Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-09
A TRAMP In PORTUGAL.
Second Letter of Edgar L. Wake
mans New Sketches of Travel.
LISBON WOMEN AND MANNERS,
With Something Incidentally About the
Men and Their Ways.
THE WATER CARRIERS OF THE CITY

hardly another city in the world where neat
ness in attire is so general as in Lisbon. You
cannot find an uncleanly or a slovenly per
son in the city outside of beggars, who are
numerous, licensed and therefore profes
sinnal. and who all affect both rags and filth
The middle classes and the aristocracy are
faultlessly dressed, and spotless linen from
nobleman to lighterman and fisherman is
here as delightful universally as in that
other elysium of the lavendera, fair and bril-.
liant Havana.
With men,, throughout the various ranks
of the aristocracy and among gentlemen OF
leisure, gallants, merchants, professional
men and even with clerks, the normal con-
dition seems to be one of taultless dressing.
1t is also observable that no one seems got
ten up for any occasion, or as if only occa-
sionally gotten up. You can never surprise
these Portuguese gentlemen, or discover
them, out of good form as to their attire.
They are never overdressed; but they are
always we'll dressed. 1t is difficult to say
how much of this is the result of national
good taste. But it is certainly more posi-
BILE with Portuguese men, where finger is
never lifted in manual labor, than with
Englishmen or Americans, to whom the
idea of helping ones self and others, or
performing any duty necessary to the
furtherance of business is not repugnant.
Best Served Men in the World.
The men of Lisbon are the best served
men IN the world. More than 900 Span
iards are practically their slaves These
are my old friends the Gallegans, from the
North of Spain, among whom l wandered
two winters ago. They are most docile of
all servants, and the best. For the value of
an American 5-centpiece they will go anv-
where and perform miracles of services.
They are not usually attached to a single
individual or household. They are every
where, and are anyone's porter, servant or
valet at a moments warning. The magical
kissing sound, "Sh-s-s-s-sp uttered any
where in Lisbon, will bring one instantly to
your side. And so the poorest clerk may
have his valet, seamstress-for he will mend
and all, in one, as mitch or little as he
likes or can afford.
AS much cannot be said for the women.
Their street appearance is not so character
istic nor so graceful as the Spanish women.
The beautiful mantilla is less worn here
than seems fitting, or as one would wish.
One feels, when group of senhoritas are
met in the pracas or seen in costly equip
ages on the Campo Grande, that unlike all
other women of the Latin races they possess
no distinct air or style or presence of their
own. In dress they are in fact composite;
and like Bayreuth architecture which is in
Europe the universal simile for every man.
ner of style anonymously composed, o
Portuguese lady often presents startling
combinations of date and style in her most
ak3
sesses fine carriage and figure, and, as I
have previously stated, certain honesty
and wholesomeness of face and look, and
particularly an ever glowing radiance of eve
and smile, which command the best sort of
liking and respect.
Not Much of the Rhapsodic,
The artist and sentimentaIist in general
will not find the poetic and rhapsodic type
so frequent here as in Spain, Italy and
Algiers; but the compensation is at hand
in better type of womanhood. In what
may be termed the middle classes there are
few ravishingly beautiful women. They are
often tall and angular or short and stout, in
either of which cases the rather small and
oval face has not the same attractiveness as
with daintier women of petite and SYM
metric figure. Women of the latter type
are oftener found in Lisbon in the two
farthest removed classes, among the nobil-
ity and peasant and servant classes. The
latter are most invariably beautiful in face
and figure.
So many of the female servants as may be
seen upon the streets can always be readily
observed at the fountains, where with the
Gallegans they perform the duties of water
carriers; while they often to the number of
two and three accompany their mistresses
for -promenades or to the shops Then the
flower market is full of beautiful girls; the
daily procession of the fish-women from
Belem contains many extraordinary tyres,
though painfully straight from ALWAYS car
rying their fish upon their heads; and the
peasant women who come with flowers, but
ter, milk, eggs and cheese from the outlying
farms are almost invariably wenches of
graceful carriage, perfect figure and piquant
and often lovely face
No kinder-hearted, more hospitable or
polite people exist than those of Portugal.
Politeness here has not the hippancy of the
French nor the unmeaning .pretense of the
Spanish. 1t is more redundant and opulent
than with either of the former, but it pos
sesses genuine sincerity. The effort to
please comes from right feeling rather than
through form and custom, with cold-hearted
calculation of profit behind This extends
10, and is even most marked among the
lowly, who seem to be the most sunny
faced and kind-hearted people who live.
A Chivalry Seldom Seen.
Among every manner of city serving men
Ind women there is a chivalry and apparent
,arnestness in interchange of greeting and |
civility which often reaches the |
udicrous to brusque Americans. Their |
gravity and dignity in this'regard are really |
.E,1
,lied to intensifying the formal EXPIRE ssion |
If mutual regard and leading up to those
highest titles of respect senior and senhora,
never are less expressive than "most
ldored," "truest regarded" ''most heart
hrillingly beloved" or exceeding and
most illustrious.
Even the beggars speak to each other in
precisely these courtly terms, and if YOU
hould refuse them aims with the CUSTOM
lry phrase, "Pardon!-in the name of
iod!" they will follow YOU only to bless
md shower benedictions upon you.
You can never tire of the street scenes
If Lisbon. From Belem, nearer the sea,
very morning comes the professions of
ish women. They are most picturesque in
heir blue kirtles, huge black felt hats,
'are feet and legs, massive gold earrings,
brown and eyes as piercing
lack as Spanish Gipsies, and their baskets
f white and cleaning fish. They remind
ne strangely of the same class of women
sho come up from the Claddagh every
morning in Galway. But the lives of the
ormer are SUMMER, and they are genial,
indy lot, without vulgar word on their
ndlessly chattering tongues.
Over from Seixal, AIdea Gallega and
Alcochete every morning come boat loads
f market stuff and peasantrv, while down
rom the mountain villages behind the
INV etraam tho ,,eaeapt nor o,d ,,.ox,,o, |