, 1899-02-21
.DESC|BES F|L|P|NOS
DR.. w. E. GOSSETT WRITES AN
INTERESTING LETTER TO
A BUFFALO PAPER,
Would Not Turn the Islands Over to
the Natives as They Are Not Unit
ed on Questions Now Before Them
Are an Industrious People-Prlvacy
of Civilized Life Unknown,

TINA or the Filipino character that
is of particular interest just now DR..
Gossett thinks that an unjustly I'M
favorable opinion of them is entertain
ed in many quarters. Their faults seem
to be largely those of a childish race,
and they are not so absolutely without
virtues as some letters and editorial
writings would lead us to suppose:
Manila, P. l., Dec. 80, 1898.
To the Buffalo Bulletin.
The Wyomings have had a snap even
since arriving here-no work except
that of guarding and policing our own
barracks-no great moun of sickness
as compared with other organizations.
The highest reaching 10 per cent and
Mcconnell, a brother of Mrs. Cops,
who is now at the hospital, being the
only II who is seriously i'll. He has
typhoid fever, but the worst seems to
be owe and he is now as l think on the
road to health. In general, the boys
have grown larger, although they don't
weigh so much; they look more
cular bigger around the waist and at
the same time not pussy"
We have received word that we are
to move to Cavite in a few days and the
boys are getting ready for the change.
OF course there is a good deal of grum-
bling for we have become accustomed
to our quarters and don't fancy any
thing which smacks of work. We hope,
however, it is only the first step to-
wards home and that the ides of March
may find us on the deep blue ocean,
headed for the-what shall l say, west
or east? At any rate it don't make any
difference so long as 1t is America. l
may say right here that however much
the Estados Unidos may annex" the
Philippine islands, We feel it can never
be a part OF America. Few of US, how
ever, would go so far as to turn the
islands over to the natives.
My knowledge of the natives is based
on what I see of them in and around
|, Manila, and l have good reason to be-
lieve that they are pretty much alike
all over the islands, although they
speak seven or eight different languages
and are not a unit on the questions now
before them.
What l Judge is this: They are an
Industrious people. Every man, wo-
man, little boy or girl, is busy, doing all
kinds of labor, selling bananas, pea
nuts, ETC., or washing clothes. They
don't work hard, but are always at 1t.
They are cheerful, social and musical.
They have, too, a good opinion OF
themselves and consider themselves in
ferior to nobody. They invite us to
their ~"casas" and as readily enter ours.
They are not bashful or timid, but mix
freely with lis without any show OF SER
Witty which is SO commln among the
dark race. They are models OF cleanli-
ness among the dark races. They are
models of cleanliness in person and
person. Nobody eve sees a dirty Fill
pino child. Their white tropical clothes
seldom show dirt, they are changed so
often and kept so nicely Numbered.
Along with this, however, they have no
sense of propriety as we see it, and 1t Is
not an uncommon thing to see a naked
child in the streets and the privacy Of
civilized life is unknown to them either
in language or action.
They can make a Yankee blush with
shame when it m to driving a bar
gain. They know 10 friends in bust
ness. They charge us outrageous prices
for everything for everything in the
line of food and drink. They all cele-
brated Thanksgiving day with us; but
they didn't do a thing but raise the
price of turkeys to s pesos apiece.
They learn our ways quickly. The
children go marching through the
streets in p%latoons, carrying American
emblems, singing American songs and
carrying sticks to represent guns. Some
of their prominent men have been edu-1
Gated in Europe. Some have accumu-
lated considerable wealth, which, un-
der the difficulties they had to contend
with, was, to say the least, creditable.
They are bright, industrious and