The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-28
HOW THE FILIPINOS LIVE
INTERESTING FACTS OF DRESS, MAN
NERs AND CUSTOMS.
The "New Woman" Is an Old Philip
pine InstitutiOn-Gay Costumes
of the Bellies and Dandies.

The article on the Philippines in the Fort
nightly for July is filled with facts instruc-
| tive and amusing, about the ten millions
of tawny barbarians whose fate is hanging
| in the balance, all ''unbeknownst'' to them.
| OF their more intimate life the writer, Mrs
1 Garrett, says:
| Gambling may be said to be the one vice
of the Philippine islander, and takes chief
ly the form of cock-fighting-more ruinous
| for him in its effects than the earthquakes
and cyclones by which his home is OCCASION
| lily devastated. With the Tagal, even more
! than with the Malay generally this pastime
is a passion pushed to the extreme In every
native hut, in every craft floating on the
Pasig, a cock is to be found undergoing
training as careful as that bestowed in the
West on a race horse-though perhaps to
| perish on it's first appearance in the lists.
native at leisure is seldom seen without
! his game cock, pretty creature, not much
| larger than a bantam, which he carries
under his arm, and should his hut take fire
his first thought is this favorite, which,
| having secured, he leaves the rest to fate.
Cock fights are held regularly on Sundays
and festivals, and in Manila on one day
in the week as we'll; and the laws regulat-
ing them, which contain as many as a hun
dred clauses, are very strict
| The spectators stand, or squat on their
heels-the favorite native posture-on
| sloping floor at the foot of which are the
| lists The maximum stake is $50 and one
| spur only is allowed to each cock. The
| Chinaman, who farms the gallera, collects
the bets, which, relatively to the wealth of
the company, are enormous, Tagals of the
poorest class often stalking from So to 81,
1
Meantime the owners of the first combat
ants are armng 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 all the
| bets have been collected the cocks are
| faced. Should one run away without being
| injured, which does not often occur, he is
6rongh TO fade ano victor neM This s he
| comba tants are probably more equally
matched, and the excitement of the reeking
crowd of Tagals and Cinnamon increases.
The cocks fly at one another, meeting
| breast to breast. their upifted claws direct
| ing the points of their spurs at the adver-
sary, again and again endeavoring to strike
| a fell blow, chance generally determining
| the victory according to the vulnerabiity of
| one of the cocks reels falls and expires and
| the victor executes triumphant dance over
| the bleeding corpse of his vanquished foe,
| while the shouts and EXPLANATIONS in Tag
| oloc and Chinese which have accompanied
| the struggle increase to a perfect babel.
| Another form of gambling, to which the
| is the purchase of tickets in the govern
ment lotteries. These tickets are divided and
| Subdivided until share may be bought for
a peseta ODD and much of the spare cash
| of the natives thus finds it's way into the
| Golfers of the hacienda. The gambling pro-
| pensity of the Tagals is occasionally ex-
| plotted in various ways. During my resi-
dence in Manila a baZar was organized
| for the benefit of the General Hospital, but
| ms IF inIa cd Hni Gnl6
| in the usual way, they were piled into
| pyramid in the center of the temporary con-
| terry tickets dsposing Of them being sold in
| the numerous stalls held by the leading
| ladies of the Spanish and foreign communit-
| ties. A S. packet of tickets contained one
| prize only it might be of the value of
| shilling or two. or of several pounds. and
single ticket at the price of peseta had
as much chance of winning one of the lat
| ter as S. packet one of the former. Ac-
| cordingly. all ranks of natives. on three
and spent their money lloerally, patronizing
| in preference the stalls held by foreigners.
| apparently having more faith in the bona
| fdes of these than Of the Spaniards with
| the result that at the combined British and
| American stall, at which l assisted, several
hundred pounds were taken.
HOW SPAIN GOVERNED THEM.
The sixteenth century colonizers of the
| Philippines had the wisdom to allow the
| tives they domesticated to retain to a great
only change of any Importance made in the
existing system being the total abolition of
the form of slavery practsed. While the
| Spanish governor general took the place of
| the sultans and greater chiefs. the datos,
| or feudal lords, were appointed goberna-
| dorcillos or petty governors of the villages
and townships. which were termed. accord
| ing to their Importance, pueblos and visitaS.
or retained their native appellatiop of bar
| angay. TO these petty governors and their
| lieutenants and cabeZas, as the mead men
| are termed were intrusted the duties of
| mayor. magistrate and tax collector, re-
| Spectively.
| They were made responsible for the poll
| tax levied until 1884, under the name of
| tribute, on every adult native, for the prop
! err performance of the statute labor, which
| consists of forty days road mendng and
| other municipal work and some days serv-
| ice as cuadrilleros. a kind of municipal and
| cantonal gendarmerie commanded by the
| gobernadorcllo. Such, in brief, is the
| internal organization of these islands, insti-
| tuted at the conquest and perpetuated till
| the present day, to the great advantage of
| their rulers.
| A MARRIED WOMAN'S PARADISE.
| The Philippine laws relating to the prop
| erty of married persons are exceedingly
quaint and interesting, being entirely in
| favor of the wife. The property of bride
| is never settled on the husband. If man is
| poor and his wife well-to-do, so they re-
| main throughout their married lie, ne De-
| coming simply the administrator of her pos
sessions, but having no right to them. If a
husband becomes bankrupt in business in
which ne has invested some of his wifes
| fortune she ranks as a second-class credi-
| tor under the Commercial Code. Even on
her death the husband cannot, save under
| a deed executed by her in the presence of
notary, derive any benefit from her estate,
| as her children, if she have any, and if not
| her nearest blood relatives, are her heirs.
| Thus it not unfrequently happens that the
! father of wealthy children is himself i'm
| pecunious and dependent on their generos-
| ity for support though at the same time he
| is compelled by law to manage their affairs
| while minors and, at their ma jority, to rem
der strict account of his stewardship. A
married woman continues to use her maiden
name to which she adds her husbands with
| the prefix de. This she abandons when left
! a widow save for purposes of business or
| convenience.
Children also bear the names Of both
| father and mother that of the mother
| comes last and is, consequently, the more
| prominent. 1t is however, only since 1874
| that the mass of the natives have adopted
| family designations In that year list of
| Spanish surnameS was sent to the priest
| of every parish, from which the head of
each household chose the cognomen which
| best pleased him. Thus one may find such
| noble names as Legaspi, De Salceda. Lopez
| de Vega etc. borne by the dusky-hued ma
| tives of the interior of Luzon.
| r,DnxyT THU AFErNY nTrur