New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-07-22
LIFE IN HAVANA.
The Social Life ana Curious Customs OF
the Cubans at Home-ExtravagantW Ways
of Doing Things

A0e 0OC1a4 Lille ana Suf1ouS CUSTOMS V1
the Cubans at Home Ways
Of Doing Things
From a Havana Letter in the New Haven
CcErier.
The Cuban matches are way behind
the age. I have never yet succeeded in
lighting one without burning the tips of
my fingers, and have concluded that
their one redeeming virtue is the per-
sistency with which they burn when
once lighted.
No true born Cuban will carry his
satchel to the depot, however small it
may be. or however short the distance.
I hear refined ladies calculating "Dios
miot" or "Jesus!" or Ave Maria Puris'
sinai" over the slightest occurrence
with the same innocent nonchalance
with which I have heard the French
ladies say "Mon Dieu" and the German
ladies say "Mein Gott?" This fashion
of making comm on use Of names that are
sacred is demoralizing the world over
The Moslem wonders "if God is go
ing to have 1t rain to-day" and even
the Bedouin robber prays that "the
peace of God may rest upon you;, =
and this show of piety has robbed
sacred themes af 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 i" street of Pious Works" Hotels,
brick-yards. jails, regiments and tobac-
co shops all advertise themselves under
such titles as Sacred Heart, Faith,
Hope, Charity, Conception, Annuncia-
ton, ETC.; while likely enough the pro-
prietor's first name was Jesus. Thus
the people come to be careless in the
use of hallowed names, although ca
pacity for literal profanity is not one
of the accomplishments of the Spanish
language.
Whatever the people do they do ex-
travagantly. have seen young man
with three monster gold rings on one
little 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 a
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 ar
rangement has an aspect of stiffness
which you will at once feel; but this as
pect of stiffness is sensibly emphasized
when you learn that it is an infexible
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 out Of sight in the gulf,
and-it is night. The day has no after
math; the stars hurry to supply the
place Of the departed orb, and away to
the south the southern cross augments
their industrious twinkling.
One would think Havana har Dor
would be full of excursion steamers,
but I have never been able to find one.
The Hayanese have not yet discovered
this popular American variety of amuse-
ment.
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 I'M
dergoes change in texture. But ma
ture does not single out the Cuban hen
for such favors. On the contrary, the
feathers of the hen 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
around, her product being such dim
1nutive eggs as you may see at any
bodega in town.
It 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
seeing the Cuban milkman about sup.
plying 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 pro-
vide, right in the presence of the house.
maid. Thus the citizens are assured Of
an undiluted liquid. though I sometimes
fancy I would prefer to have the pro.
duct of those emaciated, bruised Cuban
COWS diluted that very sensibly
I have seen the same system in Other
countries, notably with goats instead Of
COWS in the cities Of Athens and Cairo.
Gambling is as popular here as il
New Orleans, and guess more SO, al
though I have not entered any dens
analogous to those of the Rue Royale
az yet. Monte is the only game pro.
h1bited By law
The street cries are extraordinary
though not to be compared with those
of Japan. You will not hear them Al
all, perhaps, at one Of the swell hotels
any more than those of Yokohama il
one of the foreign hostelries there
But once get into real Havana, and yor
will fancy q riot must be brewing. Yor
hurry down stairs expecting to witnes:
some shocking atrocity, but find that il
is only the man with fruit, onions, OF
= L ~ r.