The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1909-01-01
INTERESTING d
Letter From Philippines.
AlonzO NunIey, A Lawrence COun
ty Soldier Boy, Writes
The News,

Editor Big sandy News:
While at leisure l viii again
eudeavor to write few lines,
hoping it will escape the waste
basket, and find space in the col
umns of your paper
The Bible and all history tell us
that God made the world, and Incl
dentally the Philippine Islands must
Lave been thrown in for good
measure. l guess there are places
in the world that have worse eli
rates, but they can be counted
en- the fingers of one hand. The eli
mate of Manila and of the greater
part of the Archipelago Is onervat-
ing in the extreme.
Five months of the year typhoons
are of frequent occurrence, some
times doing great damage. Earth
Quakes frequently enliven pro-
ceedings. The plague" cholera
and all sorts of tropical diseases
invariably make their way to Ma
Mia as soon as they appear In
the east, and all the efforts and
hard labor of the health authori-
ties have failed to keep them out.
But to show the state of affairs
existing in Manila today, and
to refrain as far rs possible from
lending the coloring Of Individual
views to the subject, certainly so
far as to whether the United States
Of America was wise, in the first
Instance, in acquiring the Islands,
and, in the second place, now
that she has them, whether 1t IS
wise TO retain them. Take the ma
tives of the Philippine Islands, .
specially in Manila, in the old
Spanish day. When the American
troops landed here in the year Of
1898, their dress consisted Df what
is commonly called a Gee String,
but today you see them dressed up
in their four dollar and half
duck suit, with their heads thrown
in the air, and If IN American sol
der speaks to them they take
1t for an insult. So you can see
the thanks the Americans get
for their good work In the
Islands, for the kindness
they have shown te Fillipinos, and
above all for the education they
have given them.
One of the main features Of Ma
Mia life is the "Luneta" which Is
the daily evening drive of every
body who has a horse in Manila.
and the walk of thousands of 9TH
ers who do not own anything In
the way of transportation except |
ing their own legs.
The "Lmeta" has vastly i'm
proved since the old Spanish days. |
It is we'll lighted, and is most |
pleasant resort between half past |
five and seven o'clock, during which |
hours, six nights week, the
Band plays, Monday being |
the only day when it does not.
But the average American does
not go to the "Luneta" for the |
pleasure there is in 1t. They just
merely go out for an evening walk
and exercise after their days la
Dor, and as there is no place else
70 go, they may walk to the "Lun-
eta" | will venture to say, that
there is not one out of a dozen
Americans, that enjoys themselves
on the "Luneta." For when you
sit down on a seat for contentment
along comes little brown brother
and crowds down by you, and give
you a look that would stop an
eight day clock. The first two
or three weeks after mans ar
rival in the Philippines, he is
impressed with the difference from
the life to which he has been ac-
customed In cooler climate, but
he does not feel to any great ex-
tent the disagreeableness Of tropi-
cal life In Manila. He is vaguely
aware that he is warm, not to
say hot, that he is prespiring a
good deal more than usual, and
that at the end Of the day he
is exhausted, especially If he
has tried much walking. After tn
first few days he has
probably got into clothes more
suited to the climate than those
in which he came ashore from
the transport or the mercantile
steamer that brought him to por
The probability is that by Tbs
time he experiences the firs
of the delights that tickles the Mort.
erni soJoumer In the tropics, and