The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-17
TEACHERS IN
S0RSOGAN
They Find Things
Quite Worth
Seeing.
NEWS FROM The
THOMAS PILGRIMS
Cheerful Letter From One of the
Young Men of Thomas
Company.

If you have thought Of those thre
young men who took dinner with yol
one, evening in Honolulu and IlomiseC
to write you their adventures you
have probably written 'reprobata" af
ter each of their names in your mind
had not written the last time I saw
them. but really ii is not our fault
We have hardly been certain we would
remain more than ten minutes in q
good letters when they are unsettled
But absolute tranquility insures a good
letter; then this should be passing
good. am going to tell you our adven-
lures.
Our voyage to Manila was unevent-
full. So was our stay there, except for
strange scenes among strange people.
We were all assigned in about weel,
and expect to be hurried away to our
stations at any moment. But they
dragged Mr.. Bancroft's time ami mine
out a full month. Dan got awey in
about three weeks, and as I have lost
his address, have no idea where the
boy is.
During our stay in Manila we had
three receptions and several very
pleasant dancing parties. The fist re-
ception was by the teachers already
working in Manila. At that we met all
the big guns" except the governor,
who was away from the city 'Ihe next
was by Mrs. Taft and the last by the
Y. M C. a. All three were very fine.
When at last we escaped from Ma
Mia our party was sent along with the
other teachers for Sorsogan Province to
the city OF Sorsogan. which is It's cap
ital From here we were to get out
as best we could to our stations. Most
of the boys got out in a week, but it
was four before 1 got transportation
here.
However. 1 enjoyed my stay in Sor-
sogan. 1t is a beautiful place, situated
on the north shore of a bay which cuts
| in from the sea between two parallel
ranges of mountains. a plain runs
back about two miles to the mountains
and this is covered with hemp fields
and cocoanut groves. The mountains
are all extinct volcanoes and are COW
cred with heavy timber. The climate is
so moist that they are always covered
with mist from their SUBMITS half way
down. The sUnrises there are the most
beautiful 1 ever saw. They are the
first justification I ever saw for the de-
scriptions of Ruskin and those eople.
The teacher at Scrsogan was sick and
one Of our party came back VITA a fe
yer. So I taught school ct Sorsogan
and conducted q hospital The people
that place they appear wholly lndiffer-
emit The soldiers say they haven't
been shot up enough"
Every town here has its pat""a saint
and when his day comes around they
hold a feast or fiesta. The fiesta lay for
Casiguran, eight miles icrhs; the bay
from SOrsogan, came while 1 was there.
Mr.. Bancroft teaches in Casiguran and
came for me on Saturday to go over TO
see the celebration.
While this fiesta is supposed to be
religious affair, there is really very little
religion about it, They had a religious
procession and services in the church
The church ceremonies here are quite
different from those at Rome and the
religion they have here seems to be more
a mass of superstitions than anything
else. 1t is not at all the same spirit we
are accustomed to-they seem to be try
ing TO dodge the devil, not to attain TO
good. I suppose we are all more or less
inclined to that form of devotion, though
Well, we were met at the deck by the
presidente and secretary of the pueblo
and conducted to the tribunal. Here
two long rows of chairs were placed, face
No.
US seats at the head. one one each side.
and brought us wine. We drank with
them and told them we were very
amigo" They We're so friendly they
wanted to get US drunk. Because of the
habits Of the soldiers here, they think
an American isn't having a good time un-
less he is drunk.
That night there was a big monte
game, in which several thousand pesos
changed hands. The next day was de-
voted to cock-hghting and professions of
villagers In the evening they had
the feast at the tribunal or city hall, and
after that a dance. The feast consists
in quantity. no quality. If you wish to
dance you choose your partner. regard
less Of her mind on the subject, and If
she doesn't suit you. get another without
ceremony. Some OF their dances are
very pretty.
The feast was supposed to end that
night, but as there was still food and
drink they carried il over another day.
Monday night I went back to SaiSagon.
and enjoyed the trip exceedingly, though
we were four hours going and 1t rained
q great deal Of the time. The sea water
here Is always phosphorescent. and is
particularly so In stormy weather. The
light isn't as white as silver or yellow
as gold, but Is brilliant and CLEANS eve
rywhere that the water IS disturbed.
even in the breaking Of the little wave
let's II Is like bright moonlight on foam
Every fish that scuttled away from the
path of our boat and every dragging rop-