The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-07-24
Education Is the Main Need of
Mexico in Its Time of Peace

N'i'SSdi TASK tndt mas been tmposr j
upon MN ~ quite u different matter.
The rector Is endowed with a large
measure of that enthusiasm which
oNcrcomcs difficulties but does not
Ignore them. His is the strcngth not
OF ignorance. but OF knowledge. lie
referred to an article had recently
published on the Indian question in
| Mexico and agreed with me that the
handling Of this matter was really
the cruN OF the whole thorny prob
lem.
They must be brought in touch
with the rest OF us" he stated more
/ than once. Unless We become as
one people how can our aspirations
| harmonizc ?"
He placed I'm my hands n copy OF
the educational bill, then before the
lower house. II has since been ap.
proved by both house and senate. As
ITS enactment entails a constitutional
change or amendment. IL is now be-
fore the state legislatures for their
final decision and approval
The president" began NasConce-
| los, has laid down an executive rule
in the last few days which. though It
stabs me to the vitals, I must ap-
| prove. II is to the effect that. ow-
| ing to the condition of the treasury.
none OF last years appropriations
must be exceeded. II means, 10 he
| specific" continued the rector, that
| the federal education budget viii
have to be kept within the limits of
last years appropriations, which was
| 5000, 600 pesos or. say. Sl,500,O0
| when / expressed surprise and
told him that "A paper in New York,
! generally considered most we'll dis
posed to the Obrcgon administration,
| had ann ouHccd that he was about to
| begin his educational campaign with
! a $2j,00O,000 credit. the rector made
a wry face and admitted that in
| Mexico, as clsewhcr~, the Jealous in
accuracics OF friends were frequently
morc harmful than the misrcprc
Tntations of enemies.
There is. however, IA silver lining
to our otherwise dark prospect h,
| added. In view of the impcrativ,
need Of extending educational faclii'
ties. which the president recognize
as frankly as / do. he has Increased
| our budget on "A sliding and some
what contingent scale. II all de
| pends upon the speed with which
| the program of disarma ament which
the president plans Is carried out
and, OF course under the Circum
stances, | am in favor OF the Boraf
| limit of armamcnt-indced, g
| further than the senator. AS the
army is reduced, the president as
4ures me he will transfer to the fed
eral educational fund the money
| saved from reduced military eN'
| penditurcs to the amtnnt of 1000,
| 900 pesos. II that comes to us, ther
we can go on. II not. then We must
do the best we can with what ",
have to dispose OF.
The new secretary of education In
Mexico was tremendously interested
in the educational work we have
| carried out in the Philippines. ant
! when he learned that l had served
three years in those islands he ques
toned me closely about the way'
and means through which the grea
results had been accomplished. In
deed, the very different fate tina
has befallen in the last 20 years th'
Islands which Legazpi discovered
and the once naughty vtceroyalty =
| New Spain should be Of vital inter
est to all subject peoples, as i
| points the way, and probably th'
| only way, to their redemption.
In the year 1900 visited MexicC
| for the first time and also for the
first time became acquainted with
the real conditions in the Philip
pines. In the islands at this tim'
80 per cent of the population was IL
| literate and some fifty or sixty
! tongues were heard and dialects
without end.
Il think that statement that wa!
made to you in 1900 was quite cor
rect" interrupted the rector. al
| though 1t was not frequently ad
| mitted, least OF all to foreigners
| and the worst of 1t all is he added
| ruefully that conditions today II
spite Of all the painstaking an'
self lf-sacrificing work that has beer
performed by our teachers are no
much. IL at all. improved"
"In the Philippines | explained
"under American guidance, al
though initial mistakes were mad'
and some continued for a long time
the summing up Of the 20 years Of
fort tells quite different story. To
day at least 70 per cent of the FL
| ip!nos can read and write Ian
guage, dialects are falling into dis
use and the American school system
which the Filipinos for more thar
10 years have paid for and sup
| ported absolutely out OF their ow!
pockets is giving them "A common
! language and common racia
idea"
The Philippine Achicycmcnt.
| But / am afraid their resource
then and now far exceeded ours,
said the rector.
ION the contrary. | intcrjected
even during the boom years Go
philippine products) OF the grea
war, the income Of the island
never has approached that OF Mex
ico even during the lean years o
the revolution
The now secretary Of education
was evidently greatly impressed
with the story OF the great Philip
pine achievement and expressed tn
| hope that | would in some wa!
| bring him in touch with our teach
ers out there, especially those witt
had worked with the mountain an
tnon Christian tribes whose prob
lens are practically identical win
those that confront the Mexican
| teachers today.
brought away from Vasconcelof
busy workshop the only flashes o
optimism which my most recen
survey Of Mexico afforded. In TIN
| congenial atmosphere could re
call the fine spirit which so mani
| MeXICans showed at the dawn OF TN
| svzr lar