Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-03-04
The Traits of Character, Habits,
SuperstitiOns and Their
Modes of Living.
They Marry Early, the Wife
Managing Her Own
Property.
ABOUT THE WOMEN OF MANILA.
GCor. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 7

The natives OF the islands are branch
of the Malay race and may be divided
into three large groups--the Tagalogs,
the Visayos and the Sulus-each group
subject TO notifications and exceptions
The Tagalogs inhabit Luzon and the
northern islands of the archipelago, and
it is with these that we have mainly to
deal, as they are by far the most numer-
GUS and the most intelligent part of the
population, forming as they do also the
largest part of the inhabitants of Manila
and the largest ports.
The first thing that in the native char
acter impresses the traveller is his impas-
sive demeanor and imperturbable bear
ing. He is born stole, a fatalist by
nature. This accounts for his cooluess
i'll moments of danger and his intrepid
daring against overwhelming odds. This
feature of the Malay character has often
been displayed in the conflicts of race
with the Europeans in the East Indies.
Under competent leadership the native
though strongly averse to discipline, can
be made splendid soldier. AS sailors,
too, do not believe they can be equaled;
for 1.-the, active and fond of the water,
the Malays have ever shown their in
clination for the seas. Their pirates,
coursing in their prahus, have, until few
years ago, for centuries infested the bays
and inlets of the Eastern archipelago,
looting the towns and villages OIL shore
and taking as booty such foreign mer-
chantmen as they were able to overcome.
On account of the ravages of these fierce
Eastern Vikings, Europeans have come
to regard the whole Malay race as cruel
and bloodthirty. But these were pirates
IN their own waters preying upon their
own countrymen, by whom they were
feared no less than were the Spanish and
English free-booters of old by their coun-
trymen.
The natives are all excellent swim
mers and absolutely fearless in the water
/ have seen groups of boys diving thirty
or forty feet for pennies. Many swim
miles with the greatest ease, and it is no
uncommon sight in the outlying dis
tricts to see groups of naked men plung-
ing, with drawn dagger, among shoal
of sharks, with whom they fight with a
fierceness that always results in the
victory of the native. Along the beach
at Manila, OH summer evening, at the
close of the days labor, hundreds of
hands from the various tobacco factories
men, women and children. of all ages
and sizes, and married and unmarried
may be seen disporting themselves, with
peals of laughter and squeals of delight,
in the cool surf.
The Filipino is naturally superstitious
and credulous. He is rarely humorous
and seldom witty. He is not easily
moved to anger, and when angry does
not often show it. When lie does. like
the Malay of Java, he is prone to lose all
control of himself, and with destructive
energy Stays all in his path. If uEjustly
punished he will never forget it, treasur-
ing the memory of his wrong until he
has opportunity for revenge He de-
spises the Chinaman and admires the
European. He is sober, patient, al
ways clean, fond of .pomp, ceremony
and social display. Though not as artis-
tic as the Japanese, the Filipinos have
shown many evidences of art talent. The
women are artistic at embroidery work
and the men have won many prizes at
the art exhibition at Madrid as painters
and sculptors. In music they are especial
ly proficient. They are born musicians,
and every village has its orchestra.
The native usually marries early-the
bride often but eleven or twelve years OF
age. The wife always remains mistress
OF her own property, and the husband
can in no wise inherit it. The children
often add the surname of the mother to
that Of the father. thus giving the woman
greater prominence. Until the middle
of the century there were no distinct
, surnames among the natives. They have
but recently been taken from the Spanish.
The half-breeds, or Mestizoes, form a
large part of the population. They are
usually of native mothers and Spanish OF
Chinese fathers. They are, most always,
handsome race and more intelligent,
ambitious and energetic than the pure
natives. The Mestizo girls are often OF
wonderful beauty. The peculiar char
actefistics and the increase OF beauty due
to this infusion of European blood, how
ever, disappear if no further admixture
takes place in the second generation.
The Malays, with an infusion of Chinese
are called Mestizo-C Chinese. They are
also more intelligent than the pure
native. These people have cunning
shifty look and are a disturbing element
among the people.
Over all the islands are scattered a
mountain tribe called Aetas or Negritos
They are supposed to be the aborigines
They are very dark, some being as black