The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-01-19
The 18th Regiment.
MANILA, p. L, Nov. q, 1898.

MANILA, p. L, Nov. p, 1893. .
Thanksgiving day, Nov. a, 1893
will never be forgotten by tho boy.
Of the 18th Mimi, who spent theil
first Thanksgiving in the PHI, pin
Islands in very good way. Th )
gave dinner to the boys Of the lst
California in honor of the treatment
they received from them and the peo.
pie of SanFrancisco while in Camp
Merit. %'.@.~ :. =.
I think that was the frst banquet
given by, one regiment to another
while in active service in the history
of the American army, and it was a
success and made the boys think Of
home. =. .9.t-5 = s<S;., - J j
At the opening, health was drank
to the American flag and toasts we're
given and responded to; and what a
change, whore but four months ago
the Spanish colors decked tho walls
of the city of Manila, now floats that
old banner, the flag Of liberty, equal
rights and prosperity, showing to the
whole world that these poor down
trodden people are free from that
cursed tyranical Spanish form o
government that has, for nearly four
hundred years, kept them down al
most like brutes, still she claims to be
Christian nation. Please God that
the American people have a different
idea of Christianity. We can punish
prisoners in moro civilized way than
with the bastinado. -
And if what these people speak of
is true many poor fellow has been
starved to death in those filthy dun
geons. l have seen things in the last
four months which would never be-
lieved if I had not been an eye wit
ACoo VI VACAAs
What would American people think
to see people rowing through tho
streets with leprosy, smallpox or dead
animals laying around in the cutters.
Some will say it's a lie but I have
seen it with my own eyes. And men
who have lived here for twenty five
years tell me that things were always
about the way we saw them when we
came into the city.
But what they did under the Span
ish flag cannot be done under the
stars and stripes, and the city has
now the appearance of civilization
and 1 hope it will never again be in
that condition.
Although this is rich country I
think il will 80 . long time hsfore Il
is ettled with white people, in Tart,
this is no place for a white man, and
these people are not American nor
never will be. The American people
are too Industrious a race to be living
with these slow, careless natives. They
are never in any hurry, and even if
they were, it is impossible to hurry
in this hot country. This would be a
good place to send those people who
are too lazy to work and want the
town to support them while they
sleep, fish or smoke. Tobacco is very
plentiful here and they not have to
exert themselves much to get all they
could use.
Fruits of every kind are raised that
can be grown in the tropics, but the
oranges are not to be compared with
those raised in America; the meat is
coarse and has sour taste. Lemons
here are about the size of plumbs. Ba-
nanas are very good but they are not
as cheap as one would think they
would be in this country. Most of
the sweet potatoes are about the size
of a small banana and the same
shape. Peanuts are cultivated here
but they are nothing extra, I think
the climate is too damp and warm.
What seems to thrive best in thit
country are dogs, ants, mosquitoes
ceutipedes, typhoid fever, malaria]
fever, smallpox and Lizards.
The worst time of the year is from
December 3lst until December 3lst
in the following year, during that
time, Americans should keep out o1
the islands. Those are called by the
natives tho rainy months.
Although water is very plentiful
here but it is very dangerous to use
it without boiling it for a few minutes
| az it contains germs of disease; even
the unrest isn't used until after h0il.