The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-17
(By Jose II. Melencio, OF Philippine
! Hrc.s ItnreaM. WASHINGTON, d. @

Press Bureau. Washington, ID. c.
Some twenty Filipino mountaineers
picked UP from tho wi3ds of LuZon.
and exhibited in their sylvan attire
in the Saint Louis exposition, have
drawn more crowds than all the
other exhibits featuring Filipino
civilization and have given America
The impression that the Philippies are
a Jungle teeming with naked long
haired, head hunting people whose
creed and culture find their summum
manifestation in the primitive bow
and arrow. number of money
making adventurous have shortly
after toured the country, taking with
them the self-same alleged samples
of Philippine humanity, and have ea-
hibiied them here and there within
the confines of this republic charging
, twenty cents or thereahouts for a
look see Naturally, here was
something super-novel to the eyes OF
curio-loving Americans. especially in
/ these DAYS when naked Sioux. or Hot
/ tentnts have become rare sight IN
/ deed. And in proportion as the coifers
of the exhibitors were being filled to
overlooking. American opinion on the
/ Filipinos and things Philippine was
being enlightened negatively
! A little later, couple or cute ut
Z tie volumes appeared ia tIiC 'NNN
world and were Systematically adver-
| tised. replete from the first leaf TO
/ the last with pictures OF naked. long
/ haired Negritos in the actual pose OF
releasing an arrow from the string
Of their bow or terpsichoring to the
( tune of the venerable gong
! simultaneously with these exhihi-
lions, Philippine independence was
/ being agitated Intentionally or un'
! Intentionally, maliciously or other
wise, those exhibitions did more harm
TO the Philippine cause than all the
other campaigns against it launched
in open ground,
Since then the American press have
v ritten editorial after editorial alleg-
I ing in Unpleasant terms that indie
pendance cannot he the hirthright OF
a people primitive in all respects and
/ still in the age OF savagery. Thus
| even in The hey~day of the Twentieth
c fury. when distance is said to have
been annihilated by the wonderful
! creations of mems minds, when
peoples are supposed to be fairly well
acquainted with the wondrous trans
| formations Of nationalities farine
/ elsewhere than in ones immediate
I environment. when happenings from
! one part of this planet are communi-
| c. BILE to all other parts with lightning
! like apidity---even in this wonder
! fully enlightened age. there are such
| things as an entire nation being
I fagrantly misrepresented. and the
) misrepresentations taken for granted
What. then, Is the truth about the
so called wild tribes of the Philip
pines? Are they savages irretriev-
| ably: Are they susceptible OF be-
! ing civilized? Must their presence
prevent the recognition OF the righte-
GUS claims of Philippine nationalism
The following facts are submitted
to candid America.
There are about 100000 pagan
peoples In the Philippines This
number includes every non-Christian
tribe from Luzon to Mindanao. 1t
is one-twenticth OF the entire popu
| lation which il 10.500.000. Wher
therefore, writer's speak of a peopl
just being redeemed from the abya