Source materials in the teaching of the history of the island of Panay

Abstract

Source materials are indispensable tools of historians and students of history. It is upon these materials, vast in amount and bewildering in variety, that we can base what we know about the history of time earlier than the memory of any living man in Panay today. Somehow, it is sad to note that our average high school student hardly knows more about his home province than is mentioned in passing in textbooks on history and geography. This short-coming arises from the fact that even investigators nowadays do not necessarily examine for themselves all these materials thoroughly, but merely accept some statements of fact gathered for them by other writers who have examined the ground; and from these materials they write elaborate historical narratives. Statement of the problem. It is therefore the primary purpose of this study to describe in brief compass the various source materials dealing with the history of Panay which students of history in our secondary schools may find useful in their study of Philippine history. As generally recognized, the most difficult problem of teachers of history is to bring home to the mind of the pupils how other people have looked at things. In this connection, it must be borne in mind that source materials are used to furnish additional information about certain authentic episodes which historians have not given due stress because they know very little of a certain place. However, it is not the opinion of the present writer that young and inexperienced boys and girls can find in this study materials broad enough to serve as the sole basis for generalization. Neither could they find this work a handy source from which to construct a complete narrative, for source materials are meant to supplement not to supplant the textbook.