Character of the Natives.
To judge of the character of one's own people is extremely
difficult. One is likely to be either too severe or too
complimentary. However, I believe, that--after a residence of many
years in England and on the Continent, and a subsequent stay of eleven
years in America, with frequent visits to the Philippines--I am able
to judge in the abstract, and, in fact, comparatively to look upon
my own countrymen with the eye of a thorough cosmopolitan.
The natives of the islands are a branch of the Malay race, and may
be divided into three large groups,--the Tagalogs, the Visayos, and
the Sulus,--each group subject to modifications and exceptions. The
Tagalogs inhabit Luzon, the northern islands of the Archipelago,
and it is with these that we have mainly to deal, as they are by far
the most numerous and the most intelligent part of the population,
forming, as they do, also the majority of the inhabitants in Manila
and in the largest ports.
The first thing that in the native character impresses the traveler is
his impassive demeanor and imperturbable bearing. He is a born stoic,
a fatalist by nature. This accounts for his coolness in moments of
danger, and his intrepid daring against overwhelming odds. This feature
of the Malay character has often been displayed in the conflicts
of the race with the Europeans in the East Indies. Under competent
leadership the native, though strongly averse to discipline, can be
made a splendid soldier. As sailors, too, I do not believe they can be
equalled. For, lithe, active, and fond of the water, the Malays have
ever shown their inclination for the sea. Their pirates, coursing
in their prahus, have, till a few years ago, for centuries infested
the bays and inlets of the eastern Archipelagos, looting the towns
and villages on shore and taking as booty such foreign merchantmen as
they were able to overcome. On account of the ravages of these fierce
eastern Vikings, Europeans have come to regard the whole Malay race as
cruel and bloodthirsty. But these were pirates in their own waters,
and preyed upon their own countrymen, by whom they were feared no
less than were the Spanish and English freebooters of old by their
countrymen. Why, then, should their outrages and rapacity be taken
as indicative of the Malay character any more than are the atrocities
of the Caucasian corsair of their race?
The natives are all excellent swimmers, and are absolutely fearless in
the water. I have seen groups of boys diving thirty or forty feet for
pennies, dropped into the sea by foreign officers on ships anchored in
the bay. Many swim miles with the greatest ease; and it is no uncommon
sight in the outlying districts to see groups of naked men plunging
with drawn dagger among a shoal of sharks, with whom they fight with
a fierceness that always results in the victory of the native.
Along the beach at Manila, on a summer evening, at the close of the
day's labor, hundreds of hands from the various tobacco factories--men,
women, and children, of all ages and sizes, married and unmarried--may
be seen disporting themselves, with peals of laughter and squeals of
delight, in the cool surf.
As a result of the stoicism of the native character, he never bewails a
misfortune, and has no fear of death. When anything happens he merely
says, It is fate, and calmly goes about his business as if nothing
had happened.
Europeans often seem to notice in them what they deem a lack of
sympathy for the misfortunes of others; but it is not this so much
as resignation to the inevitable. This, it must be confessed, saves
them many a bitter pang. The educated native, however, impregnated
with the bitter philosophy of the civilized world, is by no means so
imperturbable. While more keenly alive to the sufferings of others,
he is also more sensitive to his own sorrows. After all, whether he
is any happier for his wisdom, is a question.
Incomprehensible inconsistencies obtain in nearly every
native. Students of character may, therefore, study the Filipinos for
years, and yet, at last, have no definite impression of their mental or
moral status. Of course those living in the cities are less baffling to
the physiognomist and the ethnologist; for endemic peculiarities have
been rubbed off or so modified, that the racial traits are not obvious.
But observe the natives in the wilds, in their primitive abodes, where
civilizing forces have not penetrated! You will then be amazed at the
extraordinary mingling and clashing of antithetical characteristics
in one and the same person; uncertain as to when the good or the bad
may be manifested. Like the wind, the mood comes and goes,--and no
one can tell why.
I myself, with all the inherited feelings, tastes, and tendencies of
my countrymen,--modified and transmuted, happily,--have stood aghast
or amused at some hitherto unknown characteristic suddenly manifesting
itself in an intimate acquaintance; and after I had been for years,
too, wholly ignorant of his being so possessed or obsessed. And
after that, the same mental or moral squint would be displayed at
irregular intervals.
It is said by some that the native is shiftless and improvident.
It is true that he is not noted for foresight and energy, as are the
peoples of the temperate zones; but his indolence is the result of
generations of tropical ancestors. Even the most energetic Europeans
yield, in a few years, to the enervating effects of the climate,
and are unable to shake off the lassitude bred by the heat. Besides,
deprived by the Spaniards from all active participation in affairs of
the Government, and robbed of the fruits of industry, all incentive to
advancement and progress was taken away. He, therefore, yields with
composure to the crushing conditions of his environment, preferring
the lazy joys of indolence rather than labor for the benefit of his
oppressors. Naturally. Recent events, however, show that, given the
stimulant of hope, even the "indolent natives" of the Philippines
can achieve and nobly dare.
Some Spaniards also have asserted that the Filipinos are naturally
disloyal and treacherous, and that their word is not to be depended on.
Now, the whole world knows that they have every reason to be disloyal
to the Spaniard, who has for centuries so cruelly oppressed them. The
devotion to the cause of freedom, however, which has recently made
Rizal and hundreds of others martyrs to Spanish cruelty, shows that
they also have the stuff that heroes are made of, and that they can
be loyal to an animating principle.
In many places the natives are unwilling to work without pay in
advance, and this has been a great drawback to investors. For, after
receiving their money, they frequently refuse to perform a stroke of
work, knowing that their employer has no remedy except in the dilatory
process of the courts, which would only increase his expense and
exaggerate his troubles. This has no terrors for the native. While,
of course, this is to be deprecated, it may be remedied by gaining
the confidence of the natives; for it is undoubtedly the result of
generations of Spanish robbery, where these people were forced to labor
for their employers,--frequently the priests,--having no reward save
the lash or promises of a golden crown in heaven. They, therefore,
naturally look upon investors with some suspicion. However, in the
more civilized districts, where modern and humane business methods
prevail, hundreds of thousands are employed, to the profit both of
themselves and their employers.
Though calm, the native is not secretive, but often loquacious. He is
naturally curious and inquisitive, but always polite, and respectful
withal--especially to his superiors. He is passionate, and, in common
with all half-civilized races, is cruel to his foes. The quality of
mercy, like the sentiment--as distinguished from the passion--of love,
is perhaps more the product of the philosophy of civilization than a
natural attribute of the human heart. The romantic history of Mediæval
Europe, as compared with the placid present, is proof of this.
All travelers unite in attributing to the natives extreme family
affection. They are very fond of their children, who, as a rule, are
respectful and well-behaved. The noisy little hoodlums of European and
American cities are utterly unknown. The old are tenderly cared for,
and are venerated; while in almost every well-to-do household are one
or two poor relatives who, while mere hangers-on, are, nevertheless,
always made welcome to the table of their host. Indeed, the hospitality
of the Filipinos is proverbial. A guest is always welcome, and welcome
to the best. The better class, too, gladly embrace every opportunity
to feast their neighbors or the stranger within their gates.
As a rule, the people are superstitious and very credulous; but how
could they be otherwise? For three hundred years they have been denied
even the liberty of investigation; when no light, save the dim glimmer
of priestcraft pierced the utter darkness of their lot. Those that
have been educated, however, have proved apt converts--only too apt
say the priests and the Spaniards--to the conclusions of Science and
of modern research.
The native is rarely humorous and seldom witty. He is not easily moved
to anger, and when angry does not often show it. When he does, like
the Malay of Java, he is prone to lose all control of himself, and,
with destructive energy, slays all in his path. This is infrequent,
however, but is a contingency that may occur at any time.
If a native has been unjustly punished, he will never forget it,
and will treasure the memory of his wrong until a good opportunity
for revenge presents itself.
Like all courageous people, he despises cowardice and pusillanimity. He
has, therefore, but little regard for the meek and humble Chinaman, who
will pocket an insult rather than avenge himself. He greatly esteems
the European, who is possessed of the qualities that he admires,
and will follow him into the very jaws of death. He is easily awed
by a demonstration of superior force, and is ruled best by mild but
firm coercion,--based upon justice. He is not often ambitious, save
socially, and to make some display, being fond of ceremony and of the
pomp and glitter of a procession. He is sober, patient, and always
clean. This can be said of few peoples. He easily adjusts himself to
new conditions, and will soon make the best of his surroundings. As
servants they are honest, obedient, and will do as they are told.
It must be said that they enjoy litigation more than is good for
them or for the best interests of the colony. There must be some
psychological reason for this. It doubtless gives some play to the
subtlety of the Oriental mind. It is said that he lacks the sense of
initiative; and to some extent this may be true. The recent conduct
of Aguinaldo--a full-blooded native--proves, notwithstanding, that
he is not wholly deficient in aggressiveness nor in organizing power.
Though not as artistic as the Japanese, the Filipinos have shown many
evidences of art talent. This is seen in the embroidery of the women,
as well as in the work of the native painters and sculptors. Some
of these have been honored with high prizes at the Art Exhibition
in Madrid. I remember particularly the brothers Luna: one educated
in Spain, and there distinguished by his remarkable talent with the
brush; the other known for his wonderful virtuosity.
Moreover, in nothing are the Filipinos so proficient as in music. Every
village has its orchestra, and in the evening the whole district
turns out to enjoy its playing.
All the people are, in fact, born musicians; even little boys and girls
of five or six years of age play the harp, the guitar, or the piano
as if by instinct; while their elders show a proficiency that, when
their opportunities are considered, is truly astonishing. The clergy,
appreciating that music is the foe of vice and a promoter of virtue,
have wisely encouraged the natives in this art. It is now taught in
all the higher schools in the colony.
At the many feasts, religious and secular, which are the delight of
the natives, music is always the most enjoyable feature, the bands
playing for hours together, both performers and listeners being so
engrossed as to be wholly unconscious of the lapse of time.
A Native Wedding.
The native usually marries early,--the brides often but eleven or
twelve years of age. A marriage-feast is entered into with pomp and
ceremony. It is a not unimportant occasion for the priest also, who
usually sets the day, and expects a large fee,--dependent upon the
wealth of the contracting parties. The evening before the ceremony,
both bride and groom go to confession, to receive absolution. About
five o'clock the following morning they leave the house of the bride,
joined by a long procession of relatives.
After mass has been said, the bride and groom stand before the priest,
who places over their shoulders a thick mantle, which is to typify
the bodily union. He then recites his formula and asks the usual
questions. To these both respond in the same low voice characteristic
of such replies the world over. As the wedded pair are leaving the
church, a bowl of coin is passed to them. The new husband stops, takes
a handful and gives it to his wife, who receives it and returns it to
the bowl. This is a token that he gives to her his worldly goods. All
then solemnly return to the paternal residence, where, meanwhile,
a banquet has been prepared.
This feast is called Catapusan which means a gathering of friends. All
the notables of the village, as well as all the relatives on both
sides, are invited to it. The table is loaded with the good things of
the season. Light liquors, chocolate, and sweetmeats are then offered
to the guests, with betel-nuts and cigars and cigarettes.
The dancing now begins. A youth and a maiden stand facing each other,
both singing a sentimental song. Then follows a musical dialogue, while
both dance round each other, keeping step to the music furnished by
the native orchestra. A young woman then steps into the middle of the
floor,--her long hair flowing down her back, her eyes sparkling. The
music begins in a low plaintive key, that gradually becomes more and
more forlorn, while her languid movements express various degrees of
sorrow. Gradually the strain flows into a livelier measure, and she
becomes more and more animated, until at last she sinks down in a
whirl of delirious passion. Then, again, a girl dances with a glass
of water on her head; or some other form of entertainment is given.
After the dancing, the men and women retire to their respective
quarters.
The marriage is always arranged by the parents of the two young
persons, who go through an established etiquette of advance and refusal
before the dowry terms are arranged. If the parents of the young man
are poor and he can offer no dowry, he often enters the household of
his intended on probation,--as Jacob did to win Rachael.
The wedding-feast is always given by the father of the groom, who
also furnishes the dowry for the bride. The young married couple then
live with the parents of one of the parties. The wife always remains
mistress of her own property, and the husband can in no event inherit
it. The children often add the surname of the mother to that of the
father, thus making the woman of greater prominence.
Before the middle of the century there were no distinct family
surnames, and there were, consequently, no complications of families
possible. To introduce greater simplicity into the laws of inheritance,
the names of distinguished Spanish families were introduced into the
colony,--each family receiving a distinct appellation.
Dress and Manners.
The men are usually of medium height, lithe, and of a rich brown color,
with large cheek-bones, bright eyes and immobile countenances. The
better kind dress in loose shirts, or blouses, worn outside the
trousers and of native manufacture, made of abacá, or Manila hemp;
or of the airy, delicate, and almost transparent piña,--a texture of
pine-apple leaf, as choice as the finest lace.
This is of white, or light yellow, and often interwoven with red, green
or blue silk, or embroidered with flowers. The white or light-colored
trousers are fastened round the waist with a belt. The feet are
sometimes bare, or protected by sandals or patent-leather shoes. On the
head is usually worn a salacot--a large round hat, strongly plaited
with gray-and-black intersecting patterns of nito or liana fibre,
the brim ornamented with a band of embroidered cloth or silver.
The dress of the poorer class is very similar--the material being
coarser, the colors red and orange predominating.
The woman wears a flowing skirt of gay colors--bright red, green
or white--with a silken saya or sarong of many colors. Over this is
a narrower waist-cloth usually of silk and of a darker color. Over
the breast and shoulders is generally thrown a starched neckcloth of
beautiful embroidered piña--folded triangularly, the points fitting
in the hollow of the V-shaped chemisette. On the head is worn a white
mantle, from which the rippling cataract of raven hair falls in massy
folds almost to the ground. The toes of the naked feet are enveloped in
chinelas,--a heelless slipper, which is shuffled with languorous grace.
Many of the women are pretty, and all are good-natured and
smiling. Their complexion, of light brown, is usually clear and smooth;
their eyes are large and lustrous, full of the sleeping passion of
the Orient. The figures of the women are usually erect and stately,
and many are models of grace and beauty.
The women of every class are far more industrious than the men, and
also more cheerful and devout. Adultery is almost unheard of. The men,
however, are exceedingly jealous. The natives believe that during sleep
the soul is absent from the body, and they say that if one be suddenly
wakened they fear the soul may not be able to return. Therefore,
they are extremely careful not to waken anyone rudely or suddenly,
but always call with softly-rising and falling tones, to bring the
sleeper gradually to consciousness.
The preceding observations concerning the Tagalogs, the natives of
the north, are also, in the main, true of the Visayos, their southern
brethren. The latter, however, are not so cheerful or so hospitable,
and are more ostentatious and aggressive. Their women, too, are more
vain and avaricious. These slight differences are perhaps due to the
fact that they have far less intercourse with the civilized world
than the Tagalogs.
The Half-breeds, or Mestizos.
No less interesting, and even more influential than the natives,
are the half-breeds, or mestizos. They form a large percentage of
the population. These are usually of native mothers and of Spanish or
Chinese fathers. The Spanish fathers are, however, a distinct class
from the Chinese fathers, and rank much higher socially, exchanging
visits with the pure Spanish. They are, most always, a handsome race,
and more intelligent than the pure natives, and far more energetic and
ambitious. Among them are many leading merchants and men of influence.
The mestiza girls are, as a rule, often of wonderful beauty. They are
lithe and graceful and of a soft olive complexion, with red lips,
pearly teeth, and ravishing black eyes, whose long lashes droop
coquettishly in response to the admiring glance of a stranger. Their
dancing is justly famed, and those educated in the convents are musical
and often accomplished in other ways. The peculiar characteristics
and the increase of energy due to this infusion of European blood,
however, disappear if no further admixture takes place in the second
generation. It is more lasting, on the other hand, where the Malay
has been crossed with the Chinese. This is probably due to the great
similarity of the two races.
These Malays, with an infusion of Chinese, are called
mestizo-Chinos. They also are more intelligent than the pure Malay, and
far more shrewd. Many of the leading merchants of Manila are of this
mixture. They do not, however, enjoy the confidence of the people,
and are a tricky and disturbing element in the population. They
have the mongrel stamp and a cunning, shifty look. They are full
of intrigue too, and it was, indeed, because they formed so large
a part of the rebels that the high-class natives hesitated so long
about joining the insurgents; not wishing to combine even with the
despised mestizo-Chinos against the hated Spanish; for the government
of the latter was preferable to that of the former.
Savage Tribes in the Interior: Aetas, or Negritos.
Over all the islands are scattered a mountain tribe called Aetas,
or Negritos. These are supposed to be the aborigines. They are very
dark, some being as black as negroes. They are doubtless of African
descent and are said to resemble the natives of New Guinea. Their hair
is black, curly, and matted. They go almost naked, and have but little
self-respect. They are also puny, stupid, and ugly, and of a low order
of intellect, incapable of improvement, and deficient in judgment and
in aggressiveness. They are, on the other hand, remarkably fleet of
foot. They subsist mainly by hunting. Their usual weapons are a lance
of bamboo, a palm-wood bow, and a quiver of poisoned arrows.
About fifty families commonly live together, and their villages of
rude, thatched huts, raised on bamboo poles high from the ground,
present a curious appearance. They were the original lords of the
islands, and when the first Malays settled here, they, with unfailing
regularity, exacted tribute from the newcomers. The latter, however,
soon became too powerful, and the Negritos are now either employed
by the Tagalogs as servants, or they have fled to their retreats in
the mountains. But they are fast disappearing, and, hence, before
many generations, will have perished before the destructive blast
of progress.
Their principal food is fish, roots, fruits, and rice. They are
notorious cattle-thieves, swooping down upon the valley and carrying
their prey to their fastnesses in the mountains. Their agricultural
skill consists in scratching the soil with a stick and throwing in
the seed. They rarely ever spend more than one season in one locality,
thus constantly moving from place to place.
Their religion seems to consist in a deification of the supernatural
and of the mysterious. When the railroad was first constructed from
Manila to Dagupan, these Negritos constantly appeared along the track,
which they regarded with feelings of awe.
When the trial journey of the first locomotive took place, and that
huge iron salamander appeared thundering down the track, it is related
that they all fell upon their knees in abject terror, worshiping the
strange monster as some new and powerful deity.
Unlike most savages, they care tenderly for their aged, and are full
of reverence for their dead.
As a rule, too, they are independent of Spanish domination, and
neither pay taxes nor submit to enumeration for the census.
A few years ago the Government started a mission in Pampanga; a
great many Negritos were herded together, and were given a year's
provisions and tools to work with. Teachers were also provided, and
all went well as long as the provisions lasted. They refused to work,
however, and were averse to all restraint, and the second year they
returned to their native haunts.
They have a curious marriage custom. After a young man has shown his
passion for a girl, and his advances have been well received by the
parents of his intended, he catches her in his arms. She breaks loose,
however, and runs. He follows hard behind. Again he catches her. She
resists, and once more frees herself, running away from the eager
arms of her ardent lover. After this play of struggle and chase have
been kept up a little while, she finally yields, and he leads her
triumphantly back to her home.
The father of the bride now drags the youth up a rude ladder to
the floor of the elevated hut; the mother likewise leads up her
daughter. They are then made to kneel down, when the old man throws
a cocoanut-shell full of water over the pair. He then bumps their
heads together, and they are adjudged man and wife. They spend their
honeymoon in the mountains, where, in undisturbed and shelterless
connubial bliss, they remain five days and nights. Then they return
to the commonplace life of the village.
The Gaddanes.
In the northwestern part of Luzon is a fierce, unsubdued tribe
known as the Gaddanes. They are very dark and strong, and present
a fine appearance, armed with long, sharp spears and with bows and
arrows. They wear their hair down to their shoulders, and, like the
American Indians, take the scalps of their enemies slain in battle;
these the young men present to the fathers of their intended as a
proof of their valor.
This takes place when the fire-tree bursts into bloom; its fiery
blossoms have, to their minds, a certain religious significance. It
is then they collect all trophies of war, and perform the rude rites
of their nature-worship. They subsist on fish, game, and fruit.
The Igorrotes.
A fine race are the Igorrotes, spread over the northern half of
Luzon. They are copper-colored, and also wear their hair long. A
few are bearded. Their shoulders are broad, and their limbs brawny
and powerful. Because of their high cheek-bones, flat noses, and
thick lips, they would not, however, by a European or an American,
be considered good-looking.
They cultivate sugar-cane, rice, and sweet-potatoes, but have never
been able to give up their savage customs for civilization. Their
houses are not unlike the huts of the Esquimaux. Polygamy sometimes
exists, but adultery is almost unknown. Murder is said to be frequent,
and family feuds often take off great numbers.
Their depredations in the interior are often of great annoyance to
the domesticated natives; for they carry off their cattle and their
crops. Many expeditions have, from time to time, been made by the
Spaniards against them; but all have signally failed. The Igorrotes
obstinately refuse to be civilized. Spanish dominion holds for these
liberty-loving people few advantages; Catholicism offers them little
peace; while they maintain that the traditional heaven of the European
would not at all suit them.
Upon one occasion a Catholic priest was horrified when an Igorrote
asked him why it was that no black man ever became a white man's
Saint? When told that it was possible, he refused to believe it,
saying that he, for his part, was content with the religion of his
ancestors, and did not intend to bend his knees in adoration of the
gods of the pale-faces.
The Igorrote-Chinese.
The Igorrote-Chinese are the descendants of the Chinese that the
pirate Li-ma-hong left behind him when he suddenly quitted his
colony in the province of Pangasinan in 1574. These, to escape the
advancing Spaniards, hid in the hills, where they intermarried with the
Igorrotes, their descendants, whom they much resemble, with, however,
some important differences. For, with the cunning and the shrewdness
of their Chinese ancestors, they combine the Igorrote fierceness and
independence. Many of these have been domesticated.
The Tinguianes.
In the district of El Abra, in Luzon, are the Tinguianes, who are
semi-civilized and under the control of the Spaniards. They prefer,
however, their own laws to those of the Spanish code, and usually abide
by them. If a man is accused of a crime and he denies it, the head-man
of his village, who is also the judge, causes a handful of straw to
be burnt in his presence. The accused then holds up an earthen pot
and says: "May my belly be changed to a pot like this if I am guilty
of the crime of which I am accused." If he remains unchanged in body,
the judge declares him innocent.
The head-man himself, upon assuming his office, takes the following
curious oath: "May a destructive whirlwind kill me, may the lightning
strike me, and may an alligator devour me when I am asleep if I fail
to do my duty."
They are pagans, and they believe that their gods will answer
prayer. For worship, they resort to their caves in the mountains. When
a child is to be named, it is carried to the woods, where the priest
raises a knife over its head, at the same time pronouncing a name. He
then, with the knife, strikes a tree. If sap flows forth, the name
is deemed good; if not, he goes through the same ceremony until the
desired result is produced; the god, then, is supposed to have given
his consent.
They are very intelligent, and are a well-formed race, and many are
handsome, with aquiline noses. On the crown of the head they wear
a tuft of hair, like the Japanese. Like the domesticated natives,
they are very fond of music and of dress. They tattoo their bodies
and also black their teeth, and are supposed to have descended from
the shipwrecked Japanese cast upon the island.
The Chinese: Hated but Indispensable.
Long before the Spanish occupation, Chinese trading-junks stopped at
the Philippine Islands; and, after the founding of Manila, being well
received by the Spaniards, who depended upon them for many necessities,
they established trading-posts in various parts of the colony.
In 1580 the Government built the Alcayceria--a large building that was
used as a kind of Chinese market. Here were situated all the Chinese
shops, which it was thought better to confine to one locality: they
might be regulated the more easily.
The Alcayceria proved too small, however, and the shops were soon in
every part of the Binondo. Other centres were soon provided for them,
where the Government protected and even encouraged the enterprise of
the Chinamen.
The native and the Spanish merchants becoming alarmed at the increase
of the Celestials, began an agitation, whose object was to limit their
number to 6,000; but the movement received little encouragement from
the Government, which drew a large revenue from the Chinamen.
In 1755 this agitation was renewed, and it was resolved to expel all
non-Christian Chinese. The day before the law went into effect 515
asked for and obtained baptism, while over 1100 desired to stay, that
they might study the mysteries of the Christian religion. More than
2,000 were banished from the colony. In 1603 two Chinese mandarins,
accompanied by a large retinue, came to Manila to make inquiries
concerning a mountain of gold that some of their countrymen had said
was located near Cavite. They were received with much ceremony, and
the Governor-General allowed them to pursue their quest. It proved
fruitless, of course.
Persuaded that they had been deceived, they sailed away, leaving
the colony in a fever of speculation as to the real object of their
visit. Various rumors sprang up in Manila; all to the effect that
the Chinese Emperor contemplated the conquest of the colony, and
that the Chinese population were fomenting an insurrection to aid his
designs. They were also accused of secreting arms, and many outbreaks
from time to time arose against them, until finally the poor Chinese,
beset on every hand, and hourly menaced by secret assassination and
open violence, were forced to assume the offensive. Accordingly, they
raised fortifications, and on the eve of St. Francis' day they opened
hostilities by attacking one of the suburbs of the city. With the
beating of gongs and the flying of colors they next besieged Binondo
itself, burning houses and committing many other outrages on the way.
The Spaniards gallantly advanced to repel them, and Dasmariñas, the
ex-Governor-General, led the attack with the flower of his countrymen;
but the odds against them were too great, and scarcely a man was left
to tell the tale of their defeat.
The Chinese, flushed with success, now besieged the city itself, but,
running short of provisions,--which the natives were, of course,
unwilling to furnish them,--they were finally compelled to give up
the siege.
As they retreated, the Spaniards, constantly reinforced by bands of
natives, pursued them, killing thousands on the way. They were then
finally driven into the interior, where the same fate awaited them--of
whom not less than 24,000 were killed and taken prisoners.
In 1639 some Chinese traders, in the town of Calamba, Laguna province,
exasperated beyond endurance by the insults and outrages heaped upon
them by the Spanish Governor, killed this official and one or two of
his subordinates, and flew to open rebellion. The Chinese all over
the colony joined the rebels, and it is estimated that not less than
30,000 Chinese were under arms. This lasted nearly a year, and resulted
in the surrender of the Chinese; most of whom, however, were spared.
In 1660 there was another rising and a massacre. The Chinese,
nevertheless, were still allowed to remain. They were so important
a part of the commercial life of the province they could not long
be spared. For more than a century the Chinese now pursued their
avocations in absolute security.
When, however, in 1763 they joined the British invaders, little mercy
was shown them by the Spaniards, who killed several thousands.
In 1820 the natives began the massacre of the Chinese and other
foreigners, whom they accused of poisoning the drinking water, thus
producing an epidemic of cholera.
Only since 1843 have the Chinese shops been opened on the same terms
as those of other foreigners. But there is no doubt that the Chinese
have been a great boon to the colony. They have had, in the main,
a civilizing influence on the natives, and have taught them many
important things: as the working of iron and the manufacture of sugar
from the juice of the sugar-cane. They have also ever been the leaders
in commerce and the chief middlemen of the colony; and, for this reason
mainly they have been deemed an unwelcome necessity; for, without them,
trade would almost be brought to a standstill, and, in consequence,
labor would suffer and living be rendered dearer to every class.
By their superior shrewdness and unscrupulous cunning they have, on
the other hand, excited the hatred of the natives, who despise them
for their cowardice. Thus, from time to time, the feeling against
them is very bitter.
Another objection against the Celestial is that he underbids
all competitors, working for what others deem less than living
wages. Furthermore, he spends little, and all that he saves he carries
to his own country. Their expulsion, however, would be as unwise as it
is impracticable, and the only remedy that meets the case is a proper
State-control. The employment of coolie labor, notwithstanding, is
at present impossible, on account of the hatred that the lower-class
natives feel toward them.
In Manila there are at present no less than 40,000 Chinese, while
the whole colony contains about 100,000. They have their own courts,
their guilds, and secret societies, which are necessary for their
self-protection, and they choose representative deputations to
represent them in the Government.