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FACTS ABOUT
THE PHILIPPINES.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCXXX3OOOOOOO
HE Philippines are essentially
hot erogenous. Some of the islands
are mountainous , and others are
flat ; some are muddy , sjampy , and
feverish , others are porous limestone ,
well-drained and healthy ; some are en
tirely wooded , some are entirely bare.
The inhabitants present like diverg
ence. The Moros of the south are war-
ilke , active , intelligent , with a civiliza-
vtion as advanced as Turkey's. The
Negritos are a diseased and dying pig-
aiy tribe , absolutely animal in their ex
istence , less advanced than any known
jpeople. The term "Filipino" embraces
Manila rabble and secluded islanders ,
mountaineers and seamen , priests and
the cannibals. It is necessary , there
fore , to use only the broadest terms in
describing the group collectively.
The archipelago is a group of 1,200
Islands situated in the Pacific Ocean ,
extending from latitude 21 degrees
.ziorth to 4 degrees 45 minutes north.
Its length is thus about 1,000 miles ; its
greatest width is G40 miles ; the total
3and area , aproxiinately , 115,000 square
miles. The nearest mainland is Asia ,
SOO niilfs to the northeast. San Fran
4 cisco is .S.OOO miles to the west The
Archipelago lies wholly within the line
of Capricorn and the equator. Its
characteristics , food products , and peo
ple are tropical.
The climate is hot and moist ; regu
lar observations have been taken only
cat Manila , where the temperature has
'bei-n found to vary between GO and 100
degrees. The excessive humidity
makes this degree more difficult to en-
dtire than in the temperate rones. As
one progresses toward the swampy ,
flow-lying islands farther south the
-heat , and especially the humidity , in-
crease.s greatly.
There are two seasons , the wet and
dry the former lasting from June to
November being the most disagree
able and dangerous to health. Fever
and dysentery are the diseases most
dreaded by foreigners , but dangerous
-localities are known and may be
avoided.
The Philippines are the seat of na-
ture's passions. Earthquakes are com-
.niou and violent ; the volcanoes are the
miost dangerous * in the world. Luzon
"is Ike cradle of that terrible sea storm ,
/the typhoon.
Islands' lljtiernal History.
'On Aug. 10 , ir 19 , there started from
'Spain with a fleet of five ships Fer
nando Magellan , a Portuguese navi
gator. His object was to discover a
ipassage from Europe , west to the Pa
cific. Magellan had vainly endeav
ored to interest the King of Portugal in
fhis project ; had become a naturalized
Spaniard and had obtained from
Cliarles I. , of Spain the wherewithal to
equip his fleet
He reached the western coast of
South America in December and
turned south. As the season became
harsher and the weather colder the
ships' commanders nmtincd , desiring
to winter on .shore. One was executed ,
another marooned. However , one ship
did desert and another was wrecked.
With three ships the great explorer con
tinued south , and on Oct 28 , 1520 ,
passed through the Straits of Magel
lan to the waters of the Pacific. He
now shaped his course west by north ,
and in midsummer , 1523 , reached Min
danao , of which he took possession in
the name of the King of Spain. He
next landed at Cebu , in August , 1521 ,
and was welcomed by the king of the
usland. This monarch was baptized
and took the oath of allegiance to
* Jpain. Shortly after Magellan be
came involved in a factional quarrel
between two native chieftains and was
.killed. Many members of the expedi
tion had died , but the remainder , with
< two ships , again sailed west and djs-
covered Palawan. Later one of the
two was lost , but the other pluckily
continued its way and made the first
complete journey around the world.
In 1505. under the direction of Philip
II. . the second Spanish expedition
aeached the islands. The object was
( the saving of native souls ; inquisition
methods were employed , and conver
sions , though not valuable , were nu
merous. In 1571 Manila was seized
and proclaimed the capital of the
islands , to be called henceforth the
Islas Filipinos , in honor of King Philip.
The Chinese Emperor resented the
intrusion into celestial domains. Be
tween 157. ; and 1575 he sent forth ten
expeditions to oust , the Spaniards.
. Severe battles followed , but the Euro
peans managed to keep their foothold.
They never , however , forgave the Chi
nese these attempts. At various times
fits of resentment against Chinese
blood would sweep over the Spaniards
and crusades were organized in order
to kill or drive them out. In 1G03 23.-
000 were murdered , and in 1G39 35,000.
In 1702 England took Manila from
Spain , but peace was soon proclaimed ,
and the islands were returned.
The natives have been apt to revolt
at any time. When they did so Spain
used fire and sword liberally , not only
to subdue , but to punish after surren-
der.
Resources of the Islands.
The resources of the islands are
varied. Rice was introduced from
-China centuries ago. It has since be
come the staple food of the natives on
.account of the ease with which it is
produced. The quality is excellent. At
present all the rice produced is con-
.suuied in the islands , but much good
.land is not cultivated.
Sugar cane is grown extensively
throughout the archipelago. Of late
years beet sugar has cut into the profits
of this business , but with the removal
of the various Spanish export taxes ,
with the supersedence of buffalo power
by steam , and with the opening up of
-the back country by railroads , or at
I
C , E , A N
PAUAWA
( .PARAC DA )
COMPREHENSIVE MAP OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
least highroads , the Philippine planta
tions will reduce the present Have-
meyer prices.
Abaca , or hemp , is grown widely.
The gathering of abaca is an operation
necessitating considerable care and
conscientiousness. The natives pos-
cess neither of these qualifications ,
and , employing primitive methods , ruin
the finer fiber of the plant. Observers
say that machinery capable of preserv
ing these delicate fibers is feasible. In
that case abaca could be used for gar
ments , napkins , sheets , and even hand
kerchiefs. At present the hemp Is
used chiefly for sails , doormats , and
rope. The Philippines will probably
retain a practical monoply of ttes
crop ; its cultivation has been attempt
ed in many other places , but never suc
cessfully except in the extreme north
ern part of Borneo.
Native tobacco has always been in
digenous to Luzon , but the quality is
strong and bitter. Early in the seven
teenth century missionaries introduced
the Mexican plant with great success.
Tobacco plantations multiplied ; the
business became more and more pros
perous until in 1781 it was made a state
monopoly. Laws were enacted that all
sales should be to the government A
planter might not smoke a cigar of his
own make under penaltjof $7 fine.
The government was not always
prompt to pay for goods received ; na
tives refused to cultivate their land
and fled to the mountains ; soldiers fol
lowed and killed whom they found ; at
night the natives returned again and
fired the crops in the field. In this way
Mindoro's once flourishing business has
been annihilated. Spain now took an
other step ; not only must all tobacco
raised be sold to the state buyers ( on
credit ) , but every family should own
and care for at least 4,000 tobacco
plants. The abuses resulting from
this last statute became so horrible
that even Spanish officials protested
to the home government ; the Castilian
statesmen , realizing the sponge was
squeezed dry , repealed the monopoly
laws in 1SS2. Even under such aus
pices the tobacco remained excellent.
Since the business has been open it has
increased tremendously. Manila num
bers scores of factories native , Chi
nese , and Spanish ; several of them
have over 500 operatives.
Coffee is grown to a considerable ex
tent ; the quality is unusually good.
Little , however , finds its way out of
the archipelago. The cocoa plant was
introduced from Central America early
in the seventeenth century. Philippine
chocolate is .always spoken of well by
returned travelers.
Various minerals are found in paying
quantities. Especially is this true of
Luzon and Mindanao. Gold and sul
phur will prove of value to prospec
tors ; silver , mercury , copper and tin
have furnished returns , but the extent
of the deposits is a matter of investiga
tion.
tion.On
On many islands the ax has never
been raised against the immense virgin
forests ; in few have its depredations
been extensive. Over a hundred differ
ent varieties of wood have been classi
fied. Among them we find teak ; naga ,
resembling mahogany : tipolo , for mu
sical Instruments ; lanitan , for guitars
and violins ; boxwood , ebony and bam
boo.
The Inhabitants.
The inhabitants of these islands are
a strangely mixed lot Malay charac
teristics generally prevail throughout.
The many attempts to classify the peo
ples into various district tribes and
races have failed , for the reason that
pure blood of any sort is rare.
It is safest to divide the native Fili
pinos into Christianized Malays , pagan
Malays , and Mohammedan Malays.
The first named comprise five and a
half millions of the total population of
eight millions. They resemble our ne
groes in many ways. They are music
lovers , fond of the sunshine , supersti
tious. Though usually good-natured ,
they are subject to fits of murderous
passion. Nature in the tropics is so
industrious that man need not assist
her to any great extent in order to live
comfortably. The Filipino will not work
as long as he is not about to starve.
When he has made enough to live on
for a month or two the ex-laborer re
tires to his thatched hut , smokes his
cigarettes , fights his gamecock , strums
his guitar , and sings love songs to his
wife or sweetheart
The natives of the northern islands
are called Tagalos. They are the small
est and least brave , but also most
treacherous and tricky of the Filipinos ,
and always have been reckoned as the
poorest fighters ; have always been
most completely under Spain's domina
tion , and have suffered most accord
ingly.
The central group of islands is term
ed the Visaya group. The inhabitants-
called Visayos are somewhat larger ,
stronger , more independent than the
Tagalos. The difference , however , is
far less marked than between our dif
ferent Indian tribes. Travelers , in or
der to strengthen the .force of their
distinctions and compariosns , are apt
to push them a little far. The sharply
drawn distinction between the Taga
los and the Visayoss is not justified.
The Moros or Mohammedan Malays
aggregate less than a million. They
inhabit the Sulu group at the south of
the archipelago , parts of Mindanao ,
and the southern third of Palawan.
One Sultanvliose residence is Sulu. is
acknowledged throughout these isl
ands. The Moros are a fierce , fanati
cal , seafaring race , who were never
conquered by Spain. It is unsafe for
a white man to venture among them.
To kill Christians is part of their re
ligious belief.
The aborigines of the islands are the
Negritos , a puny , miserable , dwarf
race. As the Malays swept up through
the archipelago the Negritos were
driven into the most remote and uncov-
eted parts. Though not of true negro
stock , they are much blacker than the
Malays , and their inteligence is far
lower. The total number is estimated
at 50,000.
Island of Luzon.
Luzon is the largest , most populous ,
most developed , and most civilized of
the Philippines. It has an area of 42-
000 square miles , or over one-third the
whole area of the archipelago , about
five-eighths of the whole population ,
the only railroad , and the only factor
ies. It is the seat of the capital , and it
contains fifty times as many foreign
ers as all the rest of the islands put to
gether. Luzon is supposed to support
5,000,000 inhabitants. Of these , SO pel-
cent are civilized to a certain extent.
In development , Luzon , though the
most advanced of the Philippines , is
disgracefully backward. There is one
little , badly managed railroad , 120
miles in length. The highroads , twen
ty miles inland , are either lacking alto
gether or are merely trails. There are
no flat-bottomed steamers on the larger
rivers , though they could do a thriving
business. The sugar mills are operated
by buffalo power. In consequence , par
tially exhausted sugar land near Man
ila , or other ports , brings over $100 an
acre , while further back In the coun
try land a third more fertile brings $30
Manila sprawls over a good deal of
ground , being built up on both sides of
the River Pasig , and including rice
fields and other submarine territory.
Its population is about 300,000 , which
Is small considering its area , but large
considering its opportunities. Of this
number two-thirds are natives , 30,000
Chinese , 50,000 Chinese half-breeds ,
15,000 Spanish half-breeds , and 5,000
Spanish. Previous to the war the
Americans and English together num
bered 400. Contrary to general belief ,
the city is neither pretty nor unhealthy.
Earthquakes cause houses to be con
structed broad and squat , with tin
roofs. This prevents beauty , and it
must be said in the Spaniards' favor
that it is excellently well drained ,
(
which pervents ill health. In 1893 elec
tric light was substituted for oil , and
in the same year an American fire en
gine was brought over. Fires are
common , and a blaze started in a na
tive shack spreads fast. Manila's cnief
interest lies in Its commerce. It is the
tollgate of the Philippines.
The Smaller Islands.
Of the 1,200 islands which constitute
the Philippine archipelago the number
inhabited is between 35 and 50 per cent.
The smaller islands resemble in physi
cal characteristics and inhabitants the
larger islands to which they are near
est. Occasionally an entire island bo-
longs to a single planter , and usually
in such case it is a laud of milk and
honey for the natives. The padrone is
of necessity kindly , else he would most
infallibly disappear. There is plenty to
eat. and not too much to do. The
, padrone's lot is easy , too. He merelv
has to sit on his own veranda and al
low the Philippine soil to make hi in
rich.
High Salaried Clergymen.
New York has numerous instance
where clergymen receive from $10,000
to $20,000. The late Dr. Hall , of the
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
had $20,000 and a manse. Henry Ward
Beecher was paid $20,000 a year , which
barely sufficed to maintain his Peek-
skill farm. Bishop Potter has $15.00G
with a rectory , with its upkeep thrown
In.
Time flies ; those who giggled in the
back seats at church a few weeks ago
pxe now snoring in thD seats in front
LABOR OF COMPOSITION.
Time Consumed by I/tterary Men in
Producing Their Works.
Those who are thirsting for literary
fame and who fancy that the great
writer has only to sit down and allow
the genius to ooze through his finger
tips might do worse than read through
: his interesting record.
Francis Jeffrey commonly spent two
or three weeks on each one of nis ar
ticles in the Edinburgh Review.
Locke is said to have spent over six
years in the preparation of his essay
DU the "Human Understanding. "
Byron spent the leisure hours of near
ly four years in the work of preparing
and writing his "History of Greece. "
Charles Lamb would write one of his
essays in an evening , after a day spent
at his desk in the East India office.
Mulhall , the great statistician , de
voted nearly thirty years to the prep
aration of his "Dictionary of Statis
tics. "
Goldsmith wrote "The Vicar of
Wakefield" in six weeks. It is said to
have been a story of his own recollec
tions.
Young wrote his "Night Thoughts"
in less than six weeks , as a means of
comforting himself under his bereave
ment.
Spenser , from first to last , consumed
four years of tolerably steady labor in
the preparation of the "Faerie Queen. "
Newton spent over eight years in ex
periments and the collection of data for
his "Principles of Natural Philosophy. "
Fielding is said to have written
"Tom Jones" in three months. The
work was written as a satire on one of
Richardson's novels.
Baxter , it is said , kept the manu
script of the "Saint's Everlasting
Rest" In his hands for thirteen years ,
revising and condensing.
Machiavelli was many years in gath
ering material for "The Prince , " but
the actual work of writing was done in
six months.
Hazlitt , after the necessary work of
preparation had been concluded , wrote
one lecture a week of the series "Lec
tures on Authors. "
Longfellow turned out about one vol
ume of poems a year for many years ;
nearly four years were required for his
translation of Dante.
Montgomery , the famous hymn wri
ter , required but a single afternoon to
prepare one of his magnificent para
phrases of the Psalms.
Wordsworth would write one or two
sonnets every day. When engaged on
"The Excursion" he produced from
150 to 200 lines a day.
Cowper required three days for the
production of "John Gilpin. " He re
vised the work very carefully , almost
rewriting many 9f its lines.
Macauley , from the inception of the
plan to the time when the work was
cut short , spent eight or nine years on
his "History of England. "
Hume spent fifteen years in collect
ing materials and writing his "History
of England , " and two years more in
revising and correcting it Scottish-
American.
Field for Archaeologists.
The opening of the Soudan offers a
rich field for the archaeologist , and
Egyptology will be enriched by many
important "finds. " A large number of
monuments of Egypt's power which
have never been thoroughly investigated
lie scattered about upper Nubia. The
temples of Soleb , the ruins of the great
Cushite cities Napata and Meroe , of
which the latter is 5GO miles above
Assouan , between the fifth and sixth
cataracts , the antiquities at El-Mesaou-
rat , eight hours' journey from Shendy ,
are all waiting for the archaeologist In
fact , it is almost a virgin country , for
its antiquarian treasures have not been
investigated since Cailliaud , the
French traveler , studied them in the
early part of this century. His work ,
"Voyage a Meroe , " etc. , " published in
1826 , is still the main authority for a
country which if not the cradle of
Egyptian culture as was at one time
supposed is full of memorials of the
power of the Pharoahs. English ar
chaeologists have not been idle in fol
lowing In the sirdar's wake. Dr. Wal-
lis Budge , the keeper of the Egj-ptian
and Assyrian departments at the Brit
ish museum , was there last year , and
has been visiting some of the antiqui
ties in the neighborhood of Shendy this
year. London Chronicle.
The Why.
In describing her visit to one of the
mission schools of Africa , Miss Kings-
ley tells of a negro of 12 to whom she
addressed the question : "What are j'ou
studying ? "
"Eberyt'ing , " replied the child.
"What do you know ? " asked the
young woman.
"Eberyt'ing , " was the answer.
"You are the very person I've been
looking for , " said Miss Kingsley ; "now
tell me why you are black. "
"Certainly. I'm black because my
pa's pa's pa saw Noah without his
clothes on. " New York Tribune.
i'res > rinir Oead Bodies.
Trio success in preserving dead
bodies that ha been achieved by a
Naples surireon. Dr. E. Manini , has ox-
cited the wonder of European physi
cians. He uses a series of special
baths , without incisions or injection.
The first of the three stages is provis
ional desiccation , which keeps the
body in a condition for ready dissection
by the anatomist ; the second is petri
faction , giving the hardness of marble
in a few hours , and the third is the
restoration of natural color , flexibility
and freshness , so that the subject ap
pears to be simply sleeping.
Whip as They Please.
A resolution adopted by the Atlanta
school board leaves the application of
the rod to the discretion of the teach
ers.
Money talks , but it never gives itself
away.
"The noAvspaper correspondents , with
cameras in their hats and pencils stick-
lug out of their pockets like quills on a
porcupine , didn't get hold of everything
that happened in the late Avar , " re
marked the lieutenant "There AA-as the
time the Spanish fooled the One Hun-
dred and Twenty-seventh volunteers ,
for Instance. "
"How AAas it , lieutenant ? " asked
soraebodj * .
"Why , it AA-as the sharpest trick you
ever heard of , and simple as A B' C.
You know , the One Hundred and
TAventy-seventh is made up of men
from New York City all heroes , of
course , but still they are accustomed
to the civil Avalks of life. And the civil
walks of life , taken literally , now
adays , are peculiar paths. It AVIS at
San Juan. The regiment had been or
dered to advance and lie down close
among some IOAV bushes. The Span
iards Avere onlja short distance In
front. The firing had ceased in that
neighborhood and all Avas still. Our
men were in a state of intense though
suppressed excitement. You could
never guess Avhat those crafty Span
iards did. Suddenly they rang a bicy
cle bell , and folloAved it Avith a cable
car gong. The Hundred and Twenty-
seventh jumped into the air as one
man. The Spaniards blazed away and
tried to take 'em on the wing. Of
course , they didn't hit a thing , because
Spaniards never do ; but if they had
been good shots they might havi :
bagged the whole regiment And I
Avould not be surprised If they'd had
an elevated road guard to yell 'Step
lively ! ' that they could have stampeded
every last man. " Harper's Bazar.
Now that the volunteers are back ,
the opportunities for obtaining at first
hand a knoAvledge of the real horrors o
Avar are percepti
bly i n c r e a s e d.
Two Chicago boys
Avho Avere together
at Santiago , gnm--
i n g reminiscent ,
disclosed a fearful
fact yesterday.
"I have often
Avondered , " s a 5 d
one , "and now
that we are back
home , I Avant to
kuoAV why you re
ported for sick call about four days out
of every Aveek and yet never seemed
any more sick than I Avas ? "
"Why , if you were only foxy you'd
have been Avise like the rest of us. One
doctor A\as a homeopathist and , no
matter Avhat kind of pills he gave out ,
they were all sugar-coated and they
made the beat sweetening for coffee
that ever happened. " Chicago NCAVS.
A A'eterau of the Avar of the rebellion
was telling some of his experiences to
a civilian , and he AA'as dAvelling upon
the terrific courage of the captain of
his company , and also his profanity. In
those days profane officers Avere much
more common than they IIOAV are , and
they were especially noticeable among
the A'olunteer troops. The captain re
ferred to Avas notorious in tAVo armies
for his command of profane language ,
and he never entirely ret'OA'ered from
it , though his admission to the regular
army at the close of the Avar moder
ator his manner someAvhat.
"It meant death to every man of us. "
said the veteran , speaking of a pro
posed charge on a line of breastworks
before Richmond , "if Ave Avent in there ,
and Ave knew it , but there wasn't any
thing else to do , unless AVC got different
orders. There had been a mistake in
ordering us to take the Avorks until
some re-enforcements had come up , but
that wasn't any of our business. "
"Well , now , " demurred the civilian.
"I don't look at it that Avay. It ought to
haA'e been your business not to have
fought Avhen you knew you AA'ere going
to be whipped. "
"If Ave had put up any sort of a bluff
like that , you bet our captain would
haA'e got one of his swearing spells on.
and then , the dickens AA-ould haA'e been
to pay. He just never would have got
done cussing us for being cowards. "
"Do you mean to say your company
Avould haA-e gone in and been killed
rather than to stand the captain's
swearing ? "
"That's what. "
"Well. I wouldn't. "
"Oh. but you neA'er heard the captain
cuss. " Washington Star.
A story is being told which serves to
illustrate the American characteristic
of giving slight heed to rank and place
as against efficiency and daring and
supreme achievement.
The story has to do Avith Mr. McKin
ley. anil it relates that Avhile A'isiting
one ( ; f the camps during his recent
Southrrii tour he chanced to be stroll-
inir ab ut unattended and sought to
: ass a certain line Avhich Avas patrolled
l y : ; vigilant sentinel.
The s-iiuinel promptly stopped him
and demanded the countersign.
"I don't know the countersign. " said
Mr. McKinley.
"Then you don't pass , " said the sol
dier.
"But" said Mr. McKinley , "I am the
President of the United States ! "
"I don't know about that. " replied the
imperturbable sentry ; "but if you have
not got the countersign you could not
get by here even if you were George
Dewev himself ! "
A preferred creditor 1 ? one who nevej
troubles you.
