The Monte Vista journal., 1898-11-26
NOTES FROM MANILA.
CHARACTER OF NATIVE HOMES.
1As People ssspssssd to sss American
Exses TAsosslvss-8aakss aaA Seor
ploss In shs nsassa.

The correspondent Of the Chicago
Record, writing from Manila, says:
The Philippine girls a-e interesting.
but only q few are prAty. They are
extremely graceful, as straight us ar
rows and always picturesque. A girl
becomes q young lady ut ~ or 13. IL
mother about three years later and a
grandmother at 81. but even at the ad-
vanced age Of 80 she Is still supple and
graceful and picturesque. Those who
were at the Worlds Fair In Chicago
may remember the beautiful Samoan
girls In the Samoan village. The type
Of beauty is very nearly the same. and
seems to be common with nearly nll
the Pacific islanders and the Malays.
The skin Is yellow or brown, the hair
straight and shiny black, the eyes soft
and lustrous md the teeth white ex-
cept where the habit of chewing the
betelnut has left them red and repul-
sive. The women are modest to the
last degree, do not know what flirting
Ia and are hospitable and womanly
The practice of smoking Ia general, and
even little girls scarcely 8 years old
may frequently be seen smoking enor-
nous cigars. The children go naked
until they are or I years old, md
then they graduate into short skirt,
and little while later into about the
same style Of clothes as are worn by
the grown people. The mothers carry
their children astrlde on their hips.
The American soldiers are keeping up
regular routine OF drilling. In the
evening nt about q o'clock the districts
Of the city and suburbs are enlivened
by the sound of martial music. the
shufi1c Of measured footsteps and the
rattle Of arms. Hundreds OF natives
and Spaniards usually gather to watch
these daily drills. which are in a way
exhibition drills, and they doubtless
wonder at n military display which
the Spanish predecessors evidently
never INDUCED In. 1t does an Ameri-
can citizen good to see how superior In
physique and how strong In healthful
development the soldiers OF his coun-
try are. They are usually so much
taller than the Spanish and insurgent
soldiers TINT there II no comparison.
Over In the bandstand couple of
Oregon soldiers occasionally give ex-
hibitions OF boxing. The crowd that
throngs around the arena during these
displays Of manly strength and clever
ness Of spnrring are always big and
very appreciative. although the people
here usually marvel ut anything that
involves voluntary eyertion.
One feature OF the houses In Manila
which In rather hard to get accustomed
to Ia the presence OF the great number
Of lizards which crawl around the cell
ings and walls OF the rooms at night.
They are harmless. but the thought
TINT they may occasionally lose their
grip and drop down In ones face is not
calculated TO make them welcome
members Of the household. There are
many scorpions about. but they keep
exclusively In the dark corners OF the
house and gard and otherwise behave
themselves well. 1t liz said that nearly
all the older houses are populated with
house snakes, which wage n relentless
war upon the rats: hut NO far have
not found any beccath my pillow or
seen any wandering about.
For q complete list Of prizes. useful
and ornamental, given free to purchas,
49, -.