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diff --git a/28580.txt b/28580.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2492706 --- /dev/null +++ b/28580.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4480 @@ +Project Gutenberg's An Ohio Woman in the Philippines, by Emily Bronson Conger + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: An Ohio Woman in the Philippines + Giving personal experiences and descriptions including + incidents of Honolulu, ports in Japan and China + +Author: Emily Bronson Conger + +Release Date: April 20, 2009 [EBook #28580] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN OHIO WOMAN IN THE PHILIPPINES *** + + + + +Produced by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net/ + + + + + + + + + An Ohio Woman in the Philippines + + Giving Personal Experiences and Descriptions + Including Incidents of Honolulu, + Ports in Japan and China + + + + Mrs. Emily Bronson Conger + + Published with illustrations + + + + + 1904 + Press of Richard H. Leighton + Akron, Ohio + + + + +TO HIS DEAR MEMORY. + + + To my beloved husband, + ARTHUR LATHAM CONGER, + whose love was--Is my sweetest incentive; + whose approval was--Is my richest reward. + Mizpah, + EMILY BRONSON CONGER. + + + + + + +INDEX + + + + PAGES + + Out of the Golden Gate 7-14 + First Glimpses of Japan 15-20 + From Yokohama to Tokio 21-25 + Tokio 26-33 + Japan in General 34-41 + In Shanghai 42-49 + Hong Kong to Manila 50-55 + Iloilo and Jaro 56-66 + The Natives 67-77 + Wooings and Weddings 78-82 + My First Fourth in the Philippines 83-88 + Flowers, Fruits and Berries 89-92 + The Markets 93-95 + Philippine Agriculture 96-100 + Minerals 101-103 + Animals 104-106 + Amusements and Street Parades 107-110 + Festivals of the Church 111-114 + Osteopathy 115-122 + The McKinley Campaign 123-125 + Governor Taft at Jaro 126-132 + Shipwreck 133-138 + Filipino Domestic Life 139-151 + Islands Cebu and Romblom 152-154 + Literature 155-159 + The Gordon Scouts 160-162 + Trials of Getting Home 163-166 + + + + + + +OUT OF THE GOLDEN GATE. + +CHAPTER ONE. + + +With the words ringing out over the clear waters of San Francisco +Bay as the Steamer Morgan City pulled from the dock, "Now, mother, +do be sure and take the very next boat and come to me," I waved a yes +as best I could, and, turning to my friends, said: "I am going to the +Philippines; but do not, I beg of you, come to the dock to see me off." + +I did not then realize what it meant to start alone. I vowed to +stay in my cabin during the entire trip, but, as we steamed out of +the Golden Gate, there was an invitation to come forth, a prophesy +of good, a promise to return, in the glory of the last rays of the +setting sun as they traced upon the portals, "We shall be back in the +morning." And so I set out with something of cheer and hope, in spite +of all the remonstrances, all the woeful prognostications of friends. + +If I could not find something useful to do for my boy and for other +boys, I could accept the appointment of nurse from the Secretary +of War, General Russell A. Alger. But, if it proved practicable, +I preferred to be under no obligations to render service, for my +health was poor, my strength uncertain. + +The sail from San Francisco to Honolulu was almost without incident; +few of the two thousand souls on board were ill at all. They divided +up into various cliques and parties, such as are usually made up on +ocean voyages. When we arrived at Honolulu, I did not expect to land, +but I was fortunate in having friends of my son's, Hon. J. Mott Smith, +Secretary of State, and family meet me, and was taken to his more +than delightful home and very generously, royally entertained. + +My impressions were, as we entered the bay, that the entire population +of Honolulu was in the water. There seemed to be hundreds of little +brown bodies afloat just like ducks. + +The passengers threw small coins into the bay, and those aquatic, +human bodies would gather them before they could reach the bottom. + +The city seemed like one vast tropical garden, with its waving palms, +gorgeous foliage and flowers, gaily colored birds and spicy odors, +but mingled with the floral fragrance were other odors that betokened +a foreign population. + +It was my first experience in seeing all sorts and conditions of +people mingling together--Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiians, English, +Germans and Americans. Then the manner of dress seemed so strange, +especially for the women; they wore a garment they call halicoes like +the Mother Hubbard that we so much deride. + +We visited the palace of the late Queen, Liliuokalani +(le-le-uo-ka-la-ne), now turned into a government building; saw the +old throne room and the various articles that added to the pomp and +vanity of her reign. I heard only favorable comments on her career. All +seemed to think that she had been a wise and considerate ruler. + +I noticed many churches of various denominations, but was +particularly interested in my own, the Protestant Episcopal. The +Rt. Rev. H. C. Potter, Bishop of New York, and his secretary, +Rev. Percy S. Grant, were passengers on board our ship, the Gaelic. The +special purpose of the Bishop's visit to Honolulu was to effect +the transfer of the Episcopal churches of the Sandwich Islands to +the jurisdiction of our House of Bishops. He expressed himself as +delighted with his cordial reception and with the ready, Christian-like +manner with which the Supervision yielded. The success of his delicate +mission was due, on Bishop Potter's side, to the wise and fraternal +presentation of his cause and to his charming wit and courtesy. + +It was still early morning when my friends with a pair of fine horses +drove from the shore level by winding roads up through the foot hills, +ever up and up above the luxuriant groves of banana and cocoanut, the +view widening, and the masses of rich foliage growing denser below or +broadening into the wide sugar plantations that surrounded palatial +homes. We returned for luncheon and I noted that not one house had +a chimney, that every house was protected with mosquito netting; +porches, doors, windows, beds, all carefully veiled. + +After dinner we again set forth with a pair of fresh horses and drove +for miles along the coast, visiting some of the beautiful places that +we had already seen from the heights. The beauty of gardens, vines, +flowers, grasses, hills, shores, ocean was bewildering. In the city +itself are a thousand objects of interest, of which not the least is +the market. + +I had never seen tropical fish before, and was somewhat surprised by +the curious shapes and varied colors of the hundreds and thousands of +fish exposed for sale. I do not think there was a single color scheme +that was not carried out in that harvest of the sea. Fruits and flowers +were there, too, in heaps and masses at prices absurdly low. With the +chatter of the natives and the shrill cry of the fishermen as they +came in with their heavily laden boats, the scene was one never to +be forgotten. + +The natives have a time honored custom of crowning their friends at +leave-taking with "Lais" (lays). These garlands are made by threading +flowers on a string about a yard and a half long, usually each string +is of one kind of flower, and, as they throw these "Lais" over the +head of the friend about to leave, they say or sing, "Al-o-ah-o, +until we meet again." + +This musical score is the greeting of good-day, good-morning, or +good-bye; always the greeting of friends. They chose for me strings +of purple and gold flowers. The golden ones were a sort of wax begonia +and the purple were almost like a petunia. + +Instead of sitting on the deck of the steamer by myself, as I had +purposed, I had one of the most delightful days I have ever spent +in my life. It was with deep regret, when the boat pulled from the +wharf, that I answered with the newly acquired song, "Al-o-ah-o," +the kindly voices wafted from the shore. We had taken on board many +new passengers, and were now very closely packed in, so much so, +that to our great disgust one family, a Chinaman, his wife, children +and servants, fourteen in number, occupied one small stateroom. It is +easy to believe that that room was full and overflowing into the narrow +hallways. Though he had eight or nine children and one or two wives, +he said he was going to China to get himself one more wife, because the +one that he had with him did bite the children so much and so badly. + +I had never before seen so many various kinds of Chinese people, +and it was a curious study each day to watch them at their various +duties in caring for one another and preparing their food. Strange +concoctions were some of those meals. They all ate with chop-sticks, +and I never did find out how they carried to the mouth the amount +of food consumed each day. One day we heard a great commotion down +in their quarters, and, of course, all rushed to see what was the +matter. We were passing the spot where, years before, a ship had sunk +with a great number of Chinese on board. Our Chinese were sending off +fire crackers and burning thousands and thousands of small papers of +various colors and shapes, with six to ten holes in each paper. Some +were burning incense and praying before their Joss. The interpreter +told us that every time a steamer passes they go through these rites to +keep the Devils away from the souls of the shipwrecked Chinese. Before +any Evil Spirit can reach a soul it must go through each one of the +holes in the burnt papers that were cast overboard. + +Bishop Potter asked us one day if we thought those Chinese people +were our brethren. I am sure it took some Christian charity to decide +that they were. One of these "brethren" was a Salvation Army man, +who was married to an American woman. They were living in heathen +quarters between decks and each day labored to teach the way of +salvation. Many of these poor people died during the passage; the +bodies were placed in boxes to be carried to their native land. A +large per cent. of the whole number seemed to be going home to die, +so emaciated and feeble were they. + +There was fitted up in one of the bunks in the hold of the vessel a +Joss house. I did not dare to see it, but I learned that there was +the usual pyramid of shelves containing amongst them the gods of War +and Peace. Before each god is a small vessel of sand to hold the Joss +sticks, a perfumed taper to be burned in honor of the favorite deity, +and there is often added a cup of tea and a portion of rice. There are +no priests or preachers, but some man buys the privilege of running +the Joss house, and charges each worshipper a small fee. The devotee +falls on his knees, lays his forehead to the floor, and invocates +the god of his choice. Soothsayers are always in attendance, and for +a small sum one may know his future. + +As between Chinese and Japanese, for fidelity, honesty, veracity and +uprightness, my impression is largely in favor of the Chinese as a +race. Captain Finch told me that on this ship, the Gaelic, over which he +had had charge for the past fifteen years, he had had, as head waiter, +the same Chinaman that he started out with, and in all this period +of service he never had occasion to question the integrity of this +most faithful servant, who in the entire time had not been absent +from the ship more than three days in all. On these rare occasions, +this capable man had left for his substitute such minute instructions +on bits of rice paper, placed where needed, that the work was carried +on smoothly without need of supervision or other direction. The same +holds true of Chinese servants on our Pacific coast. I was much pleased +with the attention they gave each and every one of us during the entire +trip; it was better service than any that I have ever seen on Atlantic +ships. In the whole month's trip, I never heard one word of complaint. + +Being a good sailor, I can hardly judge as to the "Peacefulness of +the Pacific." Many were quite ill when to me there was only a gentle +roll of the steamer, soothing to the nerves, and the splash of the +waves only lulled me to sleep. + +By day there were many entertainments, such as races, walking matches, +quoits, and like games. Commander J. V. Bleecker, en route to take +charge of the Mercedes reclaimed in Manila Bay, was a masterly artist +in sleight-of-hand performances, and contributed much to the fun. + +Often the evenings were enlivened with concerts and +readings. Col. J. H. Bird, of New York, gave memorized passages from +Shakespeare--scenes, acts, and even entire plays in perfect voice +and character. We thought we were most fortunate in the opportunity +to enjoy his clever rendition of several comedies. + +But to one passenger, at least, the best and sweetest ministrations +of all were the religious services. Bishop Potter took part in all +wholesome amusements. He was often the director; he was the delightful +chairman at all our musical and literary sessions; but it was in sacred +service that his noble spiritual powers found expression. One calm, +radiant Sunday morning he spoke with noblest eloquence on these words +of the one hundred thirty-ninth psalm:-- + + + Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee + from thy presence? + If I ascend up into heaven thou art there; if I make my bed + in hell, behold thou art there! + If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost + part of the sea; + Even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. + + +Fifteen months later, when wrecked on the coast of Panay, his clear +voice again sounded in my soul with the assurance, "Even there shall +thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." + + + + + + +FIRST GLIMPSES OF JAPAN. + +CHAPTER TWO. + + +But for all our devices to while away the time, the thirty-two days of +ship life was to all of us the longest month of our lives. The Pacific, +as Mr. Peggotty says, is "a mort of water," a vast, desolate waste of +waters from Honolulu to our first landing place, Yokohama. We had a +wonderful glimpse of the sacred mountain, Fujiyama. The snow-capped +peak stood transfigured as it caught full the rays of the descending +sun. Cone-shaped, triangular, perhaps; what was it like, this gleaming +silhouette against the deep blue sky? Was it a mighty altar, symbol +of earth's need of sacrifice, or emblem of the unity of the ever +present triune God? 'Tis little wonder that it is, to the people +over whom it stands guard, an object of reverence, of worship; that +pilgrimages are made to its sacred heights; that yearly many lives +are sacrificed in the toilsome ascent on bare feet, on bare knees. + +As we went through Japan's inland sea, one of the most beautiful bodies +of water on the globe, it seemed, at times, as if we might reach out +and shake hands with the natives in their curious houses, we passed +so near to them--the odd little houses, unlike any we had ever seen; +while about us was every known kind of Japanese craft with curious +sails of every conceivable kind and shape. On the overloaded boats +the curious little Japanese sailors, oddly dressed in thick padded +coverings and bowl caps on their heads, with nothing on limbs and +feet save small straw sandals, strapped to the feet between great +and second toes, looked top-heavy. + +While I watched all these new things, I was eagerly on the lookout for +the wreck of the Morgan City, on which my son had sailed. Nothing was +visible of the ill-fated ship but a single spar, one long finger of +warning held aloft. As we passed on, watching the busy boats plying +from shore to shore, the Chinese on the boat chattered and jabbered +faster with each other than before; we fancied they were making fun of +their little Japanese brethren. We arrived at Yokohama about 9 P. M., +and were immediately placed in quarantine. The next morning a dozen +Japanese quarantine officers appeared, covered all over with straps +and bands of gold lace. They looked so insignificant and put on such +an air of austere authority that one did not know whether to laugh or +cry at their pomposity. They checked us off by squads and dozens, and +by 12 o'clock we were ready to land. It was our first touch of Japanese +soil, and we were about to take our first ride in a Jinricksha. It was +very beautiful to hear as a greeting, "Ohio." As I had been told by +a Japanese student, whom I met in Cambridge, Mass., that this is the +national greeting, I was not unprepared as was a fellow passenger, +who said, "Oh, he must know where you came from." My height and my +white hair seemed to make me an object of interest. It was such a +novel thing to be hauled around in those two-wheeled carts, one man +pulling at the thills and another pushing at the rear. It is a fine +experience, and one which we all enjoyed. The whole outfit is hired +by the day for about a dollar, the price depending upon the amount +of Pigeon English the leader can speak. The first thing they say to +you is, "Me can speak English." We found the hotel admirably kept. + +The blind Japanese are an interesting class. They are trained at +government cost to give massage treatment, and no others are allowed +to practice. These blind nurses, male and female, go about the streets +in care of an attendant, playing a plaintive tune on a little reed +whistle in offer of their services. The treatment is delightful, +the sensation is wholly new, and is most restful and invigorating +after a long voyage. + +No wonder that so many of the Japs are weak-eyed or totally blind. The +children are exposed to the intense rays of the sun, as, suspended on +their mothers' backs, they dangle in their straps with their little +heads wabbling helplessly. From friends who have kept house many years, +I learned that the service rendered by the Japanese is, as a whole, +unsatisfactory. Their cooking is entirely different from ours, and +they do not willingly adapt themselves to our mode of living. + +It is not my purpose to tell much about Japan and China; they were only +stages on the way to the Philippines; and yet they were a preparation +for the new, strange life there. But such is the charm of Japan that +one's memories cling to its holiday scenes and life. + +The Japanese are really wise in beginning their New Year in spring. The +first of April, cherry blossom day, is made the great day of all +the year. There are millions of cherry blossoms on trees larger +than many of our largest apple trees--wonderful double-flowering, +beautiful trees, just one mass of pink blossoms as far as the eye +can reach. They do so reverence these blossoms that they rarely pluck +them, but carry about bunches made of paper or silk tissue that rival +the natural ones in perfection. No person is so poor that he cannot, +on this great festal day, have his house, shop, place of amusement +or, at least, umbrella bedecked with these delicate blossoms. It is +almost beyond belief the extent to which they carry this festal day, +given up entirely to greetings and parades. + +Then the wonderful wisteria! In its blossoming time the flower clusters +hang from long sprays like rich fringe. From the hill-tops the view +down on the tiny cottages, wreathed with the luxuriant vines, is most +beautiful. A single cluster is often three feet long. They make cups, +bowls and plates from the trunk of the vine. + +There are marsh fields of the white lotus. The ridges of the heavily +thatched roofs are set with iris plants and their many hued blossoms +make a garden in the air. + +One should visit Japan from April to November. In the cultivation of +the chrysanthemum they lay more stress on the small varieties than we +do; they prefer number to size. The autumn foliage is beautiful beyond +belief,--vision alone can do it justice. The hillsides, the mountain +slopes are thickly set with the miniature maples and evergreens; +the clear, brilliant hues of the one, heightened by contrast with +the dark green of the other, are strikingly vivid. + +The trees and shrubs are surely more gnarled and knotted than they are +in Christian countries. They are trained in curious fashion. One limb +of a tree is coaxed and stretched to see how far it can be extended +from the body of the tree. At first I could not believe that these +limbs belonged to a stump so far away. The Japanese pride themselves +on their shrubs and flowers. Nothing gave me more pleasure than +seeing all this cultivation of the gardens, no matter how small, +around each home. I did not see a single bit of wood in Japan like +anything that we have. The veining, color, texture and adaptiveness +to polish suggest marble of every variety. + +At Yokohama I engaged a guide, Takenouchi. I found him to be a faithful +attendant; his devotion and energy in satisfying my various requests +was unwearied; I shall ever feel grateful to him. He would make me +understand by little nods, winks, and sly pushes that I was not to +purchase, and he would afterwards say: "I will go back and get the +articles for you for just one-half the price the shop-keeper told +you." They hope to sell to Americans for a better price than they +ever get from each other. We went to every kind of shop; they are +amusingly different from ours. Few things are displayed in the windows +or on the shelves, but they are done up in fine parcels and tucked +away out of sight. It is the rule to take two or three days to sit +at various counters before you attempt to purchase. The seller would +much rather keep his best things; he tries in every way to induce you +to take the cheaper ones, or ones of inferior quality. My guide was in +every way capable and efficient in the selection of fine embroideries, +porcelain, bronzes, and pictures. + + + + + + +FROM YOKOHAMA TO TOKIO. + +CHAPTER THREE. + + +From Yokohama to Tokio, a two hours' ride on the steam cars, +one is constantly gazing at the wonderful country and its perfect +cultivation. There are no vast prairies of wheat or corn, but the land +is divided into little patches, and each patch is so lovingly tended +that it looks not like a farm but like a garden; while each garden is +laid out with as much care as if it were some part of Central Park, +thick with little lakes, artistic bridges and little waterfalls with +little mills, all too diminutive, seemingly, to be of any use, and +yet all occupied and all busy turning out their various wares. + +I understand they even hoe the drilled-in wheat. The rice, the staple +of the country, is so cared for and tended that it sells for much +more than other rice. Imported rice is the common food. + +As our guide said, we must go to the "Proud of Japan," Nikko, to see +the most wonderful temples of their kind in all the world. We took the +cars at Yokohama for Nikko. It was an all day trip with five changes of +cars, but every step of the way was through one vast curious workshop +of both divine and human hands. The railway fare is only two cents a +mile, first class, and half that, second class; we left the choice +to our guide. A good guide is almost indispensable. Our faithful +Takenouchi was proficient in everything; he was valet, courier, +guide, instructor, purchasing agent, and maid. I never knew a person +so efficient in every way; he could be attentively absent; he never +intruded himself upon us in any way. It is impossible to describe +the wonderful temples! They must be seen to be appreciated and, even +then, one must needs have a microscope, so minute are the carvings in +ivory, bronze, and porcelain, inlaid and wrought with gold and silver; +many of them, ancient though they are, are still marvels of delicate +lines of the patient labor of the past centuries. One of the gods, +which was in a darkened temple, had a hundred heads, and the only way +one could see it was by a little lantern hung on the end of a string +and pulled up slowly. But even in that dim light we stood awestruck +before that miracle wrought in stone. No one is allowed to walk near +this god with shoes upon his feet. Unbelievers though we were, we were +awed by the colossal grandeur of this great idol. The God of Wind, +the God of War, the God of Peace, "the hundred Gods" all in line, +were, when counted one way, one hundred, but in the reverse order +only ninety-nine. To pray to the One Hundred, it is necessary only +to buy a few characters of Japanese writings and paste them upon any +one of the gods, trusting your cause to him and the Nikko. + +The bells, the first tones of which came down through that magnificent +forest of huge trees and echoing from the rocks of that wonderful +ravine, will ever sound in my ears as an instant call to a reverential +mood. The solemn music was unlike any tone I had ever heard before; +now it seemed the peal of the trumpet of the Last Day, now a call +to some festival of angels and arch-angels. As the first thrills +of emotion passed, it seemed a benediction of peace and rest; the +evening's Gloria to the day's Jubilate, for it was the sunset hour. + +The next morning we took our guide and three natives to each foreigner +to assist in getting us up the Nikko mountain. It took from 7 o'clock +in the morning until 2 in the afternoon to reach the summit. Every +mountain peak was covered with red, white, and pink azaleas. Our +pathway was over a carpet of the petals of these exquisite blooms. We +used every glowing adjective that we could command at every turn of +these delightful hills, and at last joined in hymns of praise. Each +alluring summit, as soon as reached, dwindled to a speck in comparison +with the grandeur that was still further awaiting us. We stopped often +to let the men rest, who had to work so hard pulling our little carts +up these steep ascents. + +There is a great waterfall in the hills, some two hundred fifty +feet high, but none of us dared to make the point that gives an +entire view of it. All we could see added proof of our paucity of +words to express our surprise that the reputed great wonders of +this "Proud" were really true. On returning we were often obliged +to alight and walk over fallen boulders, this being the first trip +after the extreme winter snows. At one place, being "overtoppled" by +the weight of my clothes and the cramped position that I had been in, +I lost my balance and fell down, it seemed to me to be about a mile +and a half. In a moment there were at least fifty pairs of hands to +assist me up the mountain side. A dislocated wrist, a battered nose, +and a blackened eye was the inventory of damages. Such a chattering +as those natives did set up, while I, with a bit of medical skill, +which I am modestly proud of, attended to my needs. The day had been +so full of delights that I did not mind being battered and bruised, +nor did I lose appetite for the very fine dinner we had at the Nikko +Hotel, so daintily served in the most attractive fashion by the little +Japanese maidens in their dainty costumes. In the evening the hotel +became a lively bazaar. All sorts of wares were spread out before +us--minute bridges modeled after the famous Emperor's Bridge at this +place. No person is allowed to walk upon it but His Majesty. The +story goes that General Grant was invited to cross over upon it, +but declined with thanks. In returning we drove through that most +wonderful grove of huge trees, the Cryptomaria, a kind of cedar, +which rise to a height of one hundred fifty or two hundred feet. I +may not have the number of feet exactly, but they are so tremendous +that one wonders if they can really be living Cryptomaria. Indeed, +much of all Japan seems artificial. Every tiny little house has its +own little garden, perhaps but two feet square, yet artistically laid +out with bridges, temples, miniature trees two or three inches high, +flowers in pots, walks, and little cascades, all too toy-like and +tiny for any but children. Nearly all of the houses have their little +temples, and the children have their special gods; little boys have +their gods of learning and their gods of war. The prayer to the god +of learning is about like this: "Oh, Mr. God of Learning, won't you +please help me to learn my lessons, won't you please help me to pass +my examinations, and Oh, Mr. God of learning, if you will only help +me pass my examination and to study my lessons and get them well, +when I get through I will bring you a dish of pickles." This prayer +was given me by a Japanese student who studied in our country. + +We found that nearly every banking house and hotel had for their +expert accountants and rapid calculators, Chinamen. I finally asked +one of the proprietors how it happened and he said it was because +they could trust the Chinese to be more faithful and accurate. On +the other hand, when we got to Hong Kong we found that the policemen +were of India, because the Chinese could not be trusted to do justice +to their fellow men. There was such a difference between the service +of the coolie Jinricksha men in Hong Kong and in Japan. They did not +seem so weak or travel-weary, and yet they had often to take people +on much harder journeys. + + + + + + +TOKIO. + +CHAPTER FOUR. + + +Tokio, the capital, with a population almost equal to New York, looks +like a caricature, a miniature cast such as one sees of the Holy +Land. The earliest mention of the use of checks in Europe is in the +latter part of the seventeenth century. The Japanese had already been +using them for forty years; they had also introduced the strengthening +features of requiring them to be certified. + +Visiting the Rice Exchange in Tokio during a year of famine, when +subject to wide and sudden fluctuations, it was easy to imagine one's +self in the New York Stock Exchange, on the occasion of a flurry in +Wall Street. There was the same seeming madness intensified by the +guttural sounds of the language, and the brokers were not a whit +more intelligible than a like mob in any other city. I said to the +interpreter: "You Japanese have succeeded in copying every feature +of the New York Stock Exchange." "New York!" he exclaimed, "why, this +very thing has been going on here in Japan these two hundred years!" + +The palace is a long, low building, unattractive in itself, but +its gardens with every beautiful device of native art, fountains, +bridges, shrines, fantastically trimmed trees, flowers, winding ways, +are amazingly artistic. + +The Lord High Chamberlain has ordered every civil officer to appear at +court ceremonies in European dress. It seems such a pity, for they are +not of the style or carriage to adopt court costumes. One government +official wanted to be so very correct that he wore his dress suit to +business. So anxious are they to be thought civilized. There is nothing +that hurts a gentleman's feelings in Japan more than to hear one say, +"They have such a beautiful country and when they are converted from +heathenism it will be ideal." There is a strong Episcopal church and +college in the capital. + +I am not at all prepared to judge the Japanese creeds or modes of +worship. But one may infer something of what people are taught, +from their character and conduct. The children honor their parents; +the women seem obedient to their husbands and masters; and the men +are imbued with the love of country. + +The prevailing religion of Japan is Shintoism, and through the kindness +of Rev. B. T. Sakai, I will give a bit of his experience. He wished to +acquire a better knowledge of English and found that Trinity College in +Tokio could give him the best instruction. He went to this institution, +pledged that he would not, on any account, become a Christian, and +assisted in the persecution of his fellow students, who were becoming +convinced of the truth of Christianity. During the extreme cold +weather, the institution was badly in need of warmer rooms. Several of +the students met and decided to make an appeal to the Bishop. They went +to him, three Japanese boys who were converted and two who were not, +and told him in very plain language that they would not endure the +cold in their rooms any longer. The Bishop listened attentively and +finally said, "Well, young men, you are perfectly right, and I have a +very good solution of the difficulty. I am an old man and cannot live +many years, so I will give you my warm room and I will take the cold +one." He told me that was something new to him, that a person of his +years and standing should be willing to make so great a sacrifice. He +said that he could not keep the tears from running down his cheeks, +and on no account would any of these boys accept the Bishop's proposal; +he gave them a new idea of Christian charity. + + + +KOBE AND NAGASAKI. + +From Nikko we returned to Yokohama and thence by steamer to Kobe. The +U. S. Consul, General M. Lyon, and his wife met me. They gave me the +first particulars of the wreck of the Morgan City. Nothing could +exceed their kindness during the two days of my stay there. Their +familiarity with the language, the people, and the shops was a great +help to me. And when we returned home, I found the little son of my +hosts the most interesting object of all. Born in Kobe, cared for +by a native nurse, an ama, as they are called, he spoke no English, +only Japanese. He was a beautiful child, fair, golden haired, blue +eyed, and sweet of temper. + +The garden of the U.S. Consul at Kobe was a marvel of beauty. There +was a rumor that the United States government might purchase it. I hope +so, because it is in a part of the city which has a commanding view of +the bay, and it is such a joy to see our beautiful flag floating from +the staff in front of the consulate. No one appreciates the meaning of +"Our Flag" until one sees it in foreign countries. + +I visited the famous Buddhist Temple of Kobe; it was placed in a +garden and there were hundreds of poor, sore eyed, sickly, dirty +Japanese people around, and it gave one the impression that this +temple might have been used for other purposes than worship. In all +the temples that I visited, I never saw, except in one, anything +that approached worship, and that was in the Sacred Temple of the +White Horse, Nagasaki, and an American who had lived there for eight +years said that I must be mistaken for she had never heard of any +such doings as I saw. There seemed to be about a dozen priests who +were carrying hot water which they dipped out of a boiling caldron +and were sprinkling it about in the temple with curious intonations +and chantings. They ran back and forth, swishing the water about in a +very promiscuous manner. I stood at a respectful distance fearing to +get some of the hot fluid on myself. Meanwhile the White Horse stood +in the yard well groomed and cared for, little knowing what they were +doing in his honor. I could not hear of a single place where their +poor or sick and afflicted were cared for. They may have asylums and +hospitals, but I never heard of any. + +Nagasaki is beautiful for situation. A river-like inlet, reminding +one of the Hudson river, leads into the broad lake-like harbor. Eight +or ten of our transports lay at anchor and still there was abundant +room for the liners and for the little craft plying between this and +the small ports. + +The dock is famous; all our ships in the east put in here for repairs +if possible. + +The high hills circle about the town and bay; they are highly +cultivated and dotted with the peculiar Japanese house. The native +house of but one story, is not more than twelve or fourteen feet +square, and is divided into rooms only by paper screens that may be +removed at will. The people live out of doors as much as possible, +or in their arbors. In cold weather a charcoal brazier is set in the +center of the house. At night each Jap rolls himself in a thickly +padded mat and lies on the floor with his feet to this "stove." + +A party was made up to visit the Concert Hall of the celebrated Geisha +girls. General and Mrs. Greenleaf and many officers and their wives +from the transports were of the number. They kindly invited me to +join them. A sum total of about fifteen dollars is charged for the +entertainment; each one bears his share of the cost. It was a rainy +evening, rickshaws were in order. About thirty drew up before the +Nagasaki Hotel. It was a sight! the funny little carriages, man before +to pull, man behind to push, gaily colored lantern fore and aft and +amused Americans in the middle, laughing, singing, and enjoying the +fun, a strange contrast to the stolid native. + +The long line of carriages wound in and out like a snake with shining +scales. The night was so dark that little was to be seen except the +firefly lights and the bare tawny legs of the rickshaw men. + +It has been said that the Japanese are the soul of music. I am sure +that no ears are cultivated to endure it. As we entered the rooms +we were obliged to remove our shoes and put on sandals. Instead of +sitting down on chairs we took any position we could on the floor mats +that were placed at our disposal. At the first sound from the throat +of a famous singer in a staccato "E-E-E-E," we all sprang to our feet +thinking she was possibly going into some sort of a fit. With a twang +on the strings of the flattened out little instrument, we subsided, +concluding that the concert had begun. Then when the others joined +in, the mingled sounds were not unlike the wail of cats on the back +fence. The girls themselves looked pretty, in kneeling posture, lips +painted bright red, hair prettily braided and adorned with artificial +flowers or bits of jewelry. If they had been quiet they would have +looked like beautiful Japanese dolls seated on the floor. After several +"catterwaulings" by the choir, came the dances. It was all a series +of physical culture movements; the music was rendered in most perfect +rhythm by two of the girls, it was the poetry of motion. They would +take pieces of silk and make little bouquets, whirlwinds, and divers +things; the most beautiful of all was a cascade of water. It was hard +for us to believe it was not actually a waterfall. It was made of +unfolding yards of white silk of the most sheer and gauzy kind. From a +thin package six inches square, there shimmered out a thousand yards--a +veritable cascade of gleaming water. We were treated to refreshments, +impossible cakes and tea. We were thankful that we sat near an open +window that we might throw the cake over our shoulder, trusting some +forlorn little Japanese who liked it might get it. + +The tea is finely powdered dust; the tea maker is supposed to measure +exactly the capacity of the drinker and to take enough of this finely +powdered tea to make three and one-half mouthfuls exactly. They do +it by taking a rare bit of porcelain and holding it in their hands, +turn it about and talk learnedly of the various, wonderful arts +of pottery and how many years they have had this certain piece of +fine porcelain, turning it about in the meantime in their hands +as they comment on its beauties and qualities, and then take three +large swallows of the tea and one small sip and then go on talking +about the wonders of the cup. These cups are anything but what we +should call tea cups. They are really large bowls, sometimes with +a cover but more often without. But it is refreshing to drink their +tea even if one cannot do it a la Jap. Everywhere in Japan you are +asked to take a cup of tea, in the steam cars, in the shops and by +the wayside. A Japanese told me that he could tell whether a person +was educated or not by the manner in which he drank tea. They take +lessons in tea drinking as we do in any accomplishment we wish to +acquire. One friend could not resist buying tea pots and pretty cups; +she had a grand collection after one day of sight-seeing. + +Their potteries are not like ours, huge factories, but household +things. Here and there in a family is an artist who can make a bit +of porcelain, a few cups, plates, or saucers stamped with his own +individual mark. The quality varies, of course, with the skill of +the maker, but the poorest work is beautiful; and one develops an +insatiate greed to possess this and this and just one more. + +The ancient Imari, Satsuma, and the old bits of pottery that have +been kept in the older families for centuries are, to my mind, the +most wonderful works of art of the kind in the world; they look with +pride on the articles of virtu as almost sacred. + + + + + + +JAPAN IN GENERAL. + +CHAPTER FIVE. + + +One of the many objects to attract the eyes of one traveling in +Japan is the "Torii" or sacred gateway. It is said that once a bird +from Heaven flew down and alighted upon the earth. Here the first +gate was erected, the gate of heaven. Its construction, whether it +be of wood, stone or metal, is ever the same, two columns slightly +inclined toward each other, supporting a horizontal cross-beam with +widely projecting ends, and beneath this another beam with its ends +fitted into the columns; the whole forming a singularly graceful +construction, illustrating how the Japanese produce the best effects +with the simplest means. This sacred entrance arches the path wherever +any Japanese foot approaches hallowed ground. It is, however, over +all consecrated portals and lands, and does not necessarily indicate +the nearness of a temple. You find it everywhere in your wanderings, +over hill and dale, at the entrance to mountain paths, or deep in +the recesses of the woods, sometimes it is on the edge of an oasis +of shrubbery, or in the very heart of the rice fields, sometimes in +front of cliff or cavern. Pass under its arch and follow the path it +indicates and you will reach--it may be by a few steps, it may be by +a long walk or climb--a temple sometimes, but more often a simple +shrine; and if in this shrine you find nothing; close by you will +see some reason for its being there. There will be a twisted pine or +grove of stately trees, to consecrate the place and perpetuate some +memory. Perhaps the way leads to the view of some magnificent panorama +of land or sea spread out before the gazer who, with adoring heart, +worships the beauty or the grandeur of his country. Wherever there +is a Torii, there is a shrine of his religion; and wherever there is +an outlook over the land of his birth, there is a temple of his faith. + +As we left Nagasaki for Shanghai, I noticed on this occasion, as +on four later visits, the great activity of this port as a coaling +station. It has an immense trade. Men, women, and children form +in line from the junk which is drawn alongside of our huge ships, +and then pass baskets of coal from one to the other. Many of the +women and girls have babies strapped on their backs, and there they +stand in line for hours passing these baskets back and forth. As I +was watching them one day, for I saw them loading many times, for +some reason not apparent, they all pounced upon one small man, and, +as I thought, kicked him to pieces with their heavy wooden shoes and +strong feet. After five minutes of such pummeling, as I was looking +for a few shreds of a flattened out Japanese, he arose, shook himself, +got in line, and passed baskets as before. + +One day from my comfortable bamboo chair I watched some coolies +getting some immense timbers out of the bay near where I sat. It +did not seem possible that these small men could manage those huge +timbers, which were so slippery from lying in the water that they +would often have to allow them to slip back, even after they had +got them nearly on land. I expected every moment to see those poor +creatures either plunge into the water themselves or be crushed by +the weight of the heavy timbers; and while I watched for about two +hours they must have taken out about twenty or thirty logs, twenty +or twenty-five feet long and two feet through. I often watched the +coolies unloading ships. Two of them would take six or eight trunks, +bind them together, run a heavy bamboo pole through the knotted ends +and away they would go. I never saw a single person carding what we, +in America, pride ourselves so much on, "a full dinner pail." They +did not even seem to have the pail. + +There are horses in Japan and they are poor specimens compared with +the fine animals that we know. They are chiefly pack-horses, used in +climbing over the mountains, consequently they go with their noses +almost on the ground. Instead of iron shoes they have huge ones made +of plaited straw. They are literally skin and bones, these poor beasts +of burden. + +Horses may be judged, in part, by the mouth; but the Japs may be wholly +judged by the leg. It did distress me to ride after a pair of legs +whose calves were abnormally large, whose varicose veins were swollen +almost to bursting. As a rule, the men trot along with very little +effort and, seemingly, have a very good time. They cheerfully play +the part of both horseman and horse, of conductor, motineer and power. + +I never could get used to the number of Jinrickshas drawn up in front +of the railroad station, and as it is the only way to get about the +country, I accepted it with as good a grace as I could. At a large +station there may be hundreds of rickshaws and double hundreds of +drivers, all clamoring as wildly as our most aggressive cabmen. They +wave their hands frantically, crying, "Me speak English! Me speak +English! Me speak English!" + +They knew originally, or have learned of foreigners, how to cheat in +Japan as elsewhere. One often needs to ask, "Is this real tortoise +shell?" The answer, even if imitation, is "Now, this is good; this +is without flaw." I found it of great advantage, as far as possible, +to keep the same men, and they became interested, not only in taking +me to better places, but in assisting me in procuring articles, not +only of the best value, but at Japanese prices. It is never best to +purchase the first time you see anything, even if you want it very +badly. I secured one Satsuma cup that has a thousand faces on it. It +is very old, very wonderfully exact, and a work of very great art. It +took me several days to purchase it, as the man was very loath to +part with it, and at the end I got it for very much less than I was +willing to give the first day. + +They do not seem to have any day of rest--all shops are open seven days +of the week. All work goes on in the same unbroken round. Indeed, from +the time I left San Francisco until my return, it was hard for me to +"keep track" of Sunday, even with the almanac I carried; and when I +did chase it down, I involuntarily exclaimed, "But today is Saturday +at home; the Saturday crowds will parade the streets this evening; +the churches will not be open until tomorrow morning." + +I learned here that the average wages of a laboring man, working +from dawn to dark, is about seven cents a day of our money. The men +do much of the menial service, much of the delicate work, too. The +finest embroidery, with most intricate patterns and delicate tracings +in white and colors, is done by men. Two will work at the frame, one +putting the needle through on his side, and the other thrusting it +back. In that way the embroideries are alike on both sides, except +the work which is to be framed. They are so very industrious that +they very rarely look up when anyone is examining their work. + +As I was watching some glass blowers, the little son of one raised +his eyes from the various intricate bulbs that he was handing to +his father and gave him the wrong color. Without a word of warning +the father gave him a severe stroke with the hot tube across the +forehead, which left a welt the size of my finger. Without one cry +of pain he immediately handed his father the correct tube and went +on with his work as if nothing had happened. I had intended to buy +that very article, but it would have meant to me the suffering it +cost the child, and I would not have taken it if it had been given me. + +Sanitary conditions, as far as I could judge, were bad. The houses, +in the first place, are very small. I understand they are made small +on account of earthquakes. It is said that the whole of Japan is in +one quake all the time. They have shocks daily, hence, the houses +are only one story high. + +I attended an auction of one of the finest collections of works of +art that had ever been placed before the public. The only way we +could tell that many of these works were especially choice was by the +number of elegantly dressed Japanese who were bending before them in +admiration. One could see that, as a whole, it was a collection of +rare things. The books and pictures were the most interesting. One +picture, "White Chickens," on white parchment was very artistic. It +did not seen possible that these white feathered fowls could so +nearly resemble the live birds in their various attitudes and sizes, +for there were about twelve from the smallest chick to the largest +crowing chanticleer of the barn yard. Another picture was of fish, +which was so exact that one could almost vow that they were alive +and ready to be caught. Indeed, one of the fish was on the end of +the line with the hook in his mouth, and his resistance was seen from +the captive head to the end of the little forked tail. They excel in +birds, butterflies and flowers; and one knows the full meaning of the +"Flowery Kingdom" of both China and Japan as one travels about. One +sees in the public parks notices posted, "Strangers do not molest or +capture the butterflies." For nowhere, except in this Oriental country, +are the butterflies so gorgeously magnificent. + +Japan is truly a land of umbrellas and parasols. With frames made of +the light, delicate bamboo, strands woven closely and then either +covered with fine rice paper or silk, they are ready for rain or +sunshine. They all carry them. The markets are the most attractive +that one could imagine, but after hearing of the means used to enrich +the soil, it is impossible to enjoy any fruit or vegetable. In all +the towns are the native and the European quarters. In the latter one +can have thoroughly good accommodations; the service and attendance +are excellent. + +At one place on the coast of Japan there is cormorant fishing. Men go +in small boats with flaring torches, hundreds of them. The birds with +their long bills reach down into the water and pick up a huge fish, +then the master immediately takes it out of the bill, before it can +be swallowed, and places it in his boat for market. These birds in +a single evening get thousands of fish. I suppose they are rewarded +at the end of their service by being allowed to fish for themselves. + +Kite flying is a favorite pastime; the size, shape, and curious +decorations are astonishing. They have fights with their kites up in +the air, and there is just as much excitement over these kite games +as we ever have over foot-ball. They go into paroxysms of joy when +the favorite wins. There are singing kites and signal kites and a +hundred other kinds. + +I saw no children indulging in any games on the streets. As soon +as they are able to carry or do anything at all they seem to be +employed. I could not but think that most of the Japanese children +are unhealthy. Every one of them had sore eyes. Small of statue, +the children seemed too small to walk, and yet those that looked +only seven or eight years old would, invariably, have each a baby +strapped on his back, and the poor little creatures would go running +about with the small human burdens dangling as they could. + +There is one delightful thing about the people, as a whole, their +attentive, courteous manners; their solicitude to assist you in +whatever they can. They are a domestic and thrifty little race, the +men doing by far the larger part of the work. The enormous burdens +that these little mites of humanity can pick up and carry are an +increasing wonder. + +In visiting Japan, it is convenient to make Yokohama one's headquarters +for the northern part of the kingdom, Nagasaki for the southern +part, and Kobe for the central part; and from these centers to take +excursions to the various points of interest. + +My first visit was brief, for I still clung to the Gaelic, moving when +she moved, and stopping at her ports according to her schedule. But +I returned and made a stay of many months, exploring at leisure the +more important or attractive places. I have gathered together in this +rambling account the various observations and impressions of these +various visits, and have tried to unite them into one story. + + + + + + +IN SHANGHAI. + +CHAPTER SIX. + + +But it is time to bid Japan good-bye and sail for China. It is a +three days' voyage from Nagasaki to Shanghai. We left the ship at the +broad mouth of the Yang-tse-Kiang and in a small river boat went up +a tributary to Shanghai, a distance of twelve miles. + +I was met at the dock by our Consul General, John Goodnow, and his +wife, with their elegantly liveried coachman, and was taken to the +consulate, and, after a fine tiffin (lunch), we started for the walled +city. A shrinking horror seized me as if I were at the threshold +of the infernal regions as we crossed the draw bridge over the moat +and entered the narrow gate of the vast city of more than a million +souls. Immediately we were greeted by the "wailers" and lepers,--this +was my first sight of the loathsome leprosy. Our guide had supplied +himself with a quantity of small change. Twenty-five cents of our money +made about a quart of their small change. A moment later we met the +funeral cortege of a rich merchant. First came wailers and then men +beating on drums; then sons of the deceased dressed in white (white +is their emblem of mourning); then the servants carrying the body on +their shoulders. More wailers followed, then came the wives. It made +a strange impression. + +The streets are so very narrow that we had to press our bodies close +against the wall to keep from being crushed as the procession passed +us. We heard the tooting of a horn. Our guide said, "Here comes the +Mandarin." We began to press ourselves into a niche in the wall +to watch him pass. First came the buglers, then the soldiers and +last the gayly-bedecked Mandarin carried in a sedan chair on the +shoulders of six coolies. He looked the very picture of the severe +authority that he is invested with. They say that he has witnessed +in one day the execution of five hundred criminals. He was obliged +to put a mark on each one's head with his own fingers, and, after +the head was severed from the body, to remark it in proof of the +exactness of his work. I was glad when I had seen the last of him, +though it is only to go from bad to worse. + +In the opium dens, hundreds of people, of both sexes, of various ages, +kinds and colors, were reclining in most horrible attitudes. One +glimpse was enough for me. + +From this place we entered the temple. One of our guides said he was +obliged to buy joss-sticks and kneel before the gods or it would make +us trouble, because they are watchful of what foreigners do. They +consider us white devils. We saw a war god nine feet high mounted on +a war steed one foot high, a child's woolly toy. There were placed +before the gods about six or eight cups of tea and hundreds of fragrant +burning tapers. + +At one point our hearts failed us. We came to a dark bridge; it looked +so forbidding with its various windings, so frail in structure, so +thronged, that we were timid about stepping upon it. Being assured +that it was safe we ventured across. While it shook under our weight, +we did not fall into the filthy frog-pond beneath. + +When we reached the center, there were a number of sleight-of-hand +performers who were doing all sorts of curious things; bringing out of +the stone pavement living animals, bottles of wine, bits of porcelain, +and cakes, too filthy looking even to touch. + +There were for sale numbers of beautiful birds in cages and wonderful +bits of art of most intricate patterns and exquisite fineness. We +saw beautiful pieces of brocaded silk and satin on little hand-looms, +made by these patient, ever working people, who only have one week in +the year for rest. There does not seem to be any provision made for +night or rest, and each Chinaman looks forward to this one holiday +week in which he does no work whatever, and in which he must have +all the money ready to pay every debt he owes or be punished. + +I did not learn how much the average Chinaman gets for a day's wages, +but I know that one of my friends sent a dozen linen dresses to be +laundried, and that the charge was thirty-six cents. To be sure a +satin dress that she sent to be cleaned was put in the tub with the +rest. In the markets were impossible looking sausages, dried ducks, +and curious frogs. In China, as in Japan, each individual has his +own little table about two feet long, fourteen inches wide and six +or eight inches high,--not unlike a tray. + +Their religion is centuries old, but if cleanliness be next to +godliness, they are still centuries away from Christian virtues. The +vast city crowded from portal to portal is one seething mass of +living beings pushing, hustling, and silent. With the exception of a +soothsayer, I did not see in an entire day two people talking together, +so intent were they on their various duties. + +It was a joy to get out of the native into the European parts of +Shanghai and feel safe; and yet there was not a single thing, upon +thinking it over, that one could say was alarming, not a disrespectful +look from any one. I said upon reaching the outer gate, "Thank God, +we are out of there alive and safe." It was the first experience only +to be renewed with like scenes and impressions at Canton, with the +same thankfulness of heart, too, for escape. + +Our guide told us that he would be in no way responsible for anything +that might happen in traveling about Canton. The land and its people +are a marvel and a mystery; the great wonder is how all this vast +multitude can be reached and helped. + +The rivers teem with all sorts of junks filled with all sorts of +wares going to market, and it was upon the quays that we found for +sale the finest carved things, the richest embroideries, the most +delicately wrought wares. The monkey seems to be a favorite subject +with the artist. Look at these exquisite bits of carved ivory. This +one is the god monkey who sees no evil, his hands cover his eyes; +this one is the god monkey who hears no evil, his hands cover his +ears; and this one is the god monkey who speaks no evil, his hands +cover his mouth. Half ashamed of our own dullness an old lesson came +back with new significance,--be blind, deaf, and dumb towards evil. + +One curiously wrought specimen of art was an inkwell encircled by +nine monkeys. In the center, on the lid, was the finest monkey of all; +the diversity of bodily attitudes, the variety of facial expressions, +and the perfection of all was wonderful. Temple cloths, with pictures +of various gods embroidered in fine threads of gold, were marvels of +patient labor. + +We once entertained at our home in Akron a converted Chinaman who had +come to Gambier, Ohio, to study for the ministry. After the lapse of +many years his son came to Ohio to be educated. It was interesting +to hear him tell of the ways and customs of his native land. I asked +him about servants being so very cheap, and he informed me that +good servants might not be considered so cheap. The best families, +according to the value they place upon the friendship of their friends, +pay for every present received a certain per cent. of its value to +their servants; and at every birthday of any member of the family, +every wedding, every birth and death, there are hundreds of presents +exchanged. I saw many servants in the large cities carrying these +various gifts, and some of the servants were dressed very well, +having, on the garments they wore, the coat-of-arms or rank of their +master. On a little table or tray was placed the richly embroidered +family napkin with the gift neatly wrapped therein, and on both sides +were placed lighted tapers or artificial flowers. + +As with Shanghai so with all the coast towns of China, there is the +old walled city swarming with millions of natives, and the new or +European city as modern as New York. My two days' stay seemed like +two weeks, so full was it of strange sights. + +On returning to the Gaelic, I was pleased to find that two Americans +had been added to our passenger list. Indeed, it was the last of +the many kindly offices of Mr. Goodnow to introduce me to Rev. and +Mrs. C. Goodrich. These new friends were delightful traveling +companions. For a longer stay at Hong Kong and a much better boat to +Manila, I was indebted to their thoughtfulness for me. + +We were told that we must all get in position to watch the entrance +at Hong Kong. Captain Finch said that for fifteen years he always went +down from the bridge as soon as he could to see the wonderful display +of curious junks and craft of every conceivable kind that swarmed +about the boat, some advertising their wares, some booming hotels, some +fortune-telling in hieroglyphics which only the Chinese can interpret. + +Before our boat dropped anchor there were hundreds of Celestials +climbing up the sides of the ship with all kinds of articles for +sale. There were sleight-of-hand performers, there were tumblers of +red looking stuff to drink; there were trained mice and rats. We had +a man on shipboard who was very clever with these sleight-of-hand +tricks, but he said he could not see where they got a single one of +the reptiles and articles that they would take out of the ladies' +hands, their bonnets, and his own feet, which were bare. + +The city of Hong Kong is built upon a rock whose sides are almost +vertical. The city park is considered one of the finest in the +world. It has been said that every known tree and shrub is grown there; +and when one considers that every foot of its soil has been carried +to its place, the wonder is how it has all been done. The blossoms +seem to say, "The whole world is here and in bloom." The banyan tree +grows here luxuriantly and is a great curiosity. The main trunk of +the tree grows to the height of about thirty or forty feet. The first +branches, and indeed many of the upper branches, strike down into the +ground. These give the trees the appearance of being supported on huge +sticks. As to the bamboo, it is the principal tree of which they build +their houses, and make many articles for export in the shape of woven +chairs, tables, and baskets of most intricate and beautiful designs, +most reasonable in price. The first shoots in spring are used as food +and make a delicious dish. It is prepared like cauliflower. Our much +despised "pussley" proves to be a veritable blessing here; it makes +a nice green or salad. + +China seemed like one vast graveyard, full of huge mounds from three +to five feet high, without special marking. Each family knows where +its own ancestors are buried. One of the reasons why they oppose the +building of railroads through their country is their reverence for +these burial piles. + +One of the very best missionary establishments that I know anything +about is the hospital in Shanghai. The institution is full to +overflowing and the amount of good that the nurses do there is beyond +human measure. I heard pathetic stories almost beyond belief; I hope +that the grand workers in that field are supplied with all they need +in the way of money. + +Servants seldom remain at night in the house of their employers or +partake of the food that is prepared for the household. The rich enjoy +pleasure trips on the house-boats; they take their servants, horses, +and carriages with them, and leaving the river at pleasure they journey +up through the country to the inland towns. One cannot understand +how the poor exist as they do on their house-boats. Of course, +those hired by the Americans and English are well appointed, but a +large proportion of the inhabitants are born, live, and die on these +junks which do not seem large enough to hold even two people and yet +multitudes live on them in squalor and misery. I have a great respect +for the determination of Chinese children to get an education. It +is truly wonderful that with more than fifty thousand characters to +learn, they ever acquire any knowledge. Some of the scholars study +diligently all their lives, trying to the last to win prizes. + + + + + + +HONG KONG TO MANILA. + +CHAPTER SEVEN. + + +From Hong Kong to Manila we were fortunate in being upon an Australian +steamer which was very comfortable, indeed, with Japanese for +sailors and attendants. At last I was in the tropics and felt for the +first time what tropical heat can be; the sun poured down floods of +intolerable heat. The first feeling is that one can not endure it; +one gasps like a fish out of water and vows with laboring breath, +"I'll take the next steamer home, oh, home!" It took four days to reach +Manila. The bay is a broad expanse of water, a sea in itself. The city +is a magnificent sight, its white houses with Spanish tiled roofs, +its waving palms, its gentle slopes rising gradually to the mountains +in the back ground. + +The waters swarmed with craft of every fashion and every country. How +beautiful they looked, our own great warships and transports! No large +ship can draw nearer to shore than two or three miles. All our army +supplies must be transferred by the native boats to the quartermaster's +department, there to be sorted for distribution to the islands where +the troops are stationed. This necessitates the reloading of stores on +the boats, to be transferred again to medium sized vessels to complete +their journey. A volunteer quartermaster told me, that, on an average, +every seventh box was wholly empty and the contents of the other six +were rarely intact. The lost goods sometimes reappeared on native +heads or backs. Coal oil was in demand, and disappeared with amazing +celerity; it is far better for lights than cocoanut oil. + +Custom house inspection being quickly over, we landed. The beauty of +the distant view was instantly dispelled; one glance and there was a +wild desire to take those dirty, almost nude creatures in hand and, +holding them at arm's length, dip them into some cleansing caldron. The +sanitary efforts of our army are effecting changes beyond praise both +in the people and their surroundings. + +A little two wheeled quielas (ke-las) drawn by a very diminutive +horse took me to the Hotel Oriente, since turned into a government +office. I noticed that the floors were washed in kerosene to check +the vermin that else would carry everything off bodily. The hotel +was so crowded that I was obliged to occupy a room with a friend, +which was no hardship as I had already had several shocks from new +experiences. We had no sooner sat down to talk matters over than I +started up nervously at queer squeaks. My friend remarked, "Never mind, +you will soon get used to them, they are only lizards most harmless, +and most necessary in this country." The beds in our room were four +high posters with a cane seat for the mattress, a small bamboo mat, one +sheet, and one pillow stuffed with raw cotton and very hard. As we were +tucked in our little narrow beds mosquito netting was carefully drawn +about us. "Neatly laid out," said one. "All ready for the morgue," +responded the other. + +The next morning we watched with interest the carabao as they were +taken from the muddy pools in which they had found shelter for the +night. The natives begin work at dawn and rest two or three hours in +the middle of the day. It seemed to me too hot for any man or beast +to stir. + +When a large drove of carabao are massed together it seems inevitable +that they shall injure each other with their great horns, six or +eight feet long but fortunately they are curved back. Strange, too, +I thought it, that these large animals should be driven by small +children--my small children were really sixteen to twenty years old. + +We ventured forth upon this first morning and found a large cathedral +close by. It was all we could do to push our way through the throng +of half-naked creatures that were squatting in front of the church +to sell flowers, fruits, cakes, beads, and other small wares. + +We pressed on through crooked streets out toward the principal shopping +district, but soon found it impossible to go even that short distance +without a carriage, the heat was so overpowering. We turned to the +old city, Manila proper, passed over the drawbridge, and under the +arch of its inclosing wall, centuries old. + +We went to the quartermaster's department to get transportation +to Iloilo. It gave a delightful feeling of protection to see our +soldiers in and about everywhere. At this time Judge William H. Taft +had not been made governor; the city was still under military rule, and +there were constant outbreaks, little insurrections at many points, +especially in the suburbs. We were surprised to find the city so +large and so densely populated. + +It is useless to deny that we were in constant fear even when +there were soldiers by. The unsettled conditions gave us a creepy +feeling that expressed itself in the anxious faces and broken words +of our American women. One would say, "Oh I feel just like a fool, +I am so scared." Another would say, "Dear me, don't I wish I were +at home,"--another, "I just wish I could get under some bed and +hide." But for all their fears they stayed, yielding only so far as +to take a short vacation in Japan. There is not much in the way of +sight seeing in Manila beyond the enormous cathedrals many of which +were closed. About five o'clock in the afternoon everybody goes to +the luneta to take a drive on the beach, hear the bands play, and +watch the crowds. It is a smooth beach for about two miles. Here are +the elite of Manila. The friars and priests saunter along, some in +long white many-overlapping capes, and some in gowns. Rich and poor, +clean and filthy, gay and wretched, gather here and stay until about +half-past six, when it is dark. The rich Filipinos dine at eight. + +The social life in Manila, as one might suppose, was somewhat +restricted for Americans. The weather is so enervating that it is +impossible to get up very much enthusiasm over entertainments. During +my stay in Manila, in all, perhaps two months, there was little in +the way of social festivity except an occasional ball in the halls +of the Hotel Oriente, nor did the officers who had families there +have accommodations for much beyond an occasional exchange of dinners +and lunches. + +The Americans, as a rule, did not take kindly to either entertaining +or being entertained by natives, and besides they could not endure +the heavy, late dinners and banquets. + +At one grand Filipino ball (bailie) an eight or ten course dinner was +served about midnight. The men and women did not sit down together at +this banquet, the older men ate at the first table, then the older +women, then the young men, lastly the young women. After the feast +there were two or three slow waltzes carried on in most solemn manner, +and then came the huge task of waking up the cocheroes (drivers) +to go home. While everything was done in a quick way according to +a Filipino's ideas, it took an hour or two to get ready. The only +thing that does make a lot of noise and confusion is the quarreling of +Filipino horses that are tethered near each other. I thought American +horses could fight and kick, but these little animals stand on their +hind legs and fight and strike with their fore feet in a way that is +alarming and amusing. They are beset day and night with plagues of +insects. No wonder they are restless. + +The Bilibid Prison in Manila is the largest in the Philippines, and +contains the most prisoners. The time to see the convicts and men is +at night when they are on dress parade. Of the several hundred that I +saw, I do not think that anyone of them is in there for other than just +cause. They are made to work and some of them are very artistic and do +most beautiful carvings on wood, bamboo and leather. It is very hard +now to get any order filled, so great a demand has been created for +their handi-work. I could not but notice the manner of the on-lookers +as they came each day to see those poor wretches. They seemed to have +no pity; and then, there were very few women who were prisoners. I do +not remember seeing more than three or four in each of the five prisons +that I visited. Orders were taken for the fancy articles made in these +prisons. One warden said he had orders for several months' work ahead. + + + + + + +ILOILO AND JARO. + +CHAPTER EIGHT. + + +We went from Manila to Iloilo on a Spanish steamer. I gave one look at +the stateroom that was assigned to me and decided to sleep on deck in +my steamer chair. I had been told that I positively could not eat the +food which the ship would prepare, so I took a goodly supply with me. + +The captain was so gracious that I could not let him know my plans, +so I pleaded illness but he ordered some things brought to me. There +was a well prepared chicken with plenty of rice but made so hot +with pepper that I threw it into the sea; next, some sort of salad +floating in oil and smelling of garlic, it went overboard. Eggs +cooked in oil followed the salad; last the "dulce," a composition of +rice and custard perfumed with anise seed oil, made the menu of the +fishes complete. I now gladly opened my box of crackers and cheese, +oranges, figs and dates. + +As the sun declined, I sat watching the islands. We were passing +by what is known as the inner course. They lay fair and fragrant as +so many Edens afloat upon a body of water as beautiful as any that +mortal eyes have ever seen. Huge palms rose high in air, their long +feathery leaves swaying softly in the golden light. Darkness fell +like a curtain; but the waters now gleamed like nether heavens with +their own stars of phosphorescent light. + +On the voyage to Japan, a fellow passenger asked if I were sure that +Iloilo was my destination in the Philippines and, being assured that +it was, informed me that there was no such place on the ship's maps, +which were considered very accurate. The Island of Panay was there, +but no town of Iloilo. + +Iloilo (e-lo-e-lo) is the second city in size of the Philippines. It +stands on a peninsula and has a good harbor if it were not for the +shifting sands that make it rather difficult for the large steamers +to come to the wharf and the tide running very high at times makes +it harder still. There is a long wharf bordered with huge warehouses +full of exports and imports. Vast quantities of sugar, hemp and +tobacco are gathered here for shipment. It is a center of exchange, +a place of large business, especially active during the first years +of our occupation. + +Immense caravan trains go out from here to the various army posts to +carry food and other supplies, while ships, like farm yards adrift, +ply on the same errand between port and port. Cebu and Negros are +the largest receiving stations. + +In the center of the town is the plaza or park. Here, after getting +things in order, a pole was set, and the stars and stripes unfurled to +the breeze. The quarters of our soldiers were near the park and so our +boys had a pleasant place to lounge when off duty in the early morning +or evening. When our troops first landed here in 1898 there was quite a +battle, but I am not able to give its details. The results are obvious +enough. The native army set fire to the city before fleeing across +the river to the town of Jaro (Har-ro). The frame work of the upper +part of the buildings was burned but the walls or lower part remains. + +After the battle at Jaro, I went out to live for awhile in the quarters +of Captain Walter H. Gordon, Lieutenant J. Barnes, and Lieutenant +A. L. Conger, 18th U. S. A. I soon realized that the war was still on, +for every day and night, the rattle of musketry told that somewhere +there was trouble. + +One day I went out to see the fortifications deserted by the +Filipinos. They were curious indeed; built as an officer suggested, to +be run away from, not to be defended. One fortification was ingeniously +made of sacks of sugar. Everywhere was devastation and waste and +burned buildings. The natives had fled to distant towns or mountains. + +All this sounds bad and looked worse, and yet it takes but a little +while to restore all. The houses are quickly rebuilt; a bamboo roof +is made, it is lifted to the desired height on poles set in or upon +the ground. The walls are weavings of bamboo or are plaited nepa. The +nepa is a variety of bamboo grown near shallow sea water. When one +of these rude dwellings is completed, it is ready for an ordinary +family. They do not use a single article that we consider essential +to housekeeping. Some of the better class have a kind of stove; +its top is covered with a layer of sand or small pebbles, four or +five inches thick; on this stand bricks or small tripods to hold +the little pots used in cooking. Under each pot is a tiny fire. The +skillful cook plays upon his several fires as a musician upon his +keys, adding a morsel of fuel to one, drawing a coal from another; +stirring all the concoctions with the same spoon. The baking differs +only in there being an upper story of coals on the lid. + +It has been said that fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Two +or three of us American women, eager to learn all we could, because +we were daily told that the war was over and we should soon be going +home, were rashly venturesome. But we soon found that it was unsafe to +go about Molo or Iloilo even with a guide, and so we had to content +ourselves with looking at the quantities of beautiful things brought +to our door. We were tempted daily to buy the lovely fabrics woven +by the native women. Every incoming ship is beset by a swarm of small +traders who find their best customers amongst American women. Officers +and men, too, are generous buyers for friends at home. The native +weaves of every quality and color are surprisingly beautiful. + +Jusa (hoo-sa) cloth is made from jusi fibre; pina (peen-yah) from +pineapple fibre; cinemi is a mixture of the two; abaka (a-ba-ka) from +hemp fibre; algodon from the native cotton; sada is silk; sabana is +a mixture of cotton and hemp. + +We visited many of the places where the most extensive weaving is done, +and there we saw the most wretched-looking, old women handling the +hair-like threads. Each one had by her side some emblem of the Roman +Church as she sat at her daily task. These poor, dirty, misshapen +creatures, weaving from daylight to dark, earn about fifty cents +a month. So many of the women are deformed and unclean, both the +makers and the sellers, that it seemed utterly incongruous that they +should handle the most delicate materials. In all my observations, +I saw but one nice, clean woman of the lower classes. In our happy +country we do not think of seeing a whole class of people diseased +or maimed. In the Philippines one seldom sees a well formed person; +or if the form is good, the face is disfigured by small-pox. + +I was surprised, at first, on looking out after breakfast, to find at +my door every morning from two to a dozen women and boys in sitting +posture, almost nude, only a thin waist on the body, and a piece +of cotton drawn tightly round the legs. Many would be solemnly and +industriously chewing the betel nut, which colors lips and saliva a +vivid red. + +It would not only be impertinent on my part to relate particulars of +our army, but I should undoubtedly do as Mrs. Partington did--"open +my patrician mouth and put my plebeian foot in it." The first thing +I did on arriving at Iloilo was to call mess "board" and go to bed +instead of "turning in." + +In time of special danger, the various commanders were very kind in +providing guards--mostly, however, to protect Government property. I +felt no great uneasiness about personal safety, though I always +"slept with one eye open." We were so frequently threatened that we +stood ready every moment to move on. Shots during the night are not, +as a rule, conducive to sleep, and I did not like the sound of the +balls as they struck the house. I had my plans laid to get behind +the stone wall at the rear of the passage and lie on the floor. It +was necessary to keep a close watch on the servants who were "muchee +hard luc" (very much afraid) at the slightest change in the movements +of either army, home or foreign. + +Their system of wireless telegraphy was most efficient, so much so +that one day at 2 P. M. I was told by a native of an engagement that +had taken place at 10 A. M. in a distant part of the island, remote +from the telegraph stations. I wondered how he could have known, +and later learned of their systems of signaling by kites. For night +messages the kites are illuminated. They are expert, not only in +flying, but in making them. + +Their schools are like pandemonium let loose; all the pupils studying +aloud together, making a deafening, rasping noise. Sessions from 7 +to 10 A. M., 3 to 6 P. M. + +The large Mexican dollars are too cumbersome to carry in any ordinary +purse. If one wishes to draw even a moderate sum, it is necessary to +take a cart or carriage. A good sized garden shovel on one side and a +big canvas bag on the other expedites bank transactions in the islands. + +At the time of the evacuation of Jaro by the insurrectos, our officers +chose their quarters from the houses the natives had fled from. The +house which we occupied had formerly been used as the Portuguese +Consulate. Like all the better houses the lower part was built of +stone, and the upper part of boards. There was very little need of +heavy boards or timbers except to hold the sliding windows. I should +think the whole house was about eighty feet square with rear porch +that was used for a summer garden. The pillars of this porch were +things of real beauty. They were covered with orchids that in the +hottest weather were all dried up and quite unsightly, but when the +rainy season began they were very beautiful in their luxuriance of +growth and bloom. The front door was in three parts; the great double +doors which opened outward to admit carriages and a small door in one +of the larger doors. There was a huge knocker, the upper part was a +woman's head. To open the large doors it was necessary to pull the +latch by a cord that came up through the floor to one of the inner +rooms. I used to occupy this room at night and it was my office and my +pleasure to pull the bobbin and let the latch fly up when the scouting +troop would come in late at night. Captain Gordon said that he never +found me napping, that I was always ready to greet them as soon as +their horses turned the corner two squares away. The entrance door +admitted to a great hall with a stone floor, ending in apartments +for the horses. On the right of the hall were rooms for domestic +purposes, such as for the family looms, four or five of them, and for +stores of food and goods. On the left there were four steps up and +then a platform, then three steps down into a room about twenty feet +square. There were two windows in this room with heavy gratings. We +used it as a store room for the medical supplies. Returning to the +platform, there were two heavy doors that swung in, we kept them +bolted with heavy wooden bolts; there were no locks on any doors. At +the foot of the steps was a long narrow room with one small window; +it was directly over the part where the animals were. The hall was +lighted with quite a handsome Venetian glass chandelier in which we +used candles. From this room we entered the large main room of the +house; the ceiling and side wall was covered with leather or oil +cloth held in place with large tacks; there were sliding windows on +two sides of the room which, when shoved back, opened the room so +completely as to give the effect of being out of doors; the front +windows looked out on the street, the side windows on the garden, +on many trees, cocoanut, chico, bamboo, and palm. There was a large +summer house in the center of the garden and the paths which led up +to it were bordered with empty beer bottles. The garden was enclosed +by a plastered wall about eight feet high, into the top of which were +inserted broken bottles and sharp irons to keep out intruders. The +house was covered with a sheet iron roof. The few dishes that we +found upon our occupation were of excellent china but the three +or four sideboards were quite inferior. The whole house was wired +for bells. This is true of many of the houses, indeed they are all +fashioned on one model, and all plain in finish, extra carving or fine +wood-work would only make more work for the busy little ants. Even +when furniture looked whole, we often found ourselves landed on the +floor; it was no uncommon thing for a chair to give way; it had been +honeycombed and was held together by the varnish alone. + +My first evening in Jaro was one of great fear. We were told by a +priest that we were to be attacked and burned out. While sitting +at dinner I heard just behind me a fearful noise that sounded like +"Gluck-co-gluck-co." An American officer told me it was an alarm +clock, but as a matter of fact it was an immense lizard, an animal +for which I soon lost all antipathy, because of its appetite for the +numerous bugs that infest the islands. Unfortunately they have no +taste for the roaches, the finger-long roaches that crawl all over +the floor. Neither were they of assistance in exterminating the huge +rats and mice, nor the ants. The ants! It is impossible to describe +how these miserable pests overran everything; they were on the beds, +they were on the tables. Our table legs were set in cups of coal +oil and our floors were washed with coal oil at least once every +week. This disagreeable condition of things will not be wondered at, +when I say that the horses, cattle, and carabao are kept in the lower +part of the house, and the pigs, cats, and dogs allowed up stairs with +the family. The servants are required to stay below with the cattle. + +The animals are all diseased, especially the horses. Our men were +careful that their horses were kept far from the native beasts. The +cats are utterly inferior. The mongoose, a little animal between +a ferret and a rat, is very useful; no well-kept house is without +one. Rats swarm in such vast hordes that the mongoose is absolutely +necessary to keep them down. Still more necessary is the house +snake. These reptiles are brought to market on a bamboo pole and +usually sell for about one dollar apiece. Mine used to make great +havoc among the rats up in the attic. Never before had I known what +rats were. Every night, notwithstanding the mongoose, the house snake, +and the traps, I used to lay in a supply of bricks, anything to throw +at them when they would congregate in my room and have a pitched +battle. They seemed to stand in awe of United States officers. A +soldier said one night, glancing about, "Why, I thought the rats moved +out all of your furniture." They would often carry things up to the +zinc roof of our quarters, drop them, and then take after with rush +and clatter, the snake in full chase. Mice abound, and lizards are +everywhere, of every shape, every size, and every color. + +I spent a large part of my time leaning out of my window; there +was so much to see. The expulsion of the insurrectos had just been +effected, and very few of the natives remained, but as soon as they +were thoroughly convinced that our troops had actually taken the town, +they flocked in by the hundreds, the men nearly naked, always barefoot, +the women in their characteristic bright red skirts. + +The entire time spent there was full of surprises, the customs, dress, +food, and religious ceremonies continually furnishing matter of intense +and varied interest. I noticed, especially, how little the men and +women went about together, riding or walking, or to church. Neither +do they sit together, or rather should say "squat," for, even in the +fine churches, the women squatted in the center aisles, while the +men were ranged in side aisles. There are few pews, and these few, +rarely occupied, were straight and uncomfortable. No effort was ever +made to make them comfortable, not to mention ornamental. + + + + + + +THE NATIVES. + +CHAPTER NINE. + + +The natives are, as a rule, small, with a yellowish brown skin; noses +not large, lips not thick, but teeth very poor. Many of them have +cleft palate or harelip, straight hair very black, and heads rather +flattened on top. I examined many skulls and found the occiput and +first cervical ankylosed. It occurred to me it might be on account +of the burdens they carry upon their heads in order to leave their +arms free to carry a child on the hips, to tuck in a skirt, or care +for the cigars. + +The Filipino skirt is a wonder. It is made by sewing together the +ends of a straight piece of cloth about three yards long. To hold it +in place on the body, a plait is laid in the top edge at the right, +and a tuck at the left, and there it stays--till it loosens. One +often sees them stop to give the right or left a twist. The fullness +in the front is absolutely essential for them to squat as they are so +accustomed to do while performing all sorts of work, such as washing, +ironing, or, in the market place, selling all conceivable kinds of +wares. The waist for the rich and poor alike is of one pattern, the +only variation being in the quality. It has a plain piece loose at +the waist line for the body, a round hole for the rather low neck, +the sleeves straight and extending to the wrist, about three-fourths +of a yard wide. These sleeves are gathered on the shoulder to fit the +individual. A square handkerchief folded three times in the center is +placed round the neck and completes the costume. As fast as riches +are amassed, trains are assumed. All clothing is starched with rice +and stands out rigidly. + +The materials are largely woven by the people themselves, and the finer +fabrics are beautiful in texture and fineness, some of the strands +being so fine that several are used to make one thread. By weaving +one whole day from dawn to dark, only a quarter of a yard of material +is produced. The looms, the cost of which is about fifty cents, are +all made by hand from bamboo; the reels and bobbins, which complete +the outfit, raise the value of the whole to about a dollar. There is +rarely a house that does not keep from one to a dozen looms. The jusi, +made from the jusi that comes in the thread from China, is colored +to suit the fancy of the individual, but is not extensively used by +the natives, who usually prefer the abuka, pina, or sinamay, which +are products of the abuka tree, or pineapple fibre. The quality of +these depends on the fineness of the threads. It is very delicate, +yet durable, and--what is most essential--can be washed. + +The common natives seem to have no fixed hours for their meals, nor +do they have any idea of gathering around the family board. After +they began to use knives and forks one woman said she would rather +not use her knife, it cut her mouth so. Even the best of them prefer +to squat on the floor, make a little round ball of half cooked rice +with the tips of their fingers and throw it into the mouth. + +My next door neighbor was considered one of the better class of +citizens, and through my window I could not help, in the two years +of my stay, seeing much of the working part of her household. There +were pigs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys, either running freely about +the kitchen or tied by the leg to the kitchen stove. The floors of +these kitchens are never tight; they allow the greater part of the +accumulated filth of all these animals to sift through to the ground +below. There were about fifteen in the family; this meant fifteen or +twenty servants, but as there are few so poor in the islands as to be +unable to command a poorer still, these chief servants had a crowd +of underlings responsible to themselves alone. The head cook had +a wife, two children and two servants that got into their quarters +by crawling up an old ladder. I climbed up one day to see how much +space they had. I put my head in at the the opening that served them +for door and window, but could not get my shoulders in. The whole +garret was about eight feet long and six feet wide. One end of it +was partitioned off for their fighting cocks. + +All the time I was there this family of the cook occupied that loft, +and the two youngest ones squalled night and day, one or other, or +both of them. There was not a single thing in that miserable hole +for those naked children to lie on or to sit on. The screams or the +wails of the wretched babies, the fighting of the rats under foot, the +thud of the bullets at one's head, the constant fear of being burned +out,--these things are not conducive to peaceful slumbers, but to +frightful dreams, to nightmare, to hasty wakenings from uneasy sleep. + +As soon as there is the slightest streak of dawn, the natives begin to +work and clatter and chatter. No time is lost bathing or dressing. They +wear to bed, or rather to floor or mat, the little that they have +worn through the day, and rise and go to work next day without change +of clothing. It never occurs to them to wash their hands except when +they go to the well, once a day perhaps. While at the well they will +pour water from a cocoanut shell held above the head and let it run +down over the body, never using soap or towels. They rub their bodies +sometimes with a stone. It does not matter which way you turn you see +hundreds of natives at their toilet. One does not mind them more than +the carabao in some muddy pond, and one is just about as cleanly as +the other. They make little noise going to and fro, all being barefoot; +but it was not long until I learned to know whether there were three, +fifty, or one hundred passing by the swish of their bare feet. + +The fathers seem to lavish more affection on the children than the +mothers, and no wonder. Even President Roosevelt would be satisfied +with the size of families that vary from fifteen to thirty. They do +not seem to make any great ado if one or more die. Such little bits +of humanity, such wasted corpses; it hardly seems that the shrunken +form could ever have breathed, it looks so little and pinched and +starved. There was a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, which were +said to be twenty-five years old, that were the most hideous looking +things I ever saw. They were two feet high, with huge heads out of +all proportion to their bodies. They used to go about the streets +begging and giving concerts to get money. I understand that they are +now somewhere in America. + +I became very much interested in a man with only one leg. I wanted +to get him a wooden mate for it, but he said he didn't want it; that +he could get around faster with one leg, and he certainly could take +longer leaps than any two legged creature. Even when talking he never +sat down. He had admirable control of his muscles. A little above +the average height, his one leggedness made him seem over six feet. + +It was out of the question to take the census of any town or province, +because of the shifting population. It is nothing for a family to move +many times in the course of the year; they can make thirty or forty +miles a day. They have absolutely nothing to move unless it might be +the family cooking "sow-sow" pot, which is hung over the shoulder +on a string, or carried on top of the head. I used often to see a +family straggling along with anywhere from ten to twenty children, +seemingly all of a size, going to locate at some other place. One +family came to Jaro the night before market day. They had about six +dozen of eggs. I said I would buy all of them; the woman cried and +said she was sorry, as she would have nothing to sell in the market +place the next day. At night the whole family cuddled down in a corner +of the stable and slept. + +The native cook we employed proved to be a good one, and was willing to +learn American ways of cooking. We did not know he had a family. One +morning while attending to my duties there appeared a woman about +five feet tall, with one shoulder about four inches higher than the +other, one hip dislocated, one eye crossed, a harelip, which made +the teeth part in the middle, mouth and lips stained blood red with +betel juice, clothes--a rag or two. I screamed at her to run away, +which she did instantly. I supposed she was some tramp who wanted to +get a look at a white woman. She proved to be the wife of our cook, +and after I had become accustomed to her dreadful looks, she became +invaluable to me. Hardly anyone would have recognized her the day +that she accompanied me to the dock. The little money that she had +earned she had immediately put into an embroidered waist and long +black satin train; and as I bade her good-bye she left an impression +quite different from the first, and I am sure that the tears she shed +were not of the crocodile kind. + +The first native, Anastasio Alingas, whom we employed proved to be +the very worst we could have found. He not only stole from us right +before my eyes, but right before the eyes of our large household. He +took the captain's pistol, holster, and ammunition. We could not have +been more than five or ten feet from him at the time, for it was the +rule then to have our fire-arms handy. + +With an air of innocence, child-like and bland, he diverted suspicion +to our laundry man and allowed him to be taken to prison. It was +only after being arrested himself that he confessed and restored the +revolver. He was allowed to go on the promise that he would never +come any nearer than twenty miles to Jaro. He had been systematically +lying and stealing. He used to come with tears streaming down his +face and say that some man had stolen market money intrusted to +him. He plundered the store-room, though it was hard to tell which +stole the most, he or the wild monkeys that were about the house. He +had pretended to be eager to learn, and had been so tractable that +we were greatly disappointed to have him turn out such a bad boy. We +found this true of every man that we tried, and most strongly true +of the ones who pretended to be the best. + +All the servants, all the natives, prized highly our tin cans +from the commissary, as we emptied them. They used to come miles +for them. Cocoanut shells and hollow bamboo stalks are the common +vessels. A few old cans furnished a valuable ten cent store. The +variety of uses to which these cans were turned was remarkable. + +None of the so-called better class work at anything. They all carry +huge bundles of keys at their side, and in most stentorian voice +call out many times during the day "machacha" to a servant, who is to +perform some very small service which her mistress could easily have +done herself without any effort, and these lazy machachas saunter about +in the most deliberate manner and do whatever they are asked to do in +the most ungracious way. These so-called ladies beat their servants. I +often interfered by pounding with a stick on the side of my window +to attract their attention; that was all that was necessary. They +were ashamed to have me see them. One time in particular, a woman +took a big paddle, such as they use for pounding their clothes, +and hit a small, sick looking creature again and again on the bare +shoulders. What the offense was I do not know, but certainly the +beating was such as I have never seen administered to anything. + +The servants always walk about three feet behind the mistresses and +carry their parcels, but they seldom walk, however, for they ride even +when the distance is short. The grand dames affect a great deal of +modesty and delicacy of feeling. On a certain occasion they sent word +to the commanding general that it would be a serious shock to their +feelings to have the execution of a criminal take place in the center +of the town. The gallows were erected in the suburbs. Immediately +all the natives were set to work to make hiding places where these +sensitive ladies, unseen, could witness the execution. From early +dawn until 9 A. M. carriages were carrying these delicate creatures +to their secret stations. Not one of them in the whole village of +Jaro but was on the watch. They supposed, of course, that I would +be so interested that I would take a prominent part; that executions +were common festivals in the United States. + +The criminal himself had no idea that his sentence would be enforced, +even up to the last moment he took it as a huge joke, and when he was +taken to the general said he would like to be excused, and offered +to implicate others who were more guilty than himself. + +Many questions were asked me concerning our methods of execution, +and great was the surprise when I confessed that I had never seen one +myself, nor did I ever expect to see one; that my countrywomen would +be horrified to witness such a sight; and that on the present occasion +I had gone to the adjoining town six miles away to escape it all. I +was shown several pictures of the victim taken by a Chinese artist. + +A man buys at a booth one penny's worth of what is known as "sow-sow" +for himself and family. I have often looked into the sow-sow pots, +but was never able to make out what was contained therein. The +children buy little rice cakes, thin, hard, and indigestible as bits +of slate. The children's stomachs are abnormally large; due, perhaps, +to the half-cooked rice and other poorly prepared food. When it comes +to the choice of caring for the child or the fighting cock, the cock +has the preference. The bird is carried as fondly and as carefully as +if it were a superior creature. It was strange to see how they would +carry these birds on their palms; nor did they attempt to fly away, +but would sit there and crow contentedly. + +We had at one time five or six carpenters to do some bamboo work. They +brought their fighting cocks along with them for amusement when they +were not at work, which was every moment our backs were turned. They +are so used to being driven that it never occurs to them to go on +with their work unless someone is overseeing them. They began by +putting the bamboo at the top of the room and working down, braiding, +plaiting and splitting, putting in a bit here and there in a very +deft way without a nail. They did all the cutting sitting down on +the floor and holding the smooth bamboo pieces with their feet, +while they sawed the various lengths with a bolo. + +When they had completed the partition, I said to the foreman, +"How much for the day's work for all." The head man very politely +informed me that he did not propose to pay these other men anything; +if I wanted to pay them all right, but he would not. The defrauded ones +got down on their knees to beg for their pay. I called in a priest who +could talk some English, and explained the situation to him. He told +me frankly that I would have to pay these other men just the same, +notwithstanding that I had paid the foreman the full amount. He +said I had better do it, because if I did not the men would bring +vengeance upon me. They have no idea of justice or honor. What is +true of business is true of every act of theirs, as far as I know. + +An American woman told me that her husband could not attend to his +military duties because he had to watch the nine natives who came +to his house to do work. He had to keep account of their irregular +comings and goings, to examine each one that he did not steal, to +investigate his work that it was not half done. Men and women are +alike--they must be watched every moment, because they have been +so long watched and driven. If women who are hired and paid by the +month break or destroy the least thing, its value is taken out of +their wages and they are beaten. It was very astonishing to me to see, +notwithstanding this serfdom, that they remain submissive to the same +masters and mistresses. + +A man was condemned to die by one of the secret societies. His most +faithful servant, a member of the order, was chosen to execute the +sentence. He calmly met his master at the door, made a thrust at him +and wounded him slightly, struck again, and again; the third blow +was fatal. The servant was never punished for the crime. It happened +just a few doors from where I was living. There was a large funeral +procession and a huge black cross was placed at the door, and that +ended the matter, so far as I know. They place little value upon life; +they seem to think death is but the gate to great happiness, no matter +what its manner may be. I used to see many persons, men and women, +with crosses on their throats and bodies. I asked ever so many what +it meant, but was never able to find out. It was never seen upon the +so-called better class. Much that I learned of the various tribes and +various castes was told me by a converted Filipino, Rev. Manakin. He +expected any time to be placed under the ban of the secret societies +and killed. + + + + + + +WOOINGS AND WEDDINGS. + +CHAPTER TEN. + + +The manner of wooing is rather peculiar. The man who wishes to pay his +addresses to a woman gets the consent of her father and mother. He is +received by the entire family when he calls, but is never allowed, +in any way, to show her any special favor or attention; he must +devote himself to the entire family. If he wishes to take her to a +theatre, or concert, or dance, he must take the entire family. For +about a week before the marriage the bride elect is carried about in +a sort of wicker bamboo hammock borne on the shoulders of two young +men and she goes about paying visits to her intimate friends; she is +not allowed to put foot to the ground or do any sort of menial labor. + +Mothers brought their young daughters to me daily to importune me to +choose a sweetheart for my son or for any other officer who happened +to be at our headquarters. I know that one young officer was offered +$100,000 to marry the daughter of one of the richest men in the town +of Molo, and it was a great wonder to the father that the young man +could refuse so brilliant a match socially, to say nothing of it +financially. There happened to be a young Englishman in the regular +service whose time expired while he was at Jaro. He had been cook and +valet for an officer's mess and was really a very fine fellow. He was +immediately chosen by a wealthy Filipino to marry his daughter. The +young man not only got a wife but a very handsome plantation of sugar +and rice; perhaps not the only foreign husband secured by a good dowry. + +The trousseau of a rich Filipino girl consists of dozens and dozens +of rich dresses; no other article is of interest. They do not need the +lingerie. Among the common people it is simply an arrangement between +the mother and the groom or it can all be arranged with the priest. I +have seen as many as fifteen young girls sitting in the market place +while their mothers told of their various good qualities. Marriage is +not a question of affection, seemingly. The only thing necessary is +money enough to pay the priest. Very often all rites are set aside; +the man chooses his companion, the two live together and probably +rear a large family. + +I was told that there are two sets of commandments in use--one for +the rich, the other for the poor. + +I was glad to accept the kind invitation of a rich and influential +family to their daughter's wedding. At the proper hour, I presented +myself at the church door and was politely escorted to a seat. There +was music. The natives came dressed in their best, and squatted +upon the floor of the cathedral. After a long time the bride elect +sauntered in with three or four of her attendants not especially +attired, nor did they march in to music but visited along the way as +they came straggling in. Soon the groom shuffled in, I say shuffled +because they have so recently begun to wear shoes. The bridal group +gathered before the altar and listened to the ritual. Finally the +groom took the bride's hand for one brief moment. A few more words +by the priest and the ceremony was ended. To my surprise the bride +came up and greeted me. I did not understand what I was expected to do +but I shook hands and said I hoped she would be very happy. The groom +now came up and bowing low presented his "felicitations." I returned +the bow but could not muster a word. The women straggled out on one +side of the cathedral and the men on the other. This was considered +a first class "matrimony." There was a very large reception at the +house with a grand ball in the evening; indeed, there were two or +three days of festivities. + +In contrast to this was the wholesale matrimonial bureau which was +conducted every Saturday morning. I have seen as many as ten couples +married all at once. I never knew which man was married to which woman, +as the men stood grouped on one side of the priest and the women on the +other. I asked one groom, "Which is your wife?" He scanned the crowd of +brides a moment then said comfortably, "Oh, she is around somewhere." + +I used to go to the cathedral on Saturdays to see the various +ceremonies. The most interesting of all the cheap baptisms at +which all the little babies born during the week were baptized for +ten cents. These pitiable little creatures, deformed and shrunken, +were too weak to wail, or, perhaps they were too stupified with +narcotics. A large candle was put into each little bird-claw, the +nurse or mother holding it in place above the passive body covered +only with a scrap of gauze but decked out with paper flowers, huge +pieces of jewelry, odd trinkets, anything they had--all dirty, mother, +child, ornaments; the onlookers still more dirty. The priest whom +I knew very well, since he lived just across the way, told me that +few of these cheap babies live long. I am sure they could not; not +one of them would weigh five pounds. They were all emaciated; death +would be a mercy. There was a little fellow next door to whom I was +very much attached. The dear little naked child would stay with me +by the day if I would have him; he was four years old but no larger +than an American baby of four months. I used to long for a rocking +chair that I might sing him to sleep but he had no idea of sleeping +when he was with me. His great brown eyes would look into my face +with an intensity of love; he would gaze at me till I feared that he +was something uncanny. If I gave him a lump of sugar, he would hold it +reverently a long time before he would presume to eat it. Every day he +and other little devoted natives would bring me bouquets of flowers, +stuck on the spikes of a palm or on tooth picks. No well regulated +house but has bundles of tooth picks arranged in fancy shapes such as +fans and flowers. All their sideboards and tables have huge bouquets +of these wonderfully wrought and gayly ornamental tooth picks. + +They carve with skill; out of a bit of wood or bamboo they will +whittle a book, so pretty as to be worth four or five dollars. + +One day I made a woman understand by signs that I should like to weave; +she nodded approval and in a little while a loom was brought to the +house; we went over to the market, purchased our fiber and began. I +found it a difficult task, as I had to sit in a cramped position; +and the slippery treadles of round bamboo polished by use were hard +to manage. I did better without shoes. The weaving was a diversion; +it occupied my time when the soldiers were out of the quarters. I will +not deny that yards of the fabric were watered with my tears. There +was dangerous and exhausting work for our troops; and there were bad +reports that many were mutilated and killed. + + + + + + +MY FIRST FOURTH IN THE PHILIPPINES. + +CHAPTER ELEVEN. + + +I can not tell what joy it was to me to see my son and the members +of the troop come riding into town alive and well after a hard +campaign. They looked as if they had seen service, and what huge +appetites they brought with them. On the third of July, 1900, I heard +that the boys were coming back on the Fourth. Learning that there +was nothing for their next day's rations I decided to prepare a good +old-fashioned dinner myself. All night long I baked and boiled and +prepared that meal; eighty-three pumpkin pies, fifty-two chickens, +three hams, forty cakes, ginger-bread, 'lasses candy, pickles, +cheese, coffee, and cigars. Having purchased from a Chinese some fire +crackers--as soon as there was a streak of dawn--I went to my window +and lighted those crackers. It was such a surprise to the entire town; +they came to see what could be the matter, as no firing was permitted +in the city. We began our first Fourth in true American style, as the +"Old Glory" was being raised we sang "Star Spangled Banner." Many +joined in the chorus and in the Hip! Hip! Hurrah! I keep in a small +frame the grateful acknowledgment of the entire Company that was +given to me from the Gordon Scouts: + + +Jaro, Panay, P. I., July 4th, 1900. +To Mrs. A. L. Conger: + + +We, the undersigned, members of Gordon's Detachment, of Mounted +Eighteenth Infantry Scouts, desire, in behalf of the entire troop, +to express our thanks for and appreciation of the excellent dinner +prepared and furnished us by Mrs. A. L. Conger, July 4th, 1900. It +was especially acceptable coming as it did immediately after return +from arduous field service against Filipino insurrectos and, being +prepared and tendered us by one of our own brave and kind American +women, it was doubly so. + +It is the earnest wish of the detachment that Mrs. Conger may never +know less pleasure than was afforded us by such a noble example of +patriotic American womanhood. + + +Respectfully, + +[Signed] + + +I prepared other dinners at various times, but this first spread was +to them and to myself a very great pleasure. + +Letters from home were full of surprise that we still stayed though +the war was over--the newspapers said it was. For us the anxiety and +struggle still went on. To be sure there were no pitched battles but +the skirmishing was constant; new outbreaks of violence and cruelty +were daily occurring, entailing upon our men harassing watch and +chase. The insurrectos were butchers to their own people. Captain +N. told me that he hired seven native men to do some work around the +barracks up in the country and paid them in American money, good +generous wages. They carried the money to their leader who was so +indignant that they had worked for the Americans that he ordered them +to dig their graves and, with his own hands, cut, mutilated, and killed +six of them. The seventh survived. Bleeding and almost lifeless, he +crawled back to the American quarters and told his story. The captain +took a guide and a detail, found the place described, exhumed the +bodies and verified every detail of the inhuman deed. + +They committed many bloody deeds, then swiftly drew back to the +swamps and thickets impenetrable to our men. The very day, the hour, +that the Peace Commissioner, Governor Taft, Judge Wright and others +to the number of thirty were enjoying an elegantly prepared repast +at Jaro there was, within six miles, a spirited conflict going on, +our boys trying to capture the most blood-thirsty villains of the +islands. This gang had hitherto escaped by keeping near the shore and +the impenetrable swamps of the manglares. No foot but a Filipino's +can tread these jungles. When driven into the very closest quarters, +they take to their boats, and slip away to some nearby island. + +I hope that my son and his men will pardon me for telling that they +rushed into some fortifications that they saw on one of their perilous +marches and with a sudden fusillade captured the stronghold. The +Filipinos had a company of cavalry, one of infantry, one of bolo men, +and reserves. The insurrecto captain told me himself that he never was +so surprised, mortified, and grieved that such a thing could have been +done. They thought there was a large army back of this handful of men, +eleven in all. General R. P. Hughes sent the following telegram to +my son, and his brave scouts: "To Lieutenant Conger, June 14, 1900, +Iloilo. I congratulate you and your scouts on your great success. No +action of equal dash and gallantry has come under my notice in the +Philippines." (Signed) R. P. Hughes. + +All this time there were negotiations going on to secure surrender and +the oath of allegiance. Those who vowed submission did not consider +it at all binding. + +General Del Gardo surrendered with protestations of loyalty and has +honored his word ever since; he is now Governor of the Island of Panay +(pan-i). He is very gentlemanly in appearance and bearing and has +assumed the duties of his new office with much dignity. Just recently +I learn, to my surprise, that he does not recognize the authority +of the "Presidente" of the town of Oton, who was appointed before +the surrender of General Del Gardo, and that therefore the very fine +flag raising we had on the Fourth of July, 1900, is not considered +legal. We had a famous day of it at the time. All the soldiers who +could be spared marched to Oton. There was a company of artillery, +some cavalry, and the scouts. From other islands, Americans and our +sick soldiers were brought by steamer as near as possible and then +landed in small boats. We were somewhat delayed in arriving but +were greeted in a most friendly manner by the whole town. We were +escorted up to the house of the Presidente and were immediately +served with refreshments that were most lavish in quantity, color, +shape and kind; too numerous in variety to taste, and too impossible +of taste to partake. After the parade, came the running up of the +flag, made by the women of the town. The shouting and the cheering +vied with the band playing "America," "Hail Columbia," and the +"Star Spangled Banner." It was indeed an American day celebrated +in loyal fashion--certainly by the Americans. It was the very first +flag raising in the Islands by the Filipinos themselves. It is with +regret that I hear that General Del Gardo has refused officially to +recognize this historic occasion. After these ceremonies we had the +banquet. I do not recall any dish that was at all like our food except +small quail, the size of our robins. Where and how they captured all +the birds that were served to that immense crowd and how they ever +prepared the innumerable kinds of refreshments no one will ever know +but themselves. We were all objects of curiosity. The natives for +miles around flocked in to gaze upon the Americans. At this place +there is one of the finest cathedrals on the Island of Panay, large +enough for a whole regiment of soldiers to quarter in, as once happened +during a very severe storm. The reredos was especially fine. It was +in the center of the cathedral and was almost wholly constructed of +hammered silver of very intricate pattern and design. Nave, choir, +and transepts were ornamented with exquisite carving in stone and wood. + + + + + + +FLOWERS, FRUITS AND BERRIES. + +CHAPTER TWELVE. + + +Fruits are of many varieties; the most luscious are the mangoes. There +is only one crop a year; the season lasts from April to July. It is +a long, kidney-shaped fruit. It seems to me most delicious, but some +do not like it at all. The flavor has the richness and sweetness of +every fruit that one can think of. They disagree with some persons +and give rise to a heat rash. For their sweet sake, I took chances and +ended by making a business of eating and taking the consequences. The +mango tree has fine green satin leaves; the fruit is not allowed to +ripen on the tree. The natives pick mangoes as we pick choice pears +and let them ripen before eating. They handle them just as carefully, +and place them in baskets that hold just one layer. The best mangoes +are sometimes fifty cents a piece. The fruit that stands next in favor +is the chico. It looks not unlike a russet apple on the outside, but +the inside has, when ripe, a brown meat and four or five black seeds +quite like watermelon seeds. It is rich and can be eaten with impunity. + +The banana grows everywhere, and its varieties are as numerous as +those of our apple; its colors, its sizes, manifold. Some about +the size of one's finger are deliciously sweet and juicy. They grow +seemingly without any cultivation whatever, by the road as freely +as in the gardens. Guavas are plentiful, oranges abundant but poor +in quality. The pomelo is like our "grape fruit," but larger, less +bitter and less juicy. Cut into squares or sections and served with a +sauce of white of egg and sugar beaten together it is a delicious dish. + +There are no strawberries or raspberries, but many kinds of small +fruits, none of which I considered at all palatable, although some +of them looked delicious hanging upon the trees or bushes. There is a +small green kind of cherry full of tiny seeds that the natives prize +and enjoy. The fruits of one island are common to all. + +The flora of the country was not seen at its best; many of the natives +told me. Trees, shrubs, gardens and plantations had been trampled by +both armies and left to perish. Our government took up the work of +restoration as soon as possible. The few roses that I saw were not of a +particularly good quality, nor did they have any fragrance. No one can +ever know what joy thrilled me when one day I found some old fashioned +four o'clocks growing in the church yard. The natives do not care to +use the natural flowers in the graceful sprays or luxuriant clusters in +which they grow. They usually stick them on the sharp spikes of some +small palm or wind them on a little stick to make a cone or set the +spikelets side by side in a flat block. They much prefer artificial +stiffness to natural grace. In the hundreds of funeral ceremonies +that I saw I never noticed the use of a single natural blossom. The +flowers were all artificial, of silk, paper, or tissue. One reason, +perhaps, of this choice is that all vegetation is infested with ants; +they can scarcely be seen, but, oh, they can be felt! The first time +I was out driving I begged the guard to gather me huge bunches of +most exquisite blooms but I was soon eager to throw them all out; +the ants swarmed upon me and drove me nearly frantic. I learned to +shun my own garden paths and to content myself with looking out of +the window on the plants below. There are many birds but no songsters. + +The betel nut is about the size of a walnut. The kernel is white +like the cocoanut. They wrap a bit of this kernel with a pinch of +air-slacked lime in a pepper leaf, then chew, chew, all day, and +in intervals of chewing they spray the vividly colored saliva on +door-step, pavement and church floor. + +I often watched the natives climb the tall cocoanut trees, about +eighty feet high, with only the fine fern-like leaves at the extreme +top. These trees yield twenty to fifty cocoanuts per month and live to +a great age. No one can have any idea of the delicious milk until he +has drunk it fresh from the recently gathered nuts. A young native will +climb as nimbly and as swiftly as a monkey, and will be as unfettered +by dress as his Darwinian brother. The fruit is severed from the tree +by the useful bolo. + +The flowers in the parks when I saw them had all been trampled into the +mud by the soldiers of both armies, but I was told that they had been +very beautiful. There were also large trees, bearing huge clusters of +blooms; one bunch had seventy-five blossoms, each as large as a fair +sized nasturtium. These are called Fire or Fever Trees, since they +have the appearance of being on fire and bloom in the hot season when +fever is most prevalent. Other trees whose name I do not recall bear +equally large clusters of purple flowers. The palms are large and grow +in great luxuriance, and the double hibiscus look like large pinks. + + + + + + +THE MARKETS. + +CHAPTER THIRTEEN. + + +The market day is the great day of every town. A certain part of +every village is prepared with booths and stalls to display wares of +endless variety. We all looked forward to market day. There were mats +of various sizes,--mats are used for everything. There are some so +skillfully woven that they are handsome ornaments, worth as much as +a good rug. There were hats woven out of the most delicately shredded +fibers, the best costing from twelve to twenty dollars in gold, very +durable and very beautiful. The best ones can be woven only in a damp +place, as the fiber must be kept moist while being handled. There +were fish nets of abaka differing in mesh to suit the various kinds +of fish. The cloths were hung on lines to show their texture. We had +to pick our way amongst the stalls and through or over the natives +seated on the ground. I have seen a space of two acres covered with +hundreds of natives, carabao, trotting bulls, chickens, turkeys, +ducks, fine goods, vegetables, and fruits all in one mass; and I had +to keep a good lookout where I stepped and what I ran into. It was +not necessary to go often for they were more than willing to bring all +their wares to the house if they had any prospects of a sale. I have +had as many as thirty natives troop into the house at one time. They +finally became so obnoxious that I forbade them coming at all. + +The silence of these crowds was noticeable. They were keenly alive +to business and did not laugh and joke or even talk in reasonable +measure. As a race they are solemn even in their looks, and no wonder, +such is their degradation, misery, and despair. They have so little +sympathy and care for each other, so little comfort, and so neglected +and hopeless, so sunken beneath the so-called better class that when +a little mission gospel was started one could hardly refrain from +tears to see the joy that they had in accepting the free gospel. It +was no trouble for them to walk thirty or forty miles to get what +they called cheap religion. They were outcasts from society and too +poor to pay the tithes that were imposed upon them by the priests in +their various parishes, for no matter how small a village was there +was the very elegant cathedral in the center of the town which only +the rich and those who were able to pay were entitled to enter. + +The poor blind people wandered from village to village in groups +of two to twenty. Quite a number of the moderately insane would go +about begging, too, but the worst were chained to trees or put in +stocks and their food thrown at them. Even the dumb brutes were not +so poorly cared for. + +The houses of the rich, while not cleanly and not well furnished, +always have one large room in which stands a ring of chairs with a +rug in the center of the floor and a cuspidor by each seat. You are +ushered in and seated in one of these low square chairs, usually cane +seated. After the courtesies of the day and the hostess's comments on +the fineness of your clothing, refreshments are brought in,--cigars, +cigarettes, wine, cake, and preserved cocoanut. Sometimes American +beer is added as possibly more acceptable than the wine. + +The citizens of Jaro seemed to be friendly, they often invited me +to their festivities; committees would wait upon me, presenting me +sometimes invitations engraved upon silver with every appearance of +cordiality in expression and manner. They could not understand why +I would not accept; I would explain, that first, I had no desire; +second, I thought it poor policy to do so when our soldiers were +obliged to fight their soldiers, and they were furnishing the money +to carry on the warfare; then too, most of their balls were given on +Sunday night. True, a Filipino Sunday never seemed Sunday to me. I +could only say, foolishly enough, "But it is not Sunday at home." I +could not attend their parties and I had little heart to dance. I +had only to go to the window to see their various functions; it +could hardly be called merry as they went at it in such a listless, +lazy way, with apparently little enjoyment, the air that they carry +into all their pleasures. + + + + + + +PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE. + +CHAPTER FOURTEEN. + + +It has been said that the prosperity of any nation depends largely +upon its agriculture. The soil in the Philippines is very rich. The +chief product, which the natives spend the most time upon, is rice; +and even that is grown, one almost might say, without any care, +especially after seeing the way the Japanese till their rice. They +sow the rice broadcast in little square places of about half an acre +which is partly filled with water. When this has grown eight or ten +inches high they transplant it into other patches which have been +previously scratched over with a rude one-handled plow that often +has for a point only a piece of an old tin can or a straggly root, +and into this prepared bit of land they open the dyke and let in the +water; that is all that is necessary until the harvesting. They have +a great pest, the langousta or grasshopper, and they are obliged, +when these insects fly over a section of the country, to scare them +away by any means in their power, which is usually by running about +through the rice fields waving a red rag. + +As I have said before they gather these pests and eat them. I have +seen bushels of fried langousta for sale in the markets. When they +gather the rice harvest, it is carried to some nearby store room, +usually in the lower part of the house in which they live. Then comes +the threshing, which is done with old-fashioned mills, by pounding with +a wooden mallet, or by rubbing between two large pieces of wood. Then +they winnow it, holding it up by the peck or half bushel to let the +wind blow the hulls off, and dry it by placing it on mats of woven +bamboo. I saw tons of rice prepared in this way by the side of the +road near where I lived. This being their staple, the food for man +and beast, one can form some idea of the vast quantities that are +needed. There was a famine while I was there and the U. S. government +was obliged to supply the natives with rice for seed and food. + +There is no grass grown except a sort of swamp grass. The rice cut +when it is green is used in the place of grass. It is never dried, +as it grows the year round. One can look out any day and see rows +of small bundles of this rice paddy laid by the road side for sale +or carried by the natives on bamboo poles, a bundle before and one +behind to balance. It was astonishing to see these small men and +boys struggling under the weight of their "loads of hay." None of the +American horses cared for it; their hay and grain had to be stacked +up along the wharf and guarded. It would be of little use, however, +to the natives as they know nothing about the use of our products. + +If there was any wheat grown in the islands, we never heard of it, +and judging from the way in which flour was sold in their markets +at ten cents for a small cornucopia that would hold about a gill, +it was probably brought from either Australia or America. + +They have a camote, something like a sweet potato. Although +it is watery and stringy it does very well and is called a good +vegetable. They raise inferior tomatoes and very inferior garlic. It +was a matter of great curiosity to the natives to see an American +plow that was placed on exhibition at the British store. I am sure +when they can take some of our good agricultural implements and turn +the rich soil over and work it, even in a poor way, the results will +be beyond anything we could produce here in the United States. + +Their cane sugar is of fine quality, almost equal to our maple +sugar. They plant the seed in a careless way and tend it in the most +slovenly manner imaginable, and yet, they get immense crops. One man, +who put in a crop near where some soldiers were encamped in order to +have their protection, told us that he sold the product from this +small stretch of ground of not more than five or six acres for ten +thousand dollars. + +The natives so disliked to work that nearly every one who employed +men kept for them a gaming table and the inevitable fighting cocks; +as long as they can earn a little money to gamble that is all they +care for; houses, lands, and families are not considered. Nearly all +the sugar mills had been burned in our neighborhood, but I know from +the way they do everything else that they must have used the very +crudest kind of boiling apparatus. The sugar seemed reasonably clean +to look at, but when boiled the sediment was anything but clean. With +our evaporating machines and with care to get the most out of the +crop, the profit will be enormous. Often we would buy the cane in the +markets, peel off the outside and chew the pith to get the sweet juice. + +They raise vast quantities of cocoa, as indifferently cared for as +everything else, also a small flat bean, but it has a bitter taste. + +The largest crop of all is the hemp crop which grows, seemingly, +without any cultivation. This hemp when growing looks something +like the banana tree. They cut it down and divide it into lengths as +long as possible and then prepare the wood or fiber by shaving it on +iron teeth. + +They are expert in this industry, in making it fine and in tying it, +often times, in lengths of not more than two or three inches. They +give a very dextrous turn of the hand and the finest of these threads +are used in some of the fabrics which they weave. I often wondered +how they could prepare these delicate, strong, linen-like threads +that are as fine as gossamer. + +A man who had cotton mills in Massachusetts visited places where the +hemp is prepared and the looms where it is woven. He said he had never +known anything so wonderful as the deft manner in which these people +worked out the little skeins from an intricate mass of tangled webs. + +One of the curiosities of the world's fair at St. Louis will be this +tying and weaving of hemp. Then a still greater curiosity will be the +making of pine-apple fiber. This manufacture has been sadly neglected +and crippled by the war and its devastations. They have learned to +mix in other fibers because of the scarcity of the pine-apple. I +did not see this prepared at all; only secured with difficulty some +of the good cloth. It is considered by the natives their very best +and finest fabric. They spend much time on its embroidery and their +exquisite work astonishes the finest lace makers. + +The field corn which I saw was of such an inferior grade that it +never occurred to me to try it; indeed, they do not bring it to market +until it is out of the milk. + +On my return home I planted a few kernels as an experiment. There never +was a more insignificant looking stalk of corn in our garden. With +misgivings we made trial of the scrubby looking ears. To our surprise +it was the best we ever had on our table. It seemed too good to be +true. I gave several messes to my friends and this year am hoping to +give pleasure to many others. I denied myself the delicious product +that many might have seed for this spring. + + + + + + +MINERALS. + +CHAPTER FIFTEEN. + + +Gold is found in every stream of the islands. In small bottles I +saw many little nuggets which the natives had picked up. Whether it +would pay to use good machinery to extract he gold I cannot tell; +but certain it is that they use a great deal of gold in the curiously +wrought articles of jewelry of which they are all passionately fond. + +A man who was greatly interested in the mines of Klondike said that +there were better chances of getting gold in the Philippines and +that he had given up all his northern claims and was now using his +energies to secure leases in the new territory. Other minerals, too, +he said, are abundant and valuable. + +I had a small brass dagger which I used to carry for defense and, upon +showing it to some of my friends, since my return, I was asked if I +saw this dagger made, because if I knew the secret of its annealing +it would be worth a fortune to me. + +I had missed a golden chance for I had often visited a rude foundry +where they made bolos and other articles, but it did not occur to me +that there could be anything of value to expert workmen at home in +these crude hand processes. + +The soldiers that accompanied me, as well as I myself, went into +convulsions of laughter over the shape of their bellows and the +working of their forge. Everything they do seemed to us to be done in +the most awkward manner; it is done backward if possible. The first +time I saw a carriage hitched before the animal I wondered how they +could ever manage it. + +Bolos are of all sizes and shapes and are made of steel or iron to +suit the fancy of the person. Some are of the size and pattern of an +old-fashioned corn cutter, handles of carved wood or carabao horn; +sometimes made with a fork-like tip and waved with saw teeth edge. It +is an indispensable tool in war and peace. There were none so poor as +not to have a bolo. They made cannon, too, and guns patterned after +our American ones. And sometimes cannon were made out of bamboo, +bound around with bands of iron. These were formidable and could +shoot with as much noise as a brass one, if not with as much accuracy. + +They must get a great deal of silver, as they have so many silver +articles; they insert bits of silver in the handles of bolos. These +bolos are used for everything. One day I found that the little tin +oven which I brought from home was all worn out on the inside. I was +in despair for there was no way of getting it repaired, My native +cook watched me as I looked at it sorrowfully. Without saying a word +he went to work and with only a bolo took my old tin coal oil can +and constructed a lining with the metal cleats to hold the shelves +up. The only thing he had in the way of a tool to work with was his +bolo, about two feet long. When I hired him I noticed that he had +great long finger nails; I told him that he would have to cut them +off. He said, "Why I don't too. I wouldn't have anything to scratch +myself with." But, upon my insisting, he took his huge bolo, placed his +fingers on a block of wood, and severed his useful finger nails. They +use these bolos for cutting grass, cutting meat,--they use them for +haggling our soldiers, as we learned to our grief and wrath. + +There are vast quantities of coal, but the mines so far have been but +little developed. The coal is so full of sulphur that its quality +is spoiled. There are possibilities of finding it in good paying +quantities on several of the islands. It makes a quick blaze and +soon burns out. The natives sell it in tiny chunks, by the handful, +or in little woven baskets that hold just about a quart. + + + + + + +ANIMALS. + +CHAPTER SIXTEEN. + + +The animal that is most essential in every way is the carabao or +water buffalo. They are expensive, a good one costing two or three +hundred dollars. Their number has been very much diminished by the +rinder-pest. The precious carabao is carefully guarded; at night it +is kept in the lower part of the house or in a little pond close by. + +The picture shown opposite is a good representation of the better +class of fairly well-to-do Filipino people; they are rich if they +can afford as many carabao as stand here. The second picture shows +the way they are driven. Their skins are used for everything that +good strong leather can be used for. Their meat is good for food; but +heaven help anybody who is obliged to eat it, and when it is prepared, +as it often is, by drying the steaks in the sun, then the toughness +exceeds that of the tanned hide. A sausage mill could not chew dried +carabao. The milk is watery and poor, but the natives like it very +much. The horns are used for handles for bolos, the hoofs for glue, +and the bones are turned into carved articles of many kinds. The +little calves that go wandering about by the sides of their mothers +are so curious and so top heavy, and yet they are strong even when +small. Carabao sometimes go crazy, and when they do, they tread down +everything in their way. Notwithstanding their ungainly bulk they can +run as well as a good horse, and can endure long journeys quite as +well. They are urged to greater speed by the driver taking the tail +and giving it a twist or kicking them in the flank. + +I used to spend most of my time threatening my driver that he would +have to go to a calaboose if he did not stop abusing the animal. The +horses are only caricatures. They are so small, so poorly kept, +and so badly driven that one burns with indignation at the sight of +them. There is no bit and the bridle is always bad. The nose piece +is fitted tight and has on the under side a bit of horny fish skin, +its spikes turned towards the flesh. These are jerked into the flesh +of the poor horse until, in its frenzy, it dashes madly from one side +of the road to the other. + +Cows are of little use. They look fair but they give little milk. Goats +are next in importance, and are delightful to watch. The kids, in +pairs and triplets, are such pretty little creatures, so perfectly +formed, that I could scarcely resist the desire to bring a few home. + +The dogs are the worst looking creatures imaginable. They are so +maimed that they are pests rather than pets; but there are thousands +of them. There was one exception, a dog that was brought to me one day +from a burning house, the like of which I had never seen before. It was +called an Andalusian poodle. It proved to be not only the handsomest +but the best little dog I ever had. Being a lover of dogs, I regretted +very much to give him up upon my return. + + + + + + +AMUSEMENTS AND STREET PARADES. + +CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. + + +As a drowning man catches at a straw, so was I eager for anything +that would give even slight relief from consuming anxieties and +pressing hardships. The natives responded quickly to the slightest +encouragement; small change drew groups of two to fifty to give me +"special performances." There were blind fiddlers who would play +snatches of operas picked up "by ear" on the rudest kind of a fiddle +made out of hollow bamboo with only one string; it was astonishing +how much music they could draw from the rude instrument. The bow was a +piece of bent bamboo with shredded abaka for the bow-strings. Flutes +were made of bamboo stalks; drums out of carabao hide stretched over +a cylindrical piece of bamboo. Some of these strolling bands came many +miles to my door, and while none of them ever produced correct music, +still they were a great diversion. + +There were strolling players, too. The first performance was +the most interesting that I have ever seen. The players arranged +themselves within a square roughly drawn in the middle of the road; +then to the strains of a bamboo fiddle, bamboo flute, bamboo drum, +the melodrama was begun. The hero pranced into the open square to the +tune of a minor dirge, not knowing a single sentence of his part; the +prompter, kneeling down before a flaring candle, told him what to say; +he repeated in parrot-like fashion, and then pranced off the square +to slow dirge-like music. Now the heroine minced in from the opposite +corner to slow music with her satin train sweeping in the dust; though +carefully raised when she crossed the sacred precincts of the square, +and in a sauntering way, with one arm akimbo and the other holding +the fan up in the air, she took the opposite corner and the prompter +told her what to say. In the meantime the candle blew out; it was +relighted; the prompter found his place and signaled to the hero to +come on. From the opposite side again, with a bow and hand on heart, +the lover repeated after the prompter his addresses to the waiting +maiden. She pretended to be surprised and shocked at his addresses, +fainted away and was carried off the stage by two women attendants; +the lover with folded arms looked calmly at the sad havoc he had +wrought. Now a rival suitor sprang into the ring and with a huge +bolo attacked number one and killed him. The heroine was now able to +return. She did not fall into the arms of number two. She only listened +placidly to the demand of how much she would pay to secure so splendid +a man as the one that could bolo his rival. The parents finally entered +and settled the difficulty. The play closed with the prospect of a +happy union. The company dispersed, the women and girls walking on +one side of the road with the torches in their hands, and the men on +the other, in two solemn files. There was no chattering or laughing; +yet they all felt that they had had a most delightful performance. + +Two or three concerts given at a neighboring town were very +creditable, but only the better class attended; nine-tenths of the +people resort to these crude, wayside performances. They look on with +seeming indifference; there is never a sign of approval, much less +an outburst of applause. They seem to have no place in their souls +for the ludicrous, the comic, or the joyous. They were shocked by my +smiles and peals of laughter. They have a strange preference for the +minor key in music, for the dirge. No wonder when our bands would play +lively music that they were quite ready to take up the catchy airs, +but they would add a mournful cadence to the most stirring of our +American airs. After awhile I found that the music oftenest rendered +by the cathedral organ was the Aguinaldo March. I took the liberty to +inform the commanding officer and that tune was stopped. After the +surrender, to my great surprise and joy, the same organ rolled out +"America"; it did thrill me, even if it was played on a Filipino +instrument and by a Filipino. + +Little boys often came with tiny birds which they had trained to do +little tricks. One had snakes which he would twist around his bare +body. And never was there a day without a cock fight. Sometimes the +birds were held in check by strings attached to them, but it was a +common occurrence to see groups of natives watching their birds fight +to the finish at any time of day, Sundays not excepted. And they will +all bet on the issue if it takes the last cent they have. They do not +seem to enjoy it in a hilarious manner at all. It is serious business, +without comment or jovial look or act. No one is so busy that he can +not stop for a cock fight. + +There are many kinds of monkeys on the islands. It is common to +domesticate them, to train them to do their master's bidding; they +become a part of the family, half plaything, half servant. Parrots, +too, are adopted into the household and learn to speak its dialect; +they are almost uncanny in their chatter and they, too, do all kinds +of tricks at the bidding. + +I was daily importuned to buy monkeys, parrots, cocks, or song birds. I +took a tiny bird that was never known to so much as chirp, but he grew +fond of me, would perch upon my shoulder or would turn his little +head right or left as if to ask if I were pleased with his silent +attentions. The last morning of my stay in Jaro I went to the window +and set him free but he immediately came back and clung to my hand. I +took him to Iloilo and left him with the nurses; he lived only a day. + + + + + + +FESTIVALS OF THE CHURCH. + +CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. + + +According to the Spanish calendar in my possession, there is a festival +for every day in the year. There are services every morning at seven, +every evening at five; often there are special grand festivals. The +Jaro church has a wax figure of the Savior and this figure is dressed +for various festivals in various ways; sometimes in evening dress, +with white shirt, diamond stud, rings on the fingers, patent leather +shoes, and a derby hat. This figure was placed on a large platform +and either carried on the shoulders of men or put on a wagon and drawn +by men. Once I saw the cart pushed along by a bull at the rear. This +procession would form at the Cathedral door, march around the square +and then usually go three or four blocks down toward the house where +the priest lived, and by that time it would be very nearly dark and +they would light their candles and return and go about the square +again before going into the Cathedral. + +Sometimes the figure was dressed in royal robes with long purple +mantle and gilded crown upon the head; on Good Friday it lay in a +white shroud as if in death; on Easter day it was arrayed in flowing +white robes and was brought from the cemetery into town and borne at +the head of a great parade. Those who could afford to do so would set +up a special shrine in front of their homes, adorned with flowers and +household images. The priest would, as a special favor, have special +services before these shrines, and the more money spent on these +shrines and the more paid to the priest the more distinguished the +citizen. For days before the natives were busy making long candles +out of carabao tallow. Some of these candles, huge and crude, would +weigh four or five pounds. None of the so-called common people or +the poor class would take part in any of these wonderful parades +unless they were able to wear good clothes and have long trains to +their dresses. I never saw any one in these processions who was at +all poor; the poor simply stand by the roadside and look on. I asked +my Filipino woman why she did not join; she said she would just as +soon as she could get a dress with a train. It was not many weeks +before she was in the procession, having earned the train by laundry +work for the officers and soldiers. For the men, it was their joy to +be able to purchase a derby hat. I never knew there could be so many +kinds of derbies as I saw on the heads of these natives. It was said +that a ship-load of them was brought over once, and they so charmed +the male population that from that time on they all aspired to own +a derby, no matter how ancient its appearance or of what color it +might be. And no matter if they did not have a shirt to their back, +if they had on a good stiff derby hat, they were dressed for any +occasion and to appear before anybody. + +The priests wear, first, a long, plain white robe, over this a black +cassock, then a white cotta; and the more richly it is embroidered the +better they like it. There was with this white cotta a white petticoat +plain at the top and ruffled at the bottom. I did not know the names +of the outer vestments but they were all embroidered. I offered to buy +one of the heavily embroidered vestments from a priest but he refused, +saying that it was very hard to get that kind of cloth embroidered so +beautifully. He gave me one of the Filipino skirts; it was badly worn, +but I kept it as a curiosity. Not knowing very much about the Roman +church, there were a great many things done every day that I could not +understand; for instance, when a priest went out in a closed carriage +attended by two or three boys he would come from the church door with +one of the boys in front of him ringing a bell vigorously. He would +ring this bell just as hard as he could until the priest would get +inside with his attendants and then they would drive away. When they +returned they would go through this same performance of ringing this +bell until they got inside of the church. I saw this many times and +once asked a Roman Catholic soldier what it meant; he said he did +not know. + +It may be that these people need to be terrorized by the priests; +certain it is that, when a priest walks through the village or when +any of the people see him, they kneel and kiss his hand, if he is so +gracious as to honor them with the privilege. The people bow down +before him and reverence him though he may at any moment lift his +cane and give them a good whack over the head or shoulders. I never +saw this done, but several of our men told me they had seen it; and +one captain told me that he saw the priest take a huge bamboo pole +and knock a man down because he failed to get into the procession in +double-quick time. They do literally rule these people with the rod. + + + + + + +OSTEOPATHY. + +CHAPTER NINETEEN. + + +In 1895, for the benefit of one dearer to me than life, I went to +Kirksville, Mo., and from Dr. A. T. Still learned something of the +principles and practice of his great art. The subject grew in interest; +I became a regular student of the American School of Osteopathy, and, +in time, completed the course and took the decree. In the islands +it was a great pleasure to me to help our sick soldiers; scores of +them, with touching gratitude, have blessed the use that I made of +my hands upon them. Officers and men came daily for treatment. Soon +the Filipinos came, too. Women walked many miles carrying their sick +children; the blind and lame besought me to lay my hands upon them. It +was noised about that I had divine power. My door was beset. I gladly +gave relief where I could, but for the most of them help was one +hundred years too late. + +I recall with special pleasure one successful case. A woman came to +me who said she had walked forty miles to bring her sick child; for +compensation she offered a pigeon and three eggs. I could not look +out of my window without seeing some poor sick native squatted on the +ground waiting to see if I could do anything for her sick child or +herself. The natives when burning up with fever think they dare not +wash their bodies; they will lie hopeless and passive on the ground or +on a small bamboo mat. It is pitiable to see them so utterly destitute; +not one single thing that would go to make up a bed or pillow, nor +do they seem to have any mode of taking care of their sick at all. + +Our army hospitals were very well kept, indeed, but it was a great +struggle to get help enough and to get the things needed for hundreds +of sick soldiers. There were many large buildings, but as soon as the +government attempted to purchase them, the Filipinos asked exorbitant +prices. And then the sanitary conditions are such that it is hard to +establish hospitals anywhere. I read with great pleasure that the +capitol of Luzon will be on a plateau in the mountains where the +temperature will be lower, the air better, and the water purer. + +I am sure that Americans can live in the Philippines; I know that +the resources of the islands are vast, especially in agricultural +and mineral products; that we have, indeed, acquired in our new +possessions immeasurable riches. + +As soon as any Filipino wishes to become a friend and to impress you +that he is rich and has vast possessions, the entire family, father, +mother, and children, will call and bring quantities of fruits, fine +clothes, carved shells, and native pearls with curiously wrought gold +settings, and present them with great earnestness of manner and many +words of praise. They tell you what great value they place upon your +friendship, and that of all the people in all the world you are the +one person that they do most ardently believe in, and finally that +they consider you the greatest acquisition to their islands. + +A Filipino general and his wife came again and again to see me; +they brought a magnificent sunburst of diamonds which they urged +me to accept with their greatest love and affection. I declined +positively and absolutely. They seemed very much downcast that I +would not accept this little token of their deep affection. They +went home, but in about two hours came back, brought the diamonds, +and again urged and urged so strongly that I finally consented to let +the wife pin the elegant brooch on my dress; perhaps I should find +out the hidden meaning of this excessive devotion. As soon as the +officer in command returned, I told him of the gift, of my refusal, +and of their return. A written note was hastily sent to the general +that he must come and remove the brooch at once. Fearing the wrath of +the officer, he came immediately and I returned the diamonds. Even +after this the family renewed their efforts. I found out afterwards +that the general had violated his oath of allegiance; his bribe was +to buy my influence with the commanding officer. + +It was evident that many of the better class of natives, in spite of +oath and fair face, were directing and maintaining the murderous bands +of banditti. Often letters were found that the Filipino generals +had written to their women friends in Jaro, Iloilo and Molo, to +sell their jewels, to sell all they could, to buy guns, ammunition, +and food, and later other letters were captured full of the thanks +of the Filipino army for these gifts. While the good Filipinos were +taking the oath of allegiance with the uplifted right hand, the left +was much busier sending supplies to the insurrectos. + +The hypocrisy of the upper classes was matched by their cruelty. A +native of prominence was gracious enough upon one occasion to direct +a party of officers on their way. He was attended by his servant who +walked or ran the entire distance carrying a heavy load suspended +partly from his shoulders, and partly by a strap about the forehead. + +The servant failed to start with the party, but in a short time he +caught up by running swiftly. The master calmly got off his horse, +motioned to the servant to drop his load, and proceeded to beat the man +unmercifully with a cane made out of fish tail, a sword-like, cruel, +barbed affair, about four feet long. The poor servant never uttered +a cry. As soon as possible the officers interfered and stopped the +torture. So bloody and faint was the poor victim that they gave him +a horse to ride. The master was angry, declared he would not have +his authority questioned and left the party. + +A ball was given in the town of Jaro by the officers who were there +and in the town of Iloilo. Army, navy, ladies, and nurses from the +hospital were invited. It was considered quite an unusual thing to +do at this time, as the Filipino soldiers were near at hand day and +night, approaching and firing upon the town. One of the Filipino +women said, "I do not see how the American officers dare congregate +at so dangerous a time." The men decorated the huge ball room with +magnificent palms and ferns which they had gathered and put up many +flags. The regimental band was stationed on the porch at the rear of +the building. It was, altogether, a very fine gathering, and all went +merry "as the marriage bell." + +There was a German on the dance programme that was to end in a mock +capture. Not thinking that it might occasion alarm, at a certain +point, some of the soldiers were instructed to fire off some cannon +crackers; in addition the soldiers thought it would be just as well to +fire off a few pistols. The surprise was very great. The colonel of a +volunteer regiment nearby heard the commotion and gave orders for the +company to turn out and find out where this fusillade was occurring, +not supposing that it could be in private quarters. The Presidente +of the town was greatly alarmed, as he was expecting any moment to +be captured for serving under the U. S. government as head man of a +town. The firing created a great commotion, people ran hither and +thither to find out where the battle was going on; the musicians, +who did not understand about the firing, were frightened, too; there +was a call to arms and great commotion. But soon explanations came, +and immediately it was on with the dance. It was a huge joke, and when +the sentry told that a colonel and his wife were the most frightened +of all, barricading their doors and having extra guards placed around, +the merriment knew no bounds. + +It was seldom that the officers had any of these receptions or balls, +but when they did everybody felt they must attend, and those taking +part in the dance enjoyed themselves very much. Sometimes the officers +would charter a small steamer and go to one of the nearby islands, +but it was rarely they could do so, because of the skulking natives +and their manner of signaling where these parties landed, making it +unsafe for any but large companies to attend these excursions. + +It was often the duty of our officers and men to stop the cruelties +they saw practiced upon dumb brutes. I have in mind the way pigs were +brought to market, their forefeet across a bamboo pole and their heads +bound so that they could not squeal, and in this uncomfortable way +they were carried many miles. Of the many stories that were told of +the cruelties our soldiers perpetrated upon the helpless Filipinos, +I do not believe one word; indeed, our men were constantly assisting +the natives in every way possible. + +On the 4th of July, 1900, our officers decided to tender a reception to +the Filipino families whose hospitalities they had enjoyed. They issued +invitations and decorated their quarters in fine shape with flags, +bunting, palms, and pictures. It was quite the talk of the town. The +beauty and chivalry of the island were there. For refreshments +they served commissary supplies with ice cream and cake. The guests +thought it a very poor banquet for such pretentious people as the +officers were. The Filipinos always have a ten or twelve course meal +at twelve o'clock at their dances, especially when they have festivals +or wedding banquets. There were many of these given. I could often +watch the throng from my window; they went at this particular kind of +hilarity in the same listless, slow, silent manner in which they did +everything. The popular dance is the "Rigadon." There is a great deal +of swinging of couples and going forward and back. None of the common +people seem to indulge in any form of a dance, so far as I could learn. + +We invited upon several occasions some Filipino men and women to dine +with us, and it was interesting to hear their remarks about various +dishes we had prepared for them. They would ask questions concerning +the preparations. Mince pies, which we made of canned meat and canned +apples, were a source of great wonder; they would ask where they could +get the fruit for that kind of a pudding. I know that they made wry +faces at some dishes, and I know that we did ourselves, for some of +them were beyond comparison; no chef in all the world could produce +a good thing out of such materials. + +The May festival was given by the children, chiefly by the little +girls of the cathedral congregation. The leader was a woman of fine +character and standing. She worked hard every day with these little +tots to train them to do their parts well, which consisted of marching +into the cathedral by twos', arranging themselves into a circle +about the Virgin Mother and throwing flowers and bouquets, singing +and speaking. The ludicrous part of it all was that these little +things were supposed to be dressed like American children. The models +had been taken from some old magazine,--huge sleeves, small waists, +skirt to the knees, and pantlets to the top of shoes. The shoes were +painfully tight and the little feet, unaccustomed to being held in +such close quarters, limped and hobbled piteously. The festival was +carried on every day for weeks. Bushels of flowers were thrown at +the figure of the Blessed Virgin. + +Some of the festivals in the larger cathedrals in Manila were gorgeous +indeed. There were floats on which were carried the different +patron saints, all gorgeously arrayed in the most magnificent +costumes. Evidently the churches were never meant for the common +or poor people, so few of them were ever seen within their walls; +but without were vast crowds of beggars, of the blind, the deformed, +the diseased; victims of smallpox and of leprosy in every stage of +suffering. It is said that the first thing ordered by Bishop Brent, +who took charge of the Protestant Episcopal church in the Philippines, +was soap. + + + + + + +THE McKINLEY CAMPAIGN. + +CHAPTER TWENTY. + + +The excitement on the islands ran quite high during the McKinley-Bryan +campaign. The natives conceived that if Bryan were elected they could, +in some way, they could not explain how, not only be very greatly +benefited personally, but the U. S. troops would be withdrawn; they +would then be rid not only of the Spaniards but of the Americans, +and could then have a ruler of their own choosing. I knew that +there were small papers or bulletins published to intensify these +sentiments. Popular favor was all for Bryan and not one person for +McKinley, while on the other hand I do not think there was a single +soldier who was not a McKinley man. The feeling ran high, and, while +our papers gave us every assurance that the Republican party would +be victorious, we were very anxious for the news. On the night of the +6th of November we had the glorious report. It did not take long for +the shouts to go up from every American soldier. About eleven o'clock +P. M. all the American officers and men formed in procession with the +band at the head; they came around to the house where I was staying and +called out, "Come, Mrs. Conger, you must join in this jubilee." I did +not need a second invitation. Snatching my little American flag that I +take wherever I go, I formed in line with the boys. We marched around +and around the park, cheering, singing patriotic songs, and hurrahing +for McKinley. In front of one of the houses where I knew they were the +most bitter toward the Americans, we cheered lustily. I had been there +only a few days before to purchase a Jusi dress for Mrs. McKinley. I +said that I would like one of their very best weaves, as it would go +to the White House to Mrs. McKinley. With a great deal of scorn in her +voice and manner she declared she would not make it. We continued on +our march through and around the town until after one o'clock, when I +returned to my room. I was about to retire when a detachment from the +Scouts came and said, "Oh, Mrs. Conger, we want you to come over to +the park, we are going to have a big bonfire." So I went over and we +had another jollification, hurrahing, singing, shouting for McKinley, +until we made ourselves hoarse. We burned up all the old debris that +we could gather and plenty of bamboo, which makes a cracking noise, +quite like a roll of musketry. From every window and crevice in every +house about that park native heads were gazing at us, and never one +cheer came from a single throat, but we gave them to understand in +no uncertain terms where we stood. I suppose they thought it was +only one more unheard of thing for a woman to do, to be out marching +and singing, and I am sure they thought "Senora Blanco," the name I +was called by the people all over the Island of Panay, had gone mad; +and I was certainly doing unheard of things, for, as I said before, +it is not considered at all proper for a woman to be walking or +riding with a man. And to think that a woman of my years, and the +only American woman in that part of the country, would, at such an +hour, be marching with those hundreds of boys in the dead of night +was wholly beyond their comprehension, and they had no words adequate +to express their disgust at my outburst of enthusiasm and patriotism. + + + + + + +GOVERNOR TAFT AT JARO. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE. + + +When Governor Taft and other members of the peace commission were +expected at Iloilo and Jaro, there were great preparations for several +weeks before hand. The guests came to Jaro for a morning reception at +the home of one of the wealthy citizens. The house had been beautifully +decorated and the refreshments were served in the large room at the +left of the hall; the buffet luncheon consisted of every kind of cake +and sweetmeats, champagne, wine, and beer. The Filipino guests were +in the large front room, seated in rows, six or eight rows, perhaps +twenty in a row, with their backs to each other or facing each other. + +I was the only American woman there until Mrs. Taft and other ladies +with the peace commission arrived. Not wishing to sit solemnly in line +gazing at these newly acquired sisters of mine, I ventured some remarks +in Spanish about the weather and the coming guests. There was little +response. My curiosity getting the better of me, I made bold to examine +the gowns of these women for I had seldom seen before such handsome +material, rich brocaded satins, cloth of gold wrought with seed pearls +and jewels; huge strings of pearls on the neck, diamond and pearl +rings on the fingers and very handsome ornaments in the hair; every +head bore a huge pompadour and every face was heavily powdered; the +perfume was stifling even with every window stretched to the fullest +extent. Each woman carried a handsome fan and each was attended by at +least one servant. After waiting in this rigid company manner about +an hour and a half, the distinguished guests arrived. We were then +entertained by some of the local artists and celebrities. There was +vocal and instrumental music; a fine grand piano, very good violins, +and the concert was by far the best music I had heard in the islands. + +At 1:30 we were all carried over in carriages to the house of the +Presidente and thirty-five of us sat down to a very sumptuous banquet +of about eighteen courses. The menu of soup, fish, game, birds, +salads, was very quickly served, a waiter for each guest. The table +was furnished with much silver and cut glass, and at each plate was +a bouquet holder with napkin ring attached; there were after-dinner +speeches by Governor Taft, Judge Wright, and others; then we were +ushered into the large drawing-room where coffee and cigars were +served. The room had been especially prepared by the labor of many days +spent on tacking flags on the ceiling and side walls, making a very +beautiful effect. There were huge bunches of artificial flowers. For +the entertainment at this house, all the Filipino bands from the +surrounding towns were massed together. Governor Taft complimented +his hosts upon their very delightful "entretener," and said he had +seen nothing to compare with it for elegance and enthusiastic welcome +since he had been on the islands. At every corner of the plaza there +were erected handsome bamboo arches and booths, and every strip of +bunting and every flag that could be got out were waving in Jaro +on this great day of inauguration of the Civil Commission on the +Island of Panay. To me it seemed anything but a peaceful time as +the scouts were then out after a very desperate band of insurrectos, +but I have never seen anywhere more beautiful ornamentation or more +lavish display of wealth, and yet there was lacking in it all the +genuine ring of cordiality and enthusiasm. In Iloilo there were +many receptions and various kinds of entertainments given. Governor +Taft invited leading citizens out to the ship where he returned the +compliment with refreshments, good cheer, and a salute. + +In writing of my life in the islands, I must mention incidents of +serious nature and yet of common happening. Almost daily would come an +instant call for troops to mount and ride post haste by night or day +after some of these worse than lawless bands of Filipinos. One evening +while we were at dinner we had as our guest a Lieutenant of one of the +volunteer regiments. He had been ill and had spent the time of his +convalescence in acquiring some of the manifold Filipino dialects, +about sixty in all, it is said. He was detailed by the commanding +officer to visit some of the inland villages and inspect the schools +and inquire generally after the condition of the people. He told us +that evening that he intended to make quite an extensive tour around +the island of Panay in the interest of the schools. "You are going to +take a strong guard, of course?" we asked. "Anyone going on such a +peaceful mission as mine would not need even an orderly, but I will +take an orderly to assist in carrying the books and pamphlets." The +very next evening while we were at dinner, word was brought that this +splendid young man had been killed not three miles from where we were +sitting. In a few minutes men mounted and were off to the scene of +the murder. In a nearby hut the young officer lay dead. He, who had so +trustingly confided in these "peaceful people," had fallen the victim +of his noble impulses. Every article of any value had been taken from +his body except a little watch that he carried in a small leather case +on his wrist; he had bought it that very day to send to his wife. No +trace of the "insurrectos," the murderers, was ever found. A native +woman said the officer was riding peacefully along with his orderly +at his side when suddenly they were stopped by a volley of balls. The +Lieutenant turned, as did also the orderly; their horses took fright, +one rider was thrown, probably already dead, the other escaped. The +funeral rites of our noble soldier were conducted with military honors; +the body was sent home to his bereaved wife and family. + +One day a missionary was on his way from town to town; he had, +unfortunately, an orderly with him. He was stopped and asked his +business; he replied that he was a missionary. "Why carry a gun?" was +the scornful retort. He was stripped of everything of value but was +allowed to return. The soldier did not fare so well; he was killed +before the rescuing party could reach him. A detachment was sent out +one day to procure some young beef for sale in a nearby village. They +were received with open arms by the Presidente of the village and the +Padre and were most sumptuously entertained. It was kindly explained +that they had no young cattle for sale but that about a mile further +on there were some very fine young calves that could be had at five +dollars in gold. + +Not thinking of any treachery, the soldiers mounted and rode about +a mile beyond the village into a ravine which, according to the +instructions, led to the cattle-field beyond. While crossing the stream +in the bottom of the ravine, the men were startled by the whiz of +bullets and, glancing up, found the steep banks lined with insurrectos +who had opened fire without a moment's warning. Our men entrapped, +surrounded, were ordered to surrender. For answer they put spurs to +their horses and started back under a heavy fire. Unfortunately two of +the fine horses were shot; their riders were obliged to run afoot the +rest of the way up the bank and were picked up by their comrades. One +of the men shouted, "Sergeant, don't you hear they are calling for +us to surrender? Say are you going to?" With an oath, "No, not by +a d---d sight. Run and fight." Which they did and actually got away +from hundreds of natives and arrived in Jaro breathless and weary, the +horses covered with foam. Not a man had been killed or wounded. Two +horses were killed outright, but none were maimed. Soon the troop +was in the saddle and out after those treacherous miscreants. Many +natives were arrested and brought to town and then it was found that +this loyal (?) Presidente, whom the commanding general had had the +utmost confidence in was at the head of a number of Filipino companies +which scoured the country to capture small parties of our soldiers. As +the investigations were pressed it came out that the bodies of their +victims had been torn to pieces and buried in quicklime that there +might be no traces left of their treachery. It was several weeks +before the full facts were obtained and before the mutilated remains +of our soldiers were found and brought back and buried. + +The volunteer regiments suffered most from these brutal cowards, +directed and urged on by the "very best men" in civil and "sacred" +office. These are facts from the lips of U. S. officers, men who do +not lie. Very often the troops were called out to capture these bloody +bands, but it was hard to locate them or bring them to a stand. The +natives knew so many circuitous ways of running to cover and they +had so many friends to aid them that it was almost impossible to +follow them. Whenever they were captured they were so surprised, +so humiliated, so innocent, meek and subdued, that it would never +occur to an honest man that they could know how to handle a bolo +or a gun. But experience taught that the most guileless in looks +were the worst desperadoes of all. My first sight of a squad of +these captives is a thing not to be forgotten. They were a scrubby +lot of hardly human things, stunted, gnarled pigmies, with no hats +or shoes, and scarcely a rag of clothing. Their cruel knives, the +deadly bolos, were the only things they could be stripped of. I looked +down upon them from my window in astonishment. "It is not possible," +I exclaimed, "that these miserable creatures are samples of what is +called the Filipino army." "Yes," an officer replied, "these are the +fellows that never fight; that only stab in the back and mutilate +the dying and dead." My eyes turned to the guard, our own soldiers, +fine, manly fellows, who fairly represented the personnel of our own +splendid army. It made me indignant that one of them should suffer +at the hands of such vermin or rather at the hands of the religious +manipulators who stood in safety behind their ignorant degraded slaves. + + + + + + +SHIPWRECK. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO. + + +The climate seemed beyond physical endurance, although the thermometer +ranged no higher than from ninety to one hundred ten, but the heat was +continuous night and day; exhaustion without relief. The only time that +one could get a breath was about five o'clock in the morning; in the +middle of the day the sun's rays are white-hot needles,--this is the +only way that I can express it; and even if one carries an umbrella, +the heat pierces directly through. From the first of November to +the middle of December, there is usually about six or seven hours +a day of comparative comfort; but the season is too short to brace +the enervated body. One day the thermometer fell to seventy-eight; +we Americans shivered and craved a fire, so much did we feel the +change of temperature. + +I finally learned from the natives that it is not best after bathing, +to rub the body with a towel; and indeed, following them more closely, +that it is wise to feed with cocoanut oil the famished pores of the +skin which has been weakened by excessive exudation. The rainy season +begins in April, usually, and gives some relief from the excessive +heat; and such rains, never in my life had I known before what it +was to have rain come down by the barrelful! The two-story house in +which we were quartered was quite solidly built, and the boards of +the second story were over-lapped to keep out the rain; and yet, +I have often had to get up on the bed or table while the water +poured in at innumerable unsuspected cracks and swept the floor +like a torrent. It was hard to tell which frightened one the most, +the terrible rain-storms or the awful earthquakes. In the house +there was a magnificent glass chandelier. The first time we had a +severe earthquake that chandelier swayed back and forth in such a +wild way that it seemed as if it must fall and crush every prism, +tiny light, and bell. I felt sure whenever a quake began that I +should not live through it. The flying fragments across the room, +the creaking hard-wood doors, the nauseating feeling that everything +under foot was falling away,--it was a frightful experience then, +it is a sickening memory now. One never gets used to these shocks no +matter how many occur; the more, the worse. They are more frequent +in the night than in the day. It was not quite so bad if the wild +start from uneasy slumber was followed by a cheery voice calling, +"Hello there, are you alive, has anything hurt you, has anything +struck?" Even the rats are terrified, and the natives, almost to a +soul, leave their houses, congregate in the middle of the street, +and begin to pray. Sometimes a fierce wind from the north brings sad +havoc to the hastily built bamboo houses; a whole street of these +slightly constructed dwellings is toppled over or lies aslant, or is +swept away. At first we used to smile at the storm signal displayed at +Iloilo. If the sky was clear and still, we would start out confidently +on some trip, to the next town perhaps; before we had gone more than +a half mile we would be drenched through and through and no cloud, +not even as big as a man's hand was to be seen; at other times dense +clouds, the blackest clouds, would shut down close upon us,--such are +the strange variations. No sort of sailing craft ever leaves the port +when the signals are up for one of these hurricane storms; if caught +out in them they put instantly into the nearest port. Shipwrecks are +frequent, partly on account of these sudden storms, but chiefly on +account of the shifting sands of the course. + +From Manila to Iloilo on a boat that had been purchased for the use +of the government, I was, on one occasion, the only passenger on +board. The captain had never been over this course before, but he was +confident of getting through with the help of a Spanish chart. About +two o'clock in the morning I sprang to my feet alarmed by the harsh +grinding of the boat's keel, the scurrying of many feet, the shouting +of quick orders. The shock of the boat blew out all lamps; in the +darkness I opened the door of my cabin and ran to find the captain, +guided by his voice. I learned that we were aground. I asked him if +I could help. "Yes, if you can carry messages to the engineer and +translate them into Spanish." I ran to and fro, stumbling up or down, +forgetting every time I passed that a certain part of the ship had a +raised ledge. The effort was to prop the boat with spars that it might +not tip as it crunched and settled down upon the coral reefs. We could +hardly wait until daylight to measure the predicament. When the light +grew clear so that I saw the illuminated waters, there was a scene of +new and wonderful beauty,--a garden of the sea, a coral grove. Far as +the eye could reach there was every conceivable color, shape, and kind +of coral,--pink, green, yellow, and white. It all looked so safe and +soft, as if one might crush it in the hands; and yet these huge cakes +of coral were like adamant, except the delicate fern-like spikes that +were so viciously piercing the bottom of our boat. I saw all kinds of +sea shells, the lovely nautilus spreading its sails on the surface, +and the huge devil-fish sprawling at the bottom of the shallow pools, +with its many tentacles thrown out on every side. + +With innumerable ants, swarms of mosquitoes, lizards everywhere, +rats by the million, mice, myriads of langoustas or grass-hoppers, +long cockroaches, squeaking bugs, monkeys that stole everything they +could lay their hands on, the fear of the deadly bolo, the dread +each night of waking up amid flame and smoke, earthquakes, tornadoes, +dreadful thunders and lightnings, torrents of water, life sometimes +seemed hard; each new day was but a repetition of yesterday, and I +used constantly to rely upon the assured promises--Psalms XCI: + +"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide +under the shadow of the Almighty. + +"I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God: +in him will I trust. + +"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from +the noisome pestilence. + +"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt +thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. + +"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow +that flieth by day; + +"Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the +destruction that wasteth at noonday. + +"A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; +but it shall not come nigh thee. + +"Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the +wicked. + +"Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most +High, thy habitation; + +"There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh +thy dwelling. + +"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all +thy ways. + +"They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot +against a stone. + +"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the dragon shalt thou trample +under feet. + +"Because he hath set his love upon thee, therefore will I deliver him: +I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. + +"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in +trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. + +"With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation." + +Looking down from my window every day into the faces of six or more +dead bodies that were brought to the cathedral, I knew that "The +pestilence was walking in the darkness." + + + + + + +FILIPINO DOMESTIC LIFE. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE. + + +The houses are made of bamboo; some of them are pretty, quite artistic; +the plain ones cost about seventy-five cents each; no furniture of +any kind is needed. The native food is rice, or, as it is called in +the vernacular, "Sow-sow." It is cooked in an earthen pot set upon +stones with a few lighted twigs thrust under it for fire. When it is +eaten with nature's forks--the fingers--with a relish of raw fish, +it is the chief article of diet. + +House-cleaning is one thing that I never saw in practice or evidence. I +took a supply of lye with me and it was a huge joke to see the natives +use it in cleaning the floors. + +The windows are made of oyster shells which are thin and flat; +these cut in three-inch squares make a window peculiarly adapted to +withstand the heavy storms and earthquakes; it transmits a pleasant +opalescent light. + +Coffee is raised, but not widely used by the natives; they prefer +chocolate. + +After many unsuccessful attempts, I gave up trying to have my dishes +washed in my way; I soon discovered that the servants used the tea +towels on their bodies. This convinced me, and I let them wash mine +as they did their own, by pouring water on each dish separately, +rinsing and setting to dry on the porch in the sun, the only place +where the vermin would not crawl over them. + +The irons used for pressing clothes are like a smooth, round-bottomed +skillet, the inside is filled with lighted sticks and embers. The +operator, who sits on the floor, passes this smoking mass over the +thing to be pressed. The article, when finished, looks as if it had +been sat upon. + +One Palm Sunday I visited five different churches in all of which +were palms in profusion, woven into almost innumerable forms; fishes, +birds in and out of cages, trees, fruits, flowers, crosses, crowns, +sceptres, mitres, and saints' emblems. The cathedral at Arevalo looked +like a huge garden, but, in one second after it had been discovered +that a white woman and an American officer were present, the entire +congregation, rising, turned to look at us; it seemed as if a whirlwind +were sweeping the palms, so nervous were the hands that held them. + +After the service, the crowd came out and vanished immediately, +fear of an attack having overcome their curiosity. + +Nearly all the little children are naked. One day I saw a little +fellow about three years old who was suffering severely with the +smallpox. He was smoking a huge cigar of the kind the natives make by +rolling the natural tobacco leaf and tying it with a bit of bamboo +fibre. He did look ridiculous. A native teacher told me that they +all begin to smoke when about two years old; poor, little, stunted, +starved things, fed on half cooked rice and raw fish. + +Drunkenness is comparatively rare among the natives; the intoxicating +beverage is the "Tuba," which is made about as follows: The flowers +of the cocoanut are cut while still in bud and the sap, or "Beno," +caught in a tube of bamboo; the liquor is gathered daily as we gather +maple sap and fermented by the addition of a piece of wood, which +also imparts a slight color. The product of this fermentation is an +insidious stimulant. I never tasted it, but one poor soldier told +me his sad experience and that sufficed. After a particularly hard +march, his company came to a halt in a village; he asked for water, +but could get only this innocent looking "Beno;" he took one tiny +glass; it tasted like cologne water; his thirst not being quenched, +he took a second and a third glass, after which he proceeded to make +a howling mob of himself. This, since it happened in the face of the +enemy, with momentary expectation of attack, was a serious offence +enough, but coupled with the fact that he was "on guard" at the time, +entailed punishments, the rigor of which, can be guessed only by +those familiar with army discipline. + +Once a party of officers and men were going from one island to another, +carrying money and food for the soldiers. It was found, after starting, +that they were not so heavily guarded as they should be, in view of +the fact that they would be exposed to attack when in the narrow +channels between the islands. At one point where they were hemmed +in, not only by the islands, but by a number of sailing crafts, the +Captain, a Filipino, very seriously asked the Paymaster if he had +plenty of fire arms; his reply was, "Oh, muchee fusile," meaning, +"Oh, very much fire arms." To add to the horror of the situation +they were becalmed. The Captain became very much alarmed and the +soldiers more so. Strange to relate, there came a gale of wind that +not only blew them out into a wider channel beyond the reach of their +insurrecto friends, but put them well on their way. This was told me +as being almost like a miracle. No one can ever realize until they +have been caught in one of these terrific gales what their severity +is. I remember one blast that tore my hair down and swept away every +article of loose clothing, also some things that I had just purchased; +I never saw them again. It would not occur to the natives to return +anything that they found, even if they knew that they never could use +it; they all professed friendship to my face, and were constantly +begging for any little article that I might have, but they never +returned anything they saw me drop or that had been blown away. + +We had, at one time, a peace society formed, there was an attendance +of all the women of Jaro, some from Iloilo, and the President was +chosen from Molo. I took pleasure in joining this society for the +maintenance of peace and fraternal feeling with the Filipinos. + +One day I thought it my duty to call upon the President of the +new peace commission. She lived in the town of Molo. I invited a +native woman to accompany me, and secured a guard of soldiers and an +interpreter. Such a commotion as the visit created. The interpreter +explained that I had called to pay my respects, as I was the only +American woman who had joined the peace society. The President +was pale with fright at my coming, though I had with me a woman +whom she knew very well. After she had recovered from the shock, +we had a very agreeable time. She called in some of her family; one +daughter played well on the piano, a large grand, and another played +upon the violin. In the meantime refreshments were served in lavish +profusion. They offered me very handsome cloths and embroideries, +which I declined with thanks. It is a common custom to make presents. + +I had agreed with this Filipino friend to exchange views on points of +etiquette and social manners. She told me that I had committed quite +a breach of propriety in allowing the interpreter, who was a soldier, +to ride on the front seat of the carriage; that it would become known +everywhere that she and I actually had a man ride with us. It is not +customary for even husbands and wives to drive together. My criticism +was, "We do not like the manner of your ladies expectorating. In +America we consider it a very filthy and offensive habit." She was +quite surprised that we were so very particular and asked me if we +chewed the spittle. + +A large cathedral was situated just across the street, a circumstance +that enabled me to witness many ceremonies of the Roman church, of +whose existence I had no previous knowledge; daily services were held, +and all the Saints' days were observed. On festivals of especial +importance there were very gorgeous processions. The principal +features were the bands of music, the choir, acolytes, priests, and +rich people,--the poor have no place--all arrayed in purple and fine +linen; gold, silver, pearls, and rare jewels sparkled in the sun by +day, or, at night, in the light of the candles and torches carried +by thousands of men, women and children. + +It was a trying experience to be awakened from sound sleep by the +firing of guns. It was necessary to be always armed and ready to +receive the "peaceful people." (We read daily in the American papers +that all danger was over.) + +A characteristic feature of each town is a plaza at its center, and +here the people have shrines or places of worship at the corners, +the wealthier people, only, having them in their homes. + +Smallpox is a disease of such common occurrence that the natives +have no dread of it; the mortality from this one cause alone is +appalling. This brings to mind the funeral ceremony, which, since the +natives are all Catholics, is always performed by the padre or priest. + +In red, pink, or otherwise gayly decorated coffin, the corpse, +which is often exposed to view and sometimes covered with cheap +paper flowers, bits of lace and jewelry, is taken to the church, +where there are already as many as five or six bodies at a time +awaiting the arrival of the priest to say prayers and sprinkle holy +water upon them. If the family of the deceased is too poor to buy or +rent a coffin, the body is wrapped in a coarse mat, slung on a pole, +and carried to the outer door of the church, to have a little water +sprinkled thereon or service said over it. If the families are unable +to rent a spot of earth in the cemetery, their dead are dumped into a +pile and left to decay and bleach upon the surface. In contrast with +this brutal neglect of the poor, is the lavish expenditure of the +rich. The daughter of one of the wealthy residents having died, the +body was placed in a casket elaborately trimmed with blue satin, the +catafalque also was covered with blue satin and trimmed with ruffles +of satin and lace. In the funeral procession, the coffin was carried +on the shoulders of several young men, while at the sides walked young +ladies, each dressed in a blue satin gown with a long train and white +veil, and each lavishly decorated with precious jewels. They held long, +blue satin ribbons fastened to the casket. At the door of the church +the casket was taken in charge by three priests, attended by thirty +or forty choir boys, acolytes, and others, and placed upon a black +pedestal about thirty feet high and completely surrounded by hundreds +of candles, many of which were held in gilded figures of cherubim; +the whole was surmounted by a flambeau made by immersing cotton in +alcohol. The general effect was of a huge burning pile. Incense was +burned every where in and about the edifice, which was elaborately +decorated with satin festoons, palms, artificial flowers, emblems +wrought in beads, all in profusion and arranged with native taste. All +this, with the intonation of the priests, the chanting of the choir, +and the blaring of three bands, made a weird and impressive scene +never to be forgotten. After the ceremony, which lasted about an +hour, the body was taken to the cemetery, and, as it was by this +time quite dark, each person in the procession carried a torch or +candle. I noticed quite a number of Chinese among the following, +evidently friends, and these were arrayed in as gorgeous apparel as +the natives. The remains having been disposed of, there was a grand +reception given in the evening in honor of the deceased. + +It is customary to have a dance every Sunday evening, and each woman +has a chair in which she sits while not dancing. The priests not only +attend, but participate most heartily. + +I was told that among the papers captured in Manila was a document +which proved to be the last bull issued by the Pope to the King of +Spain (1895 or 96). This was an agreement between the Pope and the +King, whereby the former conveys to the latter the right to authorize +the sale of indulgences. The King, in turn, sold this right to the +padres and friars in the islands. Absolution from a lie cost the +sinner six pesos, or three dollars in gold; other sins in proportion to +their enormity and the financial ability of the offender. The annual +income of the King of Spain from this system has been estimated at +the modest figure of ten millions. + +The discovery of this and other documents is due to a party of +interpreters who became greatly fascinated by the unearthing +process. In the same church in which these were found, the men +investigated the gambling tables and found them controlled and +manipulated from the room below by means of traps, tubes, and other +appliances. An interesting fact in this connection is that one of +the interpreters was himself a Romanist, and loath to believe his +eyes, but the evidence was convincing, and he was forced to admit +it. Gambling is a national custom, deeply rooted. + +I shall never forget the joy I experienced when we got two milch +cows. What visions of milk, cream, and butter,--fresh butter, not +canned; then, too, to see the natives milk was truly a diversion; +they went at it from the wrong side, stood at as great a distance +as the length of arms permitted, and in a few seconds were through, +having obtained for their trouble about a pint of milk--an excellent +milk-man's fluid--a blue and chalky mixture. + +One day I heard what seemed to be a cry of distress, half human in +entreaty, and I rushed to see what could be the matter. There, on its +back, was a goat being milked; there were four boys, each holding a +leg, while the fifth one milked upward into a cocoanut shell. It was +a ludicrous sight. + +One of their dainties is cooked grasshoppers, which are sold by the +bushel in the markets. I cannot recommend this dish, for I never +was able to summon sufficient courage to test it, but I should think +it would be as delectable as the myriad little dried fish which are +eaten with garlic as a garnish and flavor. + +The poor little horses are half starved and otherwise maltreated by +the natives, who haven't the least idea of how to manage them. They +beat them to make them go, then pull up sharply on the reins which +whirls them round and round or plunges them right and left, often +into the ditches beside the road. It was no uncommon sight to see +officers or men getting out of their quielas to push and pull to get +the animal started, only to have the driver whip and jerk as before. + +Some of the natives bought the American horses and it was painful to +see them try to make our noble steeds submit to methods a la Filipino. + +Beggars by the thousand were everywhere, blind, lame, and deformed; +homeless, they wandered from town to town to beg, especially on +market days. One blind woman, who lived on the road from Iloilo to +Jaro, had collected seventy-five "mex," only to have it stolen by +her sister. Complaint was made to the military commander, but it was +found that the money had been spent and that there was no redress to +be had. She must continue to beg while her sister lived hard by in +the new "shack" which she had built with the stolen "denaro" (money). + +About three miles from Jaro was quite a leper colony, shunned, +of course, by the natives. During confession, the lepers kneeled +several rods away from the priests. I saw one poor woman whose feet +were entirely gone lashed to a board so she could drag herself along +by the aid of her hands, which had not yet begun to decay. + +There were no visible means of caring for the sick and afflicted; the +insane were kept in stocks or chained to trees, and the U. S. hospitals +were so overtaxed by the demands made upon them by our own soldiers +that little space or attention could be spared to the natives. Charity +begins at home. + +God bless the dear women who nursed our sick soldiers; it was my +pleasure to know quite intimately several of these girls who have +made many a poor boy more comfortable. I am proud, too, of our +U. S. Army; of course not all of the men were of the Sunday School +order, but under such great discomforts, in such deadly perils, and +among such treacherous people, nothing more can be expected of mortal +men than they rendered. Many poor boys trusted these natives to their +sorrow. They accepted hospitality and their death was planned right +before their eyes, they, of course, not understanding the language +sufficiently to comprehend what was intended. They paid the penalty +of their trust with their lives. + +On Decoration Day we were able to make beautiful wreaths and +crosses. Our soldiers marched to the cemeteries and placed the +flowers on the graves of the brave boys who had given their lives in +defence of the flag. I had the pleasure of representing the mothers, +whose spiritual presence was, I felt sure, with those far-away loved +ones. An officer has written me that Memorial Day was again observed +this year, and I am sure it was done fittingly. + +A Protestant mission was established at Jaro, in a bamboo chapel, +pure bamboo throughout, roof, walls, windows, seats, floor. The seats, +however, were seldom used, for the natives prefer to squat on the +floor. The congregation consisted of men, women, and children, many +of whom came on foot from a distance of twenty or more miles, the +older people scantily clad, and the children entirely naked; a more +attentive audience would be hard to find, as all were eager to get the +"cheap religion." None of the inhabitants of Jaro attend, as yet; +they fear to do so, since they are under the strict surveillance +of the padre, and are in the shadow of the seminary for priests, +the educational center of the island of Panay. + +The Protestant minister is a graduate of this institution and is +subject to all imaginable abuses and insults. Under his teachings, +a great many have been baptized, who seemed devoutly in earnest; it +is inspiring to hear them sing with great zeal the familiar hymns, +"Rock of Ages," "Safe in the Arms of Jesus," etc. One incident +will suffice to illustrate the intense and determined opposition to +Protestantism. One of the native teachers was warned not to return +to his home, but, in defiance of all threats, he did so, and was +murdered before the eyes of his family. I shall expect to hear that +many other missionaries have been disposed of in a similar manner, +after the withdrawal of the American troops. + +Many ask my opinion as to the value of these possessions; to me they +seem rich beyond all estimate. A friend whom I met there, a man who +has seen practically the whole world, said that, for climate and +possibilities, he knew of no country to compare with the Philippines. + +The young generation is greedy for knowledge and anxious to progress, +though the older people do not take kindly to innovations, but cling +to their old superstitions and cruelties. God grant the better day +may come soon. + +There was quite an ambition among the natives to be musical; +they picked up quickly, "by ear," some of the catchy things our +band played. When I heard them playing "A Hot Time in the Old Town +To-night," on their way to the cemetery, I could not restrain my +laughter, and if the deceased were of the order of Katapunan the +prophecy was fulfilled. Officers informed me that this society was +probably the worst one ever organized, more deadly than anarchists +ever were. It was originated by the Masons, but the priests acquired +control of it and made it a menace to law and order. I should not +have escaped with my life had it not been for one of the best friends +I have ever known, a "mestizo," part Spanish and part Filipino. She +undoubtedly saved my life by declaring that before anything was done +to me she and her husband must be sacrificed. "Greater love hath no +man than this." They were influential people throughout the islands, +and nothing occurred. + + + + + + +ISLANDS CEBU AND ROMBLOM. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR. + + +The various islands seemed to have their own peculiarities. Cebu is +famous for vast quantities of Manila hemp; also for shell spoons; +these are beautiful, of various sizes, and colors, according to the +shell they are cut from. They are especially appropriate in serving +fish. The abaka-cloth of this island is the finest made, and its pearl +fisheries are valuable. In 1901 a lively insurrection was going on in +Cebu. The banks of the bay were lined with refugees who had come from +the inland to be protected from their enemies. There were hundreds +of them, but not a single cooking utensil amongst them. Some would +go up to the market place and buy a penny's worth of rice skillfully +put up in a woven piece of bamboo. And lucky for them if they had +the penny. The rest spent their time fishing. + +The cathedral of Cebu, built of stone, is especially fine. It has for +its Patron Saint, a babe, Santa Nina. The story is that at one time +there were a great many babies stricken with a malady; the parents +vowed if the Holy Mother would spare their children they would build +this cathedral. + +One of the largest prisons is at Cebu. We were shown many of the +dungeons; there were then confined within those walls many very +bad Insurrectos. + +As we were eager to visit one of the large estates, we were given a +heavy guard and went inland about two miles from the port; it was +certainly a fine plantation, much better kept than any I had ever +seen before. We were apparently cordially received, and were assured +if we would only stay we could partake of some of the family pig, +that was even then wandering around in the best room in the house. + +The floor of the large reception room was polished as perfectly as a +piano top; its boards were at least eighteen inches wide and sixteen to +twenty feet long. I asked several persons the name of this beautiful +place, but could not find out. On the sideboard were quantities of +fine china and silver that had been received only a few days before +from Spain, there was a large grand piano, and there were eight or +ten chairs in the center of the room forming a hollow square. Here +we were seated and were offered refreshments of wine, cigars and +"dulce." While this place seemed isolated it was not more than ten +minutes before we had a gathering of several hundred natives, indeed +our visit was shortened by the fear that we might be outnumbered and +captured, and so we hastened back to quarters. + +While all the islands are tropical in appearance, Cebu is pre-eminently +luxuriant. We were sorry not to stay longer and learn more of its +people and its industries. + +Romblom is considered by many the most picturesque of the islands. The +entrance is certainly beautiful; small ships can come up to the +dock. The town itself is on the banks of a wonderful stream of water +that has been brought down from the hills above. There is a finely +constructed aqueduct that must have cost the Spaniards a great deal +of money, even with cheap labor. It is certainly a very delightfully +situated little town. This place is famous for its mats; they are woven +of every conceivable color and texture, and are of all sizes, from +those for a child's bed to those for the side of a house. The edges of +some mats are woven to look like lace, and some like embroidery. They +range in price from fifty cents to fifty dollars. Every one who visits +Romblom is sure to bring away a mat. + +On every island much corn is raised, perhaps for export; certainly +the staple is rice. Quite a number of young men who were officers in +our volunteer regiments, have located on the island of Guimeras, and +I have no doubt that, with their New England thrift, they will be able +to secure magnificent crops. The soil is amazingly rich; under skilled +care it will produce a hundred fold. Many of the islands are so near +to one another that it is an easy matter to pass from island to island. + + + + + + +LITERATURE. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE. + + +In no house of any town, on any island, nor in the very best houses +of the so-called very best families, did I ever see any books, +newspapers, magazines, periodicals of any kind whatever. One woman +triumphantly took out of a box a book, nicely folded up in wax paper, +a history of the United States, printed in 1840. In a lower room of a +large house, once a convent, but now occupied by two or three priests, +there were perhaps four or five hundred books written in Spanish and +Latin on church matters. One reason for the dearth of books is the +difficulty of protecting them from the ravages of the ants. We found +to our horror that our books were devoured by them. And then the times +were troublous and things were out of joint. In the large seminary at +Molo, where hundreds of girls are taught every year, I did not see a +single book of any kind or any printed matter, except a few pamphlets +concerning the Roman church. The girls work on embroideries, and surely +for fineness they surpass all others. They do the most cobweb-like +drawn work, and on this are wrought roses, lilies, and butterflies +with outspread wings that look as if they had just lighted down to sip +the nectar from the blossoms; these very fine embroideries are done +on the pina cloth. It is no wonder that the people would get even the +advertisements on our canned goods and ask any American whom they met +what the letters were and what the words meant. Our empty cans with +tomato, pear, peach labels were to them precious things. Whereever +our soldiers were, the adults and the children crowded around them +and impromptu classes were formed to spell out all the American words +they could find; even the newspaper wrappers and the letter envelopes, +that were thrown away, were carefully picked up so as to glean the +meaning of these "Americano" words. There was near our quarters a very +large building that was used for the education of boys; one can form +some idea of the size of this building when two or three regiments +were encamped there with all their equipments. + +There may have been books here, once, but nothing was left when our +troops occupied it except a few pictures on the walls, a few tables +and desks, a few chairs and sleeping mats. + +There was a little story in connection with the bell tower on one +side of the plaza in Jaro; this tower was about eighty feet high, +had a roof and niches for seven or eight good sounding bells. From +the top of this tower one could see many miles in every direction; +when the Philippine army fled from the town they immediately thought +our soldiers might ascend the tower and watch their course, so +they burned the staircases. Alas for the little children who had +taken refuge in the tower! As the flames swept up the stairways, +they fled before them; two of them actually clung to the clapper of +one great bell, and there they hung until its frame was burned away +and the poor little things fell with the falling bell. Their remains +were found later by our soldiers, the small hands still faithful +to their hold. The bells were in time replaced and doubtless still +chime out the hours of the day. It is the duty of one man to attend +to the bells; the greater the festival day the oftener and longer +they ring. When they rang a special peal for some special service, +I tried to attend. One day there was an unusual amount of commotion +and clanging, so I determined to go over to the service. Hundreds of +natives had gathered together. To my surprise, six natives came in +bearing on their shoulders a bamboo pole; from this pole a hammock +was suspended, in which some one was reclining; but over the entire +person, hammock, and pole, was thrown a thick bamboo net, entirely +concealing all within; it was taken up to the chancel and whoever +was in that hammock was given the sacrament. He was, no doubt, some +eminent civilian or officer, for the vast congregation rose to their +feet when the procession came in and when it passed out. I asked +two or three of the Filipino women, whom I knew well, who it was, +but they professed not to know. They always treated me with respect +when I attended any of their services and placed a chair for me. I +noticed how few carried books to church. I do not believe I ever saw +a dozen books in the hands of worshipers in any of the cathedrals, +and I visited a great many, five on Palm Sunday, 1900. I know from +the children themselves, and from their teachers, that there are +complaints about the size of the books and about the number which +they have to get their lessons from in the new schools. + +There are three American newspapers in Manila, and one American +library. The grand success of the library more than repays all the cost +and trouble of establishing it. One must experience it to know the +joy of getting letters, magazines, papers, and books that come once +or twice a month, only. It really seemed when the precious mail bags +were opened that their treasures were too sacred to be even handled. We +were so hungry and thirsty for news from home, for reading matter in +this bookless country, where even a primer would have been a prize. + +I alternated between passive submission to island laziness, +shiftlessness, slovenliness, dirt, and active assertion of Ohio +vim. Sick of vermin and slime, I would take pail, scrubbing brush +and lye, and fall to; sick of it all, I would get a Summit county +breakfast, old fashioned pan cakes for old times' sake; sick of the +native laundress who cleansed nothing, I would give an Akron rub myself +to my own clothes and have something fit to wear. These attacks of +energy depended somewhat on the temperature, somewhat on exhausted +patience, somewhat on homesickness, but most on dread of revolt and +attack; or of sickening news--not of battle, but of assassination and +mutilation. Whether I worked or rested, I was careful to sit or stand +close to a wall--to guard against a stab in the back. I smile now, +not gaily, at the picture of myself over a washtub, a small dagger +in my belt, a revolver on a stool within easy reach of my steady, +right hand, rubbing briskly while the tears of homesickness rolled +down in uncontrollable floods, but singing, nevertheless, with might +and main:-- + + + "Am I a soldier of the Cross, + A follower of the Lamb? + And shall I fear to own His cause, + Or blush to speak His name? + + "Must I be carried to the skies + On flowery beds of ease, + While others fought to win the prize, + And sailed through bloody seas?" + + +Singing as triumphantly as possible to the last verse and word of +that ringing hymn. My door and windows were set thick with wondering +faces and staring eyes, a Senora washing. These Americans were past +understanding! And that revolver--they shivered as they looked at it, +and not one doubted that it would be vigorously used if needed. And I +looked at them, saying to myself, as I often did, "You poor miserable +creatures, utterly neglected, utterly ignorant and degraded." + +No wonder that the diseased, the deformed, the blind, the one-toed, the +twelve-toed, and monstrous parts and organs are the rule rather than +the exception. These things are true of nine-tenths of this people. + + + + + THE ADVERTISER. + + ILOILO 25th. NOVEMBER 1899. + + EXTRA. + + Reuter's Telegrams. + + + THE TRANSVAAL WAR. + +LONDON 25th. Novr.--The British losses at Belmont are stated at 48 +killed, 146 wounded, and 21 missing. The losses include four Officers +killed and 21 wounded and are chiefly Guardsmen. + +50 Boers were taken prisoner, including the German commandant and +six Field Cornets. + +The British Infantry are said to have behaved splendidly and were +admirably supported by the Artillery and the Naval Brigade, carrying +three Ridges successively. The Victory is a most complete one. It is +stated that the enemy fought with the greatest courage and skill. + + +This Extra was Issued Daily--Eighty-four Mexican Dollars per Year. + + + + + + +THE GORDON SCOUTS. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX. + + +The Gordon Scouts were a detachment made up of volunteers from the +Eighteenth U. S. Infantry. They were under direct command of Captain +W. A. Gordon and Lieutenant A. L. Conger. The captain lost health and +was sent home; thus the troop was, for about a year, under the command +of Lieutenant Conger. It would not be proper for me to tell of the +wonderful expeditions and the heroic deeds of the Gordon Scouts. No +one was more generous in praise of them than General Del Gardo, now +governor of the Island of Panay. He told me often of his great esteem +for my son and of the generous way in which he treated his prisoners +and captives. Surely men were never kinder to a woman than these +scouts were to me; they most affectionately called me Mother Conger +and treated me always with the greatest respect and kindness. I hope +some day the history of this brave band of men will be written, with +its more than romantic campaigns and wonderful exploits, marches, +dangers, and miraculous escapes. Few men were wounded or disabled, +notwithstanding all the tedious marches in most impenetrable swamps +and mountains, with no guide but the stars by night and the sun by +day, and no maps or trusted men to guide them. I recall the bravery +of one man who was shot through the abdomen, and when they stopped to +carry him away he said, "Leave me here; I cannot live, and you may +all be captured or killed." They tenderly placed him in a blanket, +carried him to a place of safety, and, when he died, they brought +him back to Jaro and buried him with military honors. He was the only +man killed in all the months of their arduous tasks. + +If I have any courage I owe it to my grandmother. I will perhaps +be pardoned if I say that all my girlhood life was spent with my +Grandmother Bronson, a very small woman, weighing less than ninety +pounds, small featured, always quaintly dressed in the old-fashioned +Levantine silk with two breadths only in the skirt, a crossed silk +handkerchief with a small white one folded neatly across her breast, +a black silk apron, dainty cap made of sheer linen lawn with full +ruffles. She it was who entered into all my child life and who used to +tell me of her early pioneer days, and of her wonderful experiences +with the Indians. In the War of 1812, fearing for his little family, +my grandfather started her back to Connecticut on horse back with +her four little children, the youngest, my father, only six months +old. The two older children walked part of the way; whoever rode +had to carry the baby and the next smallest child rode on a pillion +that was tied to the saddle. In this way she accomplished the long +journey from Cleveland, Ohio, to Connecticut. When she used to tell +me of the wonderful things that happened on this tedious journey, +that took weeks and weeks to accomplish, I used to wonder if I should +ever take so long a trip. I take pleasure in presenting the dearly +loved grandmother of eighty-one and the little girl of ten. + +While my dear little grandmother dreaded the Indians, I did the +treacherous Filipinos; while she dreaded the wolves, bears and wild +beasts, I did the stab of the ever ready bolo and stealthy natives, +and the prospect of fire; she endured the pangs of hunger, so did I; +and I now feel that I am worthy to be her descendant and to sit by +her side. + + + + + + +TRIALS OF GETTING HOME. + +CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN. + + +The first stages of my return home were from Iloilo to Manila, +and thence to Nagasaki, the chief port of Japan. Upon leaving +Iloilo for Manila, my son accompanied me as far as Manila; he heard +incidentally that he was to be made a staff officer; as I procured +quick transportation as far as Nagasaki, I told him to return to +his duties and I would get along some way. Upon reaching Nagasaki, +the difficulties began. I went immediately to the various offices of +steamship lines and found there was no passage of any grade to be +had. Many were fleeing from the various ports to get away from the +plague and all steamers were crowded because of the reduced rates +to the Pan-American Fair. Thinking I might have a better chance from +Yokohama, I took passage up there on the North German Lloyd line. I +had a splendid state-room, fine service, the best of everything. I +told the purser I should like to engage that same state-room back to +Liverpool; he replied he could not take me, that I would not live to +get there. I assured him that I was a good sailor, that I was very +much emaciated with my long stay in the Philippines, that I would soon +recover with his good food and the sea air; but he refused to take +me. When I reached Yokohama, I immediately began to see if I could not +secure sailing from there; day after day went by, it was the old story, +everything taken. When the Gaelic was returning I told the captain that +I would be willing to take even third cabin at first class rates, but +even thus there were no accommodations. Within an hour of the ship's +sailing, word was brought to me that two women had given up their +cabin and that I might have it; it was two miles out to the ship, +with no sampan--small boat--of any kind to get my baggage out, so I +tearfully saw this ship sail away. I then decided to return to Nagasaki +to try again from that port. The voyage back was by the Empress line of +steamers flying between Vancouver and Yokohama. Upon reaching Nagasaki +again I appealed to the quarter-master to secure transportation; he +said I could not get anything at all. Officers whom I had met in the +Philippines proposed to take me and my baggage on board without the +necessary red tape, in fact to make me a stow-away, but I refused. I +cabled my son in New York to see if I could get a favorable order +from Washington. I cabled Governor Taft, but he was powerless in the +great pressure of our returning troops. In the meantime, I was daily +growing weaker from the excitement and worry of being unable to do +anything at all. The housekeeper of the very well-kept Nagasaki hotel +was especially kind. She gave me very good attention and even the +Chinese boy who took care of my room and brought my meals realized +the desperate condition I was in. One day, with the deepest kind of +solicitude on his otherwise stolid but child-like and bland face, +he said:-- + +"Mrs., you no got husband?" + +"No." + +"You no got all same boys." + +"Yes, I have three nice boys." + +"Why no then you three boys not come and help poor sick mother go +home to die?" + +Captain John E. Weber, of the Thirty-Eighth Volunteers returning +home on transport Logan, insisted upon my taking his state room. The +quarter-master, who had refused me so many times before, thought that +he could not allow it, anything so out of the "general routine of +business;" but Captain Weber said, "On no account will I leave you +here, after all your faithful service in the Philippines to myself, +other officers, and hundreds of boys." I had one of the best state +rooms on the upper deck and received the most kindly attentions from +many on board; the quarter-master had been a personal friend of my +husband in other and happier days. On the homeward way, the ship +took what is known as the northern course; she made no stop between +Nagasaki and San Francisco. We went far enough north to see the coast +of Alaska. We saw many whales and experienced much cold weather. In +my low state of vitality I suffered from the cold, but not from sea +sickness. I did not miss a single meal en route during the twenty-four +sailing days of the ship. They were days of great pleasure. We had +social games and singing, and religious services on Sunday. There were +a great many sick soldiers in the ship's hospital; three dying during +the voyage. On reaching San Francisco the ship was placed in quarantine +the usual number of days, but there was no added delay as there were +on board no cases of infectious disease. Mrs. General Funston was +one of the passengers and was greeted most cordially by the friends +and neighbors of this, her native state. Upon my declaring to the +custom house officers that I had been two years in the Philippines +and had nothing for sale they immediately passed my baggage without +any trouble. My son in New York, to whom I had cabled from Nagasaki, +had never received my message, so there was no one to meet me, but +I was so thankful to be in dear, blessed America that it was joy +enough. No, not enough until I reached my own beloved home. Had it +been possible I would have kissed every blade of grass on its grounds, +and every leaf on its trees. + +I am not ashamed to say that July 10th, the day of my home coming, +I knelt down and kissed with unspeakable gratitude and love its dear +earth and once more thanked God that His hand had led me--led me home. + +"Adious." + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of An Ohio Woman in the Philippines, by +Emily Bronson Conger + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN OHIO WOMAN IN THE PHILIPPINES *** + +***** This file should be named 28580.txt or 28580.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/8/5/8/28580/ + +Produced by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net/ + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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