San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-22
PARAeUAYs WTcHINe WOMEN.
Finely Moulded Graceful and Gay, They
Captivate All Men.

Ftnely MOulded. GRACEFUL ana Gay, lney
Captivate All Men.
Paraguay il one of the most favored lands
on earth. There no insane love of gold COM
pels the heart to questionable deeds. No po-
litical situation harnesses the mind. The very
atmosphere breathes peace. The air is soft
and balmy, inviting to repose and prolific
nature, throwing about everything her gar
ment of rich vegetation, supplies man with
all he needs and beauties all that his eyes
rest upon. Paraguay is, indeed, almost a
fairyland of romance, so beautiful are its
manifold attractions.
The native portion of the population is a
remnant of the tribe of Guarani Indians,
one of the Hottest tribes in the grade of civ
ilization of all the American races. But moth
ing astonishes the visitor to Paraguay so
much as the vast preponderance of the female
over the male population. The proportion
is something like nine to one. This is the
result Of long and very fierce war, in which
Guaranians followed and supported a cruel
and ambitious ruler through indescribable
hardships and sufferings. This war ended
only with the death of the man who waged
it, and has reduced the whole population to
about one-sixth of what it was twenty
years ago, leaving only women and boys.
These women are as beautiful and fair to
look upon as can be found in any part of the
world.
They are of medium height, rather slight
and 1.-the, with finely nodded limbs, small
pretty hands and feet and figures of match
less grace and beauty that would serve for
models of the sculptor's art Their carriage
is so easy and natural as to be almost the
poetry of motion, for the freedom from high
heeled boots and tight clothing has left their
step light, supple and strong. Their dress is
Of the simplest form; short tunic or robe
noEunlike skirt falling to below the knees
and shoulder covering not unlike a shawl
both of pure white and adorned with pretty
native lace. They are gracefully worn, and
bewitchingly serve to half reveal and half
conceal the form beneath. In the midday
siesta they are fond Of lying languidly in
their hammocks, slipping their mate and
singing in their low, sweet voices, yet sad and
with a touch of melancholy, the "naran-
caros," or songs Of the orange gatherers, or
those other strange weird songs Of theirs
whose words are all of love. Indeed, what
need to do aught else in a land so blessed as
theirsl
Living entirely upon fruits and vegetables
that are secured with but little effort, I'M
moved by the ambitious schemes of the money
making Europeans, upon whom they look
with questioning wonder, and possessed of
languid, voluptuous natures that are fostered
by the climate, what else should they do save
love and dance and singf Dancing is their
only pastime, and into that they throw the
whole spirit Of their joyous nature. The
slightest excuse is all that is necessary for
getting up a ball, at which the whole neigh
borhood at once assemblies.
The girls and women are dressed only in
The robes described The men wear white
linen trousers and red ponchos The dances
are in quaint, original figures, but nearly
always very graceful Sometimes the fes-
Invites will be kept up through the entire
night, after which the participants will gayly
return to their occupations, of whatsoever
nature, always contented, always happy.
Sometimes there will be grand contribution
picnic at some distant point, where the
dancing will be kept up the round of a whole
twenty-four hours. For truly these people
live but to be happy through the livelong day
After reading this one is not surprised to
hear that many visiting Europeans, English
men among the rest, have settled down in
the country "Who would not rather become
lotus eater among the lotus eaters, and
settle down upon the sunny hillsides or shady
orange groves, to forget regretted past and
live only in the happy present, waited upon
by the simple, white robed Indian woman
devoted, affectonate and surprisingly fair"
Boston Transcript