text: AN EPOCH IN HISTORYbyP. H. ELEYTO MY MOTHER, whose tender love and devotion for me are ever unchanged, I dedicate this book.Copyright, 1904, by P. H. Eley.CONTENTS.1. AN EPOCH IN HISTORY.2. MANILA.3. A DRAMA IN ACTUAL LIFE.4. WHAT THE TEACHERS DID.5. A "BAILE."6. A SKETCH OF LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES.7. THE FILIPINO AT HOME.8. A VISIT TO A LEPER COLONY.9. A "HIKE."PREFACE.It was the good fortune of the author to take part in a movement without precedent in the history of the world, and the incidents concurrent with, together with those subsequent to that movement, have furnished the material for this book. It has been the object of the writer to weave into the story of his actual experiences an account of those things which are as yet an unexplored field in the realm of letters. The work is submitted to the reader in the hope that it will prove to be pregnant with interest to those who are in sympathy with great movements and to those who listen with delight to stories of personal experiences in distant lands and among strange peoples.THE AUTHOR.The Virginia Polytechnic Institute, April, 1904.CHAPTER I.AN EPOCH IN HISTORY.Few people pause to think that Tuesday, the twenty-third day of July, nineteen hundred and one, not only placed a mile-stone on the road of civilization, but also marked an epoch in the history of the world.That day placed a mile-stone on the road of civilization because it saw the culmination of one of the greatest movements ever attempted in behalf of common school education. It marked an epoch in the history of the world because, for the first time within the knowledge of man, a conquering people, instead of sending battalions of soldiers to hold the conquered in subjection, sent a carefully selected body of men and women to carry to them the benefits of a highly developed society.It was on this day that the United States Government sent from San Francisco four hundred and ninety-nine trained men and women to establish throughout the Philippine Islands a system of free public schools.The ball on the tower of the Ferry Building in San Francisco had just fallen, announcing the hour of noon on the one hundred and twentieth meridian, when the propellers began revolving and the United States Army Transport "Thomas" swung out into the middle of the bay, where it dropped anchor for a few moments while some belated boxes of lemons and a few other articles were added to the equipment of the steward's department.The anchor was again on its way to the surface when a row-boat driven by four oarsmen with drawn muscles and clenched teeth glided in under the bow of the ship. Its passenger, a belated teacher who at the last moment had wandered from the pier, was shouting for some one to throw him a rope, and a few moments later our last passenger whose silvery hair little indicated the probability of such a blunder was landed in a heap on the deck. Our ship was now under way and soon passed out of the Golden Gate bearing on and between her decks the largest number of teachers as well as the largest cargo of pedagogical equipment that any vessel in the history of the world ever bore to a foreign land to instruct an alien people. Late in the afternoon five whales came up and spouted and played around us. We passed on and as their fountains of spray disappeared in the distance the sun sank down to pay his wonted devotion before the shrine of night. We were alone.By good fortune we went by way of the Hawaiian Islands and touched at Honolulu. We entered the harbor in the first faint light of the coming morn while the moon still shone with resplendent glory just above the nearer rim of the old extinct volcanic crater lying just behind the town. High points of land lay around us on three sides, while across the bay soft billowy clouds completed an enchanting circle from the spell of which none of us wished ever to escape.No traveler who lands at Honolulu will feel unrequited for his time and his money should he visit two places in the vicinity of the town. The first is the Pali and the second, the Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnology.The first is a gigantic precipice, reached by a few hours ride from the city by horse. As one reaches the precipice, there spreads out before him at a dizzying depth below a verdant plain, bounded in the distance by an emerald sea. The wind which always blows in tropical countries is gathered in between the long projecting arms of a mountain chain and rushes over the face of cliff with such force that it is said by travelers to be one of the strongest continual winds on the globe.The Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnology contains the finest collection in existence of things illustrating the life and customs of Polynesia. Among other things, the visitor is shown the personal god of war of that sovereign whose grand-child was the last to hold the sceptre of the Kanakas. There are royal documents to prove that more than one thousand men have been beheaded before this grim-faced old idol. Here, too, is the famous robe of birds' feathers, made to please the fancy of this same grim old monarch. The feathers of which this strange, but really elegant, robe is made are of a reddish color. The birds from which they were plucked were found only in the Hawaiian Islands and each bird had only four feathers, two being under each wing. The extinction of the bird is attributed to the making of this royal robe. So many of them were needed that hundreds of hunters were employed a score or more of years to secure the number required. Placing the wages of the hunters at a reasonable figure, the value of the robe is over three hundred thousand dollars.At Honolulu one sees also that famous sport of the South Sea Islanders, surf-shooting. The native wades far out into the surf with a long narrow board and then sits astride of it upon the surface of the water. As the long billows come rolling in, he places his board upon the convex surface of an advancing wave, then, with the poise of a rope-dancer, he places his weight properly upon the plank and is shot forward with precipitate rapidity.Between Honolulu and Manila lies the imaginary line where the days of the week are supposed to begin and end. It has long been a custom among sailors to hold the "Revels of Neptune" on the night after a vessel crosses either the International Date Line or the Equator, and the ship is then turned over to the crew. Even the petty officers of the ship are not free from being made the objects of the sport, and passengers of especial prominence have often been treated to a bath in a tub of cold water or had their faces lathered with a broom as a shaving brush while a bar of old iron served the purpose of a razor.A naval lieutenant on the battleship which conveyed Napoleon from London to St. Helena, writing to one of the court ladies in London, states that Napoleon offered the sailors four hundred dollars in gold and actually gave them eighty-five dollars to escape being ducked in a tub of cold water and shaved with a rough iron hoop when they crossed the equator.[A][A] Century Magazine for September, 1889.We reached the line on Thursday night and awoke a few hours later on Saturday morning, having lost a day in revelry.CHAPTER II.MANILA.One would imagine the water of Manila Bay to be as tranquil as a lake should conclusions be drawn from its almost landlocked position. On the contrary, it is noted among sailors the world over for the roughness of its waters; and a breakwater behind which ships can lie in quiet and take on or discharge their cargoes is essential to the proper development of the city's shipping. But, so far as we were concerned, this was a possible joy of the future. So, one by one we descended the narrow stairway at the side of the ship, and then leaped at opportune moments to the decks of the dancing steam launches below. How it ever came to pass that each of us, ladies and all, in succession went through with this mid-air acrobatic performance without serious accident is a matter of profound wonder; but we did, and the launches when loaded danced away over the bay and entered the mouth of the Pasig River. At the wharf we were informally introduced to a crowd of curious natives. The men wore hat, shirt, and pants, and some of them wore shoes. The women wore a sort of low-necked body with great wide sleeves and a skirt not cut to fit the body, but of the same size at both bottom and top, the upper end not being belted or tied, but just drawn tightly around the waist and the surplus part knotted and tucked with the thumb under the part already wrapped around the body. The long, black, glossy hair of the young women hung loosely down their backs, in many cases reaching below the hips—heads of hair that almost any lady would be proud to own. Many of the women had in their mouths long poorly-made cigars that were wrapped and tied with small white threads to hold them together while the lady owners chewed and pulled away with vigor at the end opposite the fire.The time of our landing was in the midst of the rainy season, and our clothing each morning when we arose to dress was as wet as if it had just come from a wringer. Our underclothing could be drawn on only with difficulty and the excessive disagreeableness of the feeling added no little to the discomfort of the situation.When the Spaniard, attracted by riches of these distant islands that he had named for his King Philip, built the city of Manila, he modeled it after the mediaeval towns of his European home. And it is well that he did so, for, if we give credence to the city's history, its early life was not one of undisturbed quiet. Not to mention the sea-rovers of those early times who paid their piratical respects to the town, legend has it that this old wall has saved the city on two separate occasions from bands of Moros sweeping northward from the southern islands. So Manila consists of two parts, the city "intra muros" and the new city which has sprung up around it.It was on the morning following our landing that I first stood upon the old stone bridge that for one hundred and fifty years has borne the traffic between the old city and the new. The strokes of eight o'clock were pealing forth from the tower of a neighboring ecclesia when I purposely took this station that I might see the current of Manila's life when flowing at its height.At short intervals along the entire length of the bridge stood in its center a line of well-shaped American policemen in neat Khaki uniforms and russet leather leggins. Thousands of pedestrians were pouring across the bridge in a ceaseless stream. Between the two lines of pedestrians moved in opposite directions two lines of vehicles and carts. It was indeed a cosmopolitan mixture of people. There were English bankers, French jewelers, German chemists, Spanish merchants, foreign consuls, officers and privates of the American army, seamen from foreign warships lying in the bay, Chinese of all classes and conditions from silk-clad bankers to almost naked coolies trotting along with burdens swung over their shoulders. There were Japanese, and East India merchants from Bombay and Calcutta, and, finally, all classes and conditions of Filipinos apparently representing all of the seventeen separate branches of the race,—each individual in this wonderful stream following the channel of his own necessities.In the river beneath were steam launches towing all kinds of small crafts. Along the bank of the stream below the bridge were inter-island steamers packed so closely along the shore that one could almost have stepped from one to another. Into every nook and corner between the steamers were crowded small odd looking boats loaded with native produce over which the owners kept up an incessant chatter.All of us remained in Manila for about two weeks awaiting assignment to our stations. One may well imagine our consternation on awaking one morning about the end of the second week to find the following notice posted throughout all our quarters:All teachers not assigned to the city of Manila or to Iloilo should supply themselves with the following articles:a. One bed, or folding cot,b. One oil stove,c. One lamp,d. Enough supplies of all kinds sufficient for six months,e. Pots, pans, kettles, etc.It is needless to say that positions in Manila and Iloilo were now at a premium.Was it possible that teachers were to be sent to places where even the necessaries of life could not be obtained! Was it possible that many would be sent to places so remote that for six months no fresh supplies could be gotten! A mass meeting was held at once, and a committee was appointed to send a cablegram to the Associated Press petitioning aid from the American people at large. Realizing what consternation would be created throughout the United States by such a message, two of the teachers leaped into a carriage at the close of the meeting and a few moments later were closeted with the chief executive of the department. As a result the committee was persuaded not to send the cablegram to the Associated Press until by courtesy it had been sent to the President. Of course, this diplomatic move tided affairs over and the teachers who had flatly refused to budge from Manila now agreed to go on to their stations, being assured that whatever action was best would be taken.The day had come when we must separate. We were to enter an untried and an unknown field. It was fitting that we have a final joyous meeting, so the best orchestra in the archipelago was engaged and we "chased the hours with flying feet" until dawn so that whatever might come to us in that unknown future upon which we were entering each would hold in pleasant memory our last evening together.CHAPTER III.A DRAMA IN ACTUAL LIFE.Almost every one heeded the warning to go to his station forearmed with at least necessaries of life, but, as it had never fallen to the lot of the writer to cook, he refused to learn at that late day, so he took no pot, no pan, no kettle, putting his future into the hands of an uncertain fate and relying upon the unknown hospitality of the Filipino.Bacalod, the capital of the province of Occidental Negros, was our destination. The second morning after leaving Manila, we awoke with the "Kilpatrick" lying at anchor in a shallow bay. We were several miles from the shore and nothing in sight indicated that we had reached a place of any importance. Late the night before we had been awakened by the loud, sharp ringing of the ship's bells, accompanied by the reversal of the engines and a general disturbance awaking the crew. So our first impressions on coming on deck were that we had run aground. But the captain assured us that everything was ship-shape and that this was the nearest point of approach to Capiz, a town of considerable importance on the island of Panay, where a body of troops was to embark for home. Not even the grass hut of a native was in sight. Search as we would, not a sign was seen of a stream flowing into the sea, indicating the probable presence of a town. There was not a sign of life of any kind save one lone column of thin, blue smoke that arose from the side of a mountain miles away. One would have thought that we were explorers of three hundred years ago lying off the shore of some unknown land.After breakfast the steam launch, together with all the boats, was lowered, and several of us who had determined to miss no opportunity to gather information about the islands took our places in the launch by the side of the ship's mate, and steamed away across the water with a long line of boats strung out in the rear. We headed away toward a group of cocoanut trees, and about an hour later stepped ashore on a pile of decayed coral rocks that extended some twenty or thirty feet out into the water, thus forming the only landing place of a town of several thousands of people and of considerable commercial importance. A few moments after we had landed, an army wagon drawn by a magnificent pair of mules came up out of a tropical jungle along a narrow road. We clambered into the wagon and were soon lost in the depths of foliage from which we had just seen the vehicle emerge.Long waving bamboos with their plumy leafage hung over the road from each side, meeting and overlapping in the center until they formed an archway so dense that the tropical sun now high in the heavens penetrated it only at intervals. At times the wagon sank up to the hubs in the soft earth, and the muscles of the mules stood out like whip-cords under the skin as they drew us forward.At a sharp turn in the road we came upon the first division of troops that was to embark for home. The look of joy upon their sun-browned faces was inexpressible. Their work was done, and with elastic step and smiling faces they saluted us as they passed by. The reign of force was at an end; it was going out with them; the reign of peace had begun; it was coming in with us.In the afternoon when we returned from the town the last of the troops had arrived and, as we drove up, the bugle was sounding the call to supper. We noticed native women mingling with the troops and, indeed, a native woman was in constant attention waiting upon one of the soldiers with whom we ate. Her clothes were clean, her hair was nicely combed, and her general appearance was neat. She seemed to anticipate the slightest wish of the soldier with whom she was. She brought him water to drink, cleaned his plate after the meal and saw that his knife, fork, and spoon were put into his haversack.We had now finished supper and the launch had returned for the last load of troops. The lieutenant in command of the company gave the order to "fall in"; the men shouldered their rifles and fell into line. "Forward, march!" called the lieutenant, and the column swept forward towards the boats. The women had until now restrained themselves, but, as their husbands marched away never to return, their feelings could no longer be restrained. One young woman of about eighteen, who was leaning against a rock by the roadside sobbing, when her husband passed, leaped up in frenzy of passionate love and caught the rifle from his shoulder. Her first impulse seemed to be to throw the gun away, but suddenly realizing the futility of such an act she burst into tears, shouldered the rifle herself and marched on by his side. Another woman of more mature age threw her arms around the legs of a tall stalwart man, and drew him bodily from the line.But the troops marched on and entered the boats. One woman who had been unnoticed before came down into the shallow water and caught hold of our last boat as if to prevent its leaving, while others stood mingling their sobs with the sounds of the wavelets as they broke on the sands. As we passed away, an expectant mother, standing in bold outline against the twilight sky, threw up her hands in an agony of despair and then sank upon the stones. The curtain had fallen upon a drama in actual life deeper in pathos than any other we had ever seen or ever expected to see. Depth of passion, depth of love! Who can fathom the human heart?CHAPTER IV.WHAT THE TEACHERS DID.There is a remarkable sameness about the towns in the Philippines. They all have a large open square about the middle of the town, around three sides of which are Chinese stores, unless one side lies open to the sea, and on the fourth is the great stone ecclesia. The streets run at right angles to one another and divide up the town into creditable squares.Everybody in the Philippines lives up-stairs, for the ground is so soaked with water during the rainy season that it is a menace to health to live upon the ground floor. So even the poorest nippa hut is built upon stakes four or five feet above the ground.Bacalod is a typical Philippine town. As we landed, a broad open square was spread out before us. Two sides of the square were lined with two-story houses in which were Chinese stores below and Filipino homes above. On the third side stood the great stone church in whose massive tower the clock was striking the hour of four, while the fourth lay open to the sea that had borne us thither.We landed, but it was in a method new to us and one not usually employed by the traveling public.When our sail boat ran aground on the sandy bottom a hundred yards or more from the shore, a crowd of Filipino men who were on the beach slowly rolled up their pantaloons and waded out to the rescue,—for the money that was in it. The boat's crew elevated their trousers' legs also and slided down into the water. Each of us then straddled the neck of a Filipino standing in the water and was held by ankles to be steadied while our biped mounts proceeded to the shore.We were now on the ground and face to face with the situation. To give the reader an idea of the actual conditions met by the first teachers who went to the Islands, the following is copied from the instructions given us in Manila:1. There shall be two sessions daily of all schools, and the last hour of the morning session shall be devoted solely to instructing the Filipino teachers.2. In cases where teachers are sent to a town in which there is no school-house, they are expected to secure the aid of the people and have one built.3. The American teacher is to see that all studying aloud is stopped.4. All supplies must be kept under lock and key. In towns where there is no case or box to lock the supplies in, and it is also impossible to get the town council to furnish a case, a requisition may be sent to Manila, and, if an appropriation can be secured, one will be made and sent out.Thus it can be easily seen that we were indeed pioneers. In many places no school-house was to be found, and in some cases it was even difficult to get the town council to provide a case in which to keep the supplies.The work of the teachers was, in short; to "make the English language the basis of instruction in the public schools." On our arrival at Bacalod two schools were found in progress, for some soldiers had been detailed for the work here previous to our coming. One of these was for boys and the other, for girls. Thus the work here had been in a measure simplified, but complications that had arisen at Talisay, one of the largest and richest towns on the island, demanded a change of teachers and the writer was assigned to the place as superintendent. Here an attempt had been made to start a school but it had failed ignominiously and a system of education was to be put into operation from the very start.The Filipinos are not strong advocates of co-education, so separate schools were to be started for the boys and the girls. The one for the boys was gotten well in hand before the one for the girls was attempted at all.A few days after reaching the town and securing a home the presidente of the town had it publicly announced that the following Monday morning at eight o'clock a public school for boys would be opened in a building that had been rented for the purpose by the municipal council. About the middle of the afternoon of the same day a man beat a little drum throughout all the streets of the town to call the people out and the town clerk announced both in Spanish and in the native language that this public school would begin at the time and place mentioned above; that instruction would be free to all who came; that the government would furnish all supplies; and that instruction would be given in the English language. A native principal and assistants were employed and everything was ready to begin.The official report of the result is as follows:Boys' public school of Talisay, Negros, P. I., began November 4, 1901. Forty-three boys present at eight o'clock. Forty-one of them knew "good morning" and "good afternoon" but do not know the distinction between them. Two of them speak simple Spanish. At eight forty-five, eight more, who had been attending an early morning private school, came in together.The books they brought were so varied and so different from one another that it seemed impossible to bring any reasonable degree of order out of such a chaos, and so, after struggling vainly for about a week with the problem, the superintendent by one fell stroke removed everything in use and put in a uniform system, and from that day on the English language has been the basis of instruction in the public schools of Talisay. The work was of necessity very slow at first, but by the end of a year two schools were going nicely and a number of the brightest boys and girls had made really excellent progress.CHAPTER V.A "BAILE."Not long after the arrival of our party at Bacalod we received an invitation to a "baile" given in our honor by the inhabitants of Silay, a town some ten or twelve miles up the northern coast and one noted for its social life. The invitation was accepted with pleasure, and about the middle of the afternoon on the day appointed we were clad in the immaculate white of the tropics and steaming away up the coast on board a launch sent for our conveyance. Twilight was still lingering on the path of day when we anchored just off shore at the town. A row-boat containing the officials of the city came out to meet us and, in due season, we were ushered into a spacious drawing-room filled almost to overflowing with the elite of the town. The elite of towns in the Philippines speak Spanish, and, as only one or two of our party could at that time boast of more than a formal acquaintance with the Castilian tongue, the exchange of ideas that evening between us and the Filipinos was of necessity not very rapid.The necessity of easy communication between us was rendered somewhat less indispensable by the announcement of supper as soon as we were rested from our trip. When we had taken our places at the table a young Filipino about twenty-five years of age arose and gave a lengthy toast to the recent union of the Philippines with the United States. But as we Americans were unable to scale the dizzy heights of his climaxes or sink to the depths of his pathos, we forewent the pleasures of his oratory and turned our attention to the savory odor of lamb, chicken, and roast pig that came slyly stealing up our nostrils to send us nerve dispatches about the gastronomic delights of our not far distant future.At last the toast was ended and the world-wide soup ushered in a long train of things good to eat, served in a style better fitted to the delights of the appetite than to the formalities of dinners, for, as soon as the pleasant task of one dish was completed by any one, the next was served him at once regardless of the progress made by the others at the table.The last course was dulce. The new-comers to the Philippines will not be long in making the acquaintance of this dish, and at all meetings, both public and private, where eatables are served, it performs an important part. It is anything sweet, and it may vary all the way from an india-rubber-like black mixture of cocoanut milk and dirty sugar to a really toothsome and respectable confection. No matter of what materials a dish is composed, just so long as it is sweet, it is dulce.After paying our respects to this last course, we arose from the table and entered a great rectangular room from the center of whose ceiling hung a large glass chandelier, a mass of shimmering crystals. In the chairs around the room were the wealth, the youth, and the beauty of the town.The first and also the last number of every Filipino dance of any formality is the "rigodon." The dancers are arranged in a square, or quadrangle according to the number participating, and are then led through a tangled maze of figures that so utterly bewilders the novice that he sinks into his chair at the end of the dance wondering how it all came to pass.We Americans breathed a sigh of relief when the "rigodon" ended, and mustered fresh courage for social conquests in the waltz that was now breathing forth from the trembling strings. My companion in the first dance had been the young lady by whose side I had sat at dinner. But it now became necessary to search for another, so I prudently waited to see how partners were chosen, and made no mistake when a few moments later I faced one of the most luscious looking senoritas on the opposite side of the room and offered her my arm. My eyes must have told the story that my lips could not utter in Spanish, for she smiled upon me sweetly, arose, and put her hand upon my shoulder. My arm encircled her waist and I began to waltz. Unfortunately my companion did not follow, but began to hop up and down in a manner most distressing. Supposing the attack to be only temporary, I paused and, much to my relief, she soon showed signs of recovery; and in the course of time she came to a standstill looking up into my face in an inquiring sort of way, apparently wondering why St. Vitus had not paid his respects to me also. A second attempt to follow the music met with results similar to the first, and during the third attempt, which seemed to be trembling on the verge of a failure, St. Vitus let go my companion and seized me with such vigor that she, who was small even for a Filipino, was gathered up bodily and taken around the room at such a pace that her toes touched the floor only at far distant intervals.At this point my devotion to the shrine of Terpsichore ceased from force of circumstances and I seated myself in one of the most comfortable chairs in sight that I might carry out a previously formed plan to study the Filipino somewhat critically as he appears in society.The first thing that impressed me as the dancers passed up and down the room was the flash of diamonds. Nearly every woman in the room had on a brooch that flashed the colors of the rainbow at every turn. Almost all of them wore one or more rings that showed up brilliantly under the chandelier. Many of the men too, especially the young men, wore gems that appeared to be exquisite. A closer inspection showed that some of the gems had flaws and others were of a poor color, but no one would have denied that, taken as a whole, it was a really beautiful display.The dress of the ladies was richly colored. Many of their skirts were of silk covered with hand embroidered flowers, and their filmy pina waists and broad collar pieces were rich with needle-work. They all wore a kind of heelless velvet slipper, very common as a dress shoe in the Philippines, or high-heeled patent leather shoes with neatly fitting black stockings.The men were dressed in white coats and white pantaloons or black coats and white pantaloons. White shirts and collars, together with all sorts and styles of cravats and low-cut patent leather shoes with highly colored socks completed their dress.It was easy to see that the Filipinos really had a good deal of money; that they liked to dress was apparent; and that they believed in a table loaded with good things was a fact to which all of us were enthusiastic witnesses.CHAPTER VI.A SKETCH OF LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES.House-keeping in the Philippines presents some interesting phases. Our club of American officials decided to run a mess, so we employed a cook and a house boy, then each of us provided himself with a personal servant, making a total of six servants for four men—it takes about this proportion of servants to live in any sort of comfort in the Philippines—and launched ourselves boldly upon the sea of domestic economy. But there were shoals ahead of us, for the question of regulating servants is one of no small importance in the Philippines, and one of its most disadvantageous features is the long chain of dependents that usually attends it.We gave the cooks so much a day with which to buy supplies in the local market, for our own table, making him render a daily list of expenditures, and a fixed amount besides to purchase rice and fish for himself and the other servants. Of course, if they wished to vary their diet and get chicken and fresh pork, which could be had at far distant intervals, it was wholly a matter of their option, but the allowance was made on the basis of so much rice and fish a day for each. This allowance was about fifteen cents a day in Spanish coin per servant.Thus far all was well. We had agreed to give the cook eight dollars a month in Spanish money, thinking that good wages would procure good service, but the visions of affluence that floated before him on such floods of wealth were so alluring that they drew him from the kitchen to the cooler veranda. In less than a week he had employed an assistant at four dollars a month; in less than another week that assistant had employed him an assistant at two dollars a month; in less than another week that assistant to the assistant had employed him an assistant at the princely salary of fifty cents a month; and from fear that the chain of dependents would end only by our having the whole Filipino race attached to our culinary force, we broke up house-keeping and went boarding again, choosing that as the less of the two evils.Our house furnishings were almost wholly Philippine. The table ware and the food on the table came from the ends of the earth. The knives and forks were made in Germany, the plates were manufactured in England, the glass ware and table cloth, in the United States. The oatmeal and flour came from the United States also. The butter came from Australia, the rice from China, the salt from Russia, and the other eatables from sources about as various as their separate names. Switzerland furnished the condensed milk and Illinois the canned cream. Nearly all of the canned fruit bore labels from Spain.Thus it can easily be seen that life in the Philippines, if lived according to American ideals, is dependent upon a highly developed and highly complex commerce. However, the difficulties of transportation and the restriction of large stocks of merchandise to Manila and some half a dozen other towns, make so great a difference between country life and city life that a short comparison of the two will not be out of place, and life in Manila may well be taken as being fairly typical of the latter.Life in Manila is pleasant, but expensive. It is pleasant from the fact that it is not only the capital but also metropolis of the archipelago. Thus the combination of wealth and high official position has given to Manila a society of the highest and most refined type. The process of beautifying and improving the city which is constantly going on bids fair to give us at no distant day a city of which we may well be proud.But let him who intends living well in Manila on a small income bid farewell at once to so idylic a dream, for it costs much to live well there. In the city of Manila one can get almost anything he wishes, but it must be paid for at the price it commands. Especially in the case of eatables, this price is by no means small, because to the first cost of articles must in most cases be added the expense of distant shipment from American, European, or Australian ports, and not infrequently the cost of long refrigeration must also be taken into consideration. But, expensive though it is, it is very pleasant to live there and those who have once enjoyed it often wish again to quaff the cup of its delights.In strong contrast to this pleasant life is the life of the quiet little hamlet away in the distant islands. Indeed, the Filipino from the distant town, who by some good fortune has been to Manila, or, by a coup de main, has studied in one of the Manila colleges, is looked up to in a true hero-worshiping attitude by all who either know him or hear of his fame. Life in such a place is one long state of harmless inactivity. Not a wave of trouble from the great outer world ever disturbs its peaceful repose. One lounges forever in an air of indolent ease and extreme aversion to anything approaching what might be called a respectable effort.One arises in the morning about the time the sun's first rays silver the top leaves of the cocoanut trees and then stirs around until nine or ten o'clock, when it is found expedient to avoid a further exposure to the sun. From then until about five o'clock in the afternoon it is best to take things as they come, even though one of those things be a Filipino dinner. But then you may have your vehiclo attached to a young bull with a ring in his nose and go for a drive. If it is the dry season you will probably enjoy the drive unless you object to the frequent clouds of dust swept along by the evening wind. If it is in the rainy season your pleasure will depend to a considerable extent upon how wet you get; but, whether the season be wet or dry, your pleasure will be regulated largely by the state of harmony existing between the driver and the bull.In these quiet secluded nooks successive generations of Filipinos are born, reared, grow old and die in an even chain of events broken only by the occasional erection of a new grass house on the identical spot where its predecessors have stood for ages. The son lives in the house of his father, cultivates the same few square feet of soil planted in edible roots, climbs the same cocoanut trees, follows the same winding path down to the stream, pounds rice in the same mortar and with the same stick that his ancestors have used from time unremembered, and, in case of illness, curls up on a grass mat in a corner of the room until he dies or by some good fortune recovers. Beyond this narrow horizon he never looks. So narrow and contracted is the life that the languages of two towns a few miles apart are so different that one would scarcely recognize them as belonging to the same race of people.Such are the two extremes of life in our new far Eastern provinces: the one is active, progressive, and cosmopolitan; the other, inactive, decadent, and narrow; but, whether one enjoys the first or endures the second, there comes to him after leaving a longing to lounge again in tropic airs and listen to the lullaby of the winds among the palms.CHAPTER VII.THE FILIPINO AT HOME.As one enters a Filipino sitting-room for the first time, there is one feature in the arrangement of the furniture that impresses itself upon him at once, and it may be stated without fear of serious contradiction that this same peculiar feature in its arrangement will continue to face him, as he enters different homes, about as certainly as he crosses the threshold.The arrangement referred to is that of one large mirror, one settee, and some ten or a dozen chairs that appear to have had a certain orderly affection for one another. The mirror is hung upon one of the large interior parts of the house about four feet above the floor. The wooden houses in the Philippines are built by setting large posts upright into the ground, extending into the air from twenty to thirty feet. Cross timbers are fastened to these upright posts about eight or ten feet above the ground and then not sawed off even with the posts, but allowed to extend beyond them each way. The framework of the house is built upon these extending cross timbers, a style of building by which these large upright posts are left standing out on the inside of the room from one to three feet from the walls. It is on that one of these posts most nearly opposite the door that the mirror always finds its place. Immediately beneath the mirror is the settee; and the chairs are arranged in two parallel lines facing one another and at right angles with the ends of the settee. However odd this arrangement may appear to one when he first enters a Filipino drawing-room, there are two things to be said in its favor. In the first place, it places you face to face with the person with whom you are conversing so that you can watch him,—a matter of no small moment in the Philippines. In the next place, it enables you to give one of the young ladies a sheep's-eye in the mirror while the others present are left where Moses was in our much abused conundrum.The size of the residence and the quality of its furnishings depends upon the wealth of the owner. But there is so vast a difference between the mode of life of the highest class and the tao, or lowest class, that it is well to speak of them separately, and the great middle class of Filipinos can easily be imagined to occupy the intervening ground.The rich Filipino's house is usually of wood built upon a wall of stone or brick from ten to fifteen feet high. The floors are kept highly polished in his hallway, dressing-room, and bed-rooms. There are, of course, no fire-places in any of the rooms, but on some occasions something is needed to dry the rain-soaked atmosphere, for even in the dry season it has been seen to rain for five successive days and nights without the cessation of a moment.A long chain of dependents is attached to the household of the rich Filipino. The master has his special body servant to be present at all times to do his master's bidding, in short, to be the visible mechanism of his master's volition. So, too, the lady of the house has her servant woman to do the slightest bidding of her ladyship. Then there is the cook who is almost invariably a man, a house boy or two, and the coachman. These functionaries, with their assistants and assistants to the assistants, together with a servant or two for the exclusive service of the children, complete the economic household.Such a family has an abundance of rice and wheat bread, also of chicken and fish with occasional fresh beef. They have also a good deal of dulce. They regularly serve wine and frequently serve beer on their tables.In strong contrast with this mode of life is that of the tao. His diet consists almost wholly of rice and small uncleaned fish boiled together. As a rule knife, fork, plate, and spoon find no place in his household. The rice and fish are boiled in a pot and then allowed to cool in the same vessel or poured out to cool in a large earthen or wooden bowl. Then Mr. Tao together with Mrs. Tao and all the young Taos squat on their heels around the mixture and satisfy that intangible thing called the appetite. They do not use chop sticks as the Chinese do, but the rice and fish are caught in a hollow formed by the first three fingers of the right hand. The thumb is then placed behind the mass. It is raised up and poised before the mouth, with a skill coming from the evolution of ages, when a contraction of the muscles of the thumb throws the mass into the mouth with a skill that is marvelous to any but a Filipino. To judge from the most reliable information, the poorest class do not have an abundance of food, although it would seem that such a condition of things would be well-nigh impossible. However, in a census of one hundred school children there were found six boys and four girls who declared that they had never had enough to eat, and the native teacher stated that this was probably true.The wide gulf between the tao and the rich man is filled by the great middle class of Filipinos.CHAPTER VIII.VISIT TO A LEPER COLONY.Not far from our town was a leper colony and the first Saturday that could be spared was set aside for a trip to the place. It happened that none of the other Americans were at leisure on this particular morning, but, rather then delay the trip or miss it altogether, the writer, armed with a revolver, started out alone.The road had been described so accurately by one who was supposed to know it that it was deemed well-nigh impossible to miss the way. The main highway was followed to the point where the by-path supposed to lead to the settlement turned off through some bamboo thickets and a low tropical wood. This path led straight away towards the sea-coast where the houses of the colony were said to stand in a cocoanut grove by the beach.Upon arriving at the settlement, a very inhospitable reception was received from a mangy cur that growled and showed a very uninviting set of sharp, white teeth behind his snarling lips. The growling of the dog had attracted the attention of an old man who, with age-bent back, was pounding rice in a mortar about fifty yards away. He turned slowly around and, upon seeing an intruder into the primitive quiet of the place, gave a sharp, far-reaching call. The sound had scarcely rung through the grove when from about a dozen of the little grass houses dotted here and there fifteen or twenty men armed with bolos came out and gathered around the old man. A sense of my danger flashed upon me. Three miles from town and alone in a tropical jungle, I could be almost instantly overcome by this band of bolo-men, and the only report that would ever reach my people would be that I had "disappeared." Of course, attack was by no means certain, but the potentiality of the situation was thrilling. A drawn revolver and the gleaming of its shining barrel had the effect of stopping the men, who seemed to be hesitating as to a course of action, until a somewhat dignified retreat was made to an open space in the rear from where a less dignified and a more hasty retreat began which did not stop short of Bacalod.Enough had been seen, however, even in this short visit, to give convincing proof that the settlement visited was no colony of lepers; so, that afternoon two servant boys being taken as guides and interpreters, another attempt was made to reach the goal desired.This attempt was successful, and, after about two hours of walking, a little cluster of grass huts snugly hidden by the sea-coast came into view. As we approached, one would have thought it a gala-day. Some few children, apparently from six to thirteen years of age, almost wholly nude, were romping and playing in the open space around which the huts stood, and no one would ever have thought that any cloud so horrible as leprosy could hover over a place apparently so happy.By the side of the path as we passed was a man and his wife setting out potato plants. His hands were so puffed and his fingers so short that he could scarcely use them, but he was working along as best he could. His wife's feet were so swollen and twisted that she walked only with the greatest difficulty. We passed them by and entered the open space above referred to.The children now saw us, and those of them who could darted away like frightened rabbits, each to his own burrow. An old man who was sitting in the warm afternoon sun on the little bamboo platform before his hut was aroused from his lethargic repose by the scampering away of the children. He arose, trembling upon his tottering limbs, all drawn and twisted, and hobbled away into his hut.The children soon recovered from their fright and began to reappear at the doors of the houses, from which now also came the men and women of the settlement. In a few moments we were surrounded by a circle of human beings at once so repulsive and so pitiable that its graphic vividness can never be accurately portrayed.The old man referred to above, having put on a pair of snow-white pantaloons, appeared now at the doorway of his hut, followed a few moments later by his wife who had evidently clothed herself in the best raiment she had. At a call from the old man, all the men, women, and children in the settlement came out of their huts and stood in a line before us. The old man was spokesman and in his native visayan tongue made a heart-rending appeal for aid which we were powerless to give. Attention was called to a leper woman, apparently about twenty-five years of age, whose face had been attacked by the disease and whose appearance was truly pathetic. Upon her hip was a child about a year and a half old and, strange to say, the child showed as yet no signs whatever of the disease.What an indissoluble enigma is life! Here in a little cluster of grass huts in a secluded nook of a secluded island of an all but secluded archipelago was gathered together a little community of wretched natives, driven by their loathsomeness from association with others even of the same half-savage race. Yet here, men and women loved and were married, by mutual trust if not by law, and children were born of the union to live forever under the unspeakable horror that overshadowed the unfortunate parents. Love, hatred, sorrow, and joy—every passion that enters into the complex structure of the human heart even here, in this scene of sadness and despair, was playing apparently as freely as where misfortune and disease had never crossed the portals of life.CHAPTER IX.A "HIKE."We were lounging lazily in our hammocks at Jimamaylan one evening in April. Supper was just ended, and the soldiers in the post were collected in groups here and there spinning yarns to pass away the time, when a Filipino clad only in a loin cloth came down the street at a steadily swinging run and stopped in front of the sentry. He brought the announcement that a band of ladrones had just burned a sugar mill and were advancing to sack a barrio about fifteen miles away.The invitation of the commanding officer to go on a "hike" was eagerly accepted, and, in ten minutes after the message was given, the troops were on the march followed by two adventurous pedagogues.Darkness was just closing in as we left the town, but a resplendent tropic moon soon made the night almost as brilliant as the day. The trail we followed led over rough and rocky country. Sometimes for a distance of a mile or more we passed over barren wastes of volcanic slag poured out in anger by some peak whose convulsions have long since ceased. Again we would descend into a tropical jungle from the dense foliage of which the ladrones could have leaped at any moment, had they known of our coming, and annihilated our little band. We forded rapid streams with the water at our breasts, and halted only once in that rapid march of fifteen miles.About a quarter of a mile from the town we met a man who was standing guard against a surprise by the ladrones. Nothing could well have been much more grotesque and nothing could much better illustrate the absolutely primitive condition of the Filipinos in the interior of the islands than the appearance of this guard. A pair of knee pants, a conical grass hat, and a hemp shirt formed his entire apparel. A long flat wooden shield, a bolo, and a long bamboo spear with a sharp, flat, iron point, completed his equipment for battle.Here stood the first and the twentieth centuries side by side. The Filipino who had advanced only a stage beyond the condition of primitive man with his knife, spear, and wooden shield, stood side by side with the American soldier, a representative of modern life with his magazine rifle, his canteen, his knapsack,—with every article of his clothing made to give him the highest possible efficiency as the unit of a military organization.A few yards farther on we met another guard equipped similarly to the first. Upon reaching the town, news had just been received that a detachment of troops from another post had intercepted the ladrones and fought a skirmish with them. The ladrones had escaped and we set out in pursuit of them on a chase wilder than a Quixotic dream. We wound our way into the mountains behind the town, inquiring at every grass hut we passed whether the band of ladrones had passed that way, but only once was even a trace of them found. Then it was learned that at a certain place they had separated into groups of three or four and gone glimmering through the dream of things that were. This place was in a secluded nook of the mountains where in years gone by some adventurous Spaniard had erected a primitive water mill to grind his sugar-cane. We had now marched about twenty miles and the feet of the pedagogues were a mass of blisters. They had reached the point where that form of military maneuvering called "hiking" ceased to possess any alluring charms. So a native was persuaded to come out of his lone mountain hut and hitch up his carabao and cart. He was then made to get on the carabao's back, while the aforesaid pedagogues lay down on the sugar-cane pulp that had been put into the body of the cart, and the driver was instructed to start for the post we had left hours before, and not to stop until he got there. Being uncertain but that some of the ladrones would learn of our having left the body of troops and would try the metal of our steel, we at first agreed that neither of us should go to sleep, but it was later decided that probably the driver had no greater desire to cross the Styx than his passengers had and that in case of danger he would awaken us, so both took a revolver in each hand, stretched out supinely and went to sleep.Such a sleep! The rough jolting of the cart over an almost impassable road was never enough to break the spell of slumber. When we awoke the blazing tropic sun was past the midday mark of morning, shining full into our unprotected and well-nigh blistered faces.A pack of dogs were heralding our approach to a little village at the foot of the mountains where ponies were procured to take us back to the post.HAMMOND'S PRINTING WORKS, ROANOKE, VA.* * * * * *Transcriber's Notes:Spelling left as in original.The title for Chapter 2 "MANILA" was omitted in the original.THE END


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H010 - Arrangement of balloons
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text:
Were you mindful that The Good Toy Overview recommends Brio Trains as one out of 5 highly recommended instructional toys for preschoolers? Inning accordance with them a Brio Train is,
" a train with interactive information that urges youngsters to master tiny activities as well as hand eye coordination. Regulating the train as well as creating the tracks creates an understanding of domino effect, very early scientific understanding and also basic mathematical principles."
Added manufacturers also build spectacular train sets as well as materials. They meet these criteria and also are additionally looked at as fun instructional toys for kids.
Prior to we go better, however, hold your ear near your computer, because I am mosting likely to murmur to you a secret … there typically aren't actually instructional playthings. No sir. Toys are merely props. It remains in the real play that sets specifically just how useful a particular toy can be for the youngster that has actually been playing with it.
Toys do not nurture cognitive high qualities. Just what they have the ability to do is motivate kids to develop them, and provide a youngster an electrical outlet to be creative and also resourceful. Which is the important things that makes magnificently developed toys and playthings crucial. A toy that is not high quality makes quite a bit of disappointment if the kids can not easily direct it.
That brings us to the complying with issue. Mothers and fathers, if you're looking to spend money on a train set as well as don't intend on having a table for the train set, the train tracks will persistently obtain moved on the flooring and your kids will probably get frustrated. Quickly, they will not have fun with that train established really often.
In any event, that is exactly the kind of point that struck my grand sons. And so I designed and also created a wooden durable table for the train (none of this counterfeit wood that does not hold up for greater than 1 year, as well as the screws and nails get removed and also damage the timber!).
At this point we should certainly progress and also or discuss the train sets.
Among my favored plaything train business would certainly be Maplewood Site. They're recognized for their alphabet and also name trains. Your young person's eyes are mosting likely to light up with joyfulness as they see their name train mean their name! They make ideal presents in any kind of season.
Thomas the Container Engine, Lego, Maplewood Landmark and also Adage Enterprise – Tumble Tree Woods all Manufacture amazing plaything trains that are wooden. Select the railway train that is the best cost for you. 9c
With Adage brand train and devices – Tumble Tree Woods – your child is motivated to be innovative … as well as it isn't extremely costly! Recognition of forms and colors, challenge skills, motor abilities and inventiveness are some points youngsters discover.
Proverb's goal is to make learning playthings that help a kids manual dexterity, self assurance, and imagination. The playthings are substantial as well as lasting, built to resist the rigors of Play by your child simply because they are created from imported timber.
One preferred train collection is the 54 Piece Xmas Establish from Coca Cola. This wooden plaything train that comes in a reminiscent collector's tin is a crucial for the accumulators of Coke memorabilia, wooden railroad trains or even simply Santa.
Adage likewise has innovative matching Proverb wooden locations and buildings for trains.
Every device you add to a train collection provides the possibility to develop your kid's vocabulary and heighten their curiosity and creativity, In addition to a great range of pretend play choices to boost their creative mind.
Among the most popular is Thomas the Container Engine. Toddlers ages 2 to 3 as well as older take pleasure in the narratives of Thomas the Storage Tank Engine and his buddies as they are given birth to. Through these experiences, your kid will observe significant precepts regarding being a buddy, playing fair and collaborating.
Every person aboard for the second stop for Thomas along the understanding contour share … The wooden train collection will bring your child on Thomas and also his Friends journeys, whether they want the Hill Overpass train collection or Raise and also Lots Train Set.
Industrious Thomas the Container Engines and all the Thomas personalities show exactly how important it is to work together.
You might intend to learn more about the background of toys. Enjoyable Educational playthings for youngsters invite little kids to utilize their creativity. Youngsters likewise make close friends easier with buddies while having fun with playthings. A toy train table and wood toy train set equip a perfect area to obtain along in a group. These are crucial social skills.
Whatever toys your youngsters have, discovering with you, their moms and dad, is the most essential in your youngsters' education. Hence, I entreat you to register for my Entirely cost-free month-to-month ezine, The Reading Railway merely since contemporary research study evidenced that young people whose parents prepare them to learn how to review are superior visitors as well as even more prosperous scholars with their academic year!


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At Photonics West 2014, TAG Optics
launched the beta version of its TAG Lens HP.
Similar to the TAG Lens 2.0, the new device is
specialized for laser material processing applications and can accept more than 100 W of
power density.
According Christian Theriault, president
and CEO of TAG Optics, Princeton, N.J.,
several trends apparent in the photonics and
optics industries continued to make their
presence felt at Photonics West: the rise of
solid-state/LED lighting for illumination, the
use of ultra-short pulsed lasers instead of con-tinuous-wave lasers, adaptive lenses instead of
motion systems and new resolution/tunable
detectors for hyperspectral imaging and spectroscopy.
"Additionally, I do believe there is a slow,
but constant shift to what I would call 'smart
optics' as the industry gains more trust and
exposure to these non-traditional components," says Theriault.
The optical component industry is also
heavily supported by a number of OEMs who
specialize in support mechanisms for the core
light-handling components. These include
makers of enclosures, power supplies and
positioning tools.
Physik Instrumente (PI), Auburn, Mass.,
has been filling the needs of positioning for
decades, and has an extensive portfolio of
miniature piezoelectric positioning stages that
can align optical components, gratings and
lenses, such as those used in spectroscopy and
microscopy. The company recently introduced
a new generation of positioning products that
are driven by a ceramic motor and use no
energy to hold a position, meaning there is
less heat dissipation and better stability on a
microscopic and nanoscopic level.
The new miniature stages are available for
linear and rotary motion—with linear travel
from 0.25 to 1.0 in—and provide resolution
down to the nanometer range. They can be
stacked for multi-axis arrangements and controlled from a computer.
According to Stefan Vondran, VP for marketing at PI, one of the key drivers for recent
improvements in his company's products has
been the miniaturization of optics, which
requires smaller and high-precision mechanisms for test and assembly.
"The need for smaller and higher-precisionmechanisms has driven our R&D departmentto come up with new motion technologies,more powerful control and alignment algo-rithms and smaller positioning products," saysVondran.
PI's piezo mechanisms and 6-axis hexapods
provide the precision and flexibility. PI hexapods, Vondran says, can move in all six degrees
of freedom and allow the user to program the
center of rotation anywhere in space: at a focal
point of a lens, at the waist of a beam or the
tip of an optical fiber.
Optics transform mass spectrometry
Plug-and-play optics don't always work for scientific instrumentation, and this holds true not
just for customized or single-purpose devices
built in a single laboratory. High-volume
instrument vendors also work to develop their
own optics solutions, which they standardize
for use throughout the instrumentation line,
or license for outside manufacture.
For laboratory researchers, optics components are indispensable in two key
instrumentation families: spectroscopy and
microscopy. While microscopy relies on
more traditional optics solutions—including
lenses, beamsplitters and photomultipliers
With a width of 22 mm and travel ranges up to
26 mm, the piezo-actuated LPS- 22 linear stage
is one of the smallest available on the market.
Manufacturing advances like these have helped
OEMs make their instruments more compact.
Image: PI
Ultra Series Filters
High Performance
Priced Right
Learn more at
Click to subscribe to this magazine


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Guest Post: The little things – Teona
Until this week, I never really recognized how special it is to take time for the little things. While on the plane ride to Uganda, I met an incredible man named Emmanuel who told me that as a follower of Christ, it's not just about sharing the Gospel message but...read more
Guest Post: What it means to be a child of God – Nicole
Fun fact about Ugandans: You never really know any of their ages. This is because it's rude to ask, and a bunch of them don't even know their own age. Compare that to how we think about ages in America. The activities we participate in, responsibilities we either...read more
Guest Post: The day I've been waiting for
Today was the day I have been waiting for for years and I didn't even know it. One of the major reasons I came on this trip was to meet my sponsor child. I knew I would be able to, but I didn't know when. It was our first day in the village, we were greeted by a...read more
Guest Post: Day 1 for the Uganda Team
Getting in at 2 am and getting up at 7:30 am has all of us a little groggy. By all accounts though this team is pushing through. We met up at Breakfast and got to meet our Brazilian team members for the first time. Raquel and Rodrigo are awesome, what language...read more
Guest Post: The Journey Home
Our team has arrived, and we're letting them take over our blog posts while they are here! Today John shared his "journey home". To say that I have been looking forward to getting back to Uganda would be an understatement. I told the people of Musima on our last day...read more
Day 14 – 7 July 2018
Today was a day off, well sort of. Its something that we learned a couple of years ago, that we needed to take time off when we are here. When we first started coming we worked 7 days a week, because we always felt our time here is too short. But friends of ours here...read more
Day 13 – 6 July 2018
This morning we did a few home visits at the community center after we ate breakfast. While we were eating our sweet friend Evelyn came with another mama so we could do her home visit. Evenlyn is the picture of joy, she is never without a smile on her face, and is...read more
Day 12 – 5 July 2018
Day 12- 5 July 2018 Another day of home visits for us, we are almost done we only have about 24 more to do tomorrow! We've done 226! We did a few home visits in the morning that were close by in the Kalungami area of the village. This is the poorest area in the...read more
Day 11 – 4 July 2018
It was another day of home visits for us. The day started out pretty long, we drove to more homes that were further away. After about ten homes, we went back to the community center for some breakfast. Since Eunice, our social worker, wasn't feeling well and everyone...read more
Day 10 – 3 July 2018
Yet another day of home visits for us! We did the home visits that were further away though, which meant we had the car instead of walking for miles. It sounds easier, but we only did about 25 houses and the day felt so much longer than the rest. My absolute favorite...read more


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text:
- Branch Name:New Sheffield
- Service Type:Full Service Office
- State & County:Pennsylvania - Beaver
- City or Town:Aliquippa
- Zip Code:15001
- Phone Number:724-375-0979724-375-0979
Huntington Bank New Sheffield branch is one of the 959 offices of the bank and has been serving the financial needs of their customers in Aliquippa, Beaver county, Pennsylvania for over 48 years. New Sheffield office is located at 2706 Brodhead Road, Aliquippa. You can also contact the bank by calling the branch phone number at 724-375-0979
Huntington Bank New Sheffield branch operates as a full service brick and mortar office. For lobby hours, drive-up hours and online banking services please visit the official website of the bank at www.huntington.com. You can edit branch details by clicking here if you believe the information is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.
- ■ Monday:09:00 - 17:00
- ■ Tuesday:09:00 - 17:00
- ■ Wednesday:09:00 - 17:00
- ■ Thursday:09:00 - 17:00
- ■ Friday:09:00 - 18:00
- ■ Saturday:09:00 - 14:00
- ■ Sunday:Closed
Huntington Bank New Sheffield is open Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays. The branch opens at 09:00 in the morning. Working hours for New Sheffield branch are listed on the table above. Note that this data is based on regular opening and closing hours of Huntington Bank and may also be subject to changes. Please call the branch at 724-375-0979 to verify hours before visiting.
- Bank Name:Huntington Bank
- Bank Type:National Bank
- FDIC Insurance:Certificate #6560
- Routing Number:N/A
- Online Banking:huntington.com
- Branch Count:959 Offices in 9 states
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Gattis powers Astros past A's
Evan Gattis drove in a career-high five runs with a three-run home run and a two-run double Tuesday night, propelling the Houston Astros to a 6-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the opener of a three-game series at Oakland, Calif.
Brad Peacock struck out Stephen Piscotty with the potential tying runs aboard to end the eighth inning, protecting a lead that turned into the Astros' sixth straight win.
After the A's scored in the first inning on a wild pitch by Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr., the Astros got even immediately when Carlos Correa led off the top of the second with his 11th homer of the season off A's starter Daniel Mengden.
Yuli Gurriel followed with a double, and after Josh Reddick walked, Gattis bombed his three-run homer to left field to give Houston a lead it never relinquished.
The A's got within 4-2 in the third in a sacrifice fly by Piscotty, but Gattis responded again, this time smacking his two-run double that scored Correa and Reddick for a 6-2 lead in the fifth.
The five RBIs were one more than Gattis had ever recorded in a game. He has nine four-RBI games in his career.
McCullers (8-3) went seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits. He walked three and struck out five, beating the A's for the third time this season.
He was replaced in the eighth by Collin McHugh, against whom the A's loaded the bases with two outs on two hit batsmen and an error.
Mark Canha got Oakland within 6-3 with an RBI single before Peacock came on to strike out Piscotty to escape further damage.
Astros closer Ken Giles pitched a quiet ninth inning for his 11th save.
Mengden (6-6) fell to 0-5 in his career against the Astros, getting pulled after giving up six runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out one.
Gattis, Correa, Gurriel, Reddick and Tony Kemp had two hits apiece for the Astros, who improved to 5-0 on their current 10-game trip. Correa and Reddick scored twice apiece.
Matt Chapman went 3-for-3 with three doubles for the A's, who fell to 3-2 on their 10-game homestand.
Dustin Fowler added two hits for Oakland, which was out-hit 12-7.
--Field Level Media


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Front Page
My results!
What's Your Cookie Personality?
Note: Scores are rounded to one decimal place and therefore may not total 100%
You scored 44.4% Sugar Cookie
If sugar cookies are your passion (the more butter, the better), you are a sensual and fun-loving person. You like to keep your options open and sometimes have trouble making up your mind. But once you make a decision, you stick with it: there's no dithering. You appreciate simple things but you insist on the highest quality always -- the best clothing, top quality sheets and towels, etc. You share your passion for good things with a small circle of close friends and, in fact, can be quite shy around new people. But those who spend the time to get to know you love what they discover -- a passionate, fun woman with a lot to offer.
You scored 22.2% Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chocolate Chip lovers are loyal and dependable. You're probably a bit of a traditionalist and, therefore, may find it difficult to try new things. Family and friends are very important to you and you work hard to maintain connections among your loved ones. You have a small group of friends you've known forever and spend time with regularly, and you are the one everyone comes running to for advice. You relish your role as the nurturer and comforter, and your friends repay you by gently reminding you to take care of yourself -- along with everyone else!
You scored 11.1% Mint Cookie
You are cool, sophisticated and full of energy. If you were a magazine, you'd be The New Yorker. Your closet is filled with chic clothes, you enjoy wine with meals, and you like to try interesting new cuisines, go to arty movies and spend time with friends talking about "important" things. You like your life to be exciting; you're anything but boring! Your sharp wit and joie de vivre are the things your friends and loved ones most admire about you.
You scored 11.1% Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
You are a natural woman. You enjoy spending time outdoors -- in the garden, hiking or just sitting under a tree with a good book. You crave the simple life. You believe that food is best when it's made from scratch, a philosophy that also carries over into the homemade gifts you like to give. You enjoy spending quiet time with the ones you love and prefer intimate gatherings of close friends to the frenetic party scene. Your friends and family admire your calm self-confidence and natural beauty.
You scored 11.1% Ginger Cookie
Ginger cookie lovers are risk takers. You have a keen sense of adventure, whether that manifests as shooting white-water rapids or simply taking a turn in the road to see where it leads. You are curious, intelligent, funny and young at heart. You tend to like being the center of attention, and enjoy being surrounded by an admiring and willing audience. Good thing, too, because your fans are likely to stay by your side for a long time to come! Despite your entourage, you remain very independent minded. You and only you are in charge of your life, and you love it that way.
What Ice Cream Flavor Are You?
Note: Scores are rounded to one decimal place and therefore may not total 100%
You scored 33.3% Chocolate
If you're a Chocolate ice cream type, you are flirtatious, charming and even a little dramatic. No doubt you're an intuitive and sensitive person who puts a high value on family, relationships and romance. But your instincts may sometimes steer you wrong: You tend to be easily influenced in directions that you know aren't the best for you, and you have a tendency toward self-indulgence. Still, your liveliness and your trusting nature have earned you many admirers and friends. When it comes to romance and relationships, Chocolate types are compatible with reliable Butter Pecans and high-focus, high-energy Chocolate Chips. Fun fact: Chocolate is the second most popular ice cream flavor.
You scored 33.3% Vanilla
Contrary to what you may expect, Vanilla ice cream types aren't bland or boring. Rather, youre probably quite gregarious, impulsive, fun loving and expressive. You may have a hard time making up your mind -- Vanillas are known for never saying no, even when they probably should. Vanilla types also tend to take a romantic, hopeful view of life. Your motto: Live for the moment, and everything will work out fine. When it comes to romance and relationships, Vanilla types are happiest with your own kind -- only someone equally spontaneous and energetic will do. Fun fact: Vanilla is far and away the most popular ice cream flavor.
You scored 11.1% Chocolate Chip
If you're a Chocolate Chip ice cream type, you're a creative force to be reckoned with. No doubt you've got a competitive streak a mile wide. The good news is that it brings out the best in you by forcing you to live up to your own demanding standards. Still, you can be rather unforgiving at times with those who don't share your vision and drive. Friends value your magnetism, charm and originality. When it comes to romance and relationships, Chocolate Chips are best off with high-achieving Butter Pecans and empathetic, insightful Chocolates. Fun fact: Chocolate chip ice cream lovers tend to also indulge in other chunky flavors, such as Cookie Dough, Mint Chip and Rocky Road.
You scored 11.1% Strawberry
Strawberry ice cream types are naturally loyal, honest and trustworthy. No doubt you have a devoted circle of friends who rely on you for the right answer to any moral dilemma. Like Chocolate Chip types, you tend to set high standards for yourself, but you are also somewhat shy and reserved. And you don't like to admit it, but you're also a tad pessimistic. Maybe you're just disappointed that no one can seem to live up to your own sense of responsibility and forthrightness. When it comes to romance and relationships, Strawberry types do well with optimistic, outgoing Chocolate Chips. Fun fact: Strawberry is tied with Butter Pecan as the third most popular ice cream flavor.
You scored 11.1% Butter Pecan
Butter Pecan ice cream types are organized, put-together, and generally valued for their fairness, efficiency and lack of pretension -- you won't see a Butter Pecan type putting on airs. In fact, it may be hard for a no-nonsense Butter Pecan type like you to express yourself at all, even though youre privately quite sympathetic and observant. No doubt you like to plan ahead and take charge, which means you're often over-committed. When it comes to romance and relationships, youre most compatible with your own kind -- other Butter Pecan types who appreciate hard work and good sense. Fun fact: Butter Pecan is tied with Strawberry for the third most popular flavor.


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Don't Be Such A Drama Queen
"In politics nothing is contemptible." – Benjamin Disraeli
Less Money, Mo' Problems
Real talk for a second.
How many of ya'll have a job that demands only 40 hours a week, offers decent benefits, didn't make you go broke in college debt to earn, generates enough money for a comfortable living, and doesn't stress you out to the max?
If you are one of these Americans, you are a goddamn Unicorn, sir. The rest of us salute you.
There's nothing wrong with hard work, but there is a problem with it if it doesn't result in success and financial stability. For years, a family of four could live comfortably with a single income and a 40-hour work week. In recent decades, that standard of living has become unachievable for most. Now, both parents have to work their butts off just to barely make ends meet.
And, according to this article, half of them aren't even making ends meet.
You guuuuuuuuuuuuys! It's here! It's finally here! I've been preparing my whole life for this moment!
No, I'm not going into labor. No, it's not my wedding day or the day I lose my virginity or the day I meet my long-lost birth parents or the day I try bubble tea (gross… never gonna happen).
No, the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, came out and I'm beyond pumped!
Ok, that's a lie. The trailer for the biopic movie about the legendary band, Queen, just came out. But in my defense, I've been waiting for this movie since rumors of its existence surfaced in 2013, so I'll take what I can get.
If you don't know who Queen is, you are wrong. EVERYONE knows who Queen is, even if you don't know you know them. Seriously, just YouTube Queen and you are bound to recognize at least one of their songs. They are a band of Gods and as soon as you recognize this, the better off you are.
Originally, Sacha Baron Cohen was offered the part of Freddie Mercury which sounded like a perfect fit. Both the actor and the musician are poetically crazy, flamboyant, and kind of look the same. However, a difference in "creative direction" resulted in Sacha Baron Cohen leaving the cast.
(And by "creative difference" I'm sure what Cohen meant was he was being a hardheaded doucher.) Blaming creative differences as the reason you didn't do a movie is much like citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason you got divorced. Let's be honest – it's because one or both of you were being a pain in the ass.
It was eventually decided that actor Rami Malek would be the new "King of all Queens" and, based on the trailer, it would appear to be a perfect match.
Watch the movie teaser here. Then, get really sad that you have to wait until November to actually watch it.
Trigger Warning
Call it what you wish, but it's hard to argue we're living in a sensitive society where anyone at any moment can be "triggered" or "offended." And this comedian has had enough.
Watch the clip here


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If you run long-running print jobs or use expensive filament, having a print failure caused by filament feeding problems can be a very frustrating and expensive experience!
I've certainly had my fair share of print jobs that turned into air prints when I under-estimated the amount of remaining filament on the spool!
Aaron Tunell developed a filament monitor that detects feeding problems and puts the printer into P-stop (Pause) before the job is lost from air printing!
We have a limited supply of his monitor available on our site. Please see the product detail page for more information.


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In 206 bc Liu Bang, a minor Qin official who had mobilized forces against the government, proclaimed himself king of Han, one of the states within the Qin empire. Four years later, after he had defeated his chief rivals, he took the title emperor. The Han dynasty that he founded is normally divided into two periods: the Western Han dynasty and the Eastern Han dynasty. The Western Han (also called the Former Han) is so named because the capital was to the west at Chang'an (modern Xi'an). During the Eastern Han (also called the Later Han), the capital was to the east at Luoyang. The Western Han lasted from 206 bc to ad 9, and the Eastern Han from ad 25 to 220 (a brief interregnum occurred between the two periods).
Liu Bang, better known in history as Emperor Gaozu (Kao-tsu), did not disband the centralized government created by Qin, but rather concentrated on making it less burdensome.
The Han rescinded harsh laws, sharply reduced taxes, and allowed merchants to operate without government interference in an effort to promote economic recovery. Gaozu experimented with granting large and nearly autonomous vassal states to his relatives, but he came to see dispersed power as a threat to his rule, and by the middle of the 2nd century bc most of these states had been eliminated. Under the Qin, one of the aims of Legalism had been direct rule by the emperor of all subjects of the empire. The Han government retained this policy in its tax and labor service obligations, which were imposed directly on each subject according to age, sex, and rank, instead of on families or communities. The most significant difference between the Han government and the previous Qin administration was in the choice of men to staff government offices.
Around the 1st century bc, Wudi, the most activist of the Han emperors, decreed that officials should be selected on the basis of Confucian virtues, which gave Confucian scholars a privileged position in society. Wudi established a national university to train officials in the Confucian classics. Wealthy and prominent men began to compete for recognition of their Confucian learning and character so that they could gain access to office. Credit for the political success of Confucianism belongs in large part to thinkers like Dong Zhongshu (179-104 bc), who developed Confucianism in ways that legitimized the new imperial state and elevated the role of the emperor. Dong joined Confucian ideas of human virtue and social order to notions of the workings of the cosmos in terms of yin and yang and the five agents (wood, metal, fire, water, and earth). He argued that the ruler occupies a unique position because he can link the realms of Heaven, earth, and human beings through his actions. Another important intellectual accomplishment of the Han dynasty was the development of historical writing.
Sima Qian (l45?-90? bc) wrote a comprehensive history of China from the time of the Yellow Lord to his own day, dividing his account into chronological chapters that included discussions of political events, biographies of key individuals, and treatises on such subjects as geography, taxation, and court rituals. During the Eastern Han dynasty, the historian Ban Gu followed a similar model in his account of the Western Han dynasty. From then on, new dynasties regularly had the histories of the preceding dynasty compiled, following the standards established by these two pioneers.
At the same time that the Qin and then Han governments were consolidating their power, the nomadic Xiongnu tribes in the arid steppe region north of China was growing stronger and posing a threat. Defending against the raids of non-Chinese tribes had been a problem since Shang times, but with the rise of nomadism, the problem became much more severe. These nomads were skilled horsemen and hunters, and their ability to shoot arrows while riding horseback made them a potent striking force. When the Xiongnu formed a huge confederation in the late 3rd century bc, northern China needed a strong government to oppose them. The Xiongnu were capable of sending tens of thousands of horsemen into northern China to raid towns and then withdrawing before Chinese armies could be organized to oppose them. The early Han rulers tried conciliatory policies, but after Wudi came to power he took the offensive, sending several expeditions of 100,000 to 300,000 troops into Xiongnu territory.
These campaigns were enormously expensive, requiring long supply lines, and rarely led to direct engagement with the Xiongnu, who were able to evade the Han troops easily. Nevertheless, the Han gained territory in the northwest, and more than a million people were sent to colonize the region. To search for allies, Wudi sent the explorer-diplomat Zhang Qian far into Central Asia, where he learned of the countries of central and western Asia, including the Roman Empire. He also discovered that these regions were already importing Chinese products, particularly silk, from merchants who traded along overland routes across Asia. A single item might change hands many times before arriving at its final destination in western Asia or southern Europe. Eventually, the overland trade route between the capitals of Rome and Chang'an became known as the Silk Road.
To generate revenue to pay for his military campaigns, Wudi manipulated coinage, confiscated the lands of nobles, sold offices and titles, and increased taxes. He established government monopolies in the production of iron, salt, and liquor—enterprises that previously had been sources of great profit for private entrepreneurs. The government also took over large-scale grain dealing. Confucian scholars questioned the morality of these economic policies. They thought that farming was an essential activity, while trade and crafts produced little of real value and should be discouraged. The government, they argued, was teaching people mercantile "tricks" by setting itself up in commerce. Despite their complaints, the Chinese economy seems to have grown rapidly in Han times. By ad 2, the population had reached 58 million. Trade and industry flourished, cities grew, and Chang'an and Luoyang became important cultural centers attracting the best writers and scholars from all over China. During the last decades of the Western Han, a series of child emperors occupied the throne. Regents, generally from the families of the emperors' mothers, ruled in their place.
One of these regents, Wang Mang, deposed an infant emperor in ad 9 and declared himself emperor of the Xin dynasty. Although condemned as a usurper, Wang Mang was a learned Confucian scholar who wished to implement policies described in the Confucian classics. He renamed offices, asserted state ownership of forests and swamps, built ritual halls, revived public granaries, outlawed slavery, limited land holdings, and reduced court expenses. Some of his policies, such as issuing new coins and nationalizing gold, led to economic turmoil. Matters were made worse when the Huang He breached its dikes and shifted course from north to south, flooding huge regions and driving millions of peasants from their homes. Rebellion broke out, and when Wang Mang was killed by rebels in ad 23, a member of the Han imperial clan reestablished the Han dynasty.
In the 2nd century ad maternal relatives of the emperors again came to dominate the court. Emperors turned to palace eunuchs (castrated men who served as palace servants) for help in ousting the maternal relatives, only to find that the eunuchs were just as difficult to control. In 166 and 169, scholars who had denounced the eunuchs were arrested, killed, or banished from the capital and from official life. In 184 a Daoist sect rose in revolt. The imperial generals sent to suppress the rebels soon took to fighting amongst themselves. In 189, one general slaughtered 2,000 eunuchs in the palace and took the Han emperor captive. Fighting continued for two decades until a stalemate was reached between three warlords, each controlling a distinct territory—one in the north, one in the southeast, and one in the southwest. "China" © Emmanuel BUCHOT, Encarta, Wikipedia.
Photos of European countries to visit
Czech Republic
Hungary Pictures
Spain photos
Scotland Photos
Photos England
Photos of Asian countries to visit
India photos
Hong Kong
South Korea
Photos of Japon
Photos of Thailand
Photos of Taiwan
Photos of America


text: Scenes from a Walk in the Cotswolds by Sheila Campbell | Aug 3, 2010Barbara and I are spending a week walking from village to village in the Cotswolds. We've been so busy that I haven't had time to write, but we have been snapping photos. So here's what we've been looking at.


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Case Design Remodeling co-chairman Mark Richardson recently joined Professional Remodeler and Professional Builder magazines as a columnist. Richardson takes a moment to describe the partnership and a vision for the residential construction industry.
CB Winter 2017
The SmartControl rainshower system from Grohe allows the user to control and set all shower settings with a push-and-turn button.
The Classic series of 36-inch single oven professional ranges from Verona now comes in a light blue color.
Dexwood offers the realistic texture and look of natural wood.
Lift and Slide door systems from Sierra Pacific Windows create large openings up to 10 feet high and 23 feet wide for unencumbered views.
Galassia's vintage-inspired Reversible Farmer Sink measures 30 by 18 inches with a 10-inch depth and has a counter-flush front apron that makes it easy for users to reach into the basin.
Designed with a 4½-inch frame depth, both window styles can be directly mulled to most other Western Window Systems' product lines, such as hinged or sliding doors.
The fixture comes in a choice of White, Black, Gray, Bronze, or custom colors.
Single-handle and vessel faucets in the Zura bath collection from Delta Faucet feature Touch2O.xt technology.
See how two builders and an architect executed their visions for wine rooms, a basement spa, and a children's bunk/craft room with access hidden behind a swing-away bookcase.
Thinking like a buyer, positioning your company as a trusted advisor, and setting boundaries are ways to improve selling skills and protect your profit
The road to becoming a successful green builder starts with planning
A louver solution for this seaside home provided privacy and natural ventilation.
A Wichita family builder beats succession-planning odds and channels the signature modern style in the Midwest for a new generation.
Three Platinum winners from the 2016 Best in American Living Awards show how custom is done
Cabinetry alone can send a budget spiraling out of control. Make sure clients understand their options and what they cost.


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Hi all
looking for some advice on choosing an ISP please.
Currently with Titan adsl and Im getting around 1.9 mb speed happy with the service but want cost cut . Currently £22 a month , I have to add I'm approx 3 miles from the exchange.
Just discovered through Sam Knows that the exchange has Talk Talk LLU and Sky/easynet LLU . should I consider either of these ? whats the deal with contention with these ISP's . Previously was with Virgin and come 4 oclock and everything would grind to an unbearable crawl.
Spoke to Plusnet rep via chat and they said this would be inevitable, could Plusnet be a choice? . I dont have this problem with Titan.
Any advice is much appreciated


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Board Meetings
The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust is governed by a 27-member Board of Trustees, which includes representation from the city and business community, elected officials, formerly homeless persons, religious leaders and homeless advocates.
The Homeless Trust Board meets monthly and special meetings are called as needed.
The Trust Board has the following committees that also meet regularly or as may be required:
The Executive Committee
Services Development Committee
Housing Development Committee
The City of Miami Subcommittee
Finance and Audit Committee
Continuum of Care Subcommittee
Homeless Management Information System Users Group
Miami-Dade County Homeless Plan: Priority Home
The Miami-Dade County Community Homeless Plan provides a framework for our community to end homelessness. The initiatives and strategies outlined are designed to align with the policies and priorities identified by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Annual Continuum of Care Subcommittee
(Posted 2/15/2018) The CoC Subcommittee meetings will begin on 2/16/18 at 1 p.m. in conference room 18-2 on the 18th floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1 ST., Miami, FL 33128. Future meetings and changes to the agenda will be advertised via mass email. To get on our mass email distribution list, please send your contact information to firstname.lastname@example.com.
The committee will:
- perform an annual gaps and needs analysis using system performance data,
- review the coordinated entry processes,
- review the homeless plan,
- review the CoC Scoring, Ranking and Reallocation process
- discuss disaster preparedness planning
Here are the draft meeting materials, which will be updated once reviewed by the CoC Subcommittee and adopted by the CoC's Services Development Committee.
The Homeless Trust would like to extend a 30-day Comment Period to providers and stakeholders who wish to comment on the draft procedures and handouts. If you wish to track your edits on the documents email email@example.com to receive a copy of the documents in Word. Please send your comments in writing to Manny Sarria at email@example.com by 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 16, 2018.
Calendar of Events
You are now leaving the official website of Miami-Dade County government. Please be aware that when you exit this site, you are no longer protected by our privacy or security policies. Miami-Dade County is not responsible for the content provided on linked sites. The provision of links to these external sites does not constitute an endorsement.
Please click 'OK' to be sent to the new site, or Click 'Cancel' to go back.


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Call Us: 800-810-4692
American Apparel is one of the only wholesale American made companies in the United States. Started in California, American Apparel has grown into a huge national brand that services customers both at the retail and wholesale levels. Broken Arrow is an official authorized wholesale American Apparel provider and can provide customized American Apparel products at wholesale prices. Custom t-shirts American Apparel shirts are one of the trendiest items on the market today. Made in the USA, you can feel good about your American Apparel purchase for more reason than one. Whether you are looking for t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, pants, or something else, Broken Arrow is your number one source for American Apparel screen printing. American Apparel custom shirts are a great option if you are wanting made in Made in America products and apparel. American Apparel custom shirts are produced right here in the United States, so you can be assured that your custom printed or embroidered apparel is made with quality and standards found in the United States.
Custom American Apparel shirts come in more than just tees. You can get American Apparel custom tanks and American Apparel custom sweats. Some their most popular items include the American Apparel 2001 100% Cotton T-Shirts, the American Apparel TR401 Tri Blend Short Sleeve T-Shirt and the American Apparel F497 California Fleece Zip Hoodie. In addition to those popular retail items, we've got American Apparel tanks, hoodies, sweatpants, and more. You can view the entire line of our American Apparel products directly at American Apparel.net. Any of the products found on American Apparel wholesale can be purchased and printed on for your custom American Apparel shirts.
Choose from tons of great decorating options for your American Apparel custom shirts! Broken Arrow offers customized screen printing, embroidery, digital printing, all over printing, and even rhinestones! Broken Arrow offers a wide arrange of printing techniques to provide you with the high quality custom printed American Apparel you need! Whether you are looking for custom printed apparel for a special event, team, club, or for resale, Broken Arrow has what you need! Be sure to check out our huge selection for specialty inks to make your American Apparel custom shirts really stand out from the crowd. Get options like foil, glitter, high density and more. Your shirts will look amazing with glow in the dark ink! Or, add some sparkle and shine with silver shimmer! Not sure what to pick? Order our sample pack and get samples of all of our specialty inks!
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Refundable Tax Credit System Proposed in Ireland
July 6, 2010 Taxation in Ireland
A proposal has been raised in Ireland to introduce a system of refundable tax credits, whereby an estimated 113,000 low income earners would be entitled to receive extra tax refund payments.
On July 6th the Green Party of Ireland released a statement supporting a Refundable Tax Credit (RTC) system. The RTC was proposed by Social Justice Ireland (SJI) in their report Building a Fairer Tax System: The Working Poor and the Cost of Refundable Tax Credits, released the previous day. The SJI, an independent political group concerned with social policy justice in Ireland, claimed that RTCs would be a cost-efficient fiscal policy to improve the economic situation of over 240,000 Irish nationals, after accounting for the children and dependants of low-income workers.
Currently, taxpayers in Ireland are allocated a tax credit on their income, which is not liable to be levied with personal tax rates. Typically, the credit is used to offset annual tax liabilities. The tax credit amount is calculated for individuals based on eligibility to several Government allowances and reliefs. Under the RTC proposal, earners with incomes too low to fully utilize their entire tax credit will be given a cash refund on the residual amount. According to the SJI, the RTC system is necessary to improve the overall fairness of the Irish tax system by extending the fiscal benefits of employment over receiving state welfare, and also allowing low-income earners to benefit from possible future tax credit increases.
The Irish Government has previously considered instating a RTC system, but dismissed its benefits after calculating a EUR 3 billion cost for implementing the concept. However, the SJI report disputes the figure, claiming that the total annual expense to the Government is unlikely to exceed EUR 140 million. Political analysts have commented on the discrepancy, saying that it might lead to the Government being obliged to once again consider the Refundable Tax Credit System under renewed political pressure.
Photo by jmenard48