The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-25

rujf Of IAngayen- This island reaches for
"a miles north of that point and below
vanilla It's tail extends out to the south
go : distance of at least $50 miles fur
,ts,. From this you may get some idea
Z ne great size OF Luzon. II a railroad
100 10 be built from its southernniost
s,rt 10 the extreme north Il would 90
anger than the distance between New
york city and Pittsburg. The biggest
~, AZ the island is north of Manila, VIII sre
i on an average over 100 miles wide and
,onrsr than from New York to Washing
AN II has an area fully as great as that
n the state OF Ohio. and an enormous
amount OF good land l have met during
nv stay in the Philippines men from nearly
,yery part Of II. and all speak OF It's fertile
vsIevx and rich rolling foothills. IL has
vasnfalns covered with valuable timber,
spd deposits OF copper and gold. Some OF
~ officers who have just returned from
A. extreme north tell me the savages
mere showed them gold nuggets and quilts
II gold dust and coarse gold. They say
ia people wear rude rings made OF pure
IA and that the Chinese travel TO the
sorth and trade with them for the precious
metal / expect TO make an expedition
sorth before leave the Philippines. when
sha be able TO give fuller detail of
ns mineral resources.
Fertile DALEY North of Manila.
wish I could show you the rich valley
which extends all along both sides Of the
rairoad from Manila to the Gulf of Lin
ryen. II Is a vast fiat rice field from
NIFTY to fifty miles wide and more than
IA hundred miles long. Here and there IL
little patch OF corn and above Calumpit
,gns few plantations OF pale green sugar
zane. but the rest Ia all rice. rice, rice.
| There are few fences I saw none except
une about the cane flelde. You can look
| over miles Of level neids now gray with
~ harvested rice. hut green where the
vegetation Is sprouting up through the cut
| n stalks
Near the rnhnAd at least there Is no
nisaion The feds are very small aud
zach Is surrounded by a little mud grass
s,pwn wall 20 keep In the water, but tho
water comes from the floods OF the rainy
eason when Il rains for days and days,
Sometimes dropping the water almost In
streams | am told that the rainfall in
Parts OF the valley is az much as eight
fNt in a year, so that II all the water was
hAi In II would almost cover the head OF
Ne average Filipino standing upon she
snoulders OF one OF his brothers. Now
everything Is comparatively dry.
The walls about the fields are usually
asoa foot high and not more than eight
inches wide. They form the paths through
Ne country ms the water falls and some
n them are quite worn. Some parts of the
aasy have a slight slope and In such
sIacss the fields are terraced. rising gently
iwm one platform to another.
me valley II spotted with groves ana
dumps OF tall bamboos, great punches of
rssn feathers with stalks fifty feet tall
md branches which CULVER with every
essing breeze. You sec but few houses.
They are IN most cases hid by the bamboos,
shieh shade them. The people do not I've
% their farms, but In villages and towns
scattered along the roads just as do the
hrmsrs Of France and Germany. Many
4 thsm walk several miles to their work
sssyy day, l am told that the roads are
Eaaris everywhere lined with houses and
hat some little towns consist OF "A single
street. several miles In length.
Queer Scenes IN the Country.
But let me give you some pictures OF
ssF Filipino subjects as they work In their
'esds You must flrst imagine the baauti-
n valley made W OF a great patch work
I Geese little silver gray patches scwed
hssthsr with wide strips Of green and EN-
szadefed with wild flowers. You must
~ MAGNIFICENT mountains az blue as the
Nv Ridge or the Alieghenies. rising and
Alag In rugged volcanic beauty away off
he right and the left, and through the
nasS these tall tufts ~ bamboo green.
fsea this a. a background the Ftlipinos
kane. or, rather st0op. more picturesque
zen than their surroundings. There are
Nsdfets % women dressed In queer
asihss In which bright rcd often forms the
Eiaeipsl color They have great round
~ IKE bread bowls turned upside down,
neH Jackets which always seem 20 be
- Shont 10 fan OF from their shoulders.
3diks skirts which aro often tucked up
Nat half a les shows. and bare feet.
= men wear their shirts outside their
~ cotton trousers and many OF them
aAss on great hats like the women. There
ase children OF all axes. some dressed
- IKE their parents and few with
sans' no clothea at all. Soc that boy
~ ihere lie has a white shirt. the tail
saich just touches his hips with a
- belt around his waist The rest OF
eedy Is as bare as when he was born.
most ~ the rice was cat some
~" sso. The heads have been taken on
~ one tied w in bundles not much
49, shan Eood slaed bouquet and car
Acme 10 be threshed Half Of the
49, ies some reason. r. left In the Geld.
p~oele are now going through and
A lha stalks They tie them tn
$50 ana shock them up In lew Wind
and small piles Each girl has
hAs a knife. with long handle.
- - beads over low as she cuts. some
tSz are quite pretty. and visions
SAN a. she gathered the straw FOR
= heaS some before yen
AHsriAn Sh-cstry MAebtne
81 Sest are they doing In that flcld
Vetc' a mAn ans woman. facing
- etasf. az h<rE.ng on 60 a pole nailed
-" siaAee .n no krSaud. and jump.
Aaa down 2r the ri1e straw which
saaeT iAcir feet That Il the human
g machine 90 t2Aan. They arc
eat With thoir weight the rico
tae straw The crop itself is
u when the sraID IA nrst cut Tao
t1adles are stacked up about the
paecd, with ttsir heads downward.
sfound inside an Enclosure TO dry.
n go 'eerphghiy ripe the heads u the
4 aN Pat lR mortar made by hol-
ea' ol2fk ~ hard wood, and men
4 s.s9ea pound upon them with great
ReS,ics th-s lhroshlng the rice
ne stfaw. The wnnowing is done
4 e. 'id ,Ao rice being brown into the
~Ad again caught in tray.
l. b.ris Sas BuffA!oes.
II Ia, 80 IA vain Tor COWS and horses in
Ia N 81 this valley The g,1nies OF I.u-
n e. raised iu other sections. ana tho
N eAmals visible are the water hura-
VI y eaflbou and s,rg. a-.} ,h.t, .v, ,,~f,-