Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-11
MANILA WOMEN AT CHURCH.
Goes Every sunday, Rain or Shine
and Takes Her biggest Cipnr.

Goes Every sunday, Rain or Shine.
and Tnkes Her Biggest Cigar.
A correspondent Of the Chicago Record,
writing from Manila, says: When a
Filipino woman goes to church, as she does
every Sunday, rain or shine, she dresses in
her best and takes her biggest cigar. In
fact, If she has far to go she takes two
cigars. Her children are dressed in their
clean clothes and all go along behaving
as they should. They keep on the shady
side of the street, and where there are cross
ings and only the shadow of the telephone
wires the mother raises her parasol, which
is about the size Of a good umbrella.
The typical Filipino woman has great pride
in her hair. In fact, she spends a great
deal of her time in combing and washing
it. When she dresses for any occasion she
lets her hair fall down her back, and it
generally reaches to her waist. So 1t Is on
Sunday as she shufies away to mass. Her
brown shoulders are bare and her Eton-like
jacket seems about to fall off over one arm
or the other-but it is not quite big enough
for that. Under this jacket she wears a
lace bodice, usually of ecru-colored linen
and very well Numbered. Her skirt is of
linen material, or, If she can afford it, of
silk, but always either black or brown.
One side of the bottom of the skirt is caught
up under her belt, and this takes up its
%fullness. Now If she is very well-to-do
she puts on stockings. but that is not neces-
sary. Her toes are showed into a pair of
heelless slippers with wooden soles. Her
children are dressed as she is If they are
girls. If a boy Is t~rotting along at her
side he wears a pair of white trousers
coming well down on the ankles and his
feet are stuffed into a pair OF slippers. Over
| hi9 shnul1nrS and fal1inu Jo,un ttI,o - rLi,.
mans is a gauze shirt, plain or c-vered
with spangles, according to the financial
standing of his father or the pride OF his
mother,
So they go down the street, the children
hand in hand. Ahead of them the mother Is
scuttling along, putting at a large cigar, the
ashes OF which she ficks off from time to
time with all the skill Of one to the manner
born. II by any chance she has to relight
the weed she carries matches in the pocket
OF her dress for that purpose and she is
successful in the art OF making matches
burn in the stiffest wind.
At the church door she pauses to chat
with her neighbors and perhaps to gossip q
bit. II she is on the way out she lights
her cigar, looks at the fire end OF 1t to see
II the light" is good and then turns to do
her talking. And she can talk when the
occasion demands. The language seems to
be htted TO rapid work and the way 1t flows
out by the side of the cigar demonstrates
a thorough understanding Of the mother
tongue, When her gossiping is done she
hoists her parasol and walks out into the
sun. No matter how rapid her talk was
back there in the cool arches of the church,
her pace Is never fast down the street. She
passes with a majestic sweep the women
who are coming along with baskets on their
heads and smoking cigarettes, Perhaps the
peddler woman has her hair done up in
a knot and is otherwise beneath notice, but
If the well-dressed woman happens to need
a light she asks for 1t with some hauteur
and gets 1t with plenty OF comradeship.
When this woman reaches home 1t is
supposed she goes about her household
duties and gets dinner. into which she puts
an extra amount Of cocoanut oil. But later
in the afternoon she takes her place on
| what does duty for a yeranda and there she