The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-19
BRAZILIAN SOCIAL LIFE.
Why Naval Officers Hold Rio JaneirO and
Petropo,is in Pleased Rememb brance.


United States naval officers were
much interested in the recent rumor
that Rio Janeiro was threatened with
bombardment by the rebellious Brazil
ian fleet. Some hundreds of American
naval officers know Rio Janeiro as we'll
as they know New York or Boston.
They call the place familiarly 'Rio."
as does every body else who sails south
ward of the line. Nobody calls it by
its full name of Sac Sebastiao do Rio
Janeiro, which may be translated Saint
Sebastian of the January river. The
harbor, which was mistaken for the
mouth of the river, was discovered on
one New Years day, hence the Janeiro
as well as the Rio.
The city has sort of interest for
Americans because its harbor resem-
bles in several broad features that of
New York. 1t is long, deep, almost
land-locked saltwater lake, with sea-
ward entrance rather less than a mile
wide and bold shores famous for their
beauty. 1t has Governors island to
complete the resemblance to New York
harbOr. Now. bonn bardment of this
pleasant harbor would destroy a good
many things of which the American ma
val officer has pleasant memories, for
Rio, though a town of narrow, dirty
streets, is extremely gay. 1t has a
summer temperature the year round,
and when the fashionable world is
within the city the place is one of
much social interest. NOBODY has fully
explained why you may do at Rio
great many things that you would not
do in New York or scarcely even in
Paris. If you happen to go with your
wife to fashionable restaurant in Rio
you may chance to see there some man,
perhaps half q dozen men. whom you
both know, in company with the gay
est imaginable ladies, whom it were
quite impossible that your wife should
know. That would hardly happen in
restaurant of New York, and should
it happen ir Partisan restaurant you
would be discreetly blind to the pres
ence of your acquaintances, and your
wife would perhaps be conventionally
shocked. In Rio. however, you would
bow and smile at those wicked men,
and even your wife would not alto
gether ignore them. Were you alone
perhaps you would be presented to the
ladies, and chat with the whole party
in the presence of all that is respect
able in Rio.
But if Rio is gay and unconventional
as tried by Nor-h American notions,
Petropolis is even gayer and less con-
ventional. Petropolis is the charming
summer capital to which in yellow
fever season everybody at Rio, save
few hundred thousand poor devils with
livings to earn, retreats for fresh air
and safety. Petropolis is not very far
from Rio, but it is high above
the city. and as your railway train
climbs to that suburban paradise, city
and harbor and blue sea bevond lie
spread out seemingly at the feet of the
traveller. When there was an empire
in Brazil and emperor resident at Pc
tropolis, that mountain city was a most
interesting place. Dom Pedro walked
unattended through the cool, shady
streets and talked to whom he would
Sometimes he was seen beneath tree
gossiping with q group of summer resi-
dents, while the brook that yvatered the
shady thoroughfare purled at the i'm
perial feet.
Dom Pedro, being a tolerant and
good-natured monarch. thought no Ill
of the gay doings al PetropoiiS he
never stopped TO inquire whether this
or that pretty villa was tcnanted by
man and wife or by folks bearing less
conventional relation lie admired the
CAV ladies that drove or walked
about his summer capital. and made no
awkward inquiries as To their conduct.
Every body followed the WAYS OF the
country. and wha terer the state OF
things at Rio and 10 matter how many
deaths by yellow fever were reported
per day from the seaport below. there
were music and laughter and wine in
PetropoliS There were cock6ghts and
horse races as well, and the most en-
gagiug little games % chance, all 80
open and respectable that one almost
forgot that there was such thing as
the decalogue Many of these things
60 on under the republic, and naval o.
ficers report tha; petropolis, even with
out an emperor, is delightfully."- wicked
N. Y. sun.
The first practical sewing machine
was inyented in 1871. In lsss there
were 100000 made in the United States.
able TO do the work af : 2na -lana, rrnraA'-