The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-14

comes into the Plaza in the city Of
Agana. Agana is a town of matched
native houses, the houses pleasing to
the eye, if not architecturally owen
tional. In the middle Of the town
grouped around the Plaza are the
Governors Palace, come down to the
Americans from Spanish days, the
high school building, the court house
and an ancient church, all following
the lines of the Spanish style of archi-
lecture. The Marine barracks, Dorm
Hall and the Civil Club, which build
ings show less or none Of the Span
ish style (and more's the PITY, also
nearby, give the newly arrived Ameri-
al a feeling Of home. h streets,
called by names barking back to the
Castillian regime, are white and clean.
COcOanuts frequently fall from the
stately trees s~entineling the streets.
Probably Agana was not designed as
an emporium, but her streets are wide
enough to permit the passage Of three
bull carts driven abreast.
The Thrifty Japanese.
The enterprising japanese has
gripped the situation and offers his
wares for sale. The branch store Of
the South Seas Trading Company is
one Of the most artistic, Clearly and
well-kept business houses / have seen
in any part of the word. Neatness
~pervades the very casques and flour
piles! japanese ~tailors, for $3.50,
will build the American as good and
Well-htting a suit of duck or drill as
the most fastidious could desire.
A number of other business houses
American and German-divide the
responsibility of catering to modern
wants. and most articles Of mer-
chandise needed by the newcomer
are to be had in Agana. The Ameri-
can idea Of the fitness of things seems
to run to a place where the thirst
may n should be quenched: hence,
n most ~pretentious if not the best
~patroniZed institution" in the island
has an ambitious sign bearing the
legend, american Bar
The Natives.
The natives are a. study in lights
and shades. Almond Eyes of Chinese
and japanese look out of faces brown
as hazel nuts, but the faces are Cha
MORO. Spanish types. easy to dis
tinguish under any sun, are more fire.
quently met thar any others, but
these too are Chamorro. Some Cha
mOrrOS are almost as fair-cOmplexion-
ed as Anglo-Saxons, and indeed no
mean proportion Of the inhabitants
native to Guam is partly of Saxon ex-
traction. The dreamy eyes Of the
Portuguese and the high cheek bones
OF the Indian are not infreQuently
seen. Negro peculiarities and types
are seldom found, but 1 believe there
are certain characteristics of skull
and lips seen here occasionally which
suggest the South American negro,
and, rarely, the Southern darkey.
My means and Opportunity for OBJ
servatiOn Of rae mixtures are good
in the schools; but I have regarded
the average abilities of tie boys and
girls without reference to origins and
Jumped them as Chamorros with the
same sorts Of environment; and ]
have found them fervid, I almost
said, morbid, in their desire to learn
They write, as a rule, fluent English
but not q kind to command big prices
from magazines.
Their penmanship in most cases i.
as delicate and artistic as that Of the
old-fashioned American school girl
their spelling is extremely good
Fondness for long words, words al
Latin origin, is a propensity with
them, and it is not exaggeration to SAY
that boys and girls of 13 and IA spell
readily such words as those found OF
a certain page Of Webster's Blueback
beginning with "Incompatibility.'
Difficult problems in percentage, thes'
Boys and girls, under 16, perform
and they analyze and parse English
sentences with equal d~eftness. A
AOilc- AnO on the playground the.
speak their native Chamorro, which
fact impairs the facility they nigh
otherwise have in writing English
They have large English vocabuiarie
n are constantly studying diction
aries. They speak the English bette
than they write it.
In order to learn their bents an,
ambitions l recently gave a class
test In grammar and asked them t
2 answer in simple English the query
: why 90 you wish to be educated an
what will you do when you are edu
: Gated? Most of the lads stated tina
they wished to be clerks in the Com
: mandants office; quite as many, &C
: cording to their expect to b
lawyers: one boy intends to go
+, Harvard; and at least one other 20 b
S Governor of Guam! Less ambition
8 thea girls prefer to be housekeepeI
t and teachers.
+ The Polite Chamorro.
e Politeness is native to the Chamorr
children. Chamorro boys of the be-
n ter class invariably tip their hats G
= L MI