The Inhabitants of the Philippines Part 27

House-rent is paid monthly, and, up to 1892, a good detached house of moderate size could be got in one of the best suburbs for $100 per month, and for less in Santa Ana. Such a house would stand in its own garden, and would have stables for several horses, and shelter for one or two carriages.

I understand that house-rent is now nearly doubled in consequence of the American compet.i.tion. From their lavish expenditure, we must infer that the new-comers possess large private means in addition to their salaries.

Furniture.

The furnishing of a tropical house is much simplified, because no carpets or curtains are needed. The floors are of polished hardwood, and they take a good deal of work to keep them in good order. A few rugs can be put down here and there, if a little colour is required. Where the floor is bad, Chinese matting can be laid down at small expense. Some of the Mestizos import costly furniture, but few of the European residents attempted to follow their example. Vienna bent-wood furniture, with cane seats, was commonly used, and was very suitable, also bamboo or rattan furniture, brought from China or made in the country. Such things as wardrobes or bookcases should have ring-bolts on each side for lashing to the walls. A child or grown person might be killed by a heavy piece of furniture falling on it during an earthquake.

Furniture of all sorts is made in Manila of Red Narra, or other wood, by Chinese cabinet-makers, who will work to purchasers'

requirements. Very excellent teak-wood furniture is made in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The problem of furnishing a large house for a moderate sum, and making it comfortable, and at the same time artistic and refined, is not a difficult one, and has often been very satisfactorily solved in Manila.

Large stoneware flower-pots and pedestals can be purchased in Manila, and no more suitable ornament can be found than handsome palms, ferns, or flowering plants, for halls, corridors, or reception rooms.

The beds should be large, and have thin, hard mattresses and horse-hair pillows stuffed rather hard. The coolest thing to lie upon is a fine gra.s.s mat, or petate. Covering is seldom required. On the bed will be seen a large bolster lying at right angles to the pillows, so as to be parallel to the sleeper. The use of this is not apparent to the newly-arrived Briton or American. This is the Abrazador, used throughout the boundless East.

The candidate for repose, whether on the hard bed, or harder floor or deck, lies on his side, and rests his upper arm and leg on the Abrazador, thus relieving his hip and shoulder from much of his weight. He takes care to keep it a little way off his body to allow the air to circulate.

A mosquito-net must be fitted to every bed, but may not always be required. In the sleeping-room there should be no curtains, and the least possible amount of furniture, and, during the hot season, the bed should stand in the middle of the room. It is advisable to have no light in the bedroom, but good lights are a necessity in the dressing-rooms.

By being careful about this you will keep your bedroom free from mosquitoes. Petroleum is commonly used in the Philippines for lighting, and unless the lamps are of the best quality, and carefully trimmed, there is considerable danger of accident. I used to keep some plants in pots in each room so as to throw the earth over any oil that might get alight. Whenever there was a shock of earthquake, I extinguished the petroleum lamps, and lighted candles instead. And whenever we went out to a dinner or dance, every petroleum lamp was extinguished, and cocoanut-oil lights or candles subst.i.tuted in case of an earthquake whilst we were out.

Frequent baths are indispensable to good health in Manila. Enormous earthenware tubs, made in China, can be procured. These are placed in the bath-room, and filled in the evening, so that the water gets refreshingly cool during the night. It is not at all advisable to get into the water, as the effect is not so good as dashing the water over the head with a small bucket called a tabo. By using the water thus, and rubbing the skin briskly with a towel, a reaction soon sets in, and the bather feels quite invigorated.

A bath of this kind when rising, and another before dressing for dinner, will do much to mitigate the rigour of the climate.

From several stories told me by friends recently returned from Manila, it would seem that the Americans there, or some of them, at least, are not sufficiently alive to the necessity of daily baths, but I refrain from giving particulars.

This seems strange when one remembers the profusion with which baths are provided in all the modern hotels in the great cities of America.

Now I must tell you about gogo. This is the dried bark of a creeper that grows wild in the woods, and it is the finest thing possible to keep your hair in order.

There are several kinds of this plant, the three most commonly used are gogo bayugo (Entada scandens Benth.); gogong casay (Peltophorum ferrugineum Benth.); gogong paltaning (Albizzia saponaria Blum.).

As washing the hair with gogo is one of the luxuries of the Philippines, I shall describe how it is done.

A servant pounds a piece of the stem and bark, and steeps it in a basin, twisting and wringing it occasionally until the soluble part has been extracted. He then adds to the liquor two or three limes, squeezing the juice out, and soaking the peel. He also throws in a handful of crushed citron-leaves, and strains the liquor through muslin.

The servant then ladles this over your head with a calabash, or cocoa-nut sh.e.l.l, whilst you rub your hair with your hands.

As the liquor is strongly alkaline, you must be careful to keep your eyes closed until the head has been rinsed with water. Your hair-wash is made fresh whenever you want it, and may cost from two to three pence.

The fragrance of the citron-leaves is delicious, and when you have rinsed and dried your hair, you will find it as soft, as bright, and as sweet-smelling as the costliest perfumes of Bond Street could make it.

Servants.

In the good old times we were well off for servants in Manila. They flocked up from the provinces seeking places, and those employers who took pains to enquire closely into the antecedents of applicants, could almost ensure being well served.

Englishmen paid good wages, and paid punctually, hence they could command the best servants.

Personally, I may say that I kept my servants for years--some nearly the whole time I was in the islands. I had very little trouble with any of them. There are people who say that they have no feeling, but I remember that when I embarked with my family on leaving Manila, my servants, on taking leave at the wharf, were convulsed with tears at our departure.

A family living comfortably in a good-sized house would require the following servants:--

Wages in 1892.

Dollars.

Mayordomo, or steward, who would act as butler 8 per month.

Two houseboys, one would valet the master, the other would trim lamps and pull the punkah, @ $6 12 per month.

Sempstress or maid to mistress 6 per month.

Gardener or coolie, would carry water for baths, sweep and water 6 per month.

Coachman, would look after one pair of horses and carriage 12 per month.

Food for six servants, @ $3 each 18 per month.

Maestro cook 18 per month.

-- 80

American compet.i.tion for servants has more than doubled these rates of pay. Cooks get $50 now.

The house-boys and maid live in the house, and sleep on the floor, with a gra.s.s mat and pillows. The mayordomo sometimes lives quite near, being, perhaps, a married man. The coachman has his room by the stables, and the gardener lives in the lodge, or in a small hut in the garden.

The maestro-cook does not usually sleep on the premises. He arrives about 11 A.M., bearing two baskets depending from a pinga, or palma-brava staff, resting on his shoulder. These baskets will contain the day's marketing--eggs, fish, meat, chicken, salad, tomatoes, bananas, firewood, and many other things.

He promptly sets to work, and by twelve, or half-past, presents a tiffin of three or four courses.

His afternoon is devoted to preparing the more elaborate dinner due at 7.30 P.M., when he will be ready to serve soup, fish, entrees, a roast, a curry, and sweets, all conscientiously prepared, and sent in hot. Most excellent curries are made in Manila, both by Chinamen and natives. To my mind, the best are made from prawns, from crab, or from frogs' legs. If you cannot eat anything else at dinner, you can always make out with the curry.

The dinner over, the cook asks for orders, and takes his departure, to return with perfect punctuality the following day.

The Chinese cooks all belong to a guild, which is a trades' union and a co-operative society, and are bound to follow the rules.

They would never dream of going into a market and bidding one against the other.

Their system is to a.s.semble early every morning at the guild house, and for each man to state his requirements. A scribe then tabulates the orders--so many turkeys, so many chickens, etc., and two experienced cooks are commissioned as buyers to go into the market and purchase the whole lot, the provisions being afterwards fairly divided amongst the members, each having his turn to get the choice pieces, such as saddle of mutton, kidneys, etc. But if a dinner-party is contemplated, the cook who has to prepare it gets the preference.

They thus obtain everything much cheaper than the native cooks, even after taking a good squeeze for themselves. I believe that they have a fixed percentage which they charge, and would consider it dishonest to take any more, whilst the guild would not approve of their taking any less.

If you send away your cook, the guild will settle for you who is to replace him. All your culinary fancies will be well known to the council of the guild, and they will pick out a man up to your standard.

It was customary to give the cook a fixed sum per day to provide tiffin and dinner, and this was paid once a week.

I found that two dollars a day was sufficient to amply provide for my family, and I could have one guest to tiffin or dinner without notice, and be confident that the meal would be sufficient. In fact, this was part of my agreement with the cook. By giving short notice, the dinner could be extended for two or three people at an additional charge.