Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-09-06
COWAN HEARS FROM JAKE"

We are four feet above sea level. The
hotel by the way Is about two hundred
years old and differs considerably
with the Mckenzie hotel. The walls
are made of "dobi" and the floors are
Of hardwood, mahogany, in pieces
fifty feet long and fastened with hand
forged nails. The building at one
time was an officers barracks and has
dungeons, horse stalls, ETC., under.
meath the first floor. The first floor
here is always up the first flight OF
stairs. Practically all buildings here
are builded with a hollow square in
which are all sorts of tropical plants,
as palms, orchids, galore, banana
plants, and tropical trees such as the
camphor tree, cassia, banyan, mango,
yucca, fir tree, rubber, etc. Across the
street from the hotel is a college
founded in 1894 and is still in opera
ton. In an adjoining block is a
Jesuit church finished in hand carved
sandal wood, so valuable that no esti.
mate can be placed on it. The city is
full of churches, priest, monks and
nuns in endless %profusion. The Ia
tives are really terribly priest ridden.
One half Of the real property in old
Manila is owned by the Catholic
church and the church panders to
the native in every conceivable man.
ner, so that they, constantly and con.
tinually levy a, tax.
W. arrived horo at tho unrv WOrCf
part of the hot season and found out
that the present season was the hot.
test and driest known for a very long
period. At no time has the thermom-
eter reached 100 degrees. Famr. but
t has frequently reached SO degrees.
Yet the heat has not been oppressive
for us ana we have been very comfort
able. l wear white cotton drill suits
and prespire quite freely but, it does
not affect m as you would think.
ly appetite has the good old edge on
It and l sleep eight or nine hours
daily. ."..--s
Manila, as a city compares very fav-
orably with any Of the oriental cities
I have seer In fact it is superior to
IN of them. 1t has cement sidewalks.
paved streets, a very good sewage
and water system, a fine street car
system, well policed and is a very san.
tary city. Our death rate is lower
han any Guy in the United States Of
equal size. There has not been a
case of bubonic plague or small pox
for a year and ten years ago the daily
death rate from these alone averaged
twenty.
The city, however, has no large re.
tail establishments. There are no
large department stores in the Orient,
probably because of the large capita.
required. Generally, the keystone, IT.
Japan, China and here also, to com
mercial life, is home industry. Moth.
ing is standardized and prices are not
established or uniform. Barter is the
basis for all exchange.
There is one up.to-date American
drug store company here who carry a
hundred and fifty thousand dollar
stock, and operate a fairly gooC
fountain. There are many ice cream
parlors OF all degrees. This American
drug store offered me a place at 500
per month the same day arrived. AL.
stores operated by natives or foreign
ers are quite ethical, d%iverging onl!
to toilet articles, stamps and chew
ing gum. On every corner is posted
a bill reading "Pilldoras rosadas para
personals palidas'' being 4 ink Pills foi
Pale : eoule. In China the ethica
drug store is quite a novel institution
Medicine are dispensed in pills, mix
ed herbs and infusions. Everything
is compounded from raw material IL
the store. The method OF serving tho
public goes OF in this manner. SicI
man enters and draws a straw from
among a bundle. This straw indicate:
the form Of ailnent. He draws &,
straw from another bundle which in
dicates the form of treatment and tn.
medicine Is accordingly dispensed
This effectually knocks out the "Chi
nese -edical Association" if there i:
such a thing. T. saw. pills fully a.
large as a goose egg in a. Chinese dru;
store and 1t was one dose only.
figured 1t would cure practically an.
allment could pronounce in tn,
Chinese language. The Chinese u.s.,
menthol and camphor for most %
their dope. The japanese drug store
show American influence very notice
ably. All Oriental drug stores sell tea
Everywhere have seen P. s. goods
Colgates, An1ants, Pivers, and mos
of the excessively advertised tootl
powders. Natives buy tooth powde-
and use aEfrayed stick for a brush
Likewise tie native in all sections j.
fond Of perfumes. In fact, you ca
smell a street car a block away, Ma