Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-01-25

Well, will give you my impression of
them," said DR.. F. f. Bowman. who
served under Gems. Lawt.n and
wheeler as surgeon on the island of
Luzon during the late spring and sum-
mer of last year. The Filipinos are
not like our American negroes or like
the half-bloods of Cuba. They are a
small people, much like the Japane Sc
in general appearance but darker in
color, about as dark as our mulattoes.
They are much like the Japs in another
reSpect-that they are initiative, quick
to take a suggestion and ready at copy
ing what they see others do. Mentally
and in their general degree of civili-
cation, they resemble children. They
are in the child stage as a people and
are by no means prepared to act for
themselves in any independent man
ner. Their only experience with gov
eminent has been gained from the
Spanish and, as they administered it
here and there in cities and towns, it
was very poor imitation of the Span
ish article. They are not an inventive
people but copy what is placed before
them with remarkable fidelity. Spain
was never their friend. The only
friend they ever had was the church
and from her they have secured what
ever education they possess. There are
no school houses upon the landscape.
In towns and cities few of them who
have accumulated money have initial
ed the Spanish in their homes and
their dress, but the bulk Of them live in
almost inconceivable filth and degrada-
ton and possess no sense of propriety
in attire or in personal conduct. A
very large number of them can read
and write but education does not mean
with them an elevation of ideas or
creation of ideals. l have seen sue
cessful business men among them go
about wearing no other garment than
a pair of thin cotton drawers. There
is no middle class among them. They
are either wealthy or very poor and the
poor are in wretched condition
They subsist largely on rice and fish,
in fact these two articles may be said
to form the national diet. They have
also the flesh of the water buffalo but
it is coarse, stringy and unpala BILE to
Americans. We killed a water buffalo
calf one day, thinking we would have d
fine dish, but were unable to eat it.
Their methods of life, of business and
of agriculture are very crude. They
IL L.
the rainy season opens, the peasant
farmers stir up the mud of their little
ciruclar bits of ground, about the area
of tennis courts, with pointed piece
of timber, pulled backward and for
ward by water buffalo. When the
buffalo, the stick and the native have
churned the mud and water into soft
batter, the rice is planted and the rain
does the rest. Inc edges of these Cir
cular bits of ground are raised couple
of feet above the soil and sodded, this
ring serving to prevent the water from
running away. After rain, a Fill
Pine valley presents the aspect of a
number of great pans filled with water
The common people own no land.
They are practically the slaves of the
large planters and landed proprietors
who pay them nothing more than is
needed to barely sustain life. Servants
are paid very little beyond their board
and clothing and do very little work
for what they get. In this they are
like all other oriental servants. Their
cheapness may be judged by the fact
that at a banquet, at which l was a
guest, fifteen natives were required to
wait on the table where not more than
three or four white servants would
have been needed"
DR.. Bowman went to the Philippines
as an assistant surgeon in the Sd
United States infantry, landing at Ma
Mia on March 81, last year, and re-
naming until the first of the following
September, when he returned home in
charge of the medical department of
the transport City of Para. His regi-
ment went into the field Immediately
after its arrival on the island, being
first stationed at the Caloocan outpost,
north of Manila. A few days after his
arrival, he advanced to Malabon, where
$1,000 insurgents were supposed to be
concentrated.
Il was in Gen. Wheaton's column
during that campaign" said the doctor
Eve came up with the main body of
the rebels on the morning
of the oath, Friday, and
fought him until Sunday night, when
Malabon fell and was in flames. But,
our rebel army had escaped. We had
planned to surround it and crush the
rebel power then and there but they
were too sagacious and got away to
Malolos. | do not think it has ever
before been stated that our loss during
the three days of fighting was 40
killed and 240 wounded l know that
such we're the figures for helped care
for the men in the hospitals. We ex-
pected to find a strong resistance to
our advance at Malolos but it was
much more feeble than that at Mala-
bon, as we took the town on March p
after fighting about three hours.
Here, we encountered something ey-
ceedingly amusing in the way Of de-
Tense. The Filipinos had secured an
old Spanish brass cannon and loaded
it to the muzzle with fish plates and