OCR Text |
Show MANILA: KANSAS CITY OF THE PHILIPPINES In connection with the continued discussion dis-cussion of IndeiHJiidence for the I'hll-lupines I'hll-lupines the cupltul city of tho Islands, Mnnllu becomes of special Interest. Ah a transport wends Inward from thu China sea, it passes the Island of Corregldor, beyond which stretches Manila bay, whoso 120-iullo circumference- could surround the navies of the world. Its rival will not be found in tho far Kast. On the right of Its entrance en-trance stunds Cavlte, where Dewey sank the Spanish fleet. From tho bay tho city of Manlln seems to He ulraost at water level with hazy mountains for a back-ground. back-ground. Uefore the United States enmo to tho isluuds Manila was a sleepy town, sprawled lazily beyond Uio bay and the wharves of thu river Paste, which bisects It. Its streets were quiet and almost deserted at times, Its suburbs shady aud pretty, and n general nlr of "munanu" pervaded per-vaded Its atmosphere. Today Its estimated population enunls that of Jersey City, Indianapolis Indianap-olis or Kansas City; the river Is alive with launches nnd vessels of every description, Including tho houseboats of n literally floating population of fifteen thousand; and through its port it sends yearly to other countries nearly near-ly n hundred million dollars' worth of hemp,- sugar, wpru, tobacco nnd other comodltles, A unique sight in Manila in tho Pnce cemetery, which ut present has fallen Into disuse. It Is composed of two con-rcntrlc con-rcntrlc walls ubout six feet thick, honeycombed with holes Just large enough for u cotlln. In tho olden days these were leased for periods of Ave years. At tho end of that tlmo If no one was sufficiently Interested In the remains of an Inmate to pay his rent for another Hvo years Ids bones were I thrown on a henp at tho back of the cemetery, linngino the "shimmy" the i flesh on an ancestor-worshiping China- i man's backbone would perform should he behold the queue of one of his pro- i genltors protruding frotn Uil.s Golgotha. I Out from the walled city near the ' hay shore Is Lunetn, a small amuse- meat park, nnd Wallace Held, used for sports nnd the nnnunl carnival. 1 In tho days of Spanish rule Wallace Held wan an execution ground for po lltlcal prisoners, nnd hero Dr. Jose Itlzal, the Filipino surgeon, novelise, n and patriot, was executed. ' I Munllu's chief shopping district Ss north of the river, and enterprising Filipinos, Americans and Chinese linve set up stores, banks, factories and restaurants, giving this portion of Uie , city an up-und-dolng air. . |