A Young Ward of the Philippines
A young Filipino boy, orphaned and brought to Seattle by a veteran, finds a new life in the home of a local merchant.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A bright young Filipino boy was brought back from Manila by one of the Washington volunteers. He is now being educated and tenderly reared in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Redelsheimer, a well-known Seattle clothier. As are most of the native Filipinos, this boy shows distinct traces of being an offspring of that race of people known in the United States as Negroes. At school he is exceedingly apt in books and studies, and at home a prince of manliness. His foster parents are much devoted to him and propose to give him a polished education. Should he decide to return to his native land he will be a splendid subject to do missionary work among the natives for Uncle Sam. Lucas has no parents to his knowledge and being but a street waif at home, explains why he came away with the soldiers. It is lucky for the young fellow that he fell in such excellent hands as Mr. and Mrs. Redelsheimer. He speaks English rather poorly as yet, Spanish being his native language. That he might not be weaned completely from his home memories, Mr. Redelsheimer sends him to a Catholic school.
“At school he is exceedingly apt in books and studies, and at home a prince of manliness.”
This article highlights the immediate, personal aftermath of the Philippine-American War in Seattle, framing the boy's adoption through the era's complex and often reductive racial lens. It captures a moment when Seattle became a hub for the Pacific-facing imperial ambitions of the turn of the century.
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