68 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



villages are sometimes included, and the population mis- 

 leadingly estimated at a quarter of a million or more. 



The Christianized natives of the Philippines are for 

 the most part a simple race, — docile, easy-going, credulous, 

 rather excitable, and very superstitious. The Spaniards 

 say that they are as easily led by Europeans who take 

 pains to understand them as the horse or the buffalo. 

 They are, in tact, led, guided, and virtually governed by 

 the Catholic priesthood, who may be truly said to have 

 originally concpiered them, and to have maintained them 

 ever since in subjection. This has made them less 

 dignified and polished than some of the true Malays, but 

 they yet have many estimable qualities. They are a 

 good-natured, cheerful, contented, and hospitable people ; 

 and though, when first visited by the Portuguese and 

 Spaniards, they were inferior in civilisation to the Malays 

 and Javanese, they may now be considered as equal if 

 not superior to them. Of all Asiatic people they are 

 perhaps those who have made the most advance under 

 European rule. Mr. W. G. Palgrave calls them " as in- 

 dustrious, steady, and persevering a race as any under a 

 tropical sun." 



Most of these people wear a national costume some- 

 what resembling that of the Malays ; the women a 

 " camisa " and " saya," and the men a shirt hanging out- 

 side the trousers like a blouse. On festa days and other 

 holidays they are often very expensively clad in j:)i?la of 

 fine texture freely embroidered. Their amusements, with 

 one exception, are of a harmless and simple order. Plays, 

 secular or semi - religious, the latter preponderating, 

 dances, festas, and processions with as much music as can 

 conveniently be introduced, for a brass band is a sine 

 qud noil in every Tagal village : these are the chief. The 

 exception is cock-fighting — " une veritable passion que 



