Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1904-08-04
A MANILA LETTER.
Conditions as seen by one of
our own citizens.

Conditions as seen by one of
our own citizens.
Mr.. d. Bradbury OF this city is
in receipt of letter from his friend
II. G. CARMEL, official stenographer,
court Of first instance, Manila, in
which the writer gives some inter.
esting information regarding Uncle
Sans famous possessions. The
letter says in part:
II will now give you somelin-
formation about these islands: The
PHILIPPINES are bunch OF trouble
gathered on the eastern horizon OF
civilization. They are bounded on
the north by rocks and destruction,
on the east by typhoons and des-
truction, on tie south by cannibals
and earthquakes, and on the west
by hoodooism and smugglers. The
soil is extraordinary fertile, pro-
ducing large crops Of instructions
and teachers. The inhabitants are
very Industrious, and their chief
occupations are trench building,
cock fighting, three card monte,
theft and stealing. Their diet con-
sists of fish, frogs, grasshoppers,
boiled rice, fried rice, stewed rice,
cooked rice and rice. The Phil
ipine marriage service rs very i'm
pressive, and the wife has the priv
ilege Of working as much as her
husband. The beast OF burden is
the carabao (water buffalo). The
rivers are serpentine in the courses,
their currents running in opposi-
ton to all known laws of gravita-
ton. Manila, the capital, is stu
ated on Manila bay, which is a
large landlocked body Of water, full
Of filth, sharks, Spanish wrecks and
submarines. Cavite, the next city
of importance, is noted for being a
very fine naval station, and for its
large number Of saloons and China
men. The principal imports are
American soldiers, arms, ammuni-
ton and beer. Malaria is SO prev
alcnt that the islands have been
known to shake and Luzon (the
island ] am on) looks like a pair
Of Bryan's old boots. Communica-
ton between the islands is very
slow just now, but it is said that
mosquitoes are soon to take the
places of carrier pigeons which are
at present being used. The CO.'S
tune is a flour sack tied around
the waist, and children under -
years Of age wait until next year
for their costume. The towns are
an aggregation Of dogs, dirt, cats,
dirt, caraboa, dirt, ponies, dirt,
pigs, dirt, donkeys, dirt, chickens,
dirt andchildren, sleeping together
on terms of equality.
Environment, Ed, is a gre t
thing, and while this PHILIPPINE life
is valuable experience, you soon
realize that you are far from the
intelligence and CIVILIZATION to which
you have been accustomed, and
which is not supplied by the small
colony of Americans and other
white people with whom you come
in contact. AS to the Filipinos,
they add nothing to the sum total
of your happiness or information.
As a study in natural history, they
are interesting and instructive, and
a zoologist would be pardoned if
he went crazy with enthusiasm and
excitement in this unlimited field
of original research among Fill
pinos and other animals.
The climate here ages person
rapidly. 1t is especially severe on
white women. No one that
know has any idea of making this
place his permanent home, and
the only reason any remain is fol-
the money there is in it, or because
their Bohemian instincts, which
led them to the end of the world,
are still dormant. Perhaps you
will remember what Kipling wrote
Ship me somewhere east OF Suez,
Where the best is like the worst,
Where there amt no ten command.
ments,
An man can raise thirst;
For the temple bells are calm
An it's there that l will be,
BY the old Mulmein pagota
Lookin' lazy at the sea-
Mercantile business In general is
dull. The manager of one of our
largest houses told me last week
that his business had fallen off &C
per cent in the last two weeks, and
| think this would be a fair index
to business houses in general. The
country is suffering from the re.
action incident to seven wears oil
instruction, monetary system
which was enough to ruin any
country, and several epidemics Of
rinderpest among the cattle, and
cholera, plague and other diseases
among the people. just now we
are having a smallpox epidemic,
,nd 10 A,nar;n,,o d;al x,o,toc,lo,