146 The National Geographic Magazine 



The First Crossing of Samar. — It has 

 been repeatedly stated in the press re- 

 ports recently that the first crossing of 

 the island of Samar by Americans was 

 made several weeks ago by Major Waller, 

 of the Marine Corps. As a matter of 

 fact, the island had been crossed several 

 times previously by American officers 

 and troops. For instance, the Military 

 Information Division of the War De- 

 partment has now in press a map show- 

 ing several route sketches across Samar 

 surveyed by Lieut. W. S. Martin from 

 June to September, 1901. This map 

 shows six distinct trails across the island . 

 The scene of Waller's crossing was the 

 southwestern corner of the island. A 

 dense, impenetrable forest jungle covers 

 large portions of the island. The 

 jungle is so dense that even the natives 

 are ignorant of what it hides. 



The Peary Arctic Club has reelected 

 its present officers for the year 1902 : 

 Morris K. Jessup, president ; H. W. 

 Cannon, treasurer, and Herbert L. 

 Bridgman, secretary. In Jul}- the club 

 will send the Windward northward to 

 take supplies to Mr. Peary and probably 

 to bring him back in the fall. Mr. 

 Peary is now leading his fourth consecu- 

 tive campaign against the North Pole. 

 In 1899 he reached Fort Conger, being 

 the first to visit Conger since General 

 Greely left it in 1883 ; in 1900 he 

 rounded the Greenland Archipelago, 

 perhaps the most important of all the 

 important work he has done; in 1901 

 he again reached Fort Conger, but 

 advanced only ten days be3 - ond that 

 point. This spring Fort Conger will 

 again be his base and Cape Hecla his 

 starting point for the Pole. 



GEOGRAPHIC LITERATURE 



The'Mastery of the Pacific. By Archi- 

 bald R. Colquhoun. With maps and 

 illustrations. New York: The Mac- 

 millan Co. , 1902. 



Mr. Colquhoun has written many vol- 

 umes, but probably none of them will 

 command as widespread interest and 

 attention as his latest book, " The Mas- 

 tery of the Pacific." He has visited 

 the Philippines, Australia, and New 

 Zealand, and also lived for considerable 

 time in China and Japan and in Cali- 

 fornia, studying the life and peoples 

 bordering the great ocean, for he has 

 long believed that in the arena of the 

 Pacific ' ' will occur the great struggle 

 of the twentieth century." The pres- 

 ent volume aims successfully ' ' to pre- 

 sent a vivid impression of the various 

 countries, their peoples, scenery, social 

 and political life, and the parts they 

 are destined to play in the great drama 

 of the mastery of the Pacific. ' ' 



One hundred and thirty pages are 

 devoted to the United States in the 

 Pacific, 130 pages to Great Britain in 

 the Pacific, 80 to the Dutch, 36 to 

 Japan, and 20 to German}-, France, 

 Russia, and China. To Americans Mr. 

 Colquhoun' s observations in the.. Phil- 

 ippines are specially interesting. 



The American plan " to fit the com- 

 ing generation for its future ' ' by edu- 

 cation of the most advanced type Mr. 

 Colquhoun pronounces ' ' a beautiful 

 theory and a beautiful scheme, but un- 

 fortunately it involves an entire sub- 

 version of the laws of nature." The 

 Filipino is not simple and amenable, 

 but a half -civilized, clever, irresponsible 

 child, with warped ideas of right and 

 wrong. "If unnaturally stimulated, 

 he may grow up into a Frankenstein." 



The great danger is that by a whole- 

 sale education a great mass of half-edu- 

 cated Filipinos will be developed, who 



