The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-09-30

NoAA CySo "O1lCA u Lie lSlaIue
which Dewey and Merritt have con
quered are of many races. Those OF
the coast cities are Of either Spanish
or Portuguese, native or half caste
blood. Those of European and native
parantage are what is known as
and intelligent Of all the island women.
These have a most picturesque garb,
consisting Of a long silk skirt with a
bodice woven Of the fbers Of the pine
apple plant and beautifully embroid-
cred with white silk. Many Of the
a distinctive aristocracy of their own.
for the half caste women are disdained
by the Spanish and Portuguese ladies,
who decline to have anything at all to
do with them, while the mestizos,
scorning the natives, are cast upon
their own for companionship.
Some of the mestizos are quite poor,
and hosts Of the women work in the
cigar and cigarette factories Of Ma
Mia, where many a sprightly Carmen
has caused the hearts Of the impress
sionable imported chivalry of Spain to
lutter violently.
BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.
The beauty Of the native half caste
women is in their great, lustrous, long
dashed eyes, their pearly teeth, grace
full figures and masses Of silky blue
black hair. They are, with the excep-
ton of the Negritos, who occupy the
Businesses Of the mountains, of
The native ONE array themselves
in the most gorgeous colors. The upper
part Of the body is clad in a white
loose sleeved garment. A gayly striped
cloth called the saya falls in folds
from the waist. Over this is swathed
falls about as far as the knees. The
poorer the family, of course, the sim
pier the garments, that Of many being
merely a short skirt and a very alb
breviated bodice. 1t is only the very
we'll to do that can afford the soft hon.
made material woven from the fibres of
the pineapple and the banana, and
which is much prettier and more serv-
iceable thai one might imagine.
It may b. said of the Philippine WON
en- that if their gems are not rich and
rare they are at least numerous. Any
woman in fair circumstances is loaded
down with jewelry on every occasion.
The reason Of this is found in the lack
Of confidence in each others honesty.
A safe deposit vault might afford Sc
curity for her property, but any one
who has lived in the Philippine islands
and is aware Of the pilfering character
of the inhabitants would b. inclined to
doubt even that.
THIEVES NUMEROUS.
Pirates, bandits and sneak thieves
flourish and grow rich. It is just as 1e-
spectacle to be a pirate or a brigand in
that happy land as it is to be a church
man in line of promotion to a bishopric.
No housekeeper is at all ~astonished on
returning from a walk or a visit to find
her home looted Of everything worth
carrying off. She is used to it and after
signing regretfully merely goes around
to the nearest merchant and orders a
new stock.
It cannot be said that the women Of.
the Philippine islands are intelligent.
Charming. and agreeable and subtle
they may be. but with little capacity
for serious intellectual attachments.
The foreigners find that the native
women make excellent servants. Some
years ago sewing machines were intro
duced into the Philippines, and the Ma
lay women showed great aptitude in
learning the management OF them.
They are now,as a rule, excellent seam
stresses. The services of a sewing wom-
an cam be procured for 20 cents a day,
the sewer working from 8 a. m. until
$50 or 6 o'clock. There are many
feasts and fast days. however, and as
the women are intensely religious in
their way the real time which they
work is only about two-thirds Of the
year.
ON THE CALZADA.
In the evening. after the business of
he day is over. in the city Of Manila
the people gather upon the Calzada, a
promenade that overlooks the water,
where the military band of n of the
regiments plays for a few hours each
night. It is not a particularly hand
some promenade. even with it's over
s%hadowing almond trees. Ii there the
wealth and beauty and fashion Of the
island nightly airs its graces and new
clothes-the rich in their carriages
driving slowly along behind sleek
horses, the poor on foot, happy and
contented with their share Of worldly
good fortune or lack Of 1t.
The houses Of the Philippines, while