Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-03

| 80. you are very much mistaken, for
they enjoy. the thing greatly. These
I are, in fact, the only compliments IL
ever have chance to listen to. Ladies from
other countries do not like them 80 much. Not
very long ago the scrawny daughter OF q Yam
| kee clergyman WINS SO outraged in her feelings
at being spoken to in this admiring way by a
fashionable gosling in Buenos Ayres that she
promptly jabbed one Of his eyes out with her
parasol
! SPANISH xonA1s
Notwithstanding the strictness with which
| women in South America are guarded il does
not appear that their morals are exceptionally
high, although as a rule they make good wives
| and mothers. The function of the duenna is
rather to protect the reputation than to pre-
| serve the chastity Of the mistress. very
different view is taken Of wrong-doing between
\ the sexes in these Latin countries from that
\ which prevails here. 1t is always held in such
cases that the man is not at fault, but that the
female culprit is wholly guilty. since he would
\ not have sinned without her assent A Spaniard
will kill his wife. perhaps, if he discovers that
she is unfaithful, and the net is usually con-
sidered justifable; but he may at the same
| time remain on entirely friendly terms with
| her lover. In Chilli women who have sinned
| and repented wear q garb Of penitence Of white
| cachemire with q white shawl over the head
| and covering the face. This costume is called
| the amanda" or VOW. One sees such penitents
not fnfrequently in churches. where the white
| y,
| ing very picturesque.
Women do all the religion in South America.
| OF the men it may fairly be said that they
believe in nothing. If they had their way the
priests would all he driven out of the country,
but the latter are too strong for them, backed
as they are by petticoat faith and influence.
Nevertheless the control of the priesthood in
these republics, which was formerly well-nigh
absolute, has been to great extent done away
| with. Ecuador still remains practically .
colony of the pope's. Both it and Bolivia are
ruled wholly from the Vatican and the clergy
| run everything. governing and making the
| laws. All creeds save the Roman Catholic are
| excluded from the country. and Legal enact
ment forDlds the importation of any book with
out the sanction of the Society of Jesus Not long
ago any Chiiian lady who chose to marry a
Protestant was obliged to subscribe 5000 to an
asylum for fallen women, if she partook of
their disgrace. Twenty-Five dollars being
charged Tor a MARRIAGE very large sum for
poor man tosave-the lower classes have usually
dispensed with any ceremony contenting
themselves with the condition OF concubinage.
1t is reckoned today that rs per cent OF the
children born in Ecuador are illegitimate.
THE WEALTHY ARE OF IDLE HABITS.
South American women Of tho upper class
are. as rule. of idle habits. When not at
church, where they spend large part Of their
time. they gossip, read French novels, fan
themselves and eat candy. They arc great con-
sumers OF confectionery. Very little exercise
of any sort do they take. family OF three
persons will ordinarily have dozen or more
servants, while a household Of moderate size
may keep many as forty or fifty domestics
Each one has something in particular to do and
will not do anything else. One sets the table,
but another must clear away the dishes, while
third is expected to wash the things. You
hire servant, and the latter brings his or her
entire family as matter of course. On the
other hand. wages are very low, and the hire
lngs eat little. Two cents day will supply
one with enough fried bananas and cakes of
ground corn, called tortillas, to live upon. For
such domestic service the native Indians are
employed. In Brazil. however. II is the negroes
who do the work, while in the Argentine
Italians and other foreigners are employed in
and about the household. In Buenos Ayres
every family that can afford the luxury keeps
French cook. A curious custom in these
countries is for all the servants to be present at
most formal dinners perhaps to the number of
score or more, all dressed in their best bib
and tucker and looking on merely for the pur-
pose of enjoying the fun and listening to the
conversation.
MIILIoNA1REs PLENTY.
In South America one is struck with the fact
that pretty nearly everybody seems to have
plenty of money to spend. The very begesr
who asks one fo- aims upon the highway rides
horseback, wears a top hat and carries silk
umbrella. When two mendicants meet they
exchange the most elaborate salutations. each
one saying to the other, ''Senor, my posses
sions are ell at your disposal" They merely
beg for living because they are too lazy to
gather for themselves the necessaries which
nature supplies for the plucking. 1t is coun-
try OF miilionalree, who are as plentiful in Rio
and Montevideo as blackberries on a bush.
Throughout the Argentine are scattered great
baronial estates, owned by rich planters and
breeders of horses and cattle. A typical one is
the Estancia Tay-tay, fifty miles from Buenos
Ayres. The distance is nine leagues from the
entrance to the estate to the family mansion,
and it takes all day to ride across the property,
which includes zoe, 900 acres. The owner is an
American named Pierson. who acquired the
whole business together with the hand Of an
Argentine lady. In Brazil the wealthy men
are mostly coffee planters, but all the large
fortunes In that country have come originally
from slaves, being handed down from pro-
prietors OF or dealers in such human chattes.
South America is undoubtedly tho place
which just now affords the most inviting
prospects for energetic young men who are
anxious to make fortunes. OF all the republics
the Argentine offers the best opportunities in
this way. Two things are absolutely requisite,
however-some capital and a knowledge Of the
language 1t is astonishing how few people
there are in the United States who know any
Spanish. The bureau Of the American repub
lies not long ago had the greatest difficulty in
securing the services Of few men who
could read and write in that tongue. In
the Argentine there are millions Of acres I'M
occupied, the climate ID delightful, there are
no cold winters and cattle will live without
housing all the year around. II commerce be
preferred to raising beasts few thousand
dollars judiciously invested in Yankee products,
which wanted down there, will quickly
multiply themselves Only short time ago an
enterprising Philadelphfan thought Of taking
cargo of ordinary kitchen cook stoves to
Buenos Ayres. They went off like hot cakes
and he made a fortune by the venture.
RIGID LINES OF CASTE.
Although merchants in South America rank
high in the social scale, trade in the sense of
shopkeepinR is looked down upon. Nowhere
in the world are the lines of caste drawn more
rigidly. new conner must be provided with
unexceptionable letters in order TO secure en-
trance into society in any of the cities. In Rio
two great balls are given each year by SUBJ
scription. They are very exclusive aad are at
tended by from 1000 to 3, 900 OF the people who
are most unequivocally in the SWIM Supper is
served ali the evening at Bullets in rooms ad-
joining those used for dancing. and the guests
go in and are helped to what they want in the
way OF wine or edibles at any time they WISH |
In Buenos Ayres the two great balls of each
season are given by the Progresso Club. As
on the festive occasions described in Rio, the |
Argentine ladies mostly wear Worth gowns |
specially ordered from Paris. No refresh |
ments are served. These are the only enter.
tainments OF importance given in-South Amer |
lea. Perhaps this is fortunate for the chape-
rons. whose feeling Of responsibility for their |
charges at such times must be very acute. The