Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1909-12-03
The Philippines. from a Sol
dier's Viewpoint.

." w"a u"iiucu 70 TOT punlication.
My dear Cousin:
Many long evening have l sat, in
a weather beaten hut, In West Viz
ginia, when the winds were bowling
across the country, snow drifting
through hundred crevices, the mer-
curry going down like saloon stock i'm
a w q. T.U. meeting. and read weird
tales OF travellers, that went something
like this.
The Philippines: land of sunshine
aud flowers, waving palms and beau
THU ferns, majestic mountains and
roaring torrents, lucious fruit aud
pictaresquespeople.
Now, from the business mans
standpoint, or that Of a gentlemen of
leisure, in search of the picturesque.
tiis description might pass. The mer-
camille opportunities are here and so
are the sceric novelties, but soldier
heeds not these things, and although
the country may be garden of Eden.
he wi II find something to grumble
about. was tempted to enlist, nv an
overwhelming sense OF patriotism,
and the holes in my shoes. / am here
now and woe betide the Traveller. who
wrote those enticing sketches, If II
should ever meet him. I do mt wish
to be ciassed as pessimis,, but sim
ply wish to describe ahings as see
them, and that is thusly.
The beautiful sunshine is n glow
hotter than the hinges of you-knew-
where The average PHILIPPINE flower
would drive skunk from a glue fac
tory, the waving palms are described.
by Mark Twain asia delapidated UNI
brellas, and the ferns, one and ali.
have stickers which leave wound. as
II you had been stabbed by pump
handle. The majestic mountaips:
Wen just carry a soldiers pack over
ole of the majestics, and then extract
poetry from it, If you can. The load
itself, would make a Mexican Burro
bat his eyes. The lucious fruit consist
Of stringy dried up bananas, aboutIthe
size Of North Carolina peanut. and
manages at 5 cents per. The com.
mandments Of the Hospital Corps are
condensed into Don't eat fruit or
you will contract dysentery," and
"Sleep under a Mosquito bar, or YOU
VIII have fever And the apicturesuue
people:' Let me tell you about them.
Married? Yes. The church mas the
full Nelson grip on them. l'beir clothes.
Well, both together they wear lust
about enough drapery to pad erutcb.
Shoes they never wear, lunIess some
kind hearted American has pair of
cast aways, Regardless 81 size, they oil
ways FL, sometimes both ends are am
! putated, aud leave traeG like half
grown grizzly" bear. The men wear
hats, aboai three feet in diameter, and
the general effect rs that of "bulI
calf'' under hay stack.
They are little pin headed people.
with about as much expression ia their
faces as piece Of mince pie. A high
priced correspondent has been charita-
Die enough 10 divide them into Tribes
with distinguishing "beauts. n but the
fact is, these people are simply tn e
missing link, between the baboon. and
the human race.
One tribe can be named. ALI right
tho lgoroties, they wear nothing but a
gee string" let their hair grow long,
and are said to be CannibaIs. Thew
carry spears, and speak language
That sounds like combination OF
bass drum and a flute. If tie term
picturesque" can be applied to Fill
pino," this Tribe deserves the appella-
| ton.
Take the baboo away from the FIJI
ipino, and there would be a COLLAPSE.
almost everything, from the "casao
house to the cooking utensils, are COM
posed OF this wood, and while in
young, tender state, it Is eaten, they
don't need matches, for any obseryant
man knows how TO start q fire, by rub
bling two pieces of bamboo together.
SO the Indian stories of our childhood
are realized. AS to ''mosquito curtains,
and malaria, we are impressiveIy told
that everything mosquito punctures,
he Introduces the dread, disease. scien-
tificaily called s'eIephantasis, 2 it does
not give you swell head, as the name
would suggest, but a horrible night
mare as well as fever and malaria, so
may imagine the mosquito curtain is
considered an indispensable article. You
might follsw our trail, by cast off
belts, canteens, emergency rations, but
mosquito curtains, never. Now let
me give you description of the emer-
geney rations, it has ike all otaer
prominent candidates ifs friends aud |