New-York tribune., 1900-03-11
A MARCH ACROSS LUZON.
AMERICAN OFFICERS GOING TO ES-
TABLIsH CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

San Isidro. Philippine Islands, Jan. % (Spe-
cial).-The long line OF occupation from San Fer
nendo on the railroad to Carranglan. in the
eastern mountain ranges, passes through many
g village and town. field and savanna, it
winds along the rich valley Of the Rio de la
Pampanga-
Leaving San Fernando, with it's glartng white
and yellow structures Of stone and stucco, the
whole overtopped by the fire blackened tower
Of the burned church. passed by the many
piIlared house where the great bah was given
by Aguinaldo IN November Of 1898. The ball
was attended by a number OF American officers.
one party from Manila including. indeed,
number Of American women, who danced and
futtered with the members Of the gayly uni
formed staff Of the self-styied American ally in
the Spanish American War
This house. like the church. burned by
the insurgents when they retired from the town
before General MacArthur's division in May OF
last year, and is now but a crumbling heap Of
stone. Its gaping windows were staring like
sightIess human eyes across the dusty plaza TO
where a lively game Of baseball was being
played by the newly arrived 34th Infantry Vol
unteers. half-nile distant from the church
and plaza we crossed the outer chain OF out
posts. The little group of infantrymen there
stationed under improvised shelter Of nipa
thatch sprang UP TO attention as the cavaIcade
",
nodded understandingly 70 the ''non-con' on
duty in reply TO the friendly word OF caution
that was flung through the cloud Of heavy white
dust: Keep your eyes open for that close place
this side of the old trenches al Santa Ana"
For two miles the party rode along a narrow
lane Of houses ii the Barr.o Laguna, one
Of the wards or suburbs Of San Fernando. An
occasional shop booth was passed but for
the most part the houses were the homes of
''sacateros'' or grass cutters, fishermen. or the
even more humble class-ordfnary Iaborers At
one wayside fruit booth was one of the newly
organized native police Of San Fernando. He
was gorgeous IN tight fitting uniform of new
khaki that abundantly befrogged and
braided with brightest red cord. Like police
men Of other lands he sat suspicously near
the bunch Of bananas-Lacatans they were too.
that red and russet tinged apple favored prince
OF all the sixty more varieties to be found
over here.
RUIN THAT WAR HAS WROUGHT.
Soon we came TO Mexico a pretty town OF
many villas, with high moss grown walls and
ruins Of what We're cnce handsome gardens
But three miles from San Fernando, Mexico
was the residence town Of the wealthier uner-
chants. sugar buyers and rice planters Of the
larger place To-day il and ITS fifteen barrios
are half deserted and wholly unkempt On many
a balcony railing Of handsome wrought iron
work, behind which the Filipino or Mestizo
bellies formerly sat idIing IN gay Powered silks
with gauzy pima and husi bodice and necker-
chief, the soldiers have thrown their blue
gray blankets TO the and air. Within the
houses the broad floor boards Of the beautiful
dark nara wood, that never before knew the
touch OF iron in boot heel have lost their brill
liant sheen and polish under the scarrings and
trampings Of Government straghts' or con
tract crookeds."
At the head Of one OF the wide palm bordered
streets is most picturesque ruined church An
old native told me with many accompanying
gesture and shrug. 1t thus when I
boy, SeTor. The Spanish officers often eketched
Il even then" And he repeated, When I was
q boy Ay de mil" Crouching now. where in
other days it lifted proudly, the deep stained
mass looks down a vista once bright with fut-
tering skirts and headke-chiefs but now given
over 70 the quiet Of a dead street OF q deserted
town.
So long ago was It's fall that the cotton tree
that surrnounts the pile Of crumbling stone and
mortar must have been a sturdy sapling even
before Rizal, the pure patriot" had written:
No hay aIegria sin pena;
10 10 nay nay oi gioTla "a sin a. sacTihhcio; I,iIh
and had died in that hollow square on the
Luneta 70 make a holiday for Spain.
Crossing the Arroyo Maraguc by a fran bridge
OF bamboo. innocent alike OF iron spike or NOR
tse and tenon, the party came from out banana
grove and village street into wide stretch Of
rice lands. Rice harvesting in the val
ley, and the great carloads OF short
bundles moving slowly 10 the grain yards or
nearer stacking places in the fields. Each bun
die being made up 0f the rice heads plucked bv
hand and singly. represents quite five minutes
work by the gatherer. one can thus know
something Of the enormous amount Of labor
necessary TO harvest these great fields that
seem stretch for miles in every direction. The
brilliant clear yellow OF field and stuhble land
| IS splotched with the bright and many cOlored
garments Of the workers. These people liter
ally reap they sOw-by whole families Where
the rice has twisted and fallen come the expert
men with the curious wooden tools shaped like
q fishhook. With these they lift the tangled
straw and. seizing the handful in the left hand
they quickly turn this odd tool 70 bring into
play the curved knifeblade fastened well down
the back OF the nshhOok Not content with
gaTnerfug hy hand. these people go over the
I fields the second time 10 CLEAN them Of single
broken and fallen heads These arc brought 70
central points where they are Immediately
thFeshed by working the straw under their
bare feet. while holding by their hands TO d
horizontal bamboo pole TO steady them IN their