The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-03

It is an cid process Of bargaining. The
novice gets well roasted. The old hand
lies low and watches out for bargains
A Hebrew clothes dealer will give one
an experience of just the same charac-
ter, but there IS much less OF fun in
that case than there is when the seller
is a dirty, betel- chewing Moro, dressed
IN the picturesque garb OF his country.
The articles offered are the knives OF
various shapes and patterns, spears Of
various shapes. native brides, native
hats, and embroidered cloths. Even
at the prices asked, any Of them would
be cheap enough from an American
standpoint, but a judicious indifference
to the article desired, coupled with an
offer of about one-half of the sellers
price, will probably secure it after due
time Old coats of mail are also an oc-
casfouaI offer The price varies from
about three to ten dollars American, ac-
cording to the condition and the decor
alton of the coat The knives range
from two to twenty dollars, American
The arrival OF the steamer. which IS not
a frequent occurrence, is the signal for
an increase and a sttnening Of prices.
1t announces a fresh crop OF Americans
with muchO dinero-
The Chinese trader and workman OF
Jolo is just what he is elsewhere, pa
tient, stolid. and industrious. He will
make me a suit of white cotton drill at
SO, American. and a pair oS white can
vas Oxford shoes for an American dol
lar. The cost of living, of clothing, and
probably of the convenieEces of life
in Jolo, will, perhaps, not for a. long
time be as low as they are today. The
most immediate result of American Oc-
cupatiOn in all the places of my expert
ence has been an enhancement OF the
cost of living. In the West Indies, the
native mind soon acquired an idea OF
American, mucho dinerO.' The Moro
already believes that an American, If
he spends the last cent in his pockets,
need only go to his house or on board
hi -y7f f0 INV tar
John Chinaman always finds US an easy
prey. Much of this is due to the readi-
ness with which Americans pay their
money for things which are, from the
American standpoint, amazingly cheap.
Many things appear so low in price that
one feels like a. contemplate screw II
he wrestles with the seller to obtain
them at what is really their value IN
the local market When one has used
a Manila canomatu for three hours and
the driver wants fifty or seventy five
cents, instead of his legal fOrty-dve, it
seems very petty to withhold it, and he
usually gets it.
To the eastward of JoIo are two coast
villages, built partly on shore and part
ly on posts over the water Their chief
industry appears to be fishing, fresh
fish for the JOlO market and dried FISH
for the general inland market should
not be believed if it were possible for
me to describe some Of the fish which
I saw brought in to the village of Bus
bus CoIor-drawings of them, if colors
could produce their rainbow and opal
escent tints would be pronounced by
most to be the fancy sketches of a
fertile imagination The variety was
great, and the colOring of many was
marvellous and often exquisitely beauu-
full The boats used for fishing are ex-
ceedingly graceful in structure, long,
very narrow, and often showing fan
tastic carvings at bow and stern With
out the buoyant support of the project
ing Outriggers, they could hardly De
kept upright on a miIl-DOud-
Some three or four miles west Of the
city, an experiment is being made in
coffee raising on an extensive scale OF
the quality Of the berry am unable to
speak, as none was to be had which
was in condition for use But saw
some seventy acres of coffee trees of
most vigorous and healthy growth
They were not shaded as is the West
Indian custom, but were set out like an
orange grove Coffee usually requires
a third or a. fourth year for its matur-
ity. I was assured by its owner that
this grove was but from a year and
nine months to two years and three
months old On tree after tree the
branches bowed to the ground with the
weight of the berries along the stems.
Many branches broke down entirely,
and many a tree had fallen PROSTATE,
broken and partly uprOOted from its
top weight. The father of the present
prOprietOrs, the Messrs- SchUck, set out
a much smaller grove some twelve or
thirteen years ago, but it became neg
there and I saw them standing in the
heart of a dense tropical jungle, as trees
of twenty feet in height With trunks
of six and eight inches diameter. They
were still in full bearing, but useless
from the difficulties of picking from
such a height There are evidently re-
markabIe possibilities in coffee growing
in JoIo Island The expense Of mar
ketfng and the market value of the
product are not yet well determined
The Moros have their distinct Ian
guage, but as yet there is no Moro
American or MOro-anything- die
tionery. One is in process of prepara-
ton by Captain HagadOrn, the efficient
adjutant of the station garrison He is
also collecting all possible information
concerning the people and the islands A
vast amount of useful and interesting
information is being gathered The
only serious objection which can find
to Jolo is its distance from New York
Could the island. together with about
three miles of its surrounding atmos-
phere. be towed up to the entrance to
New York harbor, it would be a pos
| session of endless value But that would
! cost the place the greater part Of its
| special charms The picturesque and
| dirty Moro would exchange his multi
! coIored turban for "dicer''; would ex-
| change his kris for a walking stick. and
| essay tight boots. high collars and a
red neckties. That would spoil him.
Ceisha Girls.