The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1904-07-21

u n tant from the United
9RCN States. Area, 140,00 O
square miles. Situated between the
China Sea and Pacific Ocean. Popula.
ton estimated at 1000 900. Magellan
is credited with the discovery In 1921.
The United States paid Spain $4,000
OO0 for the Philippines. The chief ISL
ands are Luzon, Mindanao. Samar,
Mindora. Panay, Leyte. Negroes. Cebu,
etc. Manila is the capital and chief
port, and has a population of 100000.
The climate is the best known in the
tropics and the soil wonderfully fertile.
The principal products are hemp. to-
bacco. sugar, coffee, indigo. cotton,
corn, bananas, oranges, %pineapples, co.
coanuts, mangos, etc. Straw and chip
hats, together with hides, form the
chief exports. Vast forests of the most
valuable timber exist all over the ISL
ands. The timber includes ebony. SAN
dial. camphor, teak. sapan. ETC., while
rich mineral deposits exist in various
parts of the archipelago. Gold and
copper have been located in LuZon.
Petroleum and coal are being worked
III lloilo. Cebu, and Leyte is destined
to ecome famous for sulphur. Asiatic
cholera was prevalent III the islands
from March, 1902, to July, 1902. Dur
ing that short period there were 1871.
SIT cases, with S3,2S2 deaths. showing
a mortality of sixty-three per cent. In
the city of Manila 1850 cases and 3471
deaths. The six tribes which have
shown the most adaptability and intel
l1gence are the Tagalogs, Macabebes.
Nicols, llocanos, Cagayans and Visay-
ans. The Tagalogs are the most nu-
merous of any of the tribes, and were
the principal ones involved in the past
instruction. They live principally in
the provinces of Bulacan, Rial and the
city of Manila. part of southern Luzon
and also on the Island of Mindora.
Their language Is known as TGgalog.
ana IS spoken more extensively than
any other native tongue. The Maca-
bebes do not belong to a distinct tribe.
as is supposed by many. They are
Pampangans, and live within a small
1bANti
section of about thirty square miles
In the Province of Pampanga, near the
mouth of the Rio Grande River. They
occupy only two large towns and num-
Der about 10000. The origin of these
people is somewhat obscure. but in
some old archives in possession of the
spanish friars it is recorded that about
200 years ago there was a religious up
rising in Japan, and that many of the
japanese were either killed or COM
PEELED to leave the island. 1t saws that
about 400 of these exiles came TO the
Pnllippine Islands and settled at the
town of Macabebe, where they re-
NAMED, intermarrying with the ma
tyes. The Macabebes have served as
soldiers on expeditions with Generals
Lawton, Young. Bell, Schwan, Wheat
and assisted General Funston In
the capture of Aguinaldo. They have
always shown loyalty and great quail
as soldiers. The Vicols are
from the south, Camarines Province
and Sarsogon, and have their own Ian
guage.
The Ilocanos are larger in stature
any of h other tribes, darker in
color and not as smooth in appearance
Ihey are hard workers and make ex-
cellent soldiers. They are considered
loyal to the American Government.
They have shown themselves in battle
TO be conquerors and are amenable to
discipline. They never forget a wrong
them, and will avenge themselves
at the first opportunity. The Ilocanos
live mostly in the Province of Ilocas
Norte and Ilocas Sur. These provinces
are on the extreme northwestern coast
OF Luzon, on the China Sea. The Ca
gayans inhabit the Province of Caga-
yam, which is a most fertile section in
Luzon. and produces large
quantities of tobacco. They are peace
ably inclined and are extensive farm
ers. The Visayans iphabit the Visayan
Islands, which are south of Luzon.
They are Samar, Leyte, Panay. Negroes.
Cebu and Bahal. They also have their
own language. The Filipinos are a pc
culiar class and hard to understand.
They belong to the Malay race. There
are eighty-five different dialects spo-
ken on the islands. Spanish is spoken
by the educated class, which is very
small.
The most interesting scene is the vol
Mayor. Towering 5000 feet above
the level of the sea, Mayor is the loft
lest active volcano in the Philippines
and among those of greatest altitude
In the world. To the timber line it is
covered with dense tropical vegetation.
and thence to the summit is a tortuous
distance of almost impossible r
here of broken rock and there of vol
canic sand and pumice gorges, some
hundreds and others thousands of feet
deep, above which hang crumbling
masses of rock and sand, death traps
from whose depths constantly rise pale
columns of dust, the residue of IVA
lanches hurled into the depths below.
Tbs ascent of the nearly perpendicular
sides to the summit was for centuries