mainly by the action of rains and rivers from the mountain sides. It took thousands of years to make these wide, deep valleys and broad plains. We can see the same forces that made the islands still working. In 1871 a mountain rose from the surface of the earth on the little island of Camiguin, north of Mindanao. The boiling lava formed a huge mound extending half a mile into the sea. In a few weeks the mountain reached the height of a thousand feet and has since risen much higher. At the present time the west coast of Luzon is slowly rising above the sea. Neighbors of the Philippines.-The Philippines are surrounded by lands of five great nations. The nearest on the north is the island of Formosa, belonging to Japan. East of Mindanao the nearest land is the Pelew Islands, a possession of Germany. To the south lie the Dutch East Indies, to the southwest is British North Borneo, and on the west Cochin China, a colony of France. The Philippines lie in the track of commerce from America to Asia, from Japan to Australia and from Europe to the Far East. They are at the door of China, the great country for whose markets the nations of the world are struggling. Four centuries ago the Philippines were of little importance. The growth of the great nations makes the future of these Islands full of meaning. We shall try to form a picture of how the Islands looked four hundred years ago before the Spaniards came here. We shall ask ourselves how their geography has changed their history. Luzon. Luzon is so named from the Tagalog word, "lusong," which means the mortar in which rice is pounded from its hull. The island has not the shape of a mortar, but perhaps the form of one of its great bays gave it this name. Most of the history of the Philippines relates to this island. Half the population of the Philippines lives on Luzon. Northern Luzon; the Sierra Madre.-A line drawn from Dagupan to the Pacific through the Caraballo Sur Range will separate northern from central Luzon. Three great ranges with many smaller spurs run north and south through this part of the island. The Sierra Madre Range follows the Pacific coast. Its eastern slopes rise steeply from the sea. The coastal plain is very narrow. There are few rivers. The mountains are wooded to the water's edge. Fierce storms beat upon a rock-bound shore with few harbors. In such a country no great towns are built. This part of Luzon has remained almost unchanged from ancient times. In the Sierra Madre live many Negritos, a people of whom we shall read later. In this wilderness Aguinaldo hid when he retreated before the American army. The Cagayan Valley.-Between the Sierra Madre and the Central Range lies the great valley of the Rio Grande de Cagayan. For two hundred miles the river runs north with many a turn and branch. Here is the largest and richest valley of Luzon. The floods make rich deposits of fertile mud upon the river banks each year. This valley is the home of the Cagayans, or Ibánags. Most of this people live in large towns along the banks of the Cagayan. This is because the Spaniards for a hundred years compelled them to plant tobacco. This crop requires a fertile soil. It grows best on the low, rich river banks. Four hundred years ago there was no tobacco in the Philippines. It was brought here from Mexico. Cagayan was then a wild country. Thousands of carabaos roamed in the mountains. The rivers were the home of the crocodile. The people lived largely by hunting. Then, as now, many wild tribes lived in the mountains. The province of Isabela in the upper Cagayan valley has to-day more wild tribes than any other province of Luzon. is partly because all crops but tobacco have been neglected. Vast fields and forests lie untouched in Cagayan and Isabela provinces. The valley of the This It is difficult to reach the Cagayan Valley from Manila by land. By sea it was a long voyage for the ships of centuries ago. Therefore, civilization advanced slowly there. The Central Plateau. The Central Range with its branches is a vast mountain-strewn plateau, broken by many narrow valleys. This part of the island looks nearly the same as when the Spaniards |