The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-21
Los ANGELES HERALD. SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST H. 1895


quantities in the pockets Of the suits Of
white sheeting which are universally worn.
The weight e - coin has given rise to the
"chit" system, the curse Of the far east.
One simply signs an II o U" for the amount
of the bill in any shop he may choose to pat
ronize and thinks no more about till at the
end of the month all the "chits" which bear
his name are sent around for collection.
The result, Mr.. Stevens says, Is that "one
never feels as II he were spending anything
until the first day Of the incoming month
ushers in host of these big and little re-
minders. II your chits at one single shop
run into large amounts, the collector gen.
orally brings along with him coolie or a
wheelbarrow with which to lug away the
weight Of dollars that you pour into his
hands" Many of the shopkeepers are
swindled by debtors w!.o leave the city
before collection day.
There are no stoves in Manila. Cooking
Is done on earthen jars, shaped like an old
shoe. The vamp represents the hearth; the
opening In front, the place for putting In
the small sticks of wood, and the inclosing
upper the rim on which rests the single pot
or kettle. In a well-regulated kitchen there
may be dozen stoves, one for each course.
All the floors are hardwood, and the win
dows are not Of glass. The frames consist
Of multitude Of lattice-work squares, In
TO which are placed thin, fiat, translucent
sea shells, which admit the light, but which
cannot be seen through. Glass would not
Withstand the terrible winds.
Mr.. Stevens says that the rooster ID 1.-THE
native dog In the Philippines. The inhab-
itants pet and coddle them, smooth down
their plumage, clean their combs, or pull
out their tail feathers to make them fight,
to their hearts content" Every native has
his fighting cock. In case OF fire the rooster
Is the first thing rescued and removed to a
place Of safety, for babies are secondary
consideration and more easily duplicated
than the feathered biped. 1t is impossible
to walk along any street in the suburban
part of town without seeing dozens Of ma
tives trudging along with ROSTERS under
their arms, which are being talked to and
retted to distraction. At every other road
side hut an improinptu-cattle will be going
on, the proprietors holding their respective
ROSTERS by the tails In order that they may
not come into too close quarters. Public
cock fights take the place that bull fights do
In other Spanish countries Describing fire
which destroyed several hundreT houses,
Mr.. Stevens says: an saving various arti-
cles Of furniture and other valuables, the
fighting cock. as usual, was considered the
most important; and 1t was interesting to
watch the natives trudging along with
scared faces, holding a rooster by the legs
| in one hand, and baby or two in the other.
Pigs, chickens and dogs seemed to como
| next In value, and after them ice chests
and images of the Virgin Mary"
The English club is the leading social or
ganization of the European residents. Mr..
Stevens tells of young Englishman who
arrived fresh from Britain, and who had
been stuffed with tales OF indolent life In
the far east. He came to his first dinner
atthe club, clad only In pajamas and green
carpet-bag slippers. He also thought that
the Spanish language consisted in adding
final 'a's" to words in the English tongue,
and shouted all over the club next morning
for "sopa! sopa" with which to cleanse
himself. But the servant brought him a
plate of soup.
Manila must be the smokers paradise
Mr. Stevens notes that the best cigar
made of special selected tobacco, wrapped
In silver foil and packed in rosewood boxes
costs about cents and is considered a rare
delicacy. The foreigner thinks he is pay
ing dear for his weed at $40 per 1000, and
some smokers limit themselves to cigars
which correspond to our "two-for-a GUAR
| ter" variety, but which sell in Manila at
$3.50 per 100. The natives smoke cigarettes.
and packages of these sell for two coppers.
Women smoke as freely as men do.
Living Is inexpensive. Servants receive
about "a month. Mr.. Stevens and two
friends secured a large house, healthfully
situated, with all the comforts of home.
and surrounded by a couple Of acres Of
ground. There were stables for the horses
and buildings for the servants families.
All expenditures, including house rent.
food, wages for dozen servants, light and
sundries amounted to but about $29 q
month each. The cook got up a six-course
dinner including chicken, roast beef. veg
cables, salads, dessert, fruit, etc., at an
average cost of 40 cents. The laundry bill
for each man amounted to only 81 month.
and that including the washing and iror-
ing of sixty full suits of white sheeting
clothes; and the work was done more sat-
isfactorily than 1t Is In the American laun-
dries. Mr.. Stevens declares that to live at
home in the same style he did in Manila
would have cost at least ten times as
much. He further says that 1t would be
possible to board with a Spanish family
and live almost for nothing.
Business Is done more on a social scale
than it is at home, he says, and the lowest
English clerk In the large houses feels that
he must enter into the free and easy ex-
penses of his better-paid chief. After Of
flee hours are over every one stands on the
same social plane, and all business talk
Is tabooed. The office boy often calls his
lord and master BILL" and frequently has
better looking horse and carriage.
Recount!ng the experiences of party on
an excursion to the interior, Mr.. Stevens
relates this incident: ION the way we
passed through numerous Mttle villages.
and In one out-of-the-way place we called
on an American, Thomas Collins, who has
been practically shut in out here for twen-
ty-five years. 1t seems that he got cheat
ed out Of $150000 worth Of valuable wood
good while agoFy the officials of GER
tain provincial district, and has been try
ing to get the claim paid ever since. He
was queer chap and hadialmost forgotten
how to speak American; but at last he
managed to remember the word hell and
then his Ideas began to flow more freely"
I'm times of peace" says Mr.. Stevens,