The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, April 20, 1906, Page 2, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    psr?
' T
w - r- jff!fHini',lllllJ,l'"'-''n,'"'l ''wj :'"'" "" "'
u n, i (! iM'"'y '"f"l"
mEjnMUhMM"
rTCPlSjtiWBi WWWi .iwm
V
2
uous dish, afc liat t.lio dish that attracted our
attention, was n skillet full of grasshoppers bG
ing don to. a neat brown oror a slow fire. "Whilo
wo were watching (hem, two half bare children
returned from the chase with a large supply of
fresh grasshoppers wtrung upon grass. The
Moras have a mosL repulstvo habit of dying the
tcog) black, Die enamel being first scraped off.
Add to tills the rod tinge left on the lips by the
chowing of (ho betel nut and trio mouth is-anything
but beautiful. The clothing of the Moros is
scanty and of a cheap quality. The men, whdn at- v
work often wear nothing but a brooch cloth. When
dropsed up they wear very tight fitting trousers
of gay color; a light fitting waist and a turban
completes their company drawl A garment much
won by men and women is-the sarong, which' Is'
n piece of cloth sewed together like a roller
(owel and folded about Ihe body.' The, men, no
matter whjtf ajtjsthey wear, or fall to- wear, have'
a scarf wHlflrround the waist In which they
carry a knife, of which there am neeral yarie
Oca, sifts bolo, the ns'rong and the krls being tfcft
niftif popular. , The Moros above mentioned, 4ofc
scpted to having a snapshot taken, and taeir,'
3iiKj.-acrnArt InfnrmnA us 4rt' kffil.'nn TiSicUeiti I tint'
lie Br. MHU3 jcxppsiuon. uap
ouis as an experiment and that thoy,,had re-
fi?ififl vnrw tniioh Imnti'aflpI U'fMi w.'iAi: ffuv ataxc
In ffirt TTwrtH flfafW ' " ' '
... .,. '"" -TM' , -I , ',t, ', Jj
as we proceeded., on... tue roof- to khhj?
tf dtf7 1 flirt e v4 -rtti rrj n mtmmrL
these
the Mwasajfrirftirtves ,$ul. are,, xp
b& ime they ttgt a. high .es'tftnaffr vtyctx. t
una iiu' iuijiu'hb rravejr wijo cames one oi mese
onvird f capons is apt to Mf waylaid, ff alone,
nnd ln-o his life as a penalty., for hs' rashness.
' " ."M-miii "roil , . M'O HJT'WWiy, -V.ll
of rj .;d Overton.' ftlrnteherl u& wILh a
rd DiMluttio first-pa H of the ride
ir ""h i forest-' Jn vrWqh there wero
"n ir
' Mn
U
a
1 o (
A be"
fly Ki I. 1
trav'
tow? of them with fantastic.
"ncil' with vines and all suf-
i uiulorgrowth, hich Jurj&foCn
for reptiles, beast h on hxHttUe
tnctor, tmrty-slx t-'TOiptog,
not far from i
on
r l n-r refeiWd to the killing of i. wgeaftt
Ir rvwttal thit wd,casion liy l6aita'
"''"""n JlAt i-4flc-ottiw(i'4u- Governor Vbe-
wnosc 3urtf,nciion extodds ove a part Of
Tlio latter tinrl of thd ,Mi -..- i.,i. "'
'n1"' ' ri8111,.?111 covered, "eogon grass
i ' il loolcs like it might be very rertlle, and
j .- n cd one little rauch where an American
J. a . i cut some hemp plants', but there was lit--Up
t videnee of cultivation along the line.
Crnip Kiethley is about twonty-three hundred
?,m 1 .G Bea JU'a lllH whidl bears iue SJimc
n.) me and commands a beautiful view of tho sur-
rcunding country. The ocean can ne seen to the
north and to the south a magnificent mountain
lake stretches away for twenty miles. A rcgi-
S.w1nn,!lli0r tU c111101 oC Col Williams is
stationed here, and this is considered one of tho
most healthful situations in tho Philippine isl
i n if, Amo1,;lcan oflloers insist that 3Wndanao
.us a better climato than Luzon, and some of
them are enthusiastic about (ho possibility of
oial Wood has given much attention to the pro
uc a and climatic conditions, ana has encSu?
aged the coming of Amoricans toSlindanao
Dvno Mv nUnlIrea n Ule?e Imvo setUiboS
uayno bay in the southeastern part of tho islind
The ride across Lake Lanao took us in sl-ht
SotoTJo n r!ntry whoso IntablSintB Sni
States Some oT hngG Uq to the United
ouues. borne of the cotlas, or forts, f ram whloli
hniwiiL - , V1. t0 "s- Governor Devoro la
nSa I "el own on thG aIloro f the lake
The Commoner,
Foster, who is in command at Camp Vickars,
furnished us with a mounted escort. The rido
down to tho sea was even more enjoyable than
tho trip to Camp Kiethley, the road leading .
through forests more dense and foliage moro
varied. The journey was enlivened by the sight
of a number of monkeys sporting in the trees
and by tho discordant notes of tho horn-bill.
There is a waterfall on tho south side of the
range also, nearly half way down the summit,
which, while it does not compare with the Argus
Falls, could be used for the development of sev
eral thousand horse power.
The "camp 'at Malabang, now uuaer command
of Col. Vamum, has a splendid water supply de
rived froiri several large springs, but tile harbor
is so poor 'that the government ' is preparing to
remote the camp to Parang about twenty 'miles
south, where fheve is an excellent harbor. ' -
At Malobang we took our Mfeu aga:a, it bav
ing gone araund tha4sland while ve crossed
over, and proceeded to Cotabata near tne :altfu$h,
of tho llio Grande river. Acting Governor Bdyd
mot us here with a rivr steamer and took us ,
to his headquarters about thirty-five -miles fur
ther up the river. We bad a Souble purpose in
nuking this trip, first, to see ono of, the .most
fertile valleyg pa 4.ho island and, second, to pay
our respects to Jbatu Piaug, .a friendly Moro o.f
considerable influence among the na Lives. The ;
Rio Grande is a crooked stream, . wending its
way peacefully through the high grass, the monot
ony being broken"" now and thefi -by eoctoanut
grores, rice4 lipids, mairgde'. trees, banana pfantS
and Item). While there -was no such systematic
cultivation here as. in the northern- islanifs, there
was enough to show'tire possibilities of the spil.
2e mobti was sblnlng brigb-tly whonv we ap
ed advrrnor N Bbyi(" camp, .and we wVe
gr&etedjay a.saMe of a.ntaJfas' (small brass
cannon)" o nunierous - that 'we lost alf count.
Datxt'jPfangt had 'mqnfred of the govehi.'h6w
many gint should WS rod and, was tpld tbjit as
I Ueld'3no,official posftiofti'ht could use his 'own
ortSdii as to fhe'ntimbor. .n order that' he
mighir'&-ierr on the'sfde of too fdw, be fired W
tween ftfty-and a hundred; , Wehadf- scarcely dis
-embarlted befco he'eanie 1n stat to niako an
ofllcja'Cf&jr," sr.iiciob. the roof' t)f bis vmta,- or
ceromcnfal barpo, manned by forty oarsmen. Jle
was accompanied by" his' leadings datns, hiMct
l.ammedan Amb advisor aadTaJ" WptV i'L'l'an
intruroter. H bought -.witii hltnjlilo, to '"
wns apd;twtrT3f-t"l;TH5t''i3tO'Bi sMK
who met a violent death last .fait at tfwv bands i;
of the. Aniej Uwii troops. ... t .
. I regret Uiat wc were not able to seenrea
phttfograph oi hinxas be approached,- for it was,,
a Btght Qt ryaltjf Buch as Wp bad not beforsvifc
neseed. No'laaguage-ean convex tho impression
that he made uion us as be approacnea the sbore, -smoking
a cigar and Honked on either Bldeby a,
brown Bkinned urchin bearing an open umbrella
of red silk trimmed with Wide yellow fringe. He
stayed, long enough to compliment the American
officials and to commend Judge Powell, who hap
pened to be with us. for treating the rich and the
poor alike. Piang's sons and tho younger son
of Data All have been learning English under '
tho instruction of Governor Boyd's wife, and they
showed creditable progress in arithmetic as well
as in tho use of the language. Plang said that
he wanted the boys to finish their education in
the United States.
Datu Plang is not of royal blood; in fact,
ho is part Chinese, but he- showed himself so able
a financier that ho became indispensable to Ali,
tho reigning Datu, and gave his daughter, Minka,
to him in marriage. When the Americans entered
the valley, Piang counseled surrender, but Ali
went on the war path and ho and his father-in-law
became such bitter enemies that the latter
refused to receive his daughter into his house
after A is death, until urged to do so by the Ame
rican officers.
We returned with Piang in his barge and
spent a half an hour at his house. In that dimlv
lighted upper room thero gathered a dusky half
bare crowd of men, women and children, in the
center of which sat Minka, the child-widow, just
recovering from tho wounds which she received
at the time of her husband's death. I .never felt
moro deeply than when I looked upon them, tho
responsibility of our nation, or more anxious that
our country should so act as to bring to these
people the largest possible amount or good. One
would be hard-hearted, indeed, who could see in
ne,man(1,in their habitation nothing but the pos
sibility of exploitation. P
nf ihen T lort' PIang gave a lantal to each
of he men in our party, and to some of us spears
and knives in addition, while the ladies were 4
membered with vessels of brass of naUye iianS
facturo and aarongs. if our visit had on a
VOLWE' 6, NUMBER I'
hostile ono, the cannons and jveapons carriedf
away would have made it memorable, for many
' expeditions have returned withsJess of the spoils
of war.
Our next stop wns at Zaniboanga, tho most
important port on the island and the headquar
ters of Govornor Wood. The harbor at tho city,
is not very well protected, but, there is a little
bay about eight miles away whiGh affords botb
deep water and shelter. We" found moro Ameri
cans at Zaniboanga than at any 'point outside of
Manila, nearly all of them being in the service
of the government. We visited two Moro schools
here and listened to an. address of welcome in
English delivered by one of the students. Dr.
Saleeby, an Armenian, is tha superintendent of
schools in Zamboanga and has furnished a great
deal of information in regard to the tradition,
history and customs of the .Moros. He" has also
prepared primers in. Arabic for '.the Moi-os of
Mindanao and the Sulu islands. -
Our tour of the islands ended at Jolo, or
father, at Maibun on the other side Of tlte4sland:
Jolo is tb chief seaport of the Sulus, ftlid'the
Spanfeh alternated with the natives in occupying
the space witbih the walled oity. . A guard is
still kept atthegfttfr and tm $foos areNiipt al- .
lowed to remain Within the waJJs at nlgHr. They
enter freely daring the day, but are required to
leave their weapons outside the-gate. There- are
only Ave Americans in .Jolo, besides the govcrn
wentfflcialsf two of these Iteerestauranta, two
bave saloons and tho fifth, has recently. opT3ned a
photograph gallery . ?-"'..
Juat outside- of the-city -walls therein Chi
nese,, village (as there is n&o at JSarftfboangji,
the fnercnnille business bring largely la the hands
of the Chinese, .in bpcbof thaae towns. Tbere-are
a number of Christian Filipinos at feot&-Zaau-boanga
and Jolo.- y'- " -' ;J-
' ' The Saltan. 'ot Syla, us4 to live i-Job wften
tfte,, Spanish wefye not .rthete, ; but,. during .their
.occupancy of tlie .tow. f"d since, fye-(bashed '
tjpuu. crnUte om)Qite-6hprt som.Sn .miles
distant, . Major. -Srafor4; whois jn cototaoad of
the ost thfe, in the ateeee of Cok ctt, in
vited th sultan-to comOo , Jolo on in.6' day of
our arrival, and ho anpeared'. proorptjy oft time.
So much lias, been written -p btofpe Wted
Staffs tbftt. the. reader ;$f yieae , angles maybe
InWresled in-.a dcsoriyt4onT Vb& Xft: ,Ji, ,iml .
uoye bbdrat 4runisoniJ, tbnvtoma asthn pro
cQeion more4 alopg. Tbe .Sultau nimself was
dressed in modern cldthSy,but All the rest sroie
theJHrftiv$ dress. is.,sfngle ureftstexi, longt'allcd
blue brdctbtb coatrWa;bvttoned to the- thpat
with gold buttons and Tiis trpusers wero, of, tho
same material. He,, wdre (an "shoes and a tea
or black antl red, and parried a gold-ufcadecl. ivory
cane given hfa by the PhMnPine ' commission
upon his- last -visit to ManiW:, He is small of
nuurh bHi cotonact in build, and carried himself
with dignity and reserve. His teeth are black
and be shares with his cpimtrymon a fondness
for ibe betel nufc-am-1 tobacco. I-Iis prime minis-
,?. V?31 ,.,utuj wh0 accompanied him, speaks
more English than the sultan, though the latter
is able to use a few words. After a short ' call
wo all repaired to a hall near by wnero a spear
(lance had been arranged, and wo saw the na
,!T,Si m?n an(1 Y'omc go through native dances
wmcli, in some respects,, resemble those of' tho
American Indian.
The next morning wo crossed tho island un
uer tlie protection of a troop of cavalry and re
turned the sultan's call. (A few miles from the
trail stands a mountain where about eighty Moros
sua reiuse allegiance to our government.) He
lives in a nipa house but has a frame building
covered Ayith galvanised iron (still unfinished)
m which ho receives his guests. He sent for one
or nis wives (of whom he has four) ; ho has three
oi tour concubines, he does not know which, but
these are not included in the list of wives. Tho
prime minister has four wives and two concu
oines, and one of the head men, at whose house
we stopped on the way, had several wives. The
suitan said that the wives were usually kept in
separate houses, but that his lived together in
ono house.
The sultana whom we saw was dressed in
silk, with trousers of red and white striped satin
and wore high heeled shoes. Sho has a strong
lace, one of the most intelligent that we saw in
bulu. Both the sultan and his wife wore diamond
and pearl rings. At our request the sultan brought
lorth his ornaments of diamonds ana pearls and
exhibited his uniforms, heavy with gold braid
and buttons. He is now drawing a salary of
about five thousand dollars a year from the Amer
ican government for exerting his infiuonoe in
.'
jf"- -ft& - -"j
MidfiAjflbtfA