Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-08-09
THE NEW F|L|P|NOS.
Changes That Are Taking Place
In the Philippines.
ADOPTING EUROPEAN DRESS.
Even Lowest Class Beginning to Wear
Hats and Shoes on Sunday-Native
Eating New Foods and Handling New
Tools-Have Money TO Spend.

Eating New Foods and Handling New
Tools-Have Money TO Spend.
The approach OF Manila's first polit-
ical campaign gives special interest to
the present condition OF the islands
and their people.
The mass OF people, not being quail
fed to vote, take little Interest in
politics and are occupied chiefly with
religious matters and the daily routine
of getting enough TO eat. K. E. Ma
son, late editor OF the Manila Times.
recently made the following comments
on the social and economic evolution
which has occurred among the Filipinos
since the American occupation, says
the London Commercial Intelligencer:
From the moment that Admiral
Dewey at the outbreak of the Spanish
American war shot his way into Ma
Mia harbor the destinies OF some H.
600 of hardy little brown Filipinos
began to change, and today they have
money to spend Formerly they led an
indolent existence; did no work save
that which was absolutely essential
for the winning of their daily bread.
Today there exists new race of Fill
pinOs
Slowly but surely, as the japanese
have done, the Filipinos are adopting
European dress. For one thing they
are-even the lowest class beginning
to wear hats and shoes on sundays,
and there are thousands who follow
the practice all the week. AS yet the
native neck has not become accus-
toned to the stiff collar. and the Fill
pino dandy on the EScOlta or the Lu-
meta contents himself with n shirt of
the tennis order, but insists always on
a bowler hat. The Filipino ladies of
the upper class have always dressed
well, but to the native pima cloth they
are now adding nearly every textile
that London itself knows, and very
well known Manchester firm which
was established in Manila before the
war does more business In its drapery
department than 1t formerly did in all
branches. 1t should be said, however,
that this change of fashion applies
as yet only to the large cities, and that
the country is only partially affected.
but orders from the other provinces
and from the southern islands this
year not infrequently include reason
ably up to date bridal costumes and
with the latter a sewing machine is
invariably requisitioned. Nowadays,
too the bride takes toothbrush with
her on her honeymoon. but it will take
at least generation to induce even
a minority OF the population 10 give
up chewing the betel root.
The manufacture of beer in Manila
is monopoly enjoyed by Spanish
and it has eleven years more TO run,
but Australia's wine bill is growing
by leaps and bounds, and ii may be
mentioned in passing, too, that our
great commemorative resources have
changed altogether the Filipino diet.
Formerly the native ate rice and num-
mified fish for every meal-keeping his
poultry to fight Without now, thanks
to the nearness of Sydney, his menu
may include beef, mutton, rabbit and
vegetables of all sorts. Fruit he has
always had and always will have In
plenty.
The Filipino has never handled any
other tool than bolo with which he
builds houses and constructs irrigation
plants of sort on his paddy fields.
Now he begins to understand the use
of hammer and nails, OF saws and Of
the adj. In the recent extension of
the Manila Dagupan railway, in the
erection of the splendid $50 ton ice
making and refrigerating plant in Ma
Mia. in the putting up of schoOlhouses
and barracks all over the island and in
a thousand and one other ways he has
helped not only TO improve the gen-
eral appearance Of the country, but to
learn something of a white mans taste
for proper sanitation and good quaran-
tine conditions.
Upon machinery he vets looks with
awe, but he has learned to set type,
and one some time back turned
patent fire extinguisher on to blaze
which broke out in an old mansion in
the Gale CabildO, Intramuros. So 1t
is easy to see that they are coming
on, and if space permitted one could
quote many incidents to show how this
great mass of people, so suddenly lift
ed out Of obscurity, are shortly to be-
come factor in the worlds industrial
life.