he kitchen was the front door, leading to
the ground by a flight of stairs or a ladder. Thanks to the United
States Mariveles is supplied with abundant water, piped from some miles
up in the mountains, and some of the better houses of the barrio have a
private faucet on the back porch, which is luxury indeed. The main room
of the house was used as a living room and bedroom. In such houses there
are usually large windows, without sash of course, which are shaded by
day and closed by night and in severe storms by a hinged awning of nipa,
seen in the photographs. In spite of the warmth nearly all natives close
the window shades tight when they sleep, so that, in spite of the
numerous cracks, the ventilation must be very bad; this may partly
account for the prevalence of tuberculosis on the islands.

[Illustration: NATIVE GIRL CARRYING BASKET OF CLOTHES.]

Around the better houses in such a barrio is usually seen a high fence
generally made of closely set vertical saplings, driven into the ground
and bound together with rattan at the top; this fence serves to keep
the chickens in, and, at night, to keep prowling animals out.

Many of the houses have a tiny store at the ground level in which a
small stock of canned goods, native fruits, dried fish, native shoes
etc. may be seen. One of the main department stores of Mariveles is
shown in the accompanying photograph, with the very American sign at the
side of the entrance.

[Illustration: THE CHIEF STORE OF MARIVELES.]

Like many native villages Mariveles has a large stone church, with red
tile roof, bell tower, etc.; it is now in such bad repair as to be
unsafe, so that a crude shed with thatched sides and corrugated iron
roof has been built to take its place. No priest now lives in this
barrio and the shed-like church did not have the appearance of being
much used.

The village school, on the other hand, gave every indication of
activity. Although not housed in a very handsome building, a glance
through the windows and door showed many students of various ages all
apparently busy and orderly under the supervision of several neat and
bright looking native women.

On the same street with the school a link with the outside world was
seen in the sign "Telegraph and Post Office." This office was in charge
of a native who, unlike most of the residents of the barrio, spoke
English. In these villages it is usually easy to find natives who speak
Spanish, but it is frequently