Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1920-02-19
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NO ] am not
attn a Flllplno.F he replied.
Flows that7" asked the lady. 81
thought they were all sayages living in
the woods
swell. ri tell you how | came here
be snid "A month before I left the
Philippines ! was living In the woods,
but the American Governor decided TO
catch as many Wild men as possible,
train them and send them over here.
SO here am. Just as you see" And
the St Louis lady actually believed
hln,
That ,s what you would cali fancIes
about the Philippines, The fact is,
however, that the 100000 i'llpinos
and their ancestors have been civilized
and Christians for 300 years; that the
non-Christlan population, according TO
the census Of 1918, is only 100000, and
even these are not all unclylllzed.
Another fancy is thnt not until the
coming Of the Americans were school
buildings seen In the Islands, roads
built, or substantial houses erected.
Do you know that for hundreds OF
years the Flllpinos have had colleges
snd schools and that the University OF
santo Tomas is only twenty-five years
older than Harvard That as early as
1850, out or population OF 100000
people, there were S4l schools for boys
and 1893 for glrlsl That In 1892, eight
years before the coming OF the Amen.
cans, there were 2,137 schools1
"To grant self-goyernment to Luzon
under Agulnaldo would he like grant,
ing self-goyernment to an Apache res
eryation under some local chief" Thus
spoke former President OF the United
States during the Fllplno-Amarlcan
war. Exaggeratlon could be an excuse
at time when the dignity Of The Am.
erican people demanded the extinction
OF Filipino opposition. but do you know
that the Philippine Republic, before the
American occupation OF the Islands.
had the approval of prominent Ameri.
cans who were on the spot.-llke John
Barrett, Director OF the pan-American
Union, who compared It fnvorably with
the Japanese government That Ad.
miral Dewey considered the Filipinos
better fitted for self government than
the Cubansi That they had drafted
constitution at Malaios which ELECTED
the approval Of distinguished Repub.
licans Ike the late Senator George +.
Hoar7 That before the coming OF the
Americans they had produced national
heroes Ike the martyred Jose Rial.
pronounced by Republican congress.
man, Representative Cooper, as the
noblest victim that has ever fallen into
the clutches OF tyranny
And do you know that the Filipinos
have not had for hundreds Of years any
caste system. blood distinction or royal
families, and that. unlike their oriental
sisters, they nre the only Christian PEG
pie In The orient1
People have pictured an ignorant
mass Of Filiplnos, nIiterate, poor. lIy.
ing life OF servitude for n few
wealthy land owners and foreigners,
with nc houses or farms or property
OF their own. Do you know that 20
per cent Of the people above ten years
OF age can read and write and thai tsis
percentage Of literacy Is almos' j Ugh
MS some OF the states OF the unloul
That II is higher than IN any country
Of South America, higher than the 1T.
eracy Of the Spanish people, aud un.
qpestonably above that Of any OF the
new countries recognized In Europe?
Do you know that there are million
and half farms IN the Philippines
and that 30 per cent Of these farms
are owned by Fliplnos. In other words.
that out Of the 100000 Christian
Fnipinos, 100000 OF them at least live
on their own farms, with houses Of
their own, independent OF any absentee
landlord or foreign mastery That 81
per cent Of The urban property con
sisting Of houses and lands IS owned
by the natives OF the Philippines. and
only per cent Is IN the hands OF for.
elgners7 Yet these are facts cabied by
Acting Goyamnr @ aries Emmeii Yea.
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