The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-07-24
SOCIAL LIFE IN MANILA,
THE SCENE ON THE LUNETA is
BIZARRE AND COSMOPOLITAN.


Meet Friends. Hear the Band Play
and See the Glorious Sunsct-rhc
Houses OF the Better Glass.
THE fashionable life of Lon
don, Paris or New York cuts
only a small figure in Ma
G Mia, but the dictates Of local
custom are almost as exact as in any
/ of these society centres, writes Ethe-
/ Ign Emery Hutton, in the Chicago
Record. The hours for performing
social duties and the manner of doing
are very well understood and closely
observed in this far Eastern city.
J The activity of the people begins
early in the day, rests and sleeps in
midday, reaches its most exciting
hours about sunset, follows on its
enjoyment until midnight or after AID
sleeps again. The English and Span
lsh people exercise early-before the
heat of day.-do their shopping about
nine or ten, have a light luncheon
about one in the afternoon, sleep,
have afternoon tea, take cold bath
and dress TO go out at T. 30 or )
! o'clock. The best period of the day
begins about this time Every one
drives, and after calls the Luneta is
the objective point for ALL Here
banG plays daily at so.
The scene on the Luueta is very
bizarre and cosmopolitan. Spanish,
English, Swiss, German, East Indian.
Chinese, native and Nestle men and
women mingle with the strong major
ity of Americans. Imagine the va
riety of colors in the grouping of high
Roman Catholic bishops aud dignita-
ries. white-robed priests, black friars,
both Spanish and Filipino, American
officers in white duck or khaki, Amer
lean soldiers in brown and released
Spanish prisoners in blue, wealthy
Chinese merchants i'll heliotrope, blue
or white silk, East Indians from Bonn
bay IN queer skirts, Spanish women
with enormous pompadour coill'urcs
and painted faces, English women i'm
French hats, native women in the ma
tional dress of the Filipinos, Ameri-
can women III light, thin gowns. Chi
nese nursemaids in long blue coats
aud black trousers. caring for the
children of English Spanish auI
American families. The intcrmiug.
ling of all these people is the pleas
ant social feature of the day-to-dav
life. Everybody comes on, to see
his friends, to hear the IN Isic and to
see the glorious sunset.
The Luneta drive is Il large loon ON
the bay shore, with the center within.
the oval elevated for a promenade.
The bandstand is in the middle of the
promenading space, large fountains at
"a
about freely. The view is toward the
open sea across Manila bay. On a
clear day Cavite, in front of which
place the sunken Spanish hulks lie.
may be seen. Beyond and further
out lies the island of Correeidor.
whose tlashlight Admiral Dewey
passed in safety the night before the
battle of the 1st of May. Over the
horizon the sun drops with a truly
tropical garishuess. After the sun
has gone and the short twilight has
passed the Luneta blazes with electric
light.
The drive and promenade continue
along the bay shore to the mouth of
the river, the smooth course living
between rows of palms and under tho
shadows of the gray walls of the old
city, from whose parapets the great
guns of the Spanish threatened n
stern punishment for all trespassers
This inviting road, called AIalacan
drive, ends in a small circle about n
little garden of palms and tropical
plants, where are fountain, a mouu.
ment to Simon de Anda aud q band
stand. The curve extends along the
bank to old Fort Santiago, which
I commands the entrance to the river.
standing gray and formidable in the
near distance.
a never-ending line of carriages.
moving always to the right, passes
around the Luueta; two or three
lines stop along the curb OF the prom
cnade or Of the beach side Of the road.
and there is much visiting going ON.
People speed past one another down
the Malacan drive to Simon de Auda
mOnument-fOr the native coachuau
loves to drive as fast as he can-stop
there and listen to the music or watch
the boats on tue Pasig River. and run
back to the Luneta, only torepeat the
above performance or to ioin the
groups of carriages assembled there
Spaniards are fond of good horses
of high mettle and one sees during am
evening on the Luneta many well.
matched pairs of fat little native horses
which really have quite bit Of speed,
although their gait is of the toddliug
ORDER. Spaniards aud EugIishmeu i'm
Manila seldom drive their own horses.
so the fayOrite carriage is low VIC
toria with p high seat for the native
cochero. The calcsa, two wheeled
cart with q cochero's scat behind.
driven with one horse. is quite
popular with tho Americans and some
others who enjoy driving. The CAIRO.
mata isliked by the bachelors. It is
also two-whceled, with one horse. but
the coachman drives from 70 small seat
I'm front One sees occasionally n
broughom, a quiIcz or four.whccIod
cales0
Dinner follows upon coming home
from tho drive. Dances are uctcs
sariIy late in the evening. the music
beginning about 10 o'clock. The idea
Of hospitality among the residents is
to dance and dine the whole night
through aud often into The next day.
The Spaniards and Filipluos are moth
ing II not free-hearted aud loug.suf-
icring I'M entertaining guests