Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-02-28
q PHILiPPINE CEMETERY.

Paco cemetsry ID q Characteristic FIJI
plnO buryiug ground, = small circular
piece OF land With two thick and high
c0ncenSric walls aonne distance apart,
the outer one enclosing the cemetery.
In these walls, aud not In the ground,
the dead are buried, In innumerable mar.
row inches running deep into the wall.
When the body Il once put In, the niche
Ia walled mp and tablet Il placed to
mark the spot. The reason that graves
arc not dug In the ground II that &C
depth OF two feet water Il found. The
cemetery 10 managed on the plan Of
boarding house. The deceased's friends
pay his board for four years, and II at
the end Of that time they do not pay
agaiu the niche IL broken open and the
remains are thrown into the bone-pit.
Sometimes not even this courtesy 10
shown to the dead. for saw coffin and
part Of corpse thrown over the back
wall Of the cemetery into somebody's
rice-field
On the lst Of November, towards even
ing. PAco cemetery Is very interesting
sight. The two concentric rings Of
walls blsxe with the light OF thousands
OF candles and small lamps. About
these two blazing rings great crowd
moves. Individuals stop now and then
before the niche Of some dead friend, ~,
on the promenade OF any European
watering-place, people stop to speak to
each other.
never knew before what became OF
all the Derby hats Of bygope years, but
now know that they are sent out 10
the Philippines. Little native men, In
spick and span shirts with the tails float
Ing TO the wind. wear Dcrbys Of every
conceivable shape, some perched on the
top OF their heads after the fashion OF
the Irish music-hall comedian, some
covering their faces aud ears with
voluminous curved brims. Little Philip
pine women with stiff clean pima dresses
and black xauze wells over their heads,
looking neat and wholesome, swing
along with that peculiar undulatory
motion of the body which reminds one a
little of the snake. Mestizs girls, 10
costumes which are not quite Philippine,
and certainly not European, hold their
heads high and sniff at the common peo-
pie A. BELTS their superior caste. Span
ish women, In dresses after the Paris
fashions in the sixties, hang indolently
on the arms Of gallant Spanish officers
- no carry themselves with the naughty
pride OF couquerors. Aud, finally, jim
my Green, In an ill-htting brown duck
suit with flannel shirt and campaign
hat, slouches along 10 see the sights.
AT one end OF the cemetery is q chapel,
where for small consideration masses
will be said to get the suffering souls on.
Of purgatory. Indeed, "AllSouls day"
Ia the only dsy In the year when souls
In pnrgatory have chance To get out.
Back OF the church IL the ''boneyar \
long trench where the skulls and bones
OF people that have failed 10 pay their
rent are thrown. A rather pretty Fill
pIuo girl, nopchslantly smoking q cigsr-
cite at the edge OF this pit. gave n
slight" tn one Of our party. Her escort
climbed down into the "boae-yard" and
picking up, skull, muttered something
10 Tsgslo. IL might have been "Alas
poor Yorick.' for all We knew. The
relic-hunter among US asked the man,
In Spanish, to give him the skull TO take
home "a s memento.
"Oh, senor," answered the TagAlo,
III you take IL home, IL will jump about
at night, and give you no rest until YOU
either break Il or bring IL back here"
"But II | get the padre 10 sprinkle
holy water on IL ~ asked the relic-huuter.
Bah. what can the padre dor re-
Piled the irreverent Tagslo.-Hsrper's