Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-23
COLOMBIA'S CAPITAL.
B. WARDS NINTH LETTER
FROM SOUTH AMERICA.
The State of Society-Church and State
Police eDuty-Occupaiions
of the Natives.

The State of Society-Church and State
Police Duty-Occupaiions
of the Natives.
Especial CORRESPONDENCE of the SUNDAY UNION.
BoGoTA, February 5, 1890.
As this queer old city has not single
hotel, the stranger coming here should, il
possible, secure letters of introduction to
one or more of its residents. He may be
provided with villainous meals, at high
prices, in few low-class tondas, or restau-
rants, but could not find lodging therein
There is also a tolerable lodging house, as
such institutions 60, kept by New Hamp-
shire widow, whose late husband was for
many years engaged In business here but
her house is generally crowded to its ut
most capacity. The good citizens of Bo-
gotta, however, are very Hospitality in
clined, and gladly welcome to their homes
the stranger-guest who comes with any sort
of recommendation, serving him with the
best the country affords as long as he can
be persuaded TO remain.
The colony of exiles from the land of
the stars and stripes is extremely small in
Colombia, the foreign element being mostly
German, with asprinkling of French, Eng
lish and Italian. The military college, or
West Point, of the Republic, where were
educated most of the famous Generals who
afterwards became Presidents, is in charge
of former officer of the United States
army. By the way, it is a significant fact
that more than halfth rulers of Colombia,
| from Bolivar, the first, down to the present
| incumbent, were previously Generals in
the army.
DOCTOR RAFAEL NUNEZ,
The thirty-third occupant of the Execu-
tive Chair, is not military man, but his
| popularity may be inferred from his
tenure of office, this being his third term.
An important institution of Bogota is
the "Seminario," large public school
under direct control of the Catholic church,
for the education of boys who design enter
ing the priesthood or the various learned
professions. Formerly any person could
set up as a priest, without regard to his
fitness for the sacred calling or passing any
examination whatever; and the conse-
quence was that many densely ignorant
men from the lowest strata of society be-
came powerful in the church, and much
| wickedness resulted therefrom. The Sem
mario was inaugurated expressly to pre-
vent that kind of thing, and now priest
has to understand great deal more than
the mumbling of Pater Nosters and Ave
Marias. There are over six hundred boys
in the school, who come from all classes,
the highest and the lowest. They wear a
| peculiar long dress, in cut something like
that of the begging Friars; but the Semi
maria gowns are black, with white sur
pllces of muslin, lace or cambria, and any
amount of extravaganza is allowed to the
sons of wealthy parents, the lace on the
vestments of some of the latter being won
derfully beautiful.
| There is another university, supported
by the Government, which has branches
for the study of Jurisprudence, divinity
and materia medica; also fine national
library, containing more than thousand
volumes.
| THE MUSEUM,
In which are kept the curiosities and his
4 torical relics of the country, is well worth
a visit. A stone gallery which surrounds
the main room is devoted to paintings
including many old and very odd repre-
sentations of scriptural scenes, portraits Of
all the Kings of Spain and the successive
viceroys who ruled in the New World, in
cluding Soils, who died in Bogota, besides
monks, priests and bishops without num-
Der, and several sketches of the dead Boil
var, as he lay in state in wonderful TEN.
| pie of Caracas, Venezuela.
| The room below is hung with flags and
other trophies taken in the different wars
with the Spaniards, all more or less bat.
tered, tattered and riddled with shot and
the portraits of the celebrated patriots
soldiers and politicians. There is tall
wooden stool on which a hundred heroes
met death during the struggle for inde-
pendence, placed upon it to be shot by the
Spanish soldiers. Above it is the first
map ever made of the country very
curious affair, on copper plate, the work
of a Capuchin monk, who evidently drew
from lively Imagination, without much
knowledge of the subject Near it is the
veritable skull OF the viceroy, Soils, grin
ming horribly from its conspicuous perch
as if relishing the joke of being able still
to keep an eye on the people he ruled Sc
long ago.
One of the most interesting things il
the whole collection is an old wooden sun
dial that was made for Nuts, and used by
Baron Won Humboldt and Caldis, the nat
uralist. Among thousands of aborigina
relics are spears, swords, poisoned arrow.
and other weapons used by the early
tribes, with their plumed head d-dresses
necklaces of human teeth and som,
breast-plates made of quills and feathers
The most curious piece of Indian work il
a large and elaborate blanket, worn by tn,
ancient Chibchas in which feathers of the
most brilliant colors are inwrought, graph
ically representing birds, beasts, flower
and trees.
There is chest full of stone idols, ston,
earrings, stone whistles in the form O
birds, stone hatcheis and other imple
ments, and
REMARKABLE CELANDER STONE.
Made by the Musica Indians, covered will
strange hieroglyphics, frogs, snakes, liz
yards, and other symbols; besides lot o
ancient pottery, including Egyptian-lik,
jugs, with faces upon them resembling tn,
SphynS.
That you may understand the state Of
society in Colombia more fully than L;
comparative stranger here-can tell you
allow me to quote few passages from Mr.
William Eleroy Curtis admirable book
entitled 'The Capitals of Spanish Amer
lea" in which he devetes chapter tc
Bogota. Says he: Society is very ex
elusive, and strangers call first. If tn,
visit is returned, the doors of society ar,
opened. The predominating language il
Spanish, but all the upper classes speal
French. They get everything from
France, too, in the way of dress and lux
uries. Bogota is city of paradoxes. o
great wealth, of great poverty, and pc
culiar mixture of customs that often puz
zles the stranger. The foremost men il
the mercantile, political, and literary cir
cles are from the old Castilian families
but SO changed by intermarriage that al
bloods run in their veins. In the Legis
lature, on the bench, the forum and be
hind the bankers desk, you will see tn,
characteristics Of all the races, from the
Anglo-Saxon TO the African"
THE RULING CLASS
Is the politicians, but it is more under tn,
control OF the military than is generally