St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-13

Havana Beauties Are Inferior
to Their American
Sisters.
Dancers Whirl in the Giddy
Mazes of the Waltz Until
Daylight.
q Oh. FRANK a.
-1i Burr, the noted
correspo ent,
sends the fol-
.6sA ny lowing letter
4 MMU NJ from Havana:
Isl Exk " Carnival day
/SIf AE$sI ID in Cuba is a
lOfZ,&S}E ~ x great event and
It@)kH@AN Ny the holiday sea-
lAE4IAN GMA. son in the Unit
\WE4 \ sSP* F'c ed States is tame
~< u lin comparison
" >LEzZZ2N with it. 1t is
W. TWT/ celebrated as
\\3fH sort of church
/ fe tival. 1t
seemed strange
in this Catholic country 10 awaken Sum
day morning and find the whole city on
the qui we of expectation and of busy
preparation Tor a carnival. The day
was beautiful, the heat of tropical
sun being tempered by fresh breeze,
and the weather not uncomfortable until
midday. The stores were open, the cafes
were Swarming with people and werl
was an air of general enjoyme Mt al
over the place. A little after o'clock
in the afternoon word was passed that
the procession was coming, and occupy
ing seat overlooking the beautiful
plaza. we remained for three hours
watching the merrymakers as they
passed. All classes and conditions
mingled in the parading throng; men,
women and children, the high and low.
the rich and poor all seemed equally in
tent upon having sport. There was no
particular attempt at masquerade. a
few ladies wore dominoeS and masks.
The great bulk of women sat in open
carriages, bonnetless and dressed in full
evening attire.
The procession was queer one. Fol
lowing one another there WAS a mag
nifcent four-in-hand. owned by a rich
could be hired for the occasion for
couple of dollars; magnificent tam
dem; splendid horse hitched Singly to
an elegant carriage, all resembling the
better class of turnouts you have in
the United States. and horses, harness
and vehicles all coming from there.
The Spanish women are said to be
beautiful. fail to see it when they are
compared with American women. They
are slight of frame. with sallow COM
pleXions, and covered beyond recOgni-
ton with powder and paint. The effort
of Spanish ladies seems to be to make
their artificial adOrnmentS as conspicu-
Gus as possible. There were some Sc
ductive types of beauty that were uneX-
ceptionable. Yet, after three hours gaZ-
ing upon the high and low, the elite, mid
class and common people, the percent
age of women that would strike the
American eye as comparing favorably
with the fresh, vigorous, natural
w0manly beauty of Uncle Sam'S daugh-
tiers was exceedingly small.
If there were hustle, gayety and rev.
elry among the people of this Cuban
metropolis in the daytime, what can be
said of the night? In the sunlight there
was a stream of fashion, wealth and
poverty that mingled in the procession
which bewildered and perplexed one
who revered the Sabbath. The night
can not be described. None of those who
participated in the parade seemed to
have gone home at night. When the
gas was lighted it flashed upon beau
tiful scene of ladies i'll full dress driving
about the plaza or sitting quietly i'll
their CARR ages listening to the strains
of music that issued from a hundred
places where dancing and jollity ruled
the hour. Men, women and children
swarmed the streets and plaZas, all vie
ing with each other in unSeemly Strug-
giles to enjoy themselves.
The Tacon theater, the fourth largest
opera house in the world, was tloored
over, and this, on Sunday night was
turned over to the demi monde, who
crowded in and out upon its spacious
supping wine or coffee in the adjOin-
ing cafes. Not one hundred rods away
the wealth and style of Havana gath
cred in the Casino, the swell club of
the place, and there danced and re-
yelled until after day dawn. Strains of
music pouring from the windows of al
most every hall in the city told of other
private balls. Over the finest cafe
in Havana, not one hundred feet
from the Tacon theater, the native
CubanS of low degree graSped each other
element or fatigue. Farther down the
street few negro servants enjoyed
themselves in like manner. People
here seem to dance for enjoyment.
They do it with ease and grace, resting
at intervals, and never indulging in the
hurly-burly waltz around the room, as
they do in the United States.
-
Looking at the native dance from all
the points of view of society and morals,
| could not help but wonder what our
American mothers would say if they
could witness the merry spectacle of
a Cuban ball, whether the participants
be high or low. | do not know of
place in America where more de-
moraliZing scene can be witnessed than
at q Spanish ball on a carnival night. |
spent several hours investigating all
the phases of society as seen i'll Cuba on
this festive occasion, and the affair was
kept up long after tired of what had
seen. | wish l had noticed more to
commend; but l must confess that So
ciety, like everything else in Cuba,
seems TO be demoraliZed. 1t seems to
me to be one pell-lnell rush, regardless
of prOprietieS or religious obligations.
One thing, however, struck me as be-
ing exceedingly singular, and that is |
never saw drunken man in Cuba.
~
Here the church has all power. 1t is
part of the state, and levjes its taxes
upon the people and enforces the col
lection of the same by law. 1t is said
that 10000 priests and church attend
ants are quartered upon this 100000
of people, and yet religion seems to sit
more lightly upon these volatile South
erners than any other race of which 1
have knowledge. No one here, save
the women. appear to have much re-
spect for religious obligations. Even
the number of women who worship on
Sunday is very small. Yet you find the
church in keeping with the same pomp
and power seen in Spain. Churches
are numerous, and there are a great
number of private chapeIS.
Monday morning broke after carnival