The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1900-07-13
A LETTER FROM MANILA.
PEN IICrURE OF rUE PnILIrPINES
WORTH LOOKING AT.
Wrltt' by II Member CT Company B First
So II Carolina Volunteers who is
Now In Uncle Sans Service
In the Fnv Ph,Ilppin"s.

II n luleIeSIlhS ltb'tl ocio" l''o
lishe vas received few days ago
by member Of Company b, First
Sout!, Carolina Voluntcors, from a
mentor of that Company who is now
in service in the Philippine Islands:
Au article on and about tho Phil
ippino islands from the standpoint
of ono of Uncle Sans "boys in
brow:," must moods be, at best, bnt
superficial dissertation Of nature and
thinga-villages, cities, hamlets AID
barrl II, mountains, valleys, rivors,
creek, and swamps, native ores, rock
form Lions, mineral deposits, woods
and wares. 10 cover in u measure
all, or even partial part Of the ma
ny Interesting and mystifying oddi,
ties OF this section of the worlds sur
face would consume all the spare time
I will have for months to come; but
! take pleasure in sending you Il
brief outline Of some Of the most
striking and familiar Of the many
different customs. To successfully
descriHe what is intended, L have dl.
vided this article into divisions, each
divisi II under Il separate caption:
SURFACE INDICATIONS.
Tho "Islas do Filippinos" are a
part-a rather large art--of the
".Eastrrn Archipelago" and time
was, in the not FAR distant past, when
this comprised our knowledge Of
their location. We are wiser now,
knowing and admitting our past is-
nora; GO. yet we are working in the
dark, seeking light aud information.
Approaching the principal island
of tbs group, Louzon, from the Uni,
tel States, one. is Immediately i'm
pl sd with the towering rocks of Il
mountain range extending along the
entiro coast line We have been
Taught that the islands Of The Pacific
were in majority Of cases Of vol
eapio origin, and had mentally pic.
tured to ourselves something vastly
different from tho reality.
Standing IN the Bay of Manila
one is agree"bly surprised at the
structural elegance Of the buildings,
as r, cards churches and even private
dwellings,. Hero are to be seen build
ipgs erected by q semi civilized ma
tion whloh have stood the tests Of
time and today are as perfect, appa-
rently, as when constructed four and
five Centuries ago. One building i"
particular / have In my mind, 1.u.
Lona church, situate on the out,
skirts of tho city and at present used
as barracks for the American sol
dier> (don't be shocked at this appa
rent lack of feeling on our part--ot
euch aro tho spols of war;. Upon &
tablpt at the entrance We find an in
sori]Aion which informs us that the
buil!lng WAS erected by tho Tagals
led hy Dominiciau Trisa, Carlos y
Sanors Antonio, during the years
1857 and 1912, being a period o
fifty five years devoted to the cree
tl9h Of que place Of worahip. Tod",
this pdifce stands, a silent tcstimo
nlal to Christianity. 4 solid sho
fired from Dewey's rqnadron de
stroyed one corner and left ragged
hole, but beyond this there is moth
Ing to mar tho ono time beauty b
the structure, apparently in as goo'
condition and as able to resist tn
war of the elements as when con
strN"ted almost four centuries ago.
This Is but ono instance. Tber
are hundreds of others equally a
aged and in as good If not bette
sta!s of preservation chm this.
am pleased to state that tie pres
ent commanding officer in these ii
lands has ordered that in future "
place of worship shall be used as
military atation. Sad oommental
upon a Christian race! How n''e
moro Christian, Eke it would ha'
been to have ordered This two yoa
agoG
CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS.
S me few of our educators conteI
TINT ''aa tho> Glimato IL, so - the
dividual, This saying ia trito al
trqe as regards this country. I
climatic conditions arc wild and (
ratie--athe natives arc ditto.