To the Editor of the Norta-Cits Datty News."
With your kind permission add some few more remarks on Philippine Problems" as presented by Voleano Marshal.
He say: lis an undiscovered country The Philippine archipelago ud why?" Because the aren of th pines is unknown." What a luminous way of argumentation When I was studying logic, the dullest of my schoolfellows would have concluded from the premise that the area of a country was unknown, that suc' country was unmeasured, not that it undiscovered. But now-a-days, those who, like Mr. Voleano, are beyond Retween man' and the ape will be found wu assertion, that the intermediate "link
on the island of Mindanao or the island of Mindoro," as well as those, whom ' candour compels to say that, the Creator had little, if anything to do with the making of the native inhabitants of the Philippines," tell us most emphatically that, if the area of a country is unknown, we must alya grant that such a country is unch covered. After this we shall not be surprised if Mr. Volcano informs us of the minutest details of the area of some undiscovered region.
But is the evea of the Philippines really unknown? Most certainly—replies Mr. Voleano; because, he adds published report of the U.S. Coast Geodetic Survey gives the total measured rea at 118,042 square miles and the estimated area unmeasured at 1,000 equate miles. The World almanac and encyclobedin for 1902 gives the area at about 140,000 square miles. In conversation with " number of officers of the Engineer Corps, U.S.A., gentlemen who have partially explored some of the larger islands of the group, they inform me that the area of the Philippines cannot be less than 200,000 square miles." From the foregoing figures it appears that there is, amongst the Americans, " great variety of appreciations in regard to the extension of the archipelage and I would not have the least objection in granting Mfr. Marshall that its area is unknown to them, were it true, as he says, that nearly four years ago, few Americans knew where the Philippines were." But this proves too much against the Americans and even against the cried up American of Mr, Volcano. At any rate it cannot be denied that the officers of the Engineer Corps bid fair of great achievements in the measuring of the islands, as they have been able already to inform Mr. Volcano that "the area of the Philippines cannot be less than 200,000 square miles." To duly appreciate the whole value of this statement we must bear in mind that it was made by those who had partially, only partially, explored some of the larger islands of the group.
Well; let the American officers or other learned' men explore, not partially but totally, not some of, but all, the Philip-jines and then, if they find thei sion to be more or less than that given till now, it will be time for Mr. Volcano to say that their area has been unknown, Meanwhile, and as long as Mr. Marshall does not produce more cogent proofs to corroborate hi ttertion, Fil go on believing that the area of the Philippines ie known to those who study geography and history and given, with the exactness that is given with that of other countricapat 309,615 square kilometers, say, 119;642 square miles. sold The following words strikingly illustrate Mr. Voleano's competence to deal with Philippine subje In fact, there isn't an island in the group that has been by white men. May how long has he live ich travelled over, the Philippines? For T have been always the from my youth till my heel began to dress itself in white, and, spite of my noterivus curiosity, T never heard or knew of any voleano, except the Foal, ete', volcanos. The iden ay mind that this gentleman may belong to those ihe, in a short time, travel much and write more; but as he himself informs us that "the white man who travels five miles from Manila dues so at the risk of his life," we might fairly suppose that he has deen all the time he has spent in the Pi lippiness, within the walled city of Ma reading, perhaps some books, pamphlets or papers, on Philppine problems. Un. fortunately he has not been lucky enough to read the best authors, Were [allowed to recommend him some T would advise him to read the " Estodismo de Filipinas" by P.
Geogratico" by Bu Filipino" publish Government Printing ton, 1900., and the Philippines" elited in the said town and otice, 1899, There can ho only one little engaging circumstance for Mr. Vol to read thig atlas, namely, all the m 30 in number, have been drawn by Phi pinos, that is to say, by savages or barbara inns, for such are they, as he tolly us.
say, in this respect, that T side intendent Henry''S, Pritchett in his prologue to the sths, he says;—"Tt is an interesting fact that the technical work was executed wholly by native Filipino draftsman."
Now [come again to the question, saying that Mr, Voleano's words should be ro-written thus: In fact there are very few islands in the group that have not been thoroughly explored by white men. Of Mindaniao, one of the less known island says Worcester in his work The Phi: lippine Tslands":—"The priests of the Jesuit mission have persistently and fearlessly pushed explorations until they have gathered data for a fairly complete and accurate map." Another tract of land considered to be less explored than the rest of the Provinces and Districta is, undoubtedly, the country peopled by Fingnians, Tgorots, Apayaor etc., in the Nort and Central Cordillera of Luzon. The counteyhoweverhas been repeatedly surveyed by naturalists, engineers, officers of the army and_ missionaries. I' myself can lend helping hand to Mr. Volcano if he wants 'P i to know some particulars about, the districts of Amburayan, Fagan, Lepan, Benguet, Boutor, and Linangan. T can in-{form him about their rivers, mountains, J roads, paths, villages, hamlets and T can tell him even the names of many of my many acquaintat ere.
There are," it la Mr. Voleano who speaks, '40,000,000 acres of virgin foresta of the most costly woods in which the axe has never sounded nor the saw been heard. These resources have never been dit covered." If these resources have'ney been discovered how does Mr. Volcano' know that the forests are of costly woods? He could say just on the same groun that in those forests, thers wore only som! bamboos and sonic-pes cliribi very cobd for ile coy des IMy Govidzas)-ul 28th
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.