Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-10
IN SOUTHERN CllMES.
Mr. Oroffut Leads a Party to Bright
Skies.
The Trip All in an Evening-Bermudn,
ed-COuntries and People.

Several hundred people. under the guild
ance of Mr.. W. A. Croffut and the auspices
Of the Geographical Society, took a flying
midwinter trip through the American trop-
les last evening. They started from the
lecture hall of the Columbian University
and finished their journey there. They
travelled on the swiftest of wings and saw
with the keenest of eyes, and first found
themselves on Bermuda, "a green ship
thousand miles from land" They were
piloted among the wonderful coral forma-
tons of this group of islands, which occupy
a space the surface of the ocean less
than fifteen miles square, and massed to-
gether do not make more surface than one
half or two-thirds of the area of Washing
ton. They were introduced to the natives.
artists in laZiness, who never walk when
they can ride, never stand when they can
sit and never sit when they can lie down.
1t was one of the Bermudans whose watch
ran down while he was winding it, They
were also initiated in the art of growing
lazy with them, and showed how the
tourist, after a day of fretting over the
Bermudan procrastination, gradually ceases
to worry, and within a fortnight scolds
when things are rushed to him two hours
behind schedule time. Then the climate
glorious, perfect. luxuriant-waS paraded In
vivid terms, and next the odors of this
favored land were Disseminated The onion,
badge Of Bermudan prosperity and CONNER
,ial aristocracy, was explained, together
with its attendant odors, that are set off
by the wondrous fragrance of the Easter
lily.
OmciaIs Plentiful.
Next the tourists were ushered into the
wondrous presence of the Bermudan gov
eminent which. the guide explained. IRE
minds one Of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence engraved ON a dime" Bermuda was
To ha ha Da1
sarth. The 100 acres contain 1000 people,
ten to the acre, and there are 800 voters
and 522 public officials. or more than two
thirds of the population. a glimmer of
red coats shot through the air as the gar
rison of Bermuda went on parade, and SOL
diers were pointed out everywhere. Am
putate Gibraltar" said the conductor of
the tour. land you have Bermuda"
peep was taken beneath the beautiful
waters. Of the sea, and myriads of wonder
ful things in the coral line were seen. The
water glass was used to prevent the surface
ripples from interfering. and there was
spread out below a perfect labyrinth Of col
or and graceful forms.
Other Sights.
Presto! The tourists were in Florida.
skimming among the everglades and sailing
along the bayous, which make of this flow
cry land almost an island within an island.
The noses Of great crocodiles were rudely
brushed aside. and in another moment the
party were afoat on the sea again and
shooting through phosphorescent waves to
Havana. watching the porpoises executing
their regular evolutions and specializing
about the flying fish.
Yucatan was the next stopping place. and
mere the travellers were introduced to the
fucatacan, cleaner. more honest, more am
Ditious, more trustworthy than his neigh
Dor in Mexico. They were swung to sleep
In the hammock of this dolce far niente
land, where the population is born, lives
and dies in these swinging beds. They
slept for one night only in a Yucatan no.
tel. with its single room, it's associate pop
ulatton, its smells and it's noises. They
rode on the one street car of the land
drawn by an equine insect harnessed in
strings" and they made horrible grimaces
ever the national diet of suspicious pam
0kes and redolent liquids. They were
otung by Portuguese man-of-war, the Beau
Brummeil OF the nettle world: and warned
by the negro boatman that If ''he bus on
70 20 life wouldn't be wuf cent"
Mexico Last.
Next, Mexico. land of ''manana," cactus
smells. land Of poverty, babies. buzzards
and revolutions. They had the pleasure of
witnessing genuine hidalgo. clad in his
most gorgeous raiment, making his most
desperate love to his best girl, and they
saw surreptitious interview between two
lovers, one on each side of a locked door,
while stern papa was away. They were
shown a long procession of women, each
with a brown baby on her back. and they
were informed in soto voce that IL the
Mexican woman has no baby of her own
she borrows one for a week, just to avoid
seeming eccentric. They tarried a long
time IN Mexico. and when at last they haul
ed forth their return trip tickets and re-
checked their trunks. in order to look at an
album of pictures, it was with a sigh Of re-
greet
The album consisted of a series of beauti-
1ul scenes thrown on a screen by Mr.. Muir
ray, with the aid of a couple Of gas tanks.
They related entirely to Mexico and gave a
pleasant finish to a most enjoyable evening.