The Calumet news., 1912-09-17

interest that il Is here reproduced;
ITO begin 10 describe either my trip
OF my station would be an utter inn
possibility and ! can not IN the brief
space at my disposal hope to more
than touch on some of my more strik-
ing impressions. To know OF the
Filipino land, IL must be visited, IL
could never be fully described. Ii is
needless 10 say shat everything is
strange and continuously so. since ev-
cry day brings new and unusual ex-
| periences To begin with. imagine a
! village laid out much like an American
town, with streets at right angles and
a plaza in the cente:
The difference comes In what is
around the streets. Here in the Philip
pines are rows Of straw colored struc-
lures, built closely up To the road.
without even sidewalk interp0sed.
These houses or rather huts. are
mounted on long posts, which serve the
purpose Of keeping away reptiles and
insects. Pigs serve 10 prevent undue
accumulations OF filth. on these posts
are set a square, one room structure,
With sides of bamboo strips interviewer
10 a frame work OF bamboo The floor
consists also of strips OF bamboo laid
across bamboo rafters. The roof Is
thatched with nits palm. Projecting
from behind is usually small extern
/ sion which serves as { kitchen and IA
small veranda is sometimes tied onto
the side. | say tied. since all parts are
put together without nails. A stout
fiber called rattan serves to fasten all
loose parts.
"one soon gets accustomed TO these
houses so that thev seem most natural
and. As they afford shelter, compara-
tive dryness ard plenty of fresh air.
they are most comfortable indeed.
Windows are but square apertures.
closed by doors swinging up and down.
During the day they are propped open.
Behind the houses are the orchards OF
bananas and cocoanuts and so numer-
Gus are bananas that one cent buy
fifteen large delicious ones. | have
cocoanuts I'm my back yard and there
is no front one.
MY lawn mower Is the general cara
boa, which neighbors kindly pasture
there. | am so fortunate as to have
one of two houses constructed of lum-
Der and very breezy IT is.
Il have two large rooms, kitchen.
a veranda, which sided with bamboo.
o1 f,-oI 4. lt.sr I
have real steps leading to the first
door. rather than bamboo ladder.
and as / face the plaza with it's en-
circling lines Of elm-like acacias, my
home is, l feel, a beauty.
~ block headed. thick skuiled slow
moving native attends to my house
hold duties. pay him s5 month and
pay fifteen pesos for the house. The
other wooden house belongs to an
American Swede. He is n very good
fellow and has charge of road construc-
tion, for you must know that there are
vince. Ordinarily. travel is by boat on
the many small rivers and channels
i'm which the country abounds. / re-
ceive mail perhaps twice a. month, and
it takes about six or seven weeks for
mail from the states to- reach here.
Needless to say there are no papers,
street lights, machinery, telegraph. tel
ephones. moving pictures or phono-
graphs Such. things are utterly un
known. s'r.tf
Corn is ground in a wooden pcstle
10y pounding with a stick. and food
consists of rice, fish and camotes,
which are like sweet pota tbes. People
eat squatting on the floor, with a huge
banana leaf as a table cloth Fingers
replace eating utensils, and evidently
they add a richness To the food for
natives refuse 70 eat with forks or
spoons.
The nasive mems dress. ordinarily
pretty much abbreviated. Is worn
mainly on state occasions. children In
most districts dispense with dress en-
tirely4 Women, however. are always
carefully garbed. their best dresses be-
ing patteren after the Spanish cos
tunes and they are often very hand
some. =.
Spanish is known to many. English
to few and native Visayan to all. Peo-
Pile are Invariably courteous, respectful
and accommodating. but as for inde-
pendence don't speak of It, Politics Is
spoils' game. Presidents are inefii-
cient and get their jobs on promises
to graft for their patrons. They soon
have TO leave their positions as the
audit system is so rigid that they
cannot fulfl their pledges, and de-
spairing Of special favors their patrons
turn elsewhere Schoolboys work hard
but have not the life nor animal spirits
Of American boys.
I'VE are working hard to Introduce
baseball, basketball and out door
games for girls. The boys are really
taking To baseball, and IL is coming
to be something Of an antidote for
the cock pit where Sunday afternoons
are usually spent. People are lazy
and work one day a week, using the
rs centavos OF 81 cents thus earned
to live for another week. They need
but a plate OF rice few dried FISH. a
roof over their heads and a few white
rags 10 make life a pleasant dream.
The vast resources of the islands are
scarcely touched. There is an enorm-
Gus forest region. vet lumber is almost