The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-17
LITTLE COSTA RIGA.
soug1tlNG ABOUT A CeNTRAt
AMERICAN REPUBLIC.
,n,urian, Vegetable Growth and Extensive
r..ourccs-Intens Heat and Sever Cold
~cx,r Kpowu-working People Poor ana
lazy. but Honest.

Lazy. but Honest
The accounts In The Globe-D Democrat OF a
disastrous volcanic eruption In Costa tuca,
hv which the city Of San jose suffered great
los, Of life and property, has served 10 di'eTt
considerable public thought IN thai dlrectiou.
bringing up the subject without warning, It
!. not every one who can tell much, II any
,b;ng nbout that country. Without reading
an little. il is doubtful If many even know
that Costa Rica is the smallest repubhc on
tie American side Of the world. It's located
in vhat is called Central America. and M
next south Of Nicaragua. The fact that The
yicaraonan canal III follow the dividing
line boi wceu the W. countries for some thirty
miles Is interesting in this connection. ID o
geographical way Costa Rica IS part OF a mr.
row bit Of isthmus. not over a hundren m'l.a
acroSs from the Pacific ocean Ia the Carlo-
bean sea. where widest, and slxty-hVe mues
in the narrowcst. The main range OF the
Andes trayerses the entire territory al q gen
eral elevation OF from five thousand 10 SIX
thousand feet. On the Pacific side OF the
raupe are many beautiful valleys, that CT San
jose being especially SO.
THE coUNTRY AM PEOPLE.
The ground about the city, that Is the
cap;tal of the republic, rises in gentle undu-
~latjors to the east to n series oil volcanic
oeaks. one of which, called Raza. is response
hle for the late terrible disaster. The last
calamity was the destruction OF Carriage
abont forty years ego, the same mountain
. taking an active part also in that event
Costa Rica's official head IS Don Bernaiaio DE
Soto. gG years Of age. Ho was called to the
presidency in 1886 by the death Of Fernandez
and in 1856 was elected To continue a. '"e
chief executive for four years. Great I'M
movements have been made IN his admin.
ist,a,ion. a sound financial basis established
and a union Of the five Central American
REPUBLICS brought about.
San Joso's population was placed by Inc
lasr estimate at 3O,O0O, and fiat Of the re
nublic at about 10000. The whole country
outside OF the mountains abounds in luxull
ant vegetable growth. and the agriculture
and mineral resources are great. The temper
oture seldom rises above eighty degrees Oh
falls below sixty degrees The merchants
ara. for tho best part, French aud Germans
the professional men and iaborers, 81 poems
being made up Of natives. The prominent
characteristic is laziness. The people are IN
tolerably INDECENT, and are always putting OF
nnfil Tomorrow what should be done today
Some other time Is their guiding star. TN
is carried into every private and public act
II 4, dominant on tine railroad that run
from Punta Arenas on tho Pacilic sldo' IN
best harbor, by the way, on tho Whole coast
through San Jose to Port limo on the AZ
laptic shore, the total distance beng ~
Z miles On every train are a score 81 en-
moves There is q general manager OF IN
whole train, engineer and fireman, W.
ticket takers and Two brakeinen on every car
and two men 70 look after baggage, al
dressed in Gorgeous uniforms, the manager o
conductor being actually Respondent WI
/, silver and gold decorations and bright colon
r. This system is In vogue on freight trains
well as passenger.
Z Sixty days are given shippers TO pay treign
D bills. and people who are known can o.
e tickets 10 be paid for IN the future. Betwee
n the mountain towns away from tho railroad
I GOOD, arc carried by OK teams OF which TIER
\ are many hundreds. The journeys are tel
! ribly tedious, it frequently taking a week I
cover 6ftv miles. The drivers aud cartme
are apparently totally indifferent TO ever
+ sense but that Of an overwhelming desTo
rest.
TAKING LIVE EASY.
!. During a festival, and they occur often a
labor j. suspended. When a train OF ireigi
WAGONS is on the road, If one breaks down {
stors for any cause, ell the others pull u
until the one is ready 70 move on, no matt
if it be days. The wagon mon are wonde
fully polite. lifting their hats 70 strange
and wishing them safe Journeys and all sor
5 OF good luck. 4 drivers pay IS seldom ov'
thirty cents q day, but they are scrupulousl
r honest. carrying thousands Of dollars wort
of gold between bankers, and never trylng
r extract a penny. Such a thing as mghwa
l. robbery is never heard OF.
Sunset Is the signal for tho cessation
l. work. With the wagon trains the oxen a
/ unhitched and preparations made for q
night. There are numerous stopping plac
, along the roads, where there are sheds NJ
what would 20 in the United States Is a wa
side inn, and the trains always figure tomal
q ono OF these points as the sun goes down 4
evenings are given to singing, dancing q
gambling. The music is principally producr
on tho national instrument Known as Z
Is "marimba.p II is something like tho XVI
bhone, heinz made Of pieces OF split ban
l. boo cut in different lengths TO give the d
re ferent tones Of the scale, and covers thr
Sc octaves. Where IL differs from the Ky
10 phone. however, Is ia tho hanging OF Il gou
s. under each piece Of bamboo by a piece
III wire. giving q sonorous and sweet tone L
4 otherwise attainGble.
h Sticks with padded leather ends are used
At strike the strips, and some Of the periofnl
ST arc 50 expert that they have double head
ne hammers, skillfully hitting two notes vi
b each hand, 50 getting q chord Of four.
Id Tho wonen Of Costa R.ca, among the low
OF classes, 70 bare foot They wear drcs
le coming TO about the knee. Their REGULATE
~ dress Is a white cotton chemise and sin.
Of skirt, and their forms show every line. II!
and bonIets arc but little known, a sea
being worn instead, and this only by {
women Of the higher circles.
10 Coffee, sugar and tropical fruits aro rails
be IN abundance, and form the staple produc
Bananas, especially, grow to perfection q
ere brought 10 the ssaports by train a
lis wagon loads. Single steamers take 900
he punches at q time. consigned TO Amefic
Ell and European ports. in the forests, ali
a. with beautiful birds, can te found clumps
at sugar cane, cocoanut trees and tai and graz
ed fgl rubber trees interIningled. At interyi
b. there are clearings where u coffee farm v
~ DO conducted.
~ Costa Rica gives more attention 10 edu'
he tional matters than would DO supposed VIII
n. reading Of the easy going ways OF the peop
l. School attendance for children between
be nd u years is compulsory, and IS well
;orcsd except In the back country. ThC
he who do not send their children to either
private or public school pay & tax into I
as scLool fund. There was at San Joso Il 1
.ional university, well equipped and coEdu'
IL ed, but it was destroyed in the eruption
Eaza.- st. Louis Glo5e-pemccrat
q Lived Ira q Boarding House.
u Doctor-You say you have 4 feeling
Distress after eatlnr2