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AN OLD SPANISH FRIE
-31 If ( 1 EL HE CERVANTES SAA\V UV
ANU HIS t VHEER.
N\ ti a" d What Wa Hf_p 0 / Critlc >
Sold ter. Captive, Gov*rnir nt p nr-
Olia.er. Tax CoUectoi /amatlat,
KovelUt.f opytst.
From the Philadelphr L * <, S er .
•ji .oh as the America! 1 respect the
brave Admiral Cervera, # re is a Span
iard who outranks hint" popularity.
Neither war nor diploii/V can dislodge
Cervantes from his ol<edestal. When
Spain failed to see in/'Don Quixote”
more than a Jest book/e educated mind
of England saw the if greatness of the
nov , i. It was, in lan / measure, English
appreciation, which ]|Ms down the preju
dice of the Spanish /erary coterie, which
hat'd Cervantes live an d warred on him
dead. The event d our war, a struggle
in which Spanish Ansels have fared as
l atlly as the Dor/vhen he charged the
windmills, may \fS ab°u' a deeper in
t, r. I jn the ma.dr mind of Spanish lit
erature, in pevhas the noblest spirit the
literary professi > ever numbered in Us
ranks.
Miguel de Cet tntes (the name Saave
dra being added fter his return from Al
■ giers) was born in Alcala de Henares in
].U7. Like Hor ;r, seven cities claimed
the honor of hisbirth His father, Rodri
go de Cervantes! and his mother, Leonor
de Cortinas, weii of >ld families of wan
ing fortunes. Algud was the youngest
of four children. Hs brother, Rodrigo,
became a noted sailcl and one of his sis
ters became a nun. Whether Miguel ever
went to one of the Raffish universities is
disputed, but he cerlinly won the affec
tion of a schoolmasfT, who delighted in
his boyish verses, n boyhood he made
theatrical acquaintiices and formed the
ambition to be a grfit dramatist, in which
he never succeeded He was a devoted
reader of the fanUstic Spanish romances
which his noblest book satirizes. From
the very little kpwn of his youth he
seems to have beiy a bright lad, more in
. lined to general leading than to regular
habits of study. lo one ever ranked him
among seholars, aid yet scholars of every
nation count him ilfairly read man. When
scarcely past 21 he found a place in the
household of Cardirttl Acquaviva, a young
prelate with a greal fondness for literary
society. Cardinal Acjuaviva took Cervan
tes with him to Rene, but the diplomatic
career of Miguel was brief.
Spain, Venice and tome were forming a
hoiy league against Ihe Suitan, and Cer
vanles enlisted as a private in a famous
regiment, composed wholly of recruits from
noble or gentle familirs. A year of tire
some delay at Naples chafed his spirit,
and his romantic dreams were rudely
awakened by the fact hat some Christian
powers were secretly helping the Turk.
Spain and Venice wrajgled incessantly. At
last, however, Don Jihn of Austria, put
to sea with a mighty 4eet, and in October,
1571. defeated the Tuiks at Lepanto. Cer
vantes left a sick bedfor the deck, receiv
ed three wounds in tie breast and had his
left hand shattered. He did not lose his
left arm, as is so eften staled; but his
wounds were seriovs. and painful. Owing
to discord among tie Christians and unity
among the Turks, I/epanto, though a vic
tory, was almost barren of results. Cer
vantes saw more Ighting and won hand
some letters from many commanders, in
eluding Don John himself. After years of
hard service, he started for home, with a
natural hope that these letters would en
sure liis promotion. The galley El Sol was
attacked by three Algerine cruisers, and
after a hard tight the Spaniards were oblig
ed to yield. Rodrigo and Miguel Cervantes
were now prisoners. Miguel fell into the
hands of a Greek renegade, who seized the
letters and concluded that their owner must
be a prize for whom he might demand an
enormous ransom. The young soldier, who
had been dreaming of promotion, was soon
a fettered captive in Algiers.
Now comes the most heroic period of
Cervante’s life. The barest facts surpass
the wildest page of romance. Algiers was
thm what might be called a bull market
for Christian slaves. There was st demand
for skilled labor, especially on ships and in
dockyards. Vessels, generally commanded
by Christian renegades, sailed from Algiers
to make prizes. The captives, if laborers,
wet. put to work; if merchants or nobles,
were held for ransom. According to Fa
ther Haldo, a high authority on Algiers,
one-third of the population in 1576 were
renegades. According to general report,
these apostates were far more cruel than
native-born Turks. Prisoners of high rank
w. re often treated fairly well,because dead
m< n were not likely to be ransomed.
I.i-san Pasha, viceroy of Algiers, was
a Venetian renegade, who impaled cap
tiv.s for trifling offenses and cut off noses
or ears out of pure cruelty. Yet this mon
ster never struck Cervantes, or even in
sulted him. Time after time, Cervantes
I mned escape for himself and friends.
Some detail always miscarried or some
nil. played the traitor; but nothing daunt
' i the hold spirit. Cervantes would con
i'- himself to be the ringleader, and re
fu-i to name his confederates. Once he
stood with his neck in the halter, and lis
ten. .I unmoved to threats of torture.
Another time he was sentenced to re
>• iv,. 2,000 blows, but not a blow was ad
ministered. Never had Barbary known so
troublesome a prisoner. A carefully
1' 'tined uprising of Christians, with an at
-1,1 from the Spanish fleet, was one of
Cervantes! pet schemes. Charles the
1 ilih would have aided such a movement,
h.ii .here w r as nothing heroic about Philip
1 10 Second, and the plan failed. Cervantes
1 °u with new plans, and in some way
1 < and the bitter hatred of Blanco de Paz,
a 1 'ominican monk, who exposed his plots,
v dn Cervantes was threatened with
d' i.i, but the affair only ended in a
i-iri' l r capilvitjf. Rodrigo de Cervantes
I i>een ransomed long ago, and Miguel
v i occasionally cheered by hearing that
friends wore trying to buy his liberty.
Among Christians. Moors and even rene
• his dauntless courage, his loyalty
ills race and religion, his unfailing good
h unor won him friends. He did not write
Den Quixote in Algiers.
_ i' l List (lie time of freedom came.
”hili,> the Second began to prepare for an
hb i 'ii <,n Portugal, and the Algerians
'• i' and ho would conquer them. The price
0 v avts feli, and the bears urged, "sell,
i '}, <>n , CC ' af we will lose ail our cap
- lYrvantes’ father was dead, but
mother and sister begged and lor
ransom money, which they placed
■ •ie hands of Father Juan Gil, one of
••• noblest priests that ever stood at a
banish altar. On reaching Algiers, the
•"i priest offered the ransom, but Has-
Ra-ha re-fused it, and prepared to
in ’ y ! ’is slave to Constantinople. Cer
‘,lUs was chained and on board ship
-'•■l Father Gil managed lo raise the
," "i sum. The captivity had lasted
' w ars, less one week, and It was many
■' l,y btdo re Cervantes could pay back
aorrowed money, which had secured
h's freedom.
' '"her Gil was a friend of the truest
® . "Pb est type. Blanco do Paz cirenlat
' siimde rs about the man whom he had
'W to send to the gallows. Father Gil
made n 3 lornI orn \ al court of inquiry, and
, r,< - 1 bring his charges. Captive
i , Clj ’ ,lve swore that Cervantes was
111 W generous and devoted. As
u, letters of friendship had nearly ruined
'.iv.iieH. ttle mall °e °f an enemy
irliieh i OU ‘' a mass of -sworn testimony
in is still preserved, and which gave
him a reputation few prisoners have ever
won.
In our day a lecturer has told of the
"Bright Side of Libby Prison.’ The nov
els and plays of Cervafites show a liking
for the brave and kindly souls among the
Turks, it was said that no other Spaniard
of that time would admit that virtues
could bo found among Portuguese, Moors
or Englishmen. Cervantes could And
praise for all three.
Re-enlisting as a private, Cervantes saw
more fighting. He was in Portugal for
some time, and in Lisbon his illegitimate
daughter, Isabel, was bom. For a short
lime he held a civil office. Then followed
a struggle for literary employments. In
1584 Cervantes married a lady with a small
property. The next year he moved to
Madrid. His 'Wife, his daughter, his wid
owed sister and her daughter all had to be
maintained, but the women seem to have
been industrious and earned maney a du
cat as dressmakers. Cervantes worked
hard as a dramatist and produced twenty
or thirty plays, of which he modestly
states that the actors were not hissed or
pelted with cucumbers. This is damn
ing with faint praise, and, as Scott gave
up writing poetry in the face of Byron.
Cervantes slowly yielded the stage to
Lope de Vega. Leaving Madrid for Se
ville. Cervantes began to purchase stores
of oil and grain for the fleet. He begged
the King for a place in the American
colonies, but failed to obtain it. Asa
tax collector he was too confident in his
subordinates, and had to make good their
shortages. Once he had to pay 7,400
reals, his salary as tux collector being
3,000 reals per annum. For three months
he was in jail, and his life was one of
chronic poverty. He was glad to copy
a legal document, and it was a bright day
when he won three silver spoons as a
prize for the best poem on St. Jacinto.
If Cervantes had to fight Moors in his
youth, he had many a fierce literary bat
tle in after years. Few readers of to-day
care how the Yorkshire school masters
vowed vengeance on the author of “Nich
olas Nickleby,” or how the ultra-partisans
of the Covenanters fell tooth and nail on
"Old Mortality.” Still fewer care about
the savage attacks on "Don Quixote” in
the days of its infancy. Cervantes was
called stupid, illogical, ignorant, unpa
triotic and irreligious. He might have felt
the displeasure of the Inquisition, but for
the friendship of Archbishop Sandoval, a
kindly and broad minded prelate. Shortly
before his death Cervantes was received
into a religious order. This insured him a
decent burial. One is tempted to say of
such a man that, if he died poor, he made
many rich, and that, if he had nothing,
yet he possessed all things. In his mighty
novel one finds a purity few old books can
rival. No man drew an evil thought from
"Don Quixote.”
Many have laughed over later stories
without thinking how the Don and Sancho
Panza set the fashion of linking to a hero
a somewhat grotesque companion. In
“Fielding,” Tom Jones would lose a great
deal were it not for the gossip of Par
tridge. Smollett’s Roderick Random owes
much to Hugh Strap. Wamba is placed
by Scott at Coeur-de-Lion's side, while
Cuddie Headrigg shares the journeys of
Morton. Miss Edgeworth yokes the ro
mantic Angelina with the prosaic Betty
Williams. The best remarks of Mr. Mid
shipman Easy are addressed to the faith
ful Mesty. Neither on his travels nor in
the Fleet prison could Mr. Pickwick lose
the inimitable Sam Weller. In many a
rich chapter of modern fiction the shadow
of the immortal Spaniard falls across the
page.
A DESCENDANT OF SOLOMON.
King; Menelekis Fantastic Claims
and Traditions Relntlng to Them.
From the London Globe.
The strong probability that Menelek, Em
peror of Abyssinia, will visit Jerusalem in
1900 raises anew the fascinating problem
of the real or mythical descent of the Abys
sinian royal house from Maqueda, Queen
of Sheba, and Solomon, the mighty Jewish
potentate. The Abyssintans firmly believe
and steadfastly adhere to both legends, if
legends they be, which most Churchmen
maintain is the case. With all due respect
to clerical judgment, however, the matter
seems to be enveloped in much obscurity,
for it cannot be said that the arguments
against the Abyssinian theory possess any
thing approaching to the finahiy which
their advocates would have us understand.
Notwithstanding the fact that the visit
of Maqueda (or Makaile, as she is some
times callelTy Queen of Sheba, to Solomon
took place three thousand years ago, it
was, strange to say, only as recently as
the beginning of the sixteenth century that
a definite statement put in concrete form
of the Abyssinian reiigious end historical
records reached Western Europe. This may
partly be explained by the comparative
obscurity which has ever reigned over the
land of Ethiopia (Abyssinia, as it is now
called, is a Portuguese corruption of Hab
essiriia, the name given to Ethiopia by the
Arabs); but more especially by the Ma
hometan conquest of Egypt In the seventh
century, which forced the Abyssinians to
take refuge among their sombre, inaccessi
ble and fantastic mountain ranges, and
to disappear within these rugged fastness
es for marly a thousand years, as Gibbon
puts it, "forgetful of the world, by whom
they were forgotten." It was due to the
enterprising and enlightened genius of
King John V of Portugal that Abyssinia
emerged once more from the blackness of
night which had encompassed her for so
many centuries.
At the end of the fifteenth century Por
tuguese adventurers on the West coast of
Africa heard rumors of a powerful Chris
tian ruler in the far interior. The "word”
had been brought to Candace, Queen of
Ethiopia, through Philip's instrumentality
in A. D. 34, and Christianity was really in
troduced into Abyssinia about 330 A. D.
by Frumentius, consecrated first Bishop of
Abyssinia by St. Athanasius of Alexan
dria. Such was "Prester” John's influence
(the Abyssinian King at that time) that
the fame ot him had actually penetrated
beyond the torrent of Mahometan invasion
which was still sweeping over Central Af
rica; had gained the sluggish and as yet
untouched western beli of Paganism; had
pierced through tile, grogs fetichism of the
swamp-dwellers, and had finally reached
the Christians on the coast! A stupendous
thing when one considers that the news
could only have been conveyed by word of
mouth, and an object-lesson in the migra
tory propensities of African races. To Pe
dro de Coviiliana belongs the credit of be
ing the first West, rn European to have
set foot on Abyssinian soil. Unfortunately,
his records have been lost, and it is to
Father Alvarez, who followed nearly fifty
years later (152 u) that we are indebted for
the earlii-st authentic information about
Abyssinia and its traditions. The informa
tion he brought back with him is of un
surpassed interest. That part of his pub
lished records which deals with the sub
ject of ihts article had best Ire given in his
own words.
“We stayed," says Father Alvarez, “in
Aquaxurno (probably Arum) for eight
months. This town was the city, chamber
and abode of the Queen Saba (Sheba Is
designated as a province in old Ethiopian
maps), who took the camels laden with
gold to Solomon when lie was building the
Temple of Jerusalem. There Is in this town
a very nobie church, in which We found a
very great chronicle written in the lan
guage of the country, und it stated in its
commencement how it had been written
first in Hebrew and afterward put into
Greek. and from Greek into
Chaldee, und from Chaldee into the
Abyssinian tongue, in which it now is,
and it begins thus; How the Queen Saba
hearing related the great and rich works
which Solomon had begun in Jerusalem,
she determined to go and eec them, and
she loaded certain camels with gold to
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 1808.
PEACE OFFERINGS.
Like the government, we have some things
on hand we would rather dispose of, and in or
der to do so we have made
SPECIAL FIGURES
for this week. With the return of peace, pros
perity and an advance in prices will be sure to
follow. It is wise, then, to buy now while low
prices prevail.
Yon nre nlnayn mu re of quality lit our ntore, and tlie price* are the
lowcai poftKlhle con*iNtent thut quality.
At Uiln Men .no it of the year we miiMt let go nil Muiitnier atoek, nitl
prices are made accordingly. Tlie buyer will find burßaiii* here.
SPECIAL FIGURES IN LADIES' UNDERWEAR.
75c LADIES’ GOWNS reduced lo 49 cents.
An elegant line of LADIES’ EMPRESS GOWNS, neatly trimmed in lace and
edge, reduced from $1 to 69 cents.
LACE TRIMMED EMI’HKSS GOWNS reduced from $1.25 to *l.
LADIES’ PLAIN SKIRTS at 40c, 50c, 750 and Soc ench.
LADIES' BEAUTIFULLY TRIMMED SKIRTS from 75c to $3.75 each.
CHILDREN’S AND MISSES’ UNDERWEAR from 10c to $1.50 each.
ABSOLUTE COST
W it IB' Slit IBS ■ SIB.
BOYS’ SHIRT WAISTS.
15c, 25c and 50c, reduced from 25c, 35c and 63c.
MENS FANCY SHIRTS.
25 dozen MEN’S FINE FANCY SHIRTS reduced from 75c to 49c each.
25 dozen MEN’S FANCY SHIRTS reduced from $1 to 75c each.
LADIES' BLACK HOSE.
50 dozen LADIES’ FINE BLACK H OSE reduced from 50c a pair to .15c.
50 dozen LADIES’ ABSOLUTELY FAST AND STAINLESS BLACK HOSE
25c; former price 35c.
50 dozen GENTS’ FAST BLACK HA LF HOSE reduced from 35c to 25c a pair.
25 pieces INDIA LINEN 15c; reduced from 25c.
PURE LINEN CAMBRIC reduced from $1 to 75c yard.
100 pieces FRESH CANTON MATTI NG at loc, 22c and 25c a yard. Just 25 per
cent, below regular rales.
DANIEL HOGAN,
The corner Broughton and Barnard Sts.
give for these works, and on arriving
near the city, and being about to cross a
lake which they passed by some bridge,
she dismounted and worshipped the
beams, and said (mark the alleged prop
hecy, uttered 931 B. C.): ‘Please God, my
feet shall not touch the timber on which
the Saviour of the world has to hang’;
and she made a circuit of the lake, and
went to see Soiomon.and induced him to
withdraw those beams from there; and
she came to the works and offered her
gifts, and said; ’These works are not
such as they told me In richness and
beautv, because their beauty and richness
have no equal, so that they are greater
than what was related to me; so much
so that the tongues of men cannot tell
their nobility and richness, and much I
grieve for the small gift which I brought.
I will return to my countries and lord
ships, and I will send whatever abounds,
for the works, of gold and blackwood to
inlay.”
The chronicle—according to Alvarez—
goes on to assert that King Solomon was
smitten with the beauty of his fa,r visitor
She resided some time in Jerusalem, and
bore Solomon a son, called variously Me
limelik (Lurolf), Menilek (La Chatre),
etc. The young man was brought up in
the Jewish court, where he remained until
he was 17, when, having rendered himself
obnoxious to the people—"he outraged the
people of Israel and nil Judea a depu
tation waited upon Solomon and begged
the King to “send him back to his mother,
for we are not able to maintain hi-m. Sol
omon, the chronicle tells us, “sent him
very honorably, giving him the officers
that are usual in a King's household, and
he made the journey to the country of his
mother, where he was a.very great ruler."
"He ruled,” says the chronicle, "from sea
to sea, and had sixty ships in the Indian
sea.” The discoveries of Alvarez were
widely reproduced in Europe, where they
must have created considerable sensation.
Many old English works, published in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries con
tain references to Abyssinia, which could
only have been derived from the writings
of Alvarez, and possibly some other of his
contemporary compatriots. Two different
passages are worth quoting, from a curi
ous old book, entitled “Fardle of Facions
conteining the anciente m iners, customes,
and iawes of the People inhabiting the two
partes of the earth called Affricke and
Asie,” and published in London in 1555.
One passage reads: "The people of Elhi
ope under the goueraunce of Presbiter Iho
(John?) perseauer in Chrlstiane godliness
howbeit after a sort much different fro
ours;” the other reads: "This King Gias
(?) is of the blaud of Dauid continued
from one generation to another by o many
years of successio."
Bruce, who visited Abyssinia in 1770,
200 years after Alvarez and about 140 years
after the expulsion of the Portuguese,
found Axum in ruins. He makes no men
tion of having seen the famous chronicle,
but had evidently heard of it, for he
says, speaking of the small church still
remaining in Axum: "In it are supposed
to be preserved the ark of the covenant,
and the copy of the law which Menilek,
the son of Solomon, is said to have stolen
from his father on his return to Ethiopia;
and they were reckoned as it were the
palladia of the country.”
Of those who came later, Lord Napier,
Hewett, Portal, Wylde, etc., none appear
to have seen or heard of these ancient
writings. After the capture of Magdala
many manuscripts were brought to the
Britsh Museum, but none of them were
oiler than the fifteenth century, and they
thre w no light on the historic tl records
of the country. But this is not to be
wondered it. The jealous and exclusive
priesthood of Abyssinia may be believed
to have taken good care to prevent the
precious relios from failing Into the hands
of the detested invader. Menilek, Ihe
“Lion of Judah,” is the only man who
can clear up a problem so pregnant with
interest to Christendom. la-t us hope that
if lie does visit Jerusalem the world may
hear more of ihe "Sacred Chronicle of
Aquaxurno.”
3IOHMON MISSIONARIES AT WORK.
Tlie ( Millions Way in Which They
Try to Interest Others in Their He-
IlKion.
From the Atlanta Journal.
They walked up a front walk leading
to a boulevard residence u few days ago
—the tall, slim man and the little stout
man with the round face, the former
slightly in advance of Ihe latter. They
stopped at the foot of the Steps leading
to the porch, on which several ladies were
seated, and the tall man doffed his beaver.
The little man followed suit.
“Good morning, ladies," said the tall
man.
‘“Good morning,” said the little man,
"Hope we are not Intruding, ladies,”
said the tail man, after their salutations
had been acknowledged.
"\es,” said the Jitiie man in a quiet
tone.
The ladles noting that the two men were
perfectly solier and had the appearance
of gentlemen, assured them that they
were welcome and invited them to sit
down, while they told their business. The
tall man walked up the steps, followed
by the little man, bowing after the man
ner of Ills companion, 1. t himself down
gently into a nearby <• air and fanned
himself vigorously with his hat.
We have called, ladies," said the (all
man, speaking in modulated tones and
holding his hal between his kneees. "to
tell you n!oul”-
“Mormonism,” said the little man, smil
ing blandly.
“Why, it is not necessary to tell us about
your religion,” replied on. of the ladies:
"we are Catholics, and (here she smiled in
confident manner) are not looking for
any change.”
"Oh, that’s all right," said the tall man.
"We have a number of Cajholic friends,
and we very often visit Catholic churches.
It is a very pretty and comforting religion
—very, indeed.”
“Yes," said the little man.
“We don’t want to convert you to Mor
monism,’' said the tall man. "No.”
“No, indeed," assured the little man.
“Our object in calling to-day is to ex
plain our belief to you,” ventured the tall
man. “Roth the Mormon Church and Its
adherents are very much misunderstood."
“Yes, very,” said his companion, bobbing
his head in a mariner suited to an affirm
ative ejaculation.
The tall man then explained the Mormon
belief to the ladies, telling them that
polygamy is now neither practiced by the
Mormons nor countenanced by the church.
In all that he said or did the tall man.
was seconded by his companion, and they
proved very interesting conversationalists.
After about twenty minutes spent in this
manner, the tall man arose.
"Well,” said he, taking a last sip of the
ice water th at had been furnished him.
"Well,” echoed the little man.
"Yes. we must he leaving," said the
little man to the ladl' s, as if interpreting
the remark made by his companion.
“We are sorry we can’t remain longer,”
came from the tall man.
"We fire, indeed," said his companion.
Side by side they walked to the bottom
of the steps, and there they stopped while
ihe tall man raised his beaver above his
head.
"Good morning, ladles,” he said; ‘‘we
have enjoyed our rest on the porch and
the ice water.”
"Good morning,” said the little man.
“We have, indeed."
After hearing the reply made by the
ladles, the tall man lightly placed his
beaver on his head, the little man fol
lowing suit with his hat, auid the two
walked together up the street.
Wednesday the two elders visited houses
on Forest avenue explaining away the
prejudices against tire ir religion. Thurs
day they were on the boulevard, and ih* y
will visit all the principal residence
Streets in the city.
Mayor Collier was vi-ited by a lady at
his office several day.- ago, who complain
ed that the eiders had been to her home.
She said they did not make themselves
obnoxious, except b> leiling her of Mor
monism. The Mayor told her that the
streets were free, and so long as the eld
ers conformed to the laws of Georgia
and the city ordinances they could not be
molested.
MEDICOS OF MANILA,
Uaaek Doctors Abound In the Pliilip.
pine Capital,
Manila Correspondence MedlcaJ News.
There Is a greater proportion of quack
doctors in the Philippines than in Ameri
ca, and the Chinese disciples or Eseuia
pius have great Influence. They generally
use only vegetable medicaments, and in
the cure of tropical diseases these solemn
looking orientals hav* better success than
their European rivals. They have a
wonderful cure for Ike itch and the other
sk.n diseases so common among the is
landers. On a previous visit to Manila
I mad*.- the acquaintance of one of these
Chinese doctors, and b urned something of
fits method of treating certain diseafcgn,
Though he bus .been to-Europe, he ap
parently knew nothing about surgery, and
his remedies were Very simple, quinine,
opium, mercury, arsenic anl tome t
terlous Chinese drug, the name of vi'" C
1 have forgotten, being his prinA'i’fj l
curative agents, r understood th.it v
never used leeches, although they a* "
very plentiful throughout the
He claimed to have an infallible cure f<? r
pulmonary tuberculosis, which is verY
common here, and he was held in hlglh
esteem by his fellow practitloM rs on ad*
count of the many wonderful cures tha)l
he had effected.
The natives have a remedy for scorpion -
bite which seems to be very efficacious
Those bites cause a sharp, burning pain,
and the part swills and becomes
and white, but a cold application of
crushed garlic relievos the pain almost
instantly and reduces the swelling. The
island abounds in poisonous snakes, which
are a real menace, the bites of several
varieties almost always proving, fatal.
The most common symptoms of sna’ e
bite are profound exhaustion, fever, ami
intermittent pulse, nausea and great ra
pidity of respiration; the sinech is indis
tinct and the pupils dilated. Snake-bite
Is so common in the Philippines ih.it the
American troops, if they come here, ought
to be instructed how to apply ligatures to
a bitten limb, and how to treat the vic
tims of the deadly daghong-palay. From
a consklt ruble experience in this and sim
ilar climates, 1 am inclined to believe
that our troops will suffer much annoy
anee from sore feet, for in the tropics,
especially during the wet season, all
leather shoes shrink badly, while the feel
swell and become very tender. This an
noyance may be obviated 10 a great ex
tent by bathing llie feet frequently, twice
a day !>eing none 100 often, and those
who take the trouble to do this will be
amply repaid in comfort.
Asa rule the native women are very
cleanly, many of them taking exquisite
care of their persons. The younger ones
are pretty and coquettish; they do not
wear Corsets, and in their native cos
tume look very supple, feminine and pic
turesque. There is more than the usual
percentage of Illegitimate children born in
Huzon. One of the principal causes of
this is the old custom of the prospective
bridegroom's serving for a longer or
shorter period in the household of the
bride’s parents, somewhat as Jacob served
for Rachel. The priests do what they
can to discourage these Irregularities,
but with only moderate success. Getting
marries! is ralher an expensive luxury
here, as the government demands a tax
for almost everything, from carrying on
business to cutting down a tree. The
tax on an ordinary carriage amounts to
a sum equal to sl2 a year, or $3 for each
wheel, and the horse-tax Is sl. There Is
a regulation requiring forty days’ forced
labor for the public from each man dur
ing every year; there is also a poll tax,
an income tax, innumeabie stump taxes,
excessive license fees, and extortionate
lines. The income tax Is often collected
from people who have no settled income,
and the system of tines is both arbitrary
and dishonest. How this legalized rob
bery is enforced during the present con
dition of things at Manila 1 have been
unable to learn. According to the latest
information, meat is now between $2 and
$3 a pound, and the other necessaries of
life are In proportion. liusiness has u-en
partially resumed in Ilinondo, on the
other side of Pasig, though il is evi
dent that a state of panic exists through
out the city, for many of the foreign sub
jects are taking refuge at Cavite.
Judging from the character and disposi
tion of the natives of Manila, they ale
probably spending these exciting times in
cock fighting and other amusements of a
similar nature. The cock light Is to the
Philippine islanders all that the horse
race is to the Americans, and consider
ably more. The owner of a fine game
dock takes a greater pride in it than in
wife or family, and if Ihe bird liecomes ill
or Is badly wounded in a fight, he is taken
to the cock doctor with aii speed. Those
functionaries are important personages,
and they have receiving houses where
injured cocks are treated. To stanch the
flow of blood the wounds of the petted
fowls are dressed with a mixture male
from tobacco leaves and coconnut wine.
It is no uncommon sight to see a native
going to church wiili his favorite game
cock under his arm, and when lie reaches
the church he fastens the bird to a bam
boo plug outside, goes In and listens
awhile to the mass, then hurries hack to
his pet. Gaming of all kinds Is the favor
ite passion of these people, and It would
be interesting to know whether the great
national lottery, which exists here the
same as in Cuba, is as well patronized
now as It was in times of |>eace.
In the interior the natives are ruled
principally by the monks, who are only
a little less greedy for the church than
Hie Spanish officials are for themselves,
and it is generally believed that the Isl
anders would be glad to bo under Ameri
can rule, though the Spanish priests rep
resent the Americans are heretics anil as
a people practically without religion, who
forbid baptism and the religious solemni
zation of marriage.
There Is a revolutionary society here
which the Spanish call the “Free Ma
sons,” but whether it has anything to do
with real Masonry or not I have been un
able to learn. The priests denounce ibis
society, ami it is to be remembered that it
was a priest who notified the governor of
the plot among the members of this order
to massacre the Spanish officials and
priests, which had been communicated to
him in the confessional by the wife of Pe
dro Koxas, one of Ihe supporters of the
revolution. Roxas, who was one of the
wealthiest planters in the islands, vas
eventually shot, after his property had
been confiscate*! and himself and cousin
arrested. Horrible stories are told a)out
the treatment by the natives of Spaniards
who fell into their hands at that time.
Many of the monks were slaughtered,
some of them being dismembered a limb
a day, while others were burned alive. It
Is clear that our proposed allies will have
to be very gingerly dealt with, for they
proved themselves as cruel as their 3par.-
isn masters.
A physician who has spent many years
in these islands gave me an interesting
account of some of the superstitions of the
natives. They Itelleve in witches and in
evil spirits, and some of the means taken
to exorcise these demons are violent In Ihe
extreme. For example, evil spirits ore be
lieved to hover about a pregnant woman,
waiting to snatch the soul of the unborn
Infant; and when labor commences the Ma
buling-hllot, or mid-wife, is summoned In
haste; for, as ihe midwife is supposed lo
In- deeply learned in ways of dispersing
wilchts, a doctor seldom assists at the ac
couchement of a native female. In case
the la Ivor Is prolonged, It Is believed thal
evil spirits are holding back the child, and
the midwife procures some gunpowder,
which Is exploded close to Ihe suffering
woman’s head, this being ihe approved
method of driving away the evil Influences
supposed to be at work. When the child
thus bewitched is finally born, It Is placed
on u pillow in an open door or window, so
th.it the air may facilitate Ihe escape- of
the bad spirits, who are exorcised by burn
ing three tapers on the face of the child,
one on each cheek and the other on the
chin. Sometimes the youngster receives
three burns; but ihe ceremony goes off
without accident. The priests do all they
can to discourage these practices, but their
efforts are of iittle avail. The natives who
are converted lo Chrlstianiiy change their
evil spirits for good ones and believe that
an angel instead of a witch assists at the
birth of every Infant and follows it
througli life. Some sort of supernatural
guardian they Insist on having, so Ihe
priests encourage the belief In Ihe angel.
When anything is stolen a witch is called
upon to find It. and no more wonderful
stories are told of the discoveries of St.
Anthony than the natives tell of the witch
es lptness In delecting robbers.
Any one having much to do with the
various primitive races is surprised at the
similarity existing between their supersti
tions and traditions. The incantations of
“DOC. SANDEN.
“Dear Doc.: I ain’t no
weak man no more.. Your
Electric Beltdone it.”
The above terse though ungrammatical statement was received from a Texas
cowboy twutent the other day, and speaks volumes. This man was at one time in
every sense a wreck. I took charge of him, and after using my Klee trie licit three
months he reported to me a complete cure. 1 wrote for a testimonial and received
the above. My specialty for the pact 30 years has been the treatment of those weak
nesses which result from youthful errors or later excesses, such as Nervous Debility,
lame Rack, Impotency, Varicocele, etc. Twenty years ugo I abandoned drugs, and
to-day offer in my famous
Electric Belt
a remedy which I believe will never fall If given a fair, square show. I can pro
duce tens of thousands of letters from men In every station and condition of life. In
far away China 1 have hundreds of cures. We delivered two licits In VVadda Haifa,
Africa, sending them 200 miles inland on camel’s back. Roth of there men were
cured. In Ihe city of Carlo, Kgypt, a man has sold over 200 Dr. Sanden Klee trio
Hells to the natives. He reiioris wonderful results, Hast year from all retirees I
received over 6,000 testimonials of absolute cures. Reader, what more can I say to
convince you? As true as life itself, I have the greatest therapeutic appliance the
world has ever known in the I>r. Sanden Electric Belt, and liefore ten years pas*
every doctor will recommend It. Remember the pure galvanic current can never
stimulate. It M'IIST strengthen and tone.
In all my experience, which is second to no specialist In the world, I never yet
found a person who claimed to lie injured in Its use. Currents from my Belt under
complete control of wearer. Apply it at night. It cures while you sleep. If you live
near by drop in and consult me free of charge, or it too far to call, rend for free
book, “Three Classes of Men," which explain* all, and is sent In plain sealed en
veloiie.
DR. T. A . SANDEN, 826 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. N. Y.
the natives of India and Asia are paral
leled In the Philippines, and the witches
are said to hold salibat here 11s well as
elsewhere. The belief that certain sounds
have power over non-human presences
seems to tie universal, and tin- Invocations
used by the Philippine islanders are said
to he preserved In secret manuscripts, as
are those of the peoples above mentioned.
Another parallel Is found In the tradition
In regard to Ihe formation of there islands.
The natives, who. of course, originally
knew nothing of the outside world, say
that ages ago a giant bore the earth on
his shoulders, but after a while he got so
tired that he dropped It Into the sea,
wherein it sank so deep that only the
mountains were above the water, these
mountains being the Islands Ihey Inhabit.
The giant Is, of course, Ihe same as Ihe
Atlas of Greek mythology.
Mil*. IIVMiS, II I*ll AND.
A Trencher's Experience With 11
Wife, Widow nod llrltle.
From the New York Sun.
I have often wished Dickens might
have known Mrs. Bangs,” said the preach
er who was relating some of his early ex
perience In a Pennsylvania town, “Mrs.
Bangs was excruciatingly neat by na
ture, while Hester, her husband, was
somewhat untidy, perhaps necessarily so,
as he was a blacksmith by trade. No
matter what the cause, the untidiness wan
exasperating to Mrs. Hangs, and she con
stantly fretted about It, making the ex
istence of poor fa ster perfectly miserable.
But this was not the only cause, in her
eyes, for worry; a thousand and one little
things every day irritated her, and poor
Hester suffered for them.
“In spile of all irritating causes which
might is, found centered In Hester, he was
the greatest blessing of her fife, but, like
most people, she did not appreciate tt un
til she was made helpless by his last
illness. Then the fuming of life ceased,
and He*ter had the liest of nursing. It
was to no purpose, for his time had come,
The physician announced to Mrs. Bangs
that the disease had gone beyond ids
power, that in ail probability Hester would
not live more than three days.
“Here was where Mrs. Bangs gave con
clusive evidence that she had a right to
be immortalized among the characters of
Dickens. With the saj announcement that
I-estor would not live more than threo
days she was Inspired with the idea that
the odd S3OO of Ihe $1,300 life insurance
which Mr. Hangs carried might be secured
in advance of his death, or at least In time
lo help out on the funeral expense*. She
wrote lo the company, giving the verdict
of the physician and adding that no doubt
her poor Hester would be dead by the
time the letter was received, and would
they please send the odd S3OO at once, so
that It would enable her to meet the fu
nearl expenses promptly. To eat, the cli
max, she took the letter to Hester to ask
him if it was worded all right. With much
difficulty he adjusted his glasses and slow
ly read it through, and then, with much
effort, gasped out;
“ ‘Yes—that—will—do.’
“Well. Hester died on schedule time and
was buried tx-fore an answer lo the appeal
arrived. The insurance company took the
usual time for proving the death claim,
and three weeks passed before the claim
was paid. This delay to the impatient
Mrs. Bangs seemed endless and she de
spairingly remarked on several occasions;
“I'm sure they intend to cheat me out
of that money. What a shame that would
bo after all we've paid to keep it up!’
“About three weeks after the funeral my
wife and 1 strolled past the house of Mrs.
Hangs one evening Just at dark. We had
got past the ho-use four or five rods when
we were stanled by a scream from an ujv
stairs window in one of the houses in our
rear. We thought we recognized the voice,
and Immediately turned back to see whai
our friend wanted Before we reached the
gate she screamed out:
“ 'l’ve got my money. It came yestcr-
Iday. But isn't It a shame? they look out
(he lasl assessment. If I.ester had only
died two days sooner I wouldn’t have had
to pay it! Wasn’t it mean of them?’
"That is the gruesome part of the dory;
now comes the funny part. About thr
months after this event It wan rumored
around town that Mrs. Hangs was receiv
ing marked attention from Mr. Cole, an
eligible widower and veteran of the late
war. When calling at the* parsonage my
wife mildly suggested she might toon taka
take unto herself a comforter. At this
she threw up her hands in the most hys
terical fashion und exclaimed;
" 'Why, the very idea! How can you
Chink of such a thing und Mr. Hungs only
dead three monthH!’
"Not more than a month after this call
she appeared at the parsonage again and,
in my absence, engaged my services for
the next Sunday morning to unite her In
marriage to this same Mr. Cole. In speak
ing of ner choice site grew quite enthusi
astic und said:
“ 'He’s real nice, and neat, too, I shall
like that, for you know Hester was not
neat at all. He’s not very good treking,
for ho has a broken Jaw, from a bullet
wound received in the late war. Hut then,
1 won't mind that, for he draws a pen
sion ami has his life insured for $2,001), so
that if he should drop away suddenly, why
It would l>e kind o’ nice to have!’
"The next Sunday morning, at 10
o’clock, the old couple were made one. The
previous Sunday Mrs. Hangs hail walked
Into church dressed in full mourning; one
week later she entered leaning on the arm
of her newly wedded husband, dressed as
a bride. 1 suppose they thought that ns
the community had great respect for the
Sabbath ihe usual horning, given by an
admiring and expectant public would be
omitted because It could not la-gln till aft
er midnight. What's a horning? Don’t you
know? Well, in (he beginning it was Insti
tuted by the public, which took that means
of expressing its hearty and emphatic dis
approval of certain marriages. After a
long time it cans* to be the practice so to
trial every newly married pair, largely
for Ihe purpose of having a frolic and ex
torting a treat for the crowd from the
bridegroom. The usual mode of procedure
was to get n crowd of nan and boys and
provide them with tin horns, horse fiddles,
anil triangle*, with which they would re
pair to the lodging place of the newly
wedded pair at a late hour, when they
would proceed to make night hideous.
This would be kept up till the invitation
was given to enter and enjoy refresh
ments, or an offer to set up the cigars on
the morrow.
“On this Sunday night In question my
wife and I were awakened from a sound
sleep shortly after midnight by a most
unearthly noise, whk’h. from the sound
and our knowledge of the town, we con
cluded came from a horning given in honor
of the newly wedded couple. Our conclu
sions were correctly drawn, as they were
verified the next morning by a full report
from the bride herself. Site said:
” ’What a time we had last night! I did
not think they would do it. hut they did.
They waited till after midnight, though.
Then we were wakened by hearing voice*
outside of our window. Soon someone be
gan to call the roll. I could hardly believe
my ears, but they called the name of the
minister anil he answered to his name. I
was not surprised that the other people
came out. but 1 was shocked at the min
ister's being there. Well, after the roll
was called they asked the minister to lead
in prayer! After which there began the
most awful noise I ever heard. We coudn't
stand that, so Mr. Cole dressed and went
out on the porch and said to the boys that
he appreciated their kindness and ordina
rily enjoyed such music, but as it was
night he preferred to sleep; if they would
kindly stop he would be found at a cer
tain place down town to-morrow with the
cigars.'
"From the manner in which she related
the incident it was plain to be seen that
they fell really honored by the attention,
especially when the minister honored the
occasion with his presence. But that was
u mistake, tor 1 was not there.".
13