The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961, 1909-05-01


still far below even the lowest steps
OF the relative degree of prosperity
and happiness. Yet in spite of all his
Ills he is happy, but this is because he
has not yet developed far enough to
achieve either self-pity or self-analysis.
He bears his pain, when it comes, as
dumb animal does; and forgets it as
quickly when it goes. When the hour
of death descends he meets it stoical-
ly, partly because physical pain dulls
his senses. and partly because the in
stinct of fatalism is in him, in spite
OF his Catholicism.
OF course this poverty-stricken con-
dltion is largely his own fault. He has
apparently an ineradicable repugnance
to continued labor. He does not look
forward to the future. Fathers and
mothers will sit the whole day playing
the guitar and singing, or talking after
the fashion of the country, when there
is not bite of food in the house.
When their own desires begin to rein
force the clamors of their children
they will start out at the eleventh
hour to try to earn the days where
with to live. The more intelligent of
the laboring element attach them
selves as clientele to the rich land
holding families. They are by no
means slaves in law, but they are in
fact and they like it. The men are
agricultural laborers, the women
seamstresses, house servants, wet
nurses and general servants, and when
tered out among the different branches
of the ruling family as maids and
Wallets. In a well-to-do Filipino family
of zen or twelve children there will
be a child servant for every child in
the house-ill-fed little creatures,
since the Filipino is merciless in what
he exacts and thrifty in what he gives
trained at seven or eight years of
age to look after the clothing the
room, and to be at the beck and call
OF another child ofttimes younger than
themselves. They go to school with
their little masters and mistresses,
carry their books, play with them and
perform any mental task that needs to
be done. For this they receive the
scantiest dole of food on which they
can live, a few cast-off garments and a
stipend of rs cents Omitted States
currency per annum, which their pa
rents carefully collect and spend. Pa
rents and children are satisfied, be-
cause little as they get it is sure
Parents especially are satisfied, be-
cause thus do they evade the duties
and responsibilities of parenthood. If
there ever was a land where legisla-
ton was needed on the subject of
child labor, it is here. Children are
overworked from infancy. They do
all the work of the islands, and the
last drop of energy and vitality is gone
out of them before they reach man.
hood or womanhood. Indeed, the first
privilege of manhood or womanhood
toethem is to quit work. The result of
American occupation has been raise
in the price of agricultural labor, and
in the city of Manila of all labor. But
in the provinces the needTewoman and
the house servant still work for incon-
ceivably small prices. When I ar
rived in the islands, in 1901, seams
tress worked nine hours a day for 20
cents gold and her dinner. Now, in
American woman receives from SO to
rs cents day and her keep. Span
iards. Filipinos and Chinese pay less,
because they know how. A provincial
Filipino pays his coachman two dol
lars per month and cook S1.50. An
American for the same labor pays four
dollars to eight dollars for the cook
and from four dollars to six dollars
for the coachman. AS before stated
the subordinate servants in Filipino
family get next to nothing, because of
the utilization of child labor Ameri-
cans will not allow children to work
provincial Filipino can support quite
an establishment on about $40
month, whereas it costs an American
from two to four times as much to
support the same kind of a MENACE
This is due partly to our consumption
of expensive canned foods, partly to
the better prices paid for labor, but
chiefly to our desire to feed our serv-
ants and retainers into good healthy
condition.
One of the curious phases of Filipino
life is the multiplicity of resources
which the rich classes possess. A rich
land-holder will have his rice fields,
his sugar mill, his vino factory and his
cocoanut and hemp plantations. He
will own fish corral or two and be
one of the hackers of deep sea fish
ing outfit. He speculates little in
rice and he may have some interests
in pearl fisheries. On bit of land,
not good for much else, he has the
palm tree which yields burr for max
ing mats and sugar bags. His wife
has little shop, keeps several weav-
ers at work and an embroidery woman
or two. If she goes on a visit to Ma
Mia, the day after her return her serv-