Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-25
FRIDAY,
LIFE IN HAVANA.
The Social Life and Curious Gus.
toms Of the Cubans at Home
Extravagant Ways OF
Doing Things.

Exfravagant Ways OF
Doing 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 concluded that their one
redeeming virtue is the persistency with
which they burn when lighted.
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
milo! I" Or "Jesusl" OR cave Maria Puris-
SINAI" over the slightest occurrence with
the same innocent nonchalance with
which l have heard the French ladies
say "Mon Dieu ~ and the German ladies
say "Mein Gott!" This fashion of max
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. The 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, jrick-yards,
jails, regiments and tobacco shops all adj
vertlse themselves under snch titles as
Sacred Heart, Faith, Hope, Charity Coz
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 capacity for literal profanity is
not one of the accomplishments of the
Spanish language.
Whatever the people do they do ex-
travagantly. I 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 OF q
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 inhexible 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 soutll-the south
IND,
twinkling
One would think Havana harbor would
be full OF excursion steamers, but | have
never been able to find one. The Havan-
csc 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 a change OF texture. But nature
does not single out the Cuban hen for
such favors On the contrary, the feath-
ers of the men remain as numerous as
anywhere else, and in view of the fact
that there is no cold weather, the hen is
deluded into laying all the year round,
her product being such diminutive eggs
as you may see at any bodega in town,
1t is customary to keep the volante and
the family horses in an apartment in the
house.
You will have no difficulty, if you are
out bright and early any morning, in see
ing the Cuban milkman about supplying
his round of patrons. He drives his mich
kline before him from house to house, and
directs the tactical stream into such dish
as the family may provide, right in the
presence of the housemaid. Thus the cit
liens are assured of an undiluted liquid,
though 1 sometimes fancy would prefer
to have the product OF those emiciated,
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 OF
Athens and Cairo.
Gambling is as popular here as in New
Orleans, and I guess more SO, although L
have not entered any dens analogous to
those of the Rue Royale as yet. Monte
is the only game prohibited by law:
The street cries are extraordinary,
though not to be compared with those OF
japan. You will not hear them at all !,
! perhaps, at one Of the swell hotels. any
more than those of Yokohama in one Oh
the foreign hostelries there. But once
get into real Havana, and you will fancy
q riot must be brewing. You hurry down
stairs expecting to witness some shocking
atrocity, but find that it is only the man
| with fruit, onions, or eggs for sale, COM
placently notifying his customers OF his
readiness to serve them. Sometimes he
is on foot loaded down, and again he is
accompanied by shambling old crate OF
horse who bears the burdens While his
master does the bawling.
Akin to this is the method of signalling
| bv shrill hiss-so common In Paris.
| The newsboy block away, the cabman
on the other side of the street, the waiter
at the other end of the cafe, are all sum-
moned bv the everlasting "Ps-t" And,
strange to say, there is a penetrating
ouality in the signal whereby it may be
( heard above all the rattle and roar OF the
street traffic, and at times when an ordl'
nary "Hallna!'' would be impotent.
T cannot educate myself out of noticing
small things. and must therefore confess
that it always makes me mad to see the
natives wear the heel of their shoes nat
tened under the heel of the foot after the
heathenish fashion of the Turks ane
Arabs.
OF course there is a perfect passion to-
military display. -,
And vet have not witnessed drill or
parade that was equal to the average
amateur torch-light procession in Amer
can political campaigns. The bayonet'
point everywhere and nowhere in partlc
nlar and the dangling arms suggest mo
tions such as Florida tree-moss mgh
he supposed to make when agitated by
shifting cyclone. The Subans pay near RI