The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-12
EXISTENCE IN MANILA
HOMOGENEOUS TO FOREIGNERS, BUT
GROWS ENDURABLE IN TIME
Importance of the English Club-The
MONDAY Siesta-Gen. BlancO and
How He Impressed an American.



American. One has only to journey to that
capital in the far East to find out what an
important factor in the life of the foreign
resident that same English Club is, which
somehow binds the community together and
makes a side-tracked capital much more
Hvable by reason of It's existence. The En-
glish Club is nos only sort of social center
and bureau of. Information. but is also a
trade center, at which sales are made con-
tracts closed and deals contaminated. If
you want man and he is not to be found
elsewhere during business hours, send to
the club for him or go there yourself at
about noon, and you are sure to find him
shaking his thirst and talking to somebody.
In Manila the club afforded shelter and
cocktails to its members at two widely sep
arated points of the compass-one just on
the banks of the Pasig, where it's waters
coming down from the big lake at the foot
of the mountains, are first introduced to the
outlying suburbs of the city, and the other
in the heart of the business section. The
same set of native servants practically
served for both departments since no one
uses up town during the middle of the day
and no one down town after business hours.
AS result on week days, after the light
breakfast of the early morning was over at
the uptown building, the staff of walters
and assistants hurried down town in the
tram cars and made ready for the noon meal
at the other structure, returning again to
the suburbs in time to officiate at dinner
AT the suburban clubhouse in Nagtajan
were the dining ROOM parlor billiard
rooms, bowling alley, bed chambers for
members and guests, and a boathouse for
those who had the energy to buck the
muddy current of the Pasig in heavy work
ing boats. In the downtown or tiffin rooms
were merely the breakfast parlor'' and IL
brary with billiard table perched out in
the hallway, the whole establishment was
modestly located on a prominent corner in
the main street, over the offices OF an Eng
lish bank.
At 10 o'clock in the morning the brokers
ana heads of houses used to assemble at
the tifiin rooms as a sort of chamber OF
commerce, and discuss the news from home
as related in the private cablegrams. at
noon the members of the foreign business
community stopped work and most of them
returned to the club for the hearty break
1ast which was served below the lazily
swinging punkahs. This was the first square
meal or the day, and consisted of so many
varied courses that long sleeping chairs
were provided In the library for the COM
tort or members, most of whom found an
hours rest absolutely necessary after
battle with Chinese curry and canned plum
pudding.
PRICES VARIED.
Tiffin was supplied on every business day
in the month to subscribers for $3.50 Mex
lean, or about 81 in gold. If there were few
holidays In the month, the price per meal
was cheap enough, say 25 cents; but when
those ever recurrent church feast days came
along-sometimes two a week-meals were
suspended down town. and the club got the
best OF the bargain. At such times the body
of'servants remained at the suburban estab-
lishment, and the ''tiffnl" cost dollar.
The library in the tiffin rooms was excel
lent, consisting as 1t did of some 1000 vol
umes and a set of original Arabian Nights
Kept in big tin box near the door. All of
the latest papers and magazines-six weeks
old though they were-could be found on the
tables. and nothing induced sleep so easily
swaying punkah and the perusal of stale
news. The punkah boy slept with the rest
ana ana ISlIl;e s on IN his dreams If he awoke,
the cooling arrangement generally stopped
and some one would throw Sir John IIIb-
DOCK across the room to put him to sleep
In Manila, in times of peace, the whole
city slumbers from twelve to three. Car
draw down their blinds. and the little one
horse tram car is about the only sign of life
Al O'CLOCK the mercury begins to sink
ces served tea, toast and jam to customers
ana clerk. and at the community paid
nnaI visit to the tiffin rooms before driving
20 the promenade or to the uptown club at
Nagtajen If they went to the promenade at
the Luneta, the foreigners saw hundreds of
carriages circulating around a slightly
raised ellipse LOCO feet long, whose center
was marked with a large band stand and
whose surrounding roadway was guarded by
file. And nobody but the governor general
and archbishop can turn his carriage in the
opposite direction from the general left to
Directly in front lies the great bay, with
the sun going down in the Boca Chica be-
tween the hardly visible island of Corregi-
dor and the mainland thirty miles away To
the rear is a stretch of green parade ground
clumps of bamboo trees concealing houses,
and the distant mountains. To the right lie
the corner battery and walls of old Manila
and to the left the attractive suburb of Err
toward Cavite.
Carriages Of all sorts made up the process
sion, as it used to be, and were filled
overdressed native women in crushed-straw-
berry gowns, or hunted-looking Chinese.
And one could generally depend upon it
that the people who drove in the finest vic
torias lived in the poorest houses and had
the the east, for dinner For Spanish officials
the Luneta rather than to live we'll at
home Men boys and .tastefully dressed
or sat along the edges Of the curbing fac
ing the bay In those wicker chairs which
look SO attractive in the windows of our
East India shops.
PLEASANT EVENINGS.
Then the splendidly trained artillery band,
composed of some two score natives led by
Spanish conductor, played half dozen
classic selections each evening from to s.
so well that Sousa or a Reeves would find
1t hard to surpass the performance. AS
look back on those late afternoons spent on
the Luneta can imagine no more pleasant
setting for the close of day than that finely
rendered music, the slow procession of
carriages, filled with women, many fair
the sun going down at the opposite side,
and the soft, cool breeze coming down from
the mountains to the northeast.
AT O'Clock everybody dined, and by 9:3O
except on opera nights, Manila was asleep
Manila had an opera thoroughly full-f1edged
with Italian artists, whose services were
paid Tor in gold-a thing which commands
the respect of a Philippine audience Per-
formances were given perhaps twice a week
during the season and if it began to rain
before the doors were opened, those who
held tickets understood that postpone
ment was in order, and did not feel Obliged
to risk their horses and their starched
clothes in tropical downpour. The orches-
ira was entirely composed of native rnusi-
clans, who battled with Carmen and CayaI-
leria quite as successfully some of our
home performers, who would scorn the
Philippine brethren. One forcbly re-
minded of fire and earthquakes at the on
house, since just by the main entrance
stood two firemen with hose in hand during
the whole performance. The oil lamps in
side were, indeed, shaky on their slender
brackets, and the management only secured
public confidence by having the fire Gepart-
ment constantly at playing pitch. OF course
anybody that so wished went behind the
md lr01 Tn, f.