Volume 46 — EDUCATION SINCE AMERICAN OCCUPATION

It is the chief glory of American connection with the Philippines, that no sooner was their easy conquest an assured fact, than attention was directed toward the education of the peoples who thus came under the control of the western democracy. In spite of the more than three centuries of Spanish rule, although many measures had been dictated by the government and by the religious orders, although the college of San José, the Dominican university of Santo Tomás, the college of San Juan de Letran, and various other institutions had flourished for the greater or less part of Spanish domination, and especially, although the active government measures, beginning with the memorable decree of December 20, 1863, had induced a wider result in primary instruction, the educational methods in force in the islands were antiquated, often without result, and narrowing, and to a certain degree tended to shackle rather than to free the mind. The best work was done by the Jesuits who had adopted the most progressive methods used in the islands during Spanish occupancy. The religious orders are not without praise for having established, as early as they did, educational institutions where some Filipinos could, to a certain extent, take on the advantages of the occidental polish and education which Spain had to offer. But it must be remembered that Spain itself has never, since the early days when the great Salamanca University flourished as one of the most advanced outposts of education in the world, been renowned as a center of learning. Hence, it may be said, whatever the cause for its deficiency, that Spain gave to the Philippines the best that it had in the way of education; with the reservation that the remoteness of the colony from the mother country gave opportunity for neglect and carelessness on the part of both official and ecclesiastic, and for the furthering of private or corporation ends, at the expense of and detriment to the colony. Quite apparently, a country cannot give to a colony what it does not itself possess. Had Spain possessed a more modern and effective system of education, doubtless the same would have been true in the Philippines. To determine the reason for the backwardness of education in the islands, therefore, one must examine the causes for its poor condition in Spain, and the two will be found in great measure to be the same. The root of the matter will be found in the close connection between Church and State—this connection dating back in greatest measure to 1493, when the ecclesiastical patronage of the Spanish monarch became a settled fact, and Church and State were irrevocably bound together—and a misconception as to where the educational function primarily resides—which we take to be a function of government.

We cannot, in the short compass allowed, enter into the discussion of the factors involved, the most important of which is the question of the friar orders and the transference of their power in greater proportion even than in Spain, into the Philippines. Suffice it to say here that those who would blame the friar orders exclusively for the backward state of the Philippines in education as in other things, go astray; and the same is equally true of those who would excuse them altogether. The same remark holds true of the government. Both the religious orders, or even more broadly, the entire ecclesiastical government, and the civil government, are to be reproached for the deplorable condition of Philippine education.

Below we give the direct available sources for a study of American education in the Philippines, from which the student may be able to study the question in its many phases. It is to be noted that a study of the present-day education in the islands must always be made hand-in-hand with that of the past. As might be expected, the majority of such sources are government documents.

Public Laws and Resolutions passed by the United States Philippine Commission (published by authority of the U. S. Philippine Commission, Manila). The various volumes of these laws contain the following acts concerned with education (number of act and date alone being given).

1900—3, Sept. 12; 4, Sept. 12; 11, Oct. 3; 15, Oct. 10; 32, Oct. 24. 1901—69, Jan. 5 (accompanied later in vol. by arguments of Dr. T. H. Pardo de Tavera and others against the rector of the university of Santo Tomás, and the Roman Catholic Church, in regard to the college of San José; and appearing also in Senate doc., no. 190, 56th Congress, 2d session); 74, Jan. 21; 93, Mar. 4; 97, Mar. 9; 110, Mar. 30; 129, May 16; 156, July 1; 163, July 13; 180, July 24; 201, Aug. 13; 222, Sept. 6; 228, Sept. 7; 239, Sept. 25; 248, Oct. 2; 264, Oct. 14; 285, Oct. 29; 291, Nov. 2; 311, Dec. 4. 1902—330, Jan. 9; 339, Jan. 28; 373, Mar. 7; 407, May 24; 415, June 9; 446, Aug. 15; 453, Oct. 8; 490, Oct. 27; 512, Nov. 10; 514, Nov. 11; 524, Nov. 18; 532, Nov. 24; 563, Dec. 22; 565, Dec. 22. 1903—600, Jan. 27; 661, Mar. 5; 672, Mar. 7; 682, Mar. 14; 686, Mar. 17; 734, April 8; 744, April 8; 795, July 23; 807, July 27; 810, July 30; 832, Aug. 12; 837, Aug. 24; 846, Aug. 24; 854, Aug. 26; 858, Aug. 27; 880, Sept. 10; 904, Sept. 25; 917, Oct. 1; 919, Oct. 2; 997, Nov. 17; 1018, Dec. 2. 1904—1048, Feb. 6; 1049, Feb. 11; 1057, Feb. 20; 1085, Mar. 10; 1133, Apr. 28; 1175, June 2; 1188, June 29; 1199, July 19; 1216, Aug. 17; 1225, Aug. 31; 1231, Oct. 14; 1251, Nov. 25; 1275, Dec. 6. 1905—Jan. 12.

Of these the most important is act no. 74 (and its various amendments), establishing a Department of Public Instruction in the Philippines, and appropriating $40,000 for the organization and maintenance of a normal and trade school in Manila, and $15,000 for the organization and maintenance of an agricultural school in the island of Negros, for the year 1901. Many of the acts are appropriations for various purposes. In addition to the above, acts touching archives and laboratories, as well as various other matters, may be considered as having educational value.

Reports of the Philippine Commission (Washington). Of chief value in this publication are the annual reports of the Secretary of Public Instruction, such reports beginning for the year 1902. It is to be noted that these reports contain the following (we cite from the Commission report for 1905, just issued): General report of the secretary of Public Instruction; report of the superintendent of Education; report of the chief of the Bureau of Architecture and Construction of Public Buildings; report of the Public Printer; report of the Bureau of Archives, Patents, Copyrights, etc.; report of the acting librarian of the American circulating Library; report of the editor of the Official Gazette. Special references in the various reports are as follows:

1900—i, pp. 17–42; 1901—i, pp. 133–148, ii, pp. 511–575 (appendix FF containing Fred W. Atkinson’s report); 1902—first annual report of the Secretary of Public Instruction, year ending Oct. 15, 1902, ii, pp. 865–1049; 1903—second annual report of the Secretary of Public Instruction, iii, pp. 667–985; 1900–1903—containing various general reports for those years, and which occur in the preceding volumes, pp. 121–129, 257–272, 399–434, and 685–721; 1904—third annual report, etc., iii, pp. 811–971; 1905—fourth annual report, etc., ending June 30, 1905, iv, pp. 369–652.

In addition to the above much other educational matter will be found scattered through the other volumes for each year. These volumes are also published separately in the Reports of the War Department.

Reports of the Commissioner of Education (Washington). Several of these reports contain matter on the Philippines, as follows:

1899–1900—ii, chap. xxix (in part), pp. 1595–1640, “Intellectual attainments and education of the Filipinos” (contains some Spanish data, act. 74, of the Philippine Commission, a bibliography, and the Tagálog alphabet); 1901—ii, chap. xxix, pp. 1317–1440, “Present educational movement in the Philippines,” by Fred W. Atkinson; 1902—ii, chap. i, pp. 2219–2271, “Education in the Philippines;” 1903—chap. xlvi (in part), pp. 2385–2388, “Education in the Philippines” (taken from report of David P. Barrows for the year ending Sept. 30, 1903).

Bulletins of the Bureau of Education (Manila, 1904 and 1905), as follows:

No. 1, Philippine Normal School prospectus for the year 1903–4, (in both English and Spanish); no. 2, Course of study in vocal music (for vacation normal institutes); no. 3, Philippine School of Arts and Trades (1904–1905, in both English and Spanish); no. 4, Philippine Nautical School (prospectus for the year 1904–1905, in both English and Spanish); no. 5, Notes on the treatment of Smallpox (for use of teachers); no. 6, Report of Industrial Exhibits of the Philippine Schools (Louisiana Purchase Exposition); no. 7, Courses of Instruction for the Public Schools of the Philippine Islands; no. 8 (?); no. 9, List of Philippine Baptismal Names; no. 10, Government in the United States (prepared for use in the Philippine public schools); no. 11, Courses in mechanical drawing, woodworking, and ironworking for provincial secondary schools; no. 12, Advanced and postgraduate studies offered by the Philippine Normal School (preparation for entrance to American colleges and universities or to the university of the Philippines; in English and Spanish).

Municipal Code (Manila, 1905). Contains matter on schools, teachers, etc.

Census of the Philippine Islands (Washington, 1905), iii, pp. 638–669, “[Education] under the Americans,” by Prescott F. Jernegan, of the Philippine Normal School (a short account through 1903). Also, another division entitled, “Schools: schedule; summary of statistics; classification; buildings; teachers; pupils; sources of revenue; expenditures,” pp. 670–694.

Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor. No. 58, May, 1905 (Washington, 1905), pp. 721–905, “Labor Conditions in the Philippines,” by Victor S. Clark. Much of this will be found to have a bearing on education.

Books on the Philippines

Atkinson, Fred W.: The Philippine Islands (Ginn and Co., 1905); especially chap. xiv, pp. 373–412, “Education.”

Freer, William B.: Philippine experiences of an American teacher (New York, 1906).

LeRoy, James A.: Philippine Life in town and country (New York and London, 1905); especially chap. vii, pp. 202–245, “Education and public opinion.” Most of this book has a bearing on educational matters.

Stuntz, Homer C.: The Philippines and the Far East (Cincinnati and New York); especially chap. xii, pp. 185–215, “Educating a nation.”

Willis, Henry Parker: Our Philippine problem (New York, 1905), especially chap. x, pp. 226–246, “American education in the Philippines.” See a criticism of this book by James A. LeRoy, in Political Science Quarterly, for June, 1906.