all property and supplies. The native teacher devotes all his time to school management and teaching the children.

For the purpose of gaining impartial opinions of the effect created by the American teachers in their respective towns a letter was sent to the chiefs of the constabulary, provincial governors, and others whose knowledge was considered valuable asking their opinion as to the effect created by the American teachers and any criticism, favorable or otherwise, together with suggestions concerning the work.

The replies were without exception almost flattering. In every case the teacher was reported as doing excellent work, not merely in the special field of teaching, but in the broader way of introducing American ideas, in raising the standard of home life, in preparing the natives really for self-government, in dispelling feeling against Americans, and hence aiding in this work of pacification by showing the people the best we have to offer.

It is needless to quote the numerous letters which have been received in answer to this inquiry. The following letter from Mariano Trias, governor of Cavite Province, is especially interesting as giving the view from the native standpoint:

Before saying a word on the subject, I thought it better to await information from the municipalities of the province, since they have local school boards and are therefore able to furnish me true data.

Of the work, behavior, and interest shown by the teachers in teaching, I have the pleasure to state to you that there is no complaint against them; on the contrary, I am informed that, judging by the improvements made in the English language by the children of both sexes, an agreeable success on this subject in the public schools is soon expected.

As regards the instruction of other subjects, they also praise the practical methods carried out, and for the purpose of giving more encouragement it would be better for the teachers to give instruction direct from the native dialect, using for a basis of instruction the English language.

For those barrios far from town it would be advisable to fix certain dates for visiting them to teach the children, because some are very poor and small and unable to support a school.

I have no idea of the number of American teachers of both sexes in this province, as the reports do not show the disposition of the teachers among their stations, but I understand the towns are in lack of them.

Concerning the helpless native teachers, I think their salaries could be fixed according to the importance of the town and its inhabitants, for some teachers are paid worse than a native policeman, and with such stimulation I wonder that efficiency and skill can be demanded from them.

In those towns where school buildings can not be obtained, and where land taxes amount to nothing, a voluntary contribution is being made with the object of building them as soon as possible, and I hope that all the towns and barrios shall possess good buildings for said purpose within a year.

The news of the opening of the high school was received with great pleasure in this province, and the people only wish that the agricultural, art, and trade schools may be soon opened also. It would be advisable to establish the latter in any of the neighboring towns of Cavite, San Roque, or La Caridad, and the former in Santa Cruz or San Francisco de Malabon.

Some towns want a compulsory law for school attendance, with fines and punishment for parents who do not send their children to school, but I do not agree with such measure. It would be better to give prizes and other stimulations to encourage and increase the number of attendants to school.

The following extracts from the report of one of the division superintendents are of interest:

The American teacher in the Philippines and the problems which he must strive to solve are not fully appreciated by those who have not been eyewitnesses to his work and surroundings.

His chief duties are to teach five hours a day; to instruct the teachers of the central school one hour daily; to organize, after his day school is running smoothly, an evening class for adults and to meet them three times per week for one hour and a half each time; to investigate the barrio schools and supervise the work of barrio teachers; to be tactful and patient in dealing with everybody he meets, especially the presidente.

The surroundings to which he must adapt himself are hard and, above all, strange. There are only two ways in which he can provide food and quarters for himself. If he is the only teacher in the pueblo and the pueblo is garrisoned he has, in many cases, been invited to mess with the commanding officer. I have never heard of a teacher refusing this invitation. When there is only one the situation is serious. He can not afford to keep up an establishment by himself.

When two teachers are assigned to one pueblo they can arrange for their own mess, hiring a cook and a muchacho.

* * *

For one week, at least, after his arrival at the place to which he is assigned the teacher is discouraged. From this time on he improves; that is, in four cases out of five. By this I mean that he takes hold of the situation and makes the most of it. He becomes interested in his work and makes friends among the leading people, interviewing members of the city council, explaining matters to the presidente, and winning his way.

From the presidente to the smallest urchin admiration for the American women in the provinces is unfailing and never ending. The school children adore her. Their attentions become a burden, and it requires the nicest ingenuity to avoid giving offense and yet to have sufficient time for rest and recreation. The schoolhouse for girls is filled by 7.30 in the morning. In the afternoon they accompany the "maestra” home. When the "maestra" walks out the pupils waylay her, and before she reaches her home again there are many "compañeras." If the maestra" wishes anything there is a scramble to see who can have the honor. One presidente asked for three ladies, and gave as a reason that the children could not distinguish between an American soldier and an American male teacher. There is a grain of truth in this, but there is a better and truer explanation, though the presidente has not, perhaps, thought of it. A woman in the presence of children can become more sympathetic and kindly than can a man. Especially is this true in the present stage of the development of the schools, when the situation in respect to many things is as hard and strange to the children as to the teacher. The best class-room instruction I have seen in this division has been given by the American women.

The American teacher is the chief factor at present. The success of this great educational experiment depends upon his ability to establish sympathetic relations with Filipino pupils, parents, and teachers; to work day and night conscientiously and tactfully, and then patiently to await results. He needs to possess, besides scholarship and professional training, ready tact, plain common sense, a warm heart, and colossal patience. It should be noted that nowhere in the United States are the qualifications for elementary teachers any higher than those exacted as a general rule by the bureau of public instruction here in the appointment of the 1,000 teachers. They are either normal or college graduates, and the majority of them have had at least two years' successful experience; their health good, personal habits and moral character vouched for by the proper authorities.

Success or failure in a country like this depends on the personal idiosyncrasies of the individual. Ambitious, restless young men, with perhaps a too great anxiety to get on in the world, placed in surroundings very different from their native land, especially if surrounded by discomforts, will naturally become discontented, and, seeing the difficulties of the situation only from the one side, will be free in criticism. The general superintendent wishes to express his great appreciation of the excellent character of the work done by the large majority of American teachers in the field during the past year, to testify to his appreciation of the great discomforts and long delays which have been patiently borne by them, and the help given by the teachers toward solving the problems which are inseparable from pioneer educational work in a country far removed from home and friends, in a different climate, and among a babel of dialects. That so little complaint has been made is a striking illustration of the enthusiasm and continuous perseverance with which the teachers have entered upon and carried through their arduous work.

That the teachers have endeared themselves to the children and parents throughout the archipelago is evidenced by the flood of petitions which come to this office in protest against the removal of teachers, even when their places are to be filled by other American teachers. Some of these petitions, in their quaint wording and ornate

signatures, are quite curious. It is especially eloquent of conditions to find both the presidente and the local padre heading petitions for the retention of American teachers of very different religious faiths, as has happened in several cases.

Another tribute to the work of the American teachers is the eagerness with which they have been sought by other branches of the civil service. Three teachers, formerly soldiers here, have received commissions in the Regular Army, and among the 24 who have taken civil positions are included provincial treasurers, provincial supervisors, civil-service examiner, agricultural expert, and other positions of similar importance. It is a significant fact that these other positions have carried with them a substantial increase in salary over what was paid for a similar grade of work in this bureau.

HEROISM OF TEACHERS.

The work of the American teachers during the cholera epidemic, which, in many of the most populous provinces reached its culmination during the school vacation, can not be too highly commended. In many cases the teacher was the only American in the town. In some cases there was not even a native or Spanish doctor. Some teachers with a little knowledge of medicine, and all through their knowledge of hygiene and sanitation, accomplished wonderful work in preventing and suppressing the dread disease. Almost invariably the American teacher was a member of the board of health, and in Manila the teachers arriving on the McClellan, fresh from the States, unacclimated and unused to tropical conditions, being unable to take up school work, became health inspectors in the city of Manila and surrounding towns. In the remoter towns, isolated from the prompt aid which alone can save life when the most dreaded of all scourges makes its attack, with no command to remain, with the allurements of foreign travel during the vacation put sternly into the background, with no relatives or intimate friends to protect or to encourage, and among alien races, these noble men and women fought by night and day, for week after week, for the lives of an alien people, with no thought or chance of reward, with a noble heroism that is far above the bravery of the soldier fighting a foe who can be seen and known. The United States may justly be proud of the bravery of its soldiers, but it must also remember that the peaceful army of teachers has shown a nobleness of spirit, a self-devotion to the services of humanity, a steadfastness and bravery of soul that is rarely excelled.

Nor did all escape unscathed. Four young men contracted the disease and died—Messrs. Jamison, Badger, Zumstein, and Lucker. One other young man (Mr. De Witt) and two young ladies (Miss Kent and one of the Manila normal teachers) were attacked by the disease, but through prompt and careful nursing they were saved.

FILIPINO TEACHERS.

In other parts of this report are given details of the work for the betterment of the Filipino teachers in an educational way by daily instruction, vacation institutes, and normal schools. These teachers are appointed by the division superintendents and are paid by the municipalities. The whole number of Filipino teachers in service on September 1 is not known exactly, as the division superintendent in most cases only report those regularly appointed by him, and many teachers are actively engaged in teaching in barrios and the more inaccessible towns where the division superintendents, with their pre-s of other duties, have not penetrated and where communication has been slow and infrequent. On the 1st of July there were reported by division superintendents 1,838 separate schools and 2,625 native teachers. On account of the ravages of cholera only those teachers were reported who were known to be at work since the beginning of the school year, and the tabulated report will show many provinces where no schools are reported except those taught by

American teachers. In the island of Marinduque alone, where only 4 native teachers were reported, later returns have shown that 52 are at work. Making a fair and conservative estimate for these unreported teachers, the total will be in the neighborhood of 3,400 native teachers at the present time.

A considerable advance has been secured in the salaries of Filipino teachers, but this advance has not kept pace with the rapid upward leap of salaries in all occupations since American occupation-especially during the past year. The average salary for male teachers is about 20 pesos a month; for female teachers 15 pesos; or, in terms of United States money, little more than $8 and $6, respectively, per month. The extreme range of salaries is from 4 to 60 pesos, or even higher in one or two cases, but very few receive over 40. In the case of one teacher, receiving the absurd salary of 4 pesos per month, the municipality objected to raising his salary because they needed the money for roads!

The condition in many provinces is well illustrated by the following extract from a report from the island of Bohol:

The salaries in this division are very inadequate and irregularly paid. The monthly salaries for men teachers range fom 5 to 30 pesos, those of women teachers from 4 to 20 pesos. For a short time during last year the man teacher in Tagbilaran was paid 40 pesos per month, but he "farmed" the position, hiring a substitute for 10

pesos.

* * *

The native teachers have petitioned for an increase of salary. I have explained to them that under the present system the pueblos pay the teachers, and, since the pueblos are all very poor, they can not afford to pay good salaries. Just now the constabulary is trying to organize a force on this island, and the pay offered is as follows: Per month, first-class privates, 21 pesos; second-class privates, 18 pesos; corporals, 28 pesos; duty sergeants, 35 pesos; first sergeants, 45 pesos. In the grade of sergeant only is reading and writing a requisite. It is difficult for the native teachers to discern why the government that can pay its police the schedule quoted above can not pay them with equal liberality. The average salary per month for men teachers is about 15 pesos, and for women about 12 pesos.

Another difficulty which has caused much trouble is the requirement that salaries can be increased only in the annual appropriations, unless by special approval of the provincial treasurer. The following extract will illustrate this class of hindrances:

The municipal council can appropriate, but such action is inoperative if, in the opinion of the provincial treasurer, the expenditure is not justified. This includes expenditures for construction and repair of schoolhouses, the providing of furniture, and the native teacher's salary allowance. My predecessor in this division had appointed native teachers and increased the salaries of others during the fiscal year. This, according to the later decision of the attorney-general, was impossible without the approval of the provincial treasurer. This approval he appears to have been unable to obtain in a great many cases. Upon January 1, 1902, these appointments and increases made by my predecessor should have become operative, and the proper procedure was for the presidente to include the new salaries and increases upon old salaries in the "presupuesto," or annual expense account, which is sent to the provincial treasurer for approval. This "presupuesto" is supposed to contain a statement of all municipal expenses for the year. Many presidentes, in making up these "presupuestos," included only the salaries at the old figure; some of them even cut this down. The provincial treasurer had no means of knowing that the salary entries in the "presupuestos" were not entirely in accord with the wishes and appointments of the division superintendent. I discovered that these "presupuestos" were wrong in several cases, and acting upon this information I requested the provincial treasurer to hold the " presupuestos "until I could ascertain as to the genuineness of these entries. I am pleased to state that the treasurer did everything in his power t› assist me in this matter. In many cases back salary of native teachers amounting to several hundred pesos had accrued. In such cases the provincial treasurer ordered the particular presidente to include this back salary as an expense item in a special "presupuesto" and send same to him at once. In this way our difficulty along the line of native teachers' salaries has been about cleared up.

There are some teachers at present who are receiving sufficient compensation for the quality of work they are able to do. There are many who are doing excellent

work and yet are receiving barely enough salary to meet their living expenses. Although division superintendents have made great efforts to get increases made, the average compensation of native school-teachers is much below the wages paid for good cocheros, cooks, policemen, and in many cases below that of laborers. The government is employing many natives in both the military and civil branches, and the civil service, with its policy of training intelligent Filipinos in clerical positions, opens a field peculiarly fascinating to this class, and at salaries far above the pay of teacher. Complaint is made that bright natives attend the normal classes for a time, obtain a little knowledge of English and facility in the common branches, and then pass the civil-service examination and take positions in offices under the American clerks, thus losing to the educational work the services of many bright teachers.

The suggestion has been made that the insular government should fix the salaries and pay the native teachers, but this can not be assumed by the General Government, and solution must be sought along the municipal or provincial lines. The law provides that a tax of one-fourth of 1 per cent of the valuation of real estate shall be collected and used for support of schools, payment of teachers, erection of buildings, etc., as is more fully stated in the section on "Finances." In the poorer provinces this tax in many cases has not been collected, or, if collected, has been of so small amount as to leave the problem still unsolved. As conditions improve the municipalities will be able to grant the increased salaries to their native teachers. There is at present no means of knowing the ability of native teachers except by actual observation of their work. Hence some system of certificates is necessary. Such existed under the Spanish rule, but were of little value because they were not true indexes of the teachers' ability. The question was recently submitted to the various division superintendents, and the general opinion is that a system of examination should be introduced gradually and on the results of which certificates of first and second grades should be issued.

The matter of pensioning Filipino teachers was also submitted to the division superintendents for their opinions. The majority were in favor of such pensioning on the grounds that teaching would thus be made a desirable life profession, and at the same time teachers could without hardship be removed from active work to make place for the younger, more active, and efficient ones. These matters of pensioning teachers and of issuing certificates remain to be worked out.

The establishment of normal courses in the provincial high schools tends to the solution of the problem of securing efficient native teachers, for the graduates of these institutions go out well equipped for their work with a substantial training in English and the common branches. This work of preparing the Filipinos to teach their own countrymen is one of the fundamental elements of the present school system, and is one of the most significant signs to the Filipinos of the true purpose of the American Government toward the Filipino people.

SUPPLIES.

The principal supplies which arrived during the last year are as follows: