Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-04
HABITS OF NATIVES
Filipinos Are Inconsistent in
Every Day Life.
HAVE NO FEAR OF DEBT
OFTEN GIVE COSTLY BANQUETS
TO THEIR CREDITORS.
Are Fond of Excitement and Variety
Difficult to Reconcile Their
Characteristics.

O1mCUlC TO kSSCOuC1lc 4uc1I
characteristics.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star ant
Chicago Record Herald.
MANILA, July 4, 1904.
While there are a variety of opinions
concerning the character and capacity OF
the Filipino, everybody will agree that he
is bundle of contradictions. He is pas
sionately attached to his home, and can
not be induced to emigrate or leave it, nc
matter how humble it is yet he does moth
ing to improve or beautify it or keep it In
order or add to the comforts or conven-
fences of living. He has no taste for dec
Grafton like the japanese and Chinese
Any kind of cabin of palms. with leaky
roof and an earthen floor, is good enough
for him. He asks no more than pig or a
goat or dog Is content with a place tC
lie down and sleep, and it is difficult tc
drive him away from the corner in which
he is in the habit of lying.
He Is devoted to his wife and family, but
will do nothing to improve their condition
makes no provision for their future ana
wastes his wages at the gambling taDle
when they are in need of food and cloth-
ing He will live on his wifeS wages as
long as she will support him, and will let
his little ones die for lack OF medical at
tention. Half of the deaths in the Phlllp-
pine Islands are of children from the neg
iect of their parents, and yet the parents.
particularly the fathers, idoliZe their little
ones. e
The Filipino is a fanatic In ms love OF
independence vet as explained to you the
other day. he is willing to live In peonage.
patriotism 1t is not what We consider a
love of country or a desire to penent ms
fellow-citizens but is a mixture or VANITY
ambition. craving for power, love OF p'iraue
and excitement. ..
He will sacrifice everything for cause;
he will even lay down his life, yet ne VIII
plumber it, betray it and desert IL II II
does not crafty his ambition or personal
Wonderful Inconsistency.
He is naturally dishonest, yet ne VIII
spend his whole life in slavery to work OUT
the debts of his ancestors. He Will swirl
die and pilfer from his employers, yet ne
will defend their persons and thelr ih.e,
ests with his life. He will steal from MS
az than ask for it, but he will not alio"
anv one. else to rob those interests ne -
looking after Concerning his honesty an
agree that he never will steal What NC
does not want He is not d pui eaitboneh
bousebreaker or a highwayman. aithougn
no sometimes becomes ladrone LOT rove
of adventure and excitement II lie wits
ANYTHING that belongs to anothef Psei
he appropriates 1t resaroiess VI
quences. ,.; j., Manila has
two men servants whom she CONSIDERS hI i'i
w perfect so far as their training 60 - &c
itv to do homework is concerned. Sne no,
ajwavs believed them to be perfectly non.
a.t ,,nt;l recently. when she discovered Una ,
- money given them for marketing ulu
not go so far as formerly. ouspec,ine
they were keeping some OF IL loi lh1 1 III
,,sa she arranged to pay the bliis herseii /,
Shortlv after she began to miss sHlall
cbanpe from her purse, when she was IA
the habit of keeping In oesk ioi GU te co. a
ment of bills as they came IN. oiie &c. -
tran and discovered that someDooy We
taI,ino * or 20 cents every day. she calieu
IN ono of the men, told him that she sus,
nected the other of pilferlng ana lii9ui t
what he thought about 1t. He declared ina
be knew 1t to be true, and that the stoiel
r,onav was lost over a gambling table IN d
house in the next block. He explained Ina
his associate had only recently acquired ' ne
habit of gambling and that as soon as ne .
had lost his wages ne TOOK " s'e''ie -
order to continue his play. :. A.
Sending him away and calling IN the
other servant she got exactly the saihe
story He accused his associate OF ste"iilie
the money, said that he lost 1t gampllfig d.
boon an honest boy until a few months ago
when he learned to shake dice from some
friends Since then he had gampied away
every penny of his wages and had Deeli
tempted to steal In oroer 10 nave Inolie ~ 70
NAV with. Continuing her Investigations
the lady became convinced that both stories
were true that both her servants had SUD
denly become gamblers, both were playing
at the same table at the same time ana
each was differing from her purse whenever
he needed money for stakes, knowing that
the other was doing the same. Other house
wives have had similar experiences.
Dead Wife Useless.
Iobn Foreman. who has lived in the is
land for many years, and whose book is
regarded as the highest authority on
Philippine affairs, gives many interesting
plimpses of Filipino habits and throws
n,,ch light upon the native character
He SAYS: The native is good 1ather
and a good husband, unreasonably 1eal-
Gus of his WIFE careless of the honor or
his daughter, and will take no need OF
the tndiscretions of his spouse before
marriage Cases have been known of ma
tiyes, having fed from their burning
huts taking care to save their fighting
cocks, but leaving their wives and chill
dren to look after themselves.
Tn February, 1885" says Foreman, Il
was present in the town hall of Mara
quina little village six miles from Ma
Mia, when the petty governor was hear
ing a remarkable case of callOusness A
native had handed over the corpse of his
late wife to his brother-in- law for inter-
ment and refused to pay any of the eX-
penses During the investigation the hus-
band put forth the fantastic plea that his
consort had been useful to him in life
but now she was no longer of any service
and he did not think he ought to be COM
PEELED to incur any expense over a dead
body. He was condemned to pay the cost
of the burial, but. alleging that he had
no money, he had to go to work in the
village, husking rice until the sum was
paid. l made him an offer on the spot
to buy off his debt, he to pay me by re-
ceiving lashes in the town hall at the
rate of 3 cents a stroke, but he would not
accept the bargain"
The Filipino is very fond of gambling
is profigate and lavish in his promises,
but lazy in the extreme as to their full
fillment. He will never come frankly and
openly forward and make a clean breast
of fault until it is found out. In COM
mon with many other non European
races, an act of generosity or voluntary
concession of justice is regarded as a
sign Of weakness. The reasoning of a
native and European differs so largely
that the mental impulse OF the two "a "a.