Literacy in the Philippines

Title

Creator

Rodriguez, Eulogio B.

Language

English

Year

1936

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Manila, June, 1936 WOMAN’S HOME JOURNAL 13 LITERACY IN THE PHILIPPINES THE campaign of the Na tional Federation of Women’s Club of the Philippines for more literacy among our people is worthy of encomium and praise. If the supporters succeed in this literacy campaign, which is calculated to ac quaint and arm the people with the absolute fundamen tal which is to know how to read and thus start them on the road to information and learning, they shall have laid a solid foundation for the country’s salvation. Because a people whose majority at least know how to read is the people that can be rich and progressive both within and without their land. The literacy campaign of the National Federation of Women’s Club of the Philip pines will provide an opening wedge for the complete demoBy Eulogio B. Rodriguez Acting Director, National Library. Director Rodrigvez cratization of education in this country, because it will give the bulk of our citizenry the opportunity to read so that they can take part in the in telligent formulation of pub lic opinion in their country. In this manner the Federa tion will help the Common wealth Government in making effective the provisions of the Constitution, Art. 13, part of Sec. 5, which provides: “The government shall establish and maintain . .. citizenship training to adult citizens.” The high rate of literacy, of course, is always associat ed with education. And speak ing on education, Rizal stat ed : “I desire my country’s welfare, therefore, I would build a schoolhouse; I seek it by means of instruction, by progressive advance ment; without light there is no road.” Rizal’s idea of the educa tion and enlightenment of his people is evolutionary and based upon a solid founda tion. In his farewell address to his countrymen before his execution at the Luneta, he admonished them thus: “My countrymen, I have given proofs that I am one most anxious for liberties for our country, and I am still desirous of them. But I place as a prior condition the education of the people, that by means of instruc tion and industry our coun try may have an individual ity of its own and make itself worthy of these liber ties.” About the beginning of the 19th century, since the rise of nationalism and the growth of (Continued on page 26) Make each penny buy more flavor YOU'RE REALLY' THRIFTY, MYRA*. YOU DON'T GIVE UP < THINGS— YOU MAKE EVERY C PENNY BUY DOUBLE VALUE JF you’re looking for value, don’t think you have to sacrifice flavor. In fact, Chase & Sanborn Coffee gives you more and better flavor for every penny you spend. We can sell Chase & Sanborn Coffee to you reasonably because we buy the world’s choicest coffees in such large quantities. It’s fresh and rich and full of flavor. & Sanborn Coffee will convince you! One can of Chase 26 WOMAN’S HOME JOURNAL Manila, June, 1936 LITERARY IN THE ... {Continued from page 13} democracy with the necessary enormous expansion of pop ular education in several European countries, it had been the concern of these countries to increase the rate of literacy of their peoples. Therefore, the old time tradi tion and practice of leaving the act of writing to the monks and a few learned aris tocrats was shifted to the masses so that they, with in telligence, could exercise their authority as citizens through the wise use of their suffrage. Many countries since then have been trying their best to eliminate illiteracy. The high rate of literacy among the people of a nation Money No Object If It’s a Question Of Health Since 1799 thousands of people have regained their normal health after years of suffering from stomach troubles of all types, such as constipation, indigestion, gas, and sour stomach which are the basic factors of such maladies as high blood pressure, rheumatism, periodic headaches, pimples on face and body, pains in the back, liver, kidney and bladder disorder, exhaustion, loss of sleep and appetite. Those sufferers have not used any man-made injurious chemicals or drugs of any kind; they have only used a remedy made by Nature. This marvelous product grows op the highest mountain peaks, where it absorbs all the healing elements and vitamins from the sun to aid HUMANITY in distress. It is composed of 19 kinds of natural leaves, seeds, berries and flowers scientifically and proportionately mixed and is known as LION CROSS HERB TEA. LION CROSS HERB TEA tastes delicious, acts wonderfully upon your system, and is safe even for children. Prepare it fresh like any ordinary tea and drink a glassful once a day, hot or cold. A one dollar treatment accomplishes WONDERS; makes you look and feel like new born. If you are not as yet familiar with the beneficial effects of this natural remedy LION CROSS HERB TEA try it at once and convince yourself. If not satisfactory money refunded to you. Try it and convince yourself with our money-back guarantee. One week treatment $1.00. Six weeks treatment $5.00 In order to avoid mistakes in getting the genuine LION CROSS HERB TEA, please fill out the attached coupon. Lio-Pharmaey, Dept. WHJ 1180 Second * Ave., N. Y. City, N. Y. Gentlemen: Enclosed find $................... for which please tend me............. treatments of the famous LION CROSS HERB TEA.. Name ........................................... Address.................................................................................................................................. City......................................................................State....................................................... is regarded to be the baro meter of the cultural pro gress of that nation. In the United States the different states of the Union are com peting with each other for the highest rate of literacy. In Europe the seat of civil ization is invariably found in countries where the rate of literacy is high. In the Phil ippines it was the policy of those who administered its educational system at the be ginning of the American re gime to give importance to increasing the rate of literacy, and laid emphasis on the academic rather than on the vocational courses, reserving the improvement of the lat ter to a later period when the rate of literacy in the Philip pines should have been raised. The latest data on the rate of literacy in the Philippines are found in the Census of 1918. From that year no sta tistics have been made on the same subject except the WoodForbes Report of 1921 giving 37 % literacy in the Philip pines. In view of the increase of schools in the Philippines both private and public since 1921 and because of the lite racy campaign drive made by several educational insti tutions and social workers like the University of the Philippines, Dr. Frank C. Laubach and others, the percentum of literacy in the Phil ippines for this year, 1936, must be comparatively high. In order to be able to com pare the relative position of literacy in the Philippines with the rest of the world the statistics hereinbelow is given. In Australia the rate of illiteracy is 4.3% (1921) ; Austria, 4.0% (1924) ; Ca nada, 5.7% (1921) ; England and Wales, 5.8% (1910) ; Fin land, 1.0% (1920) ; Germany, 0.3% (1927) ; Netherlands, The RELIABLE LAMP ELMAC, INC. P. O. Box 625 MANILA 627 Rizal Ave. 0.23% (1927); Scotland, 3:57% (1900); Spain, 52.78 %> (1930) ; United States, 4.3% (1930) ; Mexico, 62.2% (1921) ; Argentina, 24.0 %> (1924) ; Brazil, 71.2% (1920) ; India, 90.5% (1921) ; Japan, 0.9% (1925) ; Egypt, 92.0% (1917). This illiteracy datum is, of course, not com plete as this deals only with the representative countries of the world. On the day when all our people could read and shall have been sufficiently educat ed to be able to appreciate with profit of the great use fulness of the books to them; on that day when intelligent reading shall have become a part of, and a relief from, our daily grinds; on such a day we can truly repeat what the great military genius said, “Give me a family of readers and I will tell you a nation that rules the world.”

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