The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-24
yOU would not recognize Christ
i mas in the Philippines by mere

" mas in the Philippines by mere
II ly looking at it. 1t takes a cal
endar and good, strong Imagination
to make sure. The sun is as glazing
and hot as ever, the trees are as green,
the flowers as bright and abundant,
and the birds as noisy Inquisitively.
the Montana boy in Manila turns over
the pages of holiday number Of a
magazine, four Of five years old, Dor
rowed from the chaplain's stock
Strange and incongruous seem the
scenes there depicted: A street in the
retail business quarter of great
American city, the shop windows fes-
lively decorated, filled with little blonde
wax angels, blue and gilt tinsel, and
toys arranged around big figure Of
Santa Claus, muff1ed in white Astra-
khan coat people moving hurriedly
along the icy sidewalks with bundles
under their arms; next winter land
scape by night, a cottage in the silent
and snowy woods, a bright patch OF
light slanting from one Of the win
doWs out on the earth's white mantle
revealing a Christmas tree all ablaze
and happy children inside. How odd
it all was, and how long, long ago it
felt since he had seen anything like
that and then with yearning he Won
dered whether Uncle Sam would ever
let him go back again. He remembers
how he used to try to imagine how
people felt in countries where they
had no snow on Thanksgiving or
Christmas day, and then a brown Fill
pino, looking over his shoulder at
picture of a frozen pond covered with
skaters, asks: What is that?'' The
explanation that in America, after All
Hallows' days, the ponds and rivers
get hard and smooth and flakes Of a
white substance fall from the sky, l.,
received half incredulously.
There was no lack of good cheer at
Manila on Dec. Is, 1898, among the
Montana soldiers, although it was Of
the reminiscent kind, merrymaking IN
the memories of the past The time
honored Christmas motto was little
changed. too, amended by proviso:
Peace on earth-exeept in the Philip
pine islands; and good will towards
men--exoept the Filipinos" For that
was just the time when the insurgents
were beginning to get their courage.
Till then their hostility had been
covert, and now it broke out in fire.
quent and menacing demonstrations,
For weeks before it had been a topic
Of conversation and even heated dis
cussion at the Montana barracks what
the government would do for the BOYS
on Christmas day. 1t was legal hol-
iday and the regulations provided that
there should be no drilling on such oc-
4 casions, some maintained; and others
told about having seen an account in
the papers of a government transport
loaded with turkeys on its way to the
Philippines The turkey-laden vessel
proved to be myth, and when Christ
mas day came the trumpets blew the
drill call as usual. Moreover, the night
before orders were received from Gen
eral Macarthur, the division COM
mander, which exemplified the increas-
ing tension between the American and
insurgent forces. The outposts about
the city We're being materially
strengthened and, beginning with +he
next day, the Montanas were assigned
to duty in the Gordon that surrounded
the city of Manila. The post allotted
TO them lay to the north, on the Dull
Ilmbayan road, not far from the leper