The people of the Philippines, their religious progress and preparation for spiritual leadership in the Far East,

190 THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

UNITED BRETHREN
Rev. E. S. Eby and Rev. Sanford B. Kurtz sailed into Manila
Bay on April I, I9OI, and Rev. L. O. Burtner followed a few
months later. Because the United Brethren is a small communion, the Evangelical Union gave it a rather restricted territory in Northwestern Luzon, where Ilocano is spoken. The
United Brethren very wisely restricted themselves even further,
concentrating on the province of La Union, and inviting other
missions to enter the territory which they felt they could not
occupy. This generous policy has been abundantly justified by
the results, for to-day the United Brethren field is the best
evangelized and the best organized of all the mission fields in
the Philippines. The greatest credit for this achievement, so
far, at least, as Americans are concerned, undoubtedly belongs
to Rev. H. W. Widdoes, who took charge of the work in 1904.
Instead of setting up a dignified office in Manila, as a superintendent might have been expected to do, Mr. Widdoes and his
indomitable wife went up into the then distant Ilocano country
and began their work in what had three years before been the
heart of the Philippine rebellion. They did not know it at the
time, but they had settled among one of the finest peoples in the
Islands. No other class of Filipinos has produced so many men
of prominence proportionately to its numbers, as have the
Ilocanos. Over-population has driven them to thrift and hard
work, and they carry their good habits into church and state.
Three of the members of the United Brethren Church have
been governors of provinces, and several have been influential
in education, law, and medicine. The great educator, Camilo
Osias, was baptized, when a boy, by Rev. Mr. Widdoes.
The United Brethren are extending their work among the
Igorots, Ifugaos, and Kalingas. The Filipino churches are
enthusiastic about their missionary opportunity among these
non-Christian peoples and are supporting two Filipino missionaries to the Igorots. They are not satisfied with this, but are
planning to support missionary work among the Moros in the
distant Island of Mindanao.