Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1908 — FILIPINO SCHOOL KIDS. [ARTICLE]

FILIPINO SCHOOL KIDS.

An American Teacher Doen’t Fancy Old Spanish Custom. Raymond Shidler, an Anthony boy, now teaching school on the island of • Bohol, in tbe Philippine group, writes interestingly of things in that country. Here are some excerpts from his last letter: “This has been a very hard year in Bohol. Previous to the beginning oi the rainy season it had been dry lor six months. That is a long time in the Philippines, and as they are not provident enough to lay up. their supply of rice ran out. Many families are living on tree pith; they chop down a certain tree, split It, dig out the pith and dry it, then pound It Inta a powder, from which they make br'/'d; "I am continually amused at the small amount of clothing neeceeary to constitute a dress. It is saiu tuat in the miii-ppines a white handkerchief and three yards of string will make three suits of clothing. Well it certainly will make three suits ot g-sui&gs, and you can see plenty oi auy time. The woman, ,oou o a, always a skirt, at leant “I now have 330 popils in my central school, j am using seven of my advanced pupils as md&ates (aids), or as .2_piran.Us. Aij aspirante is a p'apll who wishes tq become a teacher, and teaches for nothing, for the privilege of entering my teacher’s class. After Christinas -two or three of the best aspirant es will be appointed as teachers at a salary of about |3 per month. In ndiiticn to my seven asplrantcs, 1 havp my head, teacher. I spend my time in the mornings going from one class to another and teaching a lew minutes; in this way my leacncis learn ineir'work. “When *1 come into school in the morning the pupils arise en masse'with a ’r ood morning.’ You can'imagihe how that would sound irom a room of 150 pupils. That is the ciii Spanish custom. I will break it up. “When I go downtown I am saluted in the street by about a thousand kids with the time of day.”—Kansas City Journal.