The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-18
FREDERICKSBURG VA TUESDAY july 18. 1899.
A Filipino VILLAGE Near New York.

A Filipino Village Near New York.
A visitor to one of the suburban
resorts of New York city may now
inspect a genuine Filipino ylllsge
1t is an exact reproduction in every
respect of a typical community IN
| Uncle Sans new possessions. Hun
dreds, and it might be said thousands
of persons visit the village every
day, and the guards are beginning
to wonder whether life is worth liv
ing, in view of the volley of questions
regarding the strangers which is
continuously fred at them.
Among those who have visited the
village are several membels Of the
Astor Battery, who took occasion to
renew their acquaintance with Sala-
mo, one of the islanders, who had
been their interpreter wh'le they
we're stationed in the Philippines.
They said they only needed mas
sive old Spanish cathedral at the
head of the village street to make
the soldiers believe they were IN
Touda aga'n Everything is the
same, they say, only not quite so
much of it. There are white gravel
roads, with no sidewalks, the BAN
boo fences, the Nipa thatched houses
on stills, with bamboo ladders lead
ing up to the porches, the white
shirted men and the women in wide
howing pima shirt waists, and the
chickens and pigs cooped up under
the houses by bamboo lattice work.
The American hAg flies from bam-
boo staff over the palm matched
market place, where men are en-
gagged in making shoes, baskets, and
bamboo ware from material and
with tools brought from Manila.
The little gardens are planted with
seeds from home, which with few
days more Of warm weather, will
give the finishing touches to most
realistic reproduction of a provincial
village in the Philippines.
A sweet voiced woman, Gregoria,
by name, who occupies the house
next TO the market, divides her time
between the care of youngster
three years old and the entertain
ment of her visitors with songs in
Spanish and Tagslog. Her neigh
Dor across Gala Phillipo" finds in
the care of little PsOhencia, seven
teen months old, who is in danger of
having her digestion ruined by her
admirers, and her household duties
enough to occupy her time. Romo-
ma makes pretty little palm-leaf bas-
kets in the market place, and Olivia
is to be found weaving cloth of Ava
car fibre, such as the panolas are
made from, on the loom that re-
minds her of her far-away home.
All seems happy and cheerful. They
talk freely with visitors who can
speak to them in Spanish, and are
all trying to learn English as fast as
they can so that they may know more
about the country they find so large
and strange and full of wonderful
things-cars that go so fast without
horses, and houses that scrape the
skies.
The Fllipinos live in native sim
plicity. A supply of rice, fresh
fish, or meat, aud little coffee and
fruits are all they require. They do
their cooking over little earthenware
stoves, which they brought with them
coffee pot, a kind of saucepan, and
fryingpan being all they use in the
way of kitchen utensils.
In fair weather they sometimes
build an open dir campfire out of
doors, but if there is wind or rain
they prefer the ltile by kitchens
they have built outside Of each house.
They are fond of clans and fish, and
at low tide often go down to the
beach and dig for them selves the
softshel CLANS that have made the
place famous. Sometimes they take
their boats and go out for fish in the
Sound. These boats are as queer as
their houses. Both were brought
from the Philippines. One is ty-
picsl river boat, such as is used so
much on the Pasig to bring cocoa
nuts and fruits down from Lagunda
de Bay. 1t is followed out from a
single log, is about eighteen inches
wide and twenty feet long. Along
each side is a big bambo pole. lashed
as an outrigger, that keeps the boat
from tipping over. 1t carries over
two thirds of its length an awning
made of split bamboo. to protect pas
sengers or cargo from the sun or
rain. On the bottom is split bsm-
boo flooring, and is provided with
two large, round bladed paddles,
with which the boys make it fairly
fly through the water when they
wish to. The other is a sailboat,
narrower and deeper. 1t carries a
large square sail and Maxine is anx.
ious to try race with some smart
little balf-raters he sees running
about the Sound.
When the inhabitants Of this viii
liage reached San Francisco they
we're held there by the immigration
inspector. He stated there were for
eigners without visible means Of sup
port and came within the restrictions
of the law. The case was appealed
ed to Commissioner Powderly
who, after much consideration,
decided that the Filipinos should be
allowed to land.
The case was most interesting
one and was bitterly fought by both
the inspector at San Francisco and
the resort manager who brought the
natives to this country.
1t was urged that they had no
funds to support themselves. This
was met by the statement that they
were professional actors and as such
was allowed to land. 1t was further
claimed that they we're insurgents
and were in rebellion against this
n The man narc than