The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-11-13
THE PARKS OF HAVANA.
Tho Whole City ~ n tairyiand by Night.
A Great Outdoor rnrior


All Havana is in the parks OF cafes or
on The housetops at night. AS the sun
goes down il seems as though from every
quarter come thousands for the nightly
outing The streets, plazas and cafes
dazzle with light haring from the quaint
est Of burners and frames, and the
brilliant colored glass, so universally and
richly used in decoration, adds beauty
and charm to countless pleasing scenes.
There Is music everywhere. Here in
a half lighted, richly decorated balcony
Is group Of men and women chatting
in low, musical tones, or listening to
sweet notes Of the guitar. In this en-
trada, with court filled with rich lights,
plants, flowers, and quaint corridors be-
hind. in an almost oriental background,
are perhaps several families seated half
cut upon the street, and among them
somewhere is music. Here, there and
everywhere upon the houietops, among
lnxuriant gardens, are merry crowds
singing, PLAYING or dancing. The half
lights Of the night hide and reveal.
Sound and light and shadow mingle until
the ear and sight are ravished by what
Is heard and seen, and what is listened
for and heard in thought, Melody in
word laugh and song, and from musical
instruments OF every nature and in every
llace--nothing loud and sonorous, but
everything soft and dreamful- pulses in
harmonious chords above and over and
through the streets.
The whole city Is as fairyland by
night II Is the more bewildenng TO the
beholder, because there are in it one
mindedness and oneheartedness that
make melody and gayety not only with
the well conditioned, but as truly within
the grimy walls Of the charcoal mans
little stall; down at the waterside among
the swarthy boteros; over there in Reg
la with the toll scourged stevedores and
lancheros; up Balquarte, way among the
labor bent lavenderas; and in every odd
and moldy corner where human life
lasts in layers, it lights up all with face
as free Of care as If ever unknown. All
this comes to you, and you know the
fact You leave those who like to quar-
rel over the involved ethics. But all this
time, when an entire great city has sud
denly resolved itself into vast pleasure
garden, 80 completely that its influence
seems even TO have touched and trans.
formed without exception, the direst
conditions, the gayer and more restless
elements swarm the paseos and plazas,
and no European city presents more bril-
Liant scenes. But in this one city Of the
wsrld, this single rich blossom Of the
tropics, all It's people. in these hours, are
pleasure giveS and pleasure receivers,
and that, too, whatever the individual
condition. There is none 80 high and
naughty, or low and listless, as to think,
or dare. refusal Of this individual conces-
sion. or gift Of word and way, to this
universal something we would be quick
70 call among our good selves true evi-
depce Of true lightheartedness and JOY.
do not believe the world has elsewhere
such condition and study.
aoninaeas fllsd With richly a,t;rad and
merry occnnants NAV ha soen hiring
the early evening the fayorite drive is
along Gale Ancha del Norte, by the sea.
Later the Calzado de la Reina and the
,r;rst adyances ,he GREAT csnter N th;s
h,itl;ant Iifa and lutnrions activitv 4 II
tha ririni,v ~ ,he lsreer ,itv nsrts "a
which tbe paseos and the Prado lead,
,yheye militarv bsnds diseo,i,se tle lively
~ go sensnors airs ~ Snain. Here tbrono
hos,s N nedestrians. I'M instead ~ the
rndsness and clam, r ,,s,,al IN such con.
conrsss IN other ciiies every freo,enter
N NJ localitv nnly intensifjes the every.
where manifest chiralrous courtesy and