Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-08-05
COSTA RIGA.
A Brief Description of the Capital Of the
Republic.

A Brief Description of the Capital Of the
Republic.
There is a little Protestant chapel
here supported by the English and
American residents, the only place Of
worship the Commission has seen in
Central or South America not under
the control of the Roman Church. It
receives no aid from any foreign mis-
sionary society, but is entirely SELF
supporting, having about sixty mem
bers of the congregation, half as many
communicates and about twenty-five
children in the Sunday school. This
chapel has been established nearlY
twenty years, but has had an ordained
minister but little of that time, the lay
members conducting the service after
the Episcopal formula, and reading
sermons. Last Sabbath we heard an
excellent sermon from Rev. Phillips
Brooks, of Boston, on the text, ''I
am the light of the world,' and the
Sabbath before Mr.. Spurgeon preached
for us.
There was pastor here year ago,
and remained some time, but he was q
straggler, and the people knew little of
him, and did not like him much. He
was Salvation Army sort of fellow,
and introduced some antics into the
service and the Sunday school which
caused his dismissal. There are repre-
sentatives of five different denomina-
tions in this little gathering: Church Of
England, Protestant Episcopalians,
Presby yterians. Methodists and Baptists,
II
prefer to read printed sermons to each
other than have such a preacher as their
limited means would secure them. Occa-
sionally some wandering clerical tour.
ist comes here. and oftener a chaplain
from a man-of-war, when babies are
baptized. marriages are celebrated, and
the communion service performed.
But / started to tell about the capital
of Costa Rica. 1t is like all Spanish
American cities, the houses all being
built upon the same plan, four square.
dead walls. with windowless rooms
opening upon a central square or,
''patie," in which there is usually a
fountain and few beautiful flowers.
But, speaking of flowers, nowhere have
we found such variety and such luxuri-
ance. One would think there could
not be so many, SO beautiful and SO
fragrant. All the rare plants whose
stunted limbs struggle for life in the
northern lighthouses and botanical gar,
dens, are here in native glory and pro-
fuseness. Tuberoses are as common as
currant bushes in New England gar.
den, camelias are as common as roses
and the jassamine, both yellow and
white, grows as plentifully as the
dandelion of our northern pastures.
The orchid, which is regarded as the
rarest of tropical plants, cfings to
every tree, and the great scarlet pas
sion flower mods from the hedges. The
''Espiritu Santos lily (the lily of the
Holy Gbost), so called from its resem-
blance to white dove, is found in the
swamps and jungles, and is, [ think,
the love1iest flower we have SEEN.
There is another, not so beautiful but
more remarkable, called the "turnsol'
(turned by the sun) which is always as
white as snow in the morning, but
turns blood red during the day. At
night it bleaches out again, and so
changes color with every passing day.
There is vine, too, in the forests
which Nature in her wisdom has placed
where water is never found, but which.
when cut by a knife, will furnish the
thirsty traveller as pure and sweet q
liquid as ever bathed q throat.
Jose, Costa Rsca, Cor. Chicago Inter
Ocean.