The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-11
POOR PARAGUAY.
I4ER SIX YEARS FIGHT AGAINST
THREE COMBINED NATIONS
The Entire Country Practically DcstroTca
and Dens pulated- Present ProSpeT'ty
and Hopeful Outlook for the Tu-
People and Custom.
IAnlerican cor. Inter Ocean. J

tho people ui that empire re- entei the Oh
structoh their commerce. Argentine aui
Uruguay had grievances also, and IN 1865
the three great natl. NJ representing about
half the population Of South America, called
the tyrant Lopez to account. He only
scoffed a. hem, AMI defied taeir interfer-
eHce. Tuea Logan war WhicI Eai no par
ailel n history Fer xix long years the little
state z raguay hell at bay the three com
linet nations whose territory surrounded it.
Sixty thousand infantry ID 000 cavalry,
5000 arLill ~, and naval feet, Furnished
with al hs modern implements OF war, pos
sl>sin krupp guns and repeating riffs and
sustained by the wealth OF the allie power,
were deiisd and resisted by the uaorganZed,
Unarmsd, aud ignorant par-Aguayans,
whose only motive was the defence Of q
ruler that enslaveI and tortured them.
HOW THEY FOUGHT.
They fought with clubs AM axes, when
their ammunition gave out, and when the
ranks OF men were mown down the women
took heir places, and fought like wild
beasts defending their young And the war
did not end until the population OF Paraguay
vol nigh exterminated, the country
laid waste, and the tyFant Lopez driven like
n wolf to the mountains, where lie was
finally kiiIe in a cave in which he sought
refuge Never did leader receive such
loyal support. and never did one deserve it
les.
TIE war cost Brazil, Argentine and Uru-
quay $3.50 600, coo and 10000 lives, while
it st Paraguay every thing. There were
scarcely en- ugh survivors to bury the dead.
Tho entire country was practically de-
str vel AMI depopulated. An enumera-
tiou made OF her subjects in 1861,
by Lopez IL, shovel the popula
ton Of Paraguay to be 1881, 429
In 1874, after the close of the war, a census
IL two tod ff,-+ {1,g,
number had been reduced to 22I, 010 souls
Of whom only 2S, 00J We're men, AMI 1876 010
women over ID years of age, and So 00)
children. the womens dispr3porJion OF the
seNes, as well as the vast decrease Of popula-
ton. showing the disastrous results Of the
war.
THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT.
A liberal government was established il
Paraguay, aud during tho last ten years
the country has had "a "boonl' similar to
that of our western territories tde popula-
ton in 1879 having been shown to be 543-
900, an increase Of l27, O0O in five years a
great portion of thu immigration has come
from Argentine and Brazil, but the last
census showed the presence OF , 0)0 Italians
400 Pertains, and 40 English families
There ara said to be but three citiZ3us of
the United States in Paraguay, one white
man, who kapps q drug store store AMI
BlaCbIcaS lll5uiClitS an Two Ss5t9575 LCLA
of whom are sal to be lugitiv5s from ju
tice.
Tho people are quiet, submissive and
Industrious race, being mixture OF Span
ISL blood an that of the Guarani Inlian5
who were the aboriginal settlers OF the
country Thoir knsmen across tho Para
quay river in the Argentine Republic are
a nomllic, saving tribe but 5hs tyranny OF
Lopez father an son, took the spirit out of
u, II
lomasticatel, living in bamboo huts, Guilt
waiting The soil ami raising cat5la, There is
said to Le less crmo in Paraguay than in
any other of tae South American countries,
and in 1885 there were but rs criminal
trials in the entire republic, twenty one of
tho defendants being foreigners.
LEARNING RAPIDLY.
But for the tyranny of its rulers in past
years Paraguay might have been an
arcadia. for the simple habits, the few
wants, anu the peaceablo disposition of the
people mad them contentel AM well dis
posed toward each other. As nature has
provided for all their wants they have no
great inc ,ntive to labor, AMI the enter
prise ami thrift of the country is generally
found among the foreigners, from whom
the people are, however, learning rapidly
the ways OF the world and the yaus Of
money.
The men an women are of small stature,
and the latter are usually very pretty when
young, but loss their beauty of feature and
figure after maternity They are innocent
and childish III their amusement', are ford
cf dancing ami singing, AMI have native
dance that are graceful AMI native song
that arc as melodious as the music of the
blacks in the south of the United States
Travellers fnI marked similarity between
the Paraguayaus relieved from the des-
potism of Lopez and the emancipated
negroes OF North America, except that tho
race here is a IN xturs Of Indian and
Caucasian.
CUSTOMS AND COSTUMES.
Soma of their native ceremonies are pc.
culiar and beautiful. When a couple are
married in Paraguay thu bridal bel Is al
ways covered with flowers, AMI each neigh
boz contributes something toward giving
them an outfr, even il it is nothing but a
wooden spoon or a gourI cup. Their funerals
are conducted after the ordinary formula OF
the Roman Catholic church, but it is Gus
tomary to hold a sort of wake over the
dead, as in IRELAND.
Their costume is simple, and would not be
considered quite mole ( In moro civilized
countries, as the women wear nothing bat
Iuu-necked and sleeveless caemi g, with q
short cotton skirt, and the men a shirt and
trousers of thin cotton They all 50 bare
l2Jta the year around. but wear hroat-
DTimmel hats of their own manufacture
similar t. what are known rs Pauam1s.
The women are very skiilfai in the manu-
IGctIre OF lace which it is said origi-
ually taught them by the Spanish MUS.
They do not use thread, but the very tia
Ulcers OK native tree which are as soft aai
lEa5io and lastrous as silk. Some Of taeir
designs are very beautiful, and the i2ce Is
almost inle ,tructible