The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-23
AMONG THE FILlPlAOs.
VIVID IMPRESSIONS OF PHIL
IPPINE SOCIETY.
4 .sMestizo Bale" in Manila
A Young Boston Clerks Expe-
riences-Polyglot and Poly
chromatic Promiscuity.

"A xOunS 0OStOn
riences-Polyg1ot and Poly
chromatic Promiscuity.
Senior R, a tall and distinguished
looking Mestizo of fifty years or so, to
whom 1 had been introduced during. one
of the intermissions at my first bull
fight. had courteously extended an IN
vitation to me to make one OF the Eng
lish speakingi guests at 'baile, which
would take place at his casa" the Iol-
lowing evening. Senior R was rich
and influential, captain" of pueblo,
well educated and a power in the COM
munity, and l was told that the lnvl-
tation was something of an honor, as
his acquaintance was a thing to cultl-
vate. On the strength of his position
and dignity, he adopted the European
form of dress; that is, he tucked his
shirt inside his trousers and wore
jacket and necktie. He was a great
admirer of Americans, he told me- and
regretted that since the failure or the
houses of Russell Sturgiss & Co. and
Peele, Hubben & Co., there had been
so few representatives of the great re-
public in Manila In view of his op;n-
ion, it is unfortunate that he should
not have lived to see the old city filled
with American troops.
1 cordially accepted his invitation,
and accordingly the next evening drove
across the ''Pasig" with party of
English fellows to the pueblo where
stood the Casa R" big. substan-
tial looking house, equal in appearance
to any of the best English and Spanish
residences, and standing in the midst
of wildly luxuriant garden. Upon en-
tering the "sala" we were greeted by
our genial host, who extended a box of
Imperial cigars with his left hand,
while he shook hands with his right. He
assured me that the house, grounds and
all contained therein were mine and
at my disposal henceforth and forever;
a privileged possession which it was
very evident I was to share with each
and every guest who arrived. At his
side stood al bamboo table, heaped with
dainty little Chinese fans, one of which
each conner was supposed to take, use
during the evening and retain as a
memento of the occasion.
I supposed the next thing to do was
to hunt up my hostess, the Sonora
R, and pay my respects. but my
English friends assured me that it was
not expected just then. "She's some
where in the crowd" they said, ANY
time will do. The dining-room is the
next thing. Old R would be hurt if
we didn't take something to begin
with"
THE FIRST SUPPER.
So we filed into the diningroom. A
huge table stood in the middle. covered
with heaping dishes of cake, candy,
slabs of crumbly sugar from China,
pickles of every conceivable kind, and
bottles of wine and liquor. including a
generous supply of Scotch and Ameri-
can whisky.
The room was filled with male guests
of variegated shades of complexion and
arrayed in any kind of costume, from
black jackets to the simple shirt with
tails Tapping outside white trousers.
All were eating, drinking very moder-
ately. considering the supply, smoking
and greeting each other with cleaning
teeth and hearty handclasps. Our en-
try was the signal for burst of cor
a4oiiAy, anu dill IdiiCS uiON6Q up W tic
table and joined the .Ingleese' in tax
ing something. The idea of eating at
this stage of the proceedings struck me
as being odd, to say the least, but I
had become SO used to finding the nat
ural order of things reversed in the
Far East that I ate without comment
l had been told that to come in a
regulation dress suit would be a
marked soleeism; so. not caring
to go in the ordinary white
linen of business, I fished up and
wore a black cutaway and pique waist
coat with gray trousers and the result
was that I nearly had heat apopIexy,
though it was a fairly cool evening in
December
After having relieved our hosts feel
ings by partaking of the eatables and
drinkables. we re-entered the '.sala'
just as the music for the first dance
started up, said music being provided
by three cadaverous Filipinos, with
harp, violin and piano, and remarkably
good music it was. Groups of Mesiiza
ladies, in the attractive and brilliantly
colored national dress, with complex
ions varying from the darkest brown
through shades of yellow to clear, dead
white, all much bepowdered, stood
around the room chattering and laugh
ing with attendant SWANS, and waving
their fans with the grace which goes
only with Spanish blood.
The floor was made of broad slabs of
dark wood, worth a fortune in any
other country, polished to the last de-
gree of brilliancy and affording the
canvas walls were hung with wreaths
and festoons of leaves, and flowers were
artistieally interviewer. and suspended
by cords from the ceiling. just over eur
heads, were several snow white doves
with outstretched wings. which to my
horror / discovered were alive. their