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.

358 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

those elementary skills in the use of tools which are commonly associated with the farm and where a limited number of individuals of
special aptitude and interest may be trained as rural artisans.
Paralleling the offering in agriculture and industry for the boys, there
should be courses in household arts for the girls. It is assumed that
they will all become mothers of families and housekeepers in the rural
community. As the farm, whether that of the school or that of a father,
is the laboratory for the boy, so the school or community dormitories
and kitchens should be the laboratory for the training of the girl in
the skills and knowledge required in housekeeping. The equipment
should always reflect the conditions and standards practically attainable in the community; and the materials of instruction should articulate
with Filipino rather than American culture. While much has already
been done to adapt the instruction to the Philippine environment, the
members of the Commission repeatedly observed teachers attempting
to transfer American table manners and etiquette to the Islands.
Rather than this, the effort should always be made to select out and
develop the finest elements of the native culture. New elements 'should
be introduced only when they displace nothing equally serviceable and
when they may be assimilated to the existing system of practices. In
this division of the curriculum, as well as in all others, the pupils should
be taught to respect rather than to despise the achievements of their
own people.
More particularly these courses in household arts should be organized
with definite reference to the work and problems of the woman as a
home maker, mother, and member of a community, responsible in a
large measure for the quality of the food and clothing of the family;
the sanitation of the home; the physical care of the family in health
and in sickness; the education of the children; the social life of the
home and the community. Either in dormitories or cottages, or through
home projects, provision should be made for practical work in the actual
problems of home life. Including the directly related studies, fully onehalf of the pupil's time should be devoted to this work. The remainder
of the course should be occupied by such other high-school subjects as
are of greatest value for a home maker and woman member of a
community.
The economic training, however, should not be confined to the acquisition of the narrower vocational skills and knowledges. Pupils should
be taught more than how to plant rice, to fertilize the soil, and to breed
carabaos. These are necessary, but the ordinary boy reared on the
farm will bring much of this knowledge to the school. Moreover, such
limited knowledge is insufficient to bring economic prosperity to the
rural population. Their exploitation by other groups might merely