A survey of the educational system of the Philippine islands by the Board of educational survey, created under acts 3162 and 3196 of the Philippine Legislature.

344 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

and by teaching them to despise manual labor. Individuals may thus
avoid some of the hardships of life, but a whole people cannot thus
achieve prosperity. All cannot live by special privilege. At least
a goodly proportion of the more talented youth of the country should
be equipped by the schools to go back into their respective communities
and serve as leaders in raising the general level of living. Since all
would participate in its benefits, such an education would be worthy of
public support.
We should not, however, be too severe in our criticism of this tendency away from the life of manual labor. For a very large proportion of the population life is replete with hardships and privations.
Great masses of people live in poverty and, being on the very margin
of existence, suffer perpetual undernourishment. And a long social tradition has placed the stamp of inferiority on work with the hands. That
parents should make every sacrifice to insure a more attractive future
for their children, and that the children should be eager to escape
into a happier world, is but natural. But for the great majority of
the people there is no such easy escape. If the conditions of life are
to be generally improved, a broad intelligence must be applied to the
solution of those basic problems of agriculture and industry upon which
prosperity rests. A system of secondary schools must be evolved
which will have this as its major object. Through these schools boys
and girls should be given a vision of the possibilities of achievement
in the common life and should be inspired with the desire to give substance to this vision.
PROPOSED REORGANIZATION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
If the evaluation of the current system of secondary education, which
is presented in the preceding section, is not altogether at fault, a complete change of emphasis in the high school is imperative. A continuation of the present policy can only bring disaster. By training
great numbers of young persons for positions that do not exist, the high
school is creating a growing class of nonproductive individuals who
must either engage in a form of labor that they have been taught to
despise or gain a livelihood in ways socially detrimental. That they
will for the most part follow the second course is hardly open to question.
If the number of such individuals should become sufficiently large, the
stability of any society would be gravely impaired.
Nevertheless, the members of the Commission feel that no fundamental
change in the general organization of the educational system is necessary. What is needed is not so much a change in form as in spirit.
They believe that with but slight modifications the desired ends may be
achieved in the existing structure. It is assumed, therefore, in what