Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

pines threatens directly spanish SOW
erirnty on the other side Of the world.
and may result in deprivHg Spain Of
the last remnants Of an eastern em-
pire. The Spanish domlnions in the
Pacific consist OF the Philippine group,
the Caroline islands and few scat
tered clusters lying In the vicinity of
both. Designated by various names,
none of these groups OF Islands are of
any Importance politically or COM
mercIally, save the Philippines, but the
value of these to the Spanish crown is
so great as to make all the more re-
markable the foolhardlness Of Spain in
rushing unprepared into q struggle
with power which is able IN a few
days to sweep the Spanish navy from
| the seas.
The Philippine islands have belonged
to Spain ever since their conquest In
1866, which was effected by ileet bear
Ing an armed force from the western
coast of Mexico. The Spanigrds did not
accomplish their conquest without diff
ficulty, for, although the natives were
poorly armed. having only the weapons
common to savage peoples throughout
the world, they made a stout resistance,
and all the military strength and
| strategy of the Spaniards were needed
in order to subdue them. The Islanders
| have since shown, by ott-repented-in-
| deed, almost continuous-lnsurrec
their objection to Spanish rule, and be-
| tween 1866 and the insurrectiun of the
! present year II IL said there has hardly
been decade in which Spanish troops
have not been called upon to pacify, in
Cuban fashion. one or another of the
disturbed provinces.
The Philippine group lies so COM
pletely on the usual line of travel that.
save In n general way, little Is known of
1t or its people. Boys and girls at school
learn the name of the cluster of Islands.
and, because these appear on the maps
as mere dots, regard them as of no I'M
| portance. and soon forget them ana
their location, so that among men and
women Of the present the question.
Where are the Philippine islands? is
| often heard, but not often answered.
The last remaining Spanish possession
in the East Indies comprises over 200
islands in the Philippine group alone,
the greater number, however. being
mere dots or islets, inhabited by only a
few families.
The most southern of the Philippines
lies degrees north of the equator, the
most northern 81 degi ees, so that the
islands cover a very considerable por-
ton of territory, nearly 1920 miles from
north to south, and half this distance
from east to west. Insignificant as most
are in point of size. the leading Islands
have an area of 5000 square miles; Pa
lawan. $500; Samar, 5000; Panay, L.
500; Negroes, 1900; Leyte. 5000; Cebu
and BOIL, each 1900; Masbat, l,200-the
total area of the entire group being
10000 square miles. or about equal in
extent to that of Missouri ana Arkan-
sas combined.
al Fa pt in IA
quarter of the world, are all of vol
canic origin and each has n mountain
range as n backbone, generally termin-
ating with a volcano at each end OF the
island. with two or three in the middle
for good measure. Most of the volcanoes
are lofty. but situated as they are, al
most under the equator, snow seldom
appears on the submits of the highest
mountains. although the uplands of all
of the Islands have n temperate climate.
end during the summer are much fire.
quented by the better classes of the
population. Rivers of any considerable
size are, of coruse, few, but small
streams are very numerous, for there
nre two rainy seasOns,und when 1t rains
on the Philippines Il rains in earnest. q
precipitation of eight inches in twenty
four hours having been observed on
more than one occasion. Such deluEes
as this might be expected to wash all
the arabic soil into the sea, and, in fact
going on but as the crust OF the earth
is In volcanic Regions, in a process OF
upheavai the damage done by the rain
: Is counteracted by the gradual uplifting
of the islands from the deep. They are
In fact constantly growing In size very
! slowly but appreciably. for stone wharfs
that were constructed by the Spaniards
in the sixteenth century are now hall
: a mile from the shore, and there are
other evidences of the upheaval pro-
cess.
A torrid heat prevails all the ycai
round. The mean annual temperature
, of Manila is about 80 degrees. which in
! dicates that in summer the thermome-
! ter stands about 100 regularly every
day, and hugs the century mark pretty
closely during the night. Even In
, what Is faCetiously called the winter
season temperature of Go to SIS de
! grees prevails SO that n Philippine win
. ter would be deemed n tolerably warn
/. American summer. The heat is rem
: dered almost unendurab BILE by the muis
3 ture in the atmosphere, for day ant
? night. from years end to years end
] the air is almost saturated: the per
l SEPARATION Of the body does not dry, bu
!, stands in large drops. which fall OF
D on the slightest movement.
The group Is rendered valuable pos,
session from the fertility of the soil ant
the variety and abundance of its pro-
ducts. Despite the fact that the ma
ives work only under the most urgeni
. provocation. and then only for SO long
a time ms may ne necessary to satisfy
their simple wants. the plantations oi
the island produce an immense wealth
The government reports OF 1894, the lat
est available, declared the exports o
the islands to he $40 100000, while tn,
imports We're s2S.Ol0OO0, chiefly of rice
-four, wine. dry goods. petroleum ant
coal: the exports were OF hemp and IL
manufacture, sugar, coffee. tobacco
leaf, cigars and indigo. How great,
the amount of exports might be increas
ed under n proper form of government
which did not tax the energy and al
most the life out Of the people oanno
| be conjectured but 1t Is certain tina
with proper encoura cement the Phlip
pine islanders would become an indus
trious and wealthy people.
The population Of the Philippines Is
probably the worst mixed of any
group of islands even in that part oI
the world. The island lies about midway
between the continents of Asia and
Australia. The Negrltos or aborlgnes
are closely analogous to the natives
OF New Guinea and Australia. But
the Negritos, long before the coming
!, OF the Europeans had become an Inn
portant factor In the population. hav-
' Ing been driven back into the interior
and mountainous portions OF the is
lands by the Malays, When Magellan
; discovered the islands IN 1921, he found
all the coasts settled by Malays But
the MALAY Indians by no means mon
, opolzed the better parts Of the Islands