine results with true professional finish
unlike patiently amatersh products usually turned
out by such departments. In these manual training
rooms may be founded industries the islands.
The ace-makVg work has been greatly stimulated,
one the important works of of