Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-05
ARE QUICK AND KEEN
Filipinos Have Good Traits
as Well as Bad.
SOME OF THEIR HABITS
LIKE TO SPEND MONEY, BUT
NEVER SAVE IT.
Are Born Orators, but Have No Logic
Apt Scholars in Music
and Arts.
SOME OF THEIR HABITS
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
| Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
| Chicago Record-Herald
MANILA. July 5, 1904
! friend who has lived here five years.
and in an educational way has come In
contact with thousands of Filipino children
| and young men. has a very poor opinion OF
their moral and intellectual character He
declares that they are neither loyal nor
honest nor grateful The children who
come under his instruction are from the
| best native families in the islands, but ne
| says they have no principle: they seem to
| lack moral consciousness. and do not I'M
derstand or appreciate the difference De-
tween truth and falsehood or right ana
wrong. They are full of tricks and decep-
| ton and cannot make accurate statements.
| They cannot be trusted In any way; they
have no sense Of honor. but will take any
advantage Of their teachers. their scnooi-
mates or their parents to crafty their van
ity or their desires They are natural gam
blers: will sacrifice everything to get to
cock fight: they have brutal instincts anu
are without sympathy or anection. bu'
mentally they are very quick ana Keen.
| They learn easily. have good memories,
make excellent recitatons by rote. but have
derstand the meaning of the words they are
repeating Their senses are remarkably
acute. They are especially quick at music,
| drawing penmanship and in the decorative
arts and they recite and declaim with nat
uraI grace and talent. Every f1llpino Is
| born an orator. and in composition of
| certain sentimental style they excel. put
they have no logic: are particularly ae
| fective in mathematics ana are iaccui"'o
and superficial
Habitually Inaccurate.
The newspaper publishers here complain
| that it is difficult and almost Impossible 10
get carriers and newsboys although there
are MANY application from young men to
learn the printers trade. which Is consio-
cred remunerative and honorable. Bankers
and other business men testify that the FIJI
ipinos are habitually Inaccurate in matters
of accounts; they do not have mathematical
minds: they do not appreciate .ne i ,,pre-
| liable While they are Indifferent ABOUT
paying a debt, they will never repuoiate IL
They will admit obligation ana protest
| their intention to pay, and. II II comes con-
yenient for them. they will do so; not from
q sense of honor or duty or any otner CON
scientious motive. but as matter OF pohcy.
In mercantile circles as RUE rinp, irt
credit Is very low. but the chinese trust
them and manage somehow or another W
secure payments. They resort TO suoter-
fuses that European and American business
not WllllnS " 'ttoPt, I'.HNS N''N
ter seldom loan money to flhplhos vi give
them credit for large amounts
The Filipino is not avariclous. ne uoes
not seem to care for money except 70 spent
| II As rule the people are extraVagant
rather than prudent, SpendthrlItS rath.i
| than misers. They have very little busi,
ness talent: they are easily s"lhuieo anu
h,mbugged and their fertile imaslnatons
are ant to make their judgment inaccurate
and unsafe in business AFFAIRS. lhere are
no rich Filpinos A few have estates ana
considerable city property, Dut none u
them have accumulated wealth by nara
work good judgment or economy.
Tradesmen say that the women or the
Filipino families are much more p 3, 30.
like and careful in their dealings tnan the
mon and can always be trusted. Ihey are
almost invariably honest and candio IN
their dealings. One merchant. VINO mas
been here long time. told me that ne nau
never known a dishonest Filipino woman.
and in the same breath he declared that
| he had never known an honest F1iiPino
man. When man incurred bills ne dld so
| recklessIy and without considering the
| question of payment. but no Filipino wo-
| man ever purchased an article without
| having made up her mind how 1t was to be
| paid for.
Gen. Davis Opinion.
Gen. George B. Davis. who has been in
| command of troops over here FOR two or
| three years, says in his final report:
I'VE have been Americanizing these Ma
i
to get all they can from the government.
and there is no lack of officers of higher
I rank to assist them. No necessity exists
| for conceding their demand for more food:
| neither should they have the same pay, the
same clothing allowance nor the same Ice
| allowance the white troops receive.
| Americans in the Philippines have not so
| far been an unmixed blessing to the native
] inhabitants. We have raised their hopes
| and expectations to level far above the
| of
| extravagant wages. rents and prices for
| commodities at few places, but we have
| not yet succeeded in doing anything that
has raised the general social, industrial
! and economic level. To concede pay and
| allowances out Of all reason for few
| thousand native troops would to certain
| extent debauch the recipients. and only ex-
| cite the envy and unrest of the vast mass
| of the population who must still depend
| upon agriculture for subsistence. The Fill
! pinos flock to the cities. where army quar-
| termasters hire some natives at four times
| the pay they formerly received The wait
! Ing list for these jobs Is always long one.
| while the fields in the country remain I'M
| cultivated public roads projected by the
government are uncOnStructed and labor
| at living rates by Industrial employers Is
unprocurable. If the army would cease the
| employment Of natives they would have to
return to the fields and resume their former
employments.
at has been often stated that an Amer
| lean soldier costs $1,000 year. but ma
land and France in the orient more than
about one-sixth that amount. There is
no reason why they should cost us more.
| II we pay more than others the increase
| is a bounty which really helps but the
| few and leaves the mass unhappy and
disconnected" a. .
IT
As Soldier. -
AS to the merits of the native az a SOL
| der Colonel Scott of the regular army,
now second in command Of the constabu-
| larry, says that ne ''is neat and orderly,
| extremely amenable to discipline and his
conduct Is generally good but he must
| be managed with a strong hand weak
or vacillatiag officer will convert his
| command into a trifiing, worthless OUTFIT
| whereas an energetic officer, who de-
mands the utmost respect, keeps his dis
cipiine up to the top notch. controls his
| men. and at the same time il kind but
strict with them. will always be sue
| cessful.
| TT is not believed that patriotism en-
tiers very largely into the Filipino's
| makeup" said Colonel Scott. He ia
not a coward, and will follow a brav.
| officer anywhere. Patriotism does mot
/ RI ho