Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

DEFENSE AND COMMUNICATIONS 249

The service of these men and women is free and obligatory
whether in military service or in other kinds of work, receiving
no more compensation than free clothing, board, and lodging.
This system has become so popular in Bulgaria that annually
only about five hundred or less than one per cent apply for the
right of exemption, paying from two hundred forty to eight
hundred pesos, depending upon their resources; but those who
resort to this right are not well looked upon and are considered
unpatriotic.
All citizens are also obliged, when required by the government, to serve at any time for ten days a year, depending on
his capacity. For instance, a man of science may be called
upon for research work, an artist to dedicate to his line of
work, etc.
Frank G. Carpenter, author of the book from which I took
these data, says: 'The Stambouliski system is not only the most
adequate to a poor nation, avid of progress, but also helps to
the democratization of its inhabitants, inspires in them sentiments of solidarity with the State, conscious of having contributed to its aggrandizement and forms, best of all, a strong
national discipline. I have seen," he says, "sons and daughters
of the rich bankers, working happily and contentedly by the
side of the sons and daughters of factory men and farmers.
If in America," he adds, "we had adopted this system or a
similar one, besides all its advantages, we would have evaded
the injustice of paying a dollar a day to the soldiers who exposed their lives in the front and suffered all sorts of miseries
during the world war while the working class who were employed in gun factories and others that manufacture articles
of urgent needs in the war received a salary of from ten to
twenty dollars a day."
If we adopt this plan, modifying it to suit our needs in such
a way that no one can exercise his political and civil rights
without first performing his obligations to the State, undoubtedly we would solve many problems which seem impossible,
taking into consideration our resources.
Counting upon twelve million inhabitants in the same proportion as Bulgaria we shall have something like one hundred