Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-11

nobility and beauty OF the Spanish colonists
may be found in the protected corners. The
road winds up the hill where an old market
place is filled with fat old black women and
mulatto girls selling oranges. bananas, lines
and pineapples, the leaves of the cabbage palm
and muleteer bringing in droves of energetic
little donkeys SO overloaded with the produce
of the country that all one can see of them Is
four thin legs beneath and pair of long oars
wagging above. Under the care of Mr.. Dur
ham. the United States minister to Hayti and
San Domingo, party of us visited the scenes
of interest in the old city. Going first to the
ruins of the old San Franciscan Monastry We
walked through the chapels and courts, the
roofs Of which had long since decayed except
where they were Of concrete arched domes.
which still show the cornices and groined
arches. In the main chapel the sides and ends
still stand, with the rank tropical vegetation
covering it growing from the crumbling walls,
while above where the altar once stood. part
of the grand dome still hangs, with little to
support it save the vines and clinging roots that
twist around the stones. helping time to hide
ths work of past centuries
NOW AN ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE
A part Of the old monastery has been rebuilt
and serves today as an asylum for the insane,
and here behind strong iron bars in damp con-
crete cells, with little but piece of old can
vas to cover them. few chattering wretches
are waiting for death, for in such a place re-
covery cannot come and it might well be said
who enter here leave hope behind" But the
ruling passion seems strong even after the
mind is gone, for many of the poor wretches
held out their hands begging for money, and
grimaced and bowed and chartered the same
whether they received it or not.
From this noisome asylum we take our way
through the principal street to the plaza, where
stands the cathedral where Christopher Column
bus bones were buried. Along the way we
have Q good opportunity to observe the people
as they crowd the street selling and buying or
lazily strolling in the sun. Here is one of the
characteristic figures of all the Antilles, an old
negro woman, arrayed in gaudy colors, trudg-
apparently not paying the slightest attention
to keeping it there. yet not single orange ever
rolls of in the cutters, and on the sidewalks
little fat native babies roll in the dirt and play
unencumbered by q stitch Of clothing for with
all but the richer class and the foreign element
II 10 customary not to clothe the children till
they are seven or eight years old, and they run
about the street as naked as nature ITSELF as un-
concerned and happy as the youngster that
plays in the parks of Washington attired
in Little Lord Fauntleroy suit and carefully
but though the custom may seem strange to US,
II Is common to the natives, and they think IL
strange that we are surprised.
THE OLD CATHEDRAL
One side of the plaza is occupied by the old
cathedral, which was built in 1922 by Diego
Columbus, and picturesque old building IL is
With its domes and belfries and grand hall
srched and groined and the little chapels tc
each saint leading OF from it The old bells
are ~ old - the church and are rung BY ropes