Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-02
DINE OUT IN THE OPEN
WASHINGTON COLONY IN MANILA
ENJOYS CHRISTMAS FEAST.
Turkey Cost SO in Gold-Accompani-
ments Up to Date-Gossip
Of the Tropics.

OF the Tropics.
There is small colony of washington
government clerks in Manila, and they nave
rented house and live together, as Is Gus
tomary in the capital Of the new possess
sion. One Of them has just written home
breezy account of their last Christmas din
ner.
''On Christmas" he says, "our outfit and
friends had dinner out of doors In our yard.
dressed IN our pajamas and even then the
perspiration was running down our backs
and bosoms. But we did the thing right.
We had an Australian turkey which cost
us 50 gold and incidentally quart per man
of genuine American fizz, an English plum
pudding, fresh mangoes, tomatoes. peas,
lettuce, squash and the fifty-eighth variety
Of American apple butter.
THE night before Christmas we took in
a bull fight, and on Christmas day saw a
cock fight in the morning, a base ball game
in the afternoon and went later to see the
play, An American Citizen Thus we made
out quite a day.
We have pretty swell home for Manila;
have a piano, banjo, two snakes, one
monkey, one Chinaman, one dog and three
Filpinos We have several spare beds,
which are generally occupied by our friends
who drop in from the provinces.
Sometimes when we have pleasant cele
bration we think we will never go back to
Gods country but when we wake up we
always inquire when the next boat leaves.
There are two staple questions here that it
is always good form to PROFOUND to whom
soever you meet. First, When is the next
mail boat in?' second, When are you go
ing home? Every body expects it, and
when they are not asked your acquaintance
feels sighted. We have two race courses
ct Sot,, L.,
and base ball league which plays one
game on Saturday and two on Sunday
Nine of my friends have already been bo-
loed by FfliptnOs out in the provinces, and
they would have probably got me, too if
had been within reach. I sleep on my trusty
gun every night, but the plague and the
cholera and the smallpox keep us so inter
ested out here that we don't have time to
watch the FHipinos as much as we ought.
An Evangelist's Views.
Pentecost, the evangelist, has been out
here holding meetings for about three
months, and he has sized this Philippine
business UP about right. 1 could not write
a better description of it in three hours
than he gave as he left here.
He says the Filipinos as whole are as
incapable Of selfgovernment as Americans
understand self-government. any people
possibly could be. Six eight millions of
people of different races, without any sem
blance of homogeneity, four-fifths of them
totally illiterate and of the other fifth only
a small portion literate in any true sense
OF that word; without literature Of their
own and hitherto without access, by edu-
cation or otherwise, to the literature of the
civilized world; with some million or more
or non-Christian and half savage tribes;
with all the traditions and experiences of
medieval despotism extending over a
period of three centuries, clinging to the
mental habit of even the best of them
now could they either erect for themselves
free government or conduct 1t If it were
erected for them. The idea seems prepos-
ferrous.
Regarded as Inferior Race.
DIR. Pentecost also says: I think the
vast mass Of the Filipinos are very in
ferior race of people. may say decadent
race. Whether they would have been
more vigorous people If they had never
been under Spanish dominion, or II left to
themselves they would have made further
advancement toward manhood and civiliza-.
ton. is question open to inquiry and DIS
cusslon. Certainly the bulk of them are
grossly ignorant, superstitious, INDECENT.
unambitious, without initiative, living half
way between the trees and the prolific soil
of these fertile Islands. Evolution has been
rather indolent in her wonderful work
among these people. 1 do not think we
made any mistake when we assumed con-
troll of these Islands, and 1 do not think we
could have done otherwise without defying
Divine Providence and cowardly turning
back upon our national destiny and duty"
l am persuaded that We are here for a
much more important purpose than that Of
giving the Filipino self-government. We
are here to be on hand when the great
world problem so closely identified with the
ultimate destiny of 40O,O00.OOO of Chinese
comes to the crisis. To take our part in
determining whether the civilization of
these mighty millions is to be after the
Anglo Saxon or the Slavic type. The i'm
mediate destiny of the Filipino is a sec
ondary question. He is but a pawn on the
great chess board of the worlds future his
tory.
In Chaotic State.
"'Our American community out here is
at present pretty chaotic. The most of our
countrymen are on the wing or only pilgrims
of the night In five years nine tenths of
the Americans who are here today will
have passed on" The remaining tenth
will remain and form the nucleus of a per-
manent resident population, who will re-
establish best American ideals and become
the chief factor in elevating the people to
higher standards of life and In the develop
ment Of the islands. Christian people will
no longer forget their God and deliver
themselves over to the world. the flesh and
the devil, as many of them are now do
ing"