THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

In this division we have two high schools. The following is a report from Mr. Charles K. Bliss, principal of the Vigan school:

"The provincial high school opened its first session on June 15, and at the end of the first week presented an enrollment of 318 students, which number has since increased to 419; 19 of these come from provinces other than Ilocos Sur. Of towns outside of Vigan contributing students to the high school, Candon is first, with 36 members; Magsingal second, with 21. (See appended report of pupils by towns.) During June and July an average percentage of attendance was maintained of 90, making a daily attendance of 367. For the teaching of so many pupils not only was the corps of teachers, numbering 8, found insufficient, but also the building accommodations were inadequate. This necessitated the present organization of the school. The session of the high school proper is held in the morning from 8 to 12, having enrolled the more advanced pupils and being taught entirely by American teachers. The afternoon session is from 2.30 to 5.30, and includes the less advanced pupils. It is taught by 12 aspirantes of the high school, under the direction of one or more of the American teachers. This afternoon, or preparatory, school in July numbered 217 students. The constantly increasing and high percentage of attendance is indicative of great and continued interest in the work, many students coming from a great distance and accepting the hardest conditions of living in order to attend classes. Many unable to continue their studies on account of poverty have returned to their towns, yet few fail to return for the quarterly examinations, so as to retain their matriculation marks and gain credit for work done. In the high school proper, 50 per cent of the students have been in attendance constantly since the first session, September, 1902, and will graduate the coming year.

3. General history.

4. Botany.

5. Physics.

"Latin and Spanish are taught as elective studies. The desire for these two studies as accomplishments is to be considered as important in our course of study. Telegraphy has been taught since the beginning of last year's vacation, and has proved very popular with students. July's report presents an enrollment, day and night schools combined, of 146. The telegraph students are required to enroll in the high school, and select three courses of study in English-reading, arithmetic and geography being preferred. We need additional teachers. An enrollment of over 400 is at present taxing the energies of both students and teachers. I find that detaining aspirantes for afternoon work interferes seriously with their work as students and exhausts their vitality. In fact, with the opening of the second quarter it is with difficulty that I see myself able to continue the work of the afternoon session, unless additional teachers are provided. For the presentation of our course of study, a uniform system of text-books is greatly desired. At present we are working under difficulties, not being able to present the subjects of the second year's work on account of the lack of proper text-books for the presentation of these subjects. Additional courses of study are needed, especially instrumental music and courses in feminine art for the girls, and manual training for the boys.

"The provincial board has anticipated our demand for a larger building by a plan to build a high school adequate for the accommodation of 600 students. It will then be possible for us to use our present building for a girl's dormitory, a crying need of

the provincial high school since the beginning of its work among these people. We could then present certain subjects, such as music, embroidery, and sewing, in connection with our high school course of study, and yet not interfere with its regular work. Manual training for the boys and young men of this province would lead our students into many lucrative fields of work at present not open to them for the lack of it. I believe, also, that it would prove very popular among the Ilocanos. In the new high school building, soon to be erected, it is planned to set apart a large room to be used as a manual training school."

The high school in Bangued, Abra, is not so large as the Vigan school, but it is doing good work. We have 3 teachers, all of them being overworked in trying to take care of the 140 students in attendance at the high school.

The Abra high school has an enrollment of 111 boys and 29 girls, with an average attendance of 100 boys and 27 girls, a total of 127, or 92 per cent. Many students and aspirantes are still coming in.

Our high schools are doing fine work, and are becoming more popular every day. The only trouble I find is that I have hard work to keep what native teachers I have from resigning and entering the high schools as students. I have had to require my teachers to sign definite contracts to remain in their schools for the entire school year. Both our high schools need more room, more teachers, and more suitable supplies.

NORMAL INSTITUTE.

The normal institute in this division during the past year was held in Vigan from May 18 to June 14, inclusive.

The enrollment was male 280, and female 127, making the total of 409. The average attendance was male 259, and female 117, making a total of 376. The percentage of attendance was 92. Subjects of study were arithmetic, reading, history, language, geography, civil government, drawing, spelling, music, and methods.

A very large percentage of the teachers of Ilocos Sur was present, and most of those not present sent valid excuses for their absence. The attendance from Abra Province was very small, most of the teachers not having sufficient money to pay expenses. The institute was a success in every way, and all in attendance derived much benefit from it. The only improvement would have been more American teachers, there being only nine to handle the work of the whole institute.

I am of the opinion that, now that our high schools are in such successful operation, we could shut many of the aspirantes and students out of our institutes, thereby having smaller classes and being able to do better work with the teachers. I am also of the opinion that much would be gained in the end if we had less school for the children in the primary schools for the present and a two months' normal institute each year for the teachers. I am more convinced every day that the native teachers can do more with the primary grades in teaching English than the American teachers, provided the native teacher knows English. The only trouble is that at present we have so few native teachers who have good pronunciation. As soon as a teacher acquires a fair pronunciation and knowledge of English he is offered more money in some civil service position, or some place in one of the military establishments, than the pueblos can pay him, and he is lost from the schools.

The normal institutes do a very great amount of good and give native teachers a chance to talk together and discuss methods, etc. They also give the natives drill in hearing the pronunciation and manner of speaking of several different American teachers. On the whole, the institutes are much enjoyed and appreciated by the natives, and for many of them afford their only opportunity of studying English at all.

NEEDS OF THIS DIVISION.

(a) The first, last, and greatest need in this division is for more thorough, earnest, experienced American primary teachers. During the past year the division has lost 22 teachers by resignation and transfer. It has gained 6 by transfer. The work of primary education has been well begun and is being earnestly carried forward by the teachers now in the field; but if the American teaching force is to be permanently reduced much of the work begun in towns that now have no American teachers will be lost, as few of the native teachers are sufficiently strong to carry it forward alone. (b) We need in this division grammar schools in several of the larger towns, which are evenly scattered throughout our two provinces, for the purpose of fitting the advanced pupils in the districts surrounding such towns for entering the provincial high schools. As it is now, we have very large preparatory classes in our high schools, who form practically a floating membership. They enter the school and stay as long as their small amount of money lasts, and then are compelled to drop out.

They are too old and too far advanced to remain longer in the primary classes in their home towns. If they could go to a grammar school nearer their home towns they could live much cheaper because of receiving home supplies and assistance.

(c) For the benefit of adults who are unable to attend night or day schools, barrio teachers already in the work, and teachers in out-of-the-way pueblos we need an IlocanoEnglish dictionary, grammar, and reader. With such books in the hands of barrio teachers they could, with the help of the normal institutes, much more quickly acquire a working knowledge of elementary English and the common branches.

GENERAL OUTLOOK.

The general outlook for the schools of this division is very encouraging. A number of padres have asked me if they would be permitted under the law to establish church schools. I have informed them on the law in the matter, and have endeavored to get them to arrange to come to the public schools to teach religion, as provided under the present law. They invariably evade the matter. One padre as good as told me that the whole trouble was in their not wanting to "ask" permission to teach their religion in the schools and also to conform with the requirements as to the parents' petition."

The Ilocanos are very eager for education and the people are anxious for better schools, and, with few exceptions, the towns are doing all they can afford for the public schools.

DIVISION OF ILOILO AND ANTIQUE.

[Report of Division Superintendent G. N. BRINK.]

I. ILOILO.

Up to and including the month of August, 1902, both the interest and attendance in the public schools of this division were steadily increasing. The support given by the municipalities to the public schools was good-from their standpoint, very good. The people desired to have their children in school, but not infrequently the desire was not strong enough to cause the parent to sacrifice somewhat in order that it might be realized. Good will toward the American teacher was everywhere expressed in most cordial terms. And those towns which did not have American teachers sent in, and are still sending petitions, asking that they be given American teachers to take charge of their schools.

About the 1st of September cholera appeared in Iloilo Province, and the schools were soon all closed by order of the provincial board of health. The epidemic continued with varying severity throughout the province for about two months. During all of this time the schools were almost without exception closed.

It soon became apparent that malicious stories of the poisoning of wells were causing the ignorant mass of the people, and not a few of those who styled themselves "ilustrados," to look with suspicion upon the Americans. And in many cases all confidence in us was, for the time being, lost.

This unfortunate circumstance made it doubly hard for the American teacher to be of any assistance to the people in their distress. For, having no confidence in the Americans, they feared to accept the ministrations of the teachers lest they make use of the opportunity to poison them. In only four instances, however, was the American teacher openly charged with having poisoned wells or food. The situation in which we all found ourselves could not well have been more delicate. In every case where it was known that the American teacher was regarded with suspicion I directed him to come to Iloilo, believing that his absence from his town while cholera was continuing to spread would do more than any amount of argument could to disabuse the minds of the people of the idea that the American teacher was in any way the cause of the disease that was carrying off so many. The result fully justified this action on my part, for in every town where the American teacher had been under suspicion during that trying time he was welcomed back upon his return with the full confidence of the people. In a few cases, where the confidence in the teacher was too strong to be broken by absurd rumors and the common sense of the people too sturdy to weaken them, the teacher remained at his post and gave the people all the assistance in his power.

In the few towns from which I have been able to secure fairly complete data of the mortality among the school children during that time it was found to amount to a little more than 15 per cent. I believe that this percentage is below rather than above the average for all the towns of the province.

Schools reopened during the last days of October. The November reports show a

total enrollment in the schools under the direct supervision of the American teachers of but 1,781, or 40 per cent of the enrollment in August, and an attendance of 989, or 31 per cent of the August attendance. In schools under the general, but not immediate, supervision of the American teachers the enrollment was 875, or 44 per cent of the August enrollment, and the attendance 546, or 35 per cent of the August attendance. The total enrollment in November reached 2,656 (42 per cent of the total enrollment for August), and the attendance 1,535 (35 per cent of the attendance in August).

Schools closed in December with an enrollment in the American schools of 2,337 (53 per cent of that of August). The attendance reached 1,394 (45 per cent of that of August). In the native schools, under general supervision of the American teacher, the December enrollment was 768 (40 per cent of the August enrollment), and the attendance 548 (42 per cent of the August attendance).

Upon reopening the schools in January a large number of the former pupils and new ones as well began to come in. The enrollment as shown by the January reports reached, in the American schools, 4,158 (94 per cent of the August enrollment), and the attendance 2,827 (91 per cent of the August attendance). In the native schools, under the general supervision of the American teachers, the January enrollment was 1,205 (63 per cent of that of August), and the attendance was 1,070 (82 per cent of the August attendance).

Numbers continued to increase steadily, though slowly, until the close of the term on April 3. The enrollment in the American schools reached 4,808 (109 per cent of the August enrollment), and the attendance 3,092 (99 per cent of that of August). In the native schools under the general supervision of the American teachers the enrollment at the close of the school was 1,250 (66 per cent of that of August), the attendance 959 (74 per cent of that of August). The total enrollment when schools closed was 6,058 (96 per cent of that of August), and the attendance was 4,051 (92 per cent of that of August).

From these figures it will be seen that it took us all the remainder of the school year to get our schools back to the point they had reached before cholera began its work in the province. The American teachers succeeded in not only getting back practically all of the old students but also enough new ones to take the places made vacant by the death of 15 per cent of the former pupils. The native schools were still about 25 per cent short of their August numbers when schools closed.

I feel that the American teachers are to be congratulated upon their record. For they returned to a people whom malicious rumors made distrustful and suspicious; to a people whose homes had been shattered by death; to a people hungry and despairing, whose fields were untilled, and whose carabaos were either dead or stolen; whose courage had been broken; whose brightest outlook was somber indeed. Such was the condition of the people to whom the American teacher returned, and in whom he began to instill a new courage. That he succeeded in overcoming their distrust, in gaining anew their confidence and support, and in refilling his schools speaks eloquently for him of good work done. How fully he succeeded in regaining their confidence is evidenced by the unprecedented number that came to the capital of the province for the month's work in the summer normal, and also by the very large increase in the enrollment at the beginning of the new school year.

It is impossible for me to give complete data from the schools at this early date, as the first reports are not yet in. But for the 12 towns, including Iloilo, that have reported, roughly, their present enrollment and attendance, the total enrollment is 4,145, and the attendance 3,538. This does not include the normal institute, which will add more than 600 to the above figures.

NIGHT SCHOOLS.

The night schools in August had an enrollment of 581 and an average attendance of 428. In November the attendance had dropped to 293. In December it dropped to 258. In January, however, the enrollment increased to 633 and the attendance to 427. The night schools on April 3 had an enrollment of 691 and an attendance of 489, having more than recovered from the losses sustained during cholera time. The work done was, on the whole, very satisfactory. The interest remained good to the last. This branch of our work has also reopened with a larger attendance than last year and with good interest.

In the beginning of our work in Panay I considered the night-school work largely lost effort, for the personnel of the classes changed so rapidly that but a very small percentage of the students remained for a period sufficiently long to enable them to get any permanent hold on their work. This is now largely changed. The personnel is becoming fixed in character, and the results secured are far more satisfactory. I believe the present night-school work eminently worth while.

TEACHERS' CLASSES.

The enrollment in the teachers' classes was 67 in August, with an attendance of 65. In November it dropped to 50, with all in attendance. Most of the vacant places were caused by the death of the teachers from cholera. In one instance a maestra lost her mind from grief because of the loss of her father, mother, two sisters, and a brother.

When school closed in April we had 81 teachers enrolled in the teachers' classes, and an average attendance of 77.

In this branch of our work special attention was given to the preparation of the lessons which the teachers were to teach the following day. Special work in advance of this was also given them. The teachers' class is recognized by the American teacher as being his great opportunity to improve his native assistants, though the native teachers do not, as a body, become very enthusiastic over it. They feel that we are requiring of them much more work than the Spaniards did, and that as yet the pay is but little better, which is unfortunately true.

RESULTS.

The results already attained are gratifying. In those schools where we have had American teachers for two years the advanced classes are using the third readers. They are also doing creditable work in geography, history, arithmetic, and composition. In any of these towns the school boys are able to serve as interpreters for the Americans and natives when doing business with each other. We are constantly increasing the percentage of children from the upper class, which is a very encouraging feature. The value of our schools is becoming more generally recognized, and they are consequently more appreciated.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

The secondary school here, known as the Iloilo Normal Institute, has been so fully discussed in my recent correspondence (see my letters of July 7 and 21) that it is not necessary to treat of it or its work at great length here. It first opened its doors on June 16, 1902. By the latter part of August the enrollment was nearly 300, and the daily attendance about 275. The faculty at this time had 13 members, and the school had been divided into three departments-the normal, preparatory, and commercial.

During the months of September and October the school was closed on account of the prevalence of cholera. It reopened in the latter part of October with an enrollment of about 100. This steadily increased until it reached 330 by the close of the term in April. The enrollment now, less than one month after the beginning of the new term, is about 620, and the daily attendance about 570.

This school must be made-it will become-the most important seat of learning in the southern islands. At present we are very much handicapped by lack of room, equipment, teachers, and supplies. If we were in a position to meet to the full the present opportunity here we would soon have a school whose student body would number considerably more than a thousand, and whose influence would be a most powerful factor in winning this people to a hearty belief in us and our honesty of purpose. The outlook for this special and advanced work here is splendid.

NORMAL INSTITUTES.

Our summer normal institutes are very popular. They have contributed in no small way to the success of the work in this province, They are of great benefit to the native teachers, and serve to keep up their interest and enthusiasm. They also offer the privileges of a month's special work to those young men and women who are not able to take the regular normal work.

A more detailed statement of the work of the summer normal institute can be found in my report of May 13, 1903.

NEEDS OF THE DIVISION.

One of the most crying needs is more money. This will probably remedy itself in time, but at present the towns are very poor and the school funds wholly inadequate. Next to money we need more teachers. I have petitions from 18 towns in this province alone, requesting me to supply them with American teachers. Three of these, I believe, should be granted if possible. In addition to these three, 12 more are needed at once to supply places made vacant by resignation and transfer, and to assist in towns where the work has grown too large to be successfully handled by the present force. We also need 7 more teachers in the province of Antique.