26 METZGER— THE FILIPINO. [March 17, 



and upon bringing her before her parents, in very much the man- 

 ner one might lead a reluctant dog at the end of a chain, they bow 

 down and bring their heads together sniff in the air violently (the 

 native substitute for osculation) and receive, at the same time, the 

 parent's sanction which is demonstrated by the pouring of cocoanut 

 oil over their heads. No feast follows as among the Christian tribes 

 but the bridal pair flee to the mountain fastnesses, where they re- 

 main for a fortnight subsisting on wild berries and fruits and then 

 return to their native village or clan to take up their abode. 



A curious custom which prevails among the more ignorant of the 

 domesticated class of natives, a relic of barbarism, is the practice 

 of closing all the windows and doors of the house and filling every 

 available inch of floor space with the presence of neighbors, during 

 the birth of a child, while the male members of the family thrash 

 about the room, flourishing large knives or bolos, like so many 

 mad-men, in their attempt to drive out the evil spirit, as they are 

 wont to believe influences the destiny of the mother. This bar- 

 barous practice is carried still farther in some cases by making long 

 gashes through the skin of the encienle in the hope that the devil 

 may have an easier exit. 



The Filipino funeral is yet another exemplification of the pecu- 

 liar customs of this type of Oriental. It is a display of fantastic 

 barbarism and blase sensualism. There is the ghastly bier with its 

 harsh and crude ornaments of wood and metal, a relic of his un- 

 tutored and savage ancestry. A native band precedes the funeral 

 cortege to the grave, playing some wierd uncanny air followed by 

 a group of professional mourners and the members of the deceased 

 family, exhibiting no signs of grief or regret but an air of stoical 

 indifference, in fact it is not uncommon to see them follow along 

 chatting and smoking as if they were but repairing to some place of 

 jollification. In the large cities, this burial custom is somewhat 

 modified by the introduction of a tawdry bier on wheels and drawn 

 by four or more horses, with footmen and runners dressed in the 

 garb of the sixteenth century courtier, the whole rendering this 

 solemn procession ludicrous and insensate. Upon reaching the 

 burial ground the corpse is stripped and wrapped in a piece of 

 sdula or matting, and without further ceremony deposited in a vault 

 or grave until such time as the rental expires, when, if not renewed, 

 it is resurrected and thrown to bleach under a tropical sun, with 



