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.

512 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

amount of instruction in good English. Invariably there seemed to exist
a fine spirit of service among the teachers and the children appeared to
be very happy.
There are very few mission institutions conducting courses of college
grade. The Central Philippine College at Iloilo is doing good work
with inadequate resources. The most influential Protestant institution of
higher learning is Silliman Institute at Dumaguete on Negros Island.
In location, acreage, buildings, equipment, and sanitary arrangement,
this institution is a most attractive contrast to the private universities described above. Its library of 8,000 volumes administered by a trained
librarian has been most wisely selected. Its finest building is devoted to
the teaching of the sciences. It has one of the ablest staff of teachers in
the Islands. The recitations heard by the Commission's representative
were most ably conducted and the spirit that pervaded the place was one
of the finest he experienced anywhere. Moreover, throughout the Islands
the Commission heard only words of praise for the graduates of Silliman
Institute, particularly of those who entered the public schools as teachers.
The Commission expresses the hope that the supporters of Silliman may
see their way clear to give the funds necessary to enable it to expand
its work and increase its usefulness to the people of the Southern Islands
of the Archipelago.
ROMAN CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.-Under the Spanish regime, practically all
education in the Philippines was conducted under the auspices of the
Catholic church and a considerable part of it still is. As in the case of
the Protestant mission schools, the Catholic schools have no commercial
taint attached to them and hence few of the unpleasant physical features
that characterize the private schools are present. Many of them are
held in convents and monasteries amid pleasant surroundings and the
Commission recommends that, wherever possible, that practice be extended to other such institutions. In most of the elementary schools
visited by the Commission the children appeared happy and interested
and the work of good character. In some, however, the textbooks were
very antiquated and the methods of teaching quite formal. These
schools were usually in the provinces where they are still sometimes
under the control of Spanish-speaking religious. Moreover, in many of
these schools there is an undue proportion of time devoted to "accomplishments" like drawing, music, and embroidery which make a good
showing to the visitor but often distracts attention from the fundamental
subjects of the school.
SECONDARY EDUCATION.-The secondary schools under the control
of the Church are nearly always upon a much higher plane than the