The north Mississippi herald., 1920-06-18

'S '"' 'N""' mo, / am not
I am Filipino" he replied.
"How's thatf" asked the lady. Il
thought they were all savages living In
the woods"
well, I'll tell you how l came here"
no said. "A month before | left the
Philippines 1 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
him.
That is 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 20
the census OF 1913, is only 100000, ana
even these are not all unciyiiized.
Another fancy is that 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 Filipinos have had colleges
and schools and that the University OF
Santo Tomas ls only twenty-five years
older than Karvard2 That as early as
1ee6, out Of population Of 100000
people, there were BAL schools for boys
and a33 for girls? That In 1892, eight
years before the coming Of the Amert-
cans, there were 2,137 schools5
IN ITO grant selt-government to Lnzon
HEder Aguinaldo would be like grant
ing self-government to an Apache res
ervation under some local chief" Thus
spoke a former President Of the United
States during the Fllipino-Amerlcan
war. Exaggeration could be an excuse
at q time when the dignity Of the An-
erican people demanded the extinction
ct Filipino opposition, but do you know
that the Philippine Republic, before the
American occupation OF the Islands,
had the approval of prominent Amert-
cans who were on the spot--like John
Barrett, Director Of the Pan-American
Union, who compared 1t favorably with
the Japanese government That Ad-
milal Dewey considered the Filipinos
better fitted for self-goyerument than
the Cubans7 That they had drafted a
constitution at Malalos which elected
the approval of distinguished Repub-
Mcans like the late Senator George u.
Hoar7 That before the coming OF the
Americans they had produced national
heroes like the martyred Jose RiZal,
pronounced by a Republican congress
man, Representative Cooper, as the
noblest victim that has ever fallen into
the clutches of tyranny
And do you know that tha Fiilplnos
have not had for hundreds OF years sny
caste system, blood distinction or royal
families, and that, unlike their oriental
sisters, they are the only Christian pse'
pie In the orientf
People have pictured an ignorant
mass Of Filipinos, lliterats, poor, hV'
ing a life of servitude for q few
wealthy land owners and foreigners,
with no houses or farms or property
Of their own. Do you know that 20
Der cent. of the people above ten years
Of age can read and write and that this
percentage OF llteracy is almost as high
an some of the states of the Union$
That it is higher than in any country
of South America higher than the lit
eracy OF the Spanish people, and un-
Questionably above that of any or the
new countries recognized in Europe?
Do you know that there are million
and a half farms in the Philippines
and that 90 per cent Of these farms
are owned by Filipinos. In other words,
that out of the 100000 Christian
Filipinos, 100000 of them at least live
on their own farms, with houses OF
their own, independent Of any absentee
landlord or foreign masterf That Sl
per cent. of the urban property con-
sisting Of houses and lands Is owned
by the natives OF the Philippines, ana
only 9 per cent is In the hands OF for
eixnersf Yet these are facts cabied By
Acting Governor Charles Emmett Yea
ter to the War Department from shs
recent census estimates,
Having solemnly promised the FIJI
pinos their independence and having
gone before the world as the champion
Iof self-determinatiOn, the Filipino peo'
pie cannot understand how America
can consistently refuse to make good
Ia