The Topeka state journal., 1898-05-25

would be entirely incredible had not the
recent exposures of the same rule in
our neighboring island of Cuba prepared
the public to believe Spain capable of
any infamy.
The present inhabitants of that por-
ton of the archipelago known to the
outside world and to Spain-a narrow
strip around the seaboard of the larger
islands consist of Malays, Chinese, a
comparatively few Japanese, mixed
bloods in an almost infinite variety
and, of course, the Spaniards, the mas
ter of whom the vileSt esteems himself
better than the best of any other ma
tiOnality or blood.
The fndigenes, of whom but a few of
pure blood survive in the region spoken
of, call themselves Atlas, AetaS, or tiers
according to dialect-and belong to
the Negrito family.
In but one of the islands does this
race survive in any degree of purity
Called therefore ISla de los NegroeS).
Within the larger islands, behind the
coast ranges of mountains, it is said
that there are large numbers of them
who, up to the present time, have never
been Subjugated, and exist in an abSO-
lutte state of nature, free and untram-
meled. Physically, the race is almost
dwarfiSh in stature, few of them reach
ing the height of five feet, the great ma
jOrity of the men being from four feet
ten inches to four feet ten and a half
or eleven inches, and the women being
an inch or two shorter. The head is
pTOpOrIlOnaCeIy anu DGdTS d very
buShy crop of wOOlly hair. The ears
are large and set we'll back; the eyes
deep, black and piercing. The frame is
usually meager and spare, but is fire.
quently well muscled and always capa-
BILE of great endurance.
The wild men are hardy, active and
brave, and might, were it not for their
low intellectual power, make valuable
auxiliaries. The prognathous face, caus-
ed by artificial deformity of the
heads, deeply wrinkled in all except the
very youthful, and the quick motions of
the people, give them quite a monkey
like appearance, which, among those
degraded by Spanish oppression, scarce
ly bellies their character Among them
selves they use their native tongue, but
in their intercourse with other races
they use the Malay language, or an
idiom of the same.
Tattooing was, at the time of my Wis
it there, almost universal among them,
as was the practice of circumcision. In
some of the tribes the skulls of infants
are compressed in various ways, but
never, that remember, to the same ex-
tent as in some Of the Indian tribes. As
to clothing, but very little is worn by
the Negritos, except, of course, in the
more populous coast regions, where
there are ordinances or laws enforcing
the wearing of some covering for the
lower portion of the body and eXtreml-
ties.
Away from the settlements a breech-
cloth wrapped around the loins consti-
tutes the entire clothing. The women
wear a light, short petticoat, sometimes
woven of grass, but oftener of calico.
While a number of these poor ana
oppressed people have learned to cultl-
vate the land and to raise small crops,
and raise a few domestic animals, the
great majority of them are still savages,
and, worse than all, savages degraded
by contact with a superior race, all OF
whose vices they have absorbed with
out obtaining one single virtue in re-
turn. In the presence of Spaniards they
are almost groveling in their self
abasement before their masters.
The great mass of the population is
Malay, or of Malay origin, and Malay
is the language almost universally
spoken by all except the Spaniards and
other Europeans. In Luzon a great
many Chinese have settled, some of the