The First Hundred
Act 845 provided further for the appointment of an agent to manage the affairs of the students, such an agent to be under the supervision of the Bureau of Insular Affairs, to which he was required to render quarterly reports “of the health, welfare, and progress of each student.” To this position the Civil Governor, on August 28, 1903, appointed the aforementioned William Alex Sutherland, who assumed his duties the following September 1.[2]That upon the termination of his studies in the United States, conformity with this Act and the terms of his appointment and agreement, he will return to the Philippine Islands, and within two months after his return will take a Civil-Service examination, competitive or noncompetitive, in the discretion of the Civil Service Board, to qualify in such grade or for such office or position under civil-service rules as he may elect, and that if certified for appointment by the Civil Service Board and appointed from such certification to any office or post in the civil service at any time within one year after his return, he will accept such appointment…
Sutherland was determined in choosing the 100 students for the first year to select seventy-five from the public schools throughout the Islands, leaving twenty-five to be appointed at large by the Civil Governor. Apportionment was based roughly upon the population and importance of the different provinces. Nearly every province was a school division and in each there was an American school superintendent. The superintendents and the provincial governors (nearly all of whom were Filipinos) were jointly entrusted with the selection of suitable candidates from their provinces or school districts.[3] The twenty-five selected at large were chosen by a committee composed of a member of the Philippine Commission, the Executive Secretary, and Mr. Sutherland. Each of the candidates was required to undergo a test in English, and those appointed had “considerable fluency” in that language.[4]
The term “Los Pensionados” to designate the government-supported students appears to have been used widely in the Philippines from the beginning of the movement, and it may be noted here that this term was eventually adopted by the Philippine government. “He aquí la lista completa,” a contemporary account in a Manila newspaper began, “por orden alfabético de apellidos, de los jóvenes que embarcaron para los Estados Unidos el día 9 del actual, pensionados por el gobierno filipino, con objeto de terminar sus estudios en la metrópoli…”[5]
The pensionados, then, between the time of their arrival in Manila and the date of sailing, as also during the thirty-day voyage across the Pacific, were fully instructed by Mr. Sutherland as to their clothing, personal habits, and behavior, and lectures on the customs and characteristics of Americans were given them daily. “As one result,” Sutherland reported, “about forty boys, virtually all who used tobacco, were influenced to give up smoking (!).”[6] So great was the enthusiasm over their departure throughout the Philippines that a special operatic performance was given in the Student’s honor at the largest theater in Manila. A great rally was held the morning of their departure at the headquarters of the Federal Party, speeches being delivered by Civil Governor Taft, Commissioners Smith and Tavera, and several prominent Filipinos. A procession headed by the ninety-eight students[7] and accompanied by half-a-dozen brass bands, numerous civic organizations, and thousands of citizens marched to the wharf. All the accommodations of the S.S. Rohilla Maru, which belonged to the Toyo Kisen Kaisha was the largest boat plying between Manila and Hongkong, had been reserved, “and the voyage to the latter port was made without incident of note, if we except the crowding of ninety-eight persons into accommodations intended for about eighty.” At Hongkong the students were transferred to the S.S. Korea of the Pacific Mail Line, and their journey continued on October 13.[8]
Thus began the voyage of the first Filipino pensionados to come to the United States. Under Sutherlands’s careful instruction the month on board was well spent, and much improvement was shown by all the students, especially “in matters of table etiquette and personal habits.” Once or twice a day, Sutherland gave them military drills, the benefit of which became apparent upon their landing at San Francisco, “when the body of bewildered youths, involved for the first time in the hurry and bustle and confusion of American city life, was far more easily and effectively handled, in moving about the town, from the wharf, through the Customs’, to the shops and the railway stations, than would have been possible had this training not been given them.”[9]
Upon reaching San Francisco on November 9, 1903, Mr. Sutherland purchased suitable clothing for all the students, [10] and on November 11 the entire party left for southern California by special Southern Pacific Railway cars. One imagines with amusement the spectacle of Sutherland herding his young charges from the hotel to the San Francisco depot: there had been no time to purchase trunks for new clothing, and consequently each student was required to carry a number of paper packages. “It rained… most of the bundles burst, and collars, ties, and many other articles of men’s wearing apparel were scattered from San Francisco to San Diego.”[11]
From Los Angeles the pensionados were distributed on November 12 and 13 to Santa Barbara, Ventura, Hueneme, Santa Paula, Claremont, Redlands, Riverside, Santa Ana, San Diego, National City, Compton, and Whittier. [12] Professor Bernard Moses of the University of California, who had been a member of the Philippine Commission from 1900 to 1902, had made the necessary arrangements for receiving the students into public schools of California’s seven southern countries. [13] The climate of this region was considered to be similar to that of the Philippines and consequently the most advantageous for the students. Moreover, Sutherland reported, California’s public school system was “among the best in the United States, and the advantages of its schools were freely, even urgently, offered for this purpose.”[14]
In accordance with plans worked out in advance, Sutherland allowed the original pensionados to remain in California the whole of their first school year, at the end of which they reunited in Santa Barbara. During this summer interval four teachers were employed and classes were held each forenoon in English, Algebra, History, Civics,[15] Geometry, Arithmetic, Trigonometry, and vocal music. Afternoons were given to recreation, and evenings were spent in literary and musical entertainments such as debates or concerts. The students formed baseball, tennis, basketball, and sipa[2] teams, competing with town teams or with each other. The students’ progress in becoming “Americanized” was shown in their choice of subjects for the four public debates to which the citizens of Santa Barbara were invited:
The last question in particular attracted a large audience and despite the fact that Santa Barabara was near the center of the best-sugar industry,[16] the affirmative decision of the judges was highly applauded. A final entertainment in honor of the citizens of Santa Barbara was given by students on July 29, 1904.[17]Resolved, That the capital punishment should be abolished.
Resolved, That Caesar was a greater general than Napoleon.
Resolved, That in the present Eastern conflict the causes of civilization would be better served by the victory of the Russians than by that of the Japanese.
Resolved, That free trade should be established between the Philippines and the United States.
The pensionados had been urged to economize after coming to the United States in order that they might visit the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis[18] en route to their permanent schools in the East. On August 5, the entire body of students arrived at the exposition grounds, where a large room and several smaller ones had been prepared for them in the Philippine Constabulary quarters. During the month of their visit the pensionados served the Philippine Expositions Board three hours daily by performing clerical work, compiling juries’ awards, and acting as guides to visitors. “The splendid exposition displayed by the Philippine Government was the best part of the education received by the students while at the Fair, for they received a broader and complete knowledge of their own country, of its products and its industries, than their whole life in it had provided them before leaving the Islands.”[19] On August 13, Philippine Day at the exposition, the boys participated in a great parade,[20] which was reviewed by the Secretary of War and other officials. The march continued several miles through the exposition grounds, and as the day was exceptionally hot many soldiers and sailors (but no students) were overcome. As the students passed in review they greeted the Secretary of War with a number of yells, one of which was “Taft, President 1909!”[21]
[1] Philippine Commission Act No. 845, August 26, 1903., “An Act providing for the education of Filipino students in the United States, and appropriating for such a purpose the sum of seventy-two thousand dollars, in money of the United State.” Certified copies of the acts of the Philippine Commission, the Philippine Legislature, and the Philippine Assembly are in the custody of the National Archives. Dr. Sutherland recalled that after the passage of the Pensionado Act, Governor William Howard Taft remarked, "well, it is your baby, now take care of it."
[2] Educational Agency Report No. 1. p.1.
[3] Ibid.1-2. The following telegram was sent to each province, “After a conference with the Division superintendent of Schools (or the provincial governor) selected for appointment as Students in the United States at the expense of the government, …Filipino students of the public schools, between sixteen and twenty-one years of age. Each candidate is subject to examination in Manila and in case of rejection, his expenses to Manila and return home will be paid by the government. Each student must be of unquestionable moral and physical qualification, weight being given to social status. He must be well advanced in English, Mathematics, History, Geography, and of exceptional general intelligence. We must have the best boys in your province. Appointees must sign an agreement to conform to reasonable regulations to enter the Philippine Civil Service upon return to the Islands, for a period equal to that spent in the United States at government expense. Every qualification mentioned is imperative. Expenses of appointees will be paid by the government after embarkation at Manila for the United States. Telegraph selections immediately in the name of yourself and Division Superintendent and hold candidates in readiness to proceed at once, one telegraphic order, to Manila and the United States. Certify immediately this telegram to the Division Superintendent of Schools. Prompt action is desired. Taft, Civil Governor.”
[4]Ibid., 3.
[5] BIA 363-59.
[6] Educational Agency Report. No. 1, p.3.
[7] One had been detained in quarantine, and another was delayed in his journey to Manila. Ibid.
[8] Ibid., 3-4.
[9] Ibid., 5. “The comment, “ Sutherland adds, “from passengers and ship officers alike, concerning the conduct of these young men, most frequently heard during the whole long passage, was ‘what gentlemanly set of boys; I never though they were so well-bred’”
[10] It was necessary to procure almost a complete outfit for each student since the heaviest clothing brought by any student from the Philippines was lighter in weight than the lightest commonly worn in the United States. Again, the styles of certain clothing and hats worn by the students at the time of leaving Manila, were such that they would have attracted attention, particularly that of Americans of the younger generation.” Ibid., 9.
[11] Ibid., 6.
[12] Ibid. The two students who had been delayed at Manila arrived December 1.
[13] Bernard Moses to Governor Luke E. Wright, March 1, 1904, in BIA 365-110. During the Christmas holidays of 1904 Professor Moses visited a number of the county school superintendents who had assembled for a conference in Los Angeles, and received universally favorable reports concerning the conduct and progress of the students. He wrote Governor Wright that he had no doubt but that the policy inaugurated would be of very great advantage to the Philippines, “ for it recognizes the fact that civilization cannot be taught by precept but by example. (Emphasis mine). The responsibility of determining how far this policy shall be pursued rests upon you and your associates, and will doubtless be more or less influenced by the state of the funds.” Ibid.
[14] Educational Agency Report No. 1. pp. 6-7
[15] The report of the instructor in civics was as follows: IN Civics we took a birds eye view of governments ast to kinds, then made a study of constitutions, touching on the nature of constitutions in general. This was followed by an examination of the defects in the Articles of Confederations and how those defects were remedied by the new Constitution. The UNited States Constitution was then taken up and each branch of government was studded from a detailed outline. The method followed was to give a general talk on each division of subdivision of each branch, followed by the reading, by the Students , of the clauses of the Constitution pertaining to the subject under discussion. Explanation of terms and expressions followed. Questions from the class on obscure points were freely encouraged. Questions by instructors on the work previously covered were from time to time thrown in. Special emphasis was laid on the stability and permanence of our institutions…The Departments of the Executive, State, Treasury, War, etc. and the different Bureaus, were taken up in detail. The object has been to give a clear idea of the nature of a government founded on broad liberal principles….The result has been, I think , the giving of those who never made a study of our Constitution, a fair idea of its purport and provisions and those who had work in this line soe new points of view, thus preparing all for a more extended study of laws, institutions and history. Lastly we took a hasty glance at the general provisions of International Law.” Educational Agency Report No. 4 p. 2.
[16] Betteravia (from French betterave "sugar beet roots") was a community in northern Santa Barbara County, California on Betteravia Road, six miles west of Santa Maria. It is notable as a rare ghost town on the Central Coast of California. Betteravia was a company town founded on the former Rancho Punta de Laguna around the turn of the 20th century and existed for nearly ninety years. The Union Sugar Refining Company established a sugar beet farm here in 1897.[2] At one time this community supported a population of 350 residents, the vast majority of whom were employed by the Union Sugar Company, now a part of Sara Lee Corporation. See Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
[17] Ibid., 5-6. Preserved in the BIA records is a copy of the program, which included the “Fra Diavolo” overture played by the students’ orchestra, a “farce” called “Women's Rights at Kettlewell,” and a “farcelet” called “The Soldier’s Return.”
[18] The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 million were used to finance the event. More than 60 countries and 43 of the then-45 American states maintained exhibition spaces at the fair, which was attended by nearly 19.7 million people. It is commonly thought that the St. Louis exposition only displayed native subjects from the Philippines but there were other performances such as the Parade of Progress which included a military regiment in its narrative of progress under US colonialism. For an overview of the exposition see Paul Kramer, “Making concessions: race and empire revisited at the Philippine Exposition, St. Louis, 1901–1905." Radical History Review 1999.73 (1999): 75-114.
[19] Munden, 6-7
[20] The “parade of progress” included hundreds of young men dressed as scouts and doing military drills. The young men, who included the first 100 pensionados among their ranks, were presented as the last stage in an evolutionary schema of development. See Talitha Espiritu, “Native subjects on display: reviving the colonial exposition in Marcos' Philippines." Social Identities 18.6 (2012): 729-744.
[21] Educational Agency Report No. 6, p. 7.