The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-10-05


colony was that of 1875, and that states
officially that the figures do not include
the savages, the untaxed natives, the
mountaincers. the fishermen and the
Soulous,
The population given by that census
was 6, 100, 600. The estimates of the five
exceptions mentioned was 100000, so
that the total in 1875 was $3.50, 600.
This must be regarded as below the
truth, as it allows practically nothing
for the rich and beautiful island of
Mindanao, in the southeast of the
archipelago. This noble territory and
the adjacent islands are well populated,
the inhabitants being at least four times
as many as the official estimates.
The rate of increase is no less than 3
per cent per annum in the districts
which are under Spanish rule, trife
less than what it is in the independent
communities. At this rate the popula-
tion today is 10000, 600 at the lowest
estimate. The highest estimate is 15,-
600, 1000, made by the Hongkong Tele-
graph, one Of the leading journals of
the far east. The German geographers
put it at II, 900, 900 and IL, 100000.
No attempt worthy Of the name has
been made to consolidate the Philippine
peoples into a uniform whole. The
Spaniards have, on the contrary, en-
deavored to encourage the clan and tribe
spirit in order to prevent any local IN
surrectionary movement becoming gen.
eral. The native languages are pre-
served and only minority speak Span
ish. The Tagals look down ON the low
half castes, The Visayas despise the
Tagals, and the Soulous detest them all.
This policy had many advantages. 1t
converted the natives into isolated or
disconnected tribes and enabled the ad-
ministratica to employ troops of one
tribe against nalconterts of another.
Only in the latest rebellion has there
been widespread and concerted action
on the part of the native population.
Tee people Of the Philippines are
such mosaic of yellow, brown and
black mem as to disconcert the ablest
ethnographer. The natives all agree
that tbs original dwellers on the is
lands we-e the tribes known as Negri-
tos. They were and their descendants
are very DARK in color, some Of the
clans being nearly as dark as Kongo
negroes, while others are q rich red
brown, like some of the negro-Indlan
half breeds of the United States. They
are distributed over all the islands of
the group. Many Of them are civilized,
others live in q state midway between
civilization and savagery, while third
and large class are as savage today. as
when Magellan discovered the archi-
pelago in 1921.
The Tinguianes are a branch Of the
Negritos who live in tree Euts. These
are situated in tall trees and are often
so and 10 feet from the ground. They
are built of bamboo and other light,
strong timber, thatched with palm and
similar leaves and securely lashed to
the trunk and boughs with wirelike
vines and native rope. They look frail
and unsteady, but are remarkably
strong and durable. On platform or
in his living room the occupant keeps
a stock Of stones, which are used to
drop on the heads of enemies. Small
children are protected from the danger
of falling off by stout cord tied firmly
around the body just under the arms
and fastened 70 some pole or rafter of
the building
The word Negrito is a lazy Spanish
term which seems to mean much, but
does not. It is used to cover all the
darker skinned natives, regardless Of
race or language. It includes the black
Igorrote, who looks like a negro, or
papuan; the 'ringuianes, who resemble
the dark men Of Borneo; the fierce Ma
lay Moslems cf Soulou, black people
in Morong who look like Tamils, or low
caste Hindooa and the head hunting
Gaddanes, who seem to be related to
the Dyaks. At least four races are in
cluded under the term Negrito, whose
only common point is very dark skim
More numerous than tho Negritos and
of later arrival il the Philippines are
the Tagals of the north and the Nisayas
in the center Of the gro1p They are
rather fine looking men Of a red color
intermediate between ii Sandwich Is
lander and Sioux. These Tagals form
the bulk of Aguinaldo's army. 10 these
two divisions may be added tha Mos
lens of Soulou. These are the original
races of the Philippines They have no
history before 900 A. D. The only men
ton of them is found IL the Chinese
records, yet modern science has begun
to throw some light upon the buried
years. The picture thus revealed is
tragic story Of invasion. war and con-