The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-29
AGUlNALD0 AND HIS MEN.
INTERESTING PEN PICTURES OF
FILIPINOs IN PEACE AND WAR.


Pointed AmbitiOn--The Bandits Al
ways for Him-DOn Pope as lie
Wns-The Bellies of Manila.
From the New York Sun.
Under the title "A Week in the Philip
pines" the Courier des Etats-Un is
publishing a series Of letters which were
written in November, 1897. giving detail
ed description Of the island at the time of
the late instruction against Spanish rule.
Not the least interesting in the series is
the following sketch from the note book
of the traveller, whose name will be pub
lished when the series is finished:
THE desire which the Filipinos have al
ways felt for leader has been brought
one to them in the person of Aguinaldo,
Fifty years ago the ambition of young
schoolmaster like him would not have
reached beyond the grade of captain of
banditti. Under the influence of European
ideas, which through the Suez canal have
spread themselves all over Asia. he as
pires TO be the founder of a republic.
fear very much that he will be disappoint-
ed But it would pain me to rail at this
young chieftain of q years. who, dazzled
by the glory of Washington and Bolivar,
acquired from their example sufficient
force 10 discipline his army and TO spare
his cause from the shame of the excuses
whom stained the flag of Spain. The
bandits whom the Spanish police had new
er been able to subdue in the islands
claim to owe allegiance 10 him, and in this
they deceive nobody. IL is known that
Aguinaldo follows the generous example
of Meneiek toward his prisoners, and he
has horror of reprisals. One of his first
acts of authority was TO sentence GER
tain Bonfacio to be shot for pillage and
murder. He preserves carefully the re-
llgious beliefs in the hearts of his Indians,
thoroughly approaching the fact that his
prestige would become lessened by the di-
minution of faith. All human authority
leans upon the supernatural, and that
perhaps is the reason why one man gains
such ascendency over others The Tagals,
fond OF the mysterious, attribute to their
young hero superhuman power He lives
under their tents, participates in their la
bors, casts bullets, bakes black bread, and
cooks maize. Notwithstanding all that, in
their eyes, he wears a halo If he should
declare that he was invulaerable his In
dians would believe him.
Moreover, the reports that are scat
tered around and the orders that are
transmitted assume a legendary form in
this country. Before the Instruction il
was reported in the neighborhood of Ton
do that at about 10 O'Clock at night the
fiery form of woman appeared in the
sky with a crown of living serpents. That
was the sign for the people that the hour
for revolution was at hand. There was
also another story that, at Biacnabato,
woman gave birth to a child dressed in
the full uniform of a general. That was
taken as the announcement of the arrival
of shiploads of arms for the insurgents
These stories and apparitions excited the
popular imagination, which ignored their
hidden sense and retained only the fan
tastic figure.
1T has been said that the Spanish con-
quest robbed the ensiaved races of their
native poetry and that it dimmed com
pletely the lucidiCy of their minds But
time always comes when the spirit of a
race is born again to grow more luxuriant-
ay than ever. Even the soil gives to IL a
new sap. The Spaniards, therefore, have
to-day not only TO struggle against men,
but also TO overcome phantoms of the
past nature aroused from its sleep, le-
gends that have come down from the
mountains and the dead who have come
up from their graves. That is why the
soldier. overhurdened by his task fights
without energy, while the insurgents dis
play in battle the most furious courage
In some cases they have rushed upon the
Spanish lines with nothing but knives in
their hands and have come back to camp
unwounded but covered with blood
There is one good thing at least in war.
II develops prodigious energy. and when
its cause is legitimate il gives a moral
courage TO all The half-breeds and the
Indians in Manila do not differ either in
their nature or in their education from
Agulnaldos Taga.s. Like the latter, they
have fine heads and graceful figures
Like them, also, they have among them
broad faces hydrocephalic foreheads and
an upper lip so far removed from the nose
that the whole physiognomy presents n
painful and stupid expression Never
theless, the foreign residents. especially
the Spaniards. judge them falsely. They
insist that they are lazy, avaricious and
passionately fond OF gambling. They
prostitute their wives TO Europeans and
the women consider it is an honor for them
30 bring into the world a child with n
in vice
II dined one evening with European
iady who told me the following story: we
uNed near police barrack and the win
dow of my room overlooked ward in
winch there was collection of officers ana
s"ldlets. There l saw them bring in some
Innld'ls' doup'iess suspects. They tied
"tNNA aioAhti upon bench. and
win rods the soldiers beat them on the
soles OF their feet. The victims yelled ana
'le soldiers laughed. Eacn Victim vyas
oohsed 20 count himself In a Ioud va,
lhe number OF blows he received. When
wretch reached 40. a or q. maddened nv
pam ne became confused IN his co1n,
called the soldiers a set Of miserable ass,s.
ems They raised their heads ana corn.
"sHeea 70 laugh az me- And here The