[11] BULLETIN 39, UNITED STA.TES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



II.— COMMUNICATION. 



1. Vocabularies. — There are a multitude of languages spoken in 

 the Philippines, and it is highh^ important to procure good vocabula- 

 ries of them in a standard alphabet. Already a few languages have 

 been reduced to writing by missionaries and others, but the systematic 

 gathering of linguistic materials should be prosecuted. (See Blumen- 

 tritt, in Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1899.) 



2. Writing. — This term must be taken to include all forms of fixing 

 language on or in things, of sending messages or preserving records 

 in knots or strings, of painting legends on surfaces, of scratching 

 thoughts on bamboo, as well as the methods of making and binding- 

 books. The first European travelers in the Philippines were aston- 

 ished to find that the great majority of Filipinos were literary; but 

 even the nonliterarj^ black and brown tribes have some rude graphic 

 method. A collection of these and of all kinds of books and writing 

 material is greatly desired. 



3. Sign Language. — Collections under this head embrace all things 

 and processes other than vocal speech for convej'ing information — 

 gestures of the bod}", the peculiar way of laying objects, use of mir- 

 rors, flag talk, drum language, ciphers. Among all cultured peoples 

 a host of interesting actions are in this line. 



1. Pedagogics. — Objects and apparatus associated with literary 

 education. This is also a sociological topic, but in this class belong* 

 the schoolroom, the books, and other apparatus for teaching. Photo- 

 graphs of schools are specially desired. 



III.— SOCIAL LIFE. , 



All that is done b}^ human beings in groups is included in the term 

 sociology, which may be set forth for museum purposes in the follow- 

 ing classes: Collections of objects, photographs and other pictures of 

 the groups, and good descriptions of their structures and functions. 



1. The Family. — The National Museum has made strenuous efforts 

 to secure materials, pictures, and information useful in preparing laj?"- 

 figure groups of various peoples, and now desires to extend this work 

 to the tribes of the Philippines. Photographs of familv groups, 

 together with an account of family structure and family life, are most 

 necessar}'. Polj^gamy and slavery exist in various forms in the 

 islands, affording an excellent opportunity to investigate certain patri- 

 archal t^^Des of the famih^ that existed at the beginning of history. 

 Wedding paraphernalia, birth customs and costumes, weaning, coming- 

 of age, all belong in this category, with their thousand and one pretty 

 things and observances not to be overlooked. 



2. Political Organization. — Among the American Indians the 

 tribe was the political unit. A tribe was made up of gentes, or kinship 



