On an afternoon in August, 1893, I stood in the Augustine Church, in Old Manila, to witness the funeral service of the Padre Provincial of the Augustines.

It was the first occasion for one hundred and twenty-three years that the Provincial of the Order had died while in the actual exercise of his office, and it was known that the ceremony would be one of the most imposing ever seen in the Islands.

The fine old church, built by the son of the architect of the Escorial--the only building in Manila left standing by the earthquake of 1645--was crowded with mourners, and almost every notability of the province was said to be present.

During the service two young Spaniards, students from the University close by, pushed their way in beside me.

Wishing to learn who were the more distinguished of the mourners, I asked the students to kindly point out to me the Governor-General (Blanco), and other prominent officials, and they did so with agreeable courtesy.