The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-03-02
AN INTERESTING LETTER
FROM WILL BRUCE.

We received this week another letter
from VIII Bruce, dated at Cavite, Jam
uary 18th. At that time everything
was quiet. The Nevada boys were all
well and comfortably quartered in an
old church. He says:
I'VE have fine quarters now, with
abundance OF room to spare, kitchen,
dining-room, two bathrooms, well and
cistern: in fact, everything that Is
/ handy and comfortable. But the
GROWING feature is the garden. As the
/ bows tell each other, we would be long
time in the old country before we would
have bananas and oranges growing in
our back yard, but any of us would pre-
fer a nice chicken well cooked. to the
finest bunch of bananas in the Philip
pines.
Speaking OF the natives, he says:
Il have found the Philippine, where
not crossed with the Chinese, to be very
steady, honest and temperate and Is a
good worker. A large number OF them
are working here for the Government,
unloading coal from the barges. Two
men will swing large basket OF coal
between them ON a bamboo pole, and
will trot with it to the coal yard, usual
ly about 100 yards distant, keeping 1t
up for ten hours. In spite OF the ex.
treme heat, they accomplish what
would be considered good days work
in America, for which they receive the
enormous wages of 81 a day, Mexican
money.
1.-The highest ambition of native
Philippine is to be a shop-keeper. In
Cavite there are one hundred shops OF
which at least sixty carry not over $40
worth of stock, which consists of one
bottle of whiskey, a box OF cigars, a
box OF cigarettes, bunch of bananas,
half dozen Of oranges, and half doz-
en- bottles OF native lemonade. To keep
such "a store they pay license of 50 a
quarter. A soldier can buy anything
they have on jaw-bone, and they fire.
quently have to close up their shops to
wait for payday.
THE Philippines, on an average, are
very small race. The men weigh
not over l20, and the women go pounds.
/ The most conspicuous feature OF their
dress is the scantiness OF II. In the fe-
male, it consists OF very short wasted
large sleeved. gauze waist, with skirt,
which Is simply a strip OF cloth wrapped
/ dfOhnu lIltli dhh bhthCd hhhCi a oAi iib
tied around their waist as a belt. Their
shoes have large wooden soles with a
strip of heavy leather over the toes.
Stockings, hats and underclothes are
Injuries they do not aspire to. The
males dress consists of gauze shirt, a
pair of white cotton pants, shoes and
large straw or derby hats. They are
very partial to striking colors and wear
all sorts of combinations without the
slightest idea of harmony.
The Philippines are of a very amiable
disposition and | have the first one 10
see in quarrel or raising disturbance
of any kind. They havo great nat
ural talent for music, their principal
instruments being the harp, violin, gui-
tar. and piano.
Mr.. Bruce concludes with request
foe MS to announce to cur readers that
English literature Is very scarce over
there and that anybody having books
or magazines which they have read
will do great favor by sending them
10 the boys. II addressed to Mr.
Bruce, at Cavlte, Philippine Islands, lst
Nevada Cavalry, he Wil see that they
are properly distributed