Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1908-05-06
RELIGIOUS ENTHUSIASM
Is NATIVE CHARACTERISTIC
Dance Is Popular and Women of All
Ages Participate = Births Attract
Unusual Attention and Baptism Is
Universal.
Special Correspondence.


observations constitute thd leading |
features of the most of the social
gatherings on the Philippine islands.
As might be assumed in the case of
a people who give expression to their
religious feeling by many AMI out
ward manifestation and symbol, the
three great events, birth, marriage
and death, are the three eminent &C.
casions of pronounced religious as
we'll as social celebrations. Church
festivals are always accompanied by
music of some sort, either orchestra
brass band or choir, and sometimes
by all of these. During the Spanish
American war a popular air, sung
by soldiers, was melody which had
its inception in San Francisco. 1t
was lively melody of the rag-time
type, "A Hot Time in the Old Town
Tonight" 1t is not an unusual thing
for this tune to be played at funerals
| in the provinces. This is not due to
the unfee.ingness of the people but
1T is the only tune they have learned
from the Americans.
In the islands a birth is regarded
as one of the important events of the
community, and the welfare of moth
err and child becomes the subject of
much solicitude on the part of father
and grand parents. Baptism usually
takes place a week or ten days after
the youngsters birth. The babe is
borne to church by its mother or some
near relative, at the head of a long
procession of the men and women of
the community. In a provincial town
of less than three thousand inhab-
itants may be seen procession OF
more than three city blocks in length
the whole company walking in double
file clearly attired.
At the church the parents and god
parents assemble about the babe
while the rite of baptism is solemnll
observed The pledges of the god
parents is most impressive, and it
significance rises above that of mer'
formal observance. 1t is followed on
in after life, and the children are eve
highly regarded by the 'god-parents
\ and by them are cherished. Man
children whose fathers are unable t
afford them schooling are educate
by their god-parents who are ofte
unrelated to them by blood.
After the baptism there is usually
!. feast and generally a dance. In tn
Philippines dance is social ever
= to which the volatile nature of tn
. people readily lends ITSELF 1t is
. frequent amusement among. the poo
est as well as the wealthiest, an
"a always the waltz is the favorit
= Dancing is by no menas confined
al the young people, for the nati'
matron will be fiattered by your i
- vitation, and on the floor she W
"a glide easily no matter what her ae
There are number of native dance
"a some. of which are danced by YOU
4, girls alone. Sometimes there Is
~, wierdness in these native dances, {
r. peciaily among the semisavage trib
IS of Negritos where a combined cha
:, and dance is solemnized, to the sun.
20 The stranger in the provinces
;s amazed to see the ease with viii
IN the women partic' pate in the dane
~. with their slippers which an Americ
rst could not keep on the feet. On ra
Iis. occasions the slipper falls off, /
the girl keeps on dancing bare 70
~ Ell around to where the slipper W
dropped and then deity catches
ON her foot and. continues on in /
dance without interruption.
=" Marriage in the Philippines son
times takes place at a very early a.
- but this is unusual. Generally I
for young people do not marry until tn
have reached the age Of IS. So
ms. marriages Of IL and IA are record
"a. but these are not usual. The Flip
youth does NOT, marry until he
81 able to provide q home The m
His, irving age Il NOT mucl, less than in