Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-25

down their backs when they are dressed
for any special occasion. y Filipino We
man scarcely ever takes a bath that she
does not include the washing Of her long
black name. \ bath means the scrubDiag
OF the entire body from head to foot
Then, again, take a trip into the country,
and the view Is made picturesque by this
one feature Steam up the Pasig river on
one OF the government launches and be-
fore every little hut which is nestled in the
green bank. or in Il clearing Of the bamboo,
are E3thers. men. women and children,
sometimes the whole family doing the fam
lily wash a. the same time. The people are
modest, too considering the climate and
their simple way of living, for the women
and little girls always wear some old gar
ment, though the small boys and the men
are apt 10 splash around in a natural con-
dition. Nor do they battle merely for the
pleasure of being in the water: they make
q serious business of scrubbing themselves,
using a great deal Of soap in the process.
Since there is abundance of water to be
found III the Philippines, this practice is al
most universal.
Bath Rooms for the Rich.
Among the natives and the "mestizos"
Y no are well To do. and who can afford to
live in houses which are large enough-and
substantial enough-to contain bath rooms
bathing is not much more universal than
among the lower classes
There are several kinds of baths in Ma
Mia houses One-which is the most simple
is the typical bath of the orient. A great
porcelain tub co!orei a duh blue, deep and
of oval shape is set in a room with floor
of tiles or bricks santing toward the wood
en- doorway, under which is a wide aper-
tire. The doorway may open on a court
yard on the first second story. The tub
Is filled with cold water but nobody Is
supposed to get in ii. The bather. instead,
clothed in a thin robe, stands at the side
dips the cold water out with a gourd or
cocodnut shell, and pours il over his per-
son, after which 1t trickles down the in
clined plane Of the floor, and runs into the
court yard If no other drain is provided
for IT. The other style of bath is more
elegant, composed of tiles, which are built
into the room. sometimes making a large
and luxurious bathing place, often with a
shower arrangement above. Some OF tue
newest built of the Spanish 'quartees''
Soldiers barracks in Manila have bat.s
Uf this kind. But there is never any ar
ransement made for the bathing in no,
water. Such a process seems almost I'M
heard OF in the Philippine Islands.
AT even more remarkable characteristic
IL that FllipinOs of all classes, high and
low. are almost universally cleanly in their
clothes. In spite of the fact that all wash
Ing must be done By beating the clio hes
out upon stones IN the rivers or canals.
most often without soap, or else washing
them in fiat wooden bowls in cold water.
generally in the hot sun, you rarely see
even the poorest native in anything but
Immaculate garments. the men most often
In white. These are also carefully mended
They not Cnly get their clothes very clean
by their laborious process of washing bu-
they are also carefully ironed by means
OF self-heating irons, large affairs with I.
place inside for lighted charcoal. This is
probably a Spanish device. After washing
the clothes are strung along a river bank.
OF fence, TO dry, and afterward starched
and ironed.
Neatly Dressed at Church.
There Is no more Dla1 sight in
the Philippines than that outside Of a
church on feast day. Grouped about the
steps, waiting for the doors to be opened.
are native men, women and children, all
In clean clothes, from the little folks who
toddle about dressed exactly like their
elders. in dfrninutive long trousers and
thin shirt with the tail flying loose. c., in
the case of the girls. a tiny "canisa" and