The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-10-21
AN INTERESTING LETTER
FROM FLORENCE.

kin boy in the PHILIPPINE Islands.
This letter is from R. Ernest
Steen to his father, w. D. Steen,
of Florence, received last Sun
day, enclosing with it short
letter to Ernest's aunt in the
delta, and lone to his brothers
here near Florence. 1t was
through the kindness of Mr..
Steen that | am permitted to
handle the letters. There are
some curious Ito us) and inter-
esting things about letters from
the way off Philippine Islands
the one in hand being a sample.
Not very many acquaintance
/ of Ernest Steen know that last
April he left home and sailed
from California to a place in
those far away Islands, to en-
gage in civil service of the
United States government, for a
term of two years, and under
the pay of this government. 1t
| understand Alright, Ernest is
one of twenty teachers in Mala-
las, in the Province of Balacan,
Philippine Islands.
Taking the envelope in hand
we notice printed and written on
the upper left hand corner. Re
turn in 60 days to R. E. Steen,
Postoffice Malalas, Province, Bal
acan, Philippine Islands. dag
onally across the lower left hand
corner, open when received at
Manila. The address then fol-
lows on the body of the envel-
ope. Turning the back of the
envelope we find government
stamp pasted over the juncture
of the flaps, with the following
printed thereon: Bureau of
Posts, officially sealed, Philippine
Islands. !"
It takes nearly five weeks for
the letter to come from Malalas
to Florence. The date of the
letter in hand is Sept. 5, 1916
reaching Florence, Oct. II, be-
t ing one week late. Mr.. Steen
remarked that it takes about two
months for a letter to come and
the answer to it Immediately re-
turned. |
We extract from the letter to
his aunt, in substance, the fol-
lowing: Everything has been
going on nicely with me lately.
NY work is very agreeable, and
| have good place to stay. The
only objection is that expenses
are pretty high. | am in town
lately estimated at $4,000 peo-
pie. We Americans live in one
general neighborhood. There are
about 20 of us in all. There are
some very nice people here and
they do not neglect the social
life. We go visiting several times
week and give and attend din
ner parties. We have an invita-
ton out tonight. There are three
of us together. We have cook
and houseboy. 1t is conceded
that ours is the best run estab-
lishment in town. Our boys are
Jewels. The Philippine boys are
far ahead of negroes for SER
wants.
The weather here is rather dis
agreeably hot. | am careful not
to remain long in the sun, and |
hope I will not be affected. Our
water is good. F"
Ernest, in his nice letter to his
brothers, is earnestly advocating
their undertaking the raising of
hogs and providing the cheapest
way to feed them on the farm.
This is good. He also suggests
the setting out of pear trees in
odd places, and raise the delic-
ious fruit for market. He says:
81 have been talking to some
people from Colorado and they
have a spasm when | tell them
that almost any kind of fruit
will grow there at home when
taken care of. They are almost
thinking of going to Mississippi
to raise figs.
It is nice in Ernest to talk up
his native state as being in such
a climate as will produce and
grow anything that can grow
north, and can be produced IN
the near-tropics.
People who live in our state do
not seem to realize what a gods
country they have in which to
raise and to market almost any,
thing good for humans without
bothering with cotton as the
Ix,aoiY, 0rnn