Going to the estero

Title

Going to the estero

Creator

Pascual, Mariano

Language

English

Source

Safety section

Year

1935

Subject

Water borne diseases--Juvenile literatur.

Sewers--Juvenile literature.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

A short story of a boy living in the esteros (sewers) of manila.

Fulltext

181 THE YOUNG CITIZEN A111f't1ilf, JN.J:J CHARACTER EDUCATION SECTION . THRIFT By Jose Feliciano' A GREAT many people who suffer from want could have avoided pover_ty if they had oniy learned how to tivc frugally. \Ve look about us and we sec needy families that we know are vie tims of their own thriftlcssncss. The misfortune cf a family that I am about to tell you is nothing un· usual: misfortune like theirs we see every day. Y l't we do not seem to learn a lesson from their experience. Here is a man. the sole support of his family composed of his wife and six children. The family live vcy happily. and they seem to have no worn' over the future. Their table at every meal is filled with rich iood. They keep servants and own a car. They entertain their friends lavishly. All the children go to school, except the oldesc. a young woma~1 who teache~ school. The continue to live in chis manner until one day. withouc che least. warning. che father dies suddenly from hearc failure. To hi~ family this man's death comes like a thunderbolL from a clear sky. The family, needless to say. are now left quice destitute. There arc some facts that must be told abouc chi·; family. for whom we feel nothing but the deepesc sympathy, in order that we might understand their situation and profit by their mistake. As a governmenr employee. the father earned a substantial s;i_Ja, ry. Every month he received more than three hundred pesos. an income which. by our standards. is not small for a fair-sized family. But what did he do with all bis money? He spent it all on his family. saving nothing whatever for a rainy day. Instead of building or acquiring a home of his own. he only rented nnc .ind hi' w.is perfectly st.ttisficd to do it. His children wac accustomed to en joy (l'f1•as1' l11rn to page 186) " Aen.demic Divisio11, Bureau uf Educut10n. SAFETY SECTION Going to the Estero By Mariano Pascual ' Ramona jumped with JOY. The Din was falling hard. Each lice le raindrop. hit the in'n ro0f like a piece of stone. Ricardo came running to tli~· window. ''Rain~ Rain~·· shouted Ricardo. "'Let us walk in the rain. Ramona." The two children ran down the •;ca:irs without asking their mother permission. They wanted so much to play in the rain. Oucside, they ran up and down che scrcet shouting with joy. At the end of the street. the water in tht' estcro had risen as high as the banks. Mar.y boys were in the estcro. Some were in bancas, some we-re swimming. some stood on th~ bank watching tho.~'-' who were swimming, Ricardo and Ramona went near the estero. They watched the children swimming and they wanted very much to swim also. They were about to jump into the water when they heard somebody shoucing In the middle of the estero a boy was acting in a strange way. He sank into the water, then appeared again. Every time he appeared, he shouted. "Help'. hdp'." Everyone knew that che boy was drownini:; but no one was bran enough to go near him. Fort"unatcly, a man in a banca came down the estero. The man saw the drowning boy and saved him. After i:hat. Ricardo and Ramona did not feel like playing anymore. They went home quietly and stayed home all day. After supper that night, Ricardo and Ramona foilowed their mother silently wherever she went. Mother looked at them and said. "W·hr don't You go to sleep. children? It is time to go to bed." "We have something to tell you. Mother," said Ricardo. "\Ve went to the estero without askin~ your permission. "I know it. children. and I am very glad you [OlJ me the truth." "But we shall never do it again. Mother." promised Ramona softly. "\J./hy :'" "Because we saw a boy get almost drowned in the water." Mother looked at her children knowingly. '"I sec," she s.1id. "But it is nae only drowning that you should be afraid of. Do you rem.::mba (l'kns<' turn lo /WY\' 18li) ·• Assistant P1·ineipu\, ToJHlo Eleml•nt:ll'y Sd1uul. 186 THRIFT (Contin11ed from page 18.J) every luxury of life. Wich chc ex· c1:plion of the eldest. they were not trained to fit themselves into any useful jobs. So when the blow Gtme. they were not prepared to Pieet it. Nobody denies the fact that moncv is a thing to be spent. and net a thing to be locked up in a chest as a jewelled possession. But even a yoi.ing child ought to know that money is not meant to be spent in just any manner or for just anything. A person who spends his money thoughtless! y or foolishly soon finds himself in want. It is mccssary that one should learn how to spend his money wisdy if he is to keep away the wolf from his door. Thrift is nothing but the wi5~ spending of money: it should not be mistaken for stinginess or miserliness. A miser would deny himself the necessities of life, eVcn if he could well afford to have them. just to satisfy his greed fo1 gold. A person who is really and .truly thrifty would not hesitate to buy himself the necessities of life proviC!ed he has the money to pay for THE YOUNG CITIZEN This Mont:h Years Ago On August 11. 1898, the American forces occupied the City of Manila. That was thirty-seven years ago. Manila was then under the control of the Spanish government. The American fleet. commanded by Admiral Dewey, bombarded the city. At the same time American soldiers were landed. At about 11 :20 in the morning, the Spanish forces raised a white flag. General Merritt arrange0 the terms of surrender with the Spanish Captain-General. The Spanish flag was then pulled down, and the American flag was raised over the Wailed City. General MacArthur was appointed Civil Governor of the City. American government was thus introduced for the first time into the Philippines. As a result of the fight for tl:le occupation of the city, the Americans suffered the following losses: Four men killed, and three officers and 32. men Wounded. In the Spanish forces 49 nien were killed and 300 were wounded. The American forces which took part in the attack on Manila consisted of 335 officers and 8,595 enlisted men. In the.occupation. the Americans took 13,000 prisoners of war. 22.000 arms and $900.000 public funds. GOING TO THE ESTERO er afraid. (Continued from page 183) them. Being thrifty docs not mean why your cousin Pablo died? WhJt hoardirig money---only a miser doe~ was his sickness? "But besides dysentery." con ti nued Mother, "you might also get cholera and typhoid fever ... that; it means spending money with '"Dysentery!" shouted the two good reasons. children together. Thrift, in the true sense of tho: "Right," agreed Mother. "He word. means the prevention of waste as much as possible. We see how died of dysentery. He liked swimwJ.steful most people are: thcv ming in the estcro very much. One scn1ander not only their money but ci.:iy he swallowed some water while also their time-even their health. swimming. He got sick with dy'They little realize or they do not scntery and died." re:.Jize at all that it is the conserv.1 - The children looked at each othtion of these things that makes for security and happiness. Little which we may provide against the things saved, like the centavos, may uncertainties of the future. Ven acrnmulate and amount to some- few indeed arc they who are born "Why, Mother?" '"Because the water in the estero is very dirty. The dirt from th1~ tcilets and the kitchens go then'. People throw garbages, dead animals. and even waste into it. Do yol.! remember the dead pig that you saw. Ramona, when we went to market last week?'' '"Oh. yes, Mother, ' replied Ramona, "It smelled so bad." "Well. it is srill raining. chi! dren. Will you not play in the thing really big some day. wilh a silver spoon in the mouth. estero wmorrow?" We should learn ro practice eco- Thl" vast majority of us have to The children hang their heads in nomy. strict economy because for work for a living and provide sh;imc and promised never to play most of us it is the only way br against a rainy day. in thl' cstero again.

Date Issued

I(7) August, 1935

Media