The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-11

l
of DR.. Richard II. Lewis, of Kinston
not yet twenty-one years old, is i'll Ma
| nla, Il member of the Goth U. S. In
fantry. We are permitted today to lay
| before our readers, his last letter to his
mother. 1t will give the best idea of
conditions in the Philippine islands that
cam be obtained from any source. 1t is
| as follows:
Station Santa Cruz,
Manila, L. l.
My Dear Mother:
Your most welcome letters came in
| the mail of last week, via. Hong Kong.
The one from DR.. i. was much en- Joy
ed. We get mail regularly, at intervals
Of generally nine days. Most of it
comes by way of Hong Kong, on regu
lar mail steamers; but some of it is
brought over on the Government trans
ports from San Francisco.
| / wish | could write to you oftener,
but life is an almost continuous round of
| military duty, hence my neglect, which
you may have thought wilful. Our duty
is to patrol the district known as Santa
Cruz. Four patrols, each composed of
a non-commissioned officer and three
privates, walk the streets day and night.
In addition to that, there are three
posts at the quarters. No. l has his
beat in front of the guard house, Nos.
and walk on the right and on the
left hanks Of the barracks respectively.
AS you probably know, martial law is
strictly enforced in Manila, now; and
tbnSp oytro heavy rIla1.lS and pIIlOarouS
patrols are put on to prevent an upris-
ing of the natives within the city limits.
There are, naturally, Il great many
insurgent sympathizers in the city; and,
if left to themselves, and if the vigilance
of the Americans would, for an hour re-
lax, there would be general upris-
ing, and we might have trouble to sub
due them. SO long as we keep on the
lookout, we are safe; but it is from the
''curs" who have not courage enough,
those who fire from windows and house
tops, that we have most to fear. You
cannot have any idea of the power of a
man like Aguinald0, over weak minds.
Himself a talented, brilliant man of
genius, thoroughly educated, he, the in
tended deliverer of his country, the
''Washington of the Philippines, ''as he
Washington, ruled his followers with an
iron hand, and made them believe that
the Americans had come to oppress them
and drive them out. He has deceived
| them by false promises, which he has
not and cannot fulfill; he has kept up
| their dropping spirits by means of his
brilliant oratory and magnetic power.
And when they, realizing their hopeless
"a; nd Il
| bel against his authority, he shot Them
down and forced them, by threats and
blows. back into the trenches, there to
| die. Such a man is Aguinaldo, the in
| surgent chieftain, the ''deiverer of his
| country" the scholar, the statesman, the
| brilliant general; but withal the curse
| Of the Filipiuos as a nation. OF his
| message to Congress, it has been said
| by Senator Hoar, | think, that 1T could
not be dictated by ten men on this plan
| et.' Pleading, forceful, eloquent and
| logical, full of the choicest English, it
was worthy of better man. But
| enough of AgunaIdo. l had no inten-
| ton when | began of writing his biogra-
| ply.
| | want to tell you of the products Of
| these islands. / know that army news is
not very interesting to you. Well, to be-
| gin: Hemp, sugar and tobacco are the
staple Of the Philippine trade. But it is
| probable that almost every commercial
| product OF the tropics can be raised adj
| vantageously i'll one or other of the isl
ands. The cocoanut tree is the natives
most valued possession, almost his staff
of life-furnishing him with food, wine,
oil, vinegar, fuel, ropes, fishing lines, as
| well as fiber. which is woven into cloth.
| Oranges, lemons, guavas, pineapples and
| bananas grow wild and in profusion. 1t
| has been said that rice is the corn of
| the Philippines, and it is well said, for
every native raises his rice crop. 1t
is planted on low lying ground, near
, some stream, that it may be readily
inundated.
Native architecture is confined to the
simple, yet not altogether ungraceful
lines of the bamboo shack" These
primitive dwellings, are Invariably of one
story, with thatched roofs Everything
in and about the house is made of bam-
boo The beds are made of strips of it
laid on cross pieces and supported by
| four legs. also made of bamboo The
yard, about the house, is generally plant
ed in bananas and cocoanut trees. Near
ly always there are few chickens and
ducks and numerous ',muchachas. tSee
/: Bro. Ed Here the Filipino lives, moves