101. 12 AMERICAN THOMASITES IN PAMPANGA & TARLAC

The American contribution to Philippine education began with the arrival of Thomasites – a band of American teachers who came to our shores in 1901, lured by a sense of adventure, prospects of employment in the exotic Far East. and a genuine will to serve and build a new nation. Here is a select group of these pioneering teachers who served in Pampanga and Tarlac.

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1. GEORGE N, ANDERSON, Arayat, Candaba

George N. Anderson’s commitment to advance education in the islands was so total, that when the school in Candaba was razed to the ground , the supervising teacher shelled out Php 500 from his own pockets as his contribution towards the rebuilding of the school. As a pioneer teacher in Arayat, Anderson put up an intermediate school to teach Grades 4, 5 and 6 students (a primary school was already up, that took in Grades 1-4 pupils). Established in 1909, the intermediate school would be named in his honor: Anderson Intermediate School, which operated under that name from 1909 to 1974. It then became Anderson Elementary School, offering complete Grades 1-6 classes. A fellow teacher by the name of Carrie E. Anderson taught in Arayat at the same time as George did; she may have been his wife.

2. ALFRED ARNOLD, Apalit, Arayat

Thomasite Alfred Arnold  was assigned as a primary school teacher to handle Grades 1 to 4 classes, in Arayat. He is well known for taking the extra step to win over Filipino officials who were indifferent to the idea of public education propagated by the U.S. The assiduous teacher organized and staged special programs of entertainment at his schools to interest the native town heads and gain their support and cooperation.

3. WILLIAM M. CARRUTH, Betis, Sta. Rita, San Simon

A young graduate of Cleveland, Ohio, William Carruth arrived in Betis in 1901 and was immediately besieged with problems---all the books in the school where he was supposed to teach were in Spanish. He wrote to the Dept. of Public Instruction for help, and soon, the right supplies arrived and school operations began to run smoothly—until he fell ill. But  Carruth carried on, even making himself available to teach geometry, algebra and physics at a teacher’s program in San Fernando. The Betis school was abandoned due to poor facilities and financial constraints.  Carruth, thus, moved to Sta. Rita, where he began anew to organize the primary school, plus 2 barrio schools. Faced with incompetent teachers and apathetic town officials, he finished his term in 1903, and then moved to San Simon. Carruth was an efficient, professional administrator, but the of support from his superiors and the community, perhaps wore him down to frustration. Carruth did not renew his 3-year contract and returned to the U.S.

4. W. HUSE CHAPMAN, Angeles, Zambales

W. Huse Chapman, of Connecticut, was a civil servant of the U.S. Bureau of Education and worked as a Thomasite teacher among the Negritos in the Philippines, in the Zambales region. He was deployed to Angeles, Pampanga as Supervising Teacher. While there, Chapman took an interest in photography and took ethnographic portraits, of  Negritos, their customs; activities; dwellings, structures and other material culture; and natural surroundings. Specific subjects include basket weaving, a burial, scarification, and a group of hooded self-flagellants. These 163 photos compiled in 1909, are in the Bancroft Library of the University of California Berkely.

5. ADAM C. DERKUM, Mexico, Tarlac, Zambales

Born in 1874, Adam C. Derkum studied and graduated from the University of Southern California. He was appointed to the civil service on 30 December 1903. On 1 March  1906,  Dr. Adam Derkum, together wife Agnes, were assigned to Mexico, Pampanga. He became a supervising teacher then rose in position to become  a Division Superintendent of schools in Zambales and Tarlac. He had a new building erected at a new location in 1915 after the Tarlac Provincial High School had incurred much damage wrought by usage and time. He also organized  training programs for students,  through teacher camps and educational missions. As part of the American effort to promote physical education and national fitness, Dr. Derkum help found the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, along with Manuel L. Quezon, Camilo Osias, Regino R. Ylanan and Jorge R. Vargas. He was chosen as President  and Chairman of the 1926 Pampanga Fair and Provincial Garden Day, This was to be one of  his last major activities as the Derkums and their four Philippine-born children, returned to America where they would spend rest of their lives in California.

6. LULU LONG HIGLEY, Bacolor

Born on 1 Oct. 1874 in Lagrange County, Indiana, Lulu Long-Higley and her husband Levi Campbell Higley (b. 1871/d.1959) taught together at Bacolor and at the Pampanga Industrial School. Lulu herself, taught industrial arts. Husband Levi was the assigned to an industrial school in Lipa, Batangas, and assumed the position of principal of the secondary school. Lulu Higley remained in Bacolor, where eldest son Phillips Isidors was born. When Higley returned to her husband’s home state, she gave birth to two more sons: Ralph and Erwin Isaac. She passed away in Genesee county on 21 Mar. 1951 at age 76, and she is interred with her husband at the county’s Springvale Cemetery.

 7. WILLIAM S. IREY, Magalang, Bataan

Pennsylvanian William Segner Irey was born in 1872, in West Chester county, an education graduate of West Chester State Normal College.  After a 13-year teaching stint in his home state, he would joined the contingent of teachers sent to the Philippines in 1901. He was stationed in Magalang, where he is credited with establishing the elementary school in the poblacion. Irey would be moved around Pampanga, living in Mexico and San Fernando, and also serving in Bataan as a 3^rd grade supervisor. Irey was also an inventor of some sorts; obtaining patents for such ingenious creations as a cigarette-producing machine, a cooking apparatus, change-speed gearing and  improvements to kerosene lamps.

8. KILMER O. MOE, Magalang

Upon arrival in the Philippines, Thomasite Kilmer O. Moe, from Hoople, North Dakota, was assigned to teach in Magalang. His interest in agriculture was piqued when the “Granja Modelo”, a pilot agricultural school founded in 1885 by Spaniards, and later renamed “Estacion Pecuaria” became idle. Together with Assemblyman Andres Luciano, Moe—now a district supervisor-- initiated its reconstruction in 1917. The Bureau of Education threw its support behind its reopening and Gov. Honorio Ventura donated more funds to aid the project. Thus, the Magalang Farm School was born. Moe was also involved in the restoration of the Central Luzon Agricultural School which opened in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on 10 Jun. 1909. After suffering typhoon damage in November, Moe initiated changes such as the use of strong materials for the school buildings.  Additions included student dorms, a superintendent office, a house for American teachers, a machine shop and a sawmill. Kilmer O. Moe wrote many treatises about various aspects of Philippine farming, including rice and sugar planting.

9. JOHN W. OSBORN, Angeles, Magalang, San Fernando

John W. Osborn is known for being the first principal of Pampanga High School in 1908, the most revered institution for secondary education in the province. PHS would produce  a president,  eminent scholars, writers, politicians, military leaders, lawyers, and builders of  our nation. Osborn was from Bringhamton, New York,  a 1901 graduate of Western Reserve University, Ohio . Before his assignment in the capital town, he was minding the affairs of the elementary schools in Magalang (1904) and Angeles (he rented the ground floor of the Gomez/Masnou House with Marion Huff, another Thomasite). PHS originally was located at the Eusebio Residence located near the town plaza, with classes opening in 1908. Enrollment was so low that it was unable to form a senior class until 1911-1912. As student population grew, the school was transferred to a new building near the Provincial Capitol. It was Osborn who chose future Justice Jose Gutierrez David to deliver a speech before  Secretary of War, William Howard Taft and presidential daughter Alice Roosevelt, during their visit to San Fernando in 1904. In his unpublished memoirs, Justice Gutierrez recalled that “Mr. Osborn  was quite satisfied and elated judging from the manner he congratulated me. For me, that was enough”.

 10. LUTHER PARKER, Masantol, Arayat, Bacolor

The most high-profile Thomasite Pampanga, Luther Parker was born in Missouri to James R. and Mary C. Parker, in 1872. A graduate of the State Normal School in Chico, California, he arrived in the Philippines  in 1901, and served in the Bureau of Education for twenty-five years, the last 7 years as division superintendent of schools. His first assignment was Masantol, then in Arayat as Supervising Teacher, and the town postmaster. He was also a regular contributor of articles for Manila Times. Parker’s accomplishments included writing a “Diccionariong Ingles, Kapampangan at Kastila," in 1905, studying Philippine linguistics, and initiating the writing of town histories. Parker became the Principal of the Bacolor Trade School in March 1907, as well as General Inspector of school shops in the country. He was assigned from 1914-1916 in San Francisco to oversee the  Philippine exhibit of school industrial work. For his achievements, Kapampangan officials proposed to adopt Parker as a son of Pampanga province. Parker also served in Pangasinan  ( 1918, promoted food production campaigns and gardening), Ilocos Norte,  (1921, organized Bands of Mercy , mainly a children’s group that championed kindness to animals) and Nueva Ecija (1922-26). He retired and lingered in the country until 1931, when the Parker family left the country for good. The Parkers took up residence in Santa Cruz, California. He passed away in 1948. His collection of pictures, memorabilia, albums of clippings are kept in the University of the Philippines.

11. CARROLL A. PEABODY, Mabalacat, Tarlac

Thomasite Carroll Peabody, a fresh graduate of Western Reserve University in Ohio, was first assigned to Mabalacat in 1902 where he became a “maestro Americano” , teaching his Kapampangan pupils in nipa and bamboo classrooms.  He later  became a supervisor, then a Division Superintendent in Tarlac. His wife, Emma, was also a teacher. Also assigned there was Joseph L. Flaherty, a Supervising Teacher as of 1906. Peabody documented the hardships of setting up schools and keeping them running despite inadequate supplies (billiard cue chalk were sometimes used as blackboard chalk), in his unpublished memoirs, “Personal Reminiscences of Early Days, 1898-1902”.

12. FRANK RUSSELL WHITE, Tarlac

Thomasite Frank Russell White  was born in Millburn, Illinois on 8 June 1875. He has the singular distinction of opening the first provincial high school in the Philippines—Tarlac High School on 1 Sep. 1902—and was its first principal. The high school had an initial enrolment of 35 students which grew to 93 before the end of that year. White served for 2 months, and then appointed Division Superintendent for Tarlac province. The high school he founded would have a permanent 2-storey building of  Oregon pine, a 76 feet long and 42 feet wide. It was built though the initiative of his successor, Mr. S.C. Campbell,  at a cost of Php 48,000. It opened in 1904. White rose to become the 4^th Director of Education of the Philippine islands, but died an early death due to an illness on 17 Aug. 1913.  Unfortunately, the heritage building was razed by fire on 28 Oct. 2015. For years, tales of a “white ghost” haunting the high school were often heard—but this must have been simply a reference to the teacher who made history in Tarlac—Mr. Frank Russell White.

A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF THOMASITES ASSIGNED TO PAMPANGA & TARLAC

Albright, Henrietta M., Tarlac, Tarlac

Anderson, Carrie E. Arayat, Pampanga Intermediate

Ansbro, Lucinda, Tarlac, Tarlac

Bass, James H. Apalit, Pampanga Supervising Teacher

Briggs, George N. Surigao, Surigao, Cagayan and Misamis; San Fernando, Pampanga and Bataan Division Superintendent

Campbell, S.A. Tarlac, Tarlac; Cavite Division Superintendent

Carleton, Charles W. Bacolor, Pampanga Industrial School

Derkum, Agnes M. Mexico, Pampanga Intermediate School

Flaherty, Joseph L. Mabalacat, Pampanga Supervising Teacher

Franke, Walter E. Florida-Blanca, Pampanga Supervising Teacher

Gambill, J.M. San Fernando, Pampanga Supervising Teacher

Gammill, J.A. Iloilo, Iloilo andAntique; San Fernando, Pampanga and Bataan Superintendent

Gascon, Osmond Guagua, Pampanga In Charge Barrio School

Higley, Levi C. Bacolor, Pampanga; Lipa, Batangas Industrial School; Principal

(Secondary school)

Howard, Joseph G. Apalit, Pampanga Industrial School

Huff, Marion Bacolor, Pampanga Industrial School

Manns, Alys E. San Fernando, Pampanga Provincial High School

Manns, Thomas F. Balanga, Bataan; San Fernando, Pampanga Principal, High School (in charge)

Mayo, William L. Tarlac, Tarlac Provincial High School

McGee, Fannie, Tarlac, Tarlac

Preuitt, William E. San Fernando, Pampanga and Bataan Superintendent

Reimold, O.S., Tarlac, Tarlac

Rudy, Abraham Macabebe, Pampanga Supervising Teacher

Russell, Florence E. Tarlac, Tarlac Provincial High School

Russell, H.C. Laoag, Ilocos Norte; Tarlac, Tarlac Principal, High School

Shearer, Lucy B. San Fernando, Pampanga Provincial High School

Vaughan, William T. Candaba, Pampanga Supervising Teacher

Williamson, Katherine P. San Fernando,Pampanga Provincial High School

Young, Katherine M. San Fernando, Pampanga Provincial High School

SOURCES:

Alan Derkum, Carroll Peabody, John W.Osborn : www.viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com

Lulu Long-Higley: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25692851/levi-campbell-higley

Frank Russell White: http://www.tarlachs71.com/about_tarlac_high_school.php, 

Photo of Kilmer O. Moe's calling Card: Doris Manlapaz, Magalang Historical Society

Photo of Luther Parker in Arayat: John Tewell, flickr.com

Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 25. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/acp1028.0001.025?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Dizon, Lino L., Mr. White, A Thomasite History of Tarlac Province 1901-1913, in Honor of Frank Russell White. Published by the Center for Tarlaqueño Stduies and the Center for Kapampangan Studies, 2002.

Larkin, John A. The Pampangans,: Colonial Society in a Philippine Province © 1972 The Regents of the University of California, 19913 Edition by new ay Publishing. Pp.143-157.

Gutierrez-David, Jose. The Story of my Life, unpublished memoirs

77. 10 RARE AND EARLY PHOTOS OF FLAGELLANTS IN PAMPANGA

The ways of  flagellants have always inspired awe and curiosity amongst the faithful during the days of Lent. Pampanga flagellants, however, have a different intent. Bloodied, scourged and caked with dust, magdarames live and act out the passion of the Lord—and the term “dámé”, to sympathize and share one’s grief, to take part in someone else’s suffering-- captures this spirit of oneness, in pain and sorrow. Here are, early images of the “magdarame” in Pampanga,  preserved by the camera from the turn of the 20^th century to the 1950s.

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1. MAMALASPAS

Barefooted flagellants from the early 20th century have their backs incised with wounds, drawing blood by whipping their backs with burilyos--bamboo strips tied to a cloth. These magdarame types are called mamalaspas, A distinctive sound is heard when the bamboo strips strike the flesh.

2. MAGDARAMES IN A VISITA

Makeshift chapels of wood, nipa and light materials serve as pitstops for  retinue of magdarames. Here, at these gaily decorated visitas, they pause to say their prayers, before moving on.

 3. MAGDARAME ANONYMOUS.

A magdarame remains anonymous by covering his face with a black hood or a white cloth, called "capariza", held in place by a crown of vines or twisted branches. These days, the face cover is an option as some modern-day flagellants expose their faces to the world. Instead, a piece of cloth is used to covers their heads, Arab-style.

4. BLOOD AND GORE

The back of a magdarame  is incised with a panabad, a paddle with shards of broken glass or directly with a razor or the sharp tip of a knife, such as the one shown in the photo.

5. EYES ON THE MAGDARAME

A group of American ladies from nearby Fort Stotsenburg gawk at a cross-bearing magdarame, followed by his aide, who intones prayers. Then, as now, magdarames were strange sights to see for foreigners. Today, the display of unusual practices such as flagellation and crucifixion are part of a 'religious tourism program' propagated by such places led by the City of San Fernando.

 6. THE CROSS-BEARERS

A popular type of magdarame is the cross-bearer or mamusan kurus. He either carries a cross or is tied to one. This flagellant carries a cross of bamboo, and he carries its full weight as the cross does not touch the ground. Today's crosses are fashioned from commercial lumber from hardware stores, or fashioned from old electric posts. They are also unusually long, so that the end of the cross touches the ground, thus providing support,

 7. THE WAY OF THE CROSS

Flagellants often walked country trails and roads, in small packs of 8 to 12. Others go on solitary walks, the better to reflect on his personal mission to be united in suffering with Christ. An American in a white suit follows this group in their walk of faith.

8. WHIP IT GOOD!

Another kind of magdarame is the sasalibatbat, who fling their bodies to the ground, rolling over sharp rocks and stones in the process. They are followed by a flogger, who whips them when they are on the ground. Their torsos, legs and arms are tied with abaca rope to impair circulation, hence making the experience more torturous.

9. EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT?

An ayudante checks on the condition of a magdarame, sprawled on the field under the hot, mid-day sun.  The walk around town begins in the morning, ends by early afternoon and is followed by a dash to the nearest river for a quick, recuperative bath.

10. CRUCIFY HIM!

A magdarame is symbolically crucified, by having his arms tied on the crossbar.  The first re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion happened in the 1955 "Via Crucis" in San Fernando, but it was only in 1962 that an actual crucifixion was done, with the nailing of Artemio Anoza to the cross in barrio San Pedro Cutud. Anoza believed he could realize his dream to be a faith healer with his crucifixion.

PHOTO SOURCES:

Photos, courtesy of "Old Pampanga" FB Group.

Others: Alex R.castro, ebay.com 

66. 20 FUNERAL TRADITIONS & PRACTICES THAT KAPAMPANGANS OBSERVE

All Saints’ Day (Todos Los Santos on Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2) used to be 2 distinct observances until somehow, they merged as one. When campo santos (cemeteries) began being built outside of the town, folks found it convenient to divide their pious duties: Nov. 1 was devoted to grave visits while Nov. 2 was reserved for church rites. Death came early for Filipinos in the 19th century; life expectancy was just about 35 years. Life, was indeed precious, which was why, death was considered major rite of passage, with traditional ceremonies and post-mortem practices created around the inevitable.

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1.There were certain portents of death that old Kapampangan folks believed in: the appearance of a black moth, a dog digging up the ground for no apparent reason, the dreaming of a loss tooth, combing one’s hair at night. To avoid untimely deaths, one should neither position his bed towards the door nor join a picture-taking session if the number of subjects is either 3 or 13. If the toes of the dead curled inwards, beware of another impending death.

2.As soon as someone died in the neighborhood (indicated by loud wailing), neighbors knew exactly what to do next. Members of the grieving family were not allowed to do any work, and so the neighbors took over. There were no funeral services, no embalming, and so everything that needed to be done must be done quickly, before decomposition set in (burial must take place within 24 hours)

3.Early Filipinos believed in the mystical number 7, representing the 7 holes of the head. Our pre-colonial ancestors thus covered their dead’s faces with a death mask cut out with 7 holes. But Kapampangans also believed that an invisible 8th hole exists at the crown of the head of certain special persons, gifting them with the power to liaise between the dead and the living.

4.The deceased was laid on his bed decorated with hangings (black for an adult, white for a child). If the deceased did not own a bed, he was laid out on a mat (dase or banig) on the floor. A black cloth is draped in front of the house to signify a death in the household.

5.The grieving family would have nothing to do but stay beside the dead to weep (they had less than 24 hours to say their final good-byes). If they had to talk to visitors at all, it should be about the life and legacy of the departed.

6.Meanwhile, the teenagers stayed up all night to keep watch and guard against the magcucutud (or manananggal), the airborne supernatural creatures who stole corpses. They entertained themselves by playing card games like entre siete and pierde y gana or playing the traditional Kapampangan games of caragatan (or bugtungan) and talubangan (or bulaclacan), where the boys played butterflies to the girls' flowers.

7.There are certain no-no’s when a death in the family occurred. The family of the deceased were prohibited from bathing, cleaning the house or getting a haircut. The children of the deceased were not supposed to play; if they did, old folks warned, they'd go crazy. A dead should not be perfumed lest he decomposes faster.

8.Children and infants were carried across the coffin to prevent hauntings by the deceased. Taking out the deathbed through the window is another sure way to ward off ghostly encounters.

9.In Macabebe they still do tagulele, an ancient practice that the Bergaño dictionary defined as "the chant of lamentation during a person's wake or burial, relating the bravery of the deceased."

10.Any form of house cleaning is still prohibited during the wake, or another member of the family might also die. When the coffin is already being carried out of the house, however, it should be followed with sweeping of the floor, to drive away illness and bad spirits.

11.Some relatives must also stay behind and peep out of the windows as the coffin is being taken out. The deceased person's bed must be discarded by taking it out of the house through a window, to ensure his happiness in the next life and to prevent another death in the family.

12.The Church dictated the rituals associated with the dead and the dying. Back then, fees were being collected by unscrupulous frailes for walking the dead to his burial ground or for ringing the church bells a certain number of times. During a funeral procession, prayers were intoned at regular intervals called “posas”.

13.During the funeral procession, everyone (not just the family) should be in black and holding lighted candles. The widow and female relatives should wear sucong (long black veils). Rich families spend more to have a punebre (funeral band) and the parish priest accompanying the dead to the cemetery.

14.In those days when there were still no public cemeteries, the dead were buried in private properties, usually the backyard. A child's corpse was always buried neck-deep while a male adult's corpse only knee-deep, in the belief that the soul of older people needed to get out of this world more quickly.

15.When it was time for the dead to be buried, the coffin, as was the custom in old Mabalacat, was placed on a “lankayan”, a stretcher of bamboos, which was then carried on the shoulders of 4 persons. Shortly before burial, relatives younger than the deceased took turns kissing his hand, while the children were held up and passed to waiting arms across the coffin to prevent hauntings. Taking out the deathbed through the window is another sure way to ward off ghostly encounters.

16.Everyone threw in a handful of soil as the casket was lowered, but only the gravediggers were permitted to look at it. There was also the prevalent practice of burying a rosary with the dead, but it had to be cut first lest the dead became restless. (Death is the end of our physical life, but a rosary, in a chain form, is “endless”, so it also needs to be cut).

17.In the first two nights after burial, family and friends gathered around a makeshift altar inside the house to pray for the deceased, have bread, sweets and tea or coffee (nothing more), followed by merriment (more caragatan and talubangan).

18.On the third night, when the soul was believed to come for a brief visit, a seat would be reserved for him at the dining table where ash, instead of food, was put on his plate and covered with cacaricucha leaves. The soul would be pleased to see this and would reward his loved ones with a passing apparition or even clues to some hidden wealth.

19.From fourth to eighth nights, only bread, sweets and tea/coffee would be served again to those who participated in the prayer vigils, but on the ninth night (the uacas of the pasiyam), a big dinner was served. Groups of visitors took turns praying for the deceased before proceeding to the dinner table.

20.The period of mourning ends after a year—lukas paldas—and on this day, the black clothes worn by the bereaved family are finally replaced and kept in the baul. A pa-misa and a grand salu-salo cap this day, with everyone reminiscing about the past year and of the days with their beloved departed. Tears are wiped, laughter returns. Indeed, to everything, there is a season.

SOURCES:

Tantingco, Robby P. 'Death and Our Neighbors", http://robbypeanutgallery.blogspot.com/2010/11/death-and-our-neighbors.html

Castro, Alex. Kematen: A Time to Mourn/ Mourning Mortality, www.viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com