Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-23

TRUTH ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES.
A writer in Self Culture for Septem-
Der gives some interesting facts about
the Philippine islands, which he de-
scribes as beautiful archipelago.
Many of the islands are artistic gems;
but the jewel is guarded by a dragon.
Here he says mans occupancy of de-
sirable places is contested by ants,
mosquitoes, reaches, locusts, cent?
pedes, scorpions, tarantulas, snakes,
crocodiles and sharks. Perhaps this Is
unjust to the snakes, for the natives
use one kind as domestic rat-catchers.
The climate of course borders on the
tropical, with three seasons-wet, hot
and dry. The dry acknowledgements to-
February-is quite comfortable to Eu-
ropeans in the northern islands, If they
can escape nervous prostration caused
by the warm sociability of the numer-
Gus creeping and wriggling population
just mentioned. If there is anything
the excitement of turning down cover
ings and lifting pillows to see which of
your venomous neighbors has elected to
share your bed, looking through your
sleeves or trousers before inserting
a limb, and knocking your shoes by the
heel to dislodge previous occupants.
The writer declares further that he
never plucked a banana without lifting
it carefully by the end to see if some
hairy-legged creature was waiting for
him on the other side of it. He adds
During the hot season-August to
October-a man reared in the temperate
zone is almost stitied. The hot stones
blister the feet: an iron railing is too
hot to touch without discomfort and
the air seems baked and lifeless. My
thermometer was graduated to ITO de-
grees Fahrenheit, but the expanding
mercury burst the bulb. l have sat
with my face in my hands, watching
the perspiration drop from my chin
faster than the sun on a hot deck could
dry it. and in fifteen minutes been
chilled to the bone by the drenching
and rapid evaporation OF a rain-squall.
Fortunately no one bothers much about
clothes, except in the capitals. My
usual costume was cotton shirt and
denim trousers, grass slippers and a
straw hat. This was more clothing
than a half-dozen natives Wore. For
full dress / added a necktte and a pair
|.of socks.
..In the wet season-March to July
you can have no scepticism about Noah.
Imagine what we call a cloudburst
every day for months, or several times
a day, or all day and all night. Every
thing is soaked like a wet sponge;
there are any-have no
bottoms. and rivers no definite top.
Leather shoes mildew on your feet.
Books and glued furniture fall apart,
land you long TO put creation through
| a wringer These downpours are ac-
lcompanied by heavy thunder and light
ming, often of awe-i inspiring grandeur;
and twice a year. when the monsoons
lehange. also during the hot months,
devastating typhoons occur During
| the interim earthquakes destroy youl
| faith in anything built by either the
Ehand of God or the hand of man, anc
give an extra rattle to joints alread.
4 shaken by malaria The climatic con
Editions which wrecked Skaters arm,
in cuba are duplicated in the Philip
pines If our troops surmount them IL
| l4uzon, it is no guarantee that they VII
not succumb further south.
The monsoons are trade winds blow
ing from the southwest from April te
IOctober, and from the northeast dur
| ing the rest of the year The mountains
Gus islands are damp on the weather
side ard dry on the lee side. When the
wind changes and blows six menths
from the opposite direction the iainfal
shifts TO the other side of the mount
Iains The varying topography of the
lislands. therefore, mixes up the seasons
/ in some localities liz a way TO make 6
Yankee feel quite at home"