The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-11

deter hut-a custom corresponding to TIT
chewing OF tobacco. The leaf of the buyt
is coated with ordinary lime and wrapped
about the betel nut. When in being
cnewed 1t exudes' red juice which give
TO the native the appearance Of having
both lips and teeth covered with blood
Both sexes are much addicted to its use
and after years Of continuation 1t be
comes almost impossible to drop to,
nithy habit. have yet to find q more
repulsive-apearing human being than 9
middle-aged Negrito woman-her ears de
FORMED; her face wrinkled; her form
scraWny. with the red, blood-like juice
OF the betel nut running from the cornerl
OF her mouth, and holding In her filthy
unwashed hands the stub Of a home
made cigar; barefooted, half clad. sitting
on the ground. with all about her the
lean dogs and naked, dirty children of the
family.
The men wear nothing but gee-strinl
or breechcloth. When a white man ap.
proaches they sometimes resurrect from
somewhere a cast-off shirt, a pair Of
WORKOUT trousers. or a dilapidated hat
any Or all of which articles they will dor
perhaps as a matter of courtesy. The
garD OF the woman consists Of little OF
nothing more than cloth wrapped about
the loins and hanging from the waist tc
the knees. As for the children, they are
not burdered with even the suggestion OF
clothing.
Large Death Rate Among Infants.
A sad fact concerning the race, which
they bear in common with many other
tribes of the archipelago, is the enor.
nous death rate among infants. Two
causes are directly responsible for this
lamentable condition of anairs-hrst, liz.
norance; second, the inability of mothers
to nurse their children for any extended
period Of time. The first Of these causes
Is naturally, parent to filth, disease. &C.,
and due to the second infant children
are often fed upon such solid food as
rice, mangoes. and bananas. Convul-
sions are sure to follow. and often death.
In intelligence 1t is doubted II any race
holds a lower rung upon the ladder OF
human development than does this no.
madic Filipino people. Even those who
have received training in civilized homes
should they be called upon to do so. can
never be depended upon to exert any
great amount of judgment. Immediate
association with the influences of civili-
cation gives little encouragement to those
who have sought to develop the Negrito' s
mentality. Though once they were a
terror to the neighboring tribes. they
never have been given with bravery
sufficient to face the white man in open
battle
In their religious instincts there i.
much to be desired. They worship the
moon, and are prone to defy anything
unnatural, or those things which their
limited intelligence renders unexplain-
able. Their religion is more or less a
kind of cosmolarity. Many strange SUI
perstitions are believed in with explicit
faith. An instance of this is the prac-
tice of tying monkey skin about the
ankles of the young children that they
may in their maturity be more skillful In
the art of tree climbing.
The flesh Of the monkey also is &C
credited with possessing many curative
properties. piece tied above that part
of the anatomy infected with spreading
sores. rheumati sm. or disease is believed
to prevent the spread to other members
of the body. BY cutting a swath through
the hair, an inch or so wide, from the
neck to the crown of the head, head
ache may be cured. A bullet from a
white mans gun is sure death to what
ever he may desire to slay, even though
IL be necessary for il to pass over noun
tains, through rock, or any other ordi-
nary barrier to its flight
At various times during the years OF
Spanish dominion efforts were made to
teach these little wild men agriculture
and the vocations of civilized people.
Ideal "barrios'' fvillages) of bamboo were
built among them. A government sub
sidy was provided, in order that they
might be supplied for year while the
first crops were growing. Such villages
were called reals" Those familiar with
Negrito propensities could foresee the
inevitable result. A year elapsed; the
subsidy ended: and the pigmies. still true
to their old savage instincts. invariably
returned to their hills. there to roam at
will in their lazy. shiftless, improvident
way. This they preferred to labor, to
taxes, and the restricted life which to
them civilization meant
AS cargadores for hunters. they have
few equals-often trottng off beneath a
load the weight of which might COM
pare favorably with that of the bearer.
Unlike most of the races of the archi-
pelago. they possess that best character
istic of the African negro-the ability to
be always happy. Night usually finds
the cargadore tired but merry. The
savage custom of all eating from a COM
mon pot is invariably followed. No won
der that disease. once in a family. so
quickly finds victim in every member
of the household.