ed them. Only in suffering were they experts,
having learned of this under the iron heel of Spain all there was to be
known.

[Illustration: About fifty girls.]
Girls' Normal Institute, Vigan, Ilocos, April, 1902.

In the Philippines one had incessantly before him social and economic
problems in their rudimentary form--populations the debris of centuries,
and the reactions upon them of their first contact with real
civilization. In case of any but the most advanced tribes the immediate
suggestion was despair, a feeling that they could never appropriate the
culture offered them. But the heartiness of the response which even such
communities made to our advances brought hope. Our methods were better
than the Spanish, and our progress correspondingly rapid; yet the task
we undertook bade fair to last centuries. Nor were its initial steps
undefaced by errors.

A Blue Book would not suffice to describe this motley material. We can
only illustrate.

The Iocoros were in a forward state, if not of civilization, of
preparation therefor. On all hands their youth were anxiously waiting to
be taught. Compared with Teutonic races they were superficial and
emotional, but they had great ambition and perseverance.

[Illustration: Several men.]
Igarrote Religious Dance, Lepanto.

A sharp contrast were the Igorrotes. These appeared to be at bottom
Malays, though Mongolian features marked many a face. They had withstood
all attempts to christianize them, and stubbornly clung to their
primitive mode of life as tillers of the soil. Mentally they were near
savagery, entirely without ambition or moral outlook. Nevertheless they
adhered to the American arms and rendered valuable porter service.

Their religion had elements of sun and ancestor worship. The one
tangible feature in it was the "kanyan," a drunken feast held on such
occasions--fifteen in all--as marriage, birth, death, and serious
illness. The feast began with an invocation to Kafunion, the sun god,
and a dance much like that of the American Indians. Then came the
drinking of tapi, a strong beer made from rice, and gorging with
buffalo, horse, or dog meat, the last being the greatest delicacy. Till
the Americans vetoed the practice, the Igorrotes were "head hunters."
The theory was that the brains of the captured head became the captor's.

The Igorrotes had magnificent chests and legs, and were extensively used
as burden-bearers. Sustained by only a few bowlfuls