St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-01-08
LETTER FROM JUDGE BATES.
His Work -T The Country Climate 81
PFOduCIs-CustOms.

in It. Mr.. Bates says Mrs. Bates health
is better in that climate than in Vermont
and that she is much charmed with the
country. Addie is also well and seems
TO like there. OF himself he says he is in
fair condition and fairly contented, but
his choice of home would be st. Johns
burv-not tor the climate but for the list
of acquaintance and friends he has
here and about here. He says further:
my duties here are not extremely hard,
in fact think they are less wearing than
they were at home, and my circle OF
acquaintance is smaller, and | have
less pleasure in the society of my
friends. Since the goth of June l have
been in court every judicial day
| and shall be as long as | keep my
present position and assignments. My
district contains about l 100000 popu,
lation. am Judge and jury for all the
| business that would come into our county
court, probate court, bankruptcy court
and I. S. district court, at home, and
there are some large affairs here, and
some of the most curious lawsuits you
ever heard of. The instruction against
Spanish rule and the fight against the
United States have lett many questions
for the civil courts, and the natives are
beginning to think that justice is not
now impossible and are making use of
the courts more and more, and there GER
tainly is to be a great amount OF bust
ness here in the year to come.
1t is a queer country to me and its
strangeness does not wear off. The CO.
coauut aud palm trees are not my native
element and | view them vet with half
surprise and wonder. The climate is
out OF joint according to my former Cxpe-
Renee, Tor here we are almost at Thanks
giving, and no frost or hope Of any for
thousand years to come. The days and
nights are OF almost equal length; there
is scarcely any twilight; the sun sinks
down into the sea, and it is night with
out warning; it comes up out OF the sea
and the darkness vanishes, aud the day
appears almost in an instant; but nj
thtr day or night make cloth hing neces-
sary for, warmth and | think there has
not been a night since came here that |
have used any bedcIothing over me, still
the nights are comfortable and one gets
resttul, refreshing sleep.
The Visayans lnhabit this and contigu.
Gus islands. They are study and curl
Osity. | cannot attempt any analysis of
their characteristics, but they are far
fro, being savage and in another view
they are little less. Among the educated
and most cultivated they seem to be re-
markably gentle and Of almost boundless
hospitality, but am told their nature
changes when they have power, espec-
tally to their own people, aud the hated
| ChnOs, and they are relentless in cru
city and oppression. They appear art
less and honest but they themselves say
there is no honesty among them, for hon
| esty's sake, or for principle, and they
| look upon the man who fails to take
every dishonest means for his own ends
| that he can take, as a weakling and a
! fool, and upon the man who has gained
! by dishonest practice as of superior
! ability, not as rogue. The percentage
OF educated is very small, but hard
indeed, would be the lot of the poor i
they had their better educated country
men to rule over them, for no one car
imagine where their tyranny would end
They are indolCnt and thtitIess beyond
comprehension in some directions but it
Others most patient and persistent work
ers. They have practically no knowl
edge of gardening or agriculture and the
splendid fertile land lies useless except
tor its spontaneous productions anc
some extensive "haciendas" where {
Spanard or educated native crudey
plants his sugar cane and rice with now
and then a little field OF corn.
The water butlaloes, caribou, is thu
beast of burden and used for all domes
tic purposes, from blowing the rice fields
to drawing the family carriage or cart
The carriage or cart sometimes has irol
axts but that is a misfortune or the,
get dry and scream and Shrek for wan
of a lubricant, but no Filipino eve
thought IT necessary to grease the axle
, Native ponies are used bv the bette
classes and for public conveyances, bu
! the cruelty of the drivers is shocking
There are very few birds here and praCti
cally no song birds at all, nor are Their
many flowers and the flowers that ar
here are mostly Towering trees; very fey
{ indeed of the flowers growing wild lik
what we have at home. aud the flower
e. have no per.ume. One would expect
r to be diff, rent in this land of sunshin,
t | have not seen honey bee in the island
( but they bring honey here from Califo
. MIA. There are no grapes or small fruit
D probably because they would need SON
[ care and the natives could not paw thu
n price. The islands are very rich in matt
t raj productlveness or fertility; there
II much valuable timber and no doul
|. valuable minerals will be developed b
v fore long, among Others being golc
|. There are large deposits of good Goa
q and the hemp, sugar and rice that ca
/, be produced is practically without Hmi
c There are wonderful business chanc,
n lorAmerican energy, skill and money al
5. have no doubt but that a few years W,
= see the country TRANSPORTED and one
y the richest and most productive in Il
I world. The rainy season, which is no
ID nearly past is quite different from what
y. supposed. The rain is not continuou
tie nor does it come every day, even, but
% comes IN showers nearly every day ar
- rains very hard at times, but on t
whole there is far more sunshine tb.
., rain or cloudy weather.
ID lIollo is the second town of impor
n. ance in the islands, Manila being Il
of first. 1t was burned by the insurgen
W at the time M the ho,,ho.a,,,..'99