The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-23
The Middle.Class Portuguese.

Mr.. John Latouche, in his "Travels in
Portugal" gives somewhat striking pict-
ure Of the habits of the middle-class
Portuguese, and their method of love-
making:
There is nothing that would strike a
traveller fresh from England, Germany or
France more than the great rarity of real
country houses in Portugal. 1t is entirely
against the genius of the people to live a
country-life The Portuguese is too socia-
BILE to endure to be surrounded only by
woods and fields and mountains. He has
many of our Northern tastes; he likes
field-sports in moderation; he rides, in his
own style, better than any nation in
Europe except ourselves; he has a sincere
delight in country life and country
scenery, but he cannot long support the
utter solitude of the country. A .POrtu-
guese nobleman, if he be rich enough,
lives in Lisbon or Oporto, and if he has a
country-house will visit it for a month or
two in the autumn; even then he will
often rather endure the misery of sea-
side lodging among a crowd than go in
land. The larger of the country towns
have streets full of gentlemens houses;
and here vegetate, from year to year, TAM
lilies who are Just rich enough to live
upon their income without working. To
live, indeed, as the Portuguese do in such
towns, need cost but little. A large
house with plot of cabbages "a kale-yaruD
behind it; with whitewashed walls, floors
uncarpeted, dozen wooden chairs, one or
two dealtablcs; no fireplace, not even a
stove, either in sitting-room or bedroom;
no curtains to the windows, no covers to
the tables; no pictures on the walls, no
mirrors; no table pleasantly strewed with
books, magazines, newspapers and ladies'
work no such thing visible as pot OF
cut flowers no rare china, no clocks, no
bronzes-nonc of the hundred trifles and
curiosities with which, in our houses, we
show our taste, or our want OF it, but
which either way give such an individual
character and charm to our English
homes. All these negatives describe the
utterly dreary habitations of the middle
class Portuguese.
For occupations, the women do needle
work, gossip, go to mass daily, and look
out of window by the hour. Except the
one short walk to church at eight O'Clock
in the morning Portuguese lady hardly
ever appears in the streets. AS for the
men, they lounge about among the shops,
they smoke innumerable paper cigarettes,
they take a siesta in the heat of the day.
If there is sunshine they stand in groups
at the street-corners with umbrellas over
their heads; in winter they wear shawl
over their shoulders, folded and put on
three-corner wise, as French or English
woman's shawl is worn, for this is fash
ion in Portugal, and the Spaniards laugh
good deal at their neighDors on the score
of their being nation who invert the due
order of things, and whose women wear
cloaks and the men shawls. In these
towns there is never any news and if two
men are seen in eager discussion of some
matter of apparently immense importance,
and if one happens to pass near enough to
overhear the subject of conversation, be
sure that one of them is plunged in de-
spair or kindling with enthusiasm at a fall
or rise of halfpenny in the price of a
pound of tobacco. An American gentle
man of my acquaintance told me that he
had never passed two Portuguese in con-
versation without hearing one of two
words spoken, "testao" or "raparigG''-
finance or love.
There are not even fashions for them to
think about; young men and old men
dress alike, but the younger ones wear ex.
ceedingly tight boots, and "when they
take their walks abroad" it is obvious that
they do so in considerable discomfort.
The young men, however, have one occu.
ton more important even than wearing
tight boots, and which almost, in fact
goes with it-that of making the very
mildest form of love known among men
The process, indeed, is carried on in SO
Platonic manner, and with SO much
proper feeling, that I doubt if even the
strictest English governess would find any
thing in it to object to. The young gen
tlemen pay their addresses by simply
standing in front of the house occupied
by the object of their affections, while thu
young person in question looks down ap
provingly from an upper window, and
there the matter ends. They are not with
in speaking distance, and have to conten
themselves with expressive glances ant
dumb show; for it would be though
highly unbecoming for the young lady t.
allow 6SAet-dour to flutter down into tn,
street, while the laws of gravitation stant
in the way of the upper. flight of such
document .unweighted, at least, with /,
stone, and this, of course, might risk Civ
ing the young lady a black eye or break
ing her fathers window-panes. So tn
lovers there remain, often for hours, feel
ing no doubt very happy but looking un
utterably foolish. These silent courtship
sometimes continue for very long period
before the lover can ask the fatal ques
ton or the lady return the answer
/ heard story Of one such protracte,
courtship which an ingenious novels
might easily work into q pretty romance
~