The Forrest City times., 1909-04-30


 mans son appareled in a pair of hlr. denim trousers. His body, naked to the waist, was glistening brown after bath, and he carried under one arD, fresh laundered camisa. or Chino shirt, of white muslin, to be put on when he reached the church His two supporters were the brothers of my muchacha, who lived in tbe same ward and evidently had convictions about standing by comrade in misfortune The elder. boy of seven. was fairly clean but the younger. somewhere between three and five, was clad in A single lownecked slip of filthy pink cotton, which draped itself at q coouet- tish angle across his shoulders and hung down an inch or two below his protruding little tummy. His smile. which was of most engaging nature. occupied so much of his countenance that 1t was difficult to find traces of the pride which actually irradiated the other two.
 My curiosity was enough to make me turn and follow them to the church. There the body was deposited on the hoor at the rear. just below q door in The gallery which led to the priests house, or conVento. The bearers squat ted on their heels 10 wait while sacristan went to call the priest. The dead mans son reverently put on his clean shirt while the youngest urchin sucked his grimy thumb and continued to smile at me
 Presently priest came through the door and leaned over the gallery. fol- lowed by two sacristans. one of whom carried a censer and the other a bell. The eenser bearer swung his imple- ment yindictively in the direction of the corpse, while the other rang an un- melodious chime on the bell At this all the babes fell on their knees. The priest muttered a few lines of Latin, made the sign of the cross and instant ly disappeared-to another chime of bells and a final toss of the censer. The bearers picked up the coffin and the little procession went on it's way to the cemetery. The ceremony lasted less than two minutes, but it cost three out of my five pesos.
 This incident illustrated perfectly the friendless condition in which most poor Fflipinos live. Filipino lower class people are gregarious, but not social. They are averse to solitary rural life and tend everywhere to live in villages, but they visit little with each other and seem very indifferent to the cordial relations which bind our own laboring classes together. In the same yard with the dead lavan- dero lived at least ten or twelve other families, yet no one could be found to accompany him to his grave save two little playmates of his son.
 If the poor are fond of display the rich outyie them. The pomp of a rich mans obsequies finds it's begin. ming while he is yet alive, when the padre goes in state to administer ex- treme unction. His vehicle a gilt coach which resembles those of the seventeenth century. is often preceded by a band, while within, the priest, ar rayed in embroidered vestments, re- eeives with unsmiling grandeur the genutlections of the crowds in the streets. After the epidemic of surra had made a great scarcity of horses in the Philippines, the padres gilded equipage had to be drawn by cebu, very small and weary-looking bull imported from Indo-China
 When the rich man dies there is generally a wake of extremely noisy variety, and pretentious funeral. Five o'clock in the afternoon seems to be favorite hour for this. In the rainy season, when the sodden clouds hang low in the sky, when the whole world is drenched and dripping and the old gray church is starred with candles. which do not illuminate but only serve to dot the gloom, the occasion is lugu- brious enough. Fresh flowers are lit tie used. but immortelles and stiff, set designs accompanied by long stream CTS of gilt-lettered ribbons attest the courtesy of friends.
 These upperelass dead are buried in inches, or ovens. such as are found in the old cemeteries of New Orleans The cemetery, which Is not usually owned by the municipality, but by the church, is surrounded by a brick or stone wall six or eight feet high, sur mounted by a balustrade of red baked clay in an urn design. The coffin niches are in this wall and are ar ranged in tiers of four and five. The top of the wall makes a fine promen- ade around three sides of the inclos- ure. In the center there Is generally mortuary chapel. where the final words are said and from which tiled walks lead out to the niches in the walls. The plan is a very pretty one, and if the cemetery were kept in good condition 1t would be beautiful. But ordinarily they are dirty and neglect ed; and in the open ground between the chapel and the walls the poor peo- pie are rolled into graves so shallow as to be shocking to a Christian ina gination.
 The receptacles In the wall are rent ed by the year and If the tenants sur. viving family are not prompt with the | annual dOlp the hody fG taken ont fha