Jolo consists of a picturesque little walled city and a considerable town outside. The population is cosmopolitan. The town is more Malayan, more Arabic, and more Oriental than Zamboanga. Thus it has many attractions for the traveler.
The part within the walls has excellent streets and walks and is adorned with parks, gardens, and fountains. One of the most curious sights is furnished by the half-tame deer, which run at large about the streets. The point of greatest interest in the outer town is the “Chinese pier,” a rickety affair, on which most of the merchants of that nationality have their shops, both as a measure of safety and for convenience in handling cargoes. These shops are the best places to go to for Moro curios.
Attractions The town as a whole is an excellent place in which to see the daily life and occupations of the Moro people in their most characteristic forms. The fact that it is the chief center of the pearl fisheries of the Islands puts the pearling boats when in port, the market where the pearls and shell are sold, and the places of manufacture and sale of the shell ornaments, among the principal sights. Leading from the town to the barracks at Asturias is a fine coconut avenue, known as “Ariolas’ Walk.” It is named after its builder, who was the Spanish military governor of the place in the early years of the last century.
THE LANGUAGE FOR THE TOURIST.—Spanish and English are the languages universally used in the archipelago. As a general rule, however, an English speaking tourist can travel in the different places described in this book without knowledge of any except his mother tongue. Almost all of the officials and employees of the government speak English and, if there is no one else, a school child can generally be found to do the interpreting.
English-Speaking Filipinos Statistics show that there are at present more Filipinos who can read, write, and speak the English language than those who can read, write, and speak the Spanish language. The last Census (1918) gives the following figures:
| Males | Females | |
| Filipinos of 10 years of age or over who can read English. | 563,495 | 322,359 |
| Those who can read Spanish. | 587,588 | 292,223 |
| Those who can both read and write English. | 540,552 | 313,993 |
| Those who can both read and write Spanish. | 454,052 | 210,270 |
As a matter of fact the English language serves at the present time as a common medium of communication among the inhabitants of the Philippines who still speak their own dialects. Because of the work of public schools during the last quarter of a century it is the language which is most widely spoken in the whole Archipelago.
Business between the central government and the provinces and municipalities is transacted in English. The proceedings of the Philippine Legislature although still in Spanish, are translated into English. In commercial transactions the English language prevails throughout the islands. It will not be very long before the language will be the official language even in the courts and the language which is more generally used in private life. The present leaders of the people have a working knowledge of the language and many can read and write it fairly. The younger generation has a thorough knowledge of English and speaks and writes it in most cases.
The spread of the language as the common language of the inhabitants is assured, not only because it is the basis of instruction in the public schools and in the universities, but also because it is essential to the best interest and political future of the people.