Unofficial letters of an official's wife [by] Edith Moses.

AN OFFICIAL'S WIFE

we came in sight of Taal. At a turn in the road
we suddenly saw the bluest sea you can imagine,
and looked down on the white walls and red-tiled
roofs of picturesque houses shining against the sky
and sea. It reminded me of Sicily. There were
the tall palms and cocoanut trees of the tropics, but
the general effect was Italian. Taal was once a
town of much importance and wealth, and it was
also celebrated for the culture of its inhabitants.
The city had been terraced, and we saw the ruined
remains of many handsome dwelling houses. A
number that had escaped being burned were in good
repair, and were more pretentious architecturally
than any others I have seen in the Islands. They
had Gothic windows and handsomely carved archways and faqades.
The church of San Martin is, however, the chief
glory of Taal. It is an immense fortresslike pile,
larger than the Manila Cathedral, and far more imposing. Its fa<ade is grim and gloomy, built of a
dark-brown stone in several stories. The interior is
plain, with barrel-arched nave and vaulted aisles.
The pilasters of the nave are ornamented with
Corinthian capitals, but in the aisles the pillars are
surmounted by a plain stone cap. The walls are
decorated in gray fresco, and the effect is cold. The
situation of the church is fine. It stands on high
ground, and dominates the town. Taal must have
been one of the finest cities of the Philippines. Even
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