Evening star., 1924-10-12

actually declared there sure will
be hell a-popping.'
This onicer says: "Five hundred
Moros were bumped off this last year
by the Filipino constabulary, who, it
Is said, welcome an opportunity to
get a Mohammedan into trouble"
A ND then consider the Christian
"A Fflipinos themselves. They num-
Der ten or moro millions. and our re-
sponsibility for their welfare is an
obligation which serious thinkers say
we shall have for a long time to
come. At present they are politically
nation of children and their atti-
tude as to independence is the direct
result OF what we ourselves taught
them.
We began to preach independence
as soon as we took over the islands
We brought in hundreds Of American
school teachers and put one million
children to studying our history,
stimulating their ambition for ma
tionality without regard to conse-
quences; teaching them to shout like
Patrick Henry: "Give me liberty or
give me DEATH"
Our example in breaking away from
England made a deep impression on
them, and bred in their minds the
idea OF doing the same things them
selves. I hear the story of American
independence quoted by every Fill
pino with whom talk. and the desire
for an independent nationality is owl
denced everywhere.
Tho Filipinos have taken Ri1aI, the
hero Of their fight with the Span
iards. and put him on a pedestal like
that on which we hold George Wash
ington. His statue Is in every dis
trict and in every town. In the
schools his pictures hang side by side
with those of Benjamin Franklin and
Thomas Jefferson, and he is lauded in
public speeches everywhere.
Is like this spirit which animates
tho Filipinos. 1t makes good foun-
dation for the nation. The same spirit
has made Japan almost invincible,
and now every Japanese is ready to
die for his country. 1t is in strong
aggregation of families without any
real sense of nationality. If the Chi
nese had one-tenth OF the national
spirit OF the Filipinos they would
conquer tho world within fifty years.
The Fflipinos are truly remarkable
people. They are serious-minded and
life to them is no joke. They are
idealists and hero-worshipers. They
want something to bow down to, to
De IL part oI' 10 puiiu up. All OL tucSc
elements may in time make possible
the creation of an independent ma
tion, but to me 1t seems clear that
that time is not yet
AS it is now the masses have no
idea Of what independence means
I They cannot define it. II you insist
that the man on the street tell you
why he wants it, he will perhaps say
he will not have to pay taxes when
the Americans leave, for then every
thing will be free. If you ask the
Filipinos how they would defend
! themselves from Japan or any other
power they cannot answer. and if
you show them that the cost Of one
battleship would be at least SIS for
every family in the islands they will
shrug their shoulders, point to their
leaders and say they will get along
somehow. II you continue the con-
! versation, some will privately tell
you that they fear for the future
and really hope that the Americans
will stay.
1t must be remembered that these
people have had practically no ex-
perience in popular government. They
have always been ruled by bosses
and grafters. In their three centuries
under the Spaniards the masses were
| in a state of peonaEe. The average
| Filipino then had barely enough to
! live on. and a peso or so a month to
spend in drink and something extra
for weddings and funerals. This Is
largely So even today. Two OF
three families in each village or town
control the community, and many
families have servants who were
brought In as children and who ex-
pect 70 servo them all their lives
THE people hare been so long under