Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-25
ALL sam S' DAY
How It Was Observed in the Cemeteries in
Manila.
The Many Picturesque Decorations
Watchers of the Dead-A Jesuit
Museum.


proved to be highly interesting to the
American residents of Manila. Early in the
morning those who own or rent inches in
| any of the cemeteries set out with such
decorations as they can afford in the way
of flowers and wreaths and candles. With
| these they adorn the front of the niche,
| on which is inscribed the name of their
dead, and watch by it more or less all day.
AS night comes on the candles are lighted,
| the crowds increase, and the scene pre-
| sented is one which is not soon forgotten.
| Perhaps the best place from which to
| view Pace cemetery on All Saints day is
| the top of the large interior circle of
| inches. Here is brick walk with low,
| crumbling parapet of stone on either side,
| reached by stone steps near the chapel.
| The width of this walk is equal to the
| length of the vaults below. and as you
| walk over 1t You think of the tiers of
| huma dust above which you are treading.
At o'clock the dusk begins to fall The
| little chapel in the center of the cemetery.
| from which radiate the long walls filled
| with inches, is brilliantly iiiumined. There
| are two black draped biers though upon
| them are no bodies. and candles are burn
| ing everywhere. On either side of the
| larger bier two wooden stands are set with
numerous holes, and those who wish to do
so enter and place q lighted taper here as
| an offering. On either side of the central
walk which leads to the chapel women and
! chlufen squat Win baskets OF these Tor
| sale, and they, with the exception of the
| few American visitors, the only ones
| in that great throng who wear a bit of
! color. The women-Spanish. Mestizas and
| natives alike-are all in black or black and
| white. The men are the same.
The jam ontside.
outside, in the square, in front of Paco
| gate, are hundreds of carriages of every
variety waiting for the mourners inside:
| thew 10 viz
| with two liveried natives on the box to the
shaky ''carromata," whose wheels wobble
at different angles. A guard of United
! States soldiers and number of native
| police are detailed here to obviate con-
| fusion. and the ''cocheras' are made to
| line up on either side Of the street. The
| gate is cut in the center circular wall OF
! nicffta, and is narrow for an occasion like
! this, for cee crowd surees in and out
| you are obliged to wait some ten or fifteen
| minutes before you are carried bodily
| through. wedged dangerously close to all
| sorts and conditions of mankind.
| The shrubs and trees with which Pace is
| generously planted. and which line ali the
| walks, make the sight within even more
| eerie. On every hand are the twinkling
| lights. which shine with more and more
| briliancy as the darkness falls and before
| these lights, with the distance of the stone
| tagged path between, sit those who watch.
| the boxes in which they brought Their.
! decorations piled up beside them. Many
| have brought stools or benches Along the
| path in front passes a throng of people,
| including many who have come to honor
| their dead, for 1t is customary to inspect
| the whole cemetery.
| Most of the decorations are such as can
| be used year after year. including enor-
| nous wreaths of black artificial flowers
| hanging from which are loops of black
| satin ribbon and long strips OF black
| satin ribbon. with the names of friends,
| relatives or societies printed thereon in
/ lat ,,F,
| lighted with hanging or standing lamps
| having initials or crosses on the ground
| glass globes. pathetic element lies in
| just this difference in the style and richness,
| of decoration, for some of the tombs are a
| mass of costly wreaths, and are lighted
| with the lamps, or with huge candles set
| in silver candlestcks. Next to such a one
| is a niche with simple row Of the chean-
| est tapers. but watched over Just as faith
fully, and next to that one that has no
| decoration whatever, no lights, no watch
| ers.
spaniards Are Missing
Probably the crowd of people at Pace
| yesterday differed from that of any pre-
| ceding year, for while formerly Manila was
| filled with Spanish people OF wealth and
refinement who buried their dead at Paco
| and yearly on All Saints day kept their
| vigil, now almost all of those people have
| returned TO Spain. The number of SPANISH
At@iutlIlS III -ddillld at present small
ana many OF the graves yesterday were
IN darkness, because the families and the
friends OF those who had been placed there
were far away in Spain.
The majority of the people Yesterday
were either natives or mestizos. and on no
occasion throughout the year could one
nave better opportunity of gathering an
Idea of the sort of people the Filipinos are.
Inc native dress. both of the men and
women, though somber. is never more rich
The black 'camsas," "panuelas' and
skirts are generally of some thin native
goods, hand woven and of texture I'M
Known to us at home. The "camisas'' of
the men on this occasion are often of this
same material, sometimes Of a rich black
lace.
Jesuit Museum.
There is place in Manila where ? great
deal of information concerning these is
lands can be gathered in short time. This
is the Jesuit museum on the Gale Arzo-
bispo, in the walled city. Close to it are
the Jesuit monastery and church. but the
museum is in the building set apart for
the college, where these priests teach over
SEQ native and Spanish boys every dav.
The specimens are in a long room. with a
gallery which was especially built for the
purpose, being constructed with skyligbts
one of the most valuable specimens a
limaran, vas contributed by a geological
party from the United States 1t is a she
cies of fierce wild bull to be found on The
island of Mindoro, into the depths of which
no white men had previously ventureG.
There is fear of the dread Mindoro fever
and besides the inhabitants were considered
ferociouS. But the timaran was nm
known to science the Americans brayed al.
the dangers, stalked the animals, which,
unless brought to bay, seemed as elusive as
the sea serpent, and did not come away till
they brought some timarans with them
One specimen, beautifully stuffed, they prc-
scented to the Jesuit museum.
Among other specimens procured in the
islands are two huge boas, and a crocodile
at least fifteen feet long, caught in Min
danao When he was ripped open a Span
tsh soldier who had been missing was found
inside, with even the buttons on his coat
intact. The largest boa is at least twenty
i've feet long, and perfect specimen 1t
was caught in the Laguna province, not
far from Manila. This serpent could easily
have swallowed a man-and may have
swallowed many. He was found by two
natives hanging on a tree. One of them
became mesmerized by the snakes gaze
and was only saved by the presence of
mind of the other. How they finally man
aged to dispatch, the huge reptile is not
known.
But these are not the only deadly snakes
in the islands, for there are many yarie.