The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-28
REBEL PLAY
OF F|L|P|NOS
The Method of Inciting
Instruction by
Acting.

Henry Swift, chaplain of the Eigh-
teenth United States Infantry, now in
the Philippines, has sent to a. friend
in this country an account of a play,
which when it was produced was the
cause of excitement in Manila. He
thinks that it illustrates the sentiment
prevailing among the Tagalogs.
Night after night the theater where
it was performed was crowded and the
spectators were stirred almost to the
frenzy point. The play was finally
suppressed, and the author tried and
sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The opening scene Of Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow" as the play is
called, represents a small town OUT
side of Manila at the time of the Chi
nese regime of the Boy King. The in
habitants of the town under the lead
ership Of Asalhayop, or the Beastly
One, native who is friendly to the
usurping power, are drinking and
feasting.
Tagalog, the hero, and his mother,
Inangbayan, the Filipino Columbia or
Britannia, enter and rebuke the people
for merry-making while their country
lies PROSTATE at the feet of the in
Evader.
A back drop curtain is raised, dis
closing the tombs of Tagalog soldiers.
Inangbayan accuses the jewellers of
dishonoring their noble dead, but, led
ON by the Beastly One, they receive
her rebukes with ieers.
In the second act Tagalog leads the
people on the stage and urges them to
recover their liberty, thus:
Tagalog-Would We recover from the
enemy this fair land which they usurp-
ed from our fathers?
People-Yea! Yea!
TagaIog-Then come; let us arm our
selves.
The Beastly One overhears the plot
and reveals it to the Chinese leaders.
They reward him with money and give
him a bronze badge, which is to serve
as countersign and safeguard. =
But Inangbayan is witness of his
treachery, and in the next scene, when
he pretends to enter into the plans of
Tagalog, she denounces HIM. He is
searched and the telltale badge and
money are found. Tagalog, despite the
cries of mercy from the people, con-
dennis the Beastly One to be burned
alive.
A pyre is lit in full sight of the audi
ence and a dummy figure of the
Beastly One cast upon the fire.
Tagaleg people," the hero says, as
the figure burns, do you see how this
body is licked by flames? whatsoever
does as he did shall meet like fate.
swear it,
In a battle that follows on the stage
the Chinese. are ingloriously beaten. and
the boy king killed.
Shortly after this a Spanish army,
led by Dahumpalay and Espana enter.
They promise the people liberty and a
covenant is made between the leaders,
each drinking the others blood. But
the Spaniards soon break faith.
s'Alas!" laments Tagalog. cit is our
lot to weep both night and day. We
give them all VIE have, and in return
get only death"
Dahumpalay enters.
"Tagalog,'' he demands, where is
your tribute to the king?''
Tagalog draws forth a coin and
| casts it contemptuously at the feet
of Dahumpalay. He is put in chains
and sentenced to death. The people,
led by Inanghayan, enter and plead for
Tagalog.
Dahumpalay demands their money.
then their jewels, their clothes, and
, finally even the shoes from their feet.
The people strip themselves, and hav-
ing received assurance that Tagalog
will be released pass out.
Dahumpalay intends to release Taga-
log, and then have him rearrested and
put to death. But when he starts to
unbind Tagalog, the latter turns upon
him and Stays him.
Here a dummy figure is substituted
| for Dahumpalay. The hero changes
| clothes with the dead man and then, as
a matter of precaution, burns his late
/ rivals face beyond any chance of rec
| ognition. Then he says: