Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1904-06-25


some knowledge of the domestic arts
This is the first accurate and com
plete enumeration of the Filipinos
ever made those undertaken by the
Spanish authorities being largely esti-
mates. 1t was taken by the Philip
pine Census Bureau, which was Or
ganzed by General Sanger.
The enumerators employed were
mostly natives. The schedules were
translated, transcribed and tabulated
by the United States Census Office in
Washington.
General Sanger's report gives the
population of the Philippines by ISL
ands, provinces. municipalities ana
barrlos. 1t is classified also by tribes
and religions.
The tables give separate enumera-
tions for 3l3 islands which bear
names, and many others are grouped
together unnamed. The most populons
island is Luzon, which contains total
of 3, 79S, 507. of which 223, 500 are clas-
sined as wild. Panay is next in popu-
latlon with 743,G4G of which 1888
are wild; Cebu, third, with 592,2l7, all
civilized, and MllndaanSS9 IA }oafteh VIII
1910, with 44,71S inhabitants, contains
only 1910 who are civilized, and the
province of Cotabato, with 125,SI5
people, has but 2313 civilized.
The city Of Manila contains 210,O2S
inhabitants, which includes 1891 who
ly I'm, hn In rhp
II AGO live in the limits of the city
walls.
General Sanger says the aborgines
Of the Philippines are believed to be
the Negritos, of which $4,000 still re-
main. They are distributed over many
of the different provinces and live in
primitive state, having no fixed
habjtatons or occupations, but wander
| about in the forests, living on such
food as they can find. They are very
short in stature, the males averaging
only four feet ten inches and the fe
males even less. Their color is black,
their hair wOoley and bushy, and
their toes are remarkably prehensile,
they using them almost as well as
| fingers.
These people, says the report, prob
ably approach as nearly to the con-
ception of primitive man as any people
| thus far discovered. Their origin is
shrouded in obscurity, but from the
fact that similar types are found in
| the Malay peninsula and on the
| islands in the Bay of Bengal, it is con-
Guided they once occupied the entire
Malay archipelago.
or the other wild tribes in the
Islands the most important are the
Igorotes, in northern Luzon, who are
divided into several branches, with
| different names. One of these
branches, inhabiting the sub province
Of Bontoc, are said to be the most
famous Of head hunters. Another
Ibilao, sometimes called Ilongot, in
| the province of Isabella. while in
| MindanaO are seventeen wild tribes.
nearly all of which have the beliefs
and customs of savages. They not
| only take the heads of vanquished
,ny'.i,,., ,.... iiaH,.a- IfeJir IS
as'well, and offer human sacrifices to
| their deitics.
! The report divides the civilized
| Filipnos into eight tribes, the Ricol,
| Cagayan, Ilocano. Pampangan, Pan
| eastman. Tagalog Visayan and Fam
| balan, the most numerous of which is
| the Nisayan. While the great mass of
the people are Malays and had com
mon origin. there is difference in
their written and spoken languages,
but not much in their customs. For
such progress as they had made they
are indebted, says the report; some
what TO the Chinese, with whom they
J came in contact hundreds of years ago.
before the arrival Of the Spanish, and
since then to the religious orders,
which had contributed largely to their
civilization and education.
The archipelago was divided into
i've diOceses and TAG regular parishes,
100 mission parishes and 116 missions
Notwithstanding the inestimable SER
vices rendered by the friars. the re-
| port says, they succeeded in exciting
The bitter antagonism of the Filipinos,
which was beyond question Il power
full inventive to the revolution of 1896
Now that the friars land question has
been settled, 1t is probable, says Gen
eral Sanger, that the Roman Catholic
clergy will substitute a large number
Of the friars and that all cause of
agitation on their account will be re.
moved
In n chapter on the Bicol tribe, the
Governor of the Province of Ambos
Cami rines remarks that n very no
.iceable characteristic of that people
IS the responsiveness displayed by the
females, and their evident superiorty
to the males in business capacity
Wherever a family had risen from the
lower ranks of society to a position
Of comparative aflluence and socin
Importance, it was generally found
due to the tact, energy and close at
tention to business of the female mem
Der of the matrimonial partnership.
The IlocanOs, to quote one Of theil
number, like all nations of tie world
have many and various superstitiOns
among them one that they do not take
n bath. marry or start OH a voyage OF
Thursdays. The raven they consider
bird of i'll omen, rrd when it croak:
it is regarded as sign of some mis-
fortune. A gambler, if he meets
woman on the way to gambling
house. returns, as he believes it sigl
of bad luck.
These superstitions and others of {
more injurious nature, says the re
port, prevail generally among the ig
nOrant masses. and are not unlik
those which afliict many people in tn
United States and other countries. I
was needless to say that they inter
fered with the daily affairs of life ant
were the cause of much unnecessar.
anxiety and suffering, and sometime
of serious crimes. Fortunately, the.
would disappear as the people becam