The settlement farm schools, of which there are 47 in operation, are all of primary grade. They were established to teach the roving non-Christian tribes the value of permanent agriculture. These farm schools are accomplishing a remarkable work. The acres in cultivation in the schools number 350, and 1,462 boys and 751 girls are in attendance. School and home gardening.-The Philippine schools can teach Americans some practical lessons in gardening. Vegetable gardens are required in connection with all schools, city and rural, except the schools giving trade courses. While the objects of gardening are many, the primary aim with which the Philippine schools are the most concerned is to bring about a higher standard of living among the Filipinos. This may be accomplished by providing:1 (1) A more abundant food supply, (2) a greater variety of food, (3) food of better quality. 1 See school and home gardening. Bulletin No. 31 (revised), 1913, Bureau of Education, Manila, P. I. This aim is accomplished by emphasizing in garden work four distinct features: 1. Instruction in the fundamental principles of gardening and plant life. FIG. 74.-Director of education Frank L. Crone and Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in the corn plat of Emilio Aguinaldo, jr., 2. Demonstration of these principles in the school gardens. 3. The application at the pupils' homes involving productive work in the home garden. 31694°-17-7 4. The giving of definite credit for supervised work both at school and at home, which will have its proper weight in promoting the pupil. The director of education furnished the following suggestive garden statistics: (1) School gardens, 3,119; (2) home gardens, 39,901; (3) boys instructed in gardening, 61,167; (4) girls instructed in gardening, 1,810. FIG. 75.-A typical school garden, from a photograph in the Philippine exhibit. In addition to what has been mentioned, school-ground improvement, including lawn-making, care of ornamental plants, development of playgrounds, etc., is required of all the schools. The schools' food campaign.-No feature of the Philippine school system is more interesting and suggestive than the so-called "food campaign." It resembles in most particulars the boys' and girls' club work in the United States. The most important of these campaigns have been devoted to improving the quality and quantity of corn, sweet potatoes, and legumes. The following are some of the figures reported for the corn campaigns which have now been carried on for three years: 1. 43,561 pupils were enrolled in corn-growing contests last year. 2. 300 exhibits were held. 3. 650,108 pupils exhibited corn. 4. 141,561 people attended the corn exhibits. 5. 367 popular corn demonstrations were held. 6. 499,834 people attended the corn demonstrations. 7. 352 schools gave regular lessons in preparing corn food. 8. 8.835 girls received instruction in preparing corn foods. 9. 213 schools gave special corn lunches. 10. 8,722 pupils exhibited garden products in connection with the corn ex hibits. 11. 1,783 educational lectures were given on corn, 12. 373,185 people were reached by these lectures. 13. All told, 1,018,597 people have been reached in the three years by the above-named activities in corn. Supervised play and athletics.-One of the greatest civilizing agencies introduced through the schools is supervised play and athletics. The old native sports, such as cock fighting and bull baiting, no longer can compete with the American game of baseball, the new track athletics, and the like. Permanent school buildings.-Another very important phase of educational progress in the Philippines is the present campaign for UNIT PLAN OF CONSTRUCTION ALLOWS FOR GROWTH IN ATTENDANCE UNIT ROOM-22 FEET 10 INCHES BY 29 FEET 6 INCHES modern sanitary school buildings to supplant the flimsy insanitary structures which were universally used at the time of the American intervention. The following map gives some idea of this campaign: It shows first of all that the insular government aids the local community in the construction of standard school buildings; for each dollar furnished locally, the insular government gives two dollars. However, one of the prerequisites for Government aid is ample play |