The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-06-19
In THE BRAZILIAN CAPITAL
Some Peculiarities of Life and Business
in and Around Rio de Janeiro.
ALand Where Burdens ofAll Descriptions Are
Carried on the Hesd-Protestaut Churches
Amcng Portuguese Catholics.


the world except Paraguay are so many
and diverse articles carried about on peo-
pies heads as in Brazil. In the former
country (which is peculiarly one of women,
you know, since most OF the men were
killed in Lopez's wars when you call at q
house and hand the servant your card co
present to the mistress she claps it on bel
head and walks off with back braced as
stifiiy as IL the bit of pasteboard weighed
q hundred pounds-precisely as the female
porters tote" your trunks up town from
the railway station or steamboat landing,
and the waitress brings your dinner, OF
laundried linen, or freshly blackened boots
Here In Rio every thing movable is carried
on the head-from cakes to coffins with
corpses inside, from piano-cases and
wardr0bes to tho smallest parcels.
AS q rule, the streets too
narrow for carts and drays: horses
are scarce and negroes are numerous. and
SO the latter serve instead as beasts of bur
den. Dry-goods peddlers perambulate the
streets, striking their yard-sticks sharply
together. like elonrated csstanets, IN front
of every house, followed by porters, bear
ing on their heads chests. bales and boxes
VA -uOWCto, lohtuCio, ouOocs uuuOl-
garments and all the rest OF female toy
gerry. This itinerant plan Is of mutual adj
vantage. for IL is considered highly Ques,
tionable and quite beneath the dainty of
ladies belonging to the better class TO visit
the shops. and lt enables the merchants TO
work off many things they could not other
wise dispose OF. In the same way the fur
niture-dealer sends around his chairs, and
tables. and sofas for inspection. The tin
shop man; beating a frying-pan to
call attention, warns ybody OF the
narrow side ak with his bullying load OF
culinary utensils, topped, perhaps. with
bath-tub. or a tin trunk, such as Brazilians
use for travelling, painted sky blue, with
scarlet and purple roses on the front.
Fruit, poultry and vegetables are borne
from door to door on the heads of market
men and women. The butcher sends his
man around with the odds and ends of the
slaughter house-tripe, liver. sleeps heads,
brains-pIled high on a shallow tray. Wa
ter-carriers balance casks and buckets on
their heads; cooks, chambermaids and
walters follow the universal fashion. Ask
for a glass of water. an orange, q towel,
and nine times of ten ~ will be brought to
you on somebody's pate; and should you
die here which may heaven forbidl you
would probably be toted to Caju in tho
same manner.
WASTED PHILANTHROPY.
Do you see that stalwart Zenobia, whose
bare arms and legs are round. firm and
glossy as polished ebony, stalking up
street with all the dignity of queen and
a deal moro natural grace, balancing a
folded cotton umbrella on top of her kinky
cresti Though her head Is otherwise bare
in the hottest rays of the MONDAY sun,
she feels no need of shade. being born to
the heat like the palms or orchids. 1t is
stated that in the early days of railroad
building in Brazil the luborers employed
in the work of excavation carried awav
thousands of tons of dirt in baskets on
their heads. Some Henry Bergh of o con-
sweltering climate. went to no end OF
trouble and expense to provide
them with Yankee wheelbarrows.
The workmen eyed the new
tangled contrivsnces with evident distrust,
but accepted them without q murmur, az
in duty bound. An hour later. when the
philanthropic contractor came down to see
how they were getting on with the new
labor-savere, what was HE disgust to find
that. though each man filled his barrow to
the brim with gravel. he then hoisted il on
top of his head with the aid of one of his
fellows, and trotted to the dump with 1t.
Instead of being bent up double, as one
wonld think. considering the heavy loads
they constantly stagger under, these human
beasts of burden are straight as young
palms. with spines like the tempered steel
atides of the present day-the Atlantis and
and TelemOnes of mythology brought down
to modern times.
To one who can arise with the lark q
visit to Rios market place Is enjoyoble;
but later IN the day, when the tropical sun
has had a chance at the filth with whlch
the place abounds. vile smells render it un-
endurable. 1t is down by the water front,
near the great stone Quays, and its epor-
nous buildings cover an entire block, eked
out by sheds that ramble down adjacent
streets and several open squares. Up to
1884 Rio possessed no regular market
place. but from time immemorial this
beach was used for the sale of fish. because
1t was necessary to have one central place
tor that commodity on account of the tithes
vigorously exacted of fishermen. Most or
the produce now sold in Rio 10 brought In
boats from the fertile islands and
shores of the bay. During the early part
of the day the market place is always more
than crowded-lt Is crammed with gestic-
ulating Portuguese, filing the air with
smoke and profanity: and negresses. clothed
in preparation as with with garment.
and not much else. barring slippers and
cigarette. bead-necklace and gorgeous tur-
ban, with the addition of q chemise and
scanty petticoat
THE BUYERS AND THE GOODS.
The customers. too. are study. They
are mostly women of the middle classes,
tottering around on high heeled shoes,
with lace msntillas on their heads like the
SenOras of Seville and Cadiz; like them.
also, being generally plain of face. coffee
colored of skin, short of stature. obese In
figure and inclined, at the age of twenty.
five or Whereabouts, to develop mus
taches worthy of grenadiers. One
may stroll for hours-if he can
endure the mingled odors of fish
and filth. decayed vegetables and dirty
humans, among thlck-set ranks of baskets
of fruit-mostly fruits unknown to north
ern eyes-of every conceivable shape and
color; smooth, ridged, knObbed and set
with spines; vegetable queer in shape and
hue, suggesting complicated COLES. or
which our plain garden sass" is innocent,
fish in glittering piles scaly, Shiny and
OdorOus but showing lovely lines of ruby,
opal, emerald. pearl and gold. Ii you ara
brave enough to penetrate the depths OF
the interlO OF you will find more gy Dsy-like,
half-naked hucksters squatted on the
ground, their chatter sounding above the
gibberIng of monkeys, the paw, paw,
OF shrili-voioed parrots. and the
squawking of imprisoned poultry. To the
very roof the commodities are piled, and
from the central ratters swing inflated
bladders strings of sausage. trlpe, salted
| fish. articles of clothing and goodness
knows what not. Birds, whose brillianr
| plumage looks as if il had been dipped IN
me tied Jewels. hop about in cages of wild
bamboo; skins of toucans, hamingoes and
| other gorgeous feathered creatures hang on
door posts, countless monkeys mock hu.
! manity. and hundreds of ''frigate birds"
| lowering over all. with wingshk those
the early Italian painters bestowed upon
| Beelzebub and his attendant devils. add
confusion 10 the cutlery and bewilderment