278 THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



cial metropolis, called b}^ the Spaniards Binondo, but is now uni- 

 versally included in the designation Manila. It is full of anima- 

 tion and activity and forms a startling contrast to its sleepy old 

 neighbor across the river ; in passing a bridge from the old city 

 the passenger seems to step at once from the sixteenth to the 

 nineteenth century. Here all is life and bustle ; the principal 

 street, called the Escolta, is lined with stores and business places 

 of all classes, and from morning to night is thronged with a 

 motley crowd of many races and eveiy shade of color, while 

 electric lights and street cars attest that the spirit of progress is 

 gradually encroaching on the conservative ideas of the past. 



In the old city and the older parts of the newer town most of 

 the buildings were of brick and stone, with tiled roofs, but re- 

 peated shocks of earthquake have taught the lesson to build in 

 anticipation of them. It is now very rare that stone or brick is 

 used in the construction of buildings above the level of the 

 ground. Modern houses are seldom more than two stories in. 

 height, with galvanized iron roofs supported by wooden pillars, 

 so arranged as to allow of a certain amount of oscillation inde- 

 pendent of the walls. The native houses are built of wood or 

 bamboo and thatched with palm leaves ; they are of course very 

 combustible, but practically earthquake proof. 



The population of the metropolis and its suburbs is about 

 250,000 to 300,000. Many of the suburban villages are very 

 populous. Tondo, a short distance on the Binondo side, has 

 upward of 30,000 inhabitants, Santa Cruz has 12,000, and Santa 

 Ana, a pretty village where many of the wealthy citizens of 

 Manila have country residences, contains about 7,000 people. 



POPULATION 



Spanish statistics are notoriously unreliable and no accurate 

 census has ever been taken, but the number Of inhabitants is 

 about 8,000,000. The bulk of the population is of Malay origin. 

 On their first arrival the Spaniards found part of the natives in 

 possession of some amount of civilization. They had a written 

 language, of which some specimens have been preserved, though 

 of no value in throwing light on their former history, and their 

 traditions are very few. The Spanish priests here, as in Mexico 

 and Central America, did all in their power to extirpate all 

 mythological and other lore that existed, and unfortunately with 

 almost complete success ; hut fortunately for the inhabitants they 

 were treated more mercifully than in most of the other newly 



