THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 254, 23 October 1920, Page 17

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

OMNIUM GATHERUM." 'By FREDERICK STTRP.s. F.R.G.?,f "Thn flower of lorr- irrws i o u,, r ,, <■„ And Poos? awakes by the EaHcrn Seas. ,, ZAMBOAXGA. An interesting towj, that 1 -aw is Zamboanga, the first port of call after leaving Thursday Island, h v « very pretty town with a broad friu-c ,'f coconut paJm? backed by a =crlrs of hiffh /.ills. The principal wharf, to w'k', we were conveyed in a tender. Iβ wcli paved, ajid has electric lighting row- of palm trees, and a lavklTdisplay of the Stars and Stripes. At tlie end of til? pier are the Government offices, the front prettily screened by a deliciously cool an i beautiful garden. Entering the town I soon came across the Cathedral a lar.Te airy, ugly building, in which i espied statue or a .Spanish Cavalier as a eaint with a halo lound it is head Somehow one liad the idea that tiiu Spanish cavaliers were not wont to poee as saints. J also noticed ;: number ot well-built schools about the centre of the town. One of these. I learned is •• school for half-caste girlf, founded and conducted by a .Mr. and Mrs. Lund. w>-> arc deserving of honourable mention for they found numbers of these poor cjjil(iren, neither good native nor bad European, abandoned by their parents completely neglected, and living like' pjj. . getting scraps of food when and when' they could. These iroo.l m'sr-ionari--iiavu devoted their lives i> ;he rescue ~[" the.'O outcasts ami are turning t'leni im.> bright, intelligent young women. Altogether, Zamboanga with its iv'dp. paved streets, its beautiful lit tic squares .iiiu I garden.-, its avenues of trees :uid palm-, : its ponds of lilies and lotiu floweie, I- ; one of the most charming little cities I have seen. I A BAMBCO ORGAN. At Las Pinas I saw an olj organ constructed entirely of bamboo. An "old i Spanish priest, Diego Cera, ivho iij.l I learnt organ building in Spain, finiin , : 1 neither metal, nor suitable word, n .;■ ; leather, nor wire, nor pipes, nor ki"----i conceived the idea of building an ore.iii of bamboo. Out of 714 pipes, mjre tiiri'.i i jOO were made of tnis cane, with a :'\\•.- octave keyboard and 22 stops. Tln> prosent padre obligingly played it for rue. and it still sounded very well. A neiv organ, also of 'bamboo, is now being buUt to take the place of that which was constructed l u 2o years ago. Diego built a second X)f theso bamboo organs at the same time, one being sent as a gift t.i the Queen of Spain, who prized it 'highly, saying that there was none like it in Spain or England, in which she was certainly right. THE EXHIBinOiN". Whilst I was in Manila, a Philippine exhibition and carnival was opened. It must have covered at least 50 acres of ground. The exhibition buildings were beautifully arranged round a large central square, the walls and ceilingo, composed, of n-ative products in beautiful designs having a most charming effect. Every production of the Islands was here displayed. In the square was a large central tower of light, and the w'lole of the extensive grounds were brilliantly illuminated. Every nijllt there wamusic, dajK , r.'. and various shows and amusements. I was surprised that so beautiful and effective an exposition couM be produced by a native people, ("v-jn with the I'P.'p of the American-. Unhappily I had the sad vxper.enco r.f seeing almost the whole of the exhibition destroyed by fire. It is said to have occurred, through a defective wire in one of the building?. Strange to say, there wae no adequate provision against fire, and long before the engines arrived the flames had spread over nearly the whole of the buildings. Inside this burning city pandemonium raged, men, women, and children running about screaming and shouting, one person being killed, and 40 more or less seriously injured. 1 am surprised that a practical people like the Americans did not see that there I was some adequate means at 'hand for i preventing and fighting fire. THE VIRGIN OF ATXTI-POLO. J One day I motored out to a villajji , some twenty miles from Manila, to see the Virgin of Antipole This is a miracuious image of which the following history is given:—ln the 17th century one Spanish galleon was permitted by the Spanish Government to come from Mexico to Manila each year, bringing i much, specie and other valuable cargo, I but the heretical British occasionally in ! tercepted and robbed these vessels. On I one of these ships, however, there waian image of the Virgin, ant it was j noticed that the vessel which bore tbi<= I image always had a sale and prosperous voyage. So in lti2o the Spaniards re tamed the image at Manila, thinking :i I would bring the islands jnde.r the proI tection of the Virgin, ami in lij7'2 ?iie *va« ■installed in the present church under the care of the Aujrtistinian Kiuncr.-. Whilst ' her >hrine was being liu'lt, eae would every now and again de-ceml from th<" altar and wouii afterwards be f.-.ind in the branche- of ;i tree i-.-iliod ay tr.e native.-. Antipoli), ln'nee the naive wa^ given to her. and -.Vm-aivl.- nf people came to see the prc'ion.s reli.-. -\- ; was 'evidently ]>ariiiil l<> 0u- AniipuK t c jprUw had a pedestal made from tli» I wood oi tisii! tree, mi p .v;iif!i it .-.jm-js i" 'this day. 'Whether the Vrgin Hew to ■ r:ie tree ur c!im:'.-.l it. .ieponen: .;i tu:;ot. ' Well. - m- tiiu- »:•-<■!■ ■ > '■hinw : raiik'l ay. '■ ;iirnr 1 :'■-■■ \ iiap' , . ; 'U' wht '" the in- d-s-I-nol :l «-.... .:.-.n,rc.i Wat ;:;:, Vi.-g : n v..i, i.nhnrt. .-ni-l in-lyed Bu ■ ! '■■■'- ::;;;•,,■ J h : n /;^ ' f',Vine.->J wii'-l" i:s"f- 1).n.-..: aram and n-r-iin , ....,. ~ ~ : ,tfi rd;li-' i' mvxi t.' , ■! ~'' '■■' ■■■■'~• n .-.'.'.nii- r p'r.-tte.-.' On """ '"" : ' : t "," r! ". i 'aVi a.i- .n ! of '■ ''■•■' •■' « '! i , '" l '" l ' ' ':"* ■'■'' ■•"■'■' •• '""■! '■• i '---' : !: h Z'X. '.':'." T i : '^ "-iiVh "lid not ! j,.\ ~:i.,1v -. rI-1 t- - it. 11.-r votaries boliere ' ■-,',, J;,', v ,:;-< ■ni i ■■■■ track- vi her feet ~',,'j ;■;.',- :i ,-,- . • „.- ;.:i-Jts in On- hard i '!'!!.-;■;• i.i- .i! j .v..v- iiiM-n « pious rivalry j hiiwiT-n t i" Virg::) of Amipoln anil the i Uiiruin'.-ans' 1.a.1y of the Rnsary a.s to I n-ho i> the patron Saint ni the Philippip.i'S, tii' contest bein; at times enraj plicated by thp counl.T-cia'm-s o:i i.'ne pan of ${. Kraii,-H. allliougli the "ntire quest .:;i wiinl I i-eptn ii Imv" 'mri :<■- finitely -»tt!c.l l>\ tin- Rnyal tt.yv.y ;-.:i'iI'.r.lieil a' -uc '.(JjO. i I'li.'iallv •-■"i!':'rr' ■'■J the lionouraHle pu>i \\\>on r-:. M-.r.u-.l t c Arciiacjje'.. i l\V. .:-j" i.- UllUi:>l d,- Fil.I pitio.-, and Tin: ili-tir.ii Ueuerai <te kil'ilipinoi.J