Gloucester County Democrat., 1899-10-12
POOR PRUDENCE
a STORY or REAL LIFE IN
MANILA.

| quite true.
In the Philippine Islands persons of
mixed foreign and Malay blood are
called mestizos; feminine, mestiza.
Sometimes these mestizos display
thrift and good management, like
white people, particularly if proper
tion Of the race mixture is Chinese.
Such persons often become wealthy or
inherit fortunes from their ancestors,
and the richer they are the more they
Initiate the Spanish style of living,
laziness and all.
One Of the cardinal tenets of the
Spanish social fabric is that girl is to
be watched and tended precisely as If
she were baby or perhaps criminal
or an idiot. She must not take a walk,
must not work or get much education,
must not be driven out in carriage by
the coachman, unless somebody is with
her to prevent the total depravity OF
her nature from asserting itself. She
is not allowed to know anything of the
world till after she is married, and not
even then unless she is a woman of un-
usual brains and independence and
takes the bit in her own teeth.
The logical result is thar the most
absolutely useless human being on this
planet is the average Spanish woman
in Manila, whether maid, wife or
widow
Now let US go on with my story.
Prudencia's father and mother were
rich mestizos. They reared the girl in
pinchbeck Imitation of the Spanish
style, showing thereby the Stiffness and
vanity of human nature, since no Span
lard of high social standing would
have associated with them any more
than with his own valet or stableman.
The Americans came to Manila,
changing the whole face of things. The
Filipino insurrection famed up in a
night. Our soldiers fired native houses
and cut up plantations for miles
around Manila to drive out the rebels
and protect the city.
Among those whose possessions went
up in smoke were the parents of Pru-
dencia. In one day their chocolate
and eocoanut groves, banana gardens
and ricefields were leveled to the
ground, and of their home only the
brick steps were left.
Homeless, ruined, not knowing
whence their next weeks living would
come, they sped into Manila. the city
where the American government feeds
the wives and children Of the insurrec-
tos who are fighting against it. The fa-
ther and mother consulted an Ameri-
can lawyer to ascertain whether they
could recover damages for the loss of
their property, seeing that they them
selves had not been it's enemies.
Oh, yes. they could, the attorney
told them. The great and good United
States government a.-''ays paid for
property necessarily destroyed in the
war when 1t belonged to persons not in
rebellion. But it would require time to
recover what was due them.
The attorney showed himself kindly
and interested in their welfare, so that
one morning they made bold to consult
him on matter that vitality concerned
.hem. How were they going to live
while the lawyer was recovering their
possession?
That was more than even he could
tell them. Had they no way of earn
ing money to tide over the waiting? he
asked No; there was no way, there
was nothing. AT least there was one
thing, but it was not thought of, not
for moment.
"What is thatT asked the attorney.
'aThere has been offered to our
daughter" answered the father, "a
place as teacher in one of the munic-
ipal schools. 1t is primary school, to
teach young children, and our Pruden-
cia could do this we'll"
'Oh. then,D said the attorney, you
are provided fer already"
"But, no. answered the father; sit
cannot be. The little school is in Err
mita. We live in the walled city, a
mile and half away. We are too
poor to keep carriage in which to
send our daughter back and forth four
times day"
"But there's the street car quite con-
venlent," said the American.
"But the senior does not understand.
Her mother cannot accompany our
daughter always In the tram car or go
after her every noon and evening. We
are too poor to hire a nurse or woman
servant to do so. 1t would eat up all
the earnings" M
s'But surely the senorita knows the
way to her schoolhouse and can sit in
the street car till she arrives at her
schoolhouse."
"Oh, no. no, senior! She could never
go alone. 1t cannot be. was the hor-
rified answer.
1t is true that Prudencia's Tagalo
cousins and aunts and friends, Young
women with quite as much Spanish
blood In their veins as she had and
quite as pretty and intelligent, rode in
the street car every day, and they rode
bareheaded and barefooted at that, and
smoked cigarettes or chewed a nasty
blood red betel nut on the way, quite
able to take care of themselves in ev-
cry respect, just as Prudencia would
have been had not fate cursed her
mother and father with little money,
thus enabling them to make of their
daughter cheap and monkeylike imi-
tation of a Spanish woman. Even
cigarettes and all their healthful, ae-
tive life were better than hers.
The legal gentleman smiled. wait
till the Americans have been here q
year longer, and you'll let your daugh-
ter go alone anywhere she likes in the
street car You will ind It will be not
only safe, but entirely proper" he said
But they. only shook their heads in
stupid unbelief.
The kindly attorney made another
suggestion Rents are cheap in Err
mita. Why don't you Ike small
house and have the whole family GO
and live there. somewhere near your
daughters schoolT'
Even then our Prudencia would
have to walk several blocks and alone
four times q day. said her mother
s'We could not let her do that. mol
ever. 1t is out Of propriety. No. senior
alas, no! This means Of living is cui
off from as. We must starve or beg
unless the good God helps us.
You will say that ueonle like that