The following pages, embodying a survey (on a broad scale) of the chief
characteristics of Philippine intellectual energy, in its various lines
of art, science, letters, seem an objective worthy of the American
scholar, who, to his own large group of aboriginal tongues at home,
has now to add to his field of study a similarly far-reaching family
of the many-toned dialects of Malaysia,--twenty-seven idioms at least
in number,--according to Retana's tabulation, whereof I give a list
drawn from his latest bibliography of the Philippines, [1] where,
enumerating the various works published in the several dialects in
use in that archipelago, he has summarized them in the following table:
Bisaya, or Visaya, generic name for Titles.
1. Cebuano, Isle of Cebu |
2. Panayano, Hiligayno and Harayo, Isle of Panay | 352
3. Leyte, or Leite, and Samar Isles |
4. Tagalo, Isle of Luzon 230
5. Ilocano, ibid. 143
6. Bicol, or Vicol, ibid. 61
7. Pangasinan, ibid. 24
8. Pampango, ibid. 22
9. Ibanag, ibid. 15
10. Moro-Maguindanao 8
11. Cuyono 7
12. Tiruray 6
13. Bagobo 3
14. Aeta, or Negrito, Isle of Negros 2
15. Gaddan, Isle of Luzon 2
16. Isinay, ibid. 2
17. Joloano 2
18. Manobo, Isle of Mindanao 2
19. Tagbanua, Isle of Paragua 2
20. Tino, or Zambale, Isle of Luzon 2
21. Batanes, or Vatanes, Isle (of same name) 1
22. Bilaan 1
23. Bisaya-montes, Isle of Mindanao 1
24. Calamiano 1
25. Egongot, or Ilongote, Isle of Luzon 1
26. Samal 1
27. Tagacaolo 1
This bibliography, which we rightly may term wealthy in its two
thousand six hundred and ninety-seven titles [2] of numbered pieces
of literature, besides being based largely on the author's own choice
collection of Philippina, cites also fourteen other bibliographies
of that archipelago. [3]
In his own list of Philippine languages, or branch-tongues, of this
quarter of Malaysia, in all (as he gives them) thirty-seven in number,
some are mentioned, that, except in a broad sense, will not easily
be recognized as members of the distinctively Philippine family; such
as Sanscrit, Chinese, Japanese, Javanese, Nahuatl of Central America,
along with Kanaka or Ponape, [4] Chamorro and Malgacho, or Malagasy,
as we more familiarly style it, three dialects spoken in lands outside
of the Philippine zone,--of Yap, or Guap, in the eastern Carolines,
the Marianas, or Ladrones, and Madagascar respectively.
Wherefore, subtracting these nine foreign localized idiom-groups along
with Malay (presumably ancestral tongue of the Philippines, as of
other western Polynesian languages), though herein many scholars hold
that Aeta, or Papuan, is mother, I have reduced the idioms peculiar
(in large measure) to that archipelago itself to the number (given
ahead)--twenty-seven.
On this question of race and idiom unity Zuniga, whom I cite
frequently in this sketch, says that the vocabularies of New Zealand,
New Holland, New Guinea, and part of New Hebrides (gathered by Captain
Cook) were all easily understood by him through his familiarity with
Philippine dialects; that, moreover, from his knowledge of the racial
and linguistic characteristics of nearly all South Sea islanders,
especially of the peoples from Madagascar to Easter Island, including
(he distinctly declares) the natives of the Friendly, or Society
Isles, of the Sandwich and Marquesas groups, he was of opinion that
aboriginal stock of all, in tongue and blood, including even the
natives of Central America, was Aeta, or Papuan, otherwise styled
(in the Philippines) Negrito. [5] As far back as the early part of the
seventeenth century this same question of race and language identity
of the Philippine people was treated by the Jesuit Chirino, of whom we
shall say more further on; then later by another Jesuit scholar, at one
time provincial superior of his society in the Philippines, Francisco
Colin, in his Lavor evangelica, (Madrid, 1663); and by Lorenzo Hervas
y Panduro, a linguist of deserved eminence in the world of letters,
formerly Jesuit. See his Catalogo (in six quarto vols., Madrid,
1800-1805), and you will learn very much about many strange things,
among others, that the theory maintained by the English Wallace,
the German Blumentritt, and later ethnologists, as to the identity of
these Polynesians--Papuans and Malays--perhaps the only one now held
by scholars--is venerably old, by two centuries and more. But really,
in view of the apparently irreconcilable opinions of linguists on
this topic, further discussion of it seems unprofitable.
As concerns the Philippines themselves, neither have their isles
all been numbered, nor their sub-races and branch-idioms classified,
except in what we may style a generic scheme.
Back now to our bibliographer. No study in mere humanities, it seems,
could be more fascinating to your all-round scholar, and more fruitful
especially to anthropologist, than with the guidance of Retana and
other like gifted students of Philippina, to enlarge somewhat on this
bibliographical theme, since in letters chiefly do men of upright mind
find equipment for meditation of spirit, main source of all healthful,
sober, intellectual recreation and work.
Our list of Philippina, as you will notice, although given merely in
outline, embraces in its sweep across the literary horizon of that
quarter of Malaysia many works of recognized merit in the several lines
of intellectual energy--of history, archaeology, ethnology, philology
and natural philosophy; books, all of them, which, if perchance not
masterpieces according to the higher standard of Caucasian scholarship,
will yet be acknowledged of much interest, nay, of great value in
the inspiration and development of scientific thought.
In this bibliographical skeleton, then, I shall point out those
sources of information anent the Philippine Islands, wherein the
scholar can best find a general description or history of them, the
most trustworthy works on their very varied and multiform language,
as well as other topics cognate with these. Hence these sub-sections
into which my paper is split: (1) Works of General Information; (2)
Authorities on Philippine Dialects; (3) Some Literary Curios among
Philippina; (4) Philippine Presses; (5) Introduction of Printing into
the Philippines.
First, I name the chief works of reference, [6] of the highest, most
authoritative character, bearing on the distinctive peculiarities of
the Philippines,--works that will be recognized as serviceable to the
general reader and scholar, to him that seeks to learn of the history
of that archipelago, of its antiquities, and characteristics of the
many tribes that people it,--of their customs, religious beliefs,
superstitions and rites; of the fauna, flora, geology of those
islands; in brief, of whatever refers to this part of Malaysia. For
no matter how much the Malay,--Javan, Bornese, Sumatran, as well
as Philippinian--has been civilized--Christianized, so far (as
must be conceded) he has not become Caucasian in mind, nor will, nor
spirit. He remains as he was, (nor any wonder), wholly Asiatic. Albeit,
for three centuries and upwards, taught, ruled, elevated (at times,
too, disedified) by white men, the Malay, or brown man, is not,
perhaps never will be, employed by Europeans, save in very limited
sphere, in wholly subordinate trusts, whether in commerce, trade,
or whatsoever other field of human activity.