The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-05
VAKEMAN'SW ANDERINGS
ooD INCIDENTS OF FOREIGN
Travel AND OBSERVATION.

A
cuban Inn-Country Roeds-Women
workers and Shoppers-Old Cooking
FACILITIES - Some Quaint end Win.
come Cuban Hsmlets-Night Harbor
sosnes-A Cuban "aouse-RaisinR."
Copyright
LONDON, Feb. 20.-You are always re-
..ivsd at the century old bodegay uosada or
Inn Of Cuba as person of great distinction
This however, is wholly in the ethical
.snse. Il in nowise betters the quality OF
rour food, ministers to your body needs, or
clears the filth, fleas and cobN chs from your
dim old aloobas An out-of-tbe-way inn in
81 Cnba is a shelter much inferior to a night
IN the open air. Mine host will dance all
around you with ineffable welcomes. He
will call upon all the saints to guard you.
He will protest endlessly, "My house is
tbne!" Then he viii go to sleep. He
svaKens Just before you depart, and
+ showers blessings and bills upon pou. If in
the meantime you have got anything but
quaint and laughable studies, you
are in truth born diplomatic.
The country roads Of Cuba crook and
turn to avoid obstacles, Just as the Cuban
will do six days labor to avoid one. "Be-
ware the pautanos" is the warning heard
\ from every tongue throughout the day
t1bese "pantanosn are sinks in the CLAY soil
were ones animal plunges from perfectly
solid footing fairly out of sight. The pan
tanos" are bad enough. but the desechos
literally, refusals, avoidances), are worse
These are ways cut around impossible
places. involving serious riding through
boys and jungles, and not infrequent goings
sstray in the dense forests.
The fences of these remarkable "roads"
are curious affairs. Frequently they are
of the Spanish bayonet and the hemiquen,
With broad leaf and barbed point six
inches long, strong enough 10 impale your
horse. Again strips of stone fence will
be seen. Others are Of the pima de ration,
or bastard pineapple tree But the larger
number are of phones botlia. Green
limbs are cut from this and when thrust
in the ground grow Instantly and luxuri-
ousy Between the branches the vejuco
de angarilla, a hardy vine, is planted
This weaves itself through and
Through the hedge in all manner OF fautas-
tic and tightening freaks; and as it bears a
lovely purple blossom, this fence is always
strkingly beautiful to the eye.
One class you will miss in Cuba-not only
in shops, but everywhere else-is the women
workers. The most sensible and often the
Nhandsomest OF women can be found occu~
pviuR places of trust in American mercan-
title establishments and offices. In all Ha-
vana but one place is noticed where white
women are employed. This is a modiste's
on Gale de Obispo; and these are scraggy
lot indeed. Women in Cuba are ladies'
washerwomen or demimonde. Shopping is
done by the fair senoras or senoritas in
the afternoon, and one will then certainly
see beautiful women. They are neither
fippant nor trifliug in their purchases as
in some countries. No salesman would
dare gossip with them; suggest for them !;
or chattingly enter upon discussion OF their
AFFAIRS. Nor do they inform shopkeepers of
their own or their neighbors intentions.
4Ihey seem to know just what they want
and 60 stralRhtwey and get IL. The turn
outs are very gay; thousands of women
meet mingle and pass greetings; but there
seems to be a general understanding that a
shop is not just the place in which ladies
should entertain one another. This may
arise from the fact that Spanish women
are we'll bred And well-bred women set
some store upon their own dignity and the
home.
There being neither stoves nor flreplaces
In Cuba, the question of cooking fires be-
comes an odd one. In the cities all cooking
is done on charcoal urns, at the larger es-
Establishments these often being arranged in
the form of massive charcoal ranges. But
in remote country places a little pagoda-
4 like corner Is built next the house, or a de-
tached structure, not unlike an American
farmers large smoke house, is seen. Here
q the fire is built sQuarely upon the ground, or
upon, or within, rude stone bases, and the
smoke ascends at will usually finding vent
underneath raised roofs.
In this primitive cocina or kitchen, the
X guarda Candida literally candle. or fire.
y guard is always smouldering. 1t is prac-
tically the Fireplace backlog" of our
olden days to the Cuban country home. II
it should happen to go OUT, which is seldom
permitted, as unhappy superstitions attach
A tn the fact on discovery it is instantly re-
4 lighted from fiint-and-steel sparks struck
into punches OF corn tassels or dry and
n splntered leaves of the palm.
At the old Cuban town OF Guines, which
is scarcely more than village, the lolterer
has much to study aud enjoy. 1t is more
Moorish than Havana; more Doric than
any village of the Holy land, and as pretty
as a rose-embowered garden. No hamlet in
Europe that have ever seen furnishes such
quaint OLD corners, or, when the eye and
mind tire of these, gives in every direction
across It's marvellous valley such enchant-
ing prospects. The untold riches of the
earth far and near have set their opulent
seal on all things; aud one can easily imag-
inc that the handsomest women in the
world are here housed. SO, too. in Guines
the Spanish idea of the constant seclusion
Of women is less rigorous. Balcony and
portco swarm with the beauties, fair as the
tropc flowers among which they smile.
They are even upon the streets in dainty
squads. Everywhere are song and music
and flowers and women aud Incidence.
Seated underneath the cool porch-arches
Of old Posada de Roig, what medieval sights
and groupings are beheldl There against
the portals of San Julien de los Guines
church is a group of lazzaroni basklng in
the sun as typical OF all that is desperate
and dolorous as Rome. Constantinople or
Morocco can show. Here, beside you, are
Gitani flthier and more persistent than ply
their black arts in Lisbon, Madrid or Vala-
dolid. At the mouth of that narrow celle
are dozen whites aud blacks as innocent
OF clothing or shame as the Kauaker girls OF
the Solomon Islands All about in half
caught threnodies, are sounds OF music from
Instruments made ana play ed precisely as
When the same notes resounded among the
erabesques and fret work of the Alhembran
Court of Lions half a thousand years ago.
Water carriers pass with puncheons on
their heads just as they did IN the days OF
Herod in Egypt. While through the mediae-
val vision set actually before your eyes OF
To-day, coming to a later time and form,
which yet seem but relics of dead centuries,
are the ancient volantes, dragged sleeplly
along; caballeros and senoritas on horseback
as though n DaCa of Don Oui vote were fur