The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-03-14
WOman's Tale OF Manila lIardsllips

NOmah's Inle or Manila linrdSlips.
Mrs. William G. Butler, wife Of
Captain w. G. Butler, who was re-
commended for promotion by the late
General Lawton on account Of his
| bravery in conflict at Manila, has
but recently returned from that land
and is now at Washington Her home
is in New Brunswick, where her hus-
band was military instructor at Rnt-
gers College. She was much impressed
with what she saw during her stay in
the Philippines, and gives this
| interesting account Of some Of the
sights:
The heat at Manila is too much to
describe; Americans cannot stand it
with their manner of dress. The wa
ter is abominable, and the cooking is
noe worthy the dignity Of the term.
For the first month we nearly starved.
The best hotel is conducted by Span
lard, whose charges arc about on par
with the most fashionable hotels here
and the poorest American laborer
could not eat the food they serve. We
! could only eat bananas and the stores
from the commissary department, but
there was no other place to go, and We
had no choice
The houses all leak. They have
no glass window pancs, and in place
Of glass use translucent oyster shells
The water pours in through the cracks,
through the roof and through Tie
walls; it pours in everywhere during
the wet season, and half the time dur
ing the dry Tho Filipino women do
not seem to mind it, but they have wa
tcrproof closets, while we we're camp
ed out, with nails driven in the walls
to hang our gowns on. But it does
seem, with centuries Of experience With
rain, the people might learn to build
house that would keep out the wa
ter.
"To mention few of the disagree
able features first and then pass on to
the more desirable ones, ants take
high rank, in my mind, after the aw-
full food. They swsrm everywhere,
but kerosene will check their roaming
ambition, and we had 6 man servant
60 all over the floors every day with
oil. We managed to keep thus par
TALLY free from them. OF course, tar
antulas and snakes are abundant, but
not troublesome. Another unpleas-
ant feature is the inability to keep
servant. They get months pay and
then generally 60 and buy hat and
forget to come back.
There is crying need in Manila
for laundry. The prevailing system
is for young man or woman TO swamp
Their, it is dipped i'll dirty water and
then beaten upon stones to get it
clean. They will not rub hot ,-atcr,
and they will not rub it, so that it Us,
ually stands this treatment about
twice. A good American laundry in
Manila would make fortune for the
promoter.
The people are nrrant towards and
greatly fear our soldiers, particularly
the colored troops. The latter cher
ish like regard for them. The
squalor of the city where sanitary con-
ditions have never been known, and
the horrors through which our troops
have passed, will never bo real
lied by those who have not witnessed
both
II must not forget the flies. Just
common flies they arc, but with cx.
sticky feet, and they fill
the houses in black clouds. The pun
kah has to be incessantly going to keep
alive. The Filipino women wear but
one garment and keep cool. With
American energy the country is capa-
bic of much, but at present it is in an
indcscribablc condition"