Panorama

Item

Title: Panorama
Description: All these are either original productions or selective adaptions and condensations from Philippine and foreign publications. Usually brief and compact, lasting from two to ten minutes to read, each article offers a rewarding experience in one’s moments of leisure.
Issue Date: Volume X (Issue No. 11) November 1958
Publisher: Community publishers, Inc.
Language: English
Subject: Books and reading.; Recreational reading.
Rights
Place of publication: Manila
extracted text: NOVEMBER 1958 50 CENTAVOS I MAGAZINE OF GOOD READING THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS Articles CONTENTS Philippine Population ..................................................... Balagtas: Propagandist...............................Ben Revilla A Lesson From Japanese Fishermen . . Sixto D’Asis What Is a Good 'r'eacher? ............Mark Van Doren Pre-Resolution Philippines ........................................... Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. New Hope For Fmuce....................F. C. Sta, Maria Termites Can Be Controlled........... Mitron Paniqui India’s Paralyzing Pea..................................................... It’s a Whale of an Industry................John Davidson That First Trip to the States . ... An Asian Student Vanishing Mammals ....................................................... The Bridegroom Who Was a Snake............................. Science at Work........................ ...................................... Palau and the Coconut Beetle...................................... And Now Comes the Tape Recorder........................... Roberto Fernando Hair Glamour Costs Millions........... Jean Malcolm. Don Pablo and His Magic Cells................................. Taj Mahal of Brunei....................................................... 2 3 8 12 16 30 35 51 53 63 69 70 72 78 80 84 88 91 Fiction Life and Death.................................Lilia F. Mendoza 42 Regular Features Are You Word Wise? ..................................................... 29 Panorama Peek ................................................................ 38 Book Review: Philippine Freedom .. Leonard Casper 57 Literary Personality — XLVI: Kenneth Roberts .. 60 Panorama Quiz ................................................................ 73 In the Beginning ................... 75 Philippine Panorama ■— XLVII: Pplillo .................... 76 Fun-Orama by Elmer .............................................. 83 PANORAMA is published monthly by the Community Publishers, Inc., 1986 Herren, Manila, Philippines Editor: FELDCBERTO C. STA. MARIA Roreign contributing editor: * Leonard Casper Art director'. Rodolfo P„ Perez Business Manager: Mrs. C, A. Maramag Subscription rates'. In the Philippines, one year P5.00; two years P9.00. Foreign subscription', one year $4.00 U.S.; two years $7.00 U.S. Single copy 50 centavos. about the Panorama, the Philippines’ most versatile, most significant magazine today. a year’s subscription — NOW! they will appreciate it. Subscription Form ....................1 year for P5.00 ..................2 years for P9.00 .................. Foreign subscription: one year $4.00 U.S. Name .................................................................................................... Street ..................................................................................................... City or Town ................................. Province ................................ Enclosed is a check/money order for the amount specified above. Please address all checks or money orders in favor of: COMMUNITY PUBLISHERS, INC. 1986 Herran, Sta. Ana, Manila PHILIPPINE POPULATION Ji HE PHILIPPINE population is now at the 24million mark, according to estimates released by the office of statistical coordination and stand ards, National Economic Council, based on a pilot demographic study by the United Nations and the N.E.C. This shows a population growth in excess of half a million a year, the 1957 estimate being 23,322,000 and the 1956 estimate being 22,775,000. By 1959 it is estimated that the population will rise to 24,719,000 and by 7962 to around 27 millions. Ten years ago the population of this country was placed at only around 19 millions. According to current population estimates, males exceed females by a moderate margin. Of the 1958 population, 12,090,000 are males and 11,920,000 females. 2 Panorama NOVEMBER 1958 MANILA. PHILIPPINES Entered aa second class mail matter at the Manila Post Office on Dec. 7, 1965 Not only a poet By Ben Revilla ^ ne of the greatest poets produced by our country is Francisco Baltazar, better known by his pen name, Balagtas. He was, however, more than just a poet; he was also a reformist and propagandist. Through his poetry, Balagtas was able to crystallize the grievances and suffering of our people. Rizal carried with him to Europe a copy of Balagtas’ allegorical masterpiece, Plorante at Laura. Balagtas lived in an era of oppression and deep patriotism. His poetry sought to awaken the people to the cruelties of the colonizers. He was therefore as important a propagandist as Rizal, Mabini and del Pilar. And since he wrote in the language of the people, he prob ably reached more people than his more illus trious counterparts. No. 11 Balagtas was born in Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan on April 2, 1788, the fourth child of Juan Baltazar and Juana de la Cruz. His father was a blacksmith. Like the other boys of the town, he was educated at the parochial convent school, where he mas tered the cartilla and the caton. He was introduced very early to the unhappy events in the country by listening to the old er folk who gathered every afternoon in his father’s shop. When he was eleven, he left for Manila where he found em ployment as a houseboy. His employer, seeing promise in the boy, sent him to school. He enrolled at the Colegio de San Jose where he took up humanities, theology, philos ophy and canon law. Later, Ba lagtas transferred to the Cole gio de San Juan de Letran. Here he discovered his literary ta lent. He was proficient in three languages—Spanish, Latin, and Tagalog. His less literate friends asked him to write love letters for them which Balagtas did glad ly. He became a student of Jose de la Cruz who is better known as Huseng Sisiw because he charged his clients a white chick for every literary piece he pro duced for them. Under his guid ance, Balagtas developed into a popular poet. His fame spread. Most of his plays were staged at the Teatro de Tondo. -4round this time Balagtas fell in love with a girl named Bianang but a ruthless rival was able to convince the authorities to jail the young poet. Balagtas brooded in jail for some time. Here he wrote “Pagsisi,” a poem that is con sidered the best of his early works. After he was released from jail, Balagtas fell in love again with a girl named either Maria Asuncion Rivera or Mag dalena. .Nothing came out of this because in 1840 Balagtas was appointed auxiliary justice to Judge Victor Figueroa. His work took him to many towns and in Orion he met Juana Tiambeng. They fell in love and on June 22, 1842 they got married. Balagtas resigned his post and returned to the job he liked best—writing and staging plays. However, his in come was not enough so he was forced to return to government service this time as teniente de primero and juez de cementera. During the course of his official work he was accused of having shaved the head of a rich man’s maidservant. This unique crime resulted in a conviction. For four years, Balagtas languished in jail. While in jail Balagtas wrote a great deal. He was released in 1860. He continued to write poetry. This period was prob ably the most prolific in his entire career. 4 PANORAMA Nobody as yet has determined the exact date of the comple tion of the book Ptorante at Laura but the first known edi tion came out in 1838. It was printed by the Colegio de Santo Tomas press. Two other editions followed the first printing—in 1853 by the Imprenta de los Amigos Pais and in 1861 by the Imprenta de Ramirez y Giraudier. summary of the book was made by the historian Teodoro Agoncjlld: “The story opens in a gloomy wilderness. We see the young Plorante, struggling to free himself where he is tied to a tree, la menting his fate and invoking heaven to right the wrongs done to him by his enemy, Count Adolfo. He remembers the days when Laura was his beloved. He falls into a swoon. At al most the same time a Moorish Prince, Aladin, enters the for est and finding Plorante about to be devoured by hungry lions, kills the beasts and sets the young man free. Plorante, grateful, tells his saviour the story of his life. He was the son of Duke Briseo, the adviser of King Linceo of Albania. At an early age, his father had sent him to Athens to study. Here he had become the idol of all his classmates except Count Adolfo, who harbored illfeelings against him. Once stag ing Aschylus’ Seven Against Thebes, Count Adolfo had ac tually slashed at Plorante with a sword. His friend Menandro saved Plorante from death. Upon his return to his country, Plorante was commissioned by King Linceo to lead the Alba 5 nian forces against the Per sians, besieging the kingdom of Crotona. While plotting his stra tegy with the King and his fa ther, Plorante met Princess La ura, the king’s daughter, with whom he fell in love. Plorante was victorious over the Persian invaders. Learning of another Persian horde that was attack ing, Plorante returned to his country and routed the Persians. Now he took the offensive against the infidels and seven teen kingdoms fell into his hands. In the midst of the cam paign against Etolia, he received a letter from King Linceo ask ing him to return to Albania posthaste. Leaving his army to Menandro, Plorante returned to Albania only to find his fa ther and the king murdered in cold blood by Count Adolfo, who had usurped the throne. Adolfo had him arrested and tied to a tree in the wilderness. The usurper also announced that Laura had, accepted his love. Upon the conclusion of Plorante’s story, Aladin intro duced himself as the very Per sian prince Plorante had spoken of. Returning to Persia after the Albanian campaigns, he found himself condemned to death by his father, Sultan Ali Adab, apparently because of his defeat in Albania. The death sentence was changed to life imprisonment upon the promise of Flerida, Aladins’ betrothed, to accept the sultan’s love. Fle rida, however, had escaped and wandered in the forests. Learn ing of Flerida’s escape, Aladin, too, escaped from Persia and journeyed far and wide in search of his loved one. It was during his search for Flerida that he chanced upon Plorante. The two had just concluded their stories when they hear voices drifting their way. The voices are those of Laura and Flerida. Laura tells of how Fle rida had saved her from Count Adolfo, who had fled to the for est after Menandro arrived with his forces from Etolia. Adolfo tried to dishonor Laura, but Flerida, who had lost herself in the forest after her escape from the sultan, had killed Adolfo with an arrow. At this moment, Menandro and his army arrived. The two couples are brought to Albania. Plorante is proclaimed king, and Flerida and Aladin are baptized. Not long after Sultan Ali Adab dies and Ala din ascends the throne of Per sia.” 6 Panorama -^mong the foreign scholars who became interested in the poem are Blumentritt, Rost, Kern, Meyer, Minguella, Glanco and Retana. The first four went as far as to study Tagalog in order that they may read Plo rante in the original. The Span ish scholars praised the work lavishly. Balatgas’ other known works include La India Elegante y el Negrito Amate, Mahomet at Constanza, Almanzor at Rosa linda, Orosman at Safira, Don Nuno at Zelinda, Clara Balmori, Nuno Gordoneo, Rodolfo at Rosemondo, Auredata at Astrone, El Amante de la Corona, Abdol at Miserana, Bayaceto at Dorlisca, and others. Most of his works were burned in the fire in Orion in 1892. At his death-bed on February 20, 1862, Balagtas told his wife: “Don’t permit that anyone of our children should ever em brace the writing of poetry as a calling.” Two of his sons, Ceferino and Victor, became poets. Ceferino wrote Pagpupuri sa Virgen Maria and other poems while the literary works of Vic tor were included in an antho logy compiled by the late Hermenigildo Cruz. The achievement of Balagtas is summed up by Director E.B. Rodriguez in this manner: “He fashions a world where justice reigns supreme, where every one finds enjoyment in his rela tion with nature and men . . . such is the world he envisioned — a world of perfection, love and romance.” The Tulingan A lthough the Islands sit on one of the world’s ■^■richest tuna spawning areas, tuna fishing on a scale known in Japan, the United States and the Me diterranean countries does not exists in the Philip pines. Depletion of tuna stocks in Japanese and For mosan home grounds has induced their fishermen to stalk Philippine waters for tuna, reaching out as deep as the Macassar Strait. Local fishermerts acquaintance with tuna is li mited to its midget varieties known in Batangas, Zambales and Pangasinan and other coastal areas bordering the China Sea as “tulingan.” * November 1958 7 A Lesson from Japanese Fishermen The typhoon-proof otoshi-ami is ideal for Philippine climate T he Typhoon is one of the scourges of Philippine fishing. Yearly, thousands of pesos worth of equipment and catch are lost because of the typhoon. Some 20,000 Fili pinos are dependent upon fish ing as their main source of livelihood. Loss due to typhoons, therefore, represents substan tial deprivation. All these might change when a new trap called the otoshiami becomes popular. This is a Japanese fishtrap that is woven By SIXTO D'ASIS out of synthetic twine and an chored to the hottom of the sea with sand weights. Virtually typhoon-proof, it can also trap fish in places where the baclad is useless. It can be used throughout the year. With the baclad, fishing is a gamble. In • fishing towns, sto ries of big losses are rife. There is the case of a fisherman in Bataan who invested his life * 8 time saving in a bamboo trap. In the first week, he was very lucky. His new trap brought in about PIO,000 worth of fish. Feeling the flush of success, he sank everything he had in more traps. The next week, a storm came his way and destroyed his traps. He is now poorer than when he started. The experience of this fisher man is not unique. It is shared by everyone who is engaged in trap-fishing. For this reason, fishing in the Philippines is done only during the calm months of April, May and June. With the first hint of storm, the fishermen remove their traps. The rest of the year they have very little or no income. The otoshi-ami, in compari son, can withstand an ordinary storm. When the storm really gets rough, all that the fisher man has to do in order to save his trap is to cut the lines that connect it to the outriggers. The trap will sit out the storm on the floor of the sea. The baclad also is useless in depths exceeding ten fathoms. Hence, it can snare only small fish — dilis, sardines, mackerels, talakitok and the like. Very seldom does it catch the giants of the deep. The otoshi-ami, on the other hand, is good up to eighty fa thoms. The really big ones can be used in the high seas. It is estimated that about 35 percent of the 2,362,000 kilos of tuna 9 on the Japanese market is caught by the otoshi-ami. A n otoshi-ami costs as much as a baclad. A big baclad costs about Pl0,000, which is about the price of an otoshiami. The big ones naturally cost more. The price of an oto shi-ami depends upon the qua lity of the synthetic twine. The otoshi-ami is more dur able than the bamboo trap. An ordinary baclad lasts only six months at the most. The Japan ese trap is good for at least seven years. It is granted that the ordinary fisherman cannot afford an oto shi-ami. However, if the fisher men would group themselves into cooperatives, the financing of this enterprise would be easier. To this end, the Bureau of Fisheries is organizing the fishermen. This would be the most prac tical method of financing the business since the banks do not give substantial loans to fisher men. However, the government is exploring ways and means of extending loans and technical assistance to fishermen who are interested in this new type of fishing. The use of the otoshi-ami might open the synthetic indus try in the Philippines. The mat erials necessary for the manu facture of synthetic twine are available in the Philippines. The raw materials are coal and lime-v stone. Synthetic twine is light, water-repellent and corrosion resistant. It is hoped that the otoshiami might improve the fishing industry of the Philippines and increase the country’s food sup ply. It is well-known that the waters around the Philippine^ teem with more fish than the waters around Japan and yet the Japanese have more fish than the Filipinos. An otoshi-ami takes in, on the average, $25,000 worth of fish. The heaviest bac lad catch is only worth P4,000. The Bureau of Fisheries is charting the areas in the Phil ippines where this kind of trap can be exploited to the great est advantage. The migrations of different species can be fol lowed and exploited commer cially. As a general rule, the Bureau prescribes escape routes from coves and bays, as the ideal location for this fish-trap. J1 he areas in the Philippines that are ideal for the otoshiami are Balayan Bay, Manila Bay, the coast of Bataan, the northern coasts of Capiz and Antique, the Sulu Sea, the Moro Gulf and the Mindanao Sea. The otoshi-ami will greatly help in increasing the income of our fishermen and in pro tein-supply problem of our country. Our people do not get enough protein and the cheap est and most abundant protein 10 Panorama food in our country is fish. The lack of protein accounts for the general physical weakness of our people. The government, therefore, and our fishermen should do everything they could to popularize and put into use the otoshi-ami. flu K ll KINDS OF FISH, whether deep-sea or fresh water, are excellent sources of protein—the substance young bo dies need for growth and everybory needs to repair tissues constantly being used up in daily activities. Fish also pro vides iodine, phosphorus and some of the B-complex vita mins. Small varieties of fish like soft-shelled crabs, shrimps or anchovies, either dried or fresh, when fried and eaten whole, are excellent sources of calcium for healthy bones and teeth. With the wide variety of fish available in this area, menus can easily feature it and still be varied from day to day. Fish readily lends itself to frying, broiling, roasting, stewing, steaming, for soups, salads and croquettes. It is generally cheaper (han meat or poultry and is just as nu tritious. When buying fish, see that it is absolutely fresh, as even the slightest decomposition will cause unpleasant taste, and in many cases, stomach upset. Red gills, firm flesh, bright and full eyes, and a characteristic fresh odor are good indications of the freshness of the fish. Fish when prepared to be served hot is best when cooked just before it is eaten. When frying—in fillets, steaks or as a whole—coating it with seasoned flour or thin batter before dropping it into hot oil will seal in its flavor. Cook it to a delicate light golden color; overcooking will make the flesh tough and strong the same effect. When broiling fish over coals or under electric units, dab on a little butter, margarine or unflavored oil after seasoning with salt and pepper to prevent its natural juices from dripping. As in frying, avoid overcooking, and serve as soon as done. Many people enjoy seasoning their fish with lemon or lime juice. Seasonings and sauces for fish dishes na turally vary with the traditions of different peoples. But in all cases the important thing is to serve the fish to give the most nutrition and enjoyment. * November 1958 11 Love of truth must be personal What Is a §ood ’Teacher? he words of a teacher bear so many responsi bilities that if all of them ■were ever present in his mind together he would grow as si lent as the grave. The teacher’s responsibility to the student is so huge and heavy a thing that no teacher in his right mind considers it at all. No good teacher, I mean. For a good teacher has had the experience of learning that his words have an effect upon those who sit before him: An effect, it may be, that will endure for decades and, in certain cases, given enough age in the teach er, have indeed endured that long. And it may gratify him to be told of this. But if he commenced each of his classes by wondering what future actions or thoughts were going to be the result of what he said, if he asked him self seriously what characters he was going to shape, if ever so oddly or so little, he might be terrified before he spoke one word. Normally he is blessed with a healthy indifference to By MARK VAN DOREN Poet and Professor of Columbia University such considerations. He is con cerned with what he is going to say, and with whether or not it is true. I scarcely need to explain that the kind of teacher I have in 12 Panorama view is the kind for whom the subject was created. It is his subject; he spends his life think ing about it; whether in or out of class; it is his second if not his first nature; it is what gives him joy. No student ever fails to be aware of this. A teacher can fool his col leagues; he may even fool his president; but he never fools his students. They know when he loves his subject and when he does not. They may think such love to be a queer thing, and they may resolve never to fall victim to it themselves; but their respect for it will never cease. And res pect for a subject, like respect for an idea, is the beginning of wisdom; or at the very least, respect for the love of a sub ject. CT he teacher’s responsibility * to his subject is so serious a thing that it of course pre cludes anything like a parade of personality for its own sake. The good teacher is not trying to be a personality; he is try ing to be a person who under stands his subjeet and- sinks himself into it. If he could he would disappear there altoge ther. The whimsical teacher — who cares only to impress his bril liance upon his class, or to deli ver himself of eccentric opiniohs in the belief that such opinions are more interesting than know ledge would be — immemorially contemptible. His students may like him for a while, but in the end they despise him for his condescension to his subject. The subject is a third thing that transcends both the teach er and the student. It is what the student should contemplate, and it is what the teacher does contemplate. It is the only liv ing thing in the room. The truly personal teacher is the most responsible to his sub ject. Because he knows it to be more important than himself, he is humble in its presence, and would rather die than mis represent it. It existed before him, and will exist after him; its life is long, though his is short. But if his life is to mean anything it must mean some thing in connection with his subject; and it had better mean that he has come to understand it as good persons before him have understood it. Good per sons know the same things, just they resemble one another. All men know the same things, or the same thing: the same world. One might think it easy to do this, but it is so difficult that only a few succeed. We call them great men and wo men. What, for instance, is a great poet? One who sees what no body else does? The contrary is surely true. If Shakespeare is the greatest poet, or if Ho13 mer is, or Dante — I cannot think of a fourth — the reason is not that he saw what nobody ever saw before; he saw what everyone has seen, but with a clarity, an intensity, and finally a humility which makes his sub ject even more interesting to us than he is. It was more interesting to him than his own self ever was; which is why We know so little about him, and why we know so much about the stories he told, the people he understood. Nor are these people strange to us. They are ourselves with different names. If they were not, we should be less absorbed in them than we are. Their maker disappears be hind them, as we do when we 14 Panokama iTad. They are the folk of * this world, and we had not known they were so beautiful or won derful; nor had we known how much we knew; for what we knew comes home to us now, so that we are proud of the dis tinction we suddenly discover in ourselves. Q ocrates was not joking when he said that the only things we learn are the things we already knew. Only we did not know we knew them; we did not know our own power. So what shall we say of a teacher who makes his students hate Shakespeare? Impossible though that sounds, the thing has happened. We shall say first of all that the teacher must have hated Shakespeare too. He only thought he loved him — or worse yet, he pretended that he did. If he realty had, there could be no question about the result. His students would love Shake speare. And the final result would be that Shakespeare was the only thing they remem bered. Not their teacher, who gave them the love, but the ob ject of that love. The good teacher means it when he says he hopes his stu dents will forget him. He never means, of course, that he hopes they will forget the subject. For him that would be a tragedy; it would mean that he himself had not existed. The responsibilities of the teacher are many and yet one. They are to himself, to his sub ject, to his students, to society, and to the truth. But the first and last of these came nearest to defining the one in which the many reside. The teacher whose love of truth is personal, is his own, is the teacher all students dream of encountering some day. And even him they will forget. In time, that is to say, they will. Not in eternity, where truth is one unchanging thing and one unchanging Person. Learning A student read that it was possible to absorb know from a book by putting it under your pillow and sleeping on it all night. She tried it and next day a friend asked: “Did you get anything out of sleeping on the book?” “Yes,” replied our girl, “a stiff neck.” 1958 15 Pre - Revolution Philippines By Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. A n incident in the Seven Years’ War was the cap ture and occupation of Manila by the British in 1762. By the terms of surrender the colonists promised to pay a ransom of four million pesos, in consideration of which the British guaranteed that their lives and property would be respected and the free practice of the Catholic religion allow ed. Less than a million of the ransom money was collected in Manila itself. The local authori ties signed a draft on the Ma drid government for the rest, but it was not honored. One of the members of the governor’s council, Simon de Anda, escaped capture by flee ing to Bulacan. There, with the ur aid of friars stationed in the parishes, he succeeded in keep ing the provinces of central Luzon loyal to Spain. He ob tained possession of the silver bullion brought by the incoining galleon of that year, heat ing the British to it by a hair’s breadth. Thus provided with the sinews of war, he was able to contain the invader within Manila, its suburbs, and the port of Cavite. However, a formidable na tive broke out in the llocos re16 PANORAMA gion under the leadership of Diego Silang, to whom the Bri tish sent arms and encourage ment; it was put down, but with difficulty. The Muslim Sulus and Magindanaus, embold ened by the apparent eclipse of Spanish power, redoubled their piratical raids on the Visayan settlements, while guer rilla bands and plain bandits ravaged the farms and cattle ranches of Luzon. When the British abandoned their conquests in accordance with the Treaty of Paris (1763), the colony was in a very critial condition. The public treasury was empty, private fortunes had been wiped out, there was hun NOVEMBER 1958 17 ger in the land, and the dangerous notion was spreading among the native population that the Spaniards were not, after all, invincible. The attorney-general of the Philippines at the time, Fran cisco Leandro de Viana, pre sented the problem to Madrid in the clearest terms. Either the Philippines should be giv en up altogether, or measures should immediately be taken to build up its economy. Further more, this build-up should go beyond the point which had been reached before the Bri tish occupation, for the mother country was now in no position to make good the colony’s an nual deficits, as it had hitherto done. But could the Philippines be come self-supporting? Viana was confident it could, provid ed the Crown was willing to take the necessary steps: to in crease the tribute, reduce graft, organize government monopo lies in certain designated pro ducts, and form a state-sponsored commercial company which would exploit the possi bilities of direct trade between Spain and the Philippines and invest part of its profits in the agricultural development of the country. J1 HESE proposals found favor with the ministers of Charles III, who derived their ideas of government from the philoso 18 phies of the French Enlighten ment. The tribute was raised from 10 to 16 rials (two pesos) per native household. In 1785 a Royal Philippine Company was organized with an authorized capital of eight million pesos and a monopoly of all trade be tween Spain and the Philip pines by way of the Cape of Good Hope. It was not, how ever, a success. The Manila merchants loooked dourly upon trade from which they derived such fantastic, if unpredicta ble profits. Moreover, the Phil ippines produced little at the time to interest the European market, in spite of the valiant efforts of an Economic Society of Friends of the Country to stimulate and indigo. Thus, the Company ships had perforce to lade China goods for the return voyage; but since the Company bought these goods at Manila rather than at the source, it could not com pete with the more enterpris ing merchants of other nations who went directly to Canton. In 1792 the Company began to show a steady loss, and in 1843 it went out of business. However, it did serve at least in its early years of operation to inject new life into the al most petrified commerce of Manila, and a small proportion of its earnings was invested in agricultural development ac cording to the terms of its char ter. What eventually balanced the colony’s budget was neither direct taxation nor trade expan sion but the revenues derived from government monopolies, especially that of tobacco. This was organized by an energetic governor, Don Jose Basco y Vargas, in 1782. The weed, which the Spaniards had brought over from Mexico, had long been familiar to Filipinos, but up to that time was grown chiefly for home consumption. Basco now forbade its culti vation save in certain designat ed areas such as Gapan, in the present province of Nueva Ecija, and the Cagayan Valley. The planting, picking, drying and grading of the leaf was subjected to the most minute government control. The entire produce could be sold only to the government, at the gov ernment’s price; what the gov ernment agents rejected was burned. The baled tobacco was then transported under guard to the government factory in Manila, where it was manufactured into cigars and cigarettes. The bet ter grades of these were reserv ed for export; the rest was sold in monopoly stores or estanquillas throughout the country' from which alone tobacco could be legally purchased. bviously, a whole army of employees and revenue agents was required to operate the system; in spite—or pos sibly because — of which, spe culation, bribery, extortion and enormous leakages took place at every step. Contraband trade in tobacco flourished, carried on by tulisanes or outlaws with the connivance of the law-abid ing but tobacco-using popula tion. Nevertheless, imperfect though it was, crushingly un: fair to the consumer and harm ful to civic discipline, the mo nopoly did provide the govern ment with a revenue more than sufficient to balance its budget. This obvious advantage coun terbalanced the vigorous pro tests of thoughtful and publicspirited men, such as the dis tinguished Augustinian savant Fray Joaquin Martinez de Zuni ga, and the monopoly was not finally abolished until 1882. D esides putting an end to the chronic embarrassment of the colonial treasury, the tobacco monopoly contributed to the economic development November 1958 19 of the country in a larger sense, namely, by helping to develop commercial agriculture. Until the second half of the eigh teenth century agriculture in the Philippines was almost en tirely one of subsistence. Each region—one might almost say each town—produced what it needed for its own consump tion. What trade there was con sisted chiefly in supplying farm products to the non-producers of Manila and the larger towns in exchange for imported manu factures. The tobacco monopoly, by in troducing agricultural speciali zation on a significant scale, created a demand for staples, such as rice, and hence stimulat ed their production for the mar ket. But it was not the only fac tor in this change. The British occupation of Manila, brief though it was, had called the attention of British traders, and subsequently of their Ame rican and French competitors, to the possibilities of the Phil ippines both as a market and as a source of agricultural pro duce, especially sugar. Spain had consistently kept the ports of her colonies closed to foreign trade, but in the eighteenth century this was no longer pos sible. After a period of unof ficial intercourse (British trad ing vessels were admitted to Manila under Syrian or Indian registries if they paid a sui table fee to the right officials), the law was adjusted to the realities of the situation and Manila was thrffwn open to world trade in the same year that the Royal Philippine Com pany was liquidated. Even before 1834, however, agents and factors for foreign trading companies had been al: lowed to reside in the Philip pines, and it was to their entre preneurial activities that the nascent sugar and hemp indus tries of the country owed much of their development. The provinces around Mani la were the first to feel the impact of the agricultural “re volution.” Here, large tracts of uncultivated land were held by the religious orders or by edu cational and social service in stitutions administered by them. They had been acquired in some cases by purchase or legacy, but chiefly by royal grant, land being the most con venient form at the time in which to provide a hospital or a school with an endowment. Thus the Hacienda de Buenavista in Tambobong constituted the endowment of the hospital of San Juan de Dios, while Dominican haciendas of Binang and Calamba helped to sup port the faculty and bursaries of the royal and pontifical Uni versity of Santo Tomas. 20 Panorama ^his is how it came about that when the growth of commercial agriculture de manded new areas to be put under cultivation, it was prin cipally these estates, or “friar lands,” as they came to be known, which provided the ne cessary land for development. As a rule it was not the estate owners themselves who under took the development. They pre ferred to lease the undeveloped portions of their haciendas at a fixed ground rent, called canon, to the more enterprising families of the surrounding towns. These lessees (inquilinos) then got together a group of cultivators (kasamahan); lit., association) to help them clear the land and put it un der the plough, the harvest of each field being equally divided between inquilino and kasama after the canon had been de ducted. Some inquilinos, such as Paciano Rizal of Calamba, went out with their kasama and per sonally directed the work on the farm; others were content to play the part of absentee landlords, leaving the actual farm work to their kasama while they devoted themselevs to trade or moneylending. In any case, the inquilinos prospered steadily, and at least by the middle of the nineteenth century they formed a fairly distinct provincial upper class with enough resources to pay for an education beyond that of the generality of Filipinos. Some of them even sent their sons or younger brothers stu dy in Europe; with what results we shall see in due course. Meanwhile, the profits de rived by the inquilinos from their leased land did not pass unnoticed by the hacienda own ers, who began to increase the canon at regular intervals on the plea that land values were rising. This was deeply resent ed by the inquilinos, who ar gued that since any increase in the value of the land had been due solely to their efforts, they were in effect being penr alized for their enterprise and industry. The hacienda owners pointed out that prescinding from the fact that the land was theirs to rent out to whomsoever they pleased, the credit for its dev elopment was actually due not to the inquilinos but to the kasama, ,whom the inquilinos were deriving an unearned in come by applying the labor of others to land that was not theirs, and still had the gall to complain that they were be ing oppressed. The kasama took no part in this argument; or if they did they invariably sided with the inquilinos whom they knew and understood and to whom they were usually indebted. Thus, while the agricultural expan sion of the late eighteenth and November 1958 21 early nineteenth centuries led to hacienda development and growing prosperity in the pro vinces of central and southern Luzon, it also resulted in an antagonism between the ha cienda owners on the one hand and the inquilinos and their kasama on the other, an anta gonism which grew more and more bitter with the years. ince, as was said above, most of the haciendas were own ed by religious corporations or institutions controlled by them, this antagonism inevitably took on a definite anticlerical color ing. But the regular clergy in the Philippines were by this time under attack from more than one quarter. The minis ters of the Bourbon Charles III (1759-1788) derived from the French Enlightenment not only their interest in adminis trative efficiency and economic progress but also their hostility to the Church as an obstacle to state absolutism. The religious orders especial ly had, in their view, entirely too much power both at home and in the colonies. These overmighty subjects needed to be taught a lesson which would render them powerless to act as a check on the royal power, while remaining useful instru ments of the royal will. It was against the Society of Jesus, committed in a spe cial manner by its constitutions to the service of the papacy, that the government of Charles III moved first. In 1767 a royal decree went forth expelling the Jesuits from all the Spanish dominions; this decree was faithfully executed in the Phil ippines the following year. The remaining religious or ders took over as best they might the parishes and missions vacated by the Jesuits. But the government had designs upon them too. A court prelate sym pathetic to the official policy, Don Basilio Sancho, was * ap pointed to the metropolitan See of Manila. By reviving an old controversy regarding epis copal visitation he forced the friars to resign many of their parishes, which he immediately filled with secular priests. And since there was only a handful of Spanish clerics in the colony, he obtained the ne cessary personnel by hastily or daining a number of insuffi ciently trained Filipino candi dates for the priesthood. The Dominican encyclopedists Buzeta and Bravo have preserved the pleasantry which then be came current in Manila, that "there were no oarsmen to be found for the river boats be cause the archbishop had or dained them all.” As was only to be expected, many of these Filipino priests turned out badly, and the gov ernment was compelled some years later to revise its policy 22 Panorama of secularization. Filipinos con tinue to be educated for the priesthood and ordained, but they were not often given par ishes of their own. The majority were more or less permanently assigned to serve as assistants to the religious parish priests, and it was brought home to them in various ways that sub ordinate position was all they were believed to be capable of. By the middle of the nine teenth century the Filipino clergy were becoming dissatis fied with their being thus de liberately and, in their view, unjustly held down; and they tended to blame the friars for this as well as their other trou bles. The return of the Jesuits in 1859 made matters worse. They were given the spiritual admin istration of the island of Min danao, where the Recollects held a number of mission pa rishes. In order to compensate the latter for vacating these posts in favor of the Jesuits, they were given an equivalent number of parishes near Manila which the government took away from the secular clergy. The Filipino priests quite na turally protested this move, and in the anti-friar agitation which ensued among the most promi nent were Fathers Gomez, Bur gos and Zamora. J t is not quite clear what con nection these priests had with the mutiny which occurred in 1872 among the native troops stationed at Cavite. A military tribunal found them guilty of sedition and condemned them to death; but among Filipinos generally there was no doubt that their execution was judi cial murder. As Rizal was to say later, the very fact that the ecclesias tical authorities, who had no cause to look upon them with favor, refused to degrade them, was clear enough proof that they had done nothing serious ly unbecoming their priestly character. In any case, the up shot was that the inquilinos of the friar lands were now joined by a considerable segment of the Filipino secular clergy in their hostile attitude towards the religious corporations. This anti-friar sentiment was stimulated and stiffened, strangely enough, by certain elements in the Spanish com munity itself. The number of lay Spaniards in the Philippines steadily rose in the course of the nineteenth century due to the increased opportunities for trade and the expansion of the colonial bureaucracy. Immigra tion from the Iberian peninsula became especially significant after 1869, when the opening of the Suez Canal cut the length of the voyage from Cadiz to Manila to a month. Many of November 1958 23 the immigrants were needy of fice seekers with liberal sym pathies, for the Liberal govern ments which succeeded one ano ther with amazing rapidity from 1868 used colonial assignments as an inexpensive method of rewarding their faithful sup porters. Spanish liberalism being strongly anticlerical, the hostil ity to the friars among upperclass Filipinos received enthu: siasitc support from this unex pected quarter. Spanish liberals established the first Masonic lodge in the Philippines, and the famous Petition of 1888 which called for the expulsion of the friars would not have been pos sible without their encourage ment and active particfpation. It was, however, the Filipino liberals who suffered the conse quences, either by imprison ment or deportation. Some of the deportees found their way to Spain, where they conducted the campaign for a thorough going reform of the Spanish ad ministration of the Philippines known in our history as the Propaganda Movement. J * hat reforms were needed is undeniable. The Bourbon re forms of the eighteenth century brought a measure of prosperity to the country, as we have seen; but the economic and social changes which they entailed gave rise to fresh problems and made the surviving institutions of an earlier colonialism even more demoralizing than were the liquor, areca-nut and cock pit monopolies. The interminable searches, seizures and arrests necessary for their enforcement, and the opportunities they gave for ex tortion of every sort, won for revenue agents and especially for the Guardia Civil the cor dial hatred of the common people. At a higher level of admin istration, the alcaldes mayores or provincial governors were paid so poorly that it was practically an open invitation to them to supplement their in come at the expense of the na tive population. Nor did the al calde mayor lack the means to do this. He was in a particular ly favorable position to make handsome profits by dealing in local products. He could buy cheap and sell dear, and he could “requisition” labor. No one could say him nay, for he combined in his own person the powers of civil governor, mili tary commander and judge of first instance. For this reason the Laws of the Indies wisely forbade provincial officials un der the severest penalties from engaging in trade during their tenure of office. But this ordinance was more honored in the breach than in the observance; so much so that in the nineteenth century the royal government put aside all 24 Panorama pretense of enforcing it and al lowed alcaldes mayores upon their appointment to purchase an indulto de comercio or li cense to trade. On the other hand they were deprived of their judicial powers when se parate provincial courts were instituted; but this reform came too late in the nineteenth cen tury to be of much effect. The only provincial residents who could afford some kind of protection to the people against extortionate alcaldes were the friars in charge of parishes. They often did so, much to their credit. But while their courage in this matter won them the gratitude of humble folk, peo ple who could leave no tangi ble record of their sentiments, it made them the objects of active dislike among a class of people who could and did ex press that dislike; both in Spain and the Philippines, through the printed word; and the printed word endures. Unfortunately, nothing like a consistent policy of colonial reform could be expected from the central government. The Napoleonic wars were merely the blazing prelude to a “time of troubles” which held Spain in its grip throughout the whole of the nineteenth century. While constitutional conven tions alternated with royal res torations, and liberal govern ments dissolved before military pronunciamientos, the proud empire which had been won by conquistador and missionary began to disintegrate. Rebels and liberators smashed Spanish America into independ ent republics, and the storm they raised sent ripples and ed dies all the way across the Pasific to lap at the shores of the Philippines. ut while no stable govern ment existed to undertake a long-range program of plan ned reform, it is nevertheless true that a number of partial reforms were undertaken, mo tivated not only by a growing concern lest Filipinos go the way of the Spanish-American people, but also by a sincere desire to extend even to the poor indio some of the bless ings of liberalism. The opening of Manila to foreign trade in 1834 has al ready been mentioned. Between 1855 and 1877 foreign vessels were also admitted to a number of provincial ports. In 1851 the Banco Espanol-Filipino was es tablished by the government in response to the needs of Mani la’s growing commerce. Until the 1860’s the only sys tem of public education in the Philippines was that established and maintained by the Church. Every settled parish and many of the mission stations had a school for boys and girls in which, besides the catechism, the elements of reading, writ November 1958 25 ing, arithmetic and music were taught. Doubtless some of these pa rish schools were of the type satirized by Rizal in his Noli me tangere; but it is quite un fair to judge the system as a whole on the basis of a chapter in a work of fiction. Recent re searches such as those of Father Fox have shown that these schools were on the whole much better run, and the instruction given in them much more ef fective, than is generally be lieved. The medium of instruction used was usually the language of the region in which the school was situated. Every now and again, as far back as the seventeenth century, colonial officials would agitate for the use of Spanish instead of the native languages, and when no thing happened, would accuse the parish clergy of sheer ob structionism. That some of the religious parish priests opposed the teaching of Spanish to Fili pinos was undoubtedly true. In the nineteenth century es pecially it was feared that a widespread knowledge of Span ish would merely serve as a vehicle for ideas unsettling to the religious faith of a simple people and to the hitherto un questioning allegiance which they gave to Spain. The fear was not entirely unfounded, as subsequent events proved. However, this was not the principal difficulty. There were many competent educators among the clergy who were thoroughly in favor of making Spanish the medium of instruc tion. The principal difficulty was the lack of trained teachers and of funds to expand the school system beyond the primary lev el. The passage of the educa tional laws of 1863 and the es tablishment of a normal school under Jesuit direction two years later represent a serious effort to meet the difficulty. fortunately, administra tive reforms failed to keep pace with economic and social progress. It may well be argued whether they could have done so even if conditions in the Peninsula had been less trou bled than they were. In a cer tain sense all colonial regimes are self-liquidating, and the Spanish colonial system was no exception to this rule. Coloniza tion, where it is not merely a process of ruthless exploitation, is an educative process; sooner or later the point is reached where the subject peoples achieve a degree of self-cons cious maturity which makes them resentful of their bonds and avid for freedom and the responsibilities that go with it. As early as 1843 a perceptive observer, Sinibaldo de Mas, set up the terms of the problem for the ministers of Isabella II to consider. He said, in effect, 26 Panorama that given the stage of develop ment which the Philippines had reached, a policy of salutary neglect was no longer possible. Spain now had to choose one of two courses. If she meant to retain the Philippines perma nently, then she had to arrest all changes tending to the fur ther political and cultural im provement of the Filipinos. All schools save the most elemen tary should be abolished, the islands sealed off from all con tact with the outside world, and a colonial administration insti tuted which, while completely just, should also be completely autocratic. If on the other hand Spain meant at some future time to grant the Filipinos their free dom, then she should adopt a policy directly contrary to this. Filipinos should be educated to the full extent of their abili ties, all obstacles to the free exchange of ideas should be removed, and the people should be prepared for eventual self rule by a gradually increasing participation in government. It does not appear that Isa bella’s ministers or the parlia mentary cabinets which suc ceeded them gave much atten tion to Mas’ dilemma. Oppor tunities continued to be given to Filipinos to improve them selves, but never quite enough to satisfy them; they continued to be kept in subjection, but the subjection was never iso complete as to preclude all hope of its being done away with altogether. By the end of the century even the most moderate reform ers were beginning to think that nothing but a clean sweep would put things to rights. Ibar ra was getting ready to join Elias. J1 he deportees of 1872 and those of subsequent pro scriptions were joined in Europe by a number of student patriots who believed, somewhat naive ly, that extensive political and social reforms could be achieved within the framework of the existing colonial system. It is doubtful whether their propa ganda made much of an im pression on Madrid; but the en thusiasm which they aroused at home cannot be overestimated. Nor was it only the educated upper class to which they be longed that followed their ac tivities with hope and anxiety. Even the common people re garded them with a devotion akin to worship; for if many of the propagandists’ ideas were beyond their comprehen sion they could understand this much, that here at least were men of their own race who could deal with the Spaniard on equal terms. The Spanish government re jected the proposals of these moderate nationalists and dra matized its refusal by the exe November 1958 27 cution for sedition of their most eloquent and respected spokes man, Jose Rizal. As was to be expected, the leadership of the national movement thereupon possed on to more radical hands, to Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan; and the attempt to nip sedition in the bud mere ly enlarged it into a revolution. The narrow compass of this paper precludes even a sum mary treatment of the Revolu tion. But this is no great loss; there is no period in Philippine history that has received such detailed treatment. So much so that we have tended to neglect the antecedents which led to it, and so run the risk of fail ing to grasp the essence of a movement with whose details we are so familiar. It is for this reason that 1 have preferred to devote this slight essay not to the climax of the story, but to those initial complications which alone make that climax understandable, both in its glory and its tra gedy.—1957 Progress. The Need to Work C OUTHEAST Asia needs “a wholesale revolution in the attitude of men toward work” before it can supply the skilled laborers needed for modern industrial production. This is the opinion of scholars from 12 countries quoted in a recent report published under the auspices of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. The scholars from Japan, Britain, the Philippines, Thai land, 1 New Zealand, Pakistan, the United States, India, France, South Viet Nam, Canada and Borneo met in Bang kok, Thailand, early this year to study the question of how fast the southeast Asian nations can transform centuries-old agricultural economies into modem technological societies. “Scientific and technological progress,” the scholars con cluded, “has little prospect of being applied at short notice, on a large scale, in most of these countries.” In measuring the impact of Western technology on southeast Asia, the scholars found some disturbing aspects. Industrialization, they said, has destroyed courtesy in the Philippines, cheapened art in Thailand and weakened family ties all over Asia. None of them, however, suggested that the programs of industrialization in these nations be stopped. “No nation can keep out of the way of technological progress,” they stated in their report. “The process of industrialization and automation is irreversible.” The scholars agreed that southeast Asia needs progress, and that the alternatives are stagnation and back-sliding. 28 Panorama Gte Wod Wisel Only one of the four meanings given after each word below is correct. Without guessing, choose the right answer and then turn to page 74. If you have gone through high school, you should score at least eight correct answers. 1. bonanza — A. unexpected gift; B. a mine of wealth; C. bonus or extra compensation; D. a volley of shots. 2. chaff — A. scum; B. laborious breathing; C. to pat lightly; D. refuse or rubbish. 3. posthumous — A. arising after one’s death; B. be. longing to the past; C. careful inspection; D. under the soil. 4. ravel — A. to bring out; B. to make merry; C. to entangle; D. to cut off. 5. trek — A. to knock down; B. to test; C. to travel; D. to betray. 6. ^haggle— A. to bargain; B. to scold in public; C. to condemn; D. to attack. 7. spurious — A. without planning or preparation; B. suspicious; C. unexpected; D. not genuine or true. 8. spree — A. a fight; B. a sudden outburst; C. a lively frolic; D. a barn dance. 9. innovate — A. to place inside; B. to bring in some thing new; C. to tell a lie; D. to accept as ope’s own. 10. atrophy — A. failure; B. doubtful victory; C. de generation; D. a large cup or trophy. November 1958 29 Will de Gaulle's new Constitution turn the trick? New Hope For France □ For the first time in many years there was hope last month that France’s cha otic political life might come to an orderly end. Of about 80 percent of the registered voters who went to the polls, 95 per cent voted for the Constitution which will give the country the much needed political stability. The voting was a personal tri umph for Premier Charles de Gaulle, who designed the new charter. But it was also a pat tern for France’s political fu ture. In a matter of months the nation which saw the downfall of several governments in diz zying succession, including that of the 4th Republic last May, will have a stronger president. And it is almost a certainty that Charles de Gaulle is going to be it. The new Constitution is de signed to correct the basic weaknesses of the French poli tical system. It will give the country a stronger executive, which it had lacked. The chief By F. C. Sta. Maria executive is elected for a term of seven years by an “electoral college” composed of 80,000 deputies, senators, and mem.bers of provincial and municipal councils. Thus, he is put into office not by direct popular vote but by what observers describe as a system that favors rural and conservative interests. As against the usual parliamen tary concept of government, the president will be a stronger person at the expense of the premier. Henceforth the president will have the power to: (1) nego tiate and ratify treaties; (2) ap point and discharge premiers; (3) dissolve Parliament after “consultation” with the pre mier; (4) control appointments to civil and military posts; (5) sign ordinances and de crees; (6) suppress political parties which he believes are detrimental to national sover eignty and democracy; and 30 Panorama (7) assume dictatorial powers by simple proclamation if he decides that there is a state of national emergency. These obviously are very broad powers unknown even to heads of such presidential types of governments as the United States and the Philippines. In the hands of an ambitious poli tician, such powers could easily make a dictator. It is significant therefore that the French peo ple overwhelmingly bestowed upon de Gaulle such unlimited prerogatives. This political phe nomenon can ,be explained in two ways, namely: (1) the French people realize the grav ity of the present crisis and know that nothing short of a drastic change could save the nation; and (2) the French peo ple have complete trust in de Gaulle. p arliament, under the new charter, is an emasculated body. It is permitted to meet twice a year for no more than three months at a time. It can pass laws but only in certain limited areas. Should a deputy accept a cabinet post or any other government position, he must resign from the Parlia ment. Whereas the premier is responsible to the assembly, the latter can force the premier, during its first year of exist ence, to resign on an absolute majority vote. After the first year the president can dissolve an assembly and keep the pre mier while awaiting the out come of new elections. There is also under the new Constitution a powerful nineman council which would have broadly the functions of the supreme court in the Philip pines. This body is composed of three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the assem bly, and three by the senate president. It will determine the legality of certain acts passed by Parliament. Indeed, there is bright hope that the 5th French Republic will have the stability which previous governments did not enjoy. Since the Revolution of 1789, France has been four times a republic, three times a monarchy, twice an empire and once a semi-dictatorship. The 4th Republic which was estab lished in 1949 and which col lapsed last May saw the succes sive failures of more than a doz en premiers; General de Gaulle was, in fact, the twentieth since 1947. Under the old system there was a proliferation of political parties, with each candidate sel dom, if ever, owing allegiance to any single party. Coalition and appeasement were the or der of the day. Premiers had to be experts at compromise and at bringing together poli tically divergent elements. In November 1958 31 such a situation it was inevi table that a premier and his cabinet had a very uncertain tenure, which was subject to political vagaries and changes. This was the condition which de Gaulle’s Constitution seeks to remedy, if not entirely at least to a degree where a gov ernment could stay in power long enough to implement a workable program. 0 ne problem which the next president of France has to solve is Algeria. While the results of the referendum in this revolt-torn colony sus tained de Gaulle to an amazing degree (97% voted yes), there is no indication that France’s top headache will be cured over night. The North African reb els have proclaimed a provi sional government with head quarters at Cairo. Under the banner of the Front de Libera tion Natiohale (FLN) and the energetic leadership of Ferhat Abbas, the self-proclaimed pre mier, the nationalists have vowed to make Algeria free at any cost. In answer to de Gaulle’s pleas for a “peace of brave men,” the FLN has turned a cold shoulder. They are will ing to negotiate, but in a neu tral country, and not Paris as suggested by the French pre mier. The Algerian problem cannot be minimized. It is of such a magnitude as to make the dif ference between success and and failure for de Gaulle’s na tional program. Over 400,000 French troops have been forced to be kept in Algeria to fight the rebels. France is reputedly spending two and a half mil lion dollars daily to fight the war. If the 5th Republic is to pursue successfully its plans of economic expansion and poli tical stability at home, the ex penditure in North Africa must stop, or at least be drastically reduced. France cannot afford both. The Algerian nationalists know this for a fact, and thereby lies their strength. They are aware that de Gaulle must solve the Algerian problem first before he could succeed in con tinental France. The FLN also knows that a decisive victory is not necessary; by pursuing indefinitely a guerrilla warfare, it could succeed in sapping the Paris government of its econo mic, and possibly of its poli tical, strength. On his part, the French war time hero who has made a spectacular comeback, showed an admirable mastery of the Algerian situation. Strength ened by his overwhelming vic tory at the polls, de Gaulle last month instituted stern measures calculated to control his own compatriots who have taken ad vantage of the confusion in the 32 Panorama colony. First to be disciplined were the military. He ordered General Raoul Salan, command er of French fores in Algeria, to: (1) get the generals and colonels out of Algeria politics; and (2) let the Moslems, in cluding those advocating com plete independence, to campaign freely for election. 'J' he order shocked Salan and many of the extreme right-wingers in the colony, who expected to be rewarded for their “loyalty.” In fact, many of the soldier-politicians had rather expected to ride on de Gaulle’s personal popularity to greater personal glory. They were disappointed. Major General Jacques Massu, leader of the May revolt in Algiers, at first protested, then resigned as president of the Committee of Public Safety — the anti-rebellion organization. He was followed by 11 other officers. A planned general strike fizzled out at the last moment. Once more de Gaulle had asserted his supremacy. Another ambitious politician, Information Minister Jacques Soustelle, who actually master minded the Algerian revolt and who had hoped to become pre mier with de Gaulle’s election as president, was likewise dis appointed. The premier flatly refused to play partisan poli tics when he overruled efforts to create a pro-de Gaulle party out of the fragments of the other political parties, and thus to assure his and de Gaulle’s election. Inducement held out to Al geria and, for that matter, the other French territories comes in the form of a provision un der the new Constitution for greater political autonomy and the continuation of subsidy from the mother country. In the forthcoming election Moslems, who constitute nine-tenths of Algeria’s population, will have a fair chance of representing the country in Paris. In pre vious years, the one million half-breeds of predominantly French descent wielded abso lute political power over the rest of the population. If, as planned by the new Charter the Moslems could get elected and consequently have a voice in the government of France, it is not unlikely that the Algerians would stop cla moring for outright independ ence. This possibility, plus the fact that they will continue to have economic ties with France and an aid of half a billion dollars annually, might turn the trick. This of course is only speculation ; whether the rebels, who have lost 70,000 of their followers in the last three or four years of warfare would jump at the French bait, is another matter. November 1958 33 An encouraging sign was the release recently by the rebels of four French military prison ers and the freeing of 10 reb els by the French. If the elec tions, which are scheduled for November 28-30 should, as ex pected, see at least 47 Moslems deputies to the French assem bly, the Algerian situation may yet prove to be less difficult than predicted. 0 ther French territories had a similar chance to vote in last month’s referendum to either stay within the French community or to quit. The only colony which gave a resound ing vote of No to continued dependence upon France was the French Guinea in West Af rica. This country thus auto matically becomes an independ ent nation by repudiating de Gaulle. Other French possessions — including Senegal, Niger and French Somaliland —must choose to either remain as ter ritories, become integrated as departments of France, or be come federated republics. Ma dagascar chose to be such a re public within the French com munity. The next two or three months will show some definite tenden cies in France’s new pattern of government. While the numer ous economic problems will con ceivably stay on, it is admitted by observers that there is a great promise for France under Charles de Gaulle. The Algerian problem must still be resolved. France’s strained economy, with its dangerously sinking inter national reserves, would still have to be strengthened. But the future definitely seems brighter than either the past or the present. And much of the future is on the palm of de Gaulle’s hand.—Philippine Journal of Education. Plus and Minus The ever-increasing documentation of the Unit ed Nations has been expanded by yet another new document. It is a 5,700 word report by a committee which it set up to study the problem of how to cut down on the documents of the world organization. * 34 Panorama A few pointers Can □ mong the insect pests, one of the most destruc tive is the termite. Un fortunately, this is a pest that thrives very well in the Philip pines. The damage inflicted by termites on property all over the country has been estimated at over a million pesos per year. Termite development in our country is aided by many fac tors, among them high humid ity, adequate rainfall, favorable temperatures and abundant food. Here, where the principal construction material is wood, termite control should receive greater emphasis. Considered most destructive of the 39 known species of ter mites in the Philippines is the subterranean “milk” termite (Coptotermes vastator). This pest is widespread from sea level up to an altitude of 5000 feet. It can readily be recog nized by the milky secretion of its soldiers. This secretion is By Mitron Paniqui a toxic substance that protects it from its mortal enemy—the ant. This termite builds covered runways or tubes over other materials to reach wooden structures. The “milk” termite requires a great deal of mois ture; hence their usual point of attack is the dampest area of a building. Another common type is the Macrotermes gilvus Hagen, a termite that builds mounds in the open field, around fence posts, park benches and dead logs. Although this type is not as destructive as the “milk” termite, it ruins gardens, graz ing land and disfigures the land scape. The Heterotermes philippinensis is a rare type. Its size and habits are like those of Cop totermes. They also inflict dam age on buildings and woodwork. November 1958 35 The Heterotermes can be dis tinguished by the narrow and rectangular shape of the heads of its soldiers. There are many ways of con trolling termites. One of the most important is the adoption of good construction practices. It is necessary that wood is put out of the reach of termites. This is usually achieved by con structing concrete foundations and floor slabs and placing the wordwork above them. Once this is done, additional meas ures should be adopted such as putting metal shields over the concrete and digging narrow trenches around the foundations and filling them with cresote or oil reguarly. This method, how ever. is both expensive and un sightly. A better method would be to use woods that are imper vious to termite attacks, such as ipil or molave. However, if one cannot afford this kind of lumber, one can have the wood treated with chemicals. The ini tial cost is rather high but in the long run it is economical. Good sanitation and efficient drainage all help in termite con trol. Damp areas add depress sions that catch water should be drained and thoroughly dried. effective supplement to good construction methods is the use of soil poisons. Soil poisons can be sprayed on the ground or mixed with the soil before the construction of the building. Soil poisons can also be applied around the founda tions of existing buildings or injected into cracks and holes in the concrete. Among the chemicals now in common use as soil poisons are the following: (1) Aldrin, .5 to 1% of the effective ingre dient in No. 2 fuel oil, applied at the rate of 1 pint per square foot or 4 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil, can show effective results for a period of seven years. (2) Benzene hexachlo ride, containing 0.8% of the gammar isomer in No. 2 fuel’ oil or in water emulsion, ap plied at the rate of 1 pint per square foot or 2.5 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil, is effec tive for 8 years. (3) Chlordane, at a concentration of 2.0 per cent of the active ingredient in No. 2 fuel oil or in water emul sion applied at the rate of 2 pints per square foot or 7.5 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil. This chemical is better than the others because it is less harm ful to the plants. (4) D.D.T., 50% in No. 2 fuel oil, applied 5 gallons to 10 cubic feet of soil, is effective for 4 years. (5) Dieldrin is used like D.D.T. (6) Heptacholor, 1 to 5% in No. 2 fuel oil or in water emulsion, applied at the rate of 0.5 pint per square foot or 3.75 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil, is effective for 4 years. (7) Penta 36 Panorama chlorophenol, 5% in No. 2 fuel oil applied at the rate of 7 gal lons per 10 cubic feet of soil. (8) Toxaphene, 5% of the ac tive ingredient in No. 2 fuel oil, applied at the rate of 1 pint per square foot of soil, has an effective duration of 6 years .(9) Trichlobrobenzene, a chemical diluted 1 part to 3 parts of No. 2 fuel oil (25% by volume) and applied at the rate of 5 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil. All these chemicals are on the market under varying trade names. The customer must ex amine carefully the composition to determine the active ingre dient. Fuel oil is the best mat erial for suspension because it stays longer. Care should be exercised in handling these chemicals. Most of them are irritants and should not be allowed to come in con tact with the skin or the eyes. They should also be kept away from children and domestic ani mals. When treating the soil with these poisons, do not in clude areas intended for plant ing. Electrified Insecticide A METHOD of electrically charging insecticide and fungicide dust particles to make them adhere more thickly and firmly has been developed for the first time on a commercial scale by a United King dom firm, and incorporated in anew dusting machine. The revolutionary development is quite simple. The dust passes through a very high electrostatic field so that each individual particle acquires a positive charge. When the particle approaches the surface of the plant being treated, an equal and opposite charge is induced behind the plant, thus drawing the par * tide to it. As the object being sprayed now has a negative charge, the positively charged particle is hold to the surface. Because like forces repel each other, the dust particles are evenly distributed over the surface. At the same time the dusts are deposited in almost equal quantities on tha lower surfaces of leaves. It is estimated that total deposits obtained by by this new method of spraying are from four to ten times the amounts obtained by conventional means. November 1958 37 TPanorama TPeek T HIS YEAR the University of the Philippines is 50 years old. For half a century this only state-supported institu tion of higher learning in the country has trained leaders in government and the various professions. It has set high academic standards recognized by many great universities abroad. The University at present counts wtih an average enrollment of about 15,000 distributed on the main campus in Quezon City, in Manila, in Los Banos, in Iloilo and at Clark Air Base. It has more than 1,000 faculty members teaching in more than 20 different colleges and units. Most of these academic units are located in 489 hectares of rolling terrain in Quezon City, about 16 kilometers north of downton Manila. Fifty years is a long time in a man's life; but to a university 50 years may well be the period of infancy or childhood in an indefinite journey to greatness. The University has achieved a reputation for thorough scholarship in an atmosphere of academic freedom during its half century of existence. But it is only a beginning. There are no great expectations, no hopes for easy success. It will continue moving forward, without fanfare, on that indefinite journey to greatness. 38 Panorama Passers-by view arch across Administration building proclaiming Golden Jubilee Fete. Symbolic "Oblation" in new bronze casting awaits unveiling. Foreign scholars relax wit their professors. . Tower of new DZUP 4 radio station, inaug urated soon, goes up. Winners of the Jubilee ai contest display their piece By Lilia F. Mendoza ' The men in our neighbor hood had already erected in our front yard the abong, roofed with fresh green coconut leaves. White, red, blue and green crepe were tied from the middle of the abong to the corners. Our old embroidered curtains, which were taken out only for baptismal parties and other special family gatherings and which smelled like bur nished wood because they had been long kept at the bottom 42 Panorama of our century-old narra trunk, were hung around the abong by the ladies in the neighbor hood. The Life Orchestra, the best in our town during the occupation, would furnish the music on the eve of the wed ding. ; I was leaning on the sill of our veranda watching the young men and women putting the final decorations of the abong. The strips of crepe wafted by the wind were like waves’ on a turbulent sea. The young people were jok ing and teasing each other. “When I marry ... we will elope so that there will be no trouble,” Mang Lllo remarked as he lifted two neavy benches, the hard muscles of his arm bulging, and placed them in one corner of the abong. "And who would want to elope with you?” snapped Mang Iniong, who was pounding the ltose earth near the poles of the abong. “You with bowlegs and crossed eyes? Pare, it would take a girl out of her mind to give you a second look.” “Be careful, Iniong,” warned Mang Doming, “someone is al ready blushing.” And they looked toward Manang Julia whose shaking hands were ty ing the strip of crepe blown by the wind. Then everybody teased her and she almost cried. But the noise stopped when Ajmtie deling, .for whom all these grand preparations were made, appeared in the veranaa like a queen before her eager subjects. “Thank you very much for coming over to help.” She stopped a moment as if a lump of food was in her mouth. “Why, what happened to Julia?” Sensing perhaps the unusual air in the group she remarked, “You silly young people!” Then taking my hand, she said, “Come, JJedet. Accompany me to confession . . .” T followed her inside the A house. Her graceful light steps and her pleasantly pro portioned body made her look youthful and I gasped with pride. But, really, Auntie Feling was getting married quite late, so our neighbors said. At first I thought she would not get mar ried anymore since, according to Nanang Metiang, my child less runt with whom I had spent my childhood, Auntie Fel ing, was past her thirty-third year. But to me she did not ap pear that old. I still remember how she, when going to church, combed her dark, wavy, long hair, and made a round knot at the back of her head. She had clear, deep-set eyes and no wrinkles were to be found around them. Her skin, which I dreamed of possessing some day, was still smooth and glossy. Tata Maning, the bride groom, was four years her ju N0VEMBER 1958 43 nior; yet no one recognized their difference in age. He was a hard-working man, and being the only child, he had to be the family’s breadwinner. Only his ways of dressing and his fondness for my cousins and me showed that he was younger than Auntie Feling. Tatang Lacay, the eldest of my aunts and my father, ap proved the marriage because, according to him, he was very eager to see Auntie Feling get settled before he died, since she was the only one left single. “Three pigs, two dozen chic kens, two hundred eggs, anc| some fish will be enough,” said Tatang Lacay, whose popular name among the barrio folks was Belong. But my cousins and 1 called him Tatang Lacay because he was the oldest and besides he always acted like an old chief whose word was law and whose acts drew obedience and respect. I still remember the time when his son IJfoling and I had a quarrel. We jeered and shouted at each other. He was awakened from his after noon nap by our shouts and the mere sight of him made Noling and me stop. We didn’t run for that would have been worse. Each of us just said, “I am sorry.” “Do you think that will be enough, Manong?” Nanang Metiang asked Tatang Lacay. “You told me yesterday the mayor and his friends would be com ing together with the other high people in the poblacion," she continued, and the words “high people” made her smile with pride. “Yes, these will be enough,” he repeated. Qn the eve of the wedding, a tall, thin man, dressed in dirty, patched khaki pants approached Tatang Lacay who was with my father giving lastminute orders to the helpers. The man’s shirt clung to his body for it was wet with sweat, and a loose patch at his hips ' revealed unwashed underwear. His worn-out cap almost cov ered his eyes. I got near them when, without uttering a word, the stranger delivered a letter in a sealed envelope. With trem bling hands Tatang Lacay took the letter. Grains of perspir£ tion began to form on his fore head although it was very windy. But the man, upon hear ing the sound of engines at a distance, ran as if a mad dog were chasing him. “Jose, read the letter for me." He handed the envelope with hands still shaking. My father, too, was nervous, and the letter dropped as he was opening it. The guerrilla officials wanted Tatang Lacay to be under the Secret Service to report on the Japanese activities in town, the letter said. Tatang Lacay wiped the sweat from his forehead 44 Panorama and smiled as if a thousand burdens had been lifted from him. During the wedding, Tatang Lacay was nowhere to be found. The mayor and the other guests inquired for him as he was sup posed to lead the toast with basi for the newlyweds. The tension caused by his disap pearance couldn’t be hidden. Nanang Metiang tried to joke with everyone but I noticed that she was very much worried. A friend of hers said, “May I have a glass of water?” She gave instead a plate of rice. My father, too, kept looking around distractedly. “Where is Belong?” a friend asked in a suspicious voice. My father only shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. At another corner of the abong, the old men and women were dancing to the tune of “Dungdunguencanto.” The on lookers threw coins to the dancers; the money was for the married couple. The dance be came a riot, for the dancers were drunk. There was loud laughter when Apo Intang's saya slipped to the ground be cause her partner Apo Julio stepped on its tail. At the height of the celebra tion, about ten Japanese sol diers arrived. Their muddy, black boots seemed to trample on everybody. Their bayonets, fixed at the tip of their rifles, seemed about to kill every per son in the wedding. The guests withdrew to the corners of the abong. Some of them attempted to run, the old women made the sign of the cross and muttered unintelligi ble prayers. The dancers stood immobile. One of the soldiers approached my Auntie Feling who sat at the far end of the abong still clad in her snowwhite mestiza dress. I threw my eyes to where Tata Maning stood. Did he escape? Then I looked at my aunt again. All the while I thought the brute would carry her away. I was re lieved when he only touched her chin. The other soldiers gathered the left-over food and they laughed mockingly as they made their way among the throng. But the inaction of Tata Ma ning bothered me. Could it be that he would never raise a hand in defense of his bride? T couldn’t sleep well that 1 night of the incident. The sight of deadly weapons haunt ed me in my sleep. Even the darkness made me restless in bed. When at last I had dropped into an uneasy sleep, 1 was sud denly awakened by my father. "Dedet, Dedet,” my father shook me. “Light the lamparilla.” When the light spread around the room, I saw Tatang Lacay sitting before my father’s writing table. His jaws were set November 1958 45 and he stared at th: dark cor ners of the room which were not reached by the faint light of the lamparilla. “Jose,” he began, “I am go ing to dictate to you my report and translate it in English.” And save for the rhythmic creaking of the typewriter and Tatang Lacay’s low voice not a sound could be heard. Some times I could hear the rustling, of the leaves of the caimito trees in our backyard which would make Tatang Lacay_sus picious lest someone would be around. He dictated that he climbed the big mango tree not far from our house and saw the Nippons run away with the left-over food. Tatang Lacay did well in his patriotic duty. Sometimes I would find myself praising his excellent services for the guer rilla cause. Some Japanese on patrol would often pass by him and stop to fondle his favorite rooster. “Kumbawa,” he would say, and add an exaggerated bow, his head nearly touching the ground. The atabrine-faced Jap anese would only smile show ing their big unbrushed teeth. Tatang Lacay’s wife died at a time when she needed him most. His child and his duty to the Secret Service conflicted. "I will bring the children over here, Metiang. Anyway, Maning and Feling are here to help you around the house.” Thus he de voted much time to his reports and observations. Tatang Lacay rarely came home. He was always busy ob serving every step and plan of the Japanese soldiers in the town garrison. Sometimes he would arrive hungry and tired but he always managed to give a smile of assurance to every body in the family. “Take care of your health, Manong,” my father said as he typed his reports. “You’ve be come pale and thinner during these days.” “Don’t worry, Jose,” he pat ted my father’s shoulders. “My work really needs a lot of sacri fice; I might even give my life for the sake of our country.” As he was about to get his buri hat from the deer’s horn that was nailed against a post, he turned to Nanang Metiang who was darning his worn-out pants. "Metiang, I noticed that Fe ling is already with child. Tell ler not to work so hard. Tell Waning to gather vegetables every day. Apo Julio’s field has plenty of fresh camote tops and saluyot. 1 want the baby to come healthy,” and he put on his hat that smelled acrid due to too much sweat. ’T'he following week several battalions of foul-smelling, dirty - looking fierce Nippons passed. According to Tatang Lacay’s report, they came from Vigan, the capital. There were so many of them that, afraid, we abandoned our homes and went to a wide field across a river. We built a calapaw, an improvised shelter the roof of which was only two layers of cogon. Its bamboo floor, that creaked when we moved around, was matted together by lanuti. We did not make a ladder any more since the floor was only about one-half yard from the ground. Also, there was no partition inside. It was too small to divide into rooms. The smell of dry cogon was enough to make us all feel at home. Every morning I would see the bright rays of the sun glit tering on the clear w.aters of the river that rippled by. I would see the rolling plains around halted by the saw? toothed Cordillera mountains. There were scattered calapaws far from us. For several days we would watch smoke and flames com ing from the burning houses near the road. Some bolomen, their sunburnt faces half-hidden by their long, unruly hair, would pass by our calapaw. Sometimes they would drop by and ask for a drink of water. “Have all the houses on both sides of the road been eaten by fire?” Nanang Metiang asked them. “Everything is ash. And do you know the lame, old woman beggar who lives alone in a leaning house near the big mango tree?” asked one. “Yes, Why?” The boloman wiped his sweat and pushed the hair that cov Novkmber 1958 47 ered his face. “She was tied like a pig and thrown into the flames.” When another batch passed by again, this time with some bundles of clothes, probably saved from the fire, my father intercepted them. “Have you seen a man of about fifty, his hair all white, dressed in khaki with a black band around his left arm?” “No,” answered one lower ing his bundle. “But there were many who were massacred in the poblacion last night.” All of us began to be wor ried since Tatang Lacay didn’t appear for days. However, our fears were lessened when he arrived in the calapaw with three wounded men. Where he picked them up, he didn’t say. Since there was no other place to house them, the other calapaws being far from us, we ac commodated them. I shook at the sight of blood oozing from their wounds. Nanang Metiang, my father and Tata Maning helped in bandaging the wounds of the men. Some medicinal herbs gathered by Tatang La cay along the river bank were applied to stop hemorrhage. Every morning I heated wa ter to wash the wounds. Nanang Metiang would do the dressing since Auntie Feling was too heavy with child to help. Not only that. Tatang Lacay and Tata Maning were afraid she might faint at the sight of blood. At night I would be awak ened by the sighs and cries of the wounded men. Sometimes I would cover my face tightly with my blanket and press my ears close to my pillows in order not to see or hear what was happening around. But I would feel the shaking of the floor of the calapaw as the men tossed. ONE MORNING I W 0 k e Up earlier than usual. It was unusually cold and I could hear the slow drip-dripping of dew from the cogon roof on the tiny stones below. I wound my blanket around me and tried to linger longer in bed. But when I saw streams of light entering the calapaw, I got up reluctantly. I wiped my eyes with the lower part of my skirt. Lowering my skirt I saw Na nang Metiang and the rest, ex cept Auntie Feling, giving a sponge bath to one of the sol diers. He was as stiff as a log. Then I felt I was shaking; I didn’t know if it was due to the cold morning or to the sight of death in front of me. They dressed him with one of Tatang Lacay’s old white trousers. Nanang Metiang motioned everyone to kneel. Auntie Fe ling led the prayers. We said one Our Father and three Hail Mary’s. Tatang Lacay left immediate48 Panorama ly after the burial. Nanang Me tiang and I went down to the river to wash the blanket used by the dead man. On the path to the river, a black cat crossed our path. “Isn’t that a bad omen?”- I asked Nanang Metiang who, 1 had learned, was very supersti tious. ' “Yes. But I hope God will take care of everything. Come on, let’s hurry up,” she said after giving a last look at the black cat that limped into the bushes that lined the path. I noticed that the river that wound along the evacuation area had decreased in width since our arrival. The trees around became withered. The dead leaves were piled rotting along the bank. When we arrived home, we saw Tata Maning kneeling in a corner and my father beside Auntie Feling. “I think it’s time for the baby now Manang,” my father said in a worried voice. Nanarfg Metiang put down the batya and went towards the three. She knew how to deliver babies. She ran her fingers on Auntie Feling’s stomach and shook her head. “Not yet.” Dusk began to envelop the area. It was unusually silent. I couldn’t even hear the chirp ing of crickets in the dry fields around. Sometimes I would peep through the door of the calapaw and see the people in side. Tata Maning kept walk ing to and fro. The two sol diers were at one end of the calapaw, and Auntie Feling at another. Her moaning stopped for a while. As I was stirring the hot linugaw for the other two men, I saw a blackbird fly across the fields of withered corn. When I stood up to get a bowl I saw a man slowly crossing the slug gish river. His head was bowed and his shoulders were droop ing. As he neared, I knew that it was Tatang Lacay from the black and white shirt he wore. He stumbled at the door of the calapaw. Nanang Metiang and my father and Tata Maning helped him up. The wooden ladle with which I was stirring the linugaw dropped to my side when 1 saw the blood gushing from his breast and left thigh. D utung that night we kept vigil. Blood continued to drip in spite of the preventives 49 Nanang Metiang applied. Sev eral sheets were already soaked with blood. I tried to close my eyes but the picture of the suf fering old man horrified me. The oil of the lamparilla was already too little to give enough light. I threw a glance at him. Meanwhile, Auntie Feling’s labor pains came again. The intervals were short this time. It was a good thing that the other two soldiers were getting better. Nanang Metiang ordered Tata Maning to heat water. “The baby might come anytime now.” She exchanged places with my father, tie would at tend to Tatang Lacay while she prepared rags and oils for Auntie Feling. I squatted at one corner of the calapaw. My eyes travelled from the two soldiers to Tatang Lacay and then to Auntie F®» lipg. At past midnight, Tatang Lacay’s moaning subsided a little. But afterwards, with the aid of the dying lamparilla I noticed that he was already very pale. He set his jaws as if to gather enough courage to fight death. After a few moments he passed. I didn’t know what happened afterwards. But it seemed as if I could hear voices and music similar to that played by the Life Orchestra days ago. Sud denly I was awakened from my reverie by the loud cry of a baby. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands. And by the bright rays of the sun pene trating through the recesses of the calapaw, I beheld Auntie Feling’s boy, healthy and robust. An Exception DO YOU think all motorcycle cops are heartless monsters? They tell of one up New England way who bagged two speeding cars at the same time, or dered the drivers to pull up at the side of the road. The lead car had a dazzlingly pretty girl at the wheel, and the appreciative young man in the second car whispered, “Go easy on her bud," as the cop strode by, summons book in hand. A few moments later the girl drove off, and the cop approached the young man. He handed him a slip of paper. It contained the girl's telephone number. “Get going," he ordered, “and no more of that 70-miles-an-hour stuff, or you’ll never live to use this." 50 Panorama INDIA'S The khesari dhal Indian scientists are warn ing that much of their Country’s farmlands have been sown with a food crop that may cripple millions. For over 25 years researchers have suspected a link between the small black pea-like plant that is the main diet in central and northern India and a disease that makes strong farmers crip ples. Although the crop should be banned, however, science fears that many families for whom it means subsistence will continue to grow and eat it. The plant that is the trouble maker is called khesari dhal. Over four million acres are sown with it. In Bihar, in north east Asia, and Madhya Pradesh in central India, it constitutes 40-50 percent of the people’s diet. Its seeds, mixed with other grains, are baked into chapatties—thin round bread. Khesari dhal is used also for cattle fod der, because in drought time it :s the only plant that will grow in parched land. Much credit, however, is giv en the theory that the common paralysis, Lathyrism, is trace able to the plant. The germ or November 1958 51 virus which causes the disease has not been isolated; yet the disease never occurs in the ab sence of the plant. Years of ex periment have convinced re searchers that the disease is caused either by an ingredient of the plant or by some reac tion in the seed when it is stored in peasants’ unbaked earthenware pots. I n some areas it is estimated 1 that from 6 to 8 percent of the population suffer from the disease; especially men between 20-30 years of age may be per manently crippled. Madras and Kerala have already banned the crop; and others have been ad vised to do the same. Did You Know? What kind of snake is a “glassP snake? ¥ ¥ ¥ "Lathyrus sativus,” to use its Latin designation, is a grass pea that must be sown annual ly. It grows to a height of 30 inches and is widely used for human food and forage. Some times it is called the Indian pea. Seeds of similar plants in North Africa and southern Europe commonly poison hu mans and animals and some times lead to fatalities. In 1884 the pea was discovered to have poisoned 35-75 cart horses owned by a resident of Liver pool, England. There are also records of the peas having harmed cattle, sheep and pigs, and of their having caused pigeons to lose the power of flight. A glass snake is not a snake at all, but a legless lizard that parts with its tail when pursued. The tail continues to wriggle for some time and holds the attention of the enemy while the lizard escapes. ¥ Where is it that people prefer black teeth to wfyite ones? In the East Indies. Some of the natives there chew betel nuts, and by the time they are 12 years years old, their teeth are completely black from the stains. When these people grow older and need false teeth, they naturally prefer to have black ones: ¥ 52 Panorama No matter how you look at it . . It’s a WHALE of an Industry J s far back as 1842, whaling was a flourishing in dustry in Western Aus tralia, and, in addition, many farms along the coast depended for their existence on supply ing fresh vegetables to xthe whalers. The industry was then controlled by Norwegian com panies. However, the companies concerned in the post-war re vival of the trade in Western Australia are Australian-owned, and between them they produce whale oil which is worth more than £A1 million annually. By JOHN DAVIDSON One of these companies is the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, which began opera tions in 1952 at Frenchman’s Bay in the Albany district. This concern operates twp whale catchers, or ’chasers, as they are sometimes called (except by the skipper, who assures you that he catches whales and doesn’t just chase them). The vessels, Cheynes and Kos VII, both of about 250 tons, with November 1958 S3 modern whale 'chaser of a radar device which keeps track of the whale at depth, in somewhat the same way that Asdic detects submerged submarines. a maximum speed of 12V2 knots, are steam-operated with oil-fired burners, each consum ing about six-and-a-half tons of oil a day. Mounted on the bow of each ship is a harpoon gun, which fires a harpoon weighing 170 lb., to which is attached 80 fa thoms of rope. The explosive warhead of the harpoon ex plodes inside the whale, usually causing instantaneous deaths When dead, the whale is in flated for buoyancy and is towed by a launch to the shore pro cessing station at Frenchman’s Bay, about 14 miles from the town of Albany. The chaser, the shore station and the towing launch are in two-way radio contact, and time is saved by constant reports on sightings and positions. An air craft, flown by Mr. John Downie, spots, locates and often as sists in catching the whales. Mr. Downie also sees that buoyed whales do not come adrift. Sighting whales is an expert’s job, especially in rough weather. Often, it is the blowing of the whale which betrays its posi tion. Incidentally, the vertical f spout of water so much asso ciated with whales is not water pumped up by the whale, but condensation from the large volume of air forced from its T * here are numerous types of whales, but, in recent years, the humpback and sperm whales have been the species hunted in Western Australian waters. The humpback caught off the Australian coast spends part of the year in its feeding grounds in the Antartic, and then travels up through warmer waters surrounding Australia, lungs. An interesting sidelight on hunting sperm whales, which can lie submerged for up to 50 minutes, is the use by the 54 Panorama South Africa and South Amer ica, where breeding takes place. While migrating, the whales do not feed, but rely on their body fats to sustain them. Humpbacks grow to 50 feet in length and weigh about a ton for each foot in length. Un like the sperm whale, the hump back has no teeth, just a series of bony plates in the upper jaw. The sperm whale, which ’has about 48 teeth in the lower jaw, inhabits the deep waters off the continental shelf and feeds on large octopus and squid. There are restrictions on the number of humpback whales that can be caught. The quotas, which are voluntary and de signed to ensure that the spe cies will not become extinct, are set by the Commonwealth Fisheries Department in con junction with the International Whaling Statistics in Norway. Other restrictions do not per mit the killing of whales under 35 feet in length or of a lac tating cow whale with calf. How can you recognize a lac tating cow whale? “That’s easy,” ’chaser skip per Frank Hughes, of Cheynes Beach Whaling, told me. “A whale with a calf will take it on her back or under a flipper, for protection, when pursued.” Cheynes Beach Whaling Com pany is allowed a quota of only 120 humpbacK whales a season, and these are obtained between June and late July (some larger companies are allowed 1,000 humpbacks). When the towing launch brings the whale along side the shore station, a Fish eries Department inspector is waiting to check whether or not it is regulation length. Then the flensing (or cuttingup) operation begins. This is a slippery and bloody business to watch—let alone perform. However, it is most interesting to see skilled operators at work with their long razor-sharp flensing knives. Finally, the whole whale, including blubber and bones, is cut up to a suit able size to despatch down a. circular opening to the Kwanatype ooker, which is similar in principle to the domestic pres sure cooker, except that in ad dition it contains a large, re volving, perforated cylinder through which the whole con tents pass as cooking reduces the size of the particles. The whale is cooked for five or six hours, heat being supplied by steam generated from burners fired by fuel oil at a consump tion rate of 50 tons a week. A fter cooking, the complete contents of the cooker are blown over to settling tanks. The oil is tapped to containers and the residue, called grax, a mixture of offal and oil, is passed through super decanters, from which further oil is ex. traded. The grax settles and November 1958 55 is fed into a. drier, where mois ture is extracted, the result be ing a meal of high protein con tent, used either as stock or poultry feed or as fertilizer. The humpback yields edible oil, sold in Britain and Europe mainly for the manufacture of margarine. The oil is valued at about £85 sterling a ton. The average whale weighs nine tons^ but one humpback, recently caught by Cheynes Beach Whal ing, yielded 15 tons of oil. Sperm oil is inedible and used mainly for such industrial pur poses as tanning, steel temper ing, and as a blend with min eral oils for machinery lubrica tion. Britain is the chief buyer of this oil, which is valued at about £90 sterling a ton, the average oil per whale being eight tons. Oil is stored at the whaling station in tanks, which have a total capacity of 2,000 tons, un: til it is transferred into bulk tanks in cargo vessels to be shipped overseas. In 1956, when only one ’chaser was employed, Cheynes Beach Whaling export ed oil to the value of £100,000. A small .organization such as Cheynes Beach, with a quota of only 120 humpback whales, would use about 700 tons of fuel oil a year, including that used by one ’chaser, as was the case in 1956. In addition, four tons of diesel fuel is needed each week by diesel engines at the shore station. About 1,000 gallons of lubricants is needed annually, plus 10,000 gallons of motor spirit and a similar amount of distillate. The company is expanding, and now, with two ’chasers em ployed, can hunt a greater quan tity of non-quota sperm whales in addition to their quota of humpbacks, so the figures given should be considerably in creased, and we will find West ern Australia’s economy en hanced of yet another valuable industry. * * * * Wolf Scent “P eckLinghausen, West Germany. — A chemical U which smells like wolves is keeping rabbits and stray dogs from spoiling the beauties of a city park at Herten near here. It is spread on all lawns and flower beds and when animals get wind of the artificial wolf-scent they give the park a wide berth. 56 Panorama Part I ith the scruple of a man customarily responsible to his expericence of things—for seven years he was N.Y. Times staff correspondent in the Philippines and Manila Daily Bulletin news editor—Robert Aura Smith has defined the se parate natures of independence (the relationship of one sov ereign state to others) and freedom (the relationship between an individual and his society); and has proceeded to trace the recent history of both among Filipinos. One of the book’s few limitations is that, by recording background events dnly since the Spanish-American war, Smith unwittingly preserves the absurd though well-worn im plication t;hat freedom had no advocates in the Philippines until imported from the States. The naked names of Rizal and Bonifacio are dropped on occasion; but the oversight which neglects their part in making present history possible is strange, coming from an Officer of the Philippine Legion of Honor. The book’s other faults are more easily understood and forgiven. So many major events have occurred in postwar Philippines that often Smith finds his space spent on follow ing long-range changes in their climate, rather than the daily weathering of circumstance. What he gains by this necessary aloofness is a kind of impersonality as reporter (he is more desk man than leg man), an objectivity in the relating of fact to fact, preferable by far to the self-magnification at the November 1958 57 ♦ Robert Aura Smith, Philippine Freedom: 1946-1958 (Columbia University Press: N.Y., 1958). expense of whole truth on which, for example, Romulo’s “historical” books have sometimes depended. But this same over-view, because it seldom rubs off the sweat of the crowd, has the misfortune of implying again that freedom is largely achieved by imposition and legislation: if not by big-brother America, then by big-brother Elected Home Administration. Democracy is not an invitation to let inferiors elect their superiors to office; and the life of Magsaysay is so very important because it proved that either self-government rests on a belief in equality among men or it becomes mere partici pation in the choice of which tyrant will rule. However, it must be observed that unless Smith had written his work in several volumes, he could hardly have maneuvered his pers pective from panorama to local incident without losing propor tion or control. He has done no worse, in this matter, than most historians so intent on the Big Picture that the average man, without whom so much of history would not be viable, is reduced to ciphers. Tn the short section on the Japanese Occupation, Smith specifically acknowledges that other accounts have treated the brutalities and turncoating more adequately than he is about to do. The same could be said of different sections. But what the reader sees demonstrated here is how history texts are constructed, by omission and selection, with the more responsible ones hoping against hope not to distort the general truth, in spite of what is edited out. Smith’s is a kind .of symming-up of many accounts, fictional and other wise, not all already written, of twelve important years in the human endeavor. As a chronicle by epitome, it succeeds far far better than usual. The crush and competition of material for space allows Smith to ignore not only the common tao but also major Filipino business men and even many of the political hierarchy’s second echelon. There is room for Sycip’s aid to Liberty Wells but not for the free enterprise of Marcelo or the Delgado Brothers; for Taruc and Pomeroy but not for Gov. Lacson or Mayor Lacson of Manila; for Aglipayans on the ballot but not for Fathers Hogan or Delaney or the Catholic Action Groups.. .These and a multitude of others whose ways threat ened or rescued freedom are left to Filipino writers, as are also more durable estimates of many international figures treated. 58 Panorama Smith is too diplomatic in his kindly, nearly indiscriminate comments on Quirino, Romulo, Jose Laurel Jr., President Gar cia and Recto; but his full biographical treatment of Magsaysay whom he clearly admired perhaps subtlely provides an elevation against which the lower contours of others can be measured. Fortunately, Smith has as carefully chosen what to write about as what not to. If he has left to sociologists the full explication of the dangers to freedom in the Filipino, and to some as-yet-unborn prophet denunciation of equal threats from an educational system both monolithic and bureaucratic, nevertheless he has written substantially about the growth of political freedom in the archipelago. The evidence which he presents sufficiently justifies his conclusions that “the Filipinos are living under the most stable free government in Asia.” This is not, as too many dockside speeches have been, mere flattery from a friend who has to repay many parties in his honor; nor is it the effort of a man to vindicate years invested from his own fund^oi effort and devotion. Smith’s material is so factuakjMrd' therefore consequential, that Phil ippine Freedom: J^lb-1958 might well seem designed as a textbook for political science or international relations (va rious Fil-American treaters, for example, are offered in valua ble appendices) and undoubtedly will be used as such in the Asian Studies programs of many American universities. Fili pinos, as well, perhaps living too close to the events described to possess them otherwise as a continuum, will appreciate this attempt to summarize the life of a nation, young in in dependence, old in the knowledge of human rights. (To be concluded) if. >f. >i. Too Little A suspicius wife made a surprise call at fier hus band’s office. Encountering his pretty secretary, she introduced herself and added: “I’m so glad to meet you, Miss Shapely. My hus band has told me so little about you.” * November 1958 59 Literary Personality — XLVI Kenneth Koberts: Unflinching Truth uthor of 26 books Roberts was a highly successful news op paper and magazine writer long before his fifth novel, “Northwest Passage,” became his first best-seller in 1937. The former Boston Post columnist and Saturday Evening Post staff writer had just completed proof reading for his seventh novel, “Water Unlimited,” when he died in 1957. Roberts was noted above all for his meticulous attention to accuracy and detail in everything he wrote. His historical novels often were called far better history than that in the history books. Roberts himself said, “I think that most historians, like most professional men, should have stuck to farming.” Born in Kennebunk, Me., Roberts was graduated from Cornell University in 1908. For eight years he was a reporter, special writer and humor columnist for the Boston Post. Be fore joining the army in World War I to become a captain in the intelligence section of the Siberian Expeditionary Force, he worked briefly for Puck and Life. He became a staff writer for the Saturday Evening Post during the editorship of the famed George Horace Lorimer, but resigned in 1930 to write “Arundel.” Several of Roberts’ ancestors fought in the American Revolution. Family stories of their activities, which he heard as a boy, helped to turn him toward historical writing. fl n irrepressible and highly-acclaimed debunker, Roberts would not hesitate to report what he thought was accurate — provided only that he could “demonstrate its truth.” 60 Panorama In 1921, when only 35, he campaigned vigorously for im migration restrictions, claiming that “the scum of the world, vermin-ridden and useless” was “clamoring to get over here.” When Senator Colt of the Senate Immigration Committee countered that no emergency legislation was needed to con trol immgiration, Roberts wrote for the Saturday Evening Post an article “The Existence of an Emergency” which brought a nation-wide clamor for action.' Later Roberts was told by W. W. Husband, commissioner general of immigration, that he had done more than any other person or agency to bring about the passage of immigration restrictions. Twenty years later, Roberts was to turn his guns on the founding fathers themselves. The heroes of Bunker Hill, he wrote, were not the high-minded righteous crusaders that schoolbook historians always have pretended they were. Another example of his unflinching respect for the “truth” as he saw it was his defense of the revolutionary war heroturned-traitor, Benedict Arnold. “Nothing is so valuable,” wrote Roberts, “to a nation as the truth. Never, though I myself be damned for not doing it, will I curse Benedict Arnold.” In his “Rabble in Arms” Roberts contended that Arnold really had a high motive for his treason, since he thought it better to turn the colonies back to England than to leave them to fall into the hands of France — as he thought they would through the incompetence of the Continental Congress. TO oberts spent three years of grinding research to establish the authenticity of the background for “Northwest Passage” in the period of the French and Indian wars, 1754-63. Last May Roberts received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize Award Committee for “his historical novels which have long contributed to the creation of greater in terest in our early American history.” He managed to save plenty of time apart from his writing for his frequent hot-tempered feuds with politicians, historians, and scientists. His private causes included most recently water dowsing powers of Henry Gross, Federal game warden from York County, to whom he devoted two books, “Henry Gross and His Dowsing Rod” and “The Seventh Sense.” November 1958 61 Roberts emphatically believed in the water-finding power of the forked stick and offered skeptics carefully documented “proof” that the rod would turn downward to find any under ground water. * * * Stupidity Unlimited DR. Heini Hediger, famous European animal be haviorist and dihector of the zoo in this city, has opened what he calls a museum of human imbecility in relation to caged animals. It consists of a collection of objects, including many sharp weapons found in cages or taken from vi sitors with sadistic inclinations or at best a thought less attitude toward captive beasts. Dr. Hediger recently escorted a man from the gardens who was trying to jab a monkey with a fiveinch needle. His staff also Has found rocks weighing up to three pounds that had been hurled at the bears. According to Dr. Hediger, some visitors bring umbrellas into the zoo for the sole purpose of open ing them suddenly to frighten the big cats, but he is unable to explain the presence of briefcases, hats and pairs of shoes and slippers that have been found in cages. He also says that an elderly and normally tor pid crocodile in an open tepid tank of water is the favorite target of a large number of coins. He has examined currency recovered and found that British pennies and Italian lire predominate. No Swiss mo ney has been found. The director thinks the coin throwers are im pelled by some propitiatory motive akin to offerings to the ancient gods. * 62 Panorama An innocent abroad "That "fiist to the States . . . don’t know how it is \\/ going to be for you — or has been — but when we hit these shores a good many years ago to flirt with higher education in an American in stitution, we found that it wasn’t the curriculum that baf fled us but the customs. Of course we had seen plenty of Hollywood movies, we had read books about this wide land, and we were pretty sure that Red (or American) Indians didn’t raid trains any longer or scalp strangers. For that mat ter, we were reasonably certain that gangsters didn’t habitual ly ride up and down the streets of most cities machine-gunning each other. We say “reasonably certain,” for we were young but cautious. We had come from one of the great cities of the world and were therefore not unfa miliar with public modes of transportation, crowds, eleva tors, pickpockets, confidence men who would try to sell you By an Asian Student spurious articles of great value for trifling sums, wild women and spirituous liquors. We were clad in the shining armor of youth, cynicism and knowledge — or so we thought. The ship docked (this was before the days of trans-ocean airplanes) and we set out to view the sights of this new land. As we had not been pro vided with unlimited gold we thought it best to use public means of conveyance. We knew where we wished to go; we had made inquiries, and in due time we boarded a streetcar — or tram, if you wish. So far, so good. AD ame now the question of payment. Standing before us was an imposing gentleman in a blue coat with silver but tons. We inquired as to the price of the ride. The transportation official gave us a look indicat November 1958 63 ing — we imagine — disdain, and said in a bored voice: “A nickel, Bud, a nickel.” (This was a long time ago, you understand.) Being familiar with this Am erican expression for five cents, we fished out a coin and handed it to the man in blue. He brushed it aside, indicated a fiendish contraption attached to a pole and gestured. “In the box. Put it in the box.” The “box” he referred to had a sort of regal crown consist ing of a series of holes punched in a steel circle topping a cube of glass and steel that gave off clicking sounds as the custo dian of this magic machine gave an attached lever a series of impatient whirls. We looked at this device, started to sweat, and finally asked: “Which hole should I drop it in?” “Any hole, Bud,” said Mr. Blue in tones of exasperation. “Just drop it in and get in side.” We did just that, and have been doing so ever since, al though we still don’t understand how this invention of the devil is able to differentiate between the nickels, dimes and pennies that are dropped into its maw. (Of course, the price isn’t a nickel anymore.) Now, in Our City, things were done a little differently. You boarded a streetcar and sat down, or stood up and hung onto straps. In due time a con ductor came through the car and you bought a ticket. None of this pay-as-you-enter non sense. Strips one of dignity, it does. Perhaps it is more effi cient, though. Who knows. As our first experience with Am erican customs, however, it has had a lasting trauma on our feelings toward public convey ances in this country. 'T? ut let us move on to less painful experiences. Like our first experience in a res taurant— or a lunch counter. On the same day, after having disembarked from the night mare streetcar and wandered here and there craning our neck at the buildings and the flora and fauna, we began to feel the pangs of hunger. We en tered what we now understand is known as a short-order place. (You know, sandwiches and stuff.) We sat at the counter on a stool. The place was clean — almost aseptic — and we thought that mama would have approved of this. No danger of catching American cholera here. A waitress (quite pretty, too) dressed in a white uniform stood before us and handed us a menu. We studied it at some length until several dry coughs indicated that impatience had set in on the part of our serv ing lass. Being somewhat un nerved after our transportation 64 Panorama experience, we hurriedly indi cated one of the “Specials” for the day. “Whaddya wanta drink?” asked the Lady in White. “Milk,” we said, reverting to the infantile. (Perhaps it was a cry for succor.) “Mile high and ride the range!” the waitress called, turning her head in an indeter minate direction. Not having the code book at the time, this alarming bit of information almost convinced us that the cowboys were again taking over the town, replete with six-guns and high spirits. Actually, it was simplicity it self, once you analyze it. Not that you have the time to do so during the years you spend here working on a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. In any case, what we finally received was a Den ver Sandwich and a glass of milk. “That’ll be four bits — and two cents tax,” our semantic scrambler announced. “Beg your pardon?” we es sayed, battered, bruised and confused. “Pay me,” she said. “Fifty two cents.” We did. Now, really, we do these things so much better in Our City. Who would think of ask ing you to pay for bread and meat before you had eaten? Such an insult! Like the street car, though, efficient. TO eaten, but undismayed, we made our way to the rail way office so that we might determine how we were to reach our final destination. Across the counter from us was a young man with a sympathetic face. We explained that we had just arrived from Asia and were on our way to keep a rendez vous with the Muses at Weebohawken (quaint, these native names) College in Scrimscrage, Pennyslashington. Ah, yes, said our man, studying a map and timetables and other parapher nalia, he thought it could be arranged. “Which ‘rout’ would you like to take?” he asked, ingenuous lyNow, while English may not have been (and still isn’t ob viously) our strong point, we had a vague idea that “rout” indicated a mob or a state of confused riot — an ignominious defeat, so to speak. We had enough of American routs for the day. What we wanted was a quiet route (pro nounced “root”) back to our lodgings where we might pon der on the mores of this strange land in peace and wonder what our future might be among the savages. Now, we trust that this will not be the sort of experience you will encounter on your first day here. Perhaps you will be much better oriented. We hope so. There are, however, a few November 1958 65 points that may make your path less rocky at the start. (We cannot pretend to cover more than a few basic matters here.) It would be well to remem ber that in the United States you pay as you board a public conveyance. Ask the price. If you have the correct amount handy, drop it in the box. Ask how if you are confused. If you do not have the correct change, hand the driver a coin or a bill, but not over one dollar. He will give you some coins. Remember that he has simply given you small change. He has not taken out the fare. You must now put the exact amount of the fare in the box. (All this is designed to prevent petty theft on the part of the drivers.) When you go to a restaurant — unless it is a better class place where you sit at tables and are served—or a cafete ria, it is generally customary to pay on being served. No harm will be done in any case if you try to do so. If this is not the custom at the estab lishment, you will be told some thing like: “Please pay the cashier on your way out.” WQ e now come to foods. Many of you will have dietary taboos. Let us first turn to sandwiches. The ubiquitous Am erican hamburger is made of beef. It contains no pork. Ham and bacon are pork products, although a beef bacon is avail able in some stores. Hot dogs, or frankfurters on a bun, are a form of sausage. In most cases American hot dogs are made from beef. Cheese is cheese anywhere in the world; there are many, many varieties in the United States, the most common of which is called Am erican and is a mild yellow form. Egg is used in sandwiches in various ways. Devilled egg is nothing more than mashed hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise (oil, egg and vinegar). It con tains no meat. Ham and egg, bacon and egg, are exactly what the name implies. Hot cakes and waffles are variants of pan cakes (chappaties, etc.) and are made from flour and milk. French fries are potatoes fried in deep fat and are the same as the British “chips.” A pot roast is beef; chili con carne — also known simply as chili — contains beef. It is a hot Mexican dish and should be a favorite of those south east Asians who do not shun beef. A milk shake is made from ice cream and milk; a malted milk shake (malt) is a milk shake with the addition of a small amount of malted milk powder — the kind they give to babies. Both ars gen erally flavored with the addition of chocolate or fruit syrups. They are nourishing and tasty. 66 Panorama Coffee is coffee (very good in America), tea is tea (very bad in America) and milk is milk (sanitary in America). The above is not intended as a complete list of foods. In most fairly large cities a variety of foods is available. But in the vicinity of campuses we have found that students seem to consume more than the national average of hamburgers, milk shakes and various kinds of sandwich. TV) e now come to a rather devv licate problem. In the Unit ed States, differing from many Asian and European nations, there are very few public toi lets in cities. These will be found in parks, but not in the business and shopping areas. The best way is to enter a large department store, if there is one in the area, and ask some one for the “washroom.” This is one American Puritanical euphuism for the toilet. Others are “restroom,” “comfort sta tion,” and in the case of wo men, “powder room.” If a de partment store is not handy, all service stations (gasoline or petrol stands) have this con venience. You will find service stations all over the place. Just go to one and ask for the “wash room” or “rest room.” The fa cilities are almost invariably ex cellent and sanitary. Another question we are often asked is about living ar rangements. When you first ar rive in San Francisco or New York or wherever it may be, it is likely that the city will have a YMCA and a YWCA. These establishments are probably the most reasonable and safe places where you can stay while pro ceeding to your destination. You do not have to be a Chris tian, nor do you have to worry that any missionary work will be attempted. After you arrive at your destination, consult your Foreign Student Adviser about permanent or semi-per manent arrangements. If you are in distress while travelling, ask for Traveler’s Aid. Which brings us to the last subject: money. We will assume that if you are carrying a good ly sum it will be in the form of traveler’s checks. If not, go to the first bank and get your dollars changed into this safe and convenient form of ex change. Never carry more than twenty dollars in cash. M/l ore on money: America is ,ri' the home of the tip. We understand this word originally came from the initials of “To Insure Promptness” but today it is a national curse. Everyone from the bellboy in the hotel to the barber expects a tip and if he doesn’t get one, feels in sulted. A good rule of thumb for the student is 15 per cent. (Then per cent went by the board many long years ago.) November 1958 67 Do tip: waiters and waitresses (except in self-service restau rants), taxi drivers, bellboys, Pullman porters. Do not tip: airline stewardesses, salesgirls and salesmen, hotel clerks. So, armed with this know ledge, go forth bravely. And do not heed the maxim: “When in trouble or in doubt, run in cir cles, scream and shout!” — The Asian Student * * * Animal Oddities T1 here are barking lobsters and ants that are liv* ing tanks of honey. These curiosities of natural history have been reported from Australia in tl^e journal Nature, organ of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The honey-carrying ants are reported by a scientist of the University of Adelaide. They are found, he says, in many parts of Central Australia, usually in arid country or near groves of certain blos soming trees. They are modified worker ants that are stuffed either with honey or nectar day after day by other workers. This honey is stored in the abdomens, which swell to a half inch in diameter. This evidently is to feed the rest of the ant community during scarce periods. The honey-carriers are eaten avidly by natives. The scientists analyzed the honey. It differed from most honey, he found, in containing a larger percen tage of the fruit sugar fructose than of the more com mon glucose. The barking lobster, or crayfish, is reported from Northern Australia. It makes a harsh, grating noise with the stubby antennae before its eyes. This sound can bet reproduced even after the animal is dead. What purposes it serves is unknown. * 68 Panorama —— Vanishing 'Wlamwials J\ T least 106 mammals have become extinct in the last 2,000 years, and of these seventy-three have disappeared since 1800, the National Geograp hic Society has reported. In a recent survey the society discovered that hundreds of other animals which were on the verge of extinction are the key deer of Florida and the black footed ferret. The American bisons were once on the list, but strict conservation measures have saved them. Per haps the most carefully watched and attended of the nearly extinct are whooping cranes. The International Union for Conservation in Brussels maintains a sharp watch on mammals that currently face destruction. Their warning list in cludes the Addo bush elephant of South Africa, the Arabian oryx, a desert antelope, and the wisent, a European relative of the American bison. Other animals existing in greatly reduced num bers are 250 Asiatic lions, about 200 great Indian rhi noceroses and forty Javan rhinoceroses. ¥ November 1958 69 Tales from India The Bridegroom Mho Mas a Snake V1 ong ago there lived a Brah] min and his wife. They ~ had no children, and it was a great grief to them both. The wife wept bitterly when she saw little boys and girls playing round her. The Brah min could not bear to see her so sad, so he made many sacri fices to the gods, in the hope that his prayers might be grant ed. The gods took pity on the Brahmin and his wife, and at last they knew that a child would be born to them. They were full of .happiness at the thought of having a baby of their own, but alas, when the child was born it was a serpent! Their friends said the snake should be thrown out into the jungle, but the mother loved it, and took the greatest care of it. She bathed and fed it, and it grew very fast. Some years later the Brah min and his wife were asked to a wedding. When they re turned to their home, the wife said: ‘It is time our son was mar ried too.’ ‘My dear,’ said the Brahmin, ‘who will give his daughter to be married to a snake?” At this the wife wept bitter ly, and would not be comforted. At last the Brahmin said he would try to find a wife for their serpent son. He set out, and travelled far, looking for a bride. One day he arrived at the house of an old friend, whom he had not seen for many years. His friend was very glad to see him, he said. Come and stay in my house. As they sat talking together his host said: Why are you travelling about? What is your business?’ 70 Panorama *1 am looking for a bride for my son,’ said the Brahmin. Now the host had a young daughter, and he wanted a hus band for her. Very soon the two fathers agreed to make a match between their children. The Brahmin took the girl and her attendants back to his home, and the wedding was arranged. A crowd collected to see the girl, who was to marry the ser pent. Everybody was sorry for her. At last somebody told her servants that the bridegroom was a snake. The servants were horrified and ran to tell the bride. When she heard what they had to say, the girl said proud ly, ‘My father has agreed to the marriage and 1 will not make him break his promise.’ She waited on her husband, and prepared his meals as a good wife should, and never in ainy way showed that she disliked him. One evening, as it was grow ing dusk, the serpent came out of his basket. Then suddenly there appeared a very hand some young man! The wife was terrified. She thought a thief had broken in to the house. She rushed to the door, but before she could give the alarm the young man said: T am your husband! Do not be afraid.’ The girl could not believe him, but to prove it to her, he went back into the body of the snake, and the snake began to move about. When he appeared again as a man, the snake lay dead. There were great rejoicings when his parents heard the news. They young bride was very happy too. ut in the morning they were all very sad for once again the son became a ser pent! However, the Brahmin cheer ed them all by saying that he had a plan in his head, but he would not tell them what it was. That evening the young man appeared again. The father waited till he was asleep in bed, and then went quietly into his room, and car ried away the body of the snake. He burnt the snake to ashes. After that the spell was broken and his son remained a man. The Brahmin gave a great feast to all his friends, and everybody was very happy. Nowmbbf 1958 H * * * Fun is like insurance — get it while yotfre young. Science at Work Plastic Broom A new type of scavenging broom for use in facto * ties and road sweeping, has a life at least eight times that of orthodox brooms. The bristles are made of plastic monofilament which is light and very plia ble. Although more expensive than ordinary brooms, it is claimed to be worth the extra cost by its long life. * * Safety Light A British-made work-and warning light allows a wheel change to be made at night in safety. By plugging the device into the dashboard the motor ist is provided with a useful two * jn-one light, a flash ing red light as a warning to other road users and a large field of continuous white light shining in the op posite direction to work by. The lamp stands steady on road, engine or seat without hooks. Twenty-one feet of flex allows the light to be taken to the back of any car to illuminate the boot. A mercury switch in this "silent sentinel” puts out the white light when the lid is closed. * * Infrared Message J nfrared message transmission is under develop ment by Army Signal Corps as near-foolproof way of getting messages through on the battlefield. Since very narrow transmission beam is invisible, enemy must have properly designed and tuned infrared de tector even to be aware messages are transmitting. The beam must be physically interrupted to stop it. Wire and radio messages are fed into transmitter; re ceiver can hook into radio transmitter, loudspeaker or phone line. 12 Panorama Panorama Quiz One mark of an educated man is the possession of a reasonable fund of general information. The highly specialized individual, often dubbed an “expert,” frequently knows little or nothing outside his own line. Try yourself on the following questions, then turn to the next page for the correct answers. 1. Everybody knows that 'a tarantula is a large hairy spider, but did you know that a tarantella is: A. a horse-drawn vehicle? B. a Spanish delicacy? C. a whirling Italian dance? D. the hat of a bishop? 2. “Eureka” was reputed to have been exclaimed by the following after discovering a method of detecting the amount of alloy in the king’s crown: A. Diogenes; B. Archimedes; C. Aristophanes; D. Pythagoras. 3. A cause for worry among the Western powers is the recent announcement that Russia will finance the Aswan Dam in: A. Egypt; B. Syria; C. Turkey; D. Red China. 4. Would you associate Dow Jones averages with: A. base ball? B. intelligence and aptitude tests? C. the stock market? D. horse racing? 5. Astronomers refer to distances between heavenly bodies in terms of “light years,” which means the distance travelled by light, in one year, at the speed of: A. 25.000 miles per hour; B. 1,000,000 miles per hour; C. 120,000 miles per minute; D. 186,000 miles per second. 6. In New York the governorship became a fight among millionaires this month with the entry in the race of the son of this famous magnate: A. Rockefeller; B. Ford; C. Morgan; D. Dupont. 7. Object of severe criticism locally is President Garcia’s newly acquired yacht from Japan, named. A. Pagasa; B. Apo; C. Lapu-lapu; D. Sikatuna. 8. It shouldn’t really amaze one to know that the number of automobiles (excluding trucks and buses) now running on U.S. roads is: A. 10 million; B. 57 million; C. 800,000 D. 120,000. 9. What is a platypus? It is: A. a variety of American jazz instrument; B. the nickname for an aircraft carrier; C. a rare type of animal with a duck’s bill and a furry tail; D. a card game popular in Ireland. 10. Eton is the name of a famous English institution, a: A. college for boys; B. diplomat’s hat; C. tea product; D. mili tary academy. November 1958 73 ARE YOU WORD WISE? ANSWERS 1. B. a mine of wealth 2. D. refuse or rubbish 3. A. arising after one’s death 4. C. to entangle 5. C. to travel 6. A. to bargain 7. A. without planning or prepara tion 8. C. a lively frolic 9. B. to bring in something new 10. C. degeneration PANORAMA QUIZ ANSWERS 1. C. a whirling Italian dance? 2. B. Archimedes 3. A. Egypt 4. C. the stock market? 5. D. 186,000 miles per second 6. A. Rockefeller (Nelson; beat Harriman) 7. C. Lapu-lapu 8. B. 57 million (more or less; plus 11 million buses and trucks!) 9. C. a rare type of animal with a duck’s bill and a furry tail. 10. A. college for boys * ¥ * Systematic In Los Angeles, there dwelt a head accountant who labored tor a big furniture house for 40 years. Every morning he unlocked his desk at eight-thirty on the nose, peered into the center drawer for a moment, then locked everything up again. What was in that center drawer? Assistants, visiting salesmen, Oven the owner himself, never came close to solving the mystery. One day the accountant died suddenly, and after a decent interval everybody rushed to pry open the center drawer. It was found to contain just one little slip of paper. Printed in capital letters thereon were the words, THE SIDE TOWARD THE WINDOW IS THE DEBIT SIDE! 74 Panorama In the Beginning... BANQUET >• The Italian banco means “bench”— an indispensable ingredient of the formal feast (something extra) BONUS Come Christmas and most emplo yees will be getting a bonus—from the Latin adjective meaning “good”. But definitely! CONTRABAND(anything pro hibited by law) This English word is a combination of the Latin contra meaning “against” and bando “proclamation"—obvious ly because in the older days kings proclaimed publicly that certain goods should not be exported or im ported. Not 1958 75 Philippine Panorama — XLVII POLILLO ctually, Polillo is not as small as its names de notes. It has two towns —Burdeos on the east and Po lillo on the west—and it would take a small motorboat the bet ter part of a day to circum navigate. By walking, which is the most common means of land travel, it takes about 15 hours to walk from Polillo to Burdeos. It has two points of contact with the mainland, Mauban and Infanta, both of Que zon province. Motor launches ply everyday between the island and the mainland carrying copra and bananas which are th? main products of the island. During a stormy month the strait be comes unpassable and the island truly becomes remote. The patron saint of the is land is the carpenter St. Joseph. Because he was poor, the peo ple of Polillo believe that no body on the island would be come rich. There seems to be some trutfi to this because no body is really rich on the island although nobody is actually very poor. 76 Panorama Polillo has to buy its rice from the mainland and some times even its fish. Consequent ly, the little money that its peo ple earn from copra and bana nas is used to purchase the sta ples and there is little, if any, savings. Nothing noteworthy or spec tacular has happened on Polillo since the Spaniard Salcedo founded its first town in 1572. A Catholic church was con structed in 1800 and around the same year a Moro watch tower was erected because it was sacked by Moro- pirates. During the Revolution, Po lillo remained aloof. All that it did was shelter a few fugi tives from the Spaniards. Even the Japanese during the War ig nored Polillo. Hence the way of life of the people, their homes and culture have re mained practically unchanged. In such a town, a baptism, a fiesta or a wedding is a muchawaited event. People from the different barrios would congre gate in the house of the celeb rant and drink and dance for two days. As an Irish priest had observed, “The people could hardly afford to send their child ren to high school, but they spent P400 for fireworks and P500 for a band, all of which were gone in a moment.” Prob ably, the most exciting thing that has happened to Polillo recently was the national elec tion. There was much campaign ing, betting, speculating and tempers ran high and wild. uring the rest of the year tfie people would occupy themselves in fishing, cleaning the coconut groves, planting and harvesting bananas. In the evenings they would congre gate in the stores, drink lambanog and exchange harmless gossip. It is probably because talk ing- is the principal entertain ment that the people are lively talkers. Most of them are high ly opinionated and they would sound off, in an earthly way, on subjects as diverse as the best way of cutting a baby’s navel and the strategy and tac tics of nuclear warfare. Con versation in Polillo is flavored by homey witticisms and a kind of indirect moralising. During the stormy months the people grow fat because of inactivity. This is also the time when the people run into debt. The Chinese and the buyers of copra and bananas are there fore able to buy the products months before the harvest, Polillo is hardly a vacation spot but it certainly can offer the weary city-slicker a week or two of complete peace and relaxation. November 1958 77 Palau and the Coconut beetle ord of a wasp that kills Vv the coconut beetle in the Caroline Islands may be reassuring to striken areas of the Philippines. Palau, where U.S. Marines saw some of the fiercest slaugh ter of World War II on Bloody Nose Ridge, is part of the trust territories of the United States in the Pacific Islands. It barely survived Japanese occupation, and now has a new problem. For several years they “lived on copra, the dried meat of the coconut that is used for soap and vegetable oils. The Japan ese cut down a lot of the trees to make room for an airfield on Peleliu, the American attack destroyed more and the rhino ceros beetle did the rest.” Today the 700 inhabitants of Peleliu, no longer a U.S. Navy base, have just enough coconuts for eating, and none to sell. They export fish to Koror, where nearly half the 8,000 Palauans live, and gather a few Trochus shells to sell to Japan for but tons. Life has been nearly im possible— until the arrival of a man from Seattle, now the trust territory entomologist. Mr. Robert Owen’s principal duty is the cultivation of a scur rilous African wasp that preys on the rhinoceros beetle in a cruel, but effective way. The rhinoceros beetle is named for 78 PXnobama the wicked horn on its probos cis. The creature is black and more than half the size of a man’s thumb. It came from Asia in Japanese ships in 1942; in three years it killed half the coconut trees in the Palau Is lands. he beetle breeds in rotten logs. At the flying stage, it bores into coconut fronds until it reaches the growing point of the tree, from which delicious heart-of-palm salads are made. The tree is destroyed. Luckily, the Scalia wasps of Zanzibar and other parts of East Africa thrive on rhinoceros beetle larvae. Mr. Owen raises thousands of these wasps in piles of sawdust in his labora tory, a bombed-out Japanese building. When the wasp finds the larvae, it paralyzes them with a sting. Then it lays its own eggs nearby, to feed on the larvae as they develop. Through such devices, Palau’s copra production has increased 25 percent again. Mr. Owen also raises Florida cannibal snails which prefers to eat the giant African snail which destroys food - producing gar dens in South Sea islands. Theo retically, when the cannibal snails have destroyed all giant African snails, they will begin to eat one another. In addition to these very prac tical creatures, Mr. Owen also maintains a small zoo for the inhabitants who otherwise can be amused only by sports and ancient movies. This private zoo includes a Japanese-speak ing sulphur-crested cockatoo, plus specimens of sea-going crocodiles, some of which reach a length of 30 feet. Welcome Lightning Lightning is essential to fertilizing plants. For few plants can take nitrogen out of the air. Most of them take it, combined with oxygen, from the soils, and lightning puts it there. For lightning causes nitrogen and oxygen to combine; and then rain carries millions of tons of this valuable fixed nitrogen down to the earth yearly to sustain vege tation. ♦ November 1958 79 The wonderful machine And Now Comes the TAPE RECORDER machine and has now become as familiar as a typewriter to most households. In the enter tainment market, it is a "close second to the phonograph. The tape recorder was devel oped in Germany shortly before the war. However, it was adapt ed to practical use by about 1944. During that time, it was used only by businessmen, radio stations, recording companies and army interrogators. The German engineers brought the tape recorder to near perfecover Radio Luxembourg, they found recording apparatus that experts never thought existed. The first commercial tape recorders were widely used as business dictating machines. In the business areas, what was needed was mere sound trans cription. Hardly any attention was given to fidelity recording. However, manufacturers en gaged in the production of sound equipment were quick'to see mass market possibilities for the tape recorder. By 1948, BO Panorama the American producers had created a machine for a domes tic market. The British were getting ready for full-scale pro duction. The Germans put their first commercial recorder on the market at about the same time. At first, sales were small. Only specialist users and a few enthusiasts bought the ma chines. But by around 1955, sales started to rise. In the Brit ish domestic market, it reached 40,000. Today, there are about a hundred different models on the market and sales had ex ceeded the two million mark. The price of a tape recorder ranges from P300 to PS^OO. The market for tape record ers is split into three fairly distinct parts. The business part requires cheap, easy-to-operate machines that can reproduce intelligibly. The second part re quires accurate sound repro ducers for such special jobs as music recording. And the third part is composed mostly of people who regard the tape rec order as a novelty machine for use in the home or for instruc tional purposes. y here are of course other marginal uses. The psychia trists, for example, use it to catch the outpourings of their patients. The ornithologists use it to record exotic birdcalls. Some hobbyists use it to record the sounds emitted by celebri ties. But mostly people want to buy for some musical pur pose. “Our average customer is looking for good reprouuction of good music,” one dealer said. The tape recorder has made it possible for the lover of good music to collect a library very cheaply. A new trend in the business is the teenage market. The at traction here is that “pops” can be recorded at a fraction of the price of an ordinary disc and erased as soon as the song becomes unpopular. The tape recorder is definite ly an economic proposition. Once the initial basic expendi ture has been met, one can get years of good service out of the machine. An ordinary rec order costs 50% less than a good phonograph. The manufacture and distri bution of tape recorders is con ducted in a rather unusual way. The precision machines are im ports from a big German con cern. The mass market is con trolled by the Americans and the British. Only a few manu facturers produce all the com ponents of their machines. Most of them buy the spare parts and assemble them. In this way, small enterprises are able to produce good machines. A good example is a small British com pany. This company does not manufacture any part of a tape recorder. All it does is to buy November 1958 81 the parts from the different companies and assemble them. It turns out two or three dozen machines a week. All the signs suggest that the industry is going to see a great deal of technical innovation in the next few years. Now, even the ordinary user demands pre cision performance from mass market models. The British and American manufacturers are aware of this trend. Lately, they have been experimenting with stereophonic machines which they hope to put on the market soon. A nother trend will be to wards changes in the size of the machines. Some present tape recorders are much too bulky for most of their uses. In recognition of this, console models have been on the market for some time. But for business men and others who want to carry their recorders about, even a 20-pound burden is an inconvenience. One trend in the industry therefore is towards copying those midget radio sets that can be carried in the poc ket. These need very small valves called “transistors.” The main difficulty with a midget recorder is the quality of the reproduction. It is not as accurate as the bigger mo dels. Another drawback is price. A midget recorder uses very ex pensive components and unless the price of the parts is brought down, manufacturers do not see a wide, immediate market for the baby recorder. Boon for Housewives T1 earproof grocery sacks now can be made using a new stretchable paper, Kraftsman Clupak, in vented by Sanford Cluett, inventor cf Sanforizing process. Paper is made of pu^p treated by standard chemical methods, then placed on rubber drying belt. Belt, with its pulp load, is expanded passing over over drying roll. When it snaps back into nor mal dimension, finished paper goes with it. Resulting bunched fibers will stretch; in drop test new paper outlasts conventional Kraft paper about 10 to 1 with out tearing. ♦ Panorama -Otama........ by Elmer VNO, I WtJs not looKinj.-fot 4htft! ” air, which the romantic Jl and specialized vision of the poet may see as any thing from ‘burning gold’ to ‘a flock of goats,’ has always been to the more realistic feminine mind her chief beauty concern. Not that the male of the spe cies is immune: for long the problem of baldness exercised the ingenuity of herbalists, who urged the use of white maiden hair, which "stays the shedding or falling of the hair, and caus es it to grow thick, fair and well coloured; for which pur pose boil it in wine, putting Panorama some smallage seed thereto, and afterwards some oil." Nowadays, however, hair care need not start in the herb gar den; there are quicker routes to good grooming. The first es sential is a good cut. There is no head of hair, however diffi cult or obstinate, that cannot be controlled by clever cutting and shaping. Few women, even if they have the courage, have the skill or knowledge neces sary to do-it-themselves — and most of them have the sense not to try. The maintenance side, however—washing, condi tioning, setting—is well within their scope. The shops offer such an array of bottles, jars, tubes, bubbles, sachets and, lat est recruit to the cosmetic coun ter, ‘shampoo leaves’—described by one authority as the most useful leaves since the Garden of Eden—that the only diffi culty is selection. A recent cos metics survey by the research department of a national wo men’s weekly indicans a defi nite trend of preference for li quid and lotion shampoos (some brands of which use ‘Teepol * as a base). Sales of these kinds of shampoo accounted for twothirds of the consumption of 1957 as compared with half in 1955. But, whatever her choice, the customer rarely gives any thought to the elaborate pro cesses and production lines that make it possible for her to have Noi so varied a selection.A visit to the Middlesex factory of one of the biggest manufacturers of hair preparations soon puts an end to the casual assump tion that ‘there’s nothing to it.’ Z) lthough at this factory J * some of the production is still manual, a great proportion is highly mechanized, and the process from empty jar to car ton ready for dispatch is a fas cinating operation, as full of color and rhythm as a Disney film. The empty jar or bottle is put on a machine that clears it of any speck of dust. From there it passes along the belt to the second stage, where the contents are injected from an overhead complex of pipelines running from the mixing room to the benches. Once filled, the containers, now amber, green or white, pass along to where a rotating hod ejects a lid on each. An adjacent machine im prints the threads on the lid and screws it on in one opera tion. Labelling comes next; and from there the bottle passes along the belt, to be inserted into its cardboard container, and finally comes off the belt in the cartons, which are trans ported in bulk by conveyors into the adjacent store. From empty jar to carton, the process takes some 40 feet of bench and is tended by about 16 operatives. Except for 1958 85 the handling of heavy weights, it is carried out entirely by women, and where the mechan ization is alternated with man ual operations, it is fascinat ing to watch the dexterous wrist and hand movements of the white-coated girls, the precision and speed with which they dis patch the little jars on their journey of whisk them off the belt into the containers. Perhaps the most astonish ing feature to an outsider is the scale of production. Of one preparation manufactured in this factory, 120 jars are com pleted every minute, while 110 tons of products are dispatched daily from the storeroom. Some idea of the quantities involved ■can be obtained by a visit to the mixing-room, where slabs of raw materials, like giant pav ing-stones, anj 45-gallon drums of perfume wait to be used. he other side of the picture, the minute and scrupulous attention to quality, can be seen in the laboratories. There one meet, an impressive array of precision instruments — balan ces, rotating-cup viscometers, and photometers to check the dispersion of the drops in emul sions. On the walls hang charts on which are plotted the results of the intricate series of tests — 19 in all on one product — carried out at various stages of the manufacture. There are three kinds of lab oratory on the premises; the Pure Research Laboratory, where basic work is done on essential oils and other ingre dients used; the Formulation Laboratory, which handles the composition and improvement of formulae and the examina tion and analysis of foreign and other products; and the Quality Control Laboratory, where the elaborate system of testing is carried out at all stages from raw materials to finished products. Through the laboratory win dows, on the flat roof opposite, can be seen glass-fronted ‘sun traps’ which, with the incuba^ tors in the laboratory, are used for testing the products under shop-window, display and stor age conditions such as they may expect to meet. On new preparations, of course, the lab oratories work in close colla boration, and it may take any thing from 18 months to 5 years to bring the new product from the idea stage to the shop counter. J n addition to laboratory-con1 trolled experiments, each product is under constant test in normal conditions of usage. For this purpose, the firm has a large source of human ‘gui nea-pigs’ on the factory floor — and a most attractive glossy head selection it is, too. Volun teers from the girls who work in the factory are used to test Panorama existing and new products, and tucked away in the more rest ful corners of the building are experimental salons where they have their hair cut, then washed, set and treated with the pro ducts. If this seems, to readers who have to fit in their hair, appointments on a crowded Sat urday, to be the height of ease and luxury, it may be a con solation to know that, once a volunteer is accepted, she has to give up her freedom of choice as regards styling, cut and preparations, and she must on no account go ‘outside’ to arrange for a private hairdress ing appointment. From other sections of the factory, which handle the fill ing and processing of the newer containers — the sachet and ‘leaf’ forms — there may em erge at any time a white-clad girl with her arms full of gailycolored ‘sachets’ of polyvinyl chloride. This petroleum pro duct is widely used in the pack aging of shampoos: at this fac tory 16 miles are used each week in producing one kind of sachet alone. For all the carnival effect — the gay colors, the scent, the music-while-you-work, the pre dominance of pretty, wellgroomed girls — this is a high ly-geared modern industry, streamlined, efficient and com petitive, which turns out, in fantastic quantity and at a rea sonable price, the products that bring hair glamour within the reach and the beauty budget of every woman. Christmas Lines Mother: “No, Dad, don’t be too hard on Junior for failing, in college. When they gave him his books last fall he thought they were a gift and didrtt open them until Christmas.” * * Sue: “I believe my husband is the most generous man in the world” Lou: “How come?” Sue: “I gave him a dozen neckties for Christ mas and he took them right down and gave them to the Salvation Army" November 1958 87 A living legend jDoh Pablo and His 'Ttla^ic Gello fl t is sometimes embarrassing to become a living legend. Some months ago a dig nified, courteous Puerto Rican appeared at the home of Pablo Casals and asked whe ther he could see the master. He would not give his name or explain his mission, but Senor Casals, who does not like to stand on ceremony, said he would see him. The man entered the living room, bowed, declared, “1 am honored,” accepted a seat and remained in it without uttering a word for half an hour. Then he arose, thanked Senor Casals gravely and de parted. Not all Peurto Ricans have felt the need to pay a personal tribute this way. But most of th.5 people on this island, whether highplaced or in humble circumstances, regard Senor Casals not only as an honored visitor but also as a friend. They speak of him affectionately as Don Pablo. Before he was stricken some time ago he would take a morning stroll, shad ing himself from the sun with a black um brella. Every Puerto Rican would have a "buenos dias, Don Pablo” for him. Panorama Senor Casals, who is worldfamous as the greatest cellist of his time and as a symbol of protest against dictatorship be cause of his self-imposed exile from Franco-dominated Spain, went to Puerto Rico last year out of respect for the memory of his mother, who was born in Mayaguez. He has found there a second home and a host of relatives. His mother’s maiden name was Defillo. Puerto Rico is full of Defillos and many claimed a relationship to Senor Casals, which has delighted him. (T he festival arranged in his 1 honor has been in his thoughts for months. Several days after he had suffered a coronary thrombosis, he listened with a smile to a report of how the musicians were carrying on in his absence. Then he mur mured to his physician, “I would like to play at least on the last day of the festival.” Sefior Casals has always packed an enormous amount of determination, energy and resi lience in a short, stocky frame. Although he was 80 years old last December 29, he had not ceased his regular practice, and his technical command of the cello continued to be the envy and despair of musicians fifty years his junior. Senor Casals owes his emi nence not merely to his domi nant position as a cellist and his forthright stand for Span ish democracy, although these would be enough for any ca reer. He is something more, a musician of incomparable ima gination and discernment. Per formers feel privileged to work with him, and young musicians have traveled thousands of miles just to sit at his feet. He has the gift for teaching and inspiring. As a musician he does not lay down the law; he suggests fresh possibilities, he encourages h i s associates to seek out new insights, he is not hidebound by tradition. He loves the masters such as Bach, Mozart and Schubert, who happen to be the subject of the festival in Puerto Rico, and he immerses himself in their scores. But he believes in the prompting of the heart. A stu dent working on a passage in Bach once said, ”1 think it goes like this.” “Don’t think,” Senor Casals replied, “It is better <to feel.” His capacity for feeling is boundless. Some months ago he told a friend, “I have always been emotional, but as I get older my emotions grow four times as strong as they used to be.” But there is not a trace of sentimentality. Anyone who has heard him play a sarabande from an unaccompanied Bach suite knows that this is emo tion stripped of impurities. November 1958 T t is hard to think of him as anything other than the il lustrious figure, no matter how simple he remains in his man ner and style of living. But the essential simplicity of the man is the key to his personality. In 1939, after the collapse of the Spanish Loyalist cause that he had supported, Senor Casals was in Lucerne, Switzerland, to play at a festival. He stayed at a modest pension, and when one visited him at twilight he sat under a masked bulb tapping his ever-present pipe and study ing a score. He was earning a good deal, but he wanted to save money to aid his needy compatriots in exile at Prades in southern France where he made his home from 1939. Music has been Senor Casals’ passion since his earliest memo ries. His father was parish or ganist in the little town of Vendrell, not far from Barcelona. Pablo was born there, and learned to play the piano, organ and violin before he was 10. A year later, he saw a make shift 'cello played by a travel ling musician and was en tranced with it. He begged his father for one and a homemade affair was fashioned out of a stick, strings and a gourd. Soon he got an honest cello and he went to Barcelona to study. He made revisions in technique and they were logical enough to stand up. He dis covered Bach, whom he vene rates above all other composers, and did more than any musi cian to establish his noble work for unaccompanied cello in the repertory. For years Senor Casals made it a habit to start the day, even before taking his constitution al, by playing at the piano pre ludes and fugues from Bach’s “well-tempered Clavier.” The maid in his home in San Sal vador, Spain, went about her work humming preludes and fugues the way a servant in New York might hum a calypso number. Senor Casals is a man of wide cultivation. He speaks half a dozen languages well, includ ing English. He reads exten sively in fields other than music. He i° also a humanist of farranging vision. Best of all, he has the purity of heart of an unspoiled child. When he moved into a house on the edge of the sea in Puerto Rico some months ago, he stood looking at the view and his eyes became moist. “It is like my San Salvador,” he whispered. “It is home.” '90 Panorama Taj Wlahal of IBrunei T n the oil-rich State of Bru> nei, a glistening edifice of white stone crowned with a gloden dome — now nearing completion — may well be the largest and most beautiful mosque in southeast Asia as originally conceived by Brunei’s chief of state. The $10-million state mosque, already dubbed the “Taj Mahal of Brunei,” was scheduled to be formally opened on September 23, which is the 42nd birth day of the Sultan of Brunei, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin. The opening ceremonies will be attended by Muslim digni taries from all over the world. In all, 350 official guests have been invited for the five-day celebrations. Hundreds of work men who began working on the structure three years ago are now busy putting the finishing touches to it. Sir Omar first envisaged "Project Mosque” in June of 1952, and has kept his interest in the project all along. During the building of the mosque he asked for a daily report of its progress. Into the building of the new mosque have gone materials from different parts of the world. The 43 window aper tures, for example, are filled with beautiful stained glass, made by a famous British, firm specializing in this kind of craft. The main hall of the mosque which can accommodate 2,000 worshippers is floored with marble from Italy. The “Taj Mahal of Brunei” dominates the town of Brunei. The main tower of the mosque is 165 feet high and is sur rounded by eight main (90 ft. high) minarets and 12 minor (50 ft.) ones. To get to the top of thb tower, one may climb up a 23-step staircase or use an elevator. t one corner of the mosque is situated a large wash ing pool built of gliterring white stone. The pool is to be beautifully floodlit at night. Six houses are being built near the home of the Sultan to accommodate guests to the op ening ceremonies. The houses— named “Street of Istanas’’ by the inhabitants of Brunei Town —will be used later as residen ces for VIPs visiting the State of Brunei. For the 10,000 Brunei people who live in the “Village on the Water,” a bridge connecting the village and the new mosque has been built. Also scheduled to take place during the celebrations is the circumcision ceremony of the Sultan’s eldest son, Pengiran Muda Hassanel Bolkiah. Mean What? A young junior at an exclusive Eastern prep school is still trying to decipher the following letter from his recent steady: “Dear John: I hope you're not still angry. I want to explain I was really joking when I told you I didrit mean what I said about reconsidering my decision not to change my mind. Please believe I really mean this. Love, Graced 92 Panorama Attention: All organization heads and members! Help pour club raise funds painlessly... Join the Panorama “Fund-Raising by Subscriptions” plan today! The Panorama Fund-Raising by Subscriptions plan will get you, your friends, and your relatives a years sub scription to Panorama. The Panorama is easy to sell. It practically sells itself, which means more money for your organization. The terms of the Panorama Fund-Raising by Sub scriptions plan are as follows: (1) Any accredited organization in the Philippines can take advantage of the Plan. (2) The organization will use its facilities to sell sub scriptions to Panorama. (3) For every subscription sold the organization will get Pl.00. The more subscriptions the organization sells, the more money it gets. 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A Lesson from Japanese Fishermen The typhoon-proof otoshi-ami is ideal for Philippine climate T he Typhoon is one of the scourges of Philippine fishing. Yearly, thousands of pesos worth of equipment and catch are lost because of the typhoon. Some 20,000 Fili pinos are dependent upon fish ing as their main source of livelihood. Loss due to typhoons, therefore, represents substan tial deprivation. All these might change when a new trap called the otoshiami becomes popular. This is a Japanese fishtrap that is woven By SIXTO D'ASIS out of synthetic twine and an chored to the hottom of the sea with sand weights. Virtually typhoon-proof, it can also trap fish in places where the baclad is useless. It can be used throughout the year. With the baclad, fishing is a gamble. In • fishing towns, sto ries of big losses are rife. There is the case of a fisherman in Bataan who invested his life * 8 time saving in a bamboo trap. In the first week, he was very lucky. His new trap brought in about PIO,000 worth of fish. Feeling the flush of success, he sank everything he had in more traps. The next week, a storm came his way and destroyed his traps. He is now poorer than when he started. The experience of this fisher man is not unique. It is shared by everyone who is engaged in trap-fishing. For this reason, fishing in the Philippines is done only during the calm months of April, May and June. With the first hint of storm, the fishermen remove their traps. The rest of the year they have very little or no income. The otoshi-ami, in compari son, can withstand an ordinary storm. When the storm really gets rough, all that the fisher man has to do in order to save his trap is to cut the lines that connect it to the outriggers. The trap will sit out the storm on the floor of the sea. The baclad also is useless in depths exceeding ten fathoms. Hence, it can snare only small fish — dilis, sardines, mackerels, talakitok and the like. Very seldom does it catch the giants of the deep. The otoshi-ami, on the other hand, is good up to eighty fa thoms. The really big ones can be used in the high seas. It is estimated that about 35 percent of the 2,362,000 kilos of tuna 9 on the Japanese market is caught by the otoshi-ami. A n otoshi-ami costs as much as a baclad. A big baclad costs about Pl0,000, which is about the price of an otoshiami. The big ones naturally cost more. The price of an oto shi-ami depends upon the qua lity of the synthetic twine. The otoshi-ami is more dur able than the bamboo trap. An ordinary baclad lasts only six months at the most. The Japan ese trap is good for at least seven years. It is granted that the ordinary fisherman cannot afford an oto shi-ami. However, if the fisher men would group themselves into cooperatives, the financing of this enterprise would be easier. To this end, the Bureau of Fisheries is organizing the fishermen. This would be the most prac tical method of financing the business since the banks do not give substantial loans to fisher men. However, the government is exploring ways and means of extending loans and technical assistance to fishermen who are interested in this new type of fishing. The use of the otoshi-ami might open the synthetic indus try in the Philippines. The mat erials necessary for the manu facture of synthetic twine are available in the Philippines. The raw materials are coal and lime-v stone. Synthetic twine is light, water-repellent and corrosion resistant. It is hoped that the otoshiami might improve the fishing industry of the Philippines and increase the country’s food sup ply. It is well-known that the waters around the Philippine^ teem with more fish than the waters around Japan and yet the Japanese have more fish than the Filipinos. An otoshi-ami takes in, on the average, $25,000 worth of fish. The heaviest bac lad catch is only worth P4,000. The Bureau of Fisheries is charting the areas in the Phil ippines where this kind of trap can be exploited to the great est advantage. The migrations of different species can be fol lowed and exploited commer cially. As a general rule, the Bureau prescribes escape routes from coves and bays, as the ideal location for this fish-trap. J1 he areas in the Philippines that are ideal for the otoshiami are Balayan Bay, Manila Bay, the coast of Bataan, the northern coasts of Capiz and Antique, the Sulu Sea, the Moro Gulf and the Mindanao Sea. The otoshi-ami will greatly help in increasing the income of our fishermen and in pro tein-supply problem of our country. Our people do not get enough protein and the cheap est and most abundant protein 10 Panorama food in our country is fish. The lack of protein accounts for the general physical weakness of our people. The government, therefore, and our fishermen should do everything they could to popularize and put into use the otoshi-ami. flu K ll KINDS OF FISH, whether deep-sea or fresh water, are excellent sources of protein—the substance young bo dies need for growth and everybory needs to repair tissues constantly being used up in daily activities. Fish also pro vides iodine, phosphorus and some of the B-complex vita mins. Small varieties of fish like soft-shelled crabs, shrimps or anchovies, either dried or fresh, when fried and eaten whole, are excellent sources of calcium for healthy bones and teeth. With the wide variety of fish available in this area, menus can easily feature it and still be varied from day to day. Fish readily lends itself to frying, broiling, roasting, stewing, steaming, for soups, salads and croquettes. It is generally cheaper (han meat or poultry and is just as nu tritious. When buying fish, see that it is absolutely fresh, as even the slightest decomposition will cause unpleasant taste, and in many cases, stomach upset. Red gills, firm flesh, bright and full eyes, and a characteristic fresh odor are good indications of the freshness of the fish. Fish when prepared to be served hot is best when cooked just before it is eaten. When frying—in fillets, steaks or as a whole—coating it with seasoned flour or thin batter before dropping it into hot oil will seal in its flavor. Cook it to a delicate light golden color; overcooking will make the flesh tough and strong the same effect. When broiling fish over coals or under electric units, dab on a little butter, margarine or unflavored oil after seasoning with salt and pepper to prevent its natural juices from dripping. As in frying, avoid overcooking, and serve as soon as done. Many people enjoy seasoning their fish with lemon or lime juice. Seasonings and sauces for fish dishes na turally vary with the traditions of different peoples. But in all cases the important thing is to serve the fish to give the most nutrition and enjoyment. * November 1958 11
food in our country is fish. The lack of protein accounts for the general physical weakness of our people. The government, therefore, and our fishermen should do everything they could to popularize and put into use the otoshi-ami. flu K ll KINDS OF FISH, whether deep-sea or fresh water, are excellent sources of protein—the substance young bo dies need for growth and everybory needs to repair tissues constantly being used up in daily activities. Fish also pro vides iodine, phosphorus and some of the B-complex vita mins. Small varieties of fish like soft-shelled crabs, shrimps or anchovies, either dried or fresh, when fried and eaten whole, are excellent sources of calcium for healthy bones and teeth. With the wide variety of fish available in this area, menus can easily feature it and still be varied from day to day. Fish readily lends itself to frying, broiling, roasting, stewing, steaming, for soups, salads and croquettes. It is generally cheaper (han meat or poultry and is just as nu tritious. When buying fish, see that it is absolutely fresh, as even the slightest decomposition will cause unpleasant taste, and in many cases, stomach upset. Red gills, firm flesh, bright and full eyes, and a characteristic fresh odor are good indications of the freshness of the fish. Fish when prepared to be served hot is best when cooked just before it is eaten. When frying—in fillets, steaks or as a whole—coating it with seasoned flour or thin batter before dropping it into hot oil will seal in its flavor. Cook it to a delicate light golden color; overcooking will make the flesh tough and strong the same effect. When broiling fish over coals or under electric units, dab on a little butter, margarine or unflavored oil after seasoning with salt and pepper to prevent its natural juices from dripping. As in frying, avoid overcooking, and serve as soon as done. Many people enjoy seasoning their fish with lemon or lime juice. Seasonings and sauces for fish dishes na turally vary with the traditions of different peoples. But in all cases the important thing is to serve the fish to give the most nutrition and enjoyment. * November 1958 11
The wonderful machine And Now Comes the TAPE RECORDER machine and has now become as familiar as a typewriter to most households. In the enter tainment market, it is a "close second to the phonograph. The tape recorder was devel oped in Germany shortly before the war. However, it was adapt ed to practical use by about 1944. During that time, it was used only by businessmen, radio stations, recording companies and army interrogators. The German engineers brought the tape recorder to near perfecover Radio Luxembourg, they found recording apparatus that experts never thought existed. The first commercial tape recorders were widely used as business dictating machines. In the business areas, what was needed was mere sound trans cription. Hardly any attention was given to fidelity recording. However, manufacturers en gaged in the production of sound equipment were quick'to see mass market possibilities for the tape recorder. By 1948, BO Panorama the American producers had created a machine for a domes tic market. The British were getting ready for full-scale pro duction. The Germans put their first commercial recorder on the market at about the same time. At first, sales were small. Only specialist users and a few enthusiasts bought the ma chines. But by around 1955, sales started to rise. In the Brit ish domestic market, it reached 40,000. Today, there are about a hundred different models on the market and sales had ex ceeded the two million mark. The price of a tape recorder ranges from P300 to PS^OO. The market for tape record ers is split into three fairly distinct parts. The business part requires cheap, easy-to-operate machines that can reproduce intelligibly. The second part re quires accurate sound repro ducers for such special jobs as music recording. And the third part is composed mostly of people who regard the tape rec order as a novelty machine for use in the home or for instruc tional purposes. y here are of course other marginal uses. The psychia trists, for example, use it to catch the outpourings of their patients. The ornithologists use it to record exotic birdcalls. Some hobbyists use it to record the sounds emitted by celebri ties. But mostly people want to buy for some musical pur pose. “Our average customer is looking for good reprouuction of good music,” one dealer said. The tape recorder has made it possible for the lover of good music to collect a library very cheaply. A new trend in the business is the teenage market. The at traction here is that “pops” can be recorded at a fraction of the price of an ordinary disc and erased as soon as the song becomes unpopular. The tape recorder is definite ly an economic proposition. Once the initial basic expendi ture has been met, one can get years of good service out of the machine. An ordinary rec order costs 50% less than a good phonograph. The manufacture and distri bution of tape recorders is con ducted in a rather unusual way. The precision machines are im ports from a big German con cern. The mass market is con trolled by the Americans and the British. Only a few manu facturers produce all the com ponents of their machines. Most of them buy the spare parts and assemble them. In this way, small enterprises are able to produce good machines. A good example is a small British com pany. This company does not manufacture any part of a tape recorder. All it does is to buy November 1958 81 the parts from the different companies and assemble them. It turns out two or three dozen machines a week. All the signs suggest that the industry is going to see a great deal of technical innovation in the next few years. Now, even the ordinary user demands pre cision performance from mass market models. The British and American manufacturers are aware of this trend. Lately, they have been experimenting with stereophonic machines which they hope to put on the market soon. A nother trend will be to wards changes in the size of the machines. Some present tape recorders are much too bulky for most of their uses. In recognition of this, console models have been on the market for some time. But for business men and others who want to carry their recorders about, even a 20-pound burden is an inconvenience. One trend in the industry therefore is towards copying those midget radio sets that can be carried in the poc ket. These need very small valves called “transistors.” The main difficulty with a midget recorder is the quality of the reproduction. It is not as accurate as the bigger mo dels. Another drawback is price. A midget recorder uses very ex pensive components and unless the price of the parts is brought down, manufacturers do not see a wide, immediate market for the baby recorder. Boon for Housewives T1 earproof grocery sacks now can be made using a new stretchable paper, Kraftsman Clupak, in vented by Sanford Cluett, inventor cf Sanforizing process. Paper is made of pu^p treated by standard chemical methods, then placed on rubber drying belt. Belt, with its pulp load, is expanded passing over over drying roll. When it snaps back into nor mal dimension, finished paper goes with it. Resulting bunched fibers will stretch; in drop test new paper outlasts conventional Kraft paper about 10 to 1 with out tearing. ♦ Panorama
NOVEMBER 1958 MANILA. PHILIPPINES Entered aa second class mail matter at the Manila Post Office on Dec. 7, 1965 Not only a poet By Ben Revilla ^ ne of the greatest poets produced by our country is Francisco Baltazar, better known by his pen name, Balagtas. He was, however, more than just a poet; he was also a reformist and propagandist. Through his poetry, Balagtas was able to crystallize the grievances and suffering of our people. Rizal carried with him to Europe a copy of Balagtas’ allegorical masterpiece, Plorante at Laura. Balagtas lived in an era of oppression and deep patriotism. His poetry sought to awaken the people to the cruelties of the colonizers. He was therefore as important a propagandist as Rizal, Mabini and del Pilar. And since he wrote in the language of the people, he prob ably reached more people than his more illus trious counterparts. No. 11 Balagtas was born in Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan on April 2, 1788, the fourth child of Juan Baltazar and Juana de la Cruz. His father was a blacksmith. Like the other boys of the town, he was educated at the parochial convent school, where he mas tered the cartilla and the caton. He was introduced very early to the unhappy events in the country by listening to the old er folk who gathered every afternoon in his father’s shop. When he was eleven, he left for Manila where he found em ployment as a houseboy. His employer, seeing promise in the boy, sent him to school. He enrolled at the Colegio de San Jose where he took up humanities, theology, philos ophy and canon law. Later, Ba lagtas transferred to the Cole gio de San Juan de Letran. Here he discovered his literary ta lent. He was proficient in three languages—Spanish, Latin, and Tagalog. His less literate friends asked him to write love letters for them which Balagtas did glad ly. He became a student of Jose de la Cruz who is better known as Huseng Sisiw because he charged his clients a white chick for every literary piece he pro duced for them. Under his guid ance, Balagtas developed into a popular poet. His fame spread. Most of his plays were staged at the Teatro de Tondo. -4round this time Balagtas fell in love with a girl named Bianang but a ruthless rival was able to convince the authorities to jail the young poet. Balagtas brooded in jail for some time. Here he wrote “Pagsisi,” a poem that is con sidered the best of his early works. After he was released from jail, Balagtas fell in love again with a girl named either Maria Asuncion Rivera or Mag dalena. .Nothing came out of this because in 1840 Balagtas was appointed auxiliary justice to Judge Victor Figueroa. His work took him to many towns and in Orion he met Juana Tiambeng. They fell in love and on June 22, 1842 they got married. Balagtas resigned his post and returned to the job he liked best—writing and staging plays. However, his in come was not enough so he was forced to return to government service this time as teniente de primero and juez de cementera. During the course of his official work he was accused of having shaved the head of a rich man’s maidservant. This unique crime resulted in a conviction. For four years, Balagtas languished in jail. While in jail Balagtas wrote a great deal. He was released in 1860. He continued to write poetry. This period was prob ably the most prolific in his entire career. 4 PANORAMA Nobody as yet has determined the exact date of the comple tion of the book Ptorante at Laura but the first known edi tion came out in 1838. It was printed by the Colegio de Santo Tomas press. Two other editions followed the first printing—in 1853 by the Imprenta de los Amigos Pais and in 1861 by the Imprenta de Ramirez y Giraudier. summary of the book was made by the historian Teodoro Agoncjlld: “The story opens in a gloomy wilderness. We see the young Plorante, struggling to free himself where he is tied to a tree, la menting his fate and invoking heaven to right the wrongs done to him by his enemy, Count Adolfo. He remembers the days when Laura was his beloved. He falls into a swoon. At al most the same time a Moorish Prince, Aladin, enters the for est and finding Plorante about to be devoured by hungry lions, kills the beasts and sets the young man free. Plorante, grateful, tells his saviour the story of his life. He was the son of Duke Briseo, the adviser of King Linceo of Albania. At an early age, his father had sent him to Athens to study. Here he had become the idol of all his classmates except Count Adolfo, who harbored illfeelings against him. Once stag ing Aschylus’ Seven Against Thebes, Count Adolfo had ac tually slashed at Plorante with a sword. His friend Menandro saved Plorante from death. Upon his return to his country, Plorante was commissioned by King Linceo to lead the Alba 5 nian forces against the Per sians, besieging the kingdom of Crotona. While plotting his stra tegy with the King and his fa ther, Plorante met Princess La ura, the king’s daughter, with whom he fell in love. Plorante was victorious over the Persian invaders. Learning of another Persian horde that was attack ing, Plorante returned to his country and routed the Persians. Now he took the offensive against the infidels and seven teen kingdoms fell into his hands. In the midst of the cam paign against Etolia, he received a letter from King Linceo ask ing him to return to Albania posthaste. Leaving his army to Menandro, Plorante returned to Albania only to find his fa ther and the king murdered in cold blood by Count Adolfo, who had usurped the throne. Adolfo had him arrested and tied to a tree in the wilderness. The usurper also announced that Laura had, accepted his love. Upon the conclusion of Plorante’s story, Aladin intro duced himself as the very Per sian prince Plorante had spoken of. Returning to Persia after the Albanian campaigns, he found himself condemned to death by his father, Sultan Ali Adab, apparently because of his defeat in Albania. The death sentence was changed to life imprisonment upon the promise of Flerida, Aladins’ betrothed, to accept the sultan’s love. Fle rida, however, had escaped and wandered in the forests. Learn ing of Flerida’s escape, Aladin, too, escaped from Persia and journeyed far and wide in search of his loved one. It was during his search for Flerida that he chanced upon Plorante. The two had just concluded their stories when they hear voices drifting their way. The voices are those of Laura and Flerida. Laura tells of how Fle rida had saved her from Count Adolfo, who had fled to the for est after Menandro arrived with his forces from Etolia. Adolfo tried to dishonor Laura, but Flerida, who had lost herself in the forest after her escape from the sultan, had killed Adolfo with an arrow. At this moment, Menandro and his army arrived. The two couples are brought to Albania. Plorante is proclaimed king, and Flerida and Aladin are baptized. Not long after Sultan Ali Adab dies and Ala din ascends the throne of Per sia.” 6 Panorama -^mong the foreign scholars who became interested in the poem are Blumentritt, Rost, Kern, Meyer, Minguella, Glanco and Retana. The first four went as far as to study Tagalog in order that they may read Plo rante in the original. The Span ish scholars praised the work lavishly. Balatgas’ other known works include La India Elegante y el Negrito Amate, Mahomet at Constanza, Almanzor at Rosa linda, Orosman at Safira, Don Nuno at Zelinda, Clara Balmori, Nuno Gordoneo, Rodolfo at Rosemondo, Auredata at Astrone, El Amante de la Corona, Abdol at Miserana, Bayaceto at Dorlisca, and others. Most of his works were burned in the fire in Orion in 1892. At his death-bed on February 20, 1862, Balagtas told his wife: “Don’t permit that anyone of our children should ever em brace the writing of poetry as a calling.” Two of his sons, Ceferino and Victor, became poets. Ceferino wrote Pagpupuri sa Virgen Maria and other poems while the literary works of Vic tor were included in an antho logy compiled by the late Hermenigildo Cruz. The achievement of Balagtas is summed up by Director E.B. Rodriguez in this manner: “He fashions a world where justice reigns supreme, where every one finds enjoyment in his rela tion with nature and men . . . such is the world he envisioned — a world of perfection, love and romance.” The Tulingan A lthough the Islands sit on one of the world’s ■^■richest tuna spawning areas, tuna fishing on a scale known in Japan, the United States and the Me diterranean countries does not exists in the Philip pines. Depletion of tuna stocks in Japanese and For mosan home grounds has induced their fishermen to stalk Philippine waters for tuna, reaching out as deep as the Macassar Strait. Local fishermerts acquaintance with tuna is li mited to its midget varieties known in Batangas, Zambales and Pangasinan and other coastal areas bordering the China Sea as “tulingan.” * November 1958 7
Part I ith the scruple of a man customarily responsible to his expericence of things—for seven years he was N.Y. Times staff correspondent in the Philippines and Manila Daily Bulletin news editor—Robert Aura Smith has defined the se parate natures of independence (the relationship of one sov ereign state to others) and freedom (the relationship between an individual and his society); and has proceeded to trace the recent history of both among Filipinos. One of the book’s few limitations is that, by recording background events dnly since the Spanish-American war, Smith unwittingly preserves the absurd though well-worn im plication t;hat freedom had no advocates in the Philippines until imported from the States. The naked names of Rizal and Bonifacio are dropped on occasion; but the oversight which neglects their part in making present history possible is strange, coming from an Officer of the Philippine Legion of Honor. The book’s other faults are more easily understood and forgiven. So many major events have occurred in postwar Philippines that often Smith finds his space spent on follow ing long-range changes in their climate, rather than the daily weathering of circumstance. What he gains by this necessary aloofness is a kind of impersonality as reporter (he is more desk man than leg man), an objectivity in the relating of fact to fact, preferable by far to the self-magnification at the November 1958 57 ♦ Robert Aura Smith, Philippine Freedom: 1946-1958 (Columbia University Press: N.Y., 1958). expense of whole truth on which, for example, Romulo’s “historical” books have sometimes depended. But this same over-view, because it seldom rubs off the sweat of the crowd, has the misfortune of implying again that freedom is largely achieved by imposition and legislation: if not by big-brother America, then by big-brother Elected Home Administration. Democracy is not an invitation to let inferiors elect their superiors to office; and the life of Magsaysay is so very important because it proved that either self-government rests on a belief in equality among men or it becomes mere partici pation in the choice of which tyrant will rule. However, it must be observed that unless Smith had written his work in several volumes, he could hardly have maneuvered his pers pective from panorama to local incident without losing propor tion or control. He has done no worse, in this matter, than most historians so intent on the Big Picture that the average man, without whom so much of history would not be viable, is reduced to ciphers. Tn the short section on the Japanese Occupation, Smith specifically acknowledges that other accounts have treated the brutalities and turncoating more adequately than he is about to do. The same could be said of different sections. But what the reader sees demonstrated here is how history texts are constructed, by omission and selection, with the more responsible ones hoping against hope not to distort the general truth, in spite of what is edited out. Smith’s is a kind .of symming-up of many accounts, fictional and other wise, not all already written, of twelve important years in the human endeavor. As a chronicle by epitome, it succeeds far far better than usual. The crush and competition of material for space allows Smith to ignore not only the common tao but also major Filipino business men and even many of the political hierarchy’s second echelon. There is room for Sycip’s aid to Liberty Wells but not for the free enterprise of Marcelo or the Delgado Brothers; for Taruc and Pomeroy but not for Gov. Lacson or Mayor Lacson of Manila; for Aglipayans on the ballot but not for Fathers Hogan or Delaney or the Catholic Action Groups.. .These and a multitude of others whose ways threat ened or rescued freedom are left to Filipino writers, as are also more durable estimates of many international figures treated. 58 Panorama Smith is too diplomatic in his kindly, nearly indiscriminate comments on Quirino, Romulo, Jose Laurel Jr., President Gar cia and Recto; but his full biographical treatment of Magsaysay whom he clearly admired perhaps subtlely provides an elevation against which the lower contours of others can be measured. Fortunately, Smith has as carefully chosen what to write about as what not to. If he has left to sociologists the full explication of the dangers to freedom in the Filipino, and to some as-yet-unborn prophet denunciation of equal threats from an educational system both monolithic and bureaucratic, nevertheless he has written substantially about the growth of political freedom in the archipelago. The evidence which he presents sufficiently justifies his conclusions that “the Filipinos are living under the most stable free government in Asia.” This is not, as too many dockside speeches have been, mere flattery from a friend who has to repay many parties in his honor; nor is it the effort of a man to vindicate years invested from his own fund^oi effort and devotion. Smith’s material is so factuakjMrd' therefore consequential, that Phil ippine Freedom: J^lb-1958 might well seem designed as a textbook for political science or international relations (va rious Fil-American treaters, for example, are offered in valua ble appendices) and undoubtedly will be used as such in the Asian Studies programs of many American universities. Fili pinos, as well, perhaps living too close to the events described to possess them otherwise as a continuum, will appreciate this attempt to summarize the life of a nation, young in in dependence, old in the knowledge of human rights. (To be concluded) if. >f. >i. Too Little A suspicius wife made a surprise call at fier hus band’s office. Encountering his pretty secretary, she introduced herself and added: “I’m so glad to meet you, Miss Shapely. My hus band has told me so little about you.” * November 1958 59
air, which the romantic Jl and specialized vision of the poet may see as any thing from ‘burning gold’ to ‘a flock of goats,’ has always been to the more realistic feminine mind her chief beauty concern. Not that the male of the spe cies is immune: for long the problem of baldness exercised the ingenuity of herbalists, who urged the use of white maiden hair, which "stays the shedding or falling of the hair, and caus es it to grow thick, fair and well coloured; for which pur pose boil it in wine, putting Panorama some smallage seed thereto, and afterwards some oil." Nowadays, however, hair care need not start in the herb gar den; there are quicker routes to good grooming. The first es sential is a good cut. There is no head of hair, however diffi cult or obstinate, that cannot be controlled by clever cutting and shaping. Few women, even if they have the courage, have the skill or knowledge neces sary to do-it-themselves — and most of them have the sense not to try. The maintenance side, however—washing, condi tioning, setting—is well within their scope. The shops offer such an array of bottles, jars, tubes, bubbles, sachets and, lat est recruit to the cosmetic coun ter, ‘shampoo leaves’—described by one authority as the most useful leaves since the Garden of Eden—that the only diffi culty is selection. A recent cos metics survey by the research department of a national wo men’s weekly indicans a defi nite trend of preference for li quid and lotion shampoos (some brands of which use ‘Teepol * as a base). Sales of these kinds of shampoo accounted for twothirds of the consumption of 1957 as compared with half in 1955. But, whatever her choice, the customer rarely gives any thought to the elaborate pro cesses and production lines that make it possible for her to have Noi so varied a selection.A visit to the Middlesex factory of one of the biggest manufacturers of hair preparations soon puts an end to the casual assump tion that ‘there’s nothing to it.’ Z) lthough at this factory J * some of the production is still manual, a great proportion is highly mechanized, and the process from empty jar to car ton ready for dispatch is a fas cinating operation, as full of color and rhythm as a Disney film. The empty jar or bottle is put on a machine that clears it of any speck of dust. From there it passes along the belt to the second stage, where the contents are injected from an overhead complex of pipelines running from the mixing room to the benches. Once filled, the containers, now amber, green or white, pass along to where a rotating hod ejects a lid on each. An adjacent machine im prints the threads on the lid and screws it on in one opera tion. Labelling comes next; and from there the bottle passes along the belt, to be inserted into its cardboard container, and finally comes off the belt in the cartons, which are trans ported in bulk by conveyors into the adjacent store. From empty jar to carton, the process takes some 40 feet of bench and is tended by about 16 operatives. Except for 1958 85 the handling of heavy weights, it is carried out entirely by women, and where the mechan ization is alternated with man ual operations, it is fascinat ing to watch the dexterous wrist and hand movements of the white-coated girls, the precision and speed with which they dis patch the little jars on their journey of whisk them off the belt into the containers. Perhaps the most astonish ing feature to an outsider is the scale of production. Of one preparation manufactured in this factory, 120 jars are com pleted every minute, while 110 tons of products are dispatched daily from the storeroom. Some idea of the quantities involved ■can be obtained by a visit to the mixing-room, where slabs of raw materials, like giant pav ing-stones, anj 45-gallon drums of perfume wait to be used. he other side of the picture, the minute and scrupulous attention to quality, can be seen in the laboratories. There one meet, an impressive array of precision instruments — balan ces, rotating-cup viscometers, and photometers to check the dispersion of the drops in emul sions. On the walls hang charts on which are plotted the results of the intricate series of tests — 19 in all on one product — carried out at various stages of the manufacture. There are three kinds of lab oratory on the premises; the Pure Research Laboratory, where basic work is done on essential oils and other ingre dients used; the Formulation Laboratory, which handles the composition and improvement of formulae and the examina tion and analysis of foreign and other products; and the Quality Control Laboratory, where the elaborate system of testing is carried out at all stages from raw materials to finished products. Through the laboratory win dows, on the flat roof opposite, can be seen glass-fronted ‘sun traps’ which, with the incuba^ tors in the laboratory, are used for testing the products under shop-window, display and stor age conditions such as they may expect to meet. On new preparations, of course, the lab oratories work in close colla boration, and it may take any thing from 18 months to 5 years to bring the new product from the idea stage to the shop counter. J n addition to laboratory-con1 trolled experiments, each product is under constant test in normal conditions of usage. For this purpose, the firm has a large source of human ‘gui nea-pigs’ on the factory floor — and a most attractive glossy head selection it is, too. Volun teers from the girls who work in the factory are used to test Panorama existing and new products, and tucked away in the more rest ful corners of the building are experimental salons where they have their hair cut, then washed, set and treated with the pro ducts. If this seems, to readers who have to fit in their hair, appointments on a crowded Sat urday, to be the height of ease and luxury, it may be a con solation to know that, once a volunteer is accepted, she has to give up her freedom of choice as regards styling, cut and preparations, and she must on no account go ‘outside’ to arrange for a private hairdress ing appointment. From other sections of the factory, which handle the fill ing and processing of the newer containers — the sachet and ‘leaf’ forms — there may em erge at any time a white-clad girl with her arms full of gailycolored ‘sachets’ of polyvinyl chloride. This petroleum pro duct is widely used in the pack aging of shampoos: at this fac tory 16 miles are used each week in producing one kind of sachet alone. For all the carnival effect — the gay colors, the scent, the music-while-you-work, the pre dominance of pretty, wellgroomed girls — this is a high ly-geared modern industry, streamlined, efficient and com petitive, which turns out, in fantastic quantity and at a rea sonable price, the products that bring hair glamour within the reach and the beauty budget of every woman. Christmas Lines Mother: “No, Dad, don’t be too hard on Junior for failing, in college. When they gave him his books last fall he thought they were a gift and didrtt open them until Christmas.” * * Sue: “I believe my husband is the most generous man in the world” Lou: “How come?” Sue: “I gave him a dozen neckties for Christ mas and he took them right down and gave them to the Salvation Army" November 1958 87
A living legend jDoh Pablo and His 'Ttla^ic Gello fl t is sometimes embarrassing to become a living legend. Some months ago a dig nified, courteous Puerto Rican appeared at the home of Pablo Casals and asked whe ther he could see the master. He would not give his name or explain his mission, but Senor Casals, who does not like to stand on ceremony, said he would see him. The man entered the living room, bowed, declared, “1 am honored,” accepted a seat and remained in it without uttering a word for half an hour. Then he arose, thanked Senor Casals gravely and de parted. Not all Peurto Ricans have felt the need to pay a personal tribute this way. But most of th.5 people on this island, whether highplaced or in humble circumstances, regard Senor Casals not only as an honored visitor but also as a friend. They speak of him affectionately as Don Pablo. Before he was stricken some time ago he would take a morning stroll, shad ing himself from the sun with a black um brella. Every Puerto Rican would have a "buenos dias, Don Pablo” for him. Panorama Senor Casals, who is worldfamous as the greatest cellist of his time and as a symbol of protest against dictatorship be cause of his self-imposed exile from Franco-dominated Spain, went to Puerto Rico last year out of respect for the memory of his mother, who was born in Mayaguez. He has found there a second home and a host of relatives. His mother’s maiden name was Defillo. Puerto Rico is full of Defillos and many claimed a relationship to Senor Casals, which has delighted him. (T he festival arranged in his 1 honor has been in his thoughts for months. Several days after he had suffered a coronary thrombosis, he listened with a smile to a report of how the musicians were carrying on in his absence. Then he mur mured to his physician, “I would like to play at least on the last day of the festival.” Sefior Casals has always packed an enormous amount of determination, energy and resi lience in a short, stocky frame. Although he was 80 years old last December 29, he had not ceased his regular practice, and his technical command of the cello continued to be the envy and despair of musicians fifty years his junior. Senor Casals owes his emi nence not merely to his domi nant position as a cellist and his forthright stand for Span ish democracy, although these would be enough for any ca reer. He is something more, a musician of incomparable ima gination and discernment. Per formers feel privileged to work with him, and young musicians have traveled thousands of miles just to sit at his feet. He has the gift for teaching and inspiring. As a musician he does not lay down the law; he suggests fresh possibilities, he encourages h i s associates to seek out new insights, he is not hidebound by tradition. He loves the masters such as Bach, Mozart and Schubert, who happen to be the subject of the festival in Puerto Rico, and he immerses himself in their scores. But he believes in the prompting of the heart. A stu dent working on a passage in Bach once said, ”1 think it goes like this.” “Don’t think,” Senor Casals replied, “It is better <to feel.” His capacity for feeling is boundless. Some months ago he told a friend, “I have always been emotional, but as I get older my emotions grow four times as strong as they used to be.” But there is not a trace of sentimentality. Anyone who has heard him play a sarabande from an unaccompanied Bach suite knows that this is emo tion stripped of impurities. November 1958 T t is hard to think of him as anything other than the il lustrious figure, no matter how simple he remains in his man ner and style of living. But the essential simplicity of the man is the key to his personality. In 1939, after the collapse of the Spanish Loyalist cause that he had supported, Senor Casals was in Lucerne, Switzerland, to play at a festival. He stayed at a modest pension, and when one visited him at twilight he sat under a masked bulb tapping his ever-present pipe and study ing a score. He was earning a good deal, but he wanted to save money to aid his needy compatriots in exile at Prades in southern France where he made his home from 1939. Music has been Senor Casals’ passion since his earliest memo ries. His father was parish or ganist in the little town of Vendrell, not far from Barcelona. Pablo was born there, and learned to play the piano, organ and violin before he was 10. A year later, he saw a make shift 'cello played by a travel ling musician and was en tranced with it. He begged his father for one and a homemade affair was fashioned out of a stick, strings and a gourd. Soon he got an honest cello and he went to Barcelona to study. He made revisions in technique and they were logical enough to stand up. He dis covered Bach, whom he vene rates above all other composers, and did more than any musi cian to establish his noble work for unaccompanied cello in the repertory. For years Senor Casals made it a habit to start the day, even before taking his constitution al, by playing at the piano pre ludes and fugues from Bach’s “well-tempered Clavier.” The maid in his home in San Sal vador, Spain, went about her work humming preludes and fugues the way a servant in New York might hum a calypso number. Senor Casals is a man of wide cultivation. He speaks half a dozen languages well, includ ing English. He reads exten sively in fields other than music. He i° also a humanist of farranging vision. Best of all, he has the purity of heart of an unspoiled child. When he moved into a house on the edge of the sea in Puerto Rico some months ago, he stood looking at the view and his eyes became moist. “It is like my San Salvador,” he whispered. “It is home.” '90 Panorama
INDIA'S The khesari dhal Indian scientists are warn ing that much of their Country’s farmlands have been sown with a food crop that may cripple millions. For over 25 years researchers have suspected a link between the small black pea-like plant that is the main diet in central and northern India and a disease that makes strong farmers crip ples. Although the crop should be banned, however, science fears that many families for whom it means subsistence will continue to grow and eat it. The plant that is the trouble maker is called khesari dhal. Over four million acres are sown with it. In Bihar, in north east Asia, and Madhya Pradesh in central India, it constitutes 40-50 percent of the people’s diet. Its seeds, mixed with other grains, are baked into chapatties—thin round bread. Khesari dhal is used also for cattle fod der, because in drought time it :s the only plant that will grow in parched land. Much credit, however, is giv en the theory that the common paralysis, Lathyrism, is trace able to the plant. The germ or November 1958 51 virus which causes the disease has not been isolated; yet the disease never occurs in the ab sence of the plant. Years of ex periment have convinced re searchers that the disease is caused either by an ingredient of the plant or by some reac tion in the seed when it is stored in peasants’ unbaked earthenware pots. I n some areas it is estimated 1 that from 6 to 8 percent of the population suffer from the disease; especially men between 20-30 years of age may be per manently crippled. Madras and Kerala have already banned the crop; and others have been ad vised to do the same. Did You Know? What kind of snake is a “glassP snake? ¥ ¥ ¥ "Lathyrus sativus,” to use its Latin designation, is a grass pea that must be sown annual ly. It grows to a height of 30 inches and is widely used for human food and forage. Some times it is called the Indian pea. Seeds of similar plants in North Africa and southern Europe commonly poison hu mans and animals and some times lead to fatalities. In 1884 the pea was discovered to have poisoned 35-75 cart horses owned by a resident of Liver pool, England. There are also records of the peas having harmed cattle, sheep and pigs, and of their having caused pigeons to lose the power of flight. A glass snake is not a snake at all, but a legless lizard that parts with its tail when pursued. The tail continues to wriggle for some time and holds the attention of the enemy while the lizard escapes. ¥ Where is it that people prefer black teeth to wfyite ones? In the East Indies. Some of the natives there chew betel nuts, and by the time they are 12 years years old, their teeth are completely black from the stains. When these people grow older and need false teeth, they naturally prefer to have black ones: ¥ 52 Panorama
Literary Personality — XLVI Kenneth Koberts: Unflinching Truth uthor of 26 books Roberts was a highly successful news op paper and magazine writer long before his fifth novel, “Northwest Passage,” became his first best-seller in 1937. The former Boston Post columnist and Saturday Evening Post staff writer had just completed proof reading for his seventh novel, “Water Unlimited,” when he died in 1957. Roberts was noted above all for his meticulous attention to accuracy and detail in everything he wrote. His historical novels often were called far better history than that in the history books. Roberts himself said, “I think that most historians, like most professional men, should have stuck to farming.” Born in Kennebunk, Me., Roberts was graduated from Cornell University in 1908. For eight years he was a reporter, special writer and humor columnist for the Boston Post. Be fore joining the army in World War I to become a captain in the intelligence section of the Siberian Expeditionary Force, he worked briefly for Puck and Life. He became a staff writer for the Saturday Evening Post during the editorship of the famed George Horace Lorimer, but resigned in 1930 to write “Arundel.” Several of Roberts’ ancestors fought in the American Revolution. Family stories of their activities, which he heard as a boy, helped to turn him toward historical writing. fl n irrepressible and highly-acclaimed debunker, Roberts would not hesitate to report what he thought was accurate — provided only that he could “demonstrate its truth.” 60 Panorama In 1921, when only 35, he campaigned vigorously for im migration restrictions, claiming that “the scum of the world, vermin-ridden and useless” was “clamoring to get over here.” When Senator Colt of the Senate Immigration Committee countered that no emergency legislation was needed to con trol immgiration, Roberts wrote for the Saturday Evening Post an article “The Existence of an Emergency” which brought a nation-wide clamor for action.' Later Roberts was told by W. W. Husband, commissioner general of immigration, that he had done more than any other person or agency to bring about the passage of immigration restrictions. Twenty years later, Roberts was to turn his guns on the founding fathers themselves. The heroes of Bunker Hill, he wrote, were not the high-minded righteous crusaders that schoolbook historians always have pretended they were. Another example of his unflinching respect for the “truth” as he saw it was his defense of the revolutionary war heroturned-traitor, Benedict Arnold. “Nothing is so valuable,” wrote Roberts, “to a nation as the truth. Never, though I myself be damned for not doing it, will I curse Benedict Arnold.” In his “Rabble in Arms” Roberts contended that Arnold really had a high motive for his treason, since he thought it better to turn the colonies back to England than to leave them to fall into the hands of France — as he thought they would through the incompetence of the Continental Congress. TO oberts spent three years of grinding research to establish the authenticity of the background for “Northwest Passage” in the period of the French and Indian wars, 1754-63. Last May Roberts received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize Award Committee for “his historical novels which have long contributed to the creation of greater in terest in our early American history.” He managed to save plenty of time apart from his writing for his frequent hot-tempered feuds with politicians, historians, and scientists. His private causes included most recently water dowsing powers of Henry Gross, Federal game warden from York County, to whom he devoted two books, “Henry Gross and His Dowsing Rod” and “The Seventh Sense.” November 1958 61 Roberts emphatically believed in the water-finding power of the forked stick and offered skeptics carefully documented “proof” that the rod would turn downward to find any under ground water. * * * Stupidity Unlimited DR. Heini Hediger, famous European animal be haviorist and dihector of the zoo in this city, has opened what he calls a museum of human imbecility in relation to caged animals. It consists of a collection of objects, including many sharp weapons found in cages or taken from vi sitors with sadistic inclinations or at best a thought less attitude toward captive beasts. Dr. Hediger recently escorted a man from the gardens who was trying to jab a monkey with a fiveinch needle. His staff also Has found rocks weighing up to three pounds that had been hurled at the bears. According to Dr. Hediger, some visitors bring umbrellas into the zoo for the sole purpose of open ing them suddenly to frighten the big cats, but he is unable to explain the presence of briefcases, hats and pairs of shoes and slippers that have been found in cages. He also says that an elderly and normally tor pid crocodile in an open tepid tank of water is the favorite target of a large number of coins. He has examined currency recovered and found that British pennies and Italian lire predominate. No Swiss mo ney has been found. The director thinks the coin throwers are im pelled by some propitiatory motive akin to offerings to the ancient gods. * 62 Panorama
By Lilia F. Mendoza ' The men in our neighbor hood had already erected in our front yard the abong, roofed with fresh green coconut leaves. White, red, blue and green crepe were tied from the middle of the abong to the corners. Our old embroidered curtains, which were taken out only for baptismal parties and other special family gatherings and which smelled like bur nished wood because they had been long kept at the bottom 42 Panorama of our century-old narra trunk, were hung around the abong by the ladies in the neighbor hood. The Life Orchestra, the best in our town during the occupation, would furnish the music on the eve of the wed ding. ; I was leaning on the sill of our veranda watching the young men and women putting the final decorations of the abong. The strips of crepe wafted by the wind were like waves’ on a turbulent sea. The young people were jok ing and teasing each other. “When I marry ... we will elope so that there will be no trouble,” Mang Lllo remarked as he lifted two neavy benches, the hard muscles of his arm bulging, and placed them in one corner of the abong. "And who would want to elope with you?” snapped Mang Iniong, who was pounding the ltose earth near the poles of the abong. “You with bowlegs and crossed eyes? Pare, it would take a girl out of her mind to give you a second look.” “Be careful, Iniong,” warned Mang Doming, “someone is al ready blushing.” And they looked toward Manang Julia whose shaking hands were ty ing the strip of crepe blown by the wind. Then everybody teased her and she almost cried. But the noise stopped when Ajmtie deling, .for whom all these grand preparations were made, appeared in the veranaa like a queen before her eager subjects. “Thank you very much for coming over to help.” She stopped a moment as if a lump of food was in her mouth. “Why, what happened to Julia?” Sensing perhaps the unusual air in the group she remarked, “You silly young people!” Then taking my hand, she said, “Come, JJedet. Accompany me to confession . . .” T followed her inside the A house. Her graceful light steps and her pleasantly pro portioned body made her look youthful and I gasped with pride. But, really, Auntie Feling was getting married quite late, so our neighbors said. At first I thought she would not get mar ried anymore since, according to Nanang Metiang, my child less runt with whom I had spent my childhood, Auntie Fel ing, was past her thirty-third year. But to me she did not ap pear that old. I still remember how she, when going to church, combed her dark, wavy, long hair, and made a round knot at the back of her head. She had clear, deep-set eyes and no wrinkles were to be found around them. Her skin, which I dreamed of possessing some day, was still smooth and glossy. Tata Maning, the bride groom, was four years her ju N0VEMBER 1958 43 nior; yet no one recognized their difference in age. He was a hard-working man, and being the only child, he had to be the family’s breadwinner. Only his ways of dressing and his fondness for my cousins and me showed that he was younger than Auntie Feling. Tatang Lacay, the eldest of my aunts and my father, ap proved the marriage because, according to him, he was very eager to see Auntie Feling get settled before he died, since she was the only one left single. “Three pigs, two dozen chic kens, two hundred eggs, anc| some fish will be enough,” said Tatang Lacay, whose popular name among the barrio folks was Belong. But my cousins and 1 called him Tatang Lacay because he was the oldest and besides he always acted like an old chief whose word was law and whose acts drew obedience and respect. I still remember the time when his son IJfoling and I had a quarrel. We jeered and shouted at each other. He was awakened from his after noon nap by our shouts and the mere sight of him made Noling and me stop. We didn’t run for that would have been worse. Each of us just said, “I am sorry.” “Do you think that will be enough, Manong?” Nanang Metiang asked Tatang Lacay. “You told me yesterday the mayor and his friends would be com ing together with the other high people in the poblacion," she continued, and the words “high people” made her smile with pride. “Yes, these will be enough,” he repeated. Qn the eve of the wedding, a tall, thin man, dressed in dirty, patched khaki pants approached Tatang Lacay who was with my father giving lastminute orders to the helpers. The man’s shirt clung to his body for it was wet with sweat, and a loose patch at his hips ' revealed unwashed underwear. His worn-out cap almost cov ered his eyes. I got near them when, without uttering a word, the stranger delivered a letter in a sealed envelope. With trem bling hands Tatang Lacay took the letter. Grains of perspir£ tion began to form on his fore head although it was very windy. But the man, upon hear ing the sound of engines at a distance, ran as if a mad dog were chasing him. “Jose, read the letter for me." He handed the envelope with hands still shaking. My father, too, was nervous, and the letter dropped as he was opening it. The guerrilla officials wanted Tatang Lacay to be under the Secret Service to report on the Japanese activities in town, the letter said. Tatang Lacay wiped the sweat from his forehead 44 Panorama and smiled as if a thousand burdens had been lifted from him. During the wedding, Tatang Lacay was nowhere to be found. The mayor and the other guests inquired for him as he was sup posed to lead the toast with basi for the newlyweds. The tension caused by his disap pearance couldn’t be hidden. Nanang Metiang tried to joke with everyone but I noticed that she was very much worried. A friend of hers said, “May I have a glass of water?” She gave instead a plate of rice. My father, too, kept looking around distractedly. “Where is Belong?” a friend asked in a suspicious voice. My father only shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. At another corner of the abong, the old men and women were dancing to the tune of “Dungdunguencanto.” The on lookers threw coins to the dancers; the money was for the married couple. The dance be came a riot, for the dancers were drunk. There was loud laughter when Apo Intang's saya slipped to the ground be cause her partner Apo Julio stepped on its tail. At the height of the celebra tion, about ten Japanese sol diers arrived. Their muddy, black boots seemed to trample on everybody. Their bayonets, fixed at the tip of their rifles, seemed about to kill every per son in the wedding. The guests withdrew to the corners of the abong. Some of them attempted to run, the old women made the sign of the cross and muttered unintelligi ble prayers. The dancers stood immobile. One of the soldiers approached my Auntie Feling who sat at the far end of the abong still clad in her snowwhite mestiza dress. I threw my eyes to where Tata Maning stood. Did he escape? Then I looked at my aunt again. All the while I thought the brute would carry her away. I was re lieved when he only touched her chin. The other soldiers gathered the left-over food and they laughed mockingly as they made their way among the throng. But the inaction of Tata Ma ning bothered me. Could it be that he would never raise a hand in defense of his bride? T couldn’t sleep well that 1 night of the incident. The sight of deadly weapons haunt ed me in my sleep. Even the darkness made me restless in bed. When at last I had dropped into an uneasy sleep, 1 was sud denly awakened by my father. "Dedet, Dedet,” my father shook me. “Light the lamparilla.” When the light spread around the room, I saw Tatang Lacay sitting before my father’s writing table. His jaws were set November 1958 45 and he stared at th: dark cor ners of the room which were not reached by the faint light of the lamparilla. “Jose,” he began, “I am go ing to dictate to you my report and translate it in English.” And save for the rhythmic creaking of the typewriter and Tatang Lacay’s low voice not a sound could be heard. Some times I could hear the rustling, of the leaves of the caimito trees in our backyard which would make Tatang Lacay_sus picious lest someone would be around. He dictated that he climbed the big mango tree not far from our house and saw the Nippons run away with the left-over food. Tatang Lacay did well in his patriotic duty. Sometimes I would find myself praising his excellent services for the guer rilla cause. Some Japanese on patrol would often pass by him and stop to fondle his favorite rooster. “Kumbawa,” he would say, and add an exaggerated bow, his head nearly touching the ground. The atabrine-faced Jap anese would only smile show ing their big unbrushed teeth. Tatang Lacay’s wife died at a time when she needed him most. His child and his duty to the Secret Service conflicted. "I will bring the children over here, Metiang. Anyway, Maning and Feling are here to help you around the house.” Thus he de voted much time to his reports and observations. Tatang Lacay rarely came home. He was always busy ob serving every step and plan of the Japanese soldiers in the town garrison. Sometimes he would arrive hungry and tired but he always managed to give a smile of assurance to every body in the family. “Take care of your health, Manong,” my father said as he typed his reports. “You’ve be come pale and thinner during these days.” “Don’t worry, Jose,” he pat ted my father’s shoulders. “My work really needs a lot of sacri fice; I might even give my life for the sake of our country.” As he was about to get his buri hat from the deer’s horn that was nailed against a post, he turned to Nanang Metiang who was darning his worn-out pants. "Metiang, I noticed that Fe ling is already with child. Tell ler not to work so hard. Tell Waning to gather vegetables every day. Apo Julio’s field has plenty of fresh camote tops and saluyot. 1 want the baby to come healthy,” and he put on his hat that smelled acrid due to too much sweat. ’T'he following week several battalions of foul-smelling, dirty - looking fierce Nippons passed. According to Tatang Lacay’s report, they came from Vigan, the capital. There were so many of them that, afraid, we abandoned our homes and went to a wide field across a river. We built a calapaw, an improvised shelter the roof of which was only two layers of cogon. Its bamboo floor, that creaked when we moved around, was matted together by lanuti. We did not make a ladder any more since the floor was only about one-half yard from the ground. Also, there was no partition inside. It was too small to divide into rooms. The smell of dry cogon was enough to make us all feel at home. Every morning I would see the bright rays of the sun glit tering on the clear w.aters of the river that rippled by. I would see the rolling plains around halted by the saw? toothed Cordillera mountains. There were scattered calapaws far from us. For several days we would watch smoke and flames com ing from the burning houses near the road. Some bolomen, their sunburnt faces half-hidden by their long, unruly hair, would pass by our calapaw. Sometimes they would drop by and ask for a drink of water. “Have all the houses on both sides of the road been eaten by fire?” Nanang Metiang asked them. “Everything is ash. And do you know the lame, old woman beggar who lives alone in a leaning house near the big mango tree?” asked one. “Yes, Why?” The boloman wiped his sweat and pushed the hair that cov Novkmber 1958 47 ered his face. “She was tied like a pig and thrown into the flames.” When another batch passed by again, this time with some bundles of clothes, probably saved from the fire, my father intercepted them. “Have you seen a man of about fifty, his hair all white, dressed in khaki with a black band around his left arm?” “No,” answered one lower ing his bundle. “But there were many who were massacred in the poblacion last night.” All of us began to be wor ried since Tatang Lacay didn’t appear for days. However, our fears were lessened when he arrived in the calapaw with three wounded men. Where he picked them up, he didn’t say. Since there was no other place to house them, the other calapaws being far from us, we ac commodated them. I shook at the sight of blood oozing from their wounds. Nanang Metiang, my father and Tata Maning helped in bandaging the wounds of the men. Some medicinal herbs gathered by Tatang La cay along the river bank were applied to stop hemorrhage. Every morning I heated wa ter to wash the wounds. Nanang Metiang would do the dressing since Auntie Feling was too heavy with child to help. Not only that. Tatang Lacay and Tata Maning were afraid she might faint at the sight of blood. At night I would be awak ened by the sighs and cries of the wounded men. Sometimes I would cover my face tightly with my blanket and press my ears close to my pillows in order not to see or hear what was happening around. But I would feel the shaking of the floor of the calapaw as the men tossed. ONE MORNING I W 0 k e Up earlier than usual. It was unusually cold and I could hear the slow drip-dripping of dew from the cogon roof on the tiny stones below. I wound my blanket around me and tried to linger longer in bed. But when I saw streams of light entering the calapaw, I got up reluctantly. I wiped my eyes with the lower part of my skirt. Lowering my skirt I saw Na nang Metiang and the rest, ex cept Auntie Feling, giving a sponge bath to one of the sol diers. He was as stiff as a log. Then I felt I was shaking; I didn’t know if it was due to the cold morning or to the sight of death in front of me. They dressed him with one of Tatang Lacay’s old white trousers. Nanang Metiang motioned everyone to kneel. Auntie Fe ling led the prayers. We said one Our Father and three Hail Mary’s. Tatang Lacay left immediate48 Panorama ly after the burial. Nanang Me tiang and I went down to the river to wash the blanket used by the dead man. On the path to the river, a black cat crossed our path. “Isn’t that a bad omen?”- I asked Nanang Metiang who, 1 had learned, was very supersti tious. ' “Yes. But I hope God will take care of everything. Come on, let’s hurry up,” she said after giving a last look at the black cat that limped into the bushes that lined the path. I noticed that the river that wound along the evacuation area had decreased in width since our arrival. The trees around became withered. The dead leaves were piled rotting along the bank. When we arrived home, we saw Tata Maning kneeling in a corner and my father beside Auntie Feling. “I think it’s time for the baby now Manang,” my father said in a worried voice. Nanarfg Metiang put down the batya and went towards the three. She knew how to deliver babies. She ran her fingers on Auntie Feling’s stomach and shook her head. “Not yet.” Dusk began to envelop the area. It was unusually silent. I couldn’t even hear the chirp ing of crickets in the dry fields around. Sometimes I would peep through the door of the calapaw and see the people in side. Tata Maning kept walk ing to and fro. The two sol diers were at one end of the calapaw, and Auntie Feling at another. Her moaning stopped for a while. As I was stirring the hot linugaw for the other two men, I saw a blackbird fly across the fields of withered corn. When I stood up to get a bowl I saw a man slowly crossing the slug gish river. His head was bowed and his shoulders were droop ing. As he neared, I knew that it was Tatang Lacay from the black and white shirt he wore. He stumbled at the door of the calapaw. Nanang Metiang and my father and Tata Maning helped him up. The wooden ladle with which I was stirring the linugaw dropped to my side when 1 saw the blood gushing from his breast and left thigh. D utung that night we kept vigil. Blood continued to drip in spite of the preventives 49 Nanang Metiang applied. Sev eral sheets were already soaked with blood. I tried to close my eyes but the picture of the suf fering old man horrified me. The oil of the lamparilla was already too little to give enough light. I threw a glance at him. Meanwhile, Auntie Feling’s labor pains came again. The intervals were short this time. It was a good thing that the other two soldiers were getting better. Nanang Metiang ordered Tata Maning to heat water. “The baby might come anytime now.” She exchanged places with my father, tie would at tend to Tatang Lacay while she prepared rags and oils for Auntie Feling. I squatted at one corner of the calapaw. My eyes travelled from the two soldiers to Tatang Lacay and then to Auntie F®» lipg. At past midnight, Tatang Lacay’s moaning subsided a little. But afterwards, with the aid of the dying lamparilla I noticed that he was already very pale. He set his jaws as if to gather enough courage to fight death. After a few moments he passed. I didn’t know what happened afterwards. But it seemed as if I could hear voices and music similar to that played by the Life Orchestra days ago. Sud denly I was awakened from my reverie by the loud cry of a baby. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands. And by the bright rays of the sun pene trating through the recesses of the calapaw, I beheld Auntie Feling’s boy, healthy and robust. An Exception DO YOU think all motorcycle cops are heartless monsters? They tell of one up New England way who bagged two speeding cars at the same time, or dered the drivers to pull up at the side of the road. The lead car had a dazzlingly pretty girl at the wheel, and the appreciative young man in the second car whispered, “Go easy on her bud," as the cop strode by, summons book in hand. A few moments later the girl drove off, and the cop approached the young man. He handed him a slip of paper. It contained the girl's telephone number. “Get going," he ordered, “and no more of that 70-miles-an-hour stuff, or you’ll never live to use this." 50 Panorama
Love of truth must be personal What Is a §ood ’Teacher? he words of a teacher bear so many responsi bilities that if all of them ■were ever present in his mind together he would grow as si lent as the grave. The teacher’s responsibility to the student is so huge and heavy a thing that no teacher in his right mind considers it at all. No good teacher, I mean. For a good teacher has had the experience of learning that his words have an effect upon those who sit before him: An effect, it may be, that will endure for decades and, in certain cases, given enough age in the teach er, have indeed endured that long. And it may gratify him to be told of this. But if he commenced each of his classes by wondering what future actions or thoughts were going to be the result of what he said, if he asked him self seriously what characters he was going to shape, if ever so oddly or so little, he might be terrified before he spoke one word. Normally he is blessed with a healthy indifference to By MARK VAN DOREN Poet and Professor of Columbia University such considerations. He is con cerned with what he is going to say, and with whether or not it is true. I scarcely need to explain that the kind of teacher I have in 12 Panorama view is the kind for whom the subject was created. It is his subject; he spends his life think ing about it; whether in or out of class; it is his second if not his first nature; it is what gives him joy. No student ever fails to be aware of this. A teacher can fool his col leagues; he may even fool his president; but he never fools his students. They know when he loves his subject and when he does not. They may think such love to be a queer thing, and they may resolve never to fall victim to it themselves; but their respect for it will never cease. And res pect for a subject, like respect for an idea, is the beginning of wisdom; or at the very least, respect for the love of a sub ject. CT he teacher’s responsibility * to his subject is so serious a thing that it of course pre cludes anything like a parade of personality for its own sake. The good teacher is not trying to be a personality; he is try ing to be a person who under stands his subjeet and- sinks himself into it. If he could he would disappear there altoge ther. The whimsical teacher — who cares only to impress his bril liance upon his class, or to deli ver himself of eccentric opiniohs in the belief that such opinions are more interesting than know ledge would be — immemorially contemptible. His students may like him for a while, but in the end they despise him for his condescension to his subject. The subject is a third thing that transcends both the teach er and the student. It is what the student should contemplate, and it is what the teacher does contemplate. It is the only liv ing thing in the room. The truly personal teacher is the most responsible to his sub ject. Because he knows it to be more important than himself, he is humble in its presence, and would rather die than mis represent it. It existed before him, and will exist after him; its life is long, though his is short. But if his life is to mean anything it must mean some thing in connection with his subject; and it had better mean that he has come to understand it as good persons before him have understood it. Good per sons know the same things, just they resemble one another. All men know the same things, or the same thing: the same world. One might think it easy to do this, but it is so difficult that only a few succeed. We call them great men and wo men. What, for instance, is a great poet? One who sees what no body else does? The contrary is surely true. If Shakespeare is the greatest poet, or if Ho13 mer is, or Dante — I cannot think of a fourth — the reason is not that he saw what nobody ever saw before; he saw what everyone has seen, but with a clarity, an intensity, and finally a humility which makes his sub ject even more interesting to us than he is. It was more interesting to him than his own self ever was; which is why We know so little about him, and why we know so much about the stories he told, the people he understood. Nor are these people strange to us. They are ourselves with different names. If they were not, we should be less absorbed in them than we are. Their maker disappears be hind them, as we do when we 14 Panokama iTad. They are the folk of * this world, and we had not known they were so beautiful or won derful; nor had we known how much we knew; for what we knew comes home to us now, so that we are proud of the dis tinction we suddenly discover in ourselves. Q ocrates was not joking when he said that the only things we learn are the things we already knew. Only we did not know we knew them; we did not know our own power. So what shall we say of a teacher who makes his students hate Shakespeare? Impossible though that sounds, the thing has happened. We shall say first of all that the teacher must have hated Shakespeare too. He only thought he loved him — or worse yet, he pretended that he did. If he realty had, there could be no question about the result. His students would love Shake speare. And the final result would be that Shakespeare was the only thing they remem bered. Not their teacher, who gave them the love, but the ob ject of that love. The good teacher means it when he says he hopes his stu dents will forget him. He never means, of course, that he hopes they will forget the subject. For him that would be a tragedy; it would mean that he himself had not existed. The responsibilities of the teacher are many and yet one. They are to himself, to his sub ject, to his students, to society, and to the truth. But the first and last of these came nearest to defining the one in which the many reside. The teacher whose love of truth is personal, is his own, is the teacher all students dream of encountering some day. And even him they will forget. In time, that is to say, they will. Not in eternity, where truth is one unchanging thing and one unchanging Person. Learning A student read that it was possible to absorb know from a book by putting it under your pillow and sleeping on it all night. She tried it and next day a friend asked: “Did you get anything out of sleeping on the book?” “Yes,” replied our girl, “a stiff neck.” 1958 15
No matter how you look at it . . It’s a WHALE of an Industry J s far back as 1842, whaling was a flourishing in dustry in Western Aus tralia, and, in addition, many farms along the coast depended for their existence on supply ing fresh vegetables to xthe whalers. The industry was then controlled by Norwegian com panies. However, the companies concerned in the post-war re vival of the trade in Western Australia are Australian-owned, and between them they produce whale oil which is worth more than £A1 million annually. By JOHN DAVIDSON One of these companies is the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, which began opera tions in 1952 at Frenchman’s Bay in the Albany district. This concern operates twp whale catchers, or ’chasers, as they are sometimes called (except by the skipper, who assures you that he catches whales and doesn’t just chase them). The vessels, Cheynes and Kos VII, both of about 250 tons, with November 1958 S3 modern whale 'chaser of a radar device which keeps track of the whale at depth, in somewhat the same way that Asdic detects submerged submarines. a maximum speed of 12V2 knots, are steam-operated with oil-fired burners, each consum ing about six-and-a-half tons of oil a day. Mounted on the bow of each ship is a harpoon gun, which fires a harpoon weighing 170 lb., to which is attached 80 fa thoms of rope. The explosive warhead of the harpoon ex plodes inside the whale, usually causing instantaneous deaths When dead, the whale is in flated for buoyancy and is towed by a launch to the shore pro cessing station at Frenchman’s Bay, about 14 miles from the town of Albany. The chaser, the shore station and the towing launch are in two-way radio contact, and time is saved by constant reports on sightings and positions. An air craft, flown by Mr. John Downie, spots, locates and often as sists in catching the whales. Mr. Downie also sees that buoyed whales do not come adrift. Sighting whales is an expert’s job, especially in rough weather. Often, it is the blowing of the whale which betrays its posi tion. Incidentally, the vertical f spout of water so much asso ciated with whales is not water pumped up by the whale, but condensation from the large volume of air forced from its T * here are numerous types of whales, but, in recent years, the humpback and sperm whales have been the species hunted in Western Australian waters. The humpback caught off the Australian coast spends part of the year in its feeding grounds in the Antartic, and then travels up through warmer waters surrounding Australia, lungs. An interesting sidelight on hunting sperm whales, which can lie submerged for up to 50 minutes, is the use by the 54 Panorama South Africa and South Amer ica, where breeding takes place. While migrating, the whales do not feed, but rely on their body fats to sustain them. Humpbacks grow to 50 feet in length and weigh about a ton for each foot in length. Un like the sperm whale, the hump back has no teeth, just a series of bony plates in the upper jaw. The sperm whale, which ’has about 48 teeth in the lower jaw, inhabits the deep waters off the continental shelf and feeds on large octopus and squid. There are restrictions on the number of humpback whales that can be caught. The quotas, which are voluntary and de signed to ensure that the spe cies will not become extinct, are set by the Commonwealth Fisheries Department in con junction with the International Whaling Statistics in Norway. Other restrictions do not per mit the killing of whales under 35 feet in length or of a lac tating cow whale with calf. How can you recognize a lac tating cow whale? “That’s easy,” ’chaser skip per Frank Hughes, of Cheynes Beach Whaling, told me. “A whale with a calf will take it on her back or under a flipper, for protection, when pursued.” Cheynes Beach Whaling Com pany is allowed a quota of only 120 humpbacK whales a season, and these are obtained between June and late July (some larger companies are allowed 1,000 humpbacks). When the towing launch brings the whale along side the shore station, a Fish eries Department inspector is waiting to check whether or not it is regulation length. Then the flensing (or cuttingup) operation begins. This is a slippery and bloody business to watch—let alone perform. However, it is most interesting to see skilled operators at work with their long razor-sharp flensing knives. Finally, the whole whale, including blubber and bones, is cut up to a suit able size to despatch down a. circular opening to the Kwanatype ooker, which is similar in principle to the domestic pres sure cooker, except that in ad dition it contains a large, re volving, perforated cylinder through which the whole con tents pass as cooking reduces the size of the particles. The whale is cooked for five or six hours, heat being supplied by steam generated from burners fired by fuel oil at a consump tion rate of 50 tons a week. A fter cooking, the complete contents of the cooker are blown over to settling tanks. The oil is tapped to containers and the residue, called grax, a mixture of offal and oil, is passed through super decanters, from which further oil is ex. traded. The grax settles and November 1958 55 is fed into a. drier, where mois ture is extracted, the result be ing a meal of high protein con tent, used either as stock or poultry feed or as fertilizer. The humpback yields edible oil, sold in Britain and Europe mainly for the manufacture of margarine. The oil is valued at about £85 sterling a ton. The average whale weighs nine tons^ but one humpback, recently caught by Cheynes Beach Whal ing, yielded 15 tons of oil. Sperm oil is inedible and used mainly for such industrial pur poses as tanning, steel temper ing, and as a blend with min eral oils for machinery lubrica tion. Britain is the chief buyer of this oil, which is valued at about £90 sterling a ton, the average oil per whale being eight tons. Oil is stored at the whaling station in tanks, which have a total capacity of 2,000 tons, un: til it is transferred into bulk tanks in cargo vessels to be shipped overseas. In 1956, when only one ’chaser was employed, Cheynes Beach Whaling export ed oil to the value of £100,000. A small .organization such as Cheynes Beach, with a quota of only 120 humpback whales, would use about 700 tons of fuel oil a year, including that used by one ’chaser, as was the case in 1956. In addition, four tons of diesel fuel is needed each week by diesel engines at the shore station. About 1,000 gallons of lubricants is needed annually, plus 10,000 gallons of motor spirit and a similar amount of distillate. The company is expanding, and now, with two ’chasers em ployed, can hunt a greater quan tity of non-quota sperm whales in addition to their quota of humpbacks, so the figures given should be considerably in creased, and we will find West ern Australia’s economy en hanced of yet another valuable industry. * * * * Wolf Scent “P eckLinghausen, West Germany. — A chemical U which smells like wolves is keeping rabbits and stray dogs from spoiling the beauties of a city park at Herten near here. It is spread on all lawns and flower beds and when animals get wind of the artificial wolf-scent they give the park a wide berth. 56 Panorama
Palau and the Coconut beetle ord of a wasp that kills Vv the coconut beetle in the Caroline Islands may be reassuring to striken areas of the Philippines. Palau, where U.S. Marines saw some of the fiercest slaugh ter of World War II on Bloody Nose Ridge, is part of the trust territories of the United States in the Pacific Islands. It barely survived Japanese occupation, and now has a new problem. For several years they “lived on copra, the dried meat of the coconut that is used for soap and vegetable oils. The Japan ese cut down a lot of the trees to make room for an airfield on Peleliu, the American attack destroyed more and the rhino ceros beetle did the rest.” Today the 700 inhabitants of Peleliu, no longer a U.S. Navy base, have just enough coconuts for eating, and none to sell. They export fish to Koror, where nearly half the 8,000 Palauans live, and gather a few Trochus shells to sell to Japan for but tons. Life has been nearly im possible— until the arrival of a man from Seattle, now the trust territory entomologist. Mr. Robert Owen’s principal duty is the cultivation of a scur rilous African wasp that preys on the rhinoceros beetle in a cruel, but effective way. The rhinoceros beetle is named for 78 PXnobama the wicked horn on its probos cis. The creature is black and more than half the size of a man’s thumb. It came from Asia in Japanese ships in 1942; in three years it killed half the coconut trees in the Palau Is lands. he beetle breeds in rotten logs. At the flying stage, it bores into coconut fronds until it reaches the growing point of the tree, from which delicious heart-of-palm salads are made. The tree is destroyed. Luckily, the Scalia wasps of Zanzibar and other parts of East Africa thrive on rhinoceros beetle larvae. Mr. Owen raises thousands of these wasps in piles of sawdust in his labora tory, a bombed-out Japanese building. When the wasp finds the larvae, it paralyzes them with a sting. Then it lays its own eggs nearby, to feed on the larvae as they develop. Through such devices, Palau’s copra production has increased 25 percent again. Mr. Owen also raises Florida cannibal snails which prefers to eat the giant African snail which destroys food - producing gar dens in South Sea islands. Theo retically, when the cannibal snails have destroyed all giant African snails, they will begin to eat one another. In addition to these very prac tical creatures, Mr. Owen also maintains a small zoo for the inhabitants who otherwise can be amused only by sports and ancient movies. This private zoo includes a Japanese-speak ing sulphur-crested cockatoo, plus specimens of sea-going crocodiles, some of which reach a length of 30 feet. Welcome Lightning Lightning is essential to fertilizing plants. For few plants can take nitrogen out of the air. Most of them take it, combined with oxygen, from the soils, and lightning puts it there. For lightning causes nitrogen and oxygen to combine; and then rain carries millions of tons of this valuable fixed nitrogen down to the earth yearly to sustain vege tation. ♦ November 1958 79
TPanorama TPeek T HIS YEAR the University of the Philippines is 50 years old. For half a century this only state-supported institu tion of higher learning in the country has trained leaders in government and the various professions. It has set high academic standards recognized by many great universities abroad. The University at present counts wtih an average enrollment of about 15,000 distributed on the main campus in Quezon City, in Manila, in Los Banos, in Iloilo and at Clark Air Base. It has more than 1,000 faculty members teaching in more than 20 different colleges and units. Most of these academic units are located in 489 hectares of rolling terrain in Quezon City, about 16 kilometers north of downton Manila. Fifty years is a long time in a man's life; but to a university 50 years may well be the period of infancy or childhood in an indefinite journey to greatness. The University has achieved a reputation for thorough scholarship in an atmosphere of academic freedom during its half century of existence. But it is only a beginning. There are no great expectations, no hopes for easy success. It will continue moving forward, without fanfare, on that indefinite journey to greatness. 38 Panorama Passers-by view arch across Administration building proclaiming Golden Jubilee Fete. Symbolic "Oblation" in new bronze casting awaits unveiling. Foreign scholars relax wit their professors. . Tower of new DZUP 4 radio station, inaug urated soon, goes up. Winners of the Jubilee ai contest display their piece
Philippine Panorama — XLVII POLILLO ctually, Polillo is not as small as its names de notes. It has two towns —Burdeos on the east and Po lillo on the west—and it would take a small motorboat the bet ter part of a day to circum navigate. By walking, which is the most common means of land travel, it takes about 15 hours to walk from Polillo to Burdeos. It has two points of contact with the mainland, Mauban and Infanta, both of Que zon province. Motor launches ply everyday between the island and the mainland carrying copra and bananas which are th? main products of the island. During a stormy month the strait be comes unpassable and the island truly becomes remote. The patron saint of the is land is the carpenter St. Joseph. Because he was poor, the peo ple of Polillo believe that no body on the island would be come rich. There seems to be some trutfi to this because no body is really rich on the island although nobody is actually very poor. 76 Panorama Polillo has to buy its rice from the mainland and some times even its fish. Consequent ly, the little money that its peo ple earn from copra and bana nas is used to purchase the sta ples and there is little, if any, savings. Nothing noteworthy or spec tacular has happened on Polillo since the Spaniard Salcedo founded its first town in 1572. A Catholic church was con structed in 1800 and around the same year a Moro watch tower was erected because it was sacked by Moro- pirates. During the Revolution, Po lillo remained aloof. All that it did was shelter a few fugi tives from the Spaniards. Even the Japanese during the War ig nored Polillo. Hence the way of life of the people, their homes and culture have re mained practically unchanged. In such a town, a baptism, a fiesta or a wedding is a muchawaited event. People from the different barrios would congre gate in the house of the celeb rant and drink and dance for two days. As an Irish priest had observed, “The people could hardly afford to send their child ren to high school, but they spent P400 for fireworks and P500 for a band, all of which were gone in a moment.” Prob ably, the most exciting thing that has happened to Polillo recently was the national elec tion. There was much campaign ing, betting, speculating and tempers ran high and wild. uring the rest of the year tfie people would occupy themselves in fishing, cleaning the coconut groves, planting and harvesting bananas. In the evenings they would congre gate in the stores, drink lambanog and exchange harmless gossip. It is probably because talk ing- is the principal entertain ment that the people are lively talkers. Most of them are high ly opinionated and they would sound off, in an earthly way, on subjects as diverse as the best way of cutting a baby’s navel and the strategy and tac tics of nuclear warfare. Con versation in Polillo is flavored by homey witticisms and a kind of indirect moralising. During the stormy months the people grow fat because of inactivity. This is also the time when the people run into debt. The Chinese and the buyers of copra and bananas are there fore able to buy the products months before the harvest, Polillo is hardly a vacation spot but it certainly can offer the weary city-slicker a week or two of complete peace and relaxation. November 1958 77
Pre - Revolution Philippines By Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. A n incident in the Seven Years’ War was the cap ture and occupation of Manila by the British in 1762. By the terms of surrender the colonists promised to pay a ransom of four million pesos, in consideration of which the British guaranteed that their lives and property would be respected and the free practice of the Catholic religion allow ed. Less than a million of the ransom money was collected in Manila itself. The local authori ties signed a draft on the Ma drid government for the rest, but it was not honored. One of the members of the governor’s council, Simon de Anda, escaped capture by flee ing to Bulacan. There, with the ur aid of friars stationed in the parishes, he succeeded in keep ing the provinces of central Luzon loyal to Spain. He ob tained possession of the silver bullion brought by the incoining galleon of that year, heat ing the British to it by a hair’s breadth. Thus provided with the sinews of war, he was able to contain the invader within Manila, its suburbs, and the port of Cavite. However, a formidable na tive broke out in the llocos re16 PANORAMA gion under the leadership of Diego Silang, to whom the Bri tish sent arms and encourage ment; it was put down, but with difficulty. The Muslim Sulus and Magindanaus, embold ened by the apparent eclipse of Spanish power, redoubled their piratical raids on the Visayan settlements, while guer rilla bands and plain bandits ravaged the farms and cattle ranches of Luzon. When the British abandoned their conquests in accordance with the Treaty of Paris (1763), the colony was in a very critial condition. The public treasury was empty, private fortunes had been wiped out, there was hun NOVEMBER 1958 17 ger in the land, and the dangerous notion was spreading among the native population that the Spaniards were not, after all, invincible. The attorney-general of the Philippines at the time, Fran cisco Leandro de Viana, pre sented the problem to Madrid in the clearest terms. Either the Philippines should be giv en up altogether, or measures should immediately be taken to build up its economy. Further more, this build-up should go beyond the point which had been reached before the Bri tish occupation, for the mother country was now in no position to make good the colony’s an nual deficits, as it had hitherto done. But could the Philippines be come self-supporting? Viana was confident it could, provid ed the Crown was willing to take the necessary steps: to in crease the tribute, reduce graft, organize government monopo lies in certain designated pro ducts, and form a state-sponsored commercial company which would exploit the possi bilities of direct trade between Spain and the Philippines and invest part of its profits in the agricultural development of the country. J1 HESE proposals found favor with the ministers of Charles III, who derived their ideas of government from the philoso 18 phies of the French Enlighten ment. The tribute was raised from 10 to 16 rials (two pesos) per native household. In 1785 a Royal Philippine Company was organized with an authorized capital of eight million pesos and a monopoly of all trade be tween Spain and the Philip pines by way of the Cape of Good Hope. It was not, how ever, a success. The Manila merchants loooked dourly upon trade from which they derived such fantastic, if unpredicta ble profits. Moreover, the Phil ippines produced little at the time to interest the European market, in spite of the valiant efforts of an Economic Society of Friends of the Country to stimulate and indigo. Thus, the Company ships had perforce to lade China goods for the return voyage; but since the Company bought these goods at Manila rather than at the source, it could not com pete with the more enterpris ing merchants of other nations who went directly to Canton. In 1792 the Company began to show a steady loss, and in 1843 it went out of business. However, it did serve at least in its early years of operation to inject new life into the al most petrified commerce of Manila, and a small proportion of its earnings was invested in agricultural development ac cording to the terms of its char ter. What eventually balanced the colony’s budget was neither direct taxation nor trade expan sion but the revenues derived from government monopolies, especially that of tobacco. This was organized by an energetic governor, Don Jose Basco y Vargas, in 1782. The weed, which the Spaniards had brought over from Mexico, had long been familiar to Filipinos, but up to that time was grown chiefly for home consumption. Basco now forbade its culti vation save in certain designat ed areas such as Gapan, in the present province of Nueva Ecija, and the Cagayan Valley. The planting, picking, drying and grading of the leaf was subjected to the most minute government control. The entire produce could be sold only to the government, at the gov ernment’s price; what the gov ernment agents rejected was burned. The baled tobacco was then transported under guard to the government factory in Manila, where it was manufactured into cigars and cigarettes. The bet ter grades of these were reserv ed for export; the rest was sold in monopoly stores or estanquillas throughout the country' from which alone tobacco could be legally purchased. bviously, a whole army of employees and revenue agents was required to operate the system; in spite—or pos sibly because — of which, spe culation, bribery, extortion and enormous leakages took place at every step. Contraband trade in tobacco flourished, carried on by tulisanes or outlaws with the connivance of the law-abid ing but tobacco-using popula tion. Nevertheless, imperfect though it was, crushingly un: fair to the consumer and harm ful to civic discipline, the mo nopoly did provide the govern ment with a revenue more than sufficient to balance its budget. This obvious advantage coun terbalanced the vigorous pro tests of thoughtful and publicspirited men, such as the dis tinguished Augustinian savant Fray Joaquin Martinez de Zuni ga, and the monopoly was not finally abolished until 1882. D esides putting an end to the chronic embarrassment of the colonial treasury, the tobacco monopoly contributed to the economic development November 1958 19 of the country in a larger sense, namely, by helping to develop commercial agriculture. Until the second half of the eigh teenth century agriculture in the Philippines was almost en tirely one of subsistence. Each region—one might almost say each town—produced what it needed for its own consump tion. What trade there was con sisted chiefly in supplying farm products to the non-producers of Manila and the larger towns in exchange for imported manu factures. The tobacco monopoly, by in troducing agricultural speciali zation on a significant scale, created a demand for staples, such as rice, and hence stimulat ed their production for the mar ket. But it was not the only fac tor in this change. The British occupation of Manila, brief though it was, had called the attention of British traders, and subsequently of their Ame rican and French competitors, to the possibilities of the Phil ippines both as a market and as a source of agricultural pro duce, especially sugar. Spain had consistently kept the ports of her colonies closed to foreign trade, but in the eighteenth century this was no longer pos sible. After a period of unof ficial intercourse (British trad ing vessels were admitted to Manila under Syrian or Indian registries if they paid a sui table fee to the right officials), the law was adjusted to the realities of the situation and Manila was thrffwn open to world trade in the same year that the Royal Philippine Com pany was liquidated. Even before 1834, however, agents and factors for foreign trading companies had been al: lowed to reside in the Philip pines, and it was to their entre preneurial activities that the nascent sugar and hemp indus tries of the country owed much of their development. The provinces around Mani la were the first to feel the impact of the agricultural “re volution.” Here, large tracts of uncultivated land were held by the religious orders or by edu cational and social service in stitutions administered by them. They had been acquired in some cases by purchase or legacy, but chiefly by royal grant, land being the most con venient form at the time in which to provide a hospital or a school with an endowment. Thus the Hacienda de Buenavista in Tambobong constituted the endowment of the hospital of San Juan de Dios, while Dominican haciendas of Binang and Calamba helped to sup port the faculty and bursaries of the royal and pontifical Uni versity of Santo Tomas. 20 Panorama ^his is how it came about that when the growth of commercial agriculture de manded new areas to be put under cultivation, it was prin cipally these estates, or “friar lands,” as they came to be known, which provided the ne cessary land for development. As a rule it was not the estate owners themselves who under took the development. They pre ferred to lease the undeveloped portions of their haciendas at a fixed ground rent, called canon, to the more enterprising families of the surrounding towns. These lessees (inquilinos) then got together a group of cultivators (kasamahan); lit., association) to help them clear the land and put it un der the plough, the harvest of each field being equally divided between inquilino and kasama after the canon had been de ducted. Some inquilinos, such as Paciano Rizal of Calamba, went out with their kasama and per sonally directed the work on the farm; others were content to play the part of absentee landlords, leaving the actual farm work to their kasama while they devoted themselevs to trade or moneylending. In any case, the inquilinos prospered steadily, and at least by the middle of the nineteenth century they formed a fairly distinct provincial upper class with enough resources to pay for an education beyond that of the generality of Filipinos. Some of them even sent their sons or younger brothers stu dy in Europe; with what results we shall see in due course. Meanwhile, the profits de rived by the inquilinos from their leased land did not pass unnoticed by the hacienda own ers, who began to increase the canon at regular intervals on the plea that land values were rising. This was deeply resent ed by the inquilinos, who ar gued that since any increase in the value of the land had been due solely to their efforts, they were in effect being penr alized for their enterprise and industry. The hacienda owners pointed out that prescinding from the fact that the land was theirs to rent out to whomsoever they pleased, the credit for its dev elopment was actually due not to the inquilinos but to the kasama, ,whom the inquilinos were deriving an unearned in come by applying the labor of others to land that was not theirs, and still had the gall to complain that they were be ing oppressed. The kasama took no part in this argument; or if they did they invariably sided with the inquilinos whom they knew and understood and to whom they were usually indebted. Thus, while the agricultural expan sion of the late eighteenth and November 1958 21 early nineteenth centuries led to hacienda development and growing prosperity in the pro vinces of central and southern Luzon, it also resulted in an antagonism between the ha cienda owners on the one hand and the inquilinos and their kasama on the other, an anta gonism which grew more and more bitter with the years. ince, as was said above, most of the haciendas were own ed by religious corporations or institutions controlled by them, this antagonism inevitably took on a definite anticlerical color ing. But the regular clergy in the Philippines were by this time under attack from more than one quarter. The minis ters of the Bourbon Charles III (1759-1788) derived from the French Enlightenment not only their interest in adminis trative efficiency and economic progress but also their hostility to the Church as an obstacle to state absolutism. The religious orders especial ly had, in their view, entirely too much power both at home and in the colonies. These overmighty subjects needed to be taught a lesson which would render them powerless to act as a check on the royal power, while remaining useful instru ments of the royal will. It was against the Society of Jesus, committed in a spe cial manner by its constitutions to the service of the papacy, that the government of Charles III moved first. In 1767 a royal decree went forth expelling the Jesuits from all the Spanish dominions; this decree was faithfully executed in the Phil ippines the following year. The remaining religious or ders took over as best they might the parishes and missions vacated by the Jesuits. But the government had designs upon them too. A court prelate sym pathetic to the official policy, Don Basilio Sancho, was * ap pointed to the metropolitan See of Manila. By reviving an old controversy regarding epis copal visitation he forced the friars to resign many of their parishes, which he immediately filled with secular priests. And since there was only a handful of Spanish clerics in the colony, he obtained the ne cessary personnel by hastily or daining a number of insuffi ciently trained Filipino candi dates for the priesthood. The Dominican encyclopedists Buzeta and Bravo have preserved the pleasantry which then be came current in Manila, that "there were no oarsmen to be found for the river boats be cause the archbishop had or dained them all.” As was only to be expected, many of these Filipino priests turned out badly, and the gov ernment was compelled some years later to revise its policy 22 Panorama of secularization. Filipinos con tinue to be educated for the priesthood and ordained, but they were not often given par ishes of their own. The majority were more or less permanently assigned to serve as assistants to the religious parish priests, and it was brought home to them in various ways that sub ordinate position was all they were believed to be capable of. By the middle of the nine teenth century the Filipino clergy were becoming dissatis fied with their being thus de liberately and, in their view, unjustly held down; and they tended to blame the friars for this as well as their other trou bles. The return of the Jesuits in 1859 made matters worse. They were given the spiritual admin istration of the island of Min danao, where the Recollects held a number of mission pa rishes. In order to compensate the latter for vacating these posts in favor of the Jesuits, they were given an equivalent number of parishes near Manila which the government took away from the secular clergy. The Filipino priests quite na turally protested this move, and in the anti-friar agitation which ensued among the most promi nent were Fathers Gomez, Bur gos and Zamora. J t is not quite clear what con nection these priests had with the mutiny which occurred in 1872 among the native troops stationed at Cavite. A military tribunal found them guilty of sedition and condemned them to death; but among Filipinos generally there was no doubt that their execution was judi cial murder. As Rizal was to say later, the very fact that the ecclesias tical authorities, who had no cause to look upon them with favor, refused to degrade them, was clear enough proof that they had done nothing serious ly unbecoming their priestly character. In any case, the up shot was that the inquilinos of the friar lands were now joined by a considerable segment of the Filipino secular clergy in their hostile attitude towards the religious corporations. This anti-friar sentiment was stimulated and stiffened, strangely enough, by certain elements in the Spanish com munity itself. The number of lay Spaniards in the Philippines steadily rose in the course of the nineteenth century due to the increased opportunities for trade and the expansion of the colonial bureaucracy. Immigra tion from the Iberian peninsula became especially significant after 1869, when the opening of the Suez Canal cut the length of the voyage from Cadiz to Manila to a month. Many of November 1958 23 the immigrants were needy of fice seekers with liberal sym pathies, for the Liberal govern ments which succeeded one ano ther with amazing rapidity from 1868 used colonial assignments as an inexpensive method of rewarding their faithful sup porters. Spanish liberalism being strongly anticlerical, the hostil ity to the friars among upperclass Filipinos received enthu: siasitc support from this unex pected quarter. Spanish liberals established the first Masonic lodge in the Philippines, and the famous Petition of 1888 which called for the expulsion of the friars would not have been pos sible without their encourage ment and active particfpation. It was, however, the Filipino liberals who suffered the conse quences, either by imprison ment or deportation. Some of the deportees found their way to Spain, where they conducted the campaign for a thorough going reform of the Spanish ad ministration of the Philippines known in our history as the Propaganda Movement. J * hat reforms were needed is undeniable. The Bourbon re forms of the eighteenth century brought a measure of prosperity to the country, as we have seen; but the economic and social changes which they entailed gave rise to fresh problems and made the surviving institutions of an earlier colonialism even more demoralizing than were the liquor, areca-nut and cock pit monopolies. The interminable searches, seizures and arrests necessary for their enforcement, and the opportunities they gave for ex tortion of every sort, won for revenue agents and especially for the Guardia Civil the cor dial hatred of the common people. At a higher level of admin istration, the alcaldes mayores or provincial governors were paid so poorly that it was practically an open invitation to them to supplement their in come at the expense of the na tive population. Nor did the al calde mayor lack the means to do this. He was in a particular ly favorable position to make handsome profits by dealing in local products. He could buy cheap and sell dear, and he could “requisition” labor. No one could say him nay, for he combined in his own person the powers of civil governor, mili tary commander and judge of first instance. For this reason the Laws of the Indies wisely forbade provincial officials un der the severest penalties from engaging in trade during their tenure of office. But this ordinance was more honored in the breach than in the observance; so much so that in the nineteenth century the royal government put aside all 24 Panorama pretense of enforcing it and al lowed alcaldes mayores upon their appointment to purchase an indulto de comercio or li cense to trade. On the other hand they were deprived of their judicial powers when se parate provincial courts were instituted; but this reform came too late in the nineteenth cen tury to be of much effect. The only provincial residents who could afford some kind of protection to the people against extortionate alcaldes were the friars in charge of parishes. They often did so, much to their credit. But while their courage in this matter won them the gratitude of humble folk, peo ple who could leave no tangi ble record of their sentiments, it made them the objects of active dislike among a class of people who could and did ex press that dislike; both in Spain and the Philippines, through the printed word; and the printed word endures. Unfortunately, nothing like a consistent policy of colonial reform could be expected from the central government. The Napoleonic wars were merely the blazing prelude to a “time of troubles” which held Spain in its grip throughout the whole of the nineteenth century. While constitutional conven tions alternated with royal res torations, and liberal govern ments dissolved before military pronunciamientos, the proud empire which had been won by conquistador and missionary began to disintegrate. Rebels and liberators smashed Spanish America into independ ent republics, and the storm they raised sent ripples and ed dies all the way across the Pasific to lap at the shores of the Philippines. ut while no stable govern ment existed to undertake a long-range program of plan ned reform, it is nevertheless true that a number of partial reforms were undertaken, mo tivated not only by a growing concern lest Filipinos go the way of the Spanish-American people, but also by a sincere desire to extend even to the poor indio some of the bless ings of liberalism. The opening of Manila to foreign trade in 1834 has al ready been mentioned. Between 1855 and 1877 foreign vessels were also admitted to a number of provincial ports. In 1851 the Banco Espanol-Filipino was es tablished by the government in response to the needs of Mani la’s growing commerce. Until the 1860’s the only sys tem of public education in the Philippines was that established and maintained by the Church. Every settled parish and many of the mission stations had a school for boys and girls in which, besides the catechism, the elements of reading, writ November 1958 25 ing, arithmetic and music were taught. Doubtless some of these pa rish schools were of the type satirized by Rizal in his Noli me tangere; but it is quite un fair to judge the system as a whole on the basis of a chapter in a work of fiction. Recent re searches such as those of Father Fox have shown that these schools were on the whole much better run, and the instruction given in them much more ef fective, than is generally be lieved. The medium of instruction used was usually the language of the region in which the school was situated. Every now and again, as far back as the seventeenth century, colonial officials would agitate for the use of Spanish instead of the native languages, and when no thing happened, would accuse the parish clergy of sheer ob structionism. That some of the religious parish priests opposed the teaching of Spanish to Fili pinos was undoubtedly true. In the nineteenth century es pecially it was feared that a widespread knowledge of Span ish would merely serve as a vehicle for ideas unsettling to the religious faith of a simple people and to the hitherto un questioning allegiance which they gave to Spain. The fear was not entirely unfounded, as subsequent events proved. However, this was not the principal difficulty. There were many competent educators among the clergy who were thoroughly in favor of making Spanish the medium of instruc tion. The principal difficulty was the lack of trained teachers and of funds to expand the school system beyond the primary lev el. The passage of the educa tional laws of 1863 and the es tablishment of a normal school under Jesuit direction two years later represent a serious effort to meet the difficulty. fortunately, administra tive reforms failed to keep pace with economic and social progress. It may well be argued whether they could have done so even if conditions in the Peninsula had been less trou bled than they were. In a cer tain sense all colonial regimes are self-liquidating, and the Spanish colonial system was no exception to this rule. Coloniza tion, where it is not merely a process of ruthless exploitation, is an educative process; sooner or later the point is reached where the subject peoples achieve a degree of self-cons cious maturity which makes them resentful of their bonds and avid for freedom and the responsibilities that go with it. As early as 1843 a perceptive observer, Sinibaldo de Mas, set up the terms of the problem for the ministers of Isabella II to consider. He said, in effect, 26 Panorama that given the stage of develop ment which the Philippines had reached, a policy of salutary neglect was no longer possible. Spain now had to choose one of two courses. If she meant to retain the Philippines perma nently, then she had to arrest all changes tending to the fur ther political and cultural im provement of the Filipinos. All schools save the most elemen tary should be abolished, the islands sealed off from all con tact with the outside world, and a colonial administration insti tuted which, while completely just, should also be completely autocratic. If on the other hand Spain meant at some future time to grant the Filipinos their free dom, then she should adopt a policy directly contrary to this. Filipinos should be educated to the full extent of their abili ties, all obstacles to the free exchange of ideas should be removed, and the people should be prepared for eventual self rule by a gradually increasing participation in government. It does not appear that Isa bella’s ministers or the parlia mentary cabinets which suc ceeded them gave much atten tion to Mas’ dilemma. Oppor tunities continued to be given to Filipinos to improve them selves, but never quite enough to satisfy them; they continued to be kept in subjection, but the subjection was never iso complete as to preclude all hope of its being done away with altogether. By the end of the century even the most moderate reform ers were beginning to think that nothing but a clean sweep would put things to rights. Ibar ra was getting ready to join Elias. J1 he deportees of 1872 and those of subsequent pro scriptions were joined in Europe by a number of student patriots who believed, somewhat naive ly, that extensive political and social reforms could be achieved within the framework of the existing colonial system. It is doubtful whether their propa ganda made much of an im pression on Madrid; but the en thusiasm which they aroused at home cannot be overestimated. Nor was it only the educated upper class to which they be longed that followed their ac tivities with hope and anxiety. Even the common people re garded them with a devotion akin to worship; for if many of the propagandists’ ideas were beyond their comprehen sion they could understand this much, that here at least were men of their own race who could deal with the Spaniard on equal terms. The Spanish government re jected the proposals of these moderate nationalists and dra matized its refusal by the exe November 1958 27 cution for sedition of their most eloquent and respected spokes man, Jose Rizal. As was to be expected, the leadership of the national movement thereupon possed on to more radical hands, to Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan; and the attempt to nip sedition in the bud mere ly enlarged it into a revolution. The narrow compass of this paper precludes even a sum mary treatment of the Revolu tion. But this is no great loss; there is no period in Philippine history that has received such detailed treatment. So much so that we have tended to neglect the antecedents which led to it, and so run the risk of fail ing to grasp the essence of a movement with whose details we are so familiar. It is for this reason that 1 have preferred to devote this slight essay not to the climax of the story, but to those initial complications which alone make that climax understandable, both in its glory and its tra gedy.—1957 Progress. The Need to Work C OUTHEAST Asia needs “a wholesale revolution in the attitude of men toward work” before it can supply the skilled laborers needed for modern industrial production. This is the opinion of scholars from 12 countries quoted in a recent report published under the auspices of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. The scholars from Japan, Britain, the Philippines, Thai land, 1 New Zealand, Pakistan, the United States, India, France, South Viet Nam, Canada and Borneo met in Bang kok, Thailand, early this year to study the question of how fast the southeast Asian nations can transform centuries-old agricultural economies into modem technological societies. “Scientific and technological progress,” the scholars con cluded, “has little prospect of being applied at short notice, on a large scale, in most of these countries.” In measuring the impact of Western technology on southeast Asia, the scholars found some disturbing aspects. Industrialization, they said, has destroyed courtesy in the Philippines, cheapened art in Thailand and weakened family ties all over Asia. None of them, however, suggested that the programs of industrialization in these nations be stopped. “No nation can keep out of the way of technological progress,” they stated in their report. “The process of industrialization and automation is irreversible.” The scholars agreed that southeast Asia needs progress, and that the alternatives are stagnation and back-sliding. 28 Panorama
Taj Wlahal of IBrunei T n the oil-rich State of Bru> nei, a glistening edifice of white stone crowned with a gloden dome — now nearing completion — may well be the largest and most beautiful mosque in southeast Asia as originally conceived by Brunei’s chief of state. The $10-million state mosque, already dubbed the “Taj Mahal of Brunei,” was scheduled to be formally opened on September 23, which is the 42nd birth day of the Sultan of Brunei, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin. The opening ceremonies will be attended by Muslim digni taries from all over the world. In all, 350 official guests have been invited for the five-day celebrations. Hundreds of work men who began working on the structure three years ago are now busy putting the finishing touches to it. Sir Omar first envisaged "Project Mosque” in June of 1952, and has kept his interest in the project all along. During the building of the mosque he asked for a daily report of its progress. Into the building of the new mosque have gone materials from different parts of the world. The 43 window aper tures, for example, are filled with beautiful stained glass, made by a famous British, firm specializing in this kind of craft. The main hall of the mosque which can accommodate 2,000 worshippers is floored with marble from Italy. The “Taj Mahal of Brunei” dominates the town of Brunei. The main tower of the mosque is 165 feet high and is sur rounded by eight main (90 ft. high) minarets and 12 minor (50 ft.) ones. To get to the top of thb tower, one may climb up a 23-step staircase or use an elevator. t one corner of the mosque is situated a large wash ing pool built of gliterring white stone. The pool is to be beautifully floodlit at night. Six houses are being built near the home of the Sultan to accommodate guests to the op ening ceremonies. The houses— named “Street of Istanas’’ by the inhabitants of Brunei Town —will be used later as residen ces for VIPs visiting the State of Brunei. For the 10,000 Brunei people who live in the “Village on the Water,” a bridge connecting the village and the new mosque has been built. Also scheduled to take place during the celebrations is the circumcision ceremony of the Sultan’s eldest son, Pengiran Muda Hassanel Bolkiah. Mean What? A young junior at an exclusive Eastern prep school is still trying to decipher the following letter from his recent steady: “Dear John: I hope you're not still angry. I want to explain I was really joking when I told you I didrit mean what I said about reconsidering my decision not to change my mind. Please believe I really mean this. Love, Graced 92 Panorama
A few pointers Can □ mong the insect pests, one of the most destruc tive is the termite. Un fortunately, this is a pest that thrives very well in the Philip pines. The damage inflicted by termites on property all over the country has been estimated at over a million pesos per year. Termite development in our country is aided by many fac tors, among them high humid ity, adequate rainfall, favorable temperatures and abundant food. Here, where the principal construction material is wood, termite control should receive greater emphasis. Considered most destructive of the 39 known species of ter mites in the Philippines is the subterranean “milk” termite (Coptotermes vastator). This pest is widespread from sea level up to an altitude of 5000 feet. It can readily be recog nized by the milky secretion of its soldiers. This secretion is By Mitron Paniqui a toxic substance that protects it from its mortal enemy—the ant. This termite builds covered runways or tubes over other materials to reach wooden structures. The “milk” termite requires a great deal of mois ture; hence their usual point of attack is the dampest area of a building. Another common type is the Macrotermes gilvus Hagen, a termite that builds mounds in the open field, around fence posts, park benches and dead logs. Although this type is not as destructive as the “milk” termite, it ruins gardens, graz ing land and disfigures the land scape. The Heterotermes philippinensis is a rare type. Its size and habits are like those of Cop totermes. They also inflict dam age on buildings and woodwork. November 1958 35 The Heterotermes can be dis tinguished by the narrow and rectangular shape of the heads of its soldiers. There are many ways of con trolling termites. One of the most important is the adoption of good construction practices. It is necessary that wood is put out of the reach of termites. This is usually achieved by con structing concrete foundations and floor slabs and placing the wordwork above them. Once this is done, additional meas ures should be adopted such as putting metal shields over the concrete and digging narrow trenches around the foundations and filling them with cresote or oil reguarly. This method, how ever. is both expensive and un sightly. A better method would be to use woods that are imper vious to termite attacks, such as ipil or molave. However, if one cannot afford this kind of lumber, one can have the wood treated with chemicals. The ini tial cost is rather high but in the long run it is economical. Good sanitation and efficient drainage all help in termite con trol. Damp areas add depress sions that catch water should be drained and thoroughly dried. effective supplement to good construction methods is the use of soil poisons. Soil poisons can be sprayed on the ground or mixed with the soil before the construction of the building. Soil poisons can also be applied around the founda tions of existing buildings or injected into cracks and holes in the concrete. Among the chemicals now in common use as soil poisons are the following: (1) Aldrin, .5 to 1% of the effective ingre dient in No. 2 fuel oil, applied at the rate of 1 pint per square foot or 4 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil, can show effective results for a period of seven years. (2) Benzene hexachlo ride, containing 0.8% of the gammar isomer in No. 2 fuel’ oil or in water emulsion, ap plied at the rate of 1 pint per square foot or 2.5 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil, is effec tive for 8 years. (3) Chlordane, at a concentration of 2.0 per cent of the active ingredient in No. 2 fuel oil or in water emul sion applied at the rate of 2 pints per square foot or 7.5 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil. This chemical is better than the others because it is less harm ful to the plants. (4) D.D.T., 50% in No. 2 fuel oil, applied 5 gallons to 10 cubic feet of soil, is effective for 4 years. (5) Dieldrin is used like D.D.T. (6) Heptacholor, 1 to 5% in No. 2 fuel oil or in water emulsion, applied at the rate of 0.5 pint per square foot or 3.75 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil, is effective for 4 years. (7) Penta 36 Panorama chlorophenol, 5% in No. 2 fuel oil applied at the rate of 7 gal lons per 10 cubic feet of soil. (8) Toxaphene, 5% of the ac tive ingredient in No. 2 fuel oil, applied at the rate of 1 pint per square foot of soil, has an effective duration of 6 years .(9) Trichlobrobenzene, a chemical diluted 1 part to 3 parts of No. 2 fuel oil (25% by volume) and applied at the rate of 5 gallons per 10 cubic feet of soil. All these chemicals are on the market under varying trade names. The customer must ex amine carefully the composition to determine the active ingre dient. Fuel oil is the best mat erial for suspension because it stays longer. Care should be exercised in handling these chemicals. Most of them are irritants and should not be allowed to come in con tact with the skin or the eyes. They should also be kept away from children and domestic ani mals. When treating the soil with these poisons, do not in clude areas intended for plant ing. Electrified Insecticide A METHOD of electrically charging insecticide and fungicide dust particles to make them adhere more thickly and firmly has been developed for the first time on a commercial scale by a United King dom firm, and incorporated in anew dusting machine. The revolutionary development is quite simple. The dust passes through a very high electrostatic field so that each individual particle acquires a positive charge. When the particle approaches the surface of the plant being treated, an equal and opposite charge is induced behind the plant, thus drawing the par * tide to it. As the object being sprayed now has a negative charge, the positively charged particle is hold to the surface. Because like forces repel each other, the dust particles are evenly distributed over the surface. At the same time the dusts are deposited in almost equal quantities on tha lower surfaces of leaves. It is estimated that total deposits obtained by by this new method of spraying are from four to ten times the amounts obtained by conventional means. November 1958 37
An innocent abroad "That "fiist to the States . . . don’t know how it is \\/ going to be for you — or has been — but when we hit these shores a good many years ago to flirt with higher education in an American in stitution, we found that it wasn’t the curriculum that baf fled us but the customs. Of course we had seen plenty of Hollywood movies, we had read books about this wide land, and we were pretty sure that Red (or American) Indians didn’t raid trains any longer or scalp strangers. For that mat ter, we were reasonably certain that gangsters didn’t habitual ly ride up and down the streets of most cities machine-gunning each other. We say “reasonably certain,” for we were young but cautious. We had come from one of the great cities of the world and were therefore not unfa miliar with public modes of transportation, crowds, eleva tors, pickpockets, confidence men who would try to sell you By an Asian Student spurious articles of great value for trifling sums, wild women and spirituous liquors. We were clad in the shining armor of youth, cynicism and knowledge — or so we thought. The ship docked (this was before the days of trans-ocean airplanes) and we set out to view the sights of this new land. As we had not been pro vided with unlimited gold we thought it best to use public means of conveyance. We knew where we wished to go; we had made inquiries, and in due time we boarded a streetcar — or tram, if you wish. So far, so good. AD ame now the question of payment. Standing before us was an imposing gentleman in a blue coat with silver but tons. We inquired as to the price of the ride. The transportation official gave us a look indicat November 1958 63 ing — we imagine — disdain, and said in a bored voice: “A nickel, Bud, a nickel.” (This was a long time ago, you understand.) Being familiar with this Am erican expression for five cents, we fished out a coin and handed it to the man in blue. He brushed it aside, indicated a fiendish contraption attached to a pole and gestured. “In the box. Put it in the box.” The “box” he referred to had a sort of regal crown consist ing of a series of holes punched in a steel circle topping a cube of glass and steel that gave off clicking sounds as the custo dian of this magic machine gave an attached lever a series of impatient whirls. We looked at this device, started to sweat, and finally asked: “Which hole should I drop it in?” “Any hole, Bud,” said Mr. Blue in tones of exasperation. “Just drop it in and get in side.” We did just that, and have been doing so ever since, al though we still don’t understand how this invention of the devil is able to differentiate between the nickels, dimes and pennies that are dropped into its maw. (Of course, the price isn’t a nickel anymore.) Now, in Our City, things were done a little differently. You boarded a streetcar and sat down, or stood up and hung onto straps. In due time a con ductor came through the car and you bought a ticket. None of this pay-as-you-enter non sense. Strips one of dignity, it does. Perhaps it is more effi cient, though. Who knows. As our first experience with Am erican customs, however, it has had a lasting trauma on our feelings toward public convey ances in this country. 'T? ut let us move on to less painful experiences. Like our first experience in a res taurant— or a lunch counter. On the same day, after having disembarked from the night mare streetcar and wandered here and there craning our neck at the buildings and the flora and fauna, we began to feel the pangs of hunger. We en tered what we now understand is known as a short-order place. (You know, sandwiches and stuff.) We sat at the counter on a stool. The place was clean — almost aseptic — and we thought that mama would have approved of this. No danger of catching American cholera here. A waitress (quite pretty, too) dressed in a white uniform stood before us and handed us a menu. We studied it at some length until several dry coughs indicated that impatience had set in on the part of our serv ing lass. Being somewhat un nerved after our transportation 64 Panorama experience, we hurriedly indi cated one of the “Specials” for the day. “Whaddya wanta drink?” asked the Lady in White. “Milk,” we said, reverting to the infantile. (Perhaps it was a cry for succor.) “Mile high and ride the range!” the waitress called, turning her head in an indeter minate direction. Not having the code book at the time, this alarming bit of information almost convinced us that the cowboys were again taking over the town, replete with six-guns and high spirits. Actually, it was simplicity it self, once you analyze it. Not that you have the time to do so during the years you spend here working on a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. In any case, what we finally received was a Den ver Sandwich and a glass of milk. “That’ll be four bits — and two cents tax,” our semantic scrambler announced. “Beg your pardon?” we es sayed, battered, bruised and confused. “Pay me,” she said. “Fifty two cents.” We did. Now, really, we do these things so much better in Our City. Who would think of ask ing you to pay for bread and meat before you had eaten? Such an insult! Like the street car, though, efficient. TO eaten, but undismayed, we made our way to the rail way office so that we might determine how we were to reach our final destination. Across the counter from us was a young man with a sympathetic face. We explained that we had just arrived from Asia and were on our way to keep a rendez vous with the Muses at Weebohawken (quaint, these native names) College in Scrimscrage, Pennyslashington. Ah, yes, said our man, studying a map and timetables and other parapher nalia, he thought it could be arranged. “Which ‘rout’ would you like to take?” he asked, ingenuous lyNow, while English may not have been (and still isn’t ob viously) our strong point, we had a vague idea that “rout” indicated a mob or a state of confused riot — an ignominious defeat, so to speak. We had enough of American routs for the day. What we wanted was a quiet route (pro nounced “root”) back to our lodgings where we might pon der on the mores of this strange land in peace and wonder what our future might be among the savages. Now, we trust that this will not be the sort of experience you will encounter on your first day here. Perhaps you will be much better oriented. We hope so. There are, however, a few November 1958 65 points that may make your path less rocky at the start. (We cannot pretend to cover more than a few basic matters here.) It would be well to remem ber that in the United States you pay as you board a public conveyance. Ask the price. If you have the correct amount handy, drop it in the box. Ask how if you are confused. If you do not have the correct change, hand the driver a coin or a bill, but not over one dollar. He will give you some coins. Remember that he has simply given you small change. He has not taken out the fare. You must now put the exact amount of the fare in the box. (All this is designed to prevent petty theft on the part of the drivers.) When you go to a restaurant — unless it is a better class place where you sit at tables and are served—or a cafete ria, it is generally customary to pay on being served. No harm will be done in any case if you try to do so. If this is not the custom at the estab lishment, you will be told some thing like: “Please pay the cashier on your way out.” WQ e now come to foods. Many of you will have dietary taboos. Let us first turn to sandwiches. The ubiquitous Am erican hamburger is made of beef. It contains no pork. Ham and bacon are pork products, although a beef bacon is avail able in some stores. Hot dogs, or frankfurters on a bun, are a form of sausage. In most cases American hot dogs are made from beef. Cheese is cheese anywhere in the world; there are many, many varieties in the United States, the most common of which is called Am erican and is a mild yellow form. Egg is used in sandwiches in various ways. Devilled egg is nothing more than mashed hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise (oil, egg and vinegar). It con tains no meat. Ham and egg, bacon and egg, are exactly what the name implies. Hot cakes and waffles are variants of pan cakes (chappaties, etc.) and are made from flour and milk. French fries are potatoes fried in deep fat and are the same as the British “chips.” A pot roast is beef; chili con carne — also known simply as chili — contains beef. It is a hot Mexican dish and should be a favorite of those south east Asians who do not shun beef. A milk shake is made from ice cream and milk; a malted milk shake (malt) is a milk shake with the addition of a small amount of malted milk powder — the kind they give to babies. Both ars gen erally flavored with the addition of chocolate or fruit syrups. They are nourishing and tasty. 66 Panorama Coffee is coffee (very good in America), tea is tea (very bad in America) and milk is milk (sanitary in America). The above is not intended as a complete list of foods. In most fairly large cities a variety of foods is available. But in the vicinity of campuses we have found that students seem to consume more than the national average of hamburgers, milk shakes and various kinds of sandwich. TV) e now come to a rather devv licate problem. In the Unit ed States, differing from many Asian and European nations, there are very few public toi lets in cities. These will be found in parks, but not in the business and shopping areas. The best way is to enter a large department store, if there is one in the area, and ask some one for the “washroom.” This is one American Puritanical euphuism for the toilet. Others are “restroom,” “comfort sta tion,” and in the case of wo men, “powder room.” If a de partment store is not handy, all service stations (gasoline or petrol stands) have this con venience. You will find service stations all over the place. Just go to one and ask for the “wash room” or “rest room.” The fa cilities are almost invariably ex cellent and sanitary. Another question we are often asked is about living ar rangements. When you first ar rive in San Francisco or New York or wherever it may be, it is likely that the city will have a YMCA and a YWCA. These establishments are probably the most reasonable and safe places where you can stay while pro ceeding to your destination. You do not have to be a Chris tian, nor do you have to worry that any missionary work will be attempted. After you arrive at your destination, consult your Foreign Student Adviser about permanent or semi-per manent arrangements. If you are in distress while travelling, ask for Traveler’s Aid. Which brings us to the last subject: money. We will assume that if you are carrying a good ly sum it will be in the form of traveler’s checks. If not, go to the first bank and get your dollars changed into this safe and convenient form of ex change. Never carry more than twenty dollars in cash. M/l ore on money: America is ,ri' the home of the tip. We understand this word originally came from the initials of “To Insure Promptness” but today it is a national curse. Everyone from the bellboy in the hotel to the barber expects a tip and if he doesn’t get one, feels in sulted. A good rule of thumb for the student is 15 per cent. (Then per cent went by the board many long years ago.) November 1958 67 Do tip: waiters and waitresses (except in self-service restau rants), taxi drivers, bellboys, Pullman porters. Do not tip: airline stewardesses, salesgirls and salesmen, hotel clerks. So, armed with this know ledge, go forth bravely. And do not heed the maxim: “When in trouble or in doubt, run in cir cles, scream and shout!” — The Asian Student * * * Animal Oddities T1 here are barking lobsters and ants that are liv* ing tanks of honey. These curiosities of natural history have been reported from Australia in tl^e journal Nature, organ of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The honey-carrying ants are reported by a scientist of the University of Adelaide. They are found, he says, in many parts of Central Australia, usually in arid country or near groves of certain blos soming trees. They are modified worker ants that are stuffed either with honey or nectar day after day by other workers. This honey is stored in the abdomens, which swell to a half inch in diameter. This evidently is to feed the rest of the ant community during scarce periods. The honey-carriers are eaten avidly by natives. The scientists analyzed the honey. It differed from most honey, he found, in containing a larger percen tage of the fruit sugar fructose than of the more com mon glucose. The barking lobster, or crayfish, is reported from Northern Australia. It makes a harsh, grating noise with the stubby antennae before its eyes. This sound can bet reproduced even after the animal is dead. What purposes it serves is unknown. * 68 Panorama
Tales from India The Bridegroom Mho Mas a Snake V1 ong ago there lived a Brah] min and his wife. They ~ had no children, and it was a great grief to them both. The wife wept bitterly when she saw little boys and girls playing round her. The Brah min could not bear to see her so sad, so he made many sacri fices to the gods, in the hope that his prayers might be grant ed. The gods took pity on the Brahmin and his wife, and at last they knew that a child would be born to them. They were full of .happiness at the thought of having a baby of their own, but alas, when the child was born it was a serpent! Their friends said the snake should be thrown out into the jungle, but the mother loved it, and took the greatest care of it. She bathed and fed it, and it grew very fast. Some years later the Brah min and his wife were asked to a wedding. When they re turned to their home, the wife said: ‘It is time our son was mar ried too.’ ‘My dear,’ said the Brahmin, ‘who will give his daughter to be married to a snake?” At this the wife wept bitter ly, and would not be comforted. At last the Brahmin said he would try to find a wife for their serpent son. He set out, and travelled far, looking for a bride. One day he arrived at the house of an old friend, whom he had not seen for many years. His friend was very glad to see him, he said. Come and stay in my house. As they sat talking together his host said: Why are you travelling about? What is your business?’ 70 Panorama *1 am looking for a bride for my son,’ said the Brahmin. Now the host had a young daughter, and he wanted a hus band for her. Very soon the two fathers agreed to make a match between their children. The Brahmin took the girl and her attendants back to his home, and the wedding was arranged. A crowd collected to see the girl, who was to marry the ser pent. Everybody was sorry for her. At last somebody told her servants that the bridegroom was a snake. The servants were horrified and ran to tell the bride. When she heard what they had to say, the girl said proud ly, ‘My father has agreed to the marriage and 1 will not make him break his promise.’ She waited on her husband, and prepared his meals as a good wife should, and never in ainy way showed that she disliked him. One evening, as it was grow ing dusk, the serpent came out of his basket. Then suddenly there appeared a very hand some young man! The wife was terrified. She thought a thief had broken in to the house. She rushed to the door, but before she could give the alarm the young man said: T am your husband! Do not be afraid.’ The girl could not believe him, but to prove it to her, he went back into the body of the snake, and the snake began to move about. When he appeared again as a man, the snake lay dead. There were great rejoicings when his parents heard the news. They young bride was very happy too. ut in the morning they were all very sad for once again the son became a ser pent! However, the Brahmin cheer ed them all by saying that he had a plan in his head, but he would not tell them what it was. That evening the young man appeared again. The father waited till he was asleep in bed, and then went quietly into his room, and car ried away the body of the snake. He burnt the snake to ashes. After that the spell was broken and his son remained a man. The Brahmin gave a great feast to all his friends, and everybody was very happy. Nowmbbf 1958 H * * * Fun is like insurance — get it while yotfre young.
-^mong the foreign scholars who became interested in the poem are Blumentritt, Rost, Kern, Meyer, Minguella, Glanco and Retana. The first four went as far as to study Tagalog in order that they may read Plo rante in the original. The Span ish scholars praised the work lavishly. Balatgas’ other known works include La India Elegante y el Negrito Amate, Mahomet at Constanza, Almanzor at Rosa linda, Orosman at Safira, Don Nuno at Zelinda, Clara Balmori, Nuno Gordoneo, Rodolfo at Rosemondo, Auredata at Astrone, El Amante de la Corona, Abdol at Miserana, Bayaceto at Dorlisca, and others. Most of his works were burned in the fire in Orion in 1892. At his death-bed on February 20, 1862, Balagtas told his wife: “Don’t permit that anyone of our children should ever em brace the writing of poetry as a calling.” Two of his sons, Ceferino and Victor, became poets. Ceferino wrote Pagpupuri sa Virgen Maria and other poems while the literary works of Vic tor were included in an antho logy compiled by the late Hermenigildo Cruz. The achievement of Balagtas is summed up by Director E.B. Rodriguez in this manner: “He fashions a world where justice reigns supreme, where every one finds enjoyment in his rela tion with nature and men . . . such is the world he envisioned — a world of perfection, love and romance.” The Tulingan A lthough the Islands sit on one of the world’s ■^■richest tuna spawning areas, tuna fishing on a scale known in Japan, the United States and the Me diterranean countries does not exists in the Philip pines. Depletion of tuna stocks in Japanese and For mosan home grounds has induced their fishermen to stalk Philippine waters for tuna, reaching out as deep as the Macassar Strait. Local fishermerts acquaintance with tuna is li mited to its midget varieties known in Batangas, Zambales and Pangasinan and other coastal areas bordering the China Sea as “tulingan.” * November 1958 7
—— Vanishing 'Wlamwials J\ T least 106 mammals have become extinct in the last 2,000 years, and of these seventy-three have disappeared since 1800, the National Geograp hic Society has reported. In a recent survey the society discovered that hundreds of other animals which were on the verge of extinction are the key deer of Florida and the black footed ferret. The American bisons were once on the list, but strict conservation measures have saved them. Per haps the most carefully watched and attended of the nearly extinct are whooping cranes. The International Union for Conservation in Brussels maintains a sharp watch on mammals that currently face destruction. Their warning list in cludes the Addo bush elephant of South Africa, the Arabian oryx, a desert antelope, and the wisent, a European relative of the American bison. Other animals existing in greatly reduced num bers are 250 Asiatic lions, about 200 great Indian rhi noceroses and forty Javan rhinoceroses. ¥ November 1958 69
Will de Gaulle's new Constitution turn the trick? New Hope For France □ For the first time in many years there was hope last month that France’s cha otic political life might come to an orderly end. Of about 80 percent of the registered voters who went to the polls, 95 per cent voted for the Constitution which will give the country the much needed political stability. The voting was a personal tri umph for Premier Charles de Gaulle, who designed the new charter. But it was also a pat tern for France’s political fu ture. In a matter of months the nation which saw the downfall of several governments in diz zying succession, including that of the 4th Republic last May, will have a stronger president. And it is almost a certainty that Charles de Gaulle is going to be it. The new Constitution is de signed to correct the basic weaknesses of the French poli tical system. It will give the country a stronger executive, which it had lacked. The chief By F. C. Sta. Maria executive is elected for a term of seven years by an “electoral college” composed of 80,000 deputies, senators, and mem.bers of provincial and municipal councils. Thus, he is put into office not by direct popular vote but by what observers describe as a system that favors rural and conservative interests. As against the usual parliamen tary concept of government, the president will be a stronger person at the expense of the premier. Henceforth the president will have the power to: (1) nego tiate and ratify treaties; (2) ap point and discharge premiers; (3) dissolve Parliament after “consultation” with the pre mier; (4) control appointments to civil and military posts; (5) sign ordinances and de crees; (6) suppress political parties which he believes are detrimental to national sover eignty and democracy; and 30 Panorama (7) assume dictatorial powers by simple proclamation if he decides that there is a state of national emergency. These obviously are very broad powers unknown even to heads of such presidential types of governments as the United States and the Philippines. In the hands of an ambitious poli tician, such powers could easily make a dictator. It is significant therefore that the French peo ple overwhelmingly bestowed upon de Gaulle such unlimited prerogatives. This political phe nomenon can ,be explained in two ways, namely: (1) the French people realize the grav ity of the present crisis and know that nothing short of a drastic change could save the nation; and (2) the French peo ple have complete trust in de Gaulle. p arliament, under the new charter, is an emasculated body. It is permitted to meet twice a year for no more than three months at a time. It can pass laws but only in certain limited areas. Should a deputy accept a cabinet post or any other government position, he must resign from the Parlia ment. Whereas the premier is responsible to the assembly, the latter can force the premier, during its first year of exist ence, to resign on an absolute majority vote. After the first year the president can dissolve an assembly and keep the pre mier while awaiting the out come of new elections. There is also under the new Constitution a powerful nineman council which would have broadly the functions of the supreme court in the Philip pines. This body is composed of three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the assem bly, and three by the senate president. It will determine the legality of certain acts passed by Parliament. Indeed, there is bright hope that the 5th French Republic will have the stability which previous governments did not enjoy. Since the Revolution of 1789, France has been four times a republic, three times a monarchy, twice an empire and once a semi-dictatorship. The 4th Republic which was estab lished in 1949 and which col lapsed last May saw the succes sive failures of more than a doz en premiers; General de Gaulle was, in fact, the twentieth since 1947. Under the old system there was a proliferation of political parties, with each candidate sel dom, if ever, owing allegiance to any single party. Coalition and appeasement were the or der of the day. Premiers had to be experts at compromise and at bringing together poli tically divergent elements. In November 1958 31 such a situation it was inevi table that a premier and his cabinet had a very uncertain tenure, which was subject to political vagaries and changes. This was the condition which de Gaulle’s Constitution seeks to remedy, if not entirely at least to a degree where a gov ernment could stay in power long enough to implement a workable program. 0 ne problem which the next president of France has to solve is Algeria. While the results of the referendum in this revolt-torn colony sus tained de Gaulle to an amazing degree (97% voted yes), there is no indication that France’s top headache will be cured over night. The North African reb els have proclaimed a provi sional government with head quarters at Cairo. Under the banner of the Front de Libera tion Natiohale (FLN) and the energetic leadership of Ferhat Abbas, the self-proclaimed pre mier, the nationalists have vowed to make Algeria free at any cost. In answer to de Gaulle’s pleas for a “peace of brave men,” the FLN has turned a cold shoulder. They are will ing to negotiate, but in a neu tral country, and not Paris as suggested by the French pre mier. The Algerian problem cannot be minimized. It is of such a magnitude as to make the dif ference between success and and failure for de Gaulle’s na tional program. Over 400,000 French troops have been forced to be kept in Algeria to fight the rebels. France is reputedly spending two and a half mil lion dollars daily to fight the war. If the 5th Republic is to pursue successfully its plans of economic expansion and poli tical stability at home, the ex penditure in North Africa must stop, or at least be drastically reduced. France cannot afford both. The Algerian nationalists know this for a fact, and thereby lies their strength. They are aware that de Gaulle must solve the Algerian problem first before he could succeed in con tinental France. The FLN also knows that a decisive victory is not necessary; by pursuing indefinitely a guerrilla warfare, it could succeed in sapping the Paris government of its econo mic, and possibly of its poli tical, strength. On his part, the French war time hero who has made a spectacular comeback, showed an admirable mastery of the Algerian situation. Strength ened by his overwhelming vic tory at the polls, de Gaulle last month instituted stern measures calculated to control his own compatriots who have taken ad vantage of the confusion in the 32 Panorama colony. First to be disciplined were the military. He ordered General Raoul Salan, command er of French fores in Algeria, to: (1) get the generals and colonels out of Algeria politics; and (2) let the Moslems, in cluding those advocating com plete independence, to campaign freely for election. 'J' he order shocked Salan and many of the extreme right-wingers in the colony, who expected to be rewarded for their “loyalty.” In fact, many of the soldier-politicians had rather expected to ride on de Gaulle’s personal popularity to greater personal glory. They were disappointed. Major General Jacques Massu, leader of the May revolt in Algiers, at first protested, then resigned as president of the Committee of Public Safety — the anti-rebellion organization. He was followed by 11 other officers. A planned general strike fizzled out at the last moment. Once more de Gaulle had asserted his supremacy. Another ambitious politician, Information Minister Jacques Soustelle, who actually master minded the Algerian revolt and who had hoped to become pre mier with de Gaulle’s election as president, was likewise dis appointed. The premier flatly refused to play partisan poli tics when he overruled efforts to create a pro-de Gaulle party out of the fragments of the other political parties, and thus to assure his and de Gaulle’s election. Inducement held out to Al geria and, for that matter, the other French territories comes in the form of a provision un der the new Constitution for greater political autonomy and the continuation of subsidy from the mother country. In the forthcoming election Moslems, who constitute nine-tenths of Algeria’s population, will have a fair chance of representing the country in Paris. In pre vious years, the one million half-breeds of predominantly French descent wielded abso lute political power over the rest of the population. If, as planned by the new Charter the Moslems could get elected and consequently have a voice in the government of France, it is not unlikely that the Algerians would stop cla moring for outright independ ence. This possibility, plus the fact that they will continue to have economic ties with France and an aid of half a billion dollars annually, might turn the trick. This of course is only speculation ; whether the rebels, who have lost 70,000 of their followers in the last three or four years of warfare would jump at the French bait, is another matter. November 1958 33 An encouraging sign was the release recently by the rebels of four French military prison ers and the freeing of 10 reb els by the French. If the elec tions, which are scheduled for November 28-30 should, as ex pected, see at least 47 Moslems deputies to the French assem bly, the Algerian situation may yet prove to be less difficult than predicted. 0 ther French territories had a similar chance to vote in last month’s referendum to either stay within the French community or to quit. The only colony which gave a resound ing vote of No to continued dependence upon France was the French Guinea in West Af rica. This country thus auto matically becomes an independ ent nation by repudiating de Gaulle. Other French possessions — including Senegal, Niger and French Somaliland —must choose to either remain as ter ritories, become integrated as departments of France, or be come federated republics. Ma dagascar chose to be such a re public within the French com munity. The next two or three months will show some definite tenden cies in France’s new pattern of government. While the numer ous economic problems will con ceivably stay on, it is admitted by observers that there is a great promise for France under Charles de Gaulle. The Algerian problem must still be resolved. France’s strained economy, with its dangerously sinking inter national reserves, would still have to be strengthened. But the future definitely seems brighter than either the past or the present. And much of the future is on the palm of de Gaulle’s hand.—Philippine Journal of Education. Plus and Minus The ever-increasing documentation of the Unit ed Nations has been expanded by yet another new document. It is a 5,700 word report by a committee which it set up to study the problem of how to cut down on the documents of the world organization. * 34 Panorama

Item sets: Panorama

Media: Panorama; A lesson from japanese fishermen.pdf; All about fish.pdf; And now come the Tape Recorder.pdf; Balagtas. Propagandist.pdf; Book review. Philippine Freedom.pdf; By Jean Malcolm.pdf; Don Pablo and his magic cello.pdf; India's paralyzing pea.pdf; Kenneth Roberts. Unflinching truth.pdf; Life and death.pdf; Love of truth must be personal. What is a good teacher.pdf; No matter how you look at it... It's a whale of an industry.pdf; Palau and the Coconut Beetle.pdf; Panorama peek.pdf; Polillo.pdf; Pre-revolution Philippines.pdf; Taj Mahal of Brunei.pdf; Termites can be controlled.pdf; That first trip to the States.pdf; The bridegroom who was a snake.pdf; The Tulingan.pdf; Vanishing Mammals.pdf; Will de Gaulle's new constitution turn the trick. New hope for France.pdf