Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1899-01-21

taken from the New Era of Waitsburg
will be OF interest to our readers;
MANILA, P. l., Nov. 20, 1898.
This is the day after that is the day
after Thanksgiving but it is late in the
evening now and think have recov-
cred from the effects OF the dinner sufti
GENTLY TO write about it; yes, Unjust tell
you about Thanksgiving in the Philip
pines. There are no churches here
except Catholic, however the different
commands held their own services.
In the first place the state of the tenn
perature was such that the ordinary blue
uniform was too heavy, in fact | very
rarely put it on. For work l wear the
regular field uniform made from light
material called khakie, and for dress oc-
casions a white uniform is worn.
At the present minute the thermom-
eter registers - Degrees degrees be-
low summer heat--and am sitting here
writing with nothing on but suit Of
paiamas. The weather has been delight
full most of the time since / came. At
home for the past two years, Thanksgiv-
ing season was the coolest part of the
winter and l can imagine you as cultiva-
ting the friendship of the heating stove
while seek the shade for comfort.
Yesterday being a holiday all unnec-
essary work was dispensed with conse-
quently had nothing to do. | began the
day by getting up at the early hour of 6
a. m. 1t occurred to me tina in order to
properly observe the day and inciden-
tally make myself feel better, l should
take an inventory with the result that
the debts were so far in excess OF the
credits that it was evident that some
one else would have to pay the debt and
some one has; received my share Of
the blessings for which | am truly
thankful The United States as nation
could enter into the spirit of the day
with fervor it seems to me, because many
of our successes in this war and the fact
that there were no reverses whatever
were providential.
Being still in the retrospective mood,
my mind from force of habit, presume,
reverted to football. For the four pre-
vious autumns, at the w. A. G. | have
indulged in the sport which usually
reached it's climax and eliminated with
Thanksgiving, and as | recall the differ
ent games and the exciting times,
scores & to 6, third down and five yards
10 gain enter plays, and hard knocks, -
my blood stirred within me to stand
once more on the gridiron and shake my
long locks" in defiance at the enemy,
but alas those days are past, am en-
gagged in a different kind OF warfare,
possibly no more dangerous. But what
has all this to do with the Philippines
Well it was part of my Thanksgiving
anyway.
In the afternoon Lieut.. Abernethy,
Boutelle and myself, by way of an appe-
tier, took walk and in our wanderings
visited some of the cigar and cigarette
factories. The tobacco business ia one
of the chief industries of the place; the
hest Manila cigars which cost from 10 to
% cents a piece in the United States
can be bought here for 3 cents, conse-
quentIy everybody smokes, even the
women. There will be very few soldiers
90 away from here who will not have
ACQUIRED the habit if they didn't have it
already. In one factory we went through
where there are hundreds OF men,
women aud children employed, the out
put must have been something enor-
nous. Cigars are of course made by
hand, and the cigarettes are turned out
by machinery OF various patterns; saw
some which worked at the rate OF 2O4 q
minute. The dexterity which the en-
ploys reach is remarkable; In putting up
cigarettes they always put 80 in bunch
but never count them and wrap them so
quickly one can hardly follow the mo-
ton of their hands.
By the time we returned we were
ready for the dinner which | will at
tempt to describe. Besides the officers
regularly belonging to the mess there
we're three guests making fourteen or
fifteen in all. The dinner was served in
courses as all our meals are. Course l
was sandwiches; course 2, oyster soup;
course 3, shrimp salad; course !, devied
crabb; course 5, turkey with peas
course 6, two kinds of pies; desert,
oranges, bananas, sweet meats and nuts.