The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-25
MANILA BETTER THAN A CIRCUS
Plenty of Fun Not Advertised For
BFight-wistted Soldiers.
(St. Louis Globe-Democrat.l

NoI. Louis GTlODe-DenOcrat.)
1t a man wants a circus he can have
it any time by simply watching the
way these natives do things in every
day life [ saw one of them carving
a pig the other day, and the way he
was doing it would be a credit to any
clown. He had pole with a basket
on one end, and the pig was in one
basket and q. big rock in the other to
balance it. They carry everything on
poles and yesterday I saw two of them
trotting along the street carving a,
pole, on the center of which was coiIed
an enormous snake. 1t was very quiet,
but every American they passed would
suddenly jump six feet Sideways.
Then there is the way they handle
the big water buffalo that they use for
hauling loads. They drive with one
line that is attached to ring in the
animals nose, and they make him 90
ahead by jerking back on the line. at
the same time making a noise like a
Missouri farmer driving hogs These
animals are well named water buffalo.
as they delight in WalIoWing in mud
and water like a hog. In fact if they
don't get this bath regularly, they be-
amuck, and then there is a circus.
These runaways have become com
monplace affairs with us now. First
there is commotion and a cloud of
Dust up the street, and next a crazy
buffalo and bowling native come tear
ing by, While everybody jumps Usually
they scatter the load all over the coun
try. These animals are as large as
American oxen, have enormous horns
n loo ii A1arr
in their wild state. When native
feeds his buffalo he ties its nose high
up in the air and pours rice into its
mouth. They say that prevents waste.
The natives are born shopkeepers.
and their little fruit stands are favo.-d
tie lounging places for the soldiers.
They all want to learn English. and
it is quite natural that they learn soma
from the soldiers that is not found in
the English grammar. They pick up
all kinds of slang. and one of their
women rather startled our chaplain bv
telling him to sit down, but don't get
gay" Cock fighting is their great
amusement, and they will stake their
last cent on it, The soldiers have
caught the fever, and row every com
pany has its game cocks. They have
frequent matches with the natives.
with the usual result that our BOYS
have chicken for dinner Both the
natives and Spaniards are abstemious
and have never. seen one of them
drunk. Possibly it would be different
with the Spanish soldiers if they had
any money.
1t seems most remarkable that with
three centuries of Spanish rule bull
fighting has never gained a foothold.
They say it has been tried but for
some reason they never happened to
have the right kind of bulls or bull
fighters. They have every other form
of Spanish barbarity, the cemeteries
being one of them A Spanish GENE
terry is a large enclosure surrounded
by double wall Around the interior
of the wall are rows of tombs which
we learned are there ''for rent" A
person cannot be laid away there unless
there is five years rent paid in adj
vance
At the end OF five years, if the rent
is not again forthcoming, the remains
are hauled out and dumped over be-
tween the two walls. We went through
one that had skeletons piled in prornis
cuously to the depth of ten feec and
one of our men, who evidently wanted
real curio, carried away a Spanish
skull and crosshones, which he declares
shall decorate a certain barroom in
Frisco.
one thing noticeable about Manila is
the absence of secret societies. In all
the city there is not single lodge of
Masons, Odd Fellows or knights of
Pythias. 1t is well known though,
that Masonry has a foothold among the
insurgents. About month ago an in
surgent officer was killed in Cavite, and
among his blood-stained papers was
found a small passport that greatly in
terested some of our officers who are
Masons. 1t showed the drawing Of the
floor of a Masonic lodge, and under it
a lot of Spanish words of which all I
could make out was Santa Hirim."
The natives tell US Of a E5dge of Ma
sons, numbering 300, that meets near
here but we have been unable to find
it. 1t is conducted with the greatest
secrecy, as they say that many a man
has been executed here for no other
reason than because he was "a Mason.
However, it appears that those days
are over now, and that with the adj
vent of American missionaries,
churches, etc, the secret orders will
blossom sc Dlantifl1lIV &C in tha 1oD5