Middletown transcript., 1902-01-18
NOT so EASY IN THE PHILIPPINES

MISS bessie Bond, ll0S North EutaW
street, is in receipt of an interesting letter
from Sergeant Walter F. Wahl, Company
M, Seventeenth United States Infantry.
now stationed at Mindanao, Philippine
Islands, in which he described the trials
OF the soldiers there. The writer takes
decided exception to some of the things
written about the islands concerning the
beauty of the scenery, the growths, the
climate and other things.
While serving upon snowbound prair
les in Colorado, the Sergeant says, he.
read of the Philippines as the land of
sunshine and flowers, waving plants and
beautiful ferns, majestic mountains and
roaring torrents, luscious fruits and pic.
turesque people. When viewed from the
standpoint of seeker for pleasure alone,
or for business opportunities, this might
be very we'll, the writer says, but the
regular soldier can find time to grumble.
Il was tempted to enlist" writes the
Sergeant, "by an overwhelming sense of
patriotism and holes in my overshoes. 1
am over here now, and woe betide the
traveller who wrote those enticing sket-
ches, should l ever meet him! The
beautiful sunshine is a glare-hotter than
the hinges of hades-and the average
Philippine flower would chase a hyena
away from glue factory. The waving
palms are described by Mark Twain as
resembling dilucidated umbrellas. and
the ferns have stickers that leave pain
ful wound. The majestic mountains
well, carry krag rifle, 100 rounds of
ammunition, blankets, canteens, hayer-
sacks and three to five days rations over.
one OF them, and then try to extract any
poetry from the situation. The roaring
torrents are here all right; know, for /
paid Sl3.15 for rifle that lies at the
bottom of one of them; but there are lots
OF romantic, sentimental people that
never see a river tilted up more than it
ought to be and get a hump. on itself
without raving about it.
"Then, there's the fruit-little. dried.
up bananas, about the size of Carolina
peanut, and cocoanuts at five cents
apiece. The commandments of the hos
pltal corps are condensed into Don't
eat fruit or you will have dysentery,'
and Sleep under mosquito bar and
avoid fever And the people-pictures-
que! They little, pin-headed, insignif-
cant looking people, without as much
expression in their faces as a mince pie.
The war correspondents have been charit-
able enough to divide them into tribes
and to credit them with distinguishing
traits, but the fact cannot be disguised
that these natives are simply the missing
link between the baboon and the human
race. One tribe can always be named at
slght-the Igarottes, they wear nothing
but 'gerstring,' and letting their hair
grow long. This tribe is said to be COM
posed OF cannibals; they carry spears and
talk language that sounds like a combi-
nation OF bass drum and flute. If the
word picturesque can be applied 70 any
Filipino, this tribe deserves the appella-
Jon.
But the Army grub 1t would be
serious if it were not amusing. It's COM
ortlng, too; because if it were not for the
Did familiar names of Armour and Swift
IN cans and barrels the private never
would see anything to remind him of
home, except, possibly, the U. s. ON
let OF summary court-martial charges.
everything else over here bears the
egend Made in Germany One week
4fter pay day four-ifths of the country's
defenders are broke; for gambling has a
ertain force that puts the other fifth ON
easy street in ragtime style For few
lays the lucky fifth live in clover, but it's
lard to refuse comrade, especially one
ou have just 'cold-decked, SO the lucky
mes soon tire of paying 40 cents for
ne=pound can OF butter, and only getting
nough to cover one slice of bread. So
he canteen gets into the game, holds the
Winning hand for a few days, and then
veryone is broke for another two months.
Army grub is good, wholesome and, as
ule, well cooked, but our bill of fare
acks variety.
1.-The closing of the canteen has been
ard thing for the boys. With beer at so
ents per quart, it is only possible to
eep comfortable for three or four days
fter pay day, bat now many feel justi-
ed in using 'bino.' won't say l drink
. The only possible way to get outside
it is to go into trance and absorb it,
ter which it is good form to sweep a
can place on the floor and have fit.
ut 'bino' is cheap, and by its use
'ldier can keep well hooded-up all the
me. 'Bino' looks like alcohol and
stes like the business end of live wire.
'bino' drunk is the next thing to being
ectrocuted. ."-Bahimore american.