The Columbus journal., 1898-12-21

are undoubtedly valuable territory. but
it will cost q deal OF money, q great
many lives and q number of years to &c,
things into shape, as they have beer
badly governed 60 long. Outside the
city, the natives are only partly civilized
and on most OF the islands are savagei
of the worst type.
think the United States should hold
port and coaling station here, but te
control the entire group with about TO-
OOO, 900 population would be q vast un-
dertaking, but q humane one. The is.
lands produce great quantities of rice
hemp, sugar and cocOanuts, and as crops
are planted and harvested all the year
round, and one piece OF ground produces
three crops a year, agriculture ought tc
be profitable pursuit. The imple-
ments used here are very primitive
Their plow has a wooden mold-boar
with an iron point, and is drawn by q
water buffalo and does not do much
moro than scratch up the ground. All
their implements are equally rude and
ancient.
The water-buffalo is an important
factor here, az they are used for all
farm work and take the place Of q dray
horse in the city. Their hides make
good leather, and am wearing q pair OF
shoes made Of it. There are large herds
of them running wild in the interior and
in their wild state they are very savage
and will fight to the death, but If caught
when young become very docile and will
do great deal of heavy work and keep
in good condition on grass and rice soup.
Cigars are very cheap here, you can
get q good one for una centabO Zone
cent?. Everybody smokes, both men
and women, but somehow don't enjoy
a cigar here as much as l did in the
United States. I suppose the climate is
too hot. Tell brother Fred that any
ideal of feminine beauty is OF too high
q standard to be captured by Philip
pinO damsel who smokes and dyes her
teeth red; most of them have one thing
that many lady of fashion would give
half her fortune to possess. that is q
head of raven black hair, which nearly
reaches the ground.
This is q good place to compare the
men of different nations, as nearly every
civilized nation has one or more battle
ships or cruisers in this harbor, and
when the sailors come ashore, one has a
After close observation I have concluded
that the American seaman is the largest
and strongest seaman in the world, as 1
think they are fully 21z inches taller
than those Of any other nation and have
a strong, hardy appearance. They are
neat in person, are usually well-behaved
when on ehore and spend their money
like millionaires; arc not quarrelsome,
but will not take any back talk from
any one. The English come q close
second, are healthy looking lot Of men.
very neat in dress, very well-behaved
and look as though they we're made Of
good fighting material. The Germans
are good sized men but too fat to be in
good fighting trim. They are not on
shore very often as the Americans and
English make it rather unpleasant for
them. The japanese seamen are strong
looking little fellows, as neat as pins in
appearance and the best-behaved of
any. They have a very fine cruiser of
modern type and she is kept in first
class shape. The French and Spanish
are small and puny, dirty in appearance,
and generally get beastly drunk on
cheap wine as soon as they come on
shore, and either get into quarrel and
get whipped, or lie down and 60 to sleep
on the sidewalk till some guard sees
them and throws them into their boat to
sober up. The American and English
come ashore one day and the other ma
tions another. When We first came in
to the city all nati0nalities came on
shore together, but the representatives
OF Uncle Sam and John Bull made it SO
decidedly uncomfortable for the others
that they now have alternate shore days.
The Spanish paper published here
this morning says ''Spain is sending a
large feet and $1,000 men to re-establish
Spanish sovereignty in the Philippines" !"
Well, let them come, for il they do, Ma
nila harbor will be 90 full of Spanish
wrecks that it will take skillful pilot
to navigate it, and the First Nebraska
more forcible than polite.
I hear some OF the soldiers who never
left the States are raising . howl about
being starved, ill-treated and 90 on.
We have q few of the same class here,
and though We have suffered many hard
ships and much exposure, and have
often been on short rations, it was Mn-
arOidable. Some men seem to think
they enlisted to be served With turtle
soup and mince pie three times q day,
and do nothing. Such men are . detri-
ment, AMI the army would be much
better Oh without them.
We are now wearing white uniforms
and it il quite Q task to do our own
laundry work, for the man who goes on
duty with . spot or speck on his clothes,
gets into trouble Love to all,
Co. K. LIST Neb. Vol. G. J. COCKsoN.