Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-25
Salt Iake aemutrat.
1pAY. SEPTEMBER IS. 1885
LIFE IN HAVANA.
The Social Life and Curious Cus-
toms of the Cubans at Home
ENtrnvagaus ways oS
Doiug Things.

The Cuban matches are away behind
the age. have never succeeded in light
ing one without burning the tips OF my
fingers, and have ,oncluded that their one
fedeeming virtue is the persistency with
which they burn when lig /.
No true-born Cuban will carry his
satchel TO the depot, however small it
may be, or however short the distance.
] hear refined ladies' calculating "Dios
mio!' or "Jesus!" or Ave Maria Puris-
sima !" over the slightest occurrence with
the same innocent nonchalancc with
which have heard the French ladies
say "Mcn Dieu !" and the German ladies
say "Mein Gott." Thi fashion OF maxi
ing common use Of names that are sacred
is demoralizing the world over. The Mos
lem wonders 'if God is going to have it
rain to-day" and even the Bedouin rob-
Der prays that the peace of God may rest
upon you;" and this show of piety has
robbed sacred themes OF all their power
with those people. Tho Catholic church
has gone further in Cuba, and even the
streets, the stores, the people, the ships,
the sugar plantations, are named after
saints or Christian virtues. AS in Can
ton, China, the translated names OF some
OF the streets are high sounding in the
extreme, as for instance that of the street
of Pious Works" Hotels, brick-yards,
iails, regiments and tobacco shops all adj
vertlse themselves under spch titles as
Sacred Heart, Faith, Hope, Charity, Con-
ception, Annunciation, ETC.; while likely
enough the proprietor's first name was
Jesus. Thus the people come to be care
less in the use of hallowed names, al
though a capacity for literal profanity is
aE . 1;tI,,, 10 pf l,n
Spanish language.
Whatever the people do they do ex-
travagantly | have seen young man
with three monster gold rings on one lit
tie finger; and both ladies' and men
plaster their faces with powder till they
look CHASTITY beyond description.
If you look into the sitting room oil Il
well-to-do family you will observe two
long rows OF cane seat rocking-chairs,
placed exactly opposite each other, and
leading usually to a window. The arrange
ment has an aspect of stiffness which you
will at once feel; hut this aspect OF
stiffness is sensibly emphasized when you
learn that it is an inflexible Cuban rule
for the ladies to sit in one row and the
gentlemen in the other. There is no
twilight IN Cuba. The sun drops redly
ont OF sight in the gulf, and.-it is dark.
The day has no aftermath; the stars
hurry to supply the place of the departed
orb, and away to the south-the south
ern cross augments their industrious
twinkling.
One would think Havana harbor would
be full OF excursion steamers, but | have
never been able to find one. The Havan-
ese have not yet discovered this popu-
| lar American variety OF amusement.
Nature is very kind to the lower ami
mails in these ATTITUDES. The hair OF the
pig comes out, leaving him sleek and
shining, while the wool Of the sheep UNI
! dergoes Il change OF texture. But nature
does not single out the Cuban hen for
such favors. On the contrary, the feath-
ers of the hen remain as numerous as
anywhere else, and in view OF the fact
that there is no cold weather, the hen is
delnded into laying all the year round,
her product being such diminntivc eggs
az you may see ut any bode N town,
/ 1t is customary 20 keep the volante and
the family horses in an apartment in the
house.
You will have no difficulty, ii you are
out bright and early any morning, in see
ing the Cuban milkman about supplying
| his round of patrons. He drives his milch
/ kline before him from house to house, and
directs tie Tactical stream into such dish
as the family may provide, right in the
| presence Of the nousemaid. Thus the cit
liens are assured of an undiluted liquid
though sometimes fancy ! would prefer
to have the product of those emiciuted,
bruised Cuban COWS diluted-and that
very sensibly. have seen the same sys
| tenn in other countries, notably with
goats instead OF cows in the cities o.
Athens and Cairo.
Gambling is rs popular here AZ in New
Orleans, and guess more 30, although
have not entered any dens analogous tc
those of the Rue Royale as yet. Monte
is the only game prohibited by law.
! Tho street cries are extraordinary
though not to be compared with those Of
Japan. You will not hear them ut all
perhaps, at ono OF the swell hotels, any
more than those OF Yokohama in one o.
the foreign hostelries there. But once
get into real Havana, and you will fancy
a riot must be brewing You hurry down
stairs expecting to witness some shocking
atrocity, but find that it is only the mar
with fruit, onions, or eggs for sale, com
placently notifying his customers OF hi,
readiness to serve them. Sometimes hi
is on foot loaded down, and again he Is
accompanied by shambling old crate o
horse who bears the burdens while hi
master does the bawling.
Akin to this is the method of signalling
by shrill hiss--so common in Paris
The newsboy block away, the cabmar
on tho other side of the street, the waiter
at the other end of the cafe, are all sum
moned by the everlasting "Ps-t!" And
strange to say, there is n penetrating
quality in the signal whereby it may b,
heard above all the rattle and roar OF thu
street traffic, and at times when an ordi
nary "Halloa" would be impotent.
| cannot educate myself out OF noticing
small things, and must therefore comics
that it always makes me mad to see tn
natives wear the heel OF their shoes flat
tened under the heel OF the foot after tn
heathenish fashion of the Turks an
Arabs.
OF course there is perfect passion 10
military display.
And yet have not witnessed q drill o.
parade that was equal to the averag
amateur torch-light procession in Amer
} can political campaigns. The bayonet
point everywhere and nowhere in partic
MAR, and the dangling arms suggest me
tions such as Florida tree-moss nigh
be supposed to make when agtated by
shifting cyclone. The Lubans pay nearl
! twenty-five millions Il year To. keep II
) ) this empty show.
! | believe il il in bad taste in the State
= for II person to say "Miss" in the case ,
= =, ,nnrrial lolu aSanprituh NAV l.