The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-18
TRAITS OF FILIPINS0
The Various Tribes Differ Widely in
Their characteristics as in u
! Their Culture.
None of Them Seem to Be Troubled
II With What Is Known Here
as Nerves. -
American Woman. in the Outlook


Almost every statement one can make
concerning the Filipinos must be qualifed;
what is true for one tribe is not true for
another. There is far more difference be-
tween the Igorrote of Benguez and the
Tagalog of Manila than between the latter
and ourselves In the lower classes and
the higher there are traits that make the
strenuous New Englander, or even the
more easy-going Californian impatient,
and at times inclined to say: Its no use:
one can never teach them anything; but
the fact remains that, unless one has a
race prejudice, the Filipino is thoroly lik-
able. $. ss.e-.zz,s+-s,-: -, .s.-. .
Naturally the servant class is the one
with which we come in closest contact,
and we get the poorest specimens here in
Manila. They are not any more success
full than is our unframed help at home.
They polish the center Of the floor and
leave the corners untouched. The dust
accumulates behind books, and the spider
gayly spins his web on the chandelier; but
when his attention is called to these mat
ters the Filipino smiles as if he thought
it joke, and cheerfully performs the neg
lected duty, and as promptly forgets it
next day. They are not creatures of rou-
tine, nor are they thoro In the work they
have to do; but they are neither sulky
nor saucy. They go quietly about the
house, and altho they break dishes, one
never hears them slamming doors or rat
Ting dishes as an indication Of disap-
prevail l am row speaking of the serV-
ants the Americans hire. who are not in
the least the typical Filipino servants A
Filipino Of my acquaintance spoke of ID
coachman as one of those impertineut fell
lows who had been employed by Ameri-
cans; she would have none of that kind.
From my friends here learn that much
of the patriarchal system of living still
prevails even in Manila. In some large
houses there are. from twenty to thirty
of all degrees from poor re-
lations to cooks and scullions. These
persons live about the house, sleeping
In corners, and are clothed and fed by
the mistress. They marry, have children.
and raise them in harum- -scarum way
that would drive an American woman to
an insane asylum. Again and again /
have seen inSone of the finest houses
here small naked children asleep behind
the parlor door, while large-eyed placid
women nursed babes quite unabashed as
they crouched on the floor in the hall
ways. These servants have their home,
their clothes, food and from three to five
pesos month. In way, I suppose, they
earn this money as they nonchalantly
polish the hardwood floors or carelessIy
flap the dust from the center of tables
and chairs. They sit on the floor in
wash the dishes that are piled up around
them and stack them edgewise along the
wall to dry. Surely their ways are not
ours, and it is a shock to the nerves to see
a kitchen in the heat of preparation for
banquet of which one is to partake later.
1t requires some skill to pass between
the various dishes being prepared on the
floor where cats and dogs and babies.
meats and fruits and vegetables seem
hopelessly jumbled up. always forget
about 1t later, for a delicious dinner
will almost always come forth from the
chaos. Many of these servants have lived
all their lives in one family They feel
themselves dependent on their masters.
and the idea of their going away or being
dismissed never occurs to either master
or servant. There is consequently fam
lily feeling between them and freedom
OF intercourse that we, democrats though
we are, would not tolerate. friend told
me thatshis head servant always remon-
stra tea with him when he disapproves any
course ofsActiorl and sometimes I have
witnessed an alteration between a mis-
tress and maid in which the maid pre-
vailed. At one house I remember there