The daily sentinel., 1910-07-22
Cadiz, Negros Island. p. /.
I,,,,. - Nar.

JUNE 10. lSlU.
The photos you sent me OF the
well kept cemetery where our be-
loved parents rest is in such contrast
to the weed-littered graveyards of
this country that | cannot help but
write about it,
All burial grounds in the Philip
pine islands are under the control of
the bureau CT health, and no one can
bury outside of the authorized
grounds without being subject to a
fine. The presidents of the different
municipalities are ex-officio officers OF
the bureau OF health. and are sup
posed to carry out its requirements
i n their respective jurisdictions.
These places of interment are sell
dom disturbed, except by those who
90 to bury the dead and in All
Saints week, when nearly all those
| who have recently-departed relatives
go to put burning candles on their
graves at night. Anyone who is in
Manila during that week and does
not visit at night Paco cemetery. in
the reat of the city, misses one of the
most interesting sights of the orient.
Paco cemetery is the Westminster of
the Philippines, where nearly all the
| illustrates are inferred, and, of
course. is kept with care.
To describe the cemetery of this
town would describe nearly 100 per
cent of the municipal graveyards OF
TINS archipelago. so far as care is
concerned.
Our graveyard is on the edge OF
| the beach. in the sand. and has an
altitude OF less than y feet above
extreme high tide 1t contains less
| than an acre; and this to serve a
| population of more than 5000. II
is tangle of vines, brush and weeds
| Deep graves are out of the question.
| on account of the water and quick
sand. Some of the rich or well to do
| have vaults of stone or concrete. or
| little plots fenced with palings. I'm
| til recently every one OF these palings
was decorated with a human skull,
till an American became Mortified at
the sight and made complaint to the
authorities, and the ornaments were
removed. Outside of the few vaults
and fenced plots there Is no system
of plats whatever. but any person go
ing there with a body for burial usu-
ally selects the place of least resist
ance OF vines or brush and digs a
grave.
| 1t is impossible to dig a grave at
any place In this graveyard without
exhuning human bones. These
bones are cast aside and are seldom
used as filling for the newly made
grave. No effort is made here to even
gather them and pile them in heaps.
The municipal authorities have
been trying to make a deal with me
for 2 V acres of land for n new cem-
etory. In discussing the plans. one
said: I'VE can use half of it for two
or three years; then the other half
/ for two or three years; and by that
time the bodies would all be decayed
in the first half, so that 1t could be
used over again"
Until the sawmills came few peo-
pie could afford to bury their dead
in collins. The church usually had
cofhns for rental. In such cases the
bodies were removed from the collins
at the grave and the collins returned
to the church for further use. The
customary rental was from 80 cents
to Sl.5O.
Only the distinguished have fu-
neral professions and are followed to
/ the grave by friends and relatives.
In 80 per cent of the burials the bod
les are carried to the grave by work
men and the bereaved remain at
home to entertain relatives, friends
and neighbors, who congregate for a
good time and big eat
If thought so grewsome subject
would interest you, | could give you
some personal observations of obse-
quies that are so different from the
usual custom OF such things in your
country that it would seem like an
| other world.
The Fair department store is hav-
| ino a new coat nj mint r,tn tbn fr.pt