Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-16
SIDE LIGHTS ON LIFE
IN THE PHILIPPINES

together. but spaced about one-half inch
apart.
These people are great gamblers, and
the chief way of gambling is by betting
on cock fights. Sunday is the great DAY
for the cockpits Hundreds of the natives
go there and either gain or lose money.
To make it still more barbaroua, they
fasten sharp edged blade about three
inches long to the foot of the rooster
I suppose the Americans did not want to
incense these people by taking away
their chief sport Almost any time of the
day you can see men carrying their game
chickens around in their hands Ihey
keep them in a fighting mood by having
them fight a little each day, but not with
the blade
Many of the vendors are women. AT
night around our meeting tent there
would be three or four women selling
things. They sat on the ground by their
traylike baskets and sold peanuts, roast
ed chestnuts. boiled eggs. etc. They also
had corn on the cob. which they were
roasting over charcoal to sell. The Goals
We're kept alive by means OF a fan in the
woman's hand. The people bought corn
and ate 1t as we would candy.
We dare not drink water that has not
been either boiled or distilled. The vege-
tables must be cooked. and the only kind
of fruit that is safe to use is that which
grows on trees and has a thick peel.
Then to avoid malaria we must sleep
unuef netting.
Manila is divided into two parasitic
old walled city and that which has grown
beyond that The walls are about twenty
feet high and nearly as thick. They are
broken down in places for the street.
The women of the higher class dress
very beautifully. They wear a skirt of
fir,o, ~,
grass cloth. or probably not so heavy
This is bright color or black, never
white. over white undeTgarment lhes
wear a low-necked waist. made of very
thin material. which comes just to the
waist line. The sleeves are very iarge
and starched. reaching to a little peioW
the elbow. In addition to this there IS
kind of scarf usually made OF the same
material as the waist 1t is Just a square
folded triangularly. and then FOLDED TWO
or three times again. 1t is then placed
on the neck and pinned together III iloil.
This and the big sleeves make tnen iook
nueer to the newly arrived American.
Their hair is straight and black. The
shoes are a leather sole with usually "a
plush toe piece. Just imagine saoe
with the heel and leather taken on the
sole excepting the toe. then you nave an
idea of their shoes Inc mouse go ,,oan
The same. but made of grass. Most men
dress like the Americans The poorer
class of men wear trousers ana unde.
shirt with a very thin top shi,t w W.
outside the trousers, Wnlcn TAXES ~
nlace of q coat The small boys wear
nnne-niece garment, which is a tight shir.
reaching to about the waist hne. ne
little girls wear a slip which comes "
the knees or a little belo"
one reason that our living is so high IS
because we have to buy oLr food IN sfiali
quantities for food does not keep Wen.
We get tomatoes and other fruits by the
dozen and potatoes by the klio t-.A
mounds, Bananas are plentiful. Mangoes
are a tropical fruit that we mad never
eaten till we came here. They are about
the size and shape of a turkey egg. only
a little fatter. The one seed IN the CEN
fer IS long and fat The meat is a rich
golden color and very good. 1t is counted
the best fruit When they first ripened
they cost 10 cents dozen. Papaya IS
another fruit new to us. They grow on
trees about the size of cocoanut trees;
and the fruit is very nearly the size and
shape of the cocoanut in the husk. Its
meat is yellow and seems very much like
muskmelon. Canned fruit Is = cents
can and dried fruit is from ID to is cents
a pound Everything in the store is high.
Most things must be kept in tins. sealed
up. All kinds of dried fruit, beans, peas.
cereals and crackers have to be pac <ed
in tin or they will spoil by the time they
reacn this place. We can get tomatoes,
sweet potatoes, etc. But they are high,
and the lack of variety of such foods as
we care to eat makes it trying on the ap-
petite in this warm climate. We buy dis
titled water in two-quart bottles. They
cost us cents each.