The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-12-16

derfully mixed and hitched team o
five horses and mules Three abreas
and two In front Of them, held In plac
with strings. ropes and chains. III
has been nowhere; he is going nowhere
but he urges ON his tenn with mixtur'
of Spanish and Gualanl exhortation
which are very amusing. A conslomer
alton of women continually pass viii
bottles Of milk, baskets of fruit. ant
bags of charcoal poised on theii heads
who are in turn jostled by the news
boy, who is as energetic as his Amer
lean cousin.
All funerals are by tram cars, as the
Streets and roads in the suburbs TO the
cemeteries are in bad condition. Walk
ing Is uncomfortable If not painful, as
the country is very sandy, especially
around Asuncion. Everybody goes, II
only for the outing, and the ride. The
women in trans to themselves. The
uoorer classes conduct theirs or
foot, and are more interesting. If a
Young child, the open coffin is balanced
on the head Of one Of the women, and
the lid on another, the people following
On the approach to the church the bell
is tolled, and the peddlers crowd the
entrance, to sell their wares, one with
chipa "a bread made of mandioca flour,
eggs, cheese, milk and grease), another
with cana "a spirit distilled from the
sugar cane), and still another with small
sausages, nut candy, and many other
delicate edibles AS the service pro-
crosses and the body is lowered in its
last resting place, the mourners, class
paid few cents, set up their howl or
cry, which is fiendtsh. No funeral is a
complete success without this outland>
ish howl and noise. After this all re-.
turn to the house Of mourning, where
they feast and drink all night.
The Paraguayan women as a general
rule are very good figures, and as
straight as an arrow, owing no doubt,
to their custom of carrying everything
poised on their heads, without the ne.
cessity of their hands to balance it.
This is the only country in the world
where this art is pradticed to perfection.
On the other hand, the men, with
little m, as this would imply, are in
significant, indolent, and extremely la
zy. Being invetertate smokers and gam
bler's, they prefer to lay around the
small "boliches" drinking dens) smok
ing and drinking cana all day and half
the night 1t is impossible to secure
enough labor to harvest the small crops
that are raised. One day you have
twenty hands, and the next, two. Is
it wonder the country is depopulated
and bankrupt?
The rural PaTaguayans at home pre-
sents a commendable example of hum
BILE contentment. He realizes that he is
placed as he Is by a power greater
than he, and he does not care to take
upon himself the trouble to meddla
with his condition. Hence his condl-
don is primative. His abode is a
thatched Undiscovered house, generally
located on the outskirts of the city.
He will raise enough "Mandioca," a
root which resembles a parsnip IN
shape, and the chestnut in flavor. 1t is
to him a substitute for the potato, and
when well cooked is delicious and very
His diet is extremely sim
pie, being mandioca, dried corn, or
anges, and little meat. In the inter-
ior, where the inhabitants are more
wretched If possible, the children eat
quantities. of white clay, which does
not seem to hurt, them, and in many
cases helps to fill out the menu.
The day begins at about a. m. BY |
that time the markets are in the hey
day of their life. One sees everywhere /
women, a sea of women; women butch
ers, and nothing is wasted Of the ami
nal under consideration, from his horns
10 his hoofs. Women buying, women
selling; man looks out Of place; IN
lact, they are hard to find. The women
keep up a constant chatter, if not with
the customer, then with themselves.
A good-natured chatting" interspersed
With Slang that would throw their
American cousins in the shade.
At II a. m. is the breakfast hour, and
the principal meal of the day is par
laken of. From l to IS the "siesta"
lour. Every one seeks 1t and the for
Aigner. after a few months residence,
ooks forward to his "siesta" with as
much pleasure as the native Para,
After the sles.a, mate is pass
ID around, which is the main feature
IF life in South America. A little gourd
S produced, generally trimmed with sill
5er, holding about a gill of waiter. Into
he mate cup, or gourd, is first Put
lbout tablespoonful of tine mate, or
ca, on which is poured boiling water.
\ silver tube, or "bpmbilla," is insert
ID, and the tea sucked up through this.
rs 1t becomes empty it is refilled with
water, until it becomes quite weak,
when it is again filled with the tea, and
10 the process goes on, the cup being
,assed from one to the other in turn,
of sex or age, until each one
5 satisfied which is signified by saying
'Gracias," (thanks.) A fuller account
# the YerbA Mate, will appear in an
,ther issue. Paraguay exports tons OF
his Yerba Mate, or tea, every year, to
III parts of south America and the
Vest Indies. Very little or nothing is
1nown at present of this tea in Europe
n the United States. Among the ex-
,orts of Paraguay may be mentioned
lides, woods, both dye and cabinet, to-
nacco, cattle, yerba mate, oranges and
ana.
The religion Is Catholic, but all others
ne tolerated. The educational system
Il the schools and colleges is very good,
nd extends all over the republic, the
eachers being either English of Amer
can, the latter predominating.
The country boasts Of the first rail-
oad in South America, and at the pres