THE LANGUAGES OF THE PHILIPPINES.
Dr. Wolcott Calkins says the tedious work of creating a literature may have been necessary in the South Sea Islands. Is it necessary in the Philippines? I asked Professor Guerrero how many languages and dialects are spoken in the archipelago. Nearly one hundred! And he enumerated ten which will be heard in a constant babel in St. Louis: Negrito, Acta, Moro, Bicol, Ifugao, Pangasinan, Pampang, Tagalog, Ilocano, Mangyan, and Visayan. Our American teachers have not attempted to learn these tongues, nor even Spanish. The children have learned English all the more rapidly for having no medium. Why should not our missionaries follow, instead of preceding, the public schools, and begin with children who have learned enough English for hymns and Bible teaching? Our own language in the Philippines, taught without expense from the funds of the churches, may prove to be the most effective missionary agency in the twentieth century. And the Philippine primary school will be one of the most interesting exhibits at St. Louis. A rustic school-house will be erected. Miss Pilar Zamora, the only native Filipino who has ever taught in the normal school at Manila, has explained to me her methods of conducting this model school for about fifty children of the native families here. Many of them know Spanish, her own language. She may be able to speak a few of their dialects. But not a word will ever be used in the school except English. You will all be able to see how rapidly so easy and perfect a language as ours can be acquired without a medium. And you will see how the age-long prejudice against the name of Christian will begin to disappear among the little barbarians. She assures me that when they go home in December they will all read fairly well, most of them will speak and understand, and the brightest of them will write intelligently. In a few years there will be a million pupils in the public schools. Parents will learn English from their children, and in evening schools. Shall our Protestant missions follow these public schools, gather the children into Sunday-schools as soon as they learn English, and all the people who also learn English into churches where the missionaries can begin to preach the Gospel without delay? This is the most urgent missionary question to be studied at St. Louis. It may be that the eagerness of men and women, as well as children, to learn the best language in which the everlasting Gospel was ever proclaimed; an eagerness which you will observe among both Catholics and the pagan Filipinos here, will prove to be a signal fulfilment of prophecy, when a mighty angel shall come down from heaven arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow on his head; and he shall stand upon the sea and upon the land, and shall lift up his hand and shall swear by Him that liveth forever and ever that there shall be no more delay!—Christian Work.