The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-23

to the Virgin as her little child lay dy-
Ing In her arms
The native aptitude in the use OF
modern writing material r. beyond
doubt. They no longer make use of
arrows and lances against us" says an
e~cclesiasiic. hut of pens. NIX n pa
per-; of fables, calumnies and jokes.
Scribblers and pettifoggers are in all
the pueblos. ready enough at writing
memorials on government paper. Let
the padre set himself against their
wfckedness. and Immediately they get
together. drink. fill their folios with
crosses and away to the most easy
going court they a find A Tagafoc
~proverb is. ''Maminsanminsan ay sus-
ulat ca at maminsanminsa y baoata ca
mans sulat' write once in a while and
read once in n while). In 1910 a book
was written by Pinpin. a native. and
printed by Talaghay, another native. TO
enable the Tagals to learn the Spanish
language.
The native dramas are of an intoler-
able length: a tragedy will often in
clude the entire life of some king.
There is much talk on the stage says
a traveller, and brandishing of swords,
and frowns. and fierce fighting. and
genii hunting women into wild forests.
and kings and queens gaily dressed"
Religious dramas are very popular. or
these. the PASSION fldy, III IdBdiOC
verse. is the favorite.
There Is a body of poetry, consisting
largely of lyrics, wedding songs ro-
mances, ballads. and ditties of all
kinds. These are all set to nPtive mu-
sic: weird and fascinating melodies
that are a fiat insult to Western ideas
of tune. A composition in a minor key
and full of accidentals will take a no.
tior. to pause in the middle a half tone
Aainu. tha fffh and IN pufnA nm xvifhprf
any resolution a half tone below the
tonic. These songs bear particular
names, as the "Batanguino." the Ca
vitegan." and the favorite Of all. the
SOM of the conquest of love-the Com
intang de la Conquista." The Comm
tam is n peculiar song n dance. In
which a young couple execute an ap-
propriate pantomime as the spectators
sing the words to the Instruments rem
dering of a l%anguorous and melancholy
air. The lover seeks To infiame the
heart Of the dalaga. and, finally, in
despair, drops as IL dead She. too late
relenting. is about to die OF grief, when
he jumps up and catches her. The mu-
sic of the Comintang indicates an In
fiuenc either Spanish and remotely
Moorish. or possibly directly Arabian.
Ii requires a meter that is not easily
described; roughly, 1t may be said that
three lines are accented on the first and
fourth syllable n every fourth line
on the second, fourth and sixth The
rhyme, which I'm the Tagaloc Us only
the ~asonante, or vo~wel-rhyme, that ig-
nores the ~consonants. is on the 18th syl-
liable. The accompanying version is
from a line-for-llne and word-for-word
rendering into French:
Who can forget thee. love,
When he has known thy grace?
Dost thou not see the grief
And anguish in my face?
Why dost thou turn away?
There is no treason here.
Thou hast no foe to face,
Nor any hate to fear.
Planets and fateful stars,
Have we forsaken me?
Come. death! Oh. quickly come!
| wait. / wait for thee!
Why should / longer live
/. who have been betrayed,
Fooled by the god of love
To love a loveless maid?
Stay, stay. thou lovely bird!
Thou who hast been my death,
Gaze. as ! yield for thee
My last despairing breath!
Take thee no weeds of woe:
'Tis but myself | crave;
Stay but to lead me to
The borders of my grave.
New York sun.