Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-02-19

"'""'~ W. ""' "No, ! am not.
! am Filipino" he replied
"HOw's thatT" asked the lady. II
thought they were all sa>u.es living In
the woods
swell. III tell you how came here"
hs said. "A month before left the
Philippines | was living in the woods.
bit the American Governor decided to
catch a. many wild men as possible,
train them and send them over mere
So here ] am. Just as you see" And
tho St. Louis lady actually believed
him.
That IL what you would call fancies
about the Philippines. The fact is
however. that the 100000 FilipInos
and their ancestors have been civilized
and Christians for 800 years that the
non-Christian population, according to
the census Of 1918, is only 500,OOO, and
even these are not all uncivilized.
Another fancy is that not until the
coming Of the Americans were school
buildings seen In tho Islands, roads
huilt. or substantial houses erected
Do yeu know that for hundreds of
years the Filipinos have had colleges
and schools and that the University OF
Sant0 Tomas is only twenty-five years
older than Harvard That as early as
1864. out Of population of 100000
people, there were s41 schools for boys
and s3S for girls? That In 1892, eight
years before the coming of the Ameri-
cans. there were 2.lS7 schools?
ITO grant self-government to Luzon
under Aguinald0 would be like grant.
ing self-government to an Apache res
ervation under some local chief" Thus
spoke former President of the United
States during the Filipino-American
war. Exaggeration could be an excuse
at Q time when the dignity OF the Am.
erican people demanded the extinction
Of Filipina opposition. hut do you know
that the Philippine Republic. before the
American occupation Of the Islands,
had the approval Of prominent Ameri.
cans who wers on the spOt-lIke John
Barrett, Director Of the Pan-American
Union. who compared 1t favorably with
the Japanese government That Ad.
miral Dewey considered the Filipinos
better fitted for self-government than
the Cubans1 That they had drafted a
constitution at Malalos which elected
he approval Of distinguished Repub.
licans like the late Senator George f.
HoarS That before the coming Of the
Americans they had produced national
heroes like 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 are the only Christian peo.
pie In the 'orientf
People have pictured an ignorant
mass Of Filipinos. illiterate, poor, liy-
ing Q life of servitude for a few
wealthy land owners and foreigners.
with no houses or farms or property
Of their own. Do you know that 70
per cent Of the people above ten years
Of age can read and write and that this
percentage Of literacy is almost as high
40 uVA&AV VA tASD otutCo VA kAAS ShiOh
That 1t 10 higher than In any country
Of South America. higher than the lit.
eracy Of the Spanish people. and un-
Questionably above that Of any of the
new countries recognized In Europe7
Do you know that there are a million
and q half farms In the Philippines
and that 90 per cent. Of these farms
are owned by Filipinos. In other words,
that cut Of the 100000 Christian
Filipinos. Q. .O00, 600 of them at least live
ON their .ewn farms, with houses Of
their swu, Independent Of any absentee
landlord or foreign master7 That 81
per cent. Of the urban property con-
sisting Of houses and lands Ia owned
by the natives Of the Philippines, and
,nly q per cent. Ia In the hands of for
.ignera2 Yst those are facts cabled by
Acting Governor Charles Emmett Yea
er to the War Department from the
ecent census estimates.
Having solemnly promised the Fill
,l1os their independence and having
zone before the world as the champion
4 self-determination, the Filipino pee-
ls cannot understand how America
IAN consistently refuse to make good
thesa prpmtses