Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-08-08
PHILIPPINE
OBJECT LESSON
Natives Shack and Implements of Peace
and War.

What is unquestionably the finest col.
lection of Philippine curios that has as
yet reached this section arrived at South
Danville Tuesday morning as part of
the personal belongings of T. Judson
Vastine, principal musician in the band
of the 43rd regiment, L. s. Vols, whose
recent arrival from San Francisco was
noted in these columns.
The collection, indeed, is a museum in
itself The most interesting object pro-
badly is a model of a native house,
some % inches by Is. The model, which
to the minutest detail is a faithful count
erpart of native shack, is constructed
of the same material, bamboo, rooted
with ''nipa." 1t is an instructive object
lesson and from it alone can one obtain
a correct idea of Filipino shack, which
may be 10 by II feet, one story high, and
supported by pots three feet or so above
ground. 1t contains a large hall or
apartment opening on one side into
row of bed rooms and on the other unto
broad veranda. 1t has no chimney ,as
no fire is used in the house, cooking be-
ing done on the outside. The roof is
ettectual in turning the water, but the
building is no protection against the
cold, as the air blows through the loose
ly constructed sides and floor. The pigs
and chickens of the family are domiciled
under the building.
In the collection there is beautiful
rug, soft and flexible, deftly woven of
sea grass, upon which the Filipino sleeps
and in which he rolls himself when the
night becomes cold. There are also
brooms and water buckets, odd in the
extreme; beautiful delicately wrought
fans, one made of ivory, another of pea
cock feathers and still another of sandal
wood, every movement of which as it is
used throws a delicate fragrance in the
face. There are eight canes all of which
are curiosities, and one-of ebony tip
ped at each end with Filipino silver
which is of no little value, by reason of
the rare and delicate carving with which
its entire length is decorated. The
weapons of the collection form no small
part, representing bolos and daggers of
every description, some crude enough in
appearance, but many finely wrought
and mounted on handles of caribou
horn. Some of the designs, especially
that of Malay 'crese," are especially
cruel and murderous and give a good
idea of what our boys in the Philippines
were cup against"
One of the weapons which Mr.. Vast
inc values very highly is dagger by
which he was stabbed in the face. The
scar of the wound remains but the Fill
pino who inflicted the cash is no more,
as he was shot by one of our soldiers
before he could strike the second blow.
Another interesting article is jug of
"beno" or Filipino whiskey, clear and
colorless liquid, almost pure alcohol
distilled from rice. 1t is highly intoxI
eating drink and short indulgence in
it will unbalance the mind. Beno, it is
said, was responsible for the outbreak
of insanity among the American troops
in the Philippines. Mr.. Nastine since
his return has been treating his friends
to a taste of beno, but taste" invari-
ably was all that was desired, as it has
villainous flavor and is not at all adapt
ed to the civilized palate.
II would be useless to attempt to en-
umerate one half of Mr.. Vastine's fine
collection of curios. 1t would require
at least one-half day to look them all
carefully over.