The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-06-04

TIA" natives that there are seldom or
never an! rows or quarrcls over their
bets.
The bulk Of the natives are Moham-
medans Of Malay origin. they are nat
urally mild. amiable. and more cheerful
IN disposition than the average .As!atic.
Owing 10 their religion they do not in.
dulge IN either strong drink or opium, So
that as a rule they have not deteriorated.
But Spain cannot claim any credit for
TINS: II Is the command OF the Koran
that makes them strictly temperate.
The islands are within the tropics. and
extend four 70 twenty-onc degrees north
latitude. and extend from the southeast
to the northwest for about twelve hun
ured miles. There are upwards 81 100
islands In the group, but many II them
sre small. All are immensely rich in
soil and in all Of the natural productions
OF the tropics, but generally undevel-
oped. They are of volcanic origin. and
there are many VOLCANOES on the larger
islands. The area Is almost three times
that Of Iowa. the most important and
largest islands being Luzon. Miudanao
Palawan, Mlndoro, Pauay. Samar. Cebu.
Negrns. Leytc, Mashata, Sulu and Tvai
The natives are usually strong and
stoutly built, resembling the japanese
more than an. other .Asla,ics. The
women, when young. are quite pretty.
especially those Of Luzon.
Manila, the chief city, is divided b,
the river Passig. which separates the
old town FROM the new, most Of the bust
hess houses and residence, being in m.
latter. which is called Binondo. The
population of the district that could be
properly called one city is fully 100000.
outsld" the Spanish officials, soldiers
and priests, there are not more than 600
or 100 Europeans Of all natiouali,i.s
including Americans. The next cities
IN Size and Importance are llo-Ilo. on
the island OF Panay. and Ccbu, on the
island OF that nane The staple pro-
auctions are sugar, coffee, rice. tobacco
indigo, and what is known as Manila
hemp, which Is not really hemp, being
the flhre OF Of the banana family
called by the natives 'Abaca. II is
raised IN lots OF one or two acre patches,
ana the fibre Is stripped out by hand
1t Is slow. tedious work, and yepfure
" I'edict mat AS soon as the country is
III our possession some ingenious Yam
kee Will invent a machine To remove
the fibre. and that will r%eyolutionize
the cordage trade Of the entire world.
All the different fruits common 10 the
tropics grow in the greatest ~profusion.
among which are oranges. lemons. ban.
ahas' mangos, mongosteens, guavas,
pomelas, tamarinds, and the king OF all
edlbles, called DURAN fruit, Of an ex-
quislte and lndescribable flavor, but IA
II nature had decrecd that nothing
should be perfect on earth. the smell. or
more properly the stencil, OF the outer
covering is at the first introduction
s'ckening and unbearable, but when you
nave plucked up courage enough to
taste 1t you are it's slave henceforth,
have never met anyone who has tasted
this luscious fruit that did not give il
the palm % superiority over any other
esculent or edible OF either natural ri
artificial production. Rattans. spicea
and loRwood, e'so many other valuable
t'noers, grow IN profusion, the most i'm.
portant being the ebony, aud to illue.
trate how non-progressive the Spanish
are, there was only ono email sawmill in
the entire country IN 1895, al the timber
being sawed out by hand by what wa
call whipsawlng, the method used in the
beginning OF this century. The
same primitive methods are used in
the sugtr industry, which