The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-05-25

Sey, was slttlnS on top OF one OF the
desks in an obscure corner of the
Office, with pencil aud pad in hand;
his manly brow furrowed by deep
thought and strenuous meditation.
From his brain felt sure would arise
something worthy of the most brave
and poetical. l asked him if he were
in pain, to which he remarked, Il
am not, bat do you know, Young.
now is the opportunity to show TO
the world that talent which has for
Is years remained latent within me;
that is. my shining light has for tina,
perioh been hidden BIZ bushel. l
repeat, Young, now is the time for
me C proclaim myself, showing that
l am, at least. worthy Of the servile
flattery showerel upon me at
Colombo" With Sergeant Lindsey's
kind permission. copy his produc-
tion-tor your benefit:
1.-The great ship She, idan plOyS along
Through the dark blue Indian Sea,
Loaded with brave and stalwart men
From the land of the noble free.
"Bound for far off Eastern land
On mission of peace and love;
Like great white bird of the sea, see rs
she,
Come down from the realm, above.
"The flag of the Union flies proudly alOft,
Aud emblem of honor unfurled;
The banner that represents courage and
truth
And commands the respect of the world.
1.-The great strong powers Of the broad
Old World
Uncover in mute admiration,
And the flags of their great ships and
strongholds dip low,
In salute to this fearless young Nation.
God grant success to these heroes in blue,
Called in this time of need,
10 right the wrongs of a misled race
In that land of oppression and greed.
Singapore was reached 1870 a. M,
the 7th of March. This city has a
DC ulation of 1873, 900; embraces 2O6
square miles; is the capital OF the
Straits Settlement, ruled by English
government. This population con-
sists chiefly of Chinese and Japanese;
a number of Europeans and very few
of the immediate East Indians. The
city is similar in number of re-
spects to all Eastern cities we have
passed. If anything it exceeds Co.
lombo, Ceylon, in beauty, antiquity
and magnificent grandeur.
The firm of John Little & Company
is the largest Of its kind in the city.
1t is wholesale and retail establish
ment, omparing very favorably with
Marshall Field & Company, Chicago,
U. S. A., or John Wanamaker, New
York City. Their stocks of goods are
of the latest American styles, carrying
very few fabrications of the Eastern
country.
The city is we'll lighted by electric
ity; kept very clean and extraordi-
narily we'll drained; very wide streets.
The inhabitants are exceedingly
thrifty; everyone constantly on the
90; there are few beggars. Their
money is just one-half the value OF
ours. For $500 you can procure
enough in exchange to most uncom-
fortably burden you. Prices are very
cheap. Fruit especially so. / pur-
chased 20 fine, large pineapples for
| % cents each in our money.
Our vessel remained coaling at the
| Singapore Coal Docks until p. m.
Sth. Left Docks 6:15 p. NJ, anchored
3 miles distant until a. NJ, 9th,
when we proceeded on our journey,
expecting to reach Manila about next
Friday, 18th. At this writing we are
in latitude 10 So N; longitude 1O4o
So E. The weather is very pleasant:
| not too warm.
Upon arriving at Manila we will
! have travelled, since leaving Jefferson
Barracks, Missouri, 12,4O2 miles; re-
quiring months and days to make
| the trip. AS whole, our voyage has
been a success; most profitable to an
| observant person, and exceedingly
| pleasant Commensurate with my
rank as SergeantMajor of the Regi.
ment, 1 have been accorded &C
commodations: good sleeping apart.
ments and as good food as any one
could desire. Since coming aboard
have eaten at the petty officers mess.
Strange to say we have had very
little news relative to the situation
at Manila. At every stop we ex.
pected to get some information from
the papers of the port.
Beginning tomorrow, the 10th, the
| Quartermaster will issue to the men
light clothing for use in the warm
climates: khaki suits, bingham and
nankeen shirts. With these we will
be prepared to hunt the surreptitious
Filipino.
My foreign service will soon begin
with Stay of three wears In the
Philippines. Will |, or will | not, be
a changed man before returning tc
| the United States?
Your obedient servant,
JOHN S. f. YOUNG,
Sergeant-Major 18th Z. S. Infantry.