Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-03
IN TROPICAL CLIMES.
Life in a South American Sea-
port.
THE CITY OF GUAYAoUIL.
Hotels and Servants-Beauttful Women
and How They Drcss-Descemdants
Of the lncas-The Two Seasons-Fiue
Scenery
from THE STARS Travelling Commissioner

institutions. The latter sits In his door or
out on the sidewalk beside q little table
with pens, ink and paper, all ready to in
dite legal documents or love letters, as the case
may require, at a moments notice. The useful
ness of this individual can hardly be appre-
ciated in the United States; but here, where
the vast majority can neither read nor write,
he is invaluable.
To look at photograph Of Guayaquil's cathe-
dral one would imagine it to be a more i'm
posing structure than Notre Dame or st.
Peters, but the truth is that. though GER
tainly elegant in architectural design, it is
merely a shell of frail bamboo, plastered over
with mud, succeed and painted. Latin in
scripton across the facade assures that its
door is the Ell Puerto del Cello, 1.-The gate to
heaven" One would never mistrust it, how
ever, from glimpse of its gloomy and pewless
interior. which is extremely bare and shabby,
garnished by few caricatures in the way of
pictures and images. its uneven floor of brick
and cement, like cellar bottom at home, worn
into hollows in front Of favorite saints by the
knees of worshippers.
There is very good hotel in Guayaquil, as
inns average in this country, though some of
Its arrangements seem very funny to the newly
arrived traveller from North America. Ii you
are wise you will order table out on the We
randa, where the air Is fresher and the flies not
so numerous, where you may escape the abom-
NATION OF revolving fans, so common in restau-
rants the world over, where you can see Chin
borazo In all his glory, and enjoy the perfect
blue of the sky. the gorgeousness of tropc col
orlng. and the summer heat tempered by ocean
breezes.
However dilatory the servants NAV be. your
meal will never be a cold one, but made red
hot by tery peppers, and with decidedly more
lard and onion about il than the average north
ern stomach can well tolerate. Should you de-
sire boiled eggs, in the hope that they at least,
may be free from grease and garlic, it will be
no manner of use to order them hard" or
soft or medium" for there is neither watch
nor clock anywhere about the premises, nor
other method Of measuring old Tempus. The
people depend entirely upon the cathedral
bells and the great clock in the city hall tower
by which to tell the passing hours. but minutes
do not enter into their calculations. II you
want the eggs medium" tell the waiter to
keep them boiling while he says three Ave Ma
rias, or, if 'hard, while he tells all the beads
on his rosary. Such an order he will under
stand and obey to the letter.
Whatever their short comings may be- IL can
never be said that Guayaquilians lack the vir-
tue of hospitality. The graceful politeness
and spontaneous generosity of the better
classes is but an unconscious expression of
their sincere good will toward ali mankind;
bamboo casas are occupied by pigs. donkeys
and other domestic animals will bid you well
come with hearty kindness, though they can
not speak your language or you understand
word OF theirs, and share with you all they
possess.
Beautiful. WOMEN.
The females of Ecuador are proverbial for
beauty, those among the aristocracy being said
to have the fairest compilations of any in South
al ooff nd
pressive dark eyes, the blacklist and most
abundant hair, the whitest teeth, well-rounded
figures and small hands and feet
Like all women III the tropics. they mature
early and fade quickly; but perhaps their aver
age span of forty years includes more heart
happiness than comes to women of colder
climeS In three score years and ten. for these
are harrassed by no ''carking cares" or high
ambitions. Incidence, religious superstition
and faithfulnesS unto death are their most
prominent characteristics; their passionate ma
lures are completely satisfied in the love of
home, husband and children. and for them the
whole universe lies within the limits of vision
What higher praise could be bestowed upon
the women of any country?
10 be sure. they notoriouslv untidy in
dress and habits, but the manta or paneulon,
like the mantle of charity. covers a multitude
OF sins. As the poncho, for men. is the uni
versal and most useful garment for the middle
and lower classes, answering for a coat by day
d CONtrllu DV nlpnl an utnDrella when 1t rains
and basket when there Is anything to carry
the female manta is worn by all classes and is
equally Indispensable. since it hides unkempt
hair and all defects OF toilet In all Ecuador
there Is not such a thing as a bonnet or female
hat, the most aristocratic ladies going about
the streets with their glossy hair uncovered
or shaded only by parasol, lace mantlla or
the universal manta, the latter being a very
large square of black nuns yelling or other
wooden cloth of light texture, draped SO as to
cover the head, shoulders and most of the
drese.
THE INDIANS.
The Indians, lineal descendants OF the long
since conquered Incas, wear no color but black.
as perpetual and pathetic sign of mourning
for Atahualpa. the last of their kings who was
treacherously strangled by Pizarro. They con
stltute the laborinS population of Ecuador and
are the saddest looking people on the face of
the earth. Laughter, singing or story telling
is never heard among them; they have no
sports, no songs, no tales. no Jokes but are
silent. snilen and morosely submissive to any
injustice that may be put upon them. Appar-
entity the proud spirit of their brave and power
fui ancestors has been completely crushed out
of them by more than three hundred and fifty
years OF oppression at the hands of their cruel
'conquerors and hard masters. the Spaniards
Now they are mere beasts of burden for any,
body who desires TO command their services,
receiving wlthou. protest as much or as little
pay for their services as may be rendered.
They do not seem to have much strength IN
their arms. but will carry enormous loads on
their backs. broad strap Is passed around
the forehead to help sustain the burden and
another across the shoulders One hundred
pounds Is considered moderat9 load, and with
this on their backs they will start off on slow
but even jog trot and kept it up for hours
without firing
The Indians. and in fact nearly all the lower
classes, seldom indulge in the luxury of legal
matrimony, simply because they cannot afford
1t, the fees charged by the priests for perform
ing that ceremony being very exorbitant.
Even among the aristocracy it is not uncommon
for young people to go about among their
friends soliciting money to pay the marriage
fee. You can seldom go through the streets
and markets without meeting q man with a
little basket, who importunes you: For the
love OF the Virgin, most illustrious senor give
me medic toward the payment Of my mar
riage fee."
are generally buried in the middle of the
night-why, Heaven only knows, except that
it is the custumbre, and customs here rule with
an iron hand from century to century, being
more unalterable than the celebrated laws OF
the Modes and Persians, for the latter did
change after awhile. Women - even the
wives, mothers and nearest relatives--are not
permitted to attend their dear departed to the
grave; and unutterably solemn it looks to see q
procession of chanting priests or monks, fol-
lowed by men carrying torches and candles,
winding slowly through the darkness to the
dismal Campo Santo or Field of Saints" as the
cemetery is called. Among those who can af-
ford II the fashion prevails of holding kind of
fnnaraI tha Holt