154 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY
Bagobo will ever demonstrate any kind of guperiority to Filipino or Igorot. The demonstration depends very much upon opportunity. The IgorotSy in the broad and rather inaccurate sense in which I have used the words, are a numerous people capable of maintaining a large meas- ure of independence ; and they are now receiving what I believe is com- petent and efficient help in preparation for intercourse with the outside world. The hill Bagobos are few in number and the interference of government in their affairs has not, in my opinion^ been very intelli- gently calculated to preserve them as a strong race. What the govern- ment undertook to do, with the best of intentions and with full recog- nition of the superior vitality of the Bagobo, was to bring him in contact with civilization by bringing him down out of the mountains. I have not seen these people for a number of years, but could anticipate no result of this policy except that most of the Bagobos would become plantation serfs and the more independent minority would become rene- gades. This was the work of Lieutenant Bolton, one of the men most conspicuous in devotion to the interests of the people under his charge whom I have ever met. The best of intentions may make the most mis- chief in the attempt to make a race over and improve its conditions without sufficient appreciation of the fact that the direct ability of the race is adapted to the conditions under which this ability has been de- veloped. Lieutenant Bolton was murdered a little later as the result of another attempt to make a powerful savage into a man of influence under more civilized conditions.
We have naturally made mistakes of the same kind in the well- meant attempt of many of our officials to make good Americans out of good Filipinos. The preservation of order in these islands during the past fifteen years has of course been of tremendous value to the people^ and the introduction of a general educational organization, even of such an organization patterned very largely after that of the United States, has been another incalculable service. But the transplanting of a scheme of government, including even features of exceedingly doubtful value in America, has brought with it evils some of which will probably never be peacefully outgrown.
These comments are, of course, not relevant to the question of racial selection. They have, however, a bearing on the conditions which make war the foremost subject of world interest at this time. I am a great admirer of real German culture. I have a certain sympathy with the German ambition (even if its profession by the government may be largely hypocritical) to germanize other parts of the world. The trouble with the scheme, aside from its probable impracticality by the methods being tested, is that what is best for Germany is not necessarily best for England and Borneo, any more than what is best for the United States is necessarily best for the Filipino, or what is best for the Filipino is best for the Bagobo.
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