History of Philippine press / Carson Taylor.

18

History of the Philippine Press

The first four lines read as follows:
"Mucho se ha hablado del Indio
"Pero en suma 6 en sustancia
"Bien se puede asegurar
"Que aun no ha dicho nada."
Translated:
"Much have they talked of the Indian
"But in sum and substance
"It may be safely asserted
"That as yet they have said nothing."
The last four lines read:
"Os dire en suma, que el Indio
"Es una cosa tan rara
"Especial y incomprehensible
"Que no se parece a nada."
Translated:
"I may say to sum up, that the Indian
"Is a thing so rare
"Extraordinary and incomprehensible
"That he resembles nothing."
It is interesting to note Retana's comment on the artists who contributed to Manila's first illustrated paper, as
follows:
"The artists were Baltasar Giraudier and D. C. W.
Andrews, both fairly acceptable, although optomists in the
extreme, especially the latter who always exaggerated and
falsified the truth in an effort to picture the beauty of
the 'Indios' and particularly of the 'indias' (native women)
to all of whom he gave beautiful forms."
With the passing of Ilustracion Filipina, the field was
again left to the Boletin Oficial de Filipinas until 1860,
when the Diario de Manila was established. This reduced
the Boletin Oficial to what its name implied. In 1861 the
name was changed to Gaceta de Manila. Certain officials
were required by law to subscribe to this official publication. Also government advertising, official orders, court
decisions, etc., were required by law to be published in
the Gaceta de Manila. It ceased publication August 8,
1898, five days before the Americans occupied the city. A
similar publication is now issued by the insular government under the title of Official Gazette.
The Diario de Manila became the greatest paper published during Spanish times and with one exception enjoyed the longest life of any Philippine daily established up to
this time. From 1860 to 1898-38 years. About 1895 it
developed a telegraph service from Europe that cost as