Prev | Current Page 289 | Next

Worcester, Dean C.

"The Philippines: Past and Present (Volume 1 of 2)"



Area (Square Miles) Population
Philippines 115,026 7,635,426
Luzon 40,969 3,798,507
Difference 74,057 3,836,919

Performing this operation, we discover that the tail would fly away
with the kite, as Luzon has less than half of the total population
and only a little more than a third of the total area.
To compare the area or the population of one large island with those of
individual small ones, in determining the relative importance of the
former in the country of which it makes up a part, is like comparing
the area and population of a great state with those of the individual
counties going to make up other states.
Blount resorts to a similar questionable procedure in trying to show
the insignificance of Mindoro and Palawan. There are an island of
Mindoro and a province of Mindoro; an island of Palawan and a province
of Palawan. In each case the province, which includes numerous small
islands, as well as the large one from which it takes its name, is
much larger and more populous than is the main island, and obviously
it is the province with which we are concerned.
Even if Blount wished to limit discussion to the Christian natives
commonly called Filipinos, his procedure is still wholly unfair.


Pages:
277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301