Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-03


setting. The roads in the plain are filled
with people, who make white lines
through the green fields. Those are the
suburbanltes OF this Filipino capital,
the poor who work In the stores and
factories and are now returning to their
homes Many Of them are women, VINO
have bright red skirts. above which are
draped black shawls. The red catches
the rays OF the sun. and we have band
OF vermillion between the green and the
black.
QUEER PEOPLE.
But let US 60 down and walk through
the streets back 10 our hotel. We are
moving along with the strange charac-
ters OF this strange city. Hundreds OF
brown skinned, black-eyed men, women
and children 20 by us. They have eyes
almost slanting. and they are OF all
shades from yellow 10 black. They are
not so tall as our people at home, and
most OF them are lean rather than fat
How queeriy they dress Many OF the
men and women are clad In slin gauze
as thin as mosquito netting, through
which the air has free passage, ana
through which the skin shows. They
have clothes OF the different Philippine
cloths made OF the fiber OF the pineapple
and other plants, which Is as sun as
hair. but which In some cases Is az hne
as spun silk. The women are without
hats or bonnets, and their luxurlant
black hair IL done up In knot on the
crown OF the head. They wear jackets
OF gauze cut very low in the neck, with
great bell-like sleeves reaching only TO
the elbow, but 30 full and so stin that
the arm IA bare 10 the shoulder. Under
this or rather below Il. is tight skirt,
which consists OF wide bag or cameo
or other light cloth wrapped around the
waist and legs II falls to the ankles
and Is fastened by twist at the waist
over this waist cloth or skirt there IN
usually black shawl, which extends
from the waist 10 the knees and when
seems to be intended to hold on the
skirt.
The workingmen have on little more
than shirt and pantaloons, and the
shirt Is In all cases outside the trousers
The majority OF the men and boys, In
fact. remind one Of the hero OF Mother
Goose. Little Dicky Dout, who had his
shirt tail out" The shirt tails OF the
Filiplnos however. are Intentionally out
for the sake OF GOODNESS. The air is thus
admitted to the bare skin, the white
linen Tapping merrily In the breeze az
they walk The effect Is on the whole
rather striking, and you look for them
10 rush round the corner and tuck their
shirts In. Some OF the shirts are I'M
ported. with well-laundered bosoms, In
which are gold studs. The native shirts
are OF the thinnest gauze, a sort OF a
cross between halrclOth and mosquito
netting. They are Of all colors-white,
yellow. black and pink-belng often en-
broldered and stamped. The stuff IL
like that which the ladies here wear for
their dresses-stuif which Il so delicate
and so beautiful that the American
ladies buy 4 for party or evening
gowns. Further down in the business
streets OF the city. and especially on the
Escolta. you meet many men In suits Of
white duck, Filipinos OF the higher
classes, who dress much as we do.
GooD-NATURED AND CLEAN,
We hear in America much about the
dirt and savagery OF the people OF
Manila. So far | have seen none OF II.
The people are far more cleanly than
the Chinese Even the poorest OF them
wear clean clothes and the most Of the
costumes are white. In many respects
the Filipinos are like the Japanese. or
rather more like the Burmese both Of
whom are noted for their cleanliness
and frequent bathing. Among the wo.
men on the streets you zee many who
wear their hair down their backs. their
rich black names falling usually from
their necks 10 their waists. My guide
Thomas a Beckett he says his name
Il Beckett, tells me this Is because they
are fresh from the bath and that they
20 about so 10 let their hair dry. He
says there are swimming baths for wo-
men In the city and that he himself
takes a plunge In the canal near his
home every morning.
As to sayageneSs. the people seem to
me more civilized than any OF the Ma
lay races l have yet seen. They are
fer more good natured and friendly
than the natives OF the Straits Settle
ments They appear 20 be fond OF one
another, ana | see men and boys going
along With Joined hands. The women
go IN pairs as a rule, ana all laugh and
'utA d liltN NleNt MONK AOStintI
There Is no scowling al the foreigner as
In China. and Il they really hate the
Americans they do not show It in their
faces
QUEER STREET SCENES.
But 70 return to the streets through
which we are moving. The crowd has
grown as we approached the business
section, and We are often forced 10
step cut in the road. The sidewalks
OF Manila are seldom more than three
feet In width, and more than three peo-
PIE cannot well walk abreast upon
them. They are tagged with rough
stones. the roadway being unpaved as
a rule. The houses are everywhere
close TO the streets. and In many cases
there are blocks OF buildings which
have these overhanging balconies 20
that as you walk you are shaded by
them from the rays Of the sun. Many
OF the balconies have their shell win
dows pushed back, and we frequently
yet n alAnaa from a LIlipkno fnaidan a.