The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-04

The theatre doesn't amount to much
in Manila because II IL SO far away.
a grand opera company comes out
from Spain or Italy every winter, tIst
as It has been doing for half q century,
and for season the city takes on Its
old appearahce and the Spanish ele-
ment - In the ascendancy.
The majority Of the people, the Fill
pinos, depend for amusement upon
their own cock-fights, their religious
fiestas, the ubiquitous moving picture
machine and the amusement park. At
Palomar Park. the American has set
himself up as entertainer of the multi
tude. 1t 10 just like the Luna Park
or White City attractions of any other.
American city. The roller coaster. the
Slides the gamesI and shows the for
tune-teller and the dancing pavilion
| are all there. And the barker--en-
gagged for the sake of his boiler factory
voice to tell the merits of the Greatest
| show on earth in three Languages
English. Spanish and TagologAis a
feature Of the fun. Despite the efforts
of the park to interest the Europeans
and Filipinos, the best patrons are the
amusement loving Chinese. who like
to play and sport and don't care how
they spend their money.
The Filipinos take their pleasures
quite seriously, and in the dancing
pavilion at the park the couples move
about to the music with as much
solemnity az II IT. were a wedding or
La funeral. The whple dance presents
an appearance of even greater dignity
every man IL prince and every
woman e duchess. ~
In the interchange between the
Americans ana their predecessors here,
the Americans have accepted much of
the pleasure and leisure Of the old
regime, and give up far more !. day
light to purely social enjoyment than
hand, they have taught the older
Manila TO insist on rapid transit and
upon municipal eleaniiness. IT,,
The American has cut his business
hours to the short schedule OF the old
regime, but he has introduced new
systems and methods which have
greatly expedited the transactioqs Of
business. For instance. 1t REQUIRES
something like eight to ten minutes to
get a check cashed in an English
bank in the Orient, and It used to take
the Spanish bank in Manila at least
twenty minutes to perform a Ike
| function. The American bank here
consumes about two seconds In such
transaction. The system has been
adopted by the Spanish bankt-but not
by the English.
The banks suffered greatly when
the American government gave the
PHILIPPINES a staple currency. In the
old days the only money in the islansts
was the Mexican dollar. which was
heavy. unwieldly. and, worst of all,
subject to violent fluctuations In
value. Today one might have enough
money to discharge big debt across
the water-such debts were always IN
gold-and tomorrow the same amount
of dollars wouldn't go half as far.
The same thing still goes on in China
and the banks fat on the mysterious
and battling exchange" business.
The Manila bankers said 1t would be
Impossible for the United States to es-
tablish staple currency for the
Philippines. But 1t was done ana now
one peso is worth fifty cents gold. and
the silver certificates and other Philip
pinel currency Is just as good IS gold.
But the banks mourn.
American business methods are be-,
| ing introduced extensively In the re-
tall trade but not 80 rapidly into
larger commercial enterprises. Amer
lean habits and customs are being re-
Elected in the streets and among all
classes of people. The Americans here
have adopted some strange customs,
but for all that they are the CONTROL
ing factor In the actual everyday life
of the city, no matter what the census
or the balance sheets may say.
Observation-Disclosures In the Phillip
pines.