The times., 1898-08-07
in the phtIippines.n


man. especially If we should keep the
Philippines, and make them the subject
of our first experiment in Oriental colo
nial government There probably was
no group Of islands about which, until
last May, the American people knew so
little, and there is probably no group OF
Islands about which they viii now have
q more burning desire 20 know. Mr..
Stevens lived for two years in the Phil
ippines-he was a correspondent there,
the sole correspondent in the islands
during the Chino-Japanese war; he had
good opportunities for observation, and
he knows how to write. All these teno
TO make his book valuable TO the public
and 10 himself, and wnen ii is consider
ed that besides all this, he was the hrst
and thus far the only man in the field,
his position is plainly enviable. In the
near future there will be dozens of cor
respondents in these islands, cleaning
facts and local color as fast as possi-
bic but the Orient cannot be learned in a
day, and meanwhile Mr.. S-evens has the
field And the way in which he has writ
ten his book makes one quite willing that
he should have the field for a time
anywhere between the TWO covers, with
out seeing that the writer is very br. ght
young man. The volume is composed
mainly Of letters written home and TO
home papers during the writer's stay in
Manila, as agent for an American firm.
He says that ne and one other man, his
colleague, made up 50 per cent of the
American business co.ony in Manila, from
1884 to 1856. In 1896, owing 10 the mutter-
sngs and growlinss of a revolutionary
storm, the American firm concluded to
retire from the islands and place their
business in the hands OF some English
men, long established on the ground, who
expected TO pass the rest of their days
In the Philippines. The beginning OF the
revolution is recounted by Mr.. Stevens in
the following succinct way:
The Spanish troops were at the south, and that
mysterious native brotherhood OF the Katipun3n
called its members TO attack the capital A mas
EacTe WAS planned, hut the righ; leaders were
lacking and tie attempt fail d The O ps " re
recalled guards doubled drawbTidges into old
Manila pulled up nightly, arrests and executions
made As Is well known, one hundred suspect
were crowded into that old dunqeon cn the river,
iUst at the corner Of the city wall, and because
il came on TO rain at nglt!.ll officer shut
down the trzp-door loadng 10 the prisr ne5s cell
20 keep out the water But il also kept cut the
dred prisoners were sufocated. Thus Manila had
her Black Hole.
One OF the most noticeable things in the
book is its humor. This crops out in al
most every page, and while no bright say
ing or comical happening is dragged in
fer the sake cf display. there is enough
fun in the experiences and observations
Of the author TO keep the reader smiling
g good part OF the time An episode
iEg for the joke tha; there is in il. The
steamer had forty missionaries aboard
and the captain was not especially partial
10 missionaries. 1t did net add 20 mis- lik-
ing for them when he found that they
had arranged a Sunday mission service
without mentioning the fact 10 him. He
found posted up in the companion-way
this notice:
Service in the Saloon.
Sunday, 10 a.
Rev. X. Y. z. Smith. Of Wong Kiang. China
will speak on nilsson work in he Gppe. Ha1gt e
All are invited.
The captain made his plans. and wher
the passengers came down TO breakfast
Sunday morning they saw another no.
tice posted beneaih the first one:
Sunday. Nov. 2eth.
Ship crosses ls0th meridian,
$3.50 a IN.
What the missionaries did about it Mr.
Stevens does not say.
one of the first things that the young
American discovered in his Philippine
home was the frequency of earthquakes
The enterprising Americans who build
houses in those islands viii have to con-
trive some sort Of substitute for lath and
plaster if they wish to keep their heads
and their crockery intact The natives
use ceiling cloths.
Three or four points are strongly
brought out in this book. One is the eX-
ceedlng cheapness Of living in Manila. A
fun suit of clothes may be bought for s.
1t is made Of white cotton-and tht
American puts on a clean one each day
and his washing bill is some 81 a month
He rents a large country house, witt
servants and stables, for SIS a month. H
pays his cook 30 cents TO buy and cool
q dinner for four persons. Everything
else is in proportion. 1t appears tha
nothing is dear in Manila except wha
cannot be had And there are some com
forts unpurchaseable at any price. Ict
IN any quantity seems TO be one, and gooI
butter another.
Another point brought out is the gentle
ness and good-nature of the Filipino, and
still another is the uncertainty of the eli
mate. Altogether living in Manila is, ac-
cording TO Mr.. Stevens. a curious mixture
of monotony and excitement, comfort and
misery In general, the place is healthy
but typhoid fever is quite common. and
smallpox walks unabashed about tn,
streets. The natives object TO vaccina-
tion, and as a result of this prejudice
or as a cause Of IT'D per cent of then
are immune by experience from smallpox
But the best way of reviewing thi
book Is to quote from II, al random. Al
the chapters are written in the same
style
Here, for instance, se street-scene:
Manila streets. outside of the city proper. ar
s;nooih, hard and well shaded by the archin
bafuboos. They already proving attractive I
the bicycle which, though very expensive GU
here at the antipodes, is growing IN favor, espe
cisllv among the Weather half-castes, mes
tzos.
Tramcar service Is slow but pretty general
god The car is 4 thing by itself, as Is the On
lean pony that pulls il. Il takes one man {
drive and one TO wo K the whip, and if tn
wind blows TOO ha.d service is generally sus
pended. The conductor carries a small walls
suspended from his neck. and whistles throug
his lips ''up hill'' to stop, and down hill'' a
the starting sign. The usual notice. f'Smokin
allowed on the three rear seats only,'' Is ab ent
for everyone smokes even 10 the conductor VIII
generally drops the ash of l5-cent cigarett
into your lap as he hands you a receipt fo- YOU
doz ceutavos. The chief rule Of the road saws:
This car has seats for twelve persons an
places for eight on each platform. Passengers a.
requested 10 stand in equal numbers only on bot
platforms, TO prevent deTailment"
And so If there are four fare on the frcn
and six on the back platform somebody has {
stumble forward to equalize the weight. No on
is allowed 10 stand inside, and il the car cor
tRins its quota OF passengers the driver hangs ou
the sign ''Lleno" (fulD, and doesn't stop eve
for the archbishop. Il is Just as we'll perhap.
20 sit at the front end OF the car if you ar
afraid Of smallpox. for the other morning
Philippine mamma brushed into a seat holding
srsufi ilv-clotfed hahe well cDyprgd with evidence