The Philippine Islands: A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago, Embracing the Whole Period of Spanish RuleForeman, John, F.R.G.S.
History
The Philippine Islands: A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago, Embracing the Whole Period of Spanish Rule
Foreman, John, F.R.G.S.
Philippines
The lower-class native never comes at first call; among themselves it
is usual to call five or six times, raising the voice each time. If
a native is told to tell another to come, he seldom goes to him to
deliver the message, but calls him from a distance. When a native
steals (and I must say they are fairly honest), he steals only what he
wants. One of the rudest acts, according to their social code, is to
step over a person asleep on the floor. Sleeping is, with them, a very
solemn matter; they are very averse to waking any one, the idea being,
that during sleep the soul is absent from the body, and that if slumber
be suddenly arrested the soul might not have time to return. When a
person, knowing the habits of the native, calls upon him and is told
"He is asleep," he does not inquire further--the rest is understood:
that he may have to wait an indefinite time until the sleeper wakes
up--so he may as well depart. To urge a servant to rouse one, one has
to give him very imperative orders to that effect: then he stands
by one's side and calls "Senor, senor!" repeatedly, and each time
louder, until one is half awake; then he returns to the low note,
and gradually raises his voice again until one is quite conscious.
In Spanish times, wherever I went in the whole Archipelago--near the
capital, or 500 miles from it--I found mothers teaching their offspring
to regard the European as a demoniacal being, an evil spirit, or,
at least, as an enemy to be feared! If a child cried, it was hushed
by the exclamation, "Castila!" (European). If a white man approached
a poor hut or a fine native residence, the cry of caution, the
watchword for defence was always heard--"Castila!"--and the children
hastened their retreat from the dreaded object. But this is now a
thing of the past since the native crossed swords with the "Castila"
(q.v.) and the American on the battle-field, and, rightly or wrongly,
thoroughly believes himself to be a match for either in equal numbers.
The Filipino, like most Orientals, is a good imitator, but having no
initiative genius, he is not efficient in anything. He will copy a
model any number of times, but one cannot get him to make two copies
so much alike that the one is undistinguishable from the other. Yet
he has no attachment for any occupation in particular. To-day he will
be at the plough; to-morrow a coachman, a collector of accounts,
a valet, a sailor, and so on; or he will suddenly renounce social
trammels in pursuit of lawless vagabondage. I once travelled with a
Colonel Marques, acting-Governor of Cebu, whose valet was an ex-law
student. Still, many are willing to learn, and really become very
expert artisans, especially machinists.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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