Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-22
THE PHILIPPINE WOMEN
THEY 90 THE WORK AND ARE
MASCULINE IN STRENGTH.

Interesting views from a wOman's
standpoint of certain phases Of the
life of the Philippine women are ex-
pressed to her many friends in At
lanta by Miss Hermione Mare, who has
just returned from the islands. where
her fathers position as chaplain in the
United States army called him for
many months.
'We Were stationed during most of
our stay in the Philippines" said Miss
Mare recently, in Pampanga, one Of
the northern provinces. and the people
with whom we came principally In con-
tact were of the middle and lower
classes. Before the war there had been
many families Of the wealthy and aris-
tocratic class there, but their beautiful
homes had been burned by the Spanish
and they had moved away to Manila
or to other cities The Governor and
judge with their families lived in Pam
panga, but for the most part the peo-
pie were not Of the leisure class-that
is, they are not of the class which we
call idle, meaning those whose finan-
cial condition is such that work is not
necessary. None of the Filipinos deem
work necessary, and, therefore, they
are all idle or comparatively so.
What work is done among these
two classes, at least, is done principally
by the women. and the principal work
is the cultivation of rice. In Pam
panga rice, bamboo and bananas are
the chief grOwths encouraged, and it
is the women who give these things
the little care they need 1t is not at
all unusual to see man with his wife
on the streets. the wife carrying the
baby and perhaps some other burden,
der his arm. AS a consequence Of the
fact that the women are the labOrers
and the men spend their time betting
on cock fights. the contrast in the male
and female physique is opposite to that
Of the white race. The women are
sturdy looking broad shouldered,
broad hipped and erect, their backs
masculine in strength-and the men
are frail, stupid and puny, even their
hands frail and slender, all of them ap-
parently and actually fit subjects for
consumption.
THE men let their wives do the
work, but they are very affectionate,
as they can well afford to be. 1t is
easy to caress and say sweet things,
and so the women, as far as words
so, are treated well.
Their domestic duties are simple,
because their homes and their lives are
so simple. The houses are bare, and,
therefore, there need be but little clean
ing done, but the houses ore well
kept and the people are also. neat in
person.
THE women make their own clothes,
as a rule, but they do no other hand
work. There is some embroidery at
times on their waists, but even this is
often imported from Germany. 1t is
not unusual, too. to see a woman on
the streets, her loose-howing waist of
handsome material and carefully made,
and her skirt of the cheapest cotton
goods and in a remarkable state of
limpness and neglect. over a thin
skirt, sometimes with a shapeless train
they wear at times a straight piece of
black cloth merely pinned about them,
two corners tucked in at the waist in
front, and the others hanging in points
on the sides. They wear no hose, but
only sandals, which they carelessly
slip OF their heels when they are seat
ed at ease, and hats were unknown to
them until they saw those Of the
Americans, who, by the way, enjoy
| the Philippine custom of going bare
| headed Since the advent of several
hundred American teachers, hats are
being more commonly worn by the
| Americans.
The social life is quite gay, dancing
| being the favorite amusement. Many
of the young men play the violin or
the guitar, and at frequent intervals
| family parties-which are quite large
because every body seems to be in some
way related to or connected with every
body else-are formed for a dance, and
they have their own pretty square
dances and the same waltz we know.
In the square dances chairs are brought
for the ladies to sit upon while the
opposite members of the set are dane
Ing, and the young men are very chiv-
alrous in their attentions at this time.
When the dance is over, however. their
partners usually leave the girls ~
their seats on one side Of the room,
while they talk among themselves in
another group. The same thing occurs
at dinner parties. The girls sit in rows
facing one another and the men talk
among themselves. occasionally joining
the girls to say a few words to them,
when not actually at the table.
The Filipinos are very fond Of the
theatre, and although in the provinces
the actors and actresses are not Of a
striking ability being natives Of ap.
pagently medium education, the natives
themselves seem well pleased.
The education OF the women OF
these classes, which would be called
working classes in an industrial coun.
try. Is neglected. Many Of them are
! cant fn IN oCVvrrrt-