The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-02-01

fsult which he is conscious Of having com
m mitted. he is said to bear no grudge. An IN
suit, even II merited, he Will never io,stHe,
for his amour propre Is stIong; ne, ne nae nnH u
sense of dignity and looks down upon any
one who lacks it. In that respect the Amerl-
cans will be and are at a disadvantag We
are the least dignified people In the %orlu.
and AsIatics find IT hard 10 o GopIGn1na m oanner
dignity is, after all, the Latin for Wortnlness
and the Spaniards still preserve tne inanmtr ne
once thought TO be inseparaoie from ~; tne
Tagalo. perhaps because OF ms oaaPpptbition aPpif Of
anger. He is not lacking IN ora'esS ,as ana -
respects bravery in Others, anu ne lilahes q
very fair soldier. HIS sense OF huunor h
small, aud he Is lar from being merry per
son. He is presuning; always on the look.
out 10 see how far be can go; and, Just as ~
usually the case with boys In western Ianus,
time He is docile IN the hands OF those ne
Acknowledges as his superiors In aoliIy anu
character. He is mo-, incapable OF aIieco,op, ~,
but BY no means inclined 10 ~ cepnd eAceeptide ond
his own family. He IL gooo husoahu auu
an ipduIgent father. ,,. ,,,
The Tagao is hospitable and generous, out
impulsively So and seemingly wilhout eA-
pectns return of gralitnae, ungLsteenS'ntHs ~
Is Intensely jealous OF bis vile, but tne conuucI
of unmarried women is not regarded as mat
ter of Importance by the Tagalo. Though ne
has always had Intoxicating beverages az uis is
not eiven to excess either In drink or food
His great vice is gambling. In which ne Knows
no bounds. Tagalo Is considered very !aIy'
but it seem to me that a motive rather than
energy is lacking. His ordinary wants are
small, and little eXeriion Is needed 10 supply
them bpt In case OF need he Is capable OF
severe and prolonged exertion. IL hignea ea
standard OF living became the fashion, see
little doubt that he would become more ~
dustrious. This may happen through MS
com ercial instincts, which are well oeVol-
oped most houses about Manila having q III
tie shop In front where some trihe ls lor SAFE.
A LACK OF ORIGINALITY.
The Tagalo has little or no intellectual orig.
inality; though he learns easily, ne goes NO,
artistic, and seldom decorates his weapons,
utensils or dwelling; but be initiates Win
remarkable facility. One OF the consequences
of these mental Qualities Is that ms S,sr views o.
L. is really curious TO observe that the
speeches and essays of the Insurrectos are, so
far az they go, exactly such as l., Spa,naaros s,ta
Far away the best quality of the Tagalo is
his sense OF justice. II we are TO govern this
race successfully, 1t must be by an inViolaole
regard for by 10 ee ,bey
regard as weakness, and TO honesty and
truthfulness IL will take long time TO accus'
tom them. They will presume as far as they
can, and will laugh 10 their sleeves II no,
sim pie character should characterize our ofh-
cial dealings with them. and any loss OF tetn-
per will be fatal to the usefulness OF an ofhcer.
When the natives are once thourougly con-
vinced of our superiority In originality, aoll-
ity and character, they will show themselves
docile, and will quickly Initiate our methods
OF industry, ad IN IN istration and thought. =.
The character of the Tagalo does not make
for peace at the present juDcture. For months
ne has been allowed to presume AS much as
ne chuse. He thinks the thing he has set up
1T Maiolns IN a government He believes mat
he and not the United states defeated Spain.
He breads foreign rule such AZ he has under'
zone, has no distinct idea Of the difference
between the Spanish and American systt ms
Of government, and does not In the least
reaiIze what q war with the United States
would mean. Indeed, some Tagalos suppose
that they are more formidable soldiers than
the Am orleans. l fear we may be pelled
10 teach them a sharp lesson-the sharper ana
more sudden the better. But the condition IL
one OF unstable equilibrium, SO far as l can
see. A small matter, some trifiing incident,
some single speech or letter. may give Inc
impulse which will the land body polite on
the broad base OF peace. Whether peace ls
attained without war or through war, the
future Of these islands under American rule
Will be one OF almost uuheard OF prosper ity.
George F. Becker.