The San Francisco call., 1898-05-15

"HE departure of our soldiers Tor
 the Philippines, besides marking
 a new era in the political history
 of the United States, will provide
 distinctly novel personal expe- rience for most of those engaged In the expedition The nation has suddenly realized that 1t cannot get along any more without foreign policy, 1t can no longer restrict it's warlike operations to it's own borders, it's troops will have to seek their fighting abroad. So that, In years to come, our soldiers are lheiy to get plenty of tropical campaleTlns a thing which at present IS oecioeo novelty to the boys in blue Who COIL pose the army corps.
 The tropical East has decided 1as- cination for all of us. It is d1ff1cult 10 anaIyze this mysterious attraction, It IS made LID of so many different features, all blending into one fragrant, IuXurl- ant whole. But the outcome or IL IS that. like Kipling's soldier, when we have heard the East a-calllng, we oon | heed nothin else. And if this is true of India. a land of many climes, 1t Is still more true of the Philippines, lying well within the tropics, between latitudeS 4 and 20 north. These isles possess all the features necessary for the develop ment of the most luxuriant troplcal vegetation. Naturally the climate IS extremely moist. This is only to be eX- pected in a land situated in the neutral zone between the monsoons ana the trade winds. But though the rainfall Is heayy 1t is concentrated into one sea son of three or four months Practl- calIy. there are three seaSons-the cold, the wet and the hot
 The cold season, which Is decidedly the pleasantest time of the year, lasts from November to March. The winds blow fresh and cool from the north, and in Manila the average temperature IS only 72 degrees. But little rain falls during this period-some eight or nine inches Following comes the hot season, from March to June-and just at pres ent this season is by far the most in teresting period to Ca1ifornianS- Our bows will land toward the close of this time, and unfortunately will get their first tropical experience at the most un- favorable period of the year. IL would have been far better if the expedition could have reached Manila six months earlier for then the soldiers would have had the cold season to become &C., climatized In. But war, cruel war, takes no count of such trifles as human health. The time for prompt action has arrived. and the opportunity can not be lost because of few cases of sickness.
 Luckily, the climate of Manila has the reputation of being fairly healthy one and even in the hot season the temperature does not average more than SS degrees. The Spanfards, in- deed, say that the heat Is not so trying as in Madrid during the summer days, and certainly it can be no worse than some parts of the interior of this ,l.g rc-ix nf of fairs, when all nature seems exhausted, and human energy Is at it's lowest ebb. comes to an end in July. The welcome monsoon wind arrives, black and thun- derous, from the southward, and breaks with terrible storms upon the island The rain falls in torrents, and the germs of pestilence which have been accommodating during the hot season are swept away. Nature washes herself clean, new tropical growths of amazing luxuriance spring up almost In day and the land riots in the abundance of life-giving moisture.
 As much as sixty-six inches of rain have been known to fall in 113 days during the monsoon time. But this is exceptional, the average being about thirty-six inches. The temperature is still warm, only few degrees lower than the hot season, and perhaps our unseasoned soldiers, accustomed all their lives to dry, equable cline, will find this season the most trying of the three. Fever and ague, rheumatism dysentery and various other disorders incidental to the tropics will be most apt to break out among men exposed at this season of the year. and if the troops are compelled to operate in the open the utmost watchfulneSS on the part of the medical staff will be neces- sary to preserve even fair average of te t4 Ho 1 that nothing more than garrison duty will be required of our men during the rainy days, in which case, well clad and under good roofs, no serious sani- tary trouble need be apprehended.
 Our troops are likely to be on the best of terms with the natives. There is a common bond of sympathy between them-enmity for the Spaniard. Even the Chinese, of whom there are large number In the group, will welcome the American heartily. for John, more than any one else, has suffered from the au- sterity of Spanish rule. The native Ta- gals, who inhabit the larger portion of Luzon, are described as being of sim- pie, honest. industrious character, cas- fly amenable to control. They have been governed for centuries rather by the priests than by the civil power. The Catholic church by means of its mis- sionaries first conquered the natives, and since then mas always leQ them. The people have been educated; they can read and write; they are good na- tured and cheerful. happy. contented and fairly prosperous. in spite of the earthquakes, floods and other terrible calamities which often desolate their land
 With John Chinaman the case is very different. He carries on most of the 1 business of the islands, and forms a very important factor in the popula- tion. This in spite of the fact that the Spaniard, time and again, has done his best to wipe him out. There Is an hereditary hatred between the races,