d standing. She worked hard every day with these little
tots to train them to do their parts well, which consisted of marching
into the cathedral by twos', arranging themselves into a circle
about the Virgin Mother and throwing flowers and bouquets, singing
and speaking. The ludicrous part of it all was that these little
things were supposed to be dressed like American children. The models
had been taken from some old magazine,--huge sleeves, small waists,
skirt to the knees, and pantlets to the top of shoes. The shoes were
painfully tight and the little feet, unaccustomed to being held in
such close quarters, limped and hobbled piteously. The festival was
carried on every day for weeks. Bushels of flowers were thrown at
the figure of the Blessed Virgin.

Some of the festivals in the larger cathedrals in Manila were gorgeous
indeed. There were floats on which were carried the different
patron saints, all gorgeously arrayed in the most magnificent
costumes. Evidently the churches were never meant for the common
or poor people, so few of them were ever seen within their walls;
but without were vast crowds of beggars, of the blind, the deformed,
the diseased; victims of smallpox and of leprosy in every stage of
suffering. It is said that the first thing ordered by Bishop Brent,
who took charge of the Protestant Episcopal church in the Philippines,
was soap.

THE McKINLEY CAMPAIGN.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

The excitement on the islands ran quite high during the McKinley-Bryan
campaign. The natives conceived that if Bryan were elected they could,
in some way, they could not explain how, not only be very greatly
benefited personally, but the U. S. troops would be withdrawn; they
would then be rid not only of the Spaniards but of the Americans,
and could then have a ruler of their own choosing. I knew that
there were small papers or bulletins published to intensify these
sentiments. Popular favor was all for Bryan and not one person for
McKinley, while on the other hand I do not think there was a single
soldier who was not a McKinley man. The feeling ran high, and, while
our papers gave us every assurance that the Republican party would
be victorious, we were very anxious for the news. On the night of the
6th of November we had the glorious report. It did not take long for
the shouts to go up from every American soldier. About eleven o'clock
P. M. all the American officers and men formed in procession with the
band