Evening star., 1898-08-27
What a Great Part 1t Plays in the
Life of the Filipino.
LOTTERIES ARE JUST As POPULAR
The "New Woman" Has Arrived,
and Already Crowds Men Out.
WHAT HOME SMELLS WEAR
Mrs. Garnett in the Fortnightly.

Mrs Garnett in the Fortnightly.
Gambling may be said 10 be the one vice
OF the Philippine Islander. and takes chief
" the form of cock hghJing-more ruinous
for him in it's effects than the earthquake
and cyclones by which his home is OCCASION
ally devastated. With the Tagal, even more
than with the Malay generally, this pas
time is a passion pushed TO the extreme
In every native hut, in every craft floating
on the Pasig, a cock is 10 be found under
going training as careful as that bestowed
in the west on a race horse, though per
haps to perish on it's first appearance in the
lists
A native at leisure is seldom seen without
his saneeock, a pretty creature, not much
Iarser than a bantam, which he carries
under his arm: and should his hut take fire
his first thought is this faYorite, which,
having secured, he leaves the rest 10 fate
Cock fights are held regularly on Sundays
ana festivals. and. in Manila, on one day
in the week as we'll; and the laws reguIat-
ing them which contain as many as nun
dTed clauses, are very strict.
The spectators stand or squat on their
heeis-the favorite native posture-on a
siOping floor, at the foot of which are the
lists. The maximum stake is 500, ana one
spur only is allowed to each cock. The
Chinaman. who farms The sallera, coHec>s
the bets. which, relatively To the wealth OF
tO6 company, are tLDEItlOuS, 1d5G4S OI lIlC
poorest class often stalking from So TO II
and going supperless to bed in consequence.
Meantime the owners of the first cOmbat-
ants are arming their champions with a
sharp steel spur some two and a half inches
long with as much care as is given to sad
ding a horse for the Derby. When ali The
bets have been collected the cocks are
faced. Should one run away without being
injured, which does not often occur, he is
declared beaten, and a new Antagonist
brought TO face the victor. This time the
combatants are probably more equally
matched and the excitement of the reek-
ing crowd of Tagais and Cinnamon in
creases-
The cocks fly at one another. meeting
breast to breast, their upiifted claws di-
rectlns the points Of their spurs at the ad-
TeFsary, again and again endeavoring to
strike a fell blow, chance generally deter
mining the victory according TO the vul-
neraDiIlty OF the part penetrated by the
blade At last one of the cocks reels falls
and expires and the victor executes a tri-
umph3Et dance over the bleeding corpse of
his vanquished foe, while the shouts and
e<cl4Inatons in TasoloC and Chinese which
have accompanied the struggle increase TO
a perfect babel.
Another form Of gambling. to which the
women are almost partial as the men
Is the purchase of tickets in the govern
Inent lotteries. These tickets are divided
and SubdiVided until a share NAV he
bought for peseta cd, and much of the
SpaTr CaSh OF the natives thus finds its Way
into the Golfers of the Hacienda Tine
SamJilng propensity Of the Tagals is occa-
s!onouy exploited in various ways During
my residence in Manila bazaar was or
edhiZ-I Tor the benefit Of the General Has
pitai. hut instead of the articles collect cd
belhE sold in the usual way they were
plied INTO pyramid IN the center os the
temporary construction erected for The pur-
bu9tr the lottery tickets diSDOSing of them
belng SOLD in the numerous stalls hold bv
the leading ladies of the Spanish and for
elsn communities A 50 packet of tickets
contained one prize only, it might De of the
value OF a shilling two, OF. of several
pounds. and single ticket at the price of a
peseta had as much chance of winning one
OF the latter as a 81 packet one of the for
Her- accordingly, all ranks of natives, on
t4!iee successive evenings. thronged to the
bazaar and spent their money IIberaiJv
palrpnIzIng in preference the stalls held nv
!ortlsners, apparently having more faith
mn, IN Ihe bona fides OF these than of the Span
Ldiu9' Win the result that a the combined
Brltlsh and American stall. at WHICH ] as
S49teu' several hundred pounds were taken.
How Spain Governed Them.
The sixteenth-centuTy colonizers of the
Fhihppines had the wisdom to allow the
h&uVes they domesticated to retain to a
great extent their own tribal government.
the only change of any Importance made
IN the existing system being the total abo-
at!on OF the form of slavery practiced
ME the Spanish governor general tooE
4--e~NS u tue SGiIdHS and greater chiefs
the datos. or feudal lords were appoinf ed
sOoerhadorcillos, or petty governors of he
Niiages and townships, which were term
tu' according TO their Importance. pueblos
S.I 10 siSItaS' or retained their native appel
4auon OF Darangay. To these petty gov
ernors and their Heutenants and cabezas
as the mead men are termed were infrust
ea the duties Of mayor, magistrate and tax
CcNvcIOr, respectively.
They We're made resDonsfrIa for tte -,
TAX levied until 1884, under the 1arna Of
tlbuio, on every adult native for the Dron-
er performance Of the statute labor. which
cOiISiSLS d forty days road mending and
other municipal work and some davs9 sar:
wee as cuadrilleros, kind of mlInfcipai
anu cantonal gendarmerie Commanded nv
the g"oernadorcillO. Such, in brief is the
stltuted at the conquest and narnef,Iataa
tlil the present day, to the great ADVANTAGE
OF their rulers.
4 Married Woman's Paradise
Inc Philippine laws relating to the prom
erty Of married persons are exceedingly,
quaint and interesting. being en..reIv in
favor Of the wife. The property of ? bride
Is never settled on the husband. If a man
IS poor and his wife well-to-do. so +be1 %
hL@-E throughout their married life, ne be-
coming simply the administrator Of her
possessions, but having no right IN tba,o
II husband becomes bankrupt in a busi
ness in which he has invested SOME of bic
III tt-llc, SIe ranks -cla &C
creator under the commercial code EH-en
on ner death the husband cannot. save nm
Ger deed executed by her in the presence
OF a notary. derive any benefit from her
estate as her children. if she have anv
ana y not. her nearest blood relatives are
her heirs. aie {
Inus IL not unfrequently happens that the
lather ot wealthy children is himself inn,
pecuh'"us and dependent on their generosi-
y Tor support, though at the same ti,na h.
IS compelled by law to manage their aU,irs
Huie rll!ofs. and at their majority. to rem
DER Il strict account Of his stewardsh n A
married woman continues TO use her maid
en- name. 10 which she adds her husba nd's
with the prefix de- This she ahandors
%hen Ieft a widow. save for pirposes oS
business or convenience VI
Cniiren also bear the names of notb
1etner and mother. that of fine Tootbar
comes laSt, and is. consequently the ynora
prominent 1t is, however, only since IS4t
t,, tliat the mass OF the natives have adopted
FANNY designations. In that year list 80
spanish surnames was sent to the rriat
OF every parish, from which the haaS -
each household chose the cognoner, ~ ~, ~
best pleased him. Thus one may fi,,5 siiCn -iiCH
noble names as Legaspi, De Salceda 7 @L rt-I
Re how