Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-02-14
PHILIPPINE LETTER.
Robert N. Adams. Formerly Of Roeh'
ester. Writes OF His Experiences.

the souvenir variety l think Was as
near heaven for two hours as man often
gets | had other causes for happiness,
too. One OF them was my recent recovery
from the danguy, or break bone fever.
One never gets much sympathy for the
danguy, Everyone knows that he will
not die, but Il Is poor consolation To the
patient 10 tell him SO, because, on the
whole, he rather wants TO.
/ Another cause for rejoicing was the hap
py issue OF quarrel | had been having
with a provincial official, | told him TO
his face, In a manner probably impoiite
and certainly impolitie. but with striking
aud singing accuracy, that he rs no "gen'
tleman.N | had some misgivings of the
result II the matter weut ITO Manila" be-
cause they do not know John De AS well
as do, aud might not understand how
truthful was my summing up OF him.
However, just before that blessed mail, |
received In In alton from "higher up" that
the matter would probably not go TO
Manila, and that thsre would be nothing
doing IL II did.
This Is a country OF contrasts. l might
write you letter which would make you
think that am surrounded by much the
| same Kind OF ciyilix ,tion as you are at
home, or might write a letter, equally
truthful, which would make you regard
me as living In the midst OF sayages.
have been here so short a time, too, that
may want to deny later all that write
now.
The people Of this part OF the islands are
Christians-st least nominally; but the
fairy folk, the "dicay dalin," still haunt
the fields In the time Of the rice harvest
and their touch is certain death. The
people are very superstitious. They tell,
among other things, OF many omens that
heralded the approach OF the Americans.
A certain chrysalis, surprisingly like a
monkeys face In appearance, was present
The people called these faces, "lopay
Americana" "American faces" and re-
garded their appearance as an omen. The
banana bore two and even three OF its red
"hearts" or buds ON single plant, where
as the orthodox number is one. But
strangest OF all, the tagumbao, which had
always borne its seeds white end up and
black end down, turned them over so that
the black end was up when the fighting
began at Manila. | carefully enquired
whether this occurred while the Spanish
were fighting the Filipinos, but no, 1t was
not until the Americans took a hand that
the marvel took place. There is no doubt
about the tagumbao seeds now; the white
end is certainly down. ] hesitate to trust
the Filipino memory, however, as to their
former condition. There is need OF new
My Pangssinan tutor, who told me about
il first, says, SIT is very wonderful" l
was half minded to tell him that the turn
ing OF those seeds was a sign that While
the Filiplnos might make head against the
Spanish, the Americans would turn them
wrong end up. This passed through my
mind, as ! say, but for the sake OF har-
mony in the Pangasinan class i passed II
J up to the limbo OF he unsaid and held my
, peace. had no call to pull off any Daniel
Interpretation stunts anyhow. 1t wasn't
my wall, nor my writing, but still think
| read it Alright.
, Lipgayen, where / am stationed, is the
capital Of the province OF Pangasinan, the
veal hest province in the islands. Ii is a
pretty town, situated on the Agno river
and the beautiful Gulf of Lingayen.
There is very little business here and the
town is proud Of it, Boosting of its "beau-
tiful grassy Streets" My work is the
teaching of botany ard nature study in
the Provincial High school. There are
about thirty other Americans here.
> have been boarding with an American
! family, but they have now left town and
am keeping house, even having boarders
of my own. We get Manila mail every
day and mail from the States at irregular
intervals whenever the boats happen to
arrive. They average one week, but
there is often much longer interval be-
tween them. Sometimes a letter reaches
me from home in little over month. but
my last letters were exactly month AND
half. Sometimes letters catch a fast boat
and reach me before Others dated week
or so earlier. estates mali" is one OF the
important things in lile here.
One day | asked my nature study class
to bring in some bones OF animals for oul
examination. Several boys volunteered tt
bring in some human skulls and othel
second hand bones, and when | asked
where they would get them, they answered
coolly, From the cemetery"
/ stayed out of school with the fevel
/ previously mentioned for two days, ant
when | returned one of the boys gave al
an excuse for unpreparei work that h'
!. shoped would be sick" that day. He i
t by no means an impudent boy, and an
| sure that he meant to say expected" Al
it happened, however, he told the trutl
without intending to do SO.
One of the American ladies bought |
turkey to fatten for Thanksgiving, anC
after she had paid for it inquired ITS age
I She now rejt ces in the knowledge that !
a is mot more than nine years, madam
Some of the other teachers in the higl
school are laue hing at my expense becaus
d when they spoke of "hetle" looked
I around for a bug instead OF the nut whicl
the natives chew as some Americans a.
tobacco.
/ am sorry to say that many peopl
around here do not wear the full quota
clothing which is considered proper ant
necessary in Americs. This is especial
true OF the children. 1t IS said that tn
educational department once Issued a.
order that every boy in the public school
10 must wear at least one garment, "prefer
ably pants.n The kids under ten WHOM
II one sees on the streets, especially the boys
:. usually wear one garment, preferably"
= shirt, and this is rather breezy country
: too. ! used to blush all over my face ex
II cept where the freckles are, but have Civ
i en- it up. What's the use OF blushing 10
l. people who refuse to blush for them
is selves
Is Along with the shamefacedness that be
i gan in Eden, many Of the people seem I
: have missed the curse OF labor. Thei
y long suit is what my quondam hayhel'
e boss, George Haseltine, used to call "th
II heavy sitting around"
is | have a razor. For q long time 1t ha
rs been my habit to soak my face in lathe
until the whiskers began to fall of
themselves, and still it pulled. had n
n hone, but the other day drew it across q
y ancient and seamy milestone, secure i
: the belief that it couldn't be any worse
y Well, it isn't, but further deponent salt
!, not don't know why ! am telling 20
r folks my troubles except that have n
-aao,oo j., tho potiva policemen.